Possible involvement of dihydrofructosazine in the DNA breaking activity of D-glucosamine.

Dehydrochlorination of D-glucosamine (2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose) hydrochloride with an anion exchange resin made its DNA breaking activity in plasmid pBR322 much higher, especially in the presence of Cu2+. The sample of anion exchanger-treated D-glucosamine hydrochloride, i.e., HCL-free D-glucosamine sample, showed an absorption maximum at 274 nm on the UV absorption spectrum in water as seen in the case of fructosazine [2,5-bis(D-arabino-tetrahydroxybutyl)pyrazine] one of the dimers of D-glucosamine. On a positive-ion fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrum, the sample showed an ion peak at m/z 323 as a base peak, corresponding to dihydrofructosazine [2,5-bis(D-arabino-tetrahydroxybutyl) dihydropyrazine], which was a precursor of fructosazine, as well as those of D-glucosamine itself (m/z 180) and fructosazine (m/z 321). The DNA strand breaking activity of HCL-free D-glucosamine sample was directly proportional to the peak intensity of m/z 323 ion, while the DNA breaking activity of fructosazine was much weaker than that of HCL-free D-glucosamine sample. 2,5-Dihydro-3,6-dimethylprazine and 2,3-dihydro-5,6-dimethylpyrazine having a dihydropyrazine skeleton the same as dihydrofructosazine showed the same extent of DNA strand breaking activity as did the HCL-free D-glucosamine sample. These results indicated that dihydrofructosazine produced during the dehydrochlorination is closely involved in the DNA breaking activity of HCL-free D-glucosamine sample.