Synthetic 1-thio-β-D-glucosiduronic acids as substrates for rat-liver β-glucuronidase
The hydrolysis of 1-thio-β-D-glucosiduronic acids by rat liver was studied using synthetic phenyl 1-thio-β-D-glucosiduronic acid, sodium (2-benzothiazolyl 1-thio-β- D-glucosid)uronate, and sodium (p-nitrophenyl 1-thio-β-D-glucosid)uronate. It was found that rat liver preparations can hydrolyze the β-D-glucuronides of 2-benzothiazolethiol and p-nitrothiophenol but not the β-D-glucuronide of thiophenol.Partial purification of the enzyme from a lysosomal preparation using ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration on a molecular sieve, and anion-exchange chromatography showed that β-glucuronidase (EC 3.2.1.31) is the enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of these thioglucuronides. The pH optimum and Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) were determined for both substrates using an enzyme preparation obtained after the gel filtration step. The glucuronide of 2-benzothiazolethiol was found to be almost as good a substrate as that of phenolphthalein for rat-liver β-glucuronidase, while the glucuronide of p-nitrothiophenol is hydrolyzed at a much slower rate. Possible explanations of the fact that β-glucuronidase hydrolyzes only certain thioglucuronides are suggested.