In the metabolism of chromium(VI) its reduction in human plasma is of importance; an extracellular reduction of Cr(VI) is regarded as a detoxification step. Ascorbic acid has been suggested to represent the majority of the Cr(VI)-reducing capacity of human plasma. Therefore the kinetics of the reaction of Cr(VI) with ascorbic acid, at biologically realistic concentrations were studied. Ascorbic acid, in 0.2 M HEPES buffer and at concentrations ranging from 14.2 to 113.6 nmol ml-1 (2.5-20.0 microgram ml-1), was mixed with Cr(VI) (0.4-1.5 nmol ml-1) and incubated at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. In addition, chromate solutions at different concentrations [1.5-100 nmol ml-1 Cr(VI)], were incubated at 37 degrees C with freshly drawn blood. From these incubates, ascorbic acid and its oxidized form, dehydroascorbic acid, were simultaneously analyzed by HPLC and post-column derivatization. Chromate was determined by flow injection analysis. The reaction kinetics of ascorbic acid in HEPES buffer with Cr(VI) is of pseudo-first order at higher concentrations, whilst apparently at lower concentrations kinetics are consistent with an autocatalyzed reaction. Results obtained after spiking human plasma are similar. However, when Cr(VI) was reacted with human plasma, no changes in the intrinsic contents of ascorbic acid of the plasma samples occurred. Also, comparing different plasma samples the intrinsic plasma contents of ascorbic acid and the reduction capacities for Cr(VI) [ranging between 0.48 and 0.63 nmol ml-1 Cr(VI) to be reduced] did not correlate. This shows that the reduction of Cr(VI) in native human plasma is complex and is not only determined by the plasma ascorbic acid levels. This is in contrast to the situation in lung lavage fluids (Suzuki 1988; Suzuki and Fukuda 1990) where the concentrations of ascorbic acid are much higher than in blood.

Chromium(VI) reduction was studied in a system composed of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (NADPH-P450 reductase) and different iron chelators and iron sources. In an aerobic phosphate buffer containing iron(II), chromium(VI) was not reduced by the Fe2+ probably because of spontaneous autoxidation of Fe2+, but freshly made Fe2+, added directly to a CrVI-containing buffer, reduced CrVI. Under anaerobic conditions, iron(II) reduced chromium(VI) stoichiometrically. A systemic containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-Fe3+, NADPH-P450 reductase and NADPH effectively reduced chromium(VI) anaerobically. Under aerobic conditions this reaction was inhibited by about 45%. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-Fe3+, which is a poor acceptor of electrons from NADPH-P450 reductase, reduced chromium(VI) only marginally, Mannitol slightly increased the aerobic CrVI reduction. Addition of superoxide dismutase and catalase, which both regenerate some O2, led to inhibition of CrVI reduction. Ferritin, NADPH-P450 reductase and the iron chelators, EDTA and citrate, reduced CrVI, indicating mobilization of Fe2+ from ferritin. Low levels of EDTA (55 mumol l-1) and citrate (100 mumol l-1) in contrast to high levels (5 mmol l-1) did not increase CrVI reduction in microsomes. Using 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethane sulfonic acid buffer instead of phosphate buffer, the CrVI-reducing activity was increased.

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The influence of reducing compounds on the formation of DNA--protein cross-links induced by hexavalent chromium was studied in the human cell line HL-60. Analysis of cytoplasmic concentration of ascorbic acid and glutathione by HPLC in these cells showed that ascorbic acid was not detectable (detection limit: 0.1 nmol). The cellular content of glutathione was low (6 nmol/million cells). It could easily be depleted with diethylmaleate. The effect of glutathione, ascorbic acid and ascorbyl palmitate alone, or glutathione in combination with ascorbyl palmitate was investigated. It could be shown that glutathione increased DNA--protein cross-links in HL-60 cells by chromate significantly in a dose dependent manner, while pre-incubation with L-ascorbic acid and L-ascorbic acid-6-hexadecanate (ascorbyl palmitate) did not change the cross-linking activity of chromate significantly. Ascorbyl palmitate counteracted the increasing effect of glutathione on the concentration of DNA--protein cross-links in HL-60 cells after exposure to chromate. As ascorbic acid reacts much faster with hexavalent chromium at physiological pH than glutathione does, this suggests an influence of the reaction velocity of the redox reaction between hexavalent chromium and the reducing compounds on the toxification of Cr(VI) and formation of DNA--protein cross-links.

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