Conjugation reactions of polyaromatic quinones to mono- and bisglutathionyl adducts: Direct analysis by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

The conjugation products of several reactive quinones with glutathione have been identified by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. Appropriate conditions have been developed which enabled the direct, dynamic mass spectral analysis of spontaneous, as well as glutathione transferase catalysed conjugation reactions. Applications to a series of quinones provided the direct detection and differentiation of the formation of mono- and bisglutathionyl adducts between regioisomeric quinone substrates in that only 1,4-quinones yielded bisglutathionyl adducts, which were not observed for the 1,2-isomers.