Oxidation of 5-hydroxypyrimidine nucleosides to 5-hydroxyhydantoin and its alpha-hydroxy-ketone isomer

The reaction of hydroxyl radicals with 2'-deoxycytidine (dCyd), as well as the decomposition of dCyd radical cations, leads to a complex mixture of oxidation products in aqueous aerated solutions. The oxidation of dCyd gives products with a relatively low oxidation potential that are highly susceptible to further oxidation, including 5-hydroxy-2'-deoxycytidine (5-oh-dCyd) and 5-hydroxy-2'-deoxyuridine (5-oh-dUrd). Previously, we showed that the oxidation of 2'-deoxyuridine (dUrd) involves the formation of dialuric acid and isodialuric acid intermediates, followed by ring contraction to N1-(2-deoxy-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-5-hydroxyhydantoin (5-oh-dHyd). In this work, we have examined the oxidation of 5-oh-dCyd and 5-oh-dUrd in greater detail. The oxidation of these substrates by Br2 led to a similar profile of intermediate and stable products indicating that the dialuric and isodialuric acid derivatives of dCyd largely undergo deamination before they transform into 5-oh-dHyd. Analysis of the final mixture of oxidation products by HPLC revealed the formation of two novel products. On the basis of NMR and MS, these products were identified as the diastereomers of N1-(2-deoxy-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-5-hydroxyimidazolidine-2,5-dione (iso-4-oh-dHyd). These products arise from alpha-hydroxy-ketone isomerization of 5-oh-dHyd. The isomerization of 5-oh-dHyd to iso-4-oh-dHyd was reversible, and each diastereomer produced a specific diastereomer of the other structural isomer. The rate of isomerization was accelerated in going from pH 5 to pH 9, whereas all isomers decomposed at higher pH. In contrast, interconversion between each pair of diastereomers was minor. Thus, we conclude that the oxidation of 5-oh-dCyd or 5-oh-dUrd gives a mixture of four isomers of 5-oh-dHyd and iso-4-oh-dHyd as final products. The biological consequences of dCyd oxidation may ultimately depend on the effects of these products.