Human erythrocyte membrane permeability and nitroxyl spin-label reduction

Nitroxyl spin labels are paramagnetic compounds that have demonstrated utility as contrast enhancing agents in proton magnetic resonance imaging. The time-course of contrast enhancement depends on distribution and elimination of these agents. Reduction, resulting in formation of the diamagnetic hydroxylamine, is the major metabolic pathway observed in vivo. This bioreduction has implications for the design of contrast agents and for understanding their imaging behavior. Bioreduction has been shown to occur, at least in part, intracellularly. As such, cell membrane permeability to nitroxyl spin labels may influence their bioreduction. In this study, this influence was examined using eight nitroxyl derivatives and the human erythrocyte suspension as a model biomembrane system. Ionizable weak acids and bases were found to equilibrate rapidly across the erythrocyte membrane with half-times of equilibration ranging from less than 10 s to 1.6 min. These derivatives had low octanol:buffer distribution coefficients and were extensively ionized at the pH of the system (7.0). A strong acid, a phosphate ester, and a quaternary amine derivative were excluded by the cell membrane. Reduction of nitroxyl spin labels by the erythrocyte was shown to occur intracellularly. Except for the impermeable probes, the reduction rate was slow in comparison with the membrane penetration rate. The structural dependence of reduction rate was unrelated to penetration rate but correlated well with that observed in other reducing systems, namely, ascorbic acid solution and rat tissue homogenates.