Methanethiol metabolism in whole blood
The metabolism of methanethiol in whole blood has been described. Incubation of carbon 14-labeled or sulfur 35-labeled gaseous methanethiol resulted in complete trapping of methanethiol by whole blood within 30 minutes. After trapping, both labels were found to be equally distributed over plasma and erythrocytes. Eighty to ninety percent of both labels could be extracted from erythrocytes incubated in saline solution. The chemical properties of the /sup 14/C and /sup 35/S labels in saline solution differed completely. The /sup 14/C label was not precipitated by BaCl/sub 2/, was moderately volatile, and could be extracted by either (pH 1). In contrast, the 35S label was precipitated by BaCl/sub 2/, was not volatile, and was not extracted by ether. It is concluded that the central carbon-sulfur bond of methanethiol is split by incubation with whole blood. Plasma components are not involved in this process. Most likely, methanethiol becomes largely oxidized by erythrocytes to formic acid and sulfite or sulfate. Only 10% of methanethiol became firmly bound to erythrocytes. One to two percent was transformed to protein--S--S--CH/sub 3/ and 1% to dimethyl sulfide by the enzyme thiol methyltransferase.
- Research Organization:
- University Hospital, Nijmegen (Netherlands)
- OSTI ID:
- 7140612
- Journal Information:
- J. Lab. Clin. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Lab. Clin. Med.; (United States) Vol. 111:6; ISSN JLCMA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CENTRIFUGATION
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ENZYMES
ERYTHROCYTES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATERIALS
METABOLISM
METHYL TRANSFERASES
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
REDOX REACTIONS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SULFIDES
SULFUR 35
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR ISOTOPES
THIOLS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRANSFERASES