Oxidation of aminopyrine by hypochlorite to a reactive dication: possible implications for aminopyrine-induced agranulocytosis

Aminopyrine is associated with a high incidence of agranulocytosis. It is known to be oxidized by peroxidases and hypochlorous acid to a blue cation radical. It has been proposed that the mechanism by which hypochlorous acid oxidizes aminopyrine to a cation radical involves N-chlorination followed by loss of a chlorine radical. Another possible mechanism is loss of HCl to form an iminium ion and subsequent reaction with another molecule of aminopyrine and a hydrogen ion to form two radical cations. This mechanism would lead to incorporation of a hydrogen from water; however, using a deuterated analog, we found no hydrogen incorporation, thus providing strong evidence against this mechanism. Using a stopped-flow diode array spectrophotometer to study the reaction between aminopyrine and hypochlorous acid, an intermediate with a lambda max at approximately 420 nm was observed in the formation of the cation radical. We propose that this represents a dication formed by the loss of chloride ion from N-chloroaminopyrine. This intermediate is very reactive, with a half-life of approximately 15 ms, and in addition to being the precursor of the cation radical, it also appears to react with two molecules of water to form several other products that were observed and are consistent with the proposed dication intermediate. Similar stable products were formed when amino-pyrine was oxidized by the combination of myeloperoxidase, hydrogen peroxide, and chloride or activated neutrophils. The reactive dication formed by neutrophil-derived hypochlorous acid could be responsible for aminopyrine-induced agranulocytosis.

Photodegradation study of three dipyrone metabolites in various water systems: identification and toxicity of their photodegradation products

The photochemical behaviour of three relevant metabolites of the analgesic and antipyretic drug dipyrone, 4-methylaminoantipyrine (4-MAA), 4-formylaminoantipyrine (4-FAA) and 4-acetylaminoantipyrine (4-AAA), was evaluated under simulated solar irradiation (Suntest system). For 4-MAA, different aqueous solutions (synthetic seawater, freshwater and Milli-Q water) as well as different operational conditions were compared. According to the experimental results, 4-MAA resulted as being an easily degraded molecule by direct photolysis, with half-life times (t1/2) ranging from 0.12 to 0.58 h, depending on the irradiation conditions. Faster degradation was observed in synthetic waters, suggesting that the photolysis was influenced by the salt composition of the waters. However, no effect on the degradation rate was observed by the presence of natural photosensitizers (dissolved organic matter, nitrate ions). 4-FAA and 4-AAA showed slower photodegradation kinetics, with t1/2 of 24 and 28 h, respectively. A study of photoproduct identification was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS) (ESI positive mode), which allowed us to propose a tentative photodegradation pathway for 4-MAA and the identification of persistent by-products in all the cases. Finally, the application of an acute toxicity test (Daphnia magna) showed an increase in toxicity during the photolytic process, a consequence of the formation of toxic photoproducts.

Short-term study of the effect of phenacetin, phenazone and amidopyrine on the rat kidney

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Acute and genetic toxicity of 1-nitropyrene and its fate after single oral doses to rats

The mammalian acute and genetic toxicity of 1-nitropyrene (NP) was studied because this and other nitroarenes are highly mutagenic toward bacteria and have been identified in emissions from combustion processes. A suspension of NP did not cause observable signs of acute toxicity and was not lethal when administered to male and female rats at single oral doses as high as 5.0 g/kg. Histological examination of stomach, intestine, lung, heart, spleen, pancreas, adrenal, and kidney from rats euthanized at 4 and 14 d after treatment revealed no detectable differences from control rats. Urine and feces were collected for 4 d after treatment with 5.0 g/kg. About 70% of the dose was present in the feces as NP, and about 2% was present as the reduced metabolite 1-aminopyrene (AP). Sulfate and glucuronide conjugates of AP were present in small amounts (less than 1%) in the urine, showing that at least some of the dose was absorbed. Bone marrow cells from female rats given NP orally at 0.5, 1.5, and 5.0 g/kg showed a slight dose-related increase in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges. Both NP and AP showed low mutagenicity in Chinese hamster ovary cells in vitro. Evidence of reductive metabolism of NP in rats raises concern about the potential exposure of humans to this compound. However, the weak in vivo and in vitro genetic toxicity of NP at high dose levels in mammalian systems suggests that the potential hazard may not be as high as predicted from bacterial mutagenicity data.

Generation of high yields of Syrian hamster cholangiocellular carcinomas and hepatocellular nodules by combined nitrite and aminopyrine administration and Opisthorchis viverrini infection

Combined administration of 0.1% nitrite and 0.1% aminopyrine in the drinking water for eight to ten weeks resulted in subsequent development of both hepatocellular nodules and cholangiofibrotic lesions/cholangiocellular carcinomas in Syrian golden hamsters. Additional prior dosing with Opisthorchis viverrini metacercariae (100/animal) induced inflammatory and proliferative changes in the livers of infected hamsters and was associated with a significant increase in yields of hepatocellular and cholangiocellular preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Thus, environmental factors thought to be casually related to the high levels of human liver cancer observed in the Northeastern provinces of Thailand were sufficient to bring about development of equivalent tumors in experimental animals. The results indicate that parasite associated liver injury and non-specific compensatory regeneration may play an important role in generation of both hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinomas in man.

Detection by alkaline elution of rat liver DNA damage induced by simultaneous subacute administration of nitrite and aminopyrine

DNA fragmentation induced in the livers of rats by oral treatment with NaNO2 and aminopyrine was evaluated by the alkaline elution technique. Whereas simultaneous administration of the two compounds in a single dose produced only a minimal increase of the DNA elution rate, their intake with drinking water for 20 successive days caused DNA fragmentation comparable to that observed after a single ip injection of 10-20 mg/kg N-nitrosodimethylamine. Either NaNO2 or aminopyrine alone induced borderline DNA damaging effects, if any, in both rats receiving a single dose and those treated for 20 successive days.

Effects of antioxidant 1-O-hexyl-2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone or ascorbic acid on carcinogenesis induced by administration of aminopyrine and sodium nitrite in a rat multi-organ carcinogenesis model

The effect of antioxidant, 0.25% 1-O-hexyl-2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone (HTHQ) or 0.25% ascorbic acid (AsA), on carcinogenesis induced by administration of 0.05% aminopyrine (AP) and 0.05% sodium nitrite (NaNO2), was examined using a rat multi-organ carcinogenesis model. Groups of twenty F344 male rats were treated sequentially with an initiation regimen of N-diethylnitrosamine, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine, N,N'-dimethylhydrazine and 2,2'-dihydroxy-di-n-propylnitrosamine during the first 4 weeks, followed by AP+NaNO2, AP+NaNO2+HTHQ, AP+NaNO2+AsA, NaNO2+HTHQ, NaNO2+AsA, each of the individual chemicals alone or basal diet and tap water as a control. All surviving animals were killed at week 28, and major organs were examined histopathologically for development of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. In the AP+NaNO2 group, the incidences of hepatocellular adenomas and hemangiosarcomas were 95% and 35%, respectively. When HTHQ or AsA was simultaneously administered, the incidences decreased to 58% and 11%, or to 80% and 15%, respectively. On the other hand, in the AP+NaNO2 group and the NaNO2-alone group, when HTHQ, but not AsA, was simultaneously administered, the incidence of carcinomas in the forestomach significantly increased. The results suggest that HTHQ can prevent tumor production induced by AP and NaNO2 more effectively than AsA. On the other hand, an enhancing or possible carcinogenic effect of simultaneous administration of HTHQ and NaNO2 only on the forestomach is suggested, while simultaneous treatment with the same dose of AsA and NaNO2 may not be carcinogenic to the forestomach or other organs.

Lack of tumorigenicity of aminopyrine orally administered to B6C3F1 mice

To test the tumorigenic potential of aminopyrine, an antipyretic analgesic, it was administered in drinking water at levels of 0 (control), 0.04 and 0.08% to 50 male and 50 female B6C3F1 mice for 100 weeks, and the mice were subsequently maintained without aminopyrine for a further 4 weeks. The most frequent types of tumor, in both treated and control groups, were hepatocellular tumor in male mice and malignant lymphoma/lymphoid leukemia in female mice. No statistically significant differences were observed in the incidences of these tumors between treated and control groups. The incidences of several other tumors in male and female mice also showed no statistically significant differences between treated and control groups. Therefore, no tumorigenic effect of orally administered aminopyrine in B6C3F1 mice was apparent in the present study.

Mutagenicity of 4-aminoantipyrine and 4-nitrosoantipyrine, the C-nitroso derivative of antipyrine

The drug antipyrine and its 4-substituted analogs, 4-aminoantipyrine, 4-dimethylaminoantipyrine (aminopyrine) and 4-nitrosoantipyrine were tested for mutagenicity against the screening array of Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA100, TA98, TA97, TA102 and TA104. Antipyrine and aminopyrine were nonmutagenic to all 5 tester strains even in the presence of S9. 4-Aminoantipyrine was directly mutagenic to TA97 only and the presence of S9 slightly increased its activity. 4-Nitrosoantipyrine was directly mutagenic to all tester strains used and S9 decreased its activity except with strain TA102. The possible long-term hazards of C-nitroso compounds derived from drugs and dietary constituents are discussed in view of their pluripotent direct genotoxicity.

Histological studies into rat liver following long-term application of aminophenazone, phenazone, and propyphenazone

Morphological studies by means of light microscopy are important for toxicological drug testing. More complete information on potential damage can be obtained only by combination of pharmacological, biochemical, hepatofunctional, and morphological tests and studies. No systematic tests had been applied to rats, in the past. Therefore, aminophenazone, phenazone, and propyphenazone were tested for periods up to 16 weeks. Long-term application of the three pyrazolone derivatives resulted in the following dose-dependent and time-dependent alterations: hepatocyte enlargement, fatty degeneration and reactive-inflammatory changes along with single-cell necrosis, round cellular infiltration of periportal fields, and Kupffer cell activation. The alterations differed in intensity by the following order: aminophenazone greater than phenazone greater than propyphenazone.

Evaluation of liver function tests after administration of aminophenazone

Known liver function tests (activities of ASAT = L-Aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, ALAT = L-Alanine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, GLDH = Glutamate-dehydrogenase, LDH = Lactate-dehydrogenase in serum) are not qualified for detecting minimal histopathological liver alterations induced by aminophenazon.

Induction of 8-azaguanine-resistant mutation and neoplastic transformation of hamster embryonic cells by coadministration of sodium nitrite and aminopyrine

Hamster embryos in utero on the 11th or 12th day of gestation were treated simultaneously with aminopyrine (Ap) and sodium nitrite (NaNO2) by oral administration of the compounds to the mothers by stomach tube. For measurement of induction of 8 AG-resistant mutations, the embryonic cells from treated and control mothers were cultured in MEM plus 10% FBS for 72 h and then selected in medium containing 10 or 20 microgram/ml of 8 AG. The number of 8 AG-resistant colonies was markedly increased after co-administration of Ap and NaNO2, and slight induction of mutations was also observed in cells from mothers given NaNO2 alone. This treatment also caused morphological or malignant transformation of cultured cells. About 5- to 6-fold increase in the number of transformed colonies was observed in cells from mothers given Ap plus NaNO2. Cells from the transformed colonies produced tumors when implanted into the cheek pouches of young golden hamsters. These tumors were diagnosed as pleomorphic fibrosarcomas. Similar results were obtained with cells from embryos treated transplacentally with NDMA as positive controls. A single transplacental oral application of Ap at 200 mg/kg or of NaNO2 had only slight biological actions to the cultured embryonic cells. NDMA was produced in the stomach of animals treated simultaneously with Ap and NaNO2. A small amount of NDMA was also detected in the stomach after a single dose of NaNO2.

The excretion of ascorbic acid and hippuric acid in the urine of rats with liver injury

The excretion of ascorbic acid and hippuric acid in the urine as liver function tests has no marked advantages when compared with other tests (activities of serum enzymes glutamate dehydrogenase and L-alanine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, hexobarbital sleeping time).

Testing of drugs for combined mutagenesis with sodium nitrite in the host-mediated assay

Mutagenic activity of the drugs analgine and aminophenazone was tested in the intraperitoneal and intrasanguine host-mediated assay after oral application together with equimolar doses of sodium nitrite. Salmonella typhimurium strain G46 was used as genetic indicator system; mice served as host animals for the bacteria. Analgine was found to be weakly mutagenic in the dose 2 mM/kg together with nitrite, aminophenazone was a strong mutagen in combination with nitrite in the doses 2 mM/kg and 0.2 mM/kg using the intrasanguine test with 1 h incubation of bacteria in the liver. In the intraperitoneal variant with 3 h incubation time of bacteria only aminophenazone was slightly mutagenic at the highest dose tested, 2 mM/kg. The relative nitrosation rate for aminophenazone was calculated by means of regression lines for mutagenic activity of dimethylnitrosamine and was found to be in the range of 2% in both systems for a dose of 2 mM/kg precursors.