Spin-trapping of free radicals formed during in vitro and in vivo metabolism of 3-methylindole

Electron spin resonance spin-trapping techniques were used to investigate the in vitro and in vivo formation of free radicals during 3-methylindole (3MI) metabolism by goat lung. Utilizing the spin trap phenyl-t-butylnitrone, a nitrogen-centered free radical was detected 3 min after the addition of 3MI to an in vitro incubation system containing goat lung microsomes in the presence of NADPH and O2. The spectrum of the spin adduct was identical to that observed when 3MI was irradiated with ultraviolet light. A carbon-centered radical was also observed which increased in concentration with increasing incubation time. Microsomal incubations containing ferrous sulfate in the absence of 3MI to initiate lipid peroxidation produced the same carbon-centered free radical as obtained by spin-trapping. Malondialdehyde, and end product of lipid peroxidation, was also found to increase in concentration with increasing incubation time of 3MI. The concept that 3MI causes lipid peroxidation in the lung was supported by the in vivo study in which a carbon-centered radical was spin-trapped by phenyl-t-butylnitrone in lungs of intact goats infused with 3MI. This carbon-centered radical had hyperfine splitting constants identical to those carbon-centered free radicals trapped in in vitro incubations of 3MI. These data demonstrate that microsomal metabolism of 3MI produces a nitrogen-centered radical from 3MI which initiates lipid peroxidation in vitro and in vivo causing the formation of carbon-centered radicals from microsomal membranes.     

Carbon-centered free radical intermediates in the hematin- and ram seminal vesicle-catalyzed decomposition of fatty acid hydroperoxides

Heme-catalyzed decomposition of unsaturated hydroperoxy fatty acids has been proposed to proceed via carbon-centered free radicals (delocalized at positions C11, C12, and C13 for 15-hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE). The stable products are usually epoxy fatty acids and epoxy alcohols. Hydroperoxides from arachidonic acid can decompose via this mechanism to form leukotrienes of potential biological significance and can catalyze the epoxidation of proximal carcinogens to ultimate carcinogenic metabolites. We have used electron spin resonance spin-trapping techniques to detect carbon-centered radicals formed by heme- or ram seminal vesicle-catalyzed decomposition of 15-HPETE. For both systems we detect both a short- and a long-lived radical adduct. We proposed that these radical adducts are derived from C11 and C13 carbon-centered free radicals generated in the decomposition of 15-HPETE.     

Free radical metabolites of L-cysteine oxidation

The oxidation of L-cysteine by horseradish peroxidase in the presence of oxygen forms a thiyl free radical as demonstrated with the spin-trapping ESR technique. Reactions of this thiyl free radical result in oxygen consumption, which is inhibited by the spin trap 5,5'-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide. Cysteine sulfinic acid, a cysteine metabolite, is a poorer substrate for horseradish peroxidase than cysteine and is oxidized to form both sulfur-centered and carbon-centered free radicals.     

Free radical formation in the oxidation of malondialdehyde and acetylacetone by peroxidase enzymes.

Malondialdehyde, a product of lipid peroxidation, and acetylacetone undergo one-electron oxidation by peroxidase enzymes to form free radical metabolites, which were detected with ESR using the spin-trapping technique. The structures of the radical adducts were assigned using isotope substitution. With both malondialdehyde and acetylacetone and the enzymes myeloperoxidase and chloroperoxidase, carbon-centered radicals were detected. With horseradish peroxidase, a carbon-centered radical was initially trapped and then disappeared with the concomitant appearance of an iminoxyl radical.     

Spin-trapping studies of hepatic free radicals formed following the acute administration of ethanol to rats: in vivo detection of 1-hydroxyethyl radicals with PBN.

The generation of free radicals in rat liver following the acute oral administration of ethanol was studied with the spin-trapping method, using a deuterated derivative of phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN-d14) as the spin-trapping agent. After administration of ethanol and PBN-d14 to rats, organic extracts of the liver were prepared and subjected to ESR spectroscopy. In the case of ethanol-treated rats, the ESR spectra indicated that mixtures of radicals had been trapped, while spectra from control rats were essentially negative. The predominant spin adduct detected after ethanol treatment is proposed to be from a carbon-centered, primary alkyl radical, based on gamma-hydrogen hyperfine splitting patterns observed with PBN-d14. Oxygen-centered radicals also contributed to the ESR spectra. Liver extracts also contained low concentrations of the 1-hydroxyethyl radical spin adduct, which was indicated by weak spectral lines corresponding to those of the 1-13C-ethanol adduct. These data confirm previous suggestions that ethanol is metabolized to a free radical metabolite in rat liver. In addition, some information on types of lipid radicals generated during alcohol intoxication has been obtained.     

Enzymatic activation of hydrazine derivatives. A spin-trapping study

The oxidative metabolism of hydralazine, isoniazid, iproniazid, and phenylhydrazine has been studied using spin-trapping techniques. The oxidation of these hydrazine derivatives, catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase and prostaglandin synthetase, produces reactive free radical intermediates. Enzymatic activation of hydralazine produce the nitrogen-centered hydralazyl radical (RNHNH); phenylhydrazine formed only the phenyl radical. Iproniazid, on the other hand, formed both the isopropyl radical and a hydroperoxy radical. The formation of the hydroperoxy radical was not inhibited by superoxide dismutase. The horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of isoniazid produced two different carbon-centered radicals. The identity of these radicals is not clear; however, they may arise from an acyl (RCO) radical and an alkyl (R) radical.     

NADPH-cytochrome-P-450 reductase promoted hydroxyl radical production by the iron(III)-ochratoxin A complex

The Fe3+ complex of ochratoxin A has been shown to produce hydroxyl radicals in the presence of NADPH and NADPH-cytochrome-P-450 reductase. ESR spin-trapping experiments carried out in the presence of the hydroxyl radical scavenger ethanol and the spin trap DMPO (5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide) produced ESR spectra characteristic of the hydroxyl radial-derived carbon-centered DMPO-alkoxyl radical adduct. Thus hydroxyl radicals produced by the Fe3(+)-ochratoxin A complex in the presence of an enzymatic reductase may be be partly responsible for ochratoxin A toxicity.     

Esr and Spin-Trapping Study of Free Radicals in γ-Irradiated Solid Lysozyme

Free radicals produced by γ-irradiation of solid lysozyme were investigated by a technique combining ESR, spin-trapping and enzymatic digestion. MNP and DMPO were used as spin-trapping reagents. The solid lysozyme was first γ-irradiated and then dissolved in an aqueous solution containing the spin-trapping reagent to stabilize free radicals. The spin adducts of lysozyme were digested to oligopeptides to get ESR spectra having a well-resolved hyperfine structure. The ESR spectra obtained showed that carbon-centered radicals, CH-, at the side chains of amino acids, and thiyl radicals, -CH₂-_-S^-, at disulfide bridges were produced in γ-irradiated solid lysozyme.     

The Horseradish Peroxidase Catalysed Oxidation of Deoxyribose Sugars

The ability of horseradish peroxidase (E.C. 1.11.1.7. Donor: H₂O₂ oxidoreductase) to catalytically oxidize 2-deoxyribose sugars to a free radical species was investigated. The ESR spin-trapping technique was used to denionstrate that free radical species were formed. Results with the spin trap 3.5-dibronio-4-nitrosoben-zene sulphonic acid showed that horseradish peroxidase can catalyse the oxidation of 2-deoxyribose to produce an ESR spectrum characteristic of a nitroxide radical spectrum. This spectrum was shown to be a composite of spin adducts resulting from two carbon-centered species, one spin adduct being characterized by the hyperfine coupling constants a^N = 13.6Ganda^H_β = 11.0G, and the other by a^N = 13.4G and a^H = 5.8 G. When 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate was used as the substrate, the spectrum produced was found to be primarily one species characterized by the hyperfine coupling constants a^N = 13.4G and a^H= 5.2. All the radical species produced were carbon-centered spin adducts with a β hydrogen, suggesting that oxidation occurred at the C(2) or C(5) moiety of the sugar. Interestingly, it was found that under the same experimental conditions, horseradish peroxidase apparently did not catalyze the oxidation of either 3-deoxyribose or D-ribose to a free radical since no spin adducts were found in these cases.

It can be readily seen that 2-deoxyribose and 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate can be oxidized by HRP/H₂O₂ to form a free radical species that can be detected with the ESR spin-trapping technique. There are two probable sites for the formation of a CH type radical on the 2-deoxyribose sugar, these being the C(2) and the C(5) carbons. The fact that there is a species produced from 2-deoxy-ribose, but not 2-deoxy-ribose-5-phosphate, suggests that there is an involvement of the C(5) carbon in the species with the 1 1.0G β hydrogen. In the spectra formed from 2-deoxy-ribose, there is a big difference in the hyperfine splitting of the β hydrogens, suggesting that the radicals are formed at different carbon centers, while the addition of a phosphate group to the C(5) carbon seems to inhibit radical formation at one site. In related work, the chemiluminescence of monosaccharides in the presence of horseradish peroxidase was proposed to be the consequence of carbon-centered free radical formation (10).     

Peroxyl, alkoxyl, and carbon-centered radical formation from organic hydroperoxides by chloroperoxidase

The decomposition of organic hydroperoxides as catalyzed by chloroperoxidase was investigated with electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Tertiary peroxyl radicals were directly detected by ESR from incubations of tert-butyl hydroperoxide or cumene hydroperoxide with chloroperoxidase at pH 6.4. Peroxyl, alkoxyl, and carbon-centered free radicals from tertiary hydroperoxide/chloroperoxidase systems were successfully trapped by the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide, whereas alkoxyl radicals were not detected in the ethyl hydroperoxide/chloroperoxidase system. The carbon-centered free radicals were further characterized by spin-trapping studies with tert-nitrosobutane. Oxygen evolution measured by a Clark oxygen electrode was detected for all the hydroperoxide/chloroperoxidase systems. The classical peroxidase mechanism is proposed to describe the formation of peroxyl radicals. In the case of tertiary peroxyl radicals, their subsequent self-reactions result in the formation of alkoxyl free radicals and molecular oxygen. beta-Scission and internal hydrogen atom transfer reactions of the alkoxyl free radicals lead to the formation of various carbon-centered free radicals. In the case of the primary ethyl peroxyl radicals, decay through the Russell pathway forms molecular oxygen.     

Lipid peroxyl radical intermediates in the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by lipoxygenase. Direct electron spin resonance investigations

Lipid peroxyl radicals resulting from the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by soybean lipoxygenase were directly detected by the method of rapid mixing, continuous-flow electron spin resonance spectroscopy. When air-saturated borate buffer (pH 9.0) containing linoleic acid or arachidonate acid was mixed with lipoxygenase, fatty acid-derived peroxyl free radicals were readily detected; these radicals have a characteristic g-value of 2.014. An organic free radical (g = 2.004) was also detected; this may be the carbon-centered fatty acid free radical that is the precursor of the peroxyl free radical. The ESR spectrum of this species was not resolved, so the identification of this free radical was not possible. Fatty acids without at least two double bonds (e.g. stearic acid and oleic acid) did not give the corresponding peroxyl free radicals, suggesting that the formation of bisallylic carbon-centered radicals precedes peroxyl radical formation. The 3.8-G doublet feature of the fatty acid peroxyl spectrum was proven (by selective deuteration) to be a hyperfine coupling due to a gamma-hydrogen that originated as a vinylic hydrogen of arachidonate. Arachidonate peroxyl radical formation was shown to be dependent on the substrate, active lipoxygenase, and molecular oxygen. Antioxidants are known to protect polyunsaturated fatty acids from peroxidation by scavenging peroxyl radicals and thus breaking the free radical chain reaction. Therefore, the peroxyl signal intensity from micellar arachidonate solutions was monitored as a function of the antioxidant concentration. The reaction of the peroxyl free radical with Trolox C was shown to be 10 times slower than that with vitamin E. The vitamin E and Trolox C phenoxyl radicals that resulted from scavenging the peroxyl radical were also detected.     

An ESR study of radical kinetics in L-alpha-amino-n-butyric acid hydrochloride containing L-cysteine hydrochloride

On annealing at temperatures near 100 degrees C, carbon-centered radicals migrate to sulfur-centered radicals in X-irradiated crystals of L-alpha-amino-n-butyric acid hydrochloride, CH3CH2CH(NH3-Cl)COOH, containing L-cysteine hydrochloride, SHCH2CH(NH3Cl)COOH. Samples containing 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% L-cysteine hydrochloride were studied. When no cysteine is present, the carbon-centered radical formed by X irradiation, CH3CH2CHOOH, decays according to a second-order diffusion-controlled rate equation. In samples containing cysteine, the same carbon-centered radicals are formed, but on annealing, they migrate to cysteine, where a perithiyl radical, RSS, is formed. The transfer of carbon-centered radicals to perthiyl radicals follows a pseudo first-order rate equation with an activation energy of 1.15 eV. A decrease in the initial concentration of the carbon-centered radicals or an increase in the initial concentration of cysteine results in an increase in the transfer efficiency. The rate of growth of the perthiyl radical depends on both the initial concentration of cysteine and the initial concentration of carbon-centered radicals. The pseudo first-order rate constant increases when either the initial carbon-centered radical concentration increases or the initial cysteine concentration increases. The mechanism by which radicals move from one lattice site to another in the crystalline material is most likely hydrogen abstraction from a neighboring molecule.     

DNA alterations induced by the carbon-centered radical derived from the oxidation of 2-phenylethylhydrazine

The possible significance of carbon-centered radicals in hydrazine-induced carcinogenesis is explored by studies of the interaction between the 2-phenylethyl radical and DNA. The radical is efficiently generated during oxidation of phenelzine (2-phenylethylhydrazine) promoted by oxyhemoglobin or ferricyanide, as demonstrated by spin-trapping experiments and analysis of the reaction products. In the ferricyanide promoted oxidation, ethylbenzene formation accounts for about 40% of the initial drug concentration, from 5 to 100 mM phenelzine. By contrast, product formation in the presence of oxyhemoglobin depends on the enzyme concentration due to the fact that the prosthetic heme is destroyed during catalytic turnover. Covalent binding of the 2-phenylethyl radical to oxyhemoglobin is demonstrated by experiments with 2-[3H]phenelzine, where tritium incorporation to the protein is inhibited by the spin-trap, alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone. The 2-phenylethyl radical is also able to alkylate DNA as suggested by electrophoretic studies with plasmid DNA, and proved by experiments with 2-[3H]-phenelzine. The carbon-centered radical has a preference for attacking guanine residues as demonstrated by the use of sequencing techniques with 32P-DNA probes. The results indicate that the 2-phenylethyl radical is an important product of phenelzine oxidation and that this species can directly damage protein and DNA.     

Nitroxide radicals protect DNA from damage when illuminated in vitro in the presence of dibenzoylmethane and a common sunscreen ingredient

Indolinonic nitroxide radicals efficiently scavenge oxygen- and carbon-centered radicals. They protect lipid and protein systems against oxidative stress, but little is known about their capacity to protect DNA against radical-mediated damage. We compare indolinonic nitroxides and the piperidines TEMPO and TEMPOL for their ability to inhibit strand breaks inflicted on DNA when it is illuminated in vitro in the presence of dibenzoylmethane (DBM) and a relative, Parsol 1789, used as a UVA-absorbing sunscreen. We used spin-trapping EPR to examine the formation of radicals and plasmid nicking assays to evaluate DNA strand breakage. The results have a two-fold interest. First, they show that all the nitroxides tested efficiently prevent DNA damage in a dose-dependent fashion. Vitamin E had no effect under the conditions used. Second, they show that carbon-centered radicals are produced on illumination of DBM and its relative and that their formation is probably responsible for the direct strand breaks found when naked DNA is illuminated in vitro in their presence. Additional work on the ability of sunscreens to enter human cells and their response to the light that penetrates sunscreen-protected skin would be necessary before any conclusion could be drawn as to whether the results reported here are relevant to human use of sunscreens.     

Reactivity of carbon nanotubes: Free radical generation or scavenging activity?

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) currently attract intense research efforts because of their unique properties which make them suitable for many industrial applications. When inhaled, CNTs constitute a possible hazard to human health. Several studies have shown that when instilled in the lung of experimental animals, CNTs induced an inflammatory and fibrotic response similar to that caused by other toxic particles which might be the result of oxidative stress caused by particle- and/or cell-derived free radicals. There is, however, no direct experimental evidence of a capacity of carbon nanotubes to generate directly free radicals. Here we report that multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in aqueous suspension do not generate oxygen or carbon-centered free radicals in the presence of H2O2 or formate, respectively, as detected with the spin-trapping technique. Conversely, we observed that, when in contact with an external source of hydroxyl or superoxide radicals, MWCNT exhibit a remarkable radical scavenging capacity. It is therefore possible that the inflammatory reaction reported in vivo must be ascribed to MWCNT features other than particle-derived free radical generation.     

Spin trapping endogenous radicals in MC-1010 cells: Evidence for hydroxyl radical and carbon-centered ascorbyl radical adducts

Incubation of MC-1010 cells with the spin-trapping agent 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline 1-oxide (DMPO) followed by brief treatment with the solid oxidant lead dioxide (PbO₂) yielded, after filtration, a cell-free solution that contained two nitroxyl adducts. The first was the hydroxyl radical adduct, 5,5-dimethyl-2-hydroxypyrrolidine-1-oxyl (DMPO-OH), which formed immediately upon PbO₂ oxidation. The second had a 6-line EPR spectrum typical of a carbon-centered radical (A_N=15.9 G; A_H=22.4 G) and formed more slowly. No radical signals were detected in the absence of either cells or PbO₂ treatment. The 6-line spectrum could be duplicated in model systems that contained ascorbate, DMPO and DMPO-OH, where the latter was formed from hydroxyl radicals generated by sonolysis or the cleavage of hydrogen peroxide with Fe²⁺ (Fenton reaction). In addition, enrichment of MC-1010 cells with ascorbate prior to spin trapping yielded the 6-line EPR spectrum as the principal adduct following PbO₂ oxidation and filtration. These results suggest that ascorbate reacted with DMPO-OH to form a carbon-centered ascorbyl radical that was subsequently trapped by DMPO. The requirement for mild oxidation to detect the hydroxyl radical adduct suggests that DMPO-OH formed in the cells was reduced to an EPR-silent form (i.e., the hydroxylamine derivative). Alternatively, the hydroxylamine derivative was the species initially formed. The evidence for endogenous hydroxyl radical formation in unstimulated leukocytes may be relevant to the leukemic nature of the MC-1010 cell line. The spin trapping of the ascorbyl radical is the first report of formation of the carbon-centered ascorbyl radical by means other than pulse radiolysis. Unless it is spin trapped, the carbon-centered ascorbyl radical immediately rearranges to the more stable oxygen-centered species that is passive to spin trapping and characterized by the well-known EPR doublet of A_H4=1.8 G.Abbreviation EPR Electron Paramagnetic Resonance     

Free radical intermediates in the reaction of pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase in Tritrichomonas foetus hydrogenosomes

Aerobic incubations of the Tritrichomonas foetus hydrogenosomal fraction containing pyruvate, CoA, and the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) gave spectra of two radical adducts. One was a carbon-centered radical adduct of DMPO. This radical was centered at C-3 of pyruvate as determined in experiments using [13C]pyruvate. The other radical detected was identified as the CoA radical adduct of DMPO by comparison with an adduct obtained by incubating CoA with DMPO, H2O2 and horseradish peroxidase. Deletion of CoA led to an increased stability of the carbon-centered radical adduct of DMPO, disappearance of the thiyl radical adduct of DMPO, and appearance of a hydroxyl radical adduct of DMPO. Superoxide dismutase suppressed the appearance of the DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct but did not have any inhibitory effect on the appearance of the other adducts. Catalase had no significant effect on any of the adducts. Addition of pyruvate to these hydrogenosomal preparations stimulated oxygen consumption. Addition of CoA led to a further increase in the rate of O2 uptake but had no effect in the absence of pyruvate. The formation of two substrate free radicals as intermediates in the generation of acetyl-CoA represents a novel mechanism for this enzymatic reaction and indicates that the pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase from T. foetus differs significantly from the pyridine nucleotide-dependent pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of other eukaryotic cells in its catalytic mechanism.     

Ozone exposure generates free radicals in the blood samples in vitro. Detection by the ESR spin-trapping technique

Generation of free radicals in the reaction of ozone with blood samples and related salt solutions was investigated in vitro by using ESR spin-trapping technique with DMPO. In the reactions of low levels of ozone, a carbon-centered radical was spin-trapped with DMPO, giving rise to the 6-line ESR signal in both whole blood and blood plasma. In the blood plasma, DMPO-spin adduct of hydroxyl radical (DMPO-OH) was detected together with the spin adduct of carbon-centered radical. The present spin-trapping study demonstrates that, when exposed to ozone, 0.9% NaCl solution in the presence of DMPO gives rise to the formation of DMPO-OH. The addition effects of ethanol, which is a ^·OH scavenger, into the NaCl solution reveal that DMPO-OH is produced by the reaction of DMPO with both ^·OH and unidentified oxidants originated from the reaction of Cl^- and ozone. Based on these observations, we consider that ^·OH is generated similarly in the blood plasma exposed to ozone. The ESR study of DMPO-spin adducts in the ozone-exposed aqueous solution of NaOCl indicates that Cl^- reacts with ozone to give ClO^-. Presumably, further oxidation of ClO^- by ozone leads to the formation of ^·OH and the unidentified oxidants.     

The Horseradish Peroxidase Catalysed Oxidation of Deoxyribose Sugars

The ability of horseradish peroxidase (E.C. 1.11.1.7. Donor: H₂O₂ oxidoreductase) to catalytically oxidize 2-deoxyribose sugars to a free radical species was investigated. The ESR spin-trapping technique was used to denionstrate that free radical species were formed. Results with the spin trap 3.5-dibronio-4-nitrosoben-zene sulphonic acid showed that horseradish peroxidase can catalyse the oxidation of 2-deoxyribose to produce an ESR spectrum characteristic of a nitroxide radical spectrum. This spectrum was shown to be a composite of spin adducts resulting from two carbon-centered species, one spin adduct being characterized by the hyperfine coupling constants a^N = 13.6Ganda^H_β = 11.0G, and the other by a^N = 13.4G and a^H = 5.8 G. When 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate was used as the substrate, the spectrum produced was found to be primarily one species characterized by the hyperfine coupling constants a^N = 13.4G and a^H= 5.2. All the radical species produced were carbon-centered spin adducts with a β hydrogen, suggesting that oxidation occurred at the C(2) or C(5) moiety of the sugar. Interestingly, it was found that under the same experimental conditions, horseradish peroxidase apparently did not catalyze the oxidation of either 3-deoxyribose or D-ribose to a free radical since no spin adducts were found in these cases.

It can be readily seen that 2-deoxyribose and 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate can be oxidized by HRP/H₂O₂ to form a free radical species that can be detected with the ESR spin-trapping technique. There are two probable sites for the formation of a CH type radical on the 2-deoxyribose sugar, these being the C(2) and the C(5) carbons. The fact that there is a species produced from 2-deoxy-ribose, but not 2-deoxy-ribose-5-phosphate, suggests that there is an involvement of the C(5) carbon in the species with the 1 1.0G β hydrogen. In the spectra formed from 2-deoxy-ribose, there is a big difference in the hyperfine splitting of the β hydrogens, suggesting that the radicals are formed at different carbon centers, while the addition of a phosphate group to the C(5) carbon seems to inhibit radical formation at one site. In related work, the chemiluminescence of monosaccharides in the presence of horseradish peroxidase was proposed to be the consequence of carbon-centered free radical formation (10).     

Detection of free radicals during the cellular metabolism of adriamycin

Experiments were conducted to determine which free radicals are generated during the metabolism of adriamycin (ADM) by canine tracheal epithelial (CTE) cells, guinea pig enterocytes, and rat hepatocytes. The technique employed in this study was spin trapping; the spin trap utilized was 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (DMPO). The spin adduct 2-hydroxy-5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrrolidinyloxyl (DMPO-OH) was observed during the metabolism of ADM by CTE cells. However, the addition of dimethyl sulfoxide to the in vitro system suggested that superoxide is initially spin trapped by the nitrone, and that the adduct 2-hydroperoxy-5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrrolidinyloxyl (DMPO-OOH) is rapidly bioreduced to afford DMPO-OH. The addition of superoxide dismutase to the system indicated that superoxide generation was primarily intracellular. The adriamycin semiquinone free radical (ADM-SQ) was produced during the metabolism by enterocytes and hepatocytes. The rate of the production of ADM-SQ was enhanced under anaerobic conditions, suggesting that molecular oxygen was responsible for the degradation of this carbon-centered free radical. However, spin trapping of oxygen radicals was not observed; this observation suggests that these reactive intermediates are not produced at concentrations sufficient for detection by spin-trapping experiments.