Effect on the K/sub m/ for radiosensitization at 00C of thiol depletion by diethylmaleate pretreatment: quantitative differences found using the radiation sensitizing agent misonidazole or oxygen

Pretreatment of V79-WNRE cells with 150 μM diethylmaleate for 1 hr at 370C caused a decrease in intracellular glutathione levels to approximately 10-15% of control levels. The cells could be washed free of diethylmaleate and held at 00C for several hours without toxicity and with no increase in glutathione concentration, although the glutathione concentration rapidly increased to normal levels at higher temperatures. Glutathione depletion itself caused a small but consistent radiosensitization of hypoxic cells (dose enhancement ratio of 1.2). However glutathione depletion caused a profound change in the radiosensitizing efficiency of misonidazole, with a decrease in K/sub m/ of about sevenfold from 0.6 to 0.09 mM. In contrast, only a 2.5-fold decrease was found in the K/sub m/ for radiosensitization by oxygen with diethylmaleate pretreatment. These results suggest a fundamental problem with the conventional theory of radiosensitivity whereby one considers a first-order competition for reaction with target radicals between radical-fixing versus radical-repairing species. It also suggests difficulties in the interpretation of glutathione as the only endogenous protective species