Adam V Wisnewski1, Jian Liu2, Carrie A Redlich2, Ala F Nassar2. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States. Electronic address: adam.wisnewski@yale.edu. 2. Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States.
Abstract
Hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) is an important industrial chemical that can cause asthma, however pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. Upon entry into the respiratory tract, HDI's N=C=O groups may undergo nucleophilic addition (conjugate) to host molecules (e.g. proteins), or instead react with water (hydrolyze), releasing CO2 and leaving a primary amine in place of the original N=C=O. We hypothesized that (primary amine groups present on) hydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed HDI may compete with proteins and water as a reaction target for HDI in solution, resulting in polymers that could be identified and characterized using LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Analysis of the reaction products formed when HDI was mixed with a pH buffered, isotonic, protein containing solution identified multiple [M+H]+ ions with m/z's and collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentation patterns consistent with those expected for dimers (259.25/285.23 m/z), and trimers (401.36/427.35 m/z) of partially hydrolyzed HDI (e.g. ureas/oligoureas). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocyte-like U937, but not airway epithelial NCI-H292 cell lines cultured with these HDI ureas contained a novel 260.23 m/z [M+H]+ ion. LC-MS/MS analysis of the 260.23 m/z [M+H]+ ion suggest the formula C13H29N3O2 and a structure containing partially hydrolyzed HDI, however definitive characterization will require further orthogonal analyses.
Hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) is an important industrial chemical that can cause n class="Disease">asthma, however pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. Upon entry into the respiratory tract, HDI's N=C=O groups may undergo nucleophilic addition (conjugate) to host molecules (e.g. proteins), or instead react with water (hydrolyze), releasing CO2 and leaving a primary amine in place of the original N=C=O. We hypothesized that (primary amine groups present on) hydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed HDI may compete with proteins and water as a reaction target for HDI in solution, resulting in polymers that could be identified and characterized using LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Analysis of the reaction products formed when HDI was mixed with a pH buffered, isotonic, protein containing solution identified multiple [M+H]+ ions with m/z's and collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentation patterns consistent with those expected for dimers (259.25/285.23 m/z), and trimers (401.36/427.35 m/z) of partially hydrolyzed HDI (e.g. ureas/oligoureas). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocyte-like U937, but not airway epithelial NCI-H292 cell lines cultured with these HDI ureas contained a novel 260.23 m/z [M+H]+ ion. LC-MS/MS analysis of the 260.23 m/z [M+H]+ ion suggest the formula C13H29N3O2 and a structure containing partially hydrolyzed HDI, however definitive characterization will require further orthogonal analyses.