Investigations of glutathione conjugation in vitro by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Uncatalyzed and glutathione transferase-catalyzed reactions.

Conjugation reactions of glutathione (GSH) and related thiols with diethyl maleate (DEM) and other alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have been investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The products from the reaction with DEM and diethyl fumarate (DEF) are shown to be the diastereomers of S-(alpha,beta-diethoxycarbonylethyl)glutathione. During the course of the reaction, DEM isomerized to DEF, and the rate of isomerization was dependent upon whether the solvent was 1H2O or 2H2O. The observed rate data exhibit apparent second order kinetic behavior. The reaction of maleate with GSH was considerably slower, and solvent-dependent isomerization was observed, while little reaction of fumarate with GSH was observed at pH 6.5. Reaction of DEM with N-acetyl-L-cysteine followed a similar course to that of GSH, and although L-cysteine reacted rapidly with DEM, it did not promote the isomerization of DEM. Reactions involving penicillamine and N-acetylpenicillamine were considerably slower. Conjugation reactions catalyzed by commercial GSH transferases and selected rat and human purified isoenzymes were also investigated. Of those isoenzymes studied, rat GSH transferase 4-4 was found to exert the greatest degree of stereo control in conjugation reactions with DEF.