Oxidation of N-hydroxy-l-arginine by hypochlorous acid to form nitroxyl (HNO).

Recent research has shown that nitroxyl (HNO) has important and unique biological activity, especially as a potential alternative to current treatments of cardiac failure. HNO is a reactive molecule that undergoes efficient dimerization and subsequent dehydration to form nitrous oxide (N(2)O), making its detection in solution or biologically relevant preparations difficult. Due to this limitation, HNO has not yet been observed in vivo, though several pathways for its endogenous generation have been postulated. Here, we investigate the oxidation of N-hydroxy-l-arginine (NOHA) by hypochlorous acid (HOCl), which is generated in vivo from hydrogen peroxide and chloride by the heme enzyme, myeloperoxidase. NOHA is an intermediate in the enzymatic production of nitric oxide (NO) by NO synthases, and has been shown previously to be chemically oxidized to either HNO or NO, depending on the oxidant employed. Using membrane inlet mass spectrometry and standard N(2)O analysis by gas chromatography, we find that NOHA is oxidized by excess HOCl to form HNO-derived N(2)O. In addition, we also observe the analogous production of HNO from the HOCl oxidation of hydroxylamine, hydroxyurea, and (to a lesser extent) acetohydroxamic acid.

Detection of nitroxyl (HNO) by membrane inlet mass spectrometry.

Membrane inlet (or introduction) mass spectrometry (MIMS) was used to detect nitroxyl (HNO) in aqueous solution for the first time. The common HNO donors Angeli's salt (AS) and Piloty's acid (PA), along with a newly developed donor, 2-bromo-N-hydroxybenzenesulfonamide (2-bromo-Piloty's acid, 2BrPA), were examined by this technique. MIMS experiments revealed that under physiological conditions 2BrPA is an essentially pure HNO donor, but AS produces a small amount of nitric oxide (NO). In addition, MIMS experiments also confirmed that PA is susceptible to oxidation and NO production, but that 2BrPA is not as prone to oxidation.

Identification of the reactive intermediates produced upon photolysis of p-azidoacetophenone and its tetrafluoro analogue in aqueous and organic solvents: implications for photoaffinity labeling.

Photolysis of p-azidoacetophenone (1a) or 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-p-azidoacetophenone (1b) releases the corresponding singlet nitrenes 2a and 2b. In aqueous solutions singlet nitrenes relax (1.1 ps and 43 ns, respectively) to the lower energy triplet nitrenes 3a and 3b, intermediates which do not react to form cross-links or adducts with typical amino acids and nucleic acids. In a hydrophobic environment singlet nitrene 2a partitions between forming triplet nitrene 3a and an acyl-substituted didehydroazepine 4a, which can be detected by LFP and time-resolved IR spectroscopy. The absolute rate constant of reaction of didehydroazepine 4a with water, in acetonitrile, was determined (3.5 x 10(4) M-1 s-1) by laser flash photolysis (LFP) techniques with IR detection at ambient temperature. Photolysis of tetrafluoro azide 1b releases singlet nitrene 2b, which has a lifetime of 172 ns in benzene and can readily be intercepted by pyridine to form ylide 10b (lambdamax = 415 nm). Singlet nitrene 2b reacts with the unactivated CH bonds of cyclohexane to form adduct 8b in 46% yield. Absolute rate constants of reaction of 1b with N-methylimidazole, phenol, dibutyl sulfide, indole, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide were determined using the pyridine ylide probe method. It is concluded that photolysis of p-azidoacetophenone (1a) will not lead to cross-link formation but that tetrafluorinated azide 1b can form useful singlet nitrene derived adducts upon photolysis.