Abstract
We have examined the mercapturic acid pathway of the cataractous rabbit lens following induction by naphthalene as an oxidative foreign substance. 1,2-Naphthoquinone, which is formed in the eye from naphthalene diol and other naphthalene derivatives by a combination of enzymic and non-enzymic reactions, readily oxidizes GSH and GSH S-transferase [EC 2.5.1.18] in the lens scavenging system. 1,2-Naphthoquinone appeared in the rabbit aqueous humor after 8 h, and showed a maximum level in the lens 24 h after naphthalene administration, with marked accumulation in the lens nucleus. At the same time, the GSH level and GSH S-transferase activity in the lens decreased after 4 h. and lens opacification appeared 7 days after naphthalene administration. Furthermore, we identified the naphthalene metabolite. N-acetyl-S-(1,2-dihydro-2-hydroxynaphthyl) cysteine, in the lens of rabbit after naphthalene administration and in an in vitro experiment on lens homogenate using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This compound is an intermediate of the mercapturic acid pathway, and indicates that naphthalene derivatives are metabolized through the mercapturic acid pathway which acts as a scavenging system in the lens.
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