羟基自由基(·OH)被公认是生物系统中最具活性的活性氧物种,能导致生物体内DNA,蛋白质和脂质氧化损伤.目前,关于·OH的产生机理,最被广泛接受的是过渡金属离子催化的Fenton反应.五氯酚(PCP)是一种重要的工农业生物杀灭剂,主要用作木材保护.采用水杨酸羟基化法和电子自旋共振自旋捕获等作为分析手段,发现H2O2和五氯酚的代谢产物之一四氯-1,4-苯醌(TCBQ)能通过不依赖于金属离子的途径产生·OH;进一步的研究发现,TCBQ而非其相应的半醌自由基对·OH的产生极其重要.TCBQ和H2O2反应的主要产物被鉴定为三氯羟基-1,4-苯醌(TrCBQ-OH),其中的氧原子被证明来源于H2O2.基于这些数据和分析,提出以下假设:TCBQ和H2O2反应产生·OH不是通过依赖于半醌自由基的有机Fenton反应进行,而是H2O2对TCBQ进行亲核攻击,形成不稳定的三氯氢过氧基-1,4-苯醌(TrCBQ-OOH)中间产物,其可均裂产生·OH和三氯羟基-1,4-苯醌自由基(TrCBQ-O·).上述反应途径展示了一类新型的·OH产生机理,即·OH的形成不需要具有氧化还原活性的过渡金属离子参与.该机理可部分解释五氯酚等其他多卤芳香类杀虫剂的致癌性.
The hydroxyl radical (^*OH) has been considered to be one of the most reactive oxygen species produced in biological systems. It has been shown that ^*OH can cause DNA, protein, and lipid oxidation. One of the most widely accepted mechanisms for ^*OH production is the transition metalcatalyzed Fenton reaction. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) has been widely used as a wood preservative. Using the salicylate hydroxylation assay and electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping methods, we found that ^*OH can be produced by H2O2 and tetrachloro-1, 4-benzoquinone (TCBQ) (one of the major carcinogenic metabolites of PCP) independent of transition metal ions. Further studies showed that TCBQ, but not its corresponding semiquinone radical, the tetrachlorosemiquinone radical (TCSQ^*), is essential for ^*OH production. The major reaction product between TCBQ and H2O2 was identified to be the ionic form of trichloro-hydroxy-1, 4-benzoquinone (TrCBQ-OH), and H2O2 was found to be the source and origin of the oxygen atom inserted into the reaction product TrCBQ-OH. Based on these data, we propose that ^*OH production by H2O2 and TCBQ is not through a semiquinone-dependent organic Fenton reaction, but rather through the following novel mechanism: a nucleophilic attack of H2O2 on TCBQ, forming a trichloro- hydroperoxyl-1, 4-benzoquinone (TrCBQ-OOH) intermediate, which decomposes homolytically to produce ^*OH. These findings represent a novel mechanism of ^*OH formation not requiring the involvement of redox-active transition metal ions, and may partly explain the potential carcinogenicity of widely used biocides such as PCP and other polyhalogenated aromatic environmental pollutants.