Roles of flavoproteins in degradation of mexacarbate in rats

The nature of a reductive system which actively degrades mexacarbate in the rat intestine and liver was investigated. The system is characterized by its stability against heat and protease treatments and its requirements for a flavin cofactor and an acidic pH for a maximum activity. As a result of purification and spectroscopic identification attempts the system responsible for the above reductive activity was identified to be flavoprotein. Under anerobic conditions such flavoproteinflavin cofactor systems degrade mexacarbate first to 4-N-desmethylmexacarbate and then to polar water-soluble metabolites.