Relationship between oxidative metabolites of hydrazine and hydrazine-induced mutagenicity.

Hydrazine (Hz) mutagenicity was observed in a test using Escherichia coli B/r strain, WP2 uvrA and was enhanced by the addition of rat liver microsomal fraction containing a generating system, while the enhanced mutagenicity was diminished by the addition of metyrapone to the microsome-free levels. On the other hand, an NADPH-dependent difference spectrum of the metabolic intermediate of Hz-complex, characterized by a maximum level of 448 nm, was also inhibited by metyrapone. The results show that the oxidative intermediates, which are diimide and its precursor, hydrazine free radical [Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 133 (1986) 1086], are responsible not only for hepatotoxicity but also for the enhancement of genotoxicity or mutagenicity.