Kinetics and site specificity of hydroperoxide-induced oxidative damage in red blood cells

Inhibition of the Ca pump of intact red blood cells by t-butyl hydroperoxide: importance of glutathione peroxidase

Incubation of human red blood cells (RBCs) with t-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) resulted in inhibition of the Ca-pump ATPase. This was demonstrated using an assay of the Ca-pump ATPase activity in intact RBCs. In this assay, activity of the Ca-pump ATPase is expressed as the rate constant of the initial loss of ATP in RBCs exposed to Ca and A23187. Pseudo-first-order rate constants (Ca-pump ATPase rate constants) were lower in the presence of tBHP versus controls. Incubation of RBCs with tBHP resulted in both a time- and concentration-dependent inhibition of the Ca-pump ATPase (IC50 approximately 1 mM). Incubation of RBCs with tBHP also resulted in decreased oxyhemoglobin, increased methemoglobin and increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). GSH levels were significantly lower in the presence of tBHP. GSH fell from a control value of 2.2 mmol/l RBC to 0.46 mmol/l RBC after incubation with 0.25 mM tBHP for 15 min. Both butylated hydroxytoluene and stobadine prevented the formation of TBARS and were partially effective in protecting the Ca-pump ATPase from tBHP-induced inhibition. Dithiothreitol was completely effective in preventing the tBHP-induced formation of TBARS as well as inhibition of the Ca-pump ATPase. However, when added after exposure to tBHP, dithiothreitol was unable to restore Ca-pump ATPase activity completely. An activity of dithiothreitol independent of enzymic thiol group reduction was apparent. In the presence of mercaptosuccinate, a potent inhibitor of glutathione peroxidase, the ability of dithiothreitol to protect the Ca-pump ATPase from tBHP-induced inhibition was abolished. Therefore, protection by dithiothreitol may be afforded by its ability to replenish GSH from oxidized glutathione, thus allowing glutathione peroxidase to metabolize tBHP. These results may be interpreted to suggest that inhibition of the Ca-pump ATPase in intact RBCs occurs as a result of tBHP-induced oxidant stress and subsequent lipid peroxidation which can be prevented by certain antioxidants including butylated hydroxytoluene, stobadine, and thiol-containing compounds such as dithiothreitol. These findings provide further insight into the mode of action of hydroperoxides and certain reactive oxygen species that have been implicated in oxidative stress associated with various pathological conditions. The importance of the GSH/glutathione peroxidase system in metabolizing organic hydroperoxides is also demonstrated.

Conformational changes in oxidized phospholipids and their preferential hydrolysis by phospholipase A2: a monolayer study

Cleavage of oxidized fatty acids by phospholipase A2 has been implicated as the first step in the repair mechanism for oxidative damage to membrane phospholipids. However, the mechanism by which this enzyme preferentially hydrolyzes oxidized fatty acyl chains is poorly understood. Using a lipid monolayer technique, we found that the molecular surface areas of 1-palmitoyl-2-(9/13-hydroperoxylinoleoyl)-phosphatidylcholine (PLPC-OOH) and 1-palmitoyl-2-(9/13-hydroxylinoleoyl)phosphatidylcholine (PLPC-OH) were increased by as much as 50% relative to the parent nonoxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoylphosphatidylcholine (PLPC). These experimental data directly indicate a drastically changed molecular conformation of oxidized phospholipids in which the hydroperoxy or hydroxy group in the sn-2 fatty acid is close to the lipid-water interface. Phospholipases A2 from porcine pancreas and from bee venom were shown to break down PLPC-OOH and PLPC-OH monolayers much faster than PLPC monolayers. In all cases, the presence of serum albumin in the subphase enhanced monolayer breakdown by extracting hydrolysis products from the monolayer, but monolayer breakdown was always much faster for oxidized than for nonoxidized PLPC. This did not appear to be due to change in the extent of monolayer penetration by phospholipase A2, since enzyme-monolayer interaction studies revealed essentially identical penetration behavior of bee venom phospholipase A2 with PLPC, PLPC-OOH, and PLPC-OH monolayers. We propose that the altered molecular conformation of oxidized phospholipids facilitates access to the sn-2 ester bond, thereby ensuring their preferential hydrolysis in the presence of a phospholipase A2.