Metabolic nitrite formation from N-nitrosamines: are there other pathways than reductive denitrosation by cytochrome P-450?

To demonstrate whether there are any pathways of nitrite formation from N-nitrosamines other than reductive denitrosation by cytochrome P-450 we performed the following experiments. An esterified alpha-hydroxylated nitrosamine was incubated in a microsomal system to test if nitrite generation is coupled with or linked to the oxidative bioactivation pathway. Simultaneously, inhibitors of microsomal esterases were added to test if the intact molecule or a metabolite from the oxidative metabolism was responsible for nitrite formation. To check if the superoxide radical anion could be related to the mechanism of nitrite generation, nitrosamines were incubated with a xanthine oxidase/hypoxanthine system. To test if the OH radical was involved in nitrite formation, nitrosamines were incubated with an artificial hydroxy-radical generating system (xanthine oxidase/hypoxanthine system supplemented with Fe2+/EDTA). Measurable amounts of nitrite were detected after incubation of the esterified-hydroxylated N-nitrosamine when the hydrolysis by microsomal esterases was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate or paraoxon and when the N-nitrosamines were incubated with the artificial hydroxy-radical generating system. Nitrite formation could not be detected in the O2(-)-generating system (xanthine oxidase/hypoxanthine) or when the esterified alpha-hydroxylated N-nitrosamine was incubated without inhibition of the microsomal esterases. These results demonstrate that besides reductive denitrosation by cytochrome P-450, nitrite generation from N-nitrosamines can also be caused by hydroxy-radicals. The importance of this possible pathway for the in vivo situation of nitrosamine metabolism is discussed.