Ligands and oxidants in ferrihemochrome formation and oxidative hemolysis

We have investigated the effect of size of a single neutral ring substituent on the induction of hemolytic anemia and the formation of a ferrihemochrome by substituted phenylhydrazines. The severity of induced anemia decreased with increase in size of a halogen atom or an alkyl group ortho to the hydrazino group, little anemia resulting from 2-iodophenylhydrazine and no anemia from 2-tert-butylphenylhydrazine. The size of a halogen atom or an alkyl group at the meta or para position had relatively little effect on the severity of induced anemia. The ability of an arylhydrazine to induce hemolytic anemia paralleled its ability to produce a ferrihemochrome with an exogenous ligand, probably the corresponding aryldiazene. In general, rapid and complete formation of ferrihemochrome occurred with arylhydrazines that induced severe anemia. The degree of hemolysis induced by an arylhydrazine was not related to its rate of autooxidation, i.e., the rate at which oxidants are formed by the reduction of oxygen. We propose a mechanism of arylhydrazine-induced oxidative denaturation based on the simultaneous formation of hydroxyl radical and aryldiazene ferrihemochrome in a reaction of oxyhemoglobin with arylhydrazine. We suggest that after oxidation of the porphyrin ring is initiated by a hydroxyl radical, oxidative cleavage of the ring is facilitated by the presence of a large ligand in the heme crevice. Thus, aryldiazene ferrihemochrome may contribute to instability in a hemoglobin molecule, whereas globin ferrihemochrome results from instability.