Acetylation of 5-aminosalicylate by hamster colon arylamineN-acetyltransferase

Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that 5‐aminosalicylate acts as an anti‐inflammatory agent by virtue of its ability to act as a free‐radical scavenger. The major metabolite, N‐acetyl‐5‐aminosalicylate is not an effective free‐radical scavenger. We have demonstrated that an arylamine N‐acetyltransferase from hamster colon can directly acetylate 5‐aminosalicylate, suggesting that the colon may have the ability to modulate the activity of this agent through metabolic inactivation.