The oral contraceptive 17-
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fchars/alpha.gi
f" BORDER=0>-ethynylestradiol (17EE) is a mechanism-based inactivator o
f cytochromeP450s (P450s) 2B1
and 2B6. Inactivation o
f P450s 2B1
and 2B6 in the reconstituted system by [
3H]17EE resulted in labeling o
f the P450 apoprotein. Mass spectral analysis o
f 17EE-inactivated P450 2B1showed an increase in the mass o
f the apoprotein by 313 Da, consistent with the mass o
f 17EE plus oneoxygen atom. P450s 2B1
and 2B6 were inactivated with [
3H]17EE
and digested with CNBr. Separationo
f these peptides resulted in the identi
fication o
f one major labeled peptide
for each enzyme. N-Terminalsequencing o
f these peptides yielded the amino acid sequences PYTDAVIHEI (
for P450 2B1)
andPYTEAV (
for P450 2B6) that corresponded to amino acids P
347-M
376 and P
347-M
365 in P450s 2B1
and2B6, respectively. Electrospray ionization (ESI)-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)
and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)-MS analysis o
f the P450 2B1-derived peptideresulted in a mass o
f 3654 Da consistent with the mass o
f the P
347-M
376 peptide (3385 Da) plus a 268Da 17EE adduct. Chemically reactive intermediates o
f 17EE that were generated during the metabolismo
f 17EE by P450s 2B1
and 2B6 were trapped with gluthathione (GSH). ESI-LC-MS/MS analysis o
f17EE-GSH conjugates
from the incubation mixtures indicated that P450s 2B1
and 2B6 generated di
fferentreactive 17EE intermediates that were responsible
for the inactivation
and protein modi
fication or the
formation o
f GSH conjugates by these two enzymes.