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Rabbit hydronephrotic cortical interstitial cells in primary culture were labeled with [1-14C]arachidonic acid and the eicosanoids released after stimulation with bradykinin or A23187 were studied by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The major arachidonic acid metabolite formed was prostaglandin (PG)E2, comprising more than 30% of the total radioactivity released. 12-Hydroxyheptadecatrienoic acid, probably representing spontaneous breakdown of the cyclic endoperoxides PGG2 and/or PGH2, made up 10 to 15% of the radioactivity released. Other cyclooxygenase products that were released included PGF2 alpha, PGD2, 6-keto PGF1 alpha and only minute amounts of thromboxane B2. Small quantities of the lipoxygenase products 15-, 12- and 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) as well as leukotrienes (LT)B4, LTC4 and LTD4 were also identified. Significantly larger quantities of 15- and 5-HETEs were recovered at 2 to 5 min than after longer incubations with A23187, suggesting esterification of these HETEs into cellular phospholipids. The data indicate that interstitial cells of the hydronephrotic kidney synthesize a variety of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of hydronephrosis. Moreover, it is suggested that PGG2 and/or PGH2 that are released from these cells may be metabolized further by adjacent kidney cells or circulating blood elements to other eicosanoid products, thus increasing the diversity of eicosanoids synthesized in the hydronephrotic kidney.

Reductive metabolism of the aromatic nitro group of 5-nitrofurans is thought to be an important step in the mechanism of their toxicity. Microsomal nitroreductase activity with p-nitrobenzoic acid and N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl[formamide (FANFT) as substrates was assessed in the renal cortex, outer medulla, inner medulla, bladder transitional epithelial and non-epithelial bladder tissue. Cortex and transitional epithelial tissue contained the most p-nitrobenzoic acid reductase activity. However, FANFT reductase activity was similar in all areas tested except nonepithelial bladder tissue, which was 10% of the others. FANFT reduction was inhibited by oxygen, but not by carbon monoxide, allopurinol or aspirin and required NADPH. These results are consistent with NADPH-cytochrome c reductase catalyzed FANFT reduction. In medullary microsomes, the apparent Km and Vmax were 0.125 mM and 0.84 nmol/mg of protein per min, respectively. Transitional epithelial microsomes incorporated approximately 1 and 10% of the total [2-14C]FANFT metabolized into t-RNA and trichloroacetic acid-precipitable material, respectively. Two products of FANFT reduction were demonstrated by high-pressure liquid chromatography. One product was reversibly oxidized to FANFT and the other was tentatively identified by mass spectral analysis as an open chain nitrile. In view of the relatively low oxygen tension in the renal inner medulla and bladder mucosa, these results suggest that medullary and transitional epithelial nitro-reductases may be involved in the pathogenesis of 5-nitrofuran toxicity.

Understanding the role of prostaglandin H synthase (PHS) in the carcinogenic process and the metabolic steps involved in the activation of carcinogens will facilitate experiments using pharmacological agents to prevent carcinogenesis. This study assesses the relative amounts of PHS-catalyzed binding of the urinary tract carcinogens [2-14C]-N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl] formamide (FANFT) and [2-14C]-2-amino-4-(5-nitro-2-furyl) thiazole (ANFT). Binding to protein and nucleic acid was assessed using PHS prepared from ram seminal vesicle, dog bladder transitional epithelium and rabbit renal inner medulla. PHS-catalyzed binding of ANFT was significantly greater than FANFT in each tissue. Substrate and inhibitor experiments were consistent with the prostaglandin hydroperoxidase activity of PHS catalyzing the binding of FANFT and ANFT. Oxygen was required for metabolism with arachidonic acid but not with peroxide as cosubstrate. The amount of PHS-catalyzed ANFT binding to protein was at least 4-fold greater than FANFT. Whereas a significant amount of FANFT was bound to protein, no FANFT binding to DNA could be detected. By contrast, PHS catalyzed the binding of ANFT to both protein and DNA. A PHS-catalyzed metabolite of ANFT was tentatively identified as the 4-keto analog by mass spectral analysis. The lower rate of PHS-catalyzed metabolism of FANFT compared to ANFT and the lack of detectable FANFT binding to DNA suggest that the metabolic steps involved in the initiation of FANFT-induced bladder cancer include 1) deformylation of FANFT to ANFT, 2) PHS-catalyzed activation of ANFT and 3) binding of an activated ANFT metabolite(s) to DNA.