Red blood cell oxidative metabolism induced by hydroxypyruvaldehyde

Evolutionary Aspects of the Oxido-Reductive Network of Methylglyoxal

In the chemoautotrophic theory for the origin of life, offered as an alternative to broth theory, the archaic reductive citric acid cycle operating without enzymes is in the center. The non-enzymatic (methyl)glyoxalase pathway has been suggested to be the anaplerotic route for the reductive citric acid cycle. In the recent years, much has been learned about methylglyoxal, but its importance in the metabolic machinery is still uncovered. If methylglyoxal had been essential participant of the early stage of evolution, then it is a legitimate question whether it might have played a role in the early oxido-reduction network, too. Therefore, an oxido-reduction network of methylglyoxal that might have functioned under ancient circumstances without enzymes was constructed and analyzed by virtue of group contribution method. Taking methylglyoxal as input material, it turned out that the evolutionary value of reactions and biomolecules were not similar. Glycerol, glycerate, and tartonate, the output components, were conserved to different degrees. Although the tartonate route was similarly favorable from energetic point of view, its intermediates are almost not present in extant biochemistry. The presence of two carboxyl or aldehyde groups, or their combination in tricarbons of the constructed network seemed disadvantageous for selection, and the inductive effect, resulting in an asymmetry in electron cloud of chemicals, might have been important. The evolutionary role for cysteine, H₂S, and formaldehyde in the emergence of high-energy bonds in the form of thioesters and in Fe-S cluster formation as well as in imidazole synthesis was shown to bridge the gap between prebiotic chemistry and contemporary biochemistry. Overall, the ideas developed here represent an approach fitting to chemoautotrophic origin of life and implying to the role of methylglyoxal in triose formation. The proposed network is expected to have an impact upon how one may think of prebiological chemical processes on methylglyoxal, too. Finally, along the evolutionary time line, the network functioning without enzymes is situated between the formation of simple organic compounds and primeval cells, being closer to the former and well preceding the last common metabolic ancestor developed after primitive cells emerged.

Hepatocyte or serum albumin protein carbonylation by oxidized fructose metabolites: Glyceraldehyde or glycolaldehyde as endogenous toxins?

Excessive sugar intake in animal models may cause tissue damage associated with oxidative and carbonyl stress cytotoxicity as well as inflammation. Fructose became a 100-fold more cytotoxic if hepatocytes were exposed to a non-toxic infusion of H(2)O(2) so as to simulate H(2)O(2) released by Kupffer cells or infiltrating immune cells. In order to determine the molecular mechanisms involved, protein carbonylation of fructose and its metabolites were determined using the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine method. In a cell-free system, fructose was found to carbonylate bovine serum albumin (BSA) only if low concentrations of FeII/H(2)O(2) were added. Protein carbonylation by the fructose metabolites glyceraldehyde or glycolaldehyde was also markedly increased by FeII/H(2)O(2). The protein carbonylation may be attributed to glyoxal formation by hydroxyl radicals as the glyoxal trapping agent aminoguanidine or hydroxyl radical scavengers prevented protein carbonylation. Glyoxal was also much more effective than other carbonyls at causing protein carbonylation. When BSA was replaced by isolated rat hepatocytes, fructose metabolite glyceraldehyde in the presence of non-toxic 2 microM FeII:8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ) and a H(2)O(2) generating system (glucose/glucose oxidase) markedly increased cytotoxicity, protein carbonylation and reactive oxygen species (ROS)/H(2)O(2) formation. Furthermore this was prevented by hydroxyl radical scavengers or aminoguanidine, a glyoxal scavenger. CuII: 8-hydroxyquinoline increased H(2)O(2) induced hepatocyte protein carbonylation less but was prevented by aminoguanidine. However, cytotoxicity and protein carbonylation induced by glyceraldehyde/CuII:HQ/H(2)O(2) were not affected by hydroxyl radical scavengers. Although fatty liver induced by an excessive sugar diet in animal models has been proposed as the first hit for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) we propose that oxidative stress induced by the oxidation of fructose or fructose metabolites catalysed by Fenton FeII/H(2)O(2) could be a 'second hit'. A perpetual cycle of oxidative stress in hepatocytes could lead to cytotoxicity and contribute to NASH development.

Detection of free radicals produced from the reaction of cytochrome P-450 with linoleic acid hydroperoxide

The ESR spin-trapping technique was employed to investigate the reaction of rabbit cytochrome P-450 1A2 (P450) with linoleic acid hydroperoxide. This system was compared with chemical systems where FeSO4 or FeCl3 was used in place of P450. The spin trap 5, 5'-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) was employed to detect and identify radical species. The DMPO adducts of hydroxyl, O2-., peroxyl, methyl and acyl radicals were detected in the P450 system. The reaction did not require NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase or NADPH. The same DMPO-radical adducts were detected in the FeSO4 system. Only DMPO-.OH radical adduct and carbon-centred radical adducts were detected in the FeCl3 system. Peroxyl radical production was completely O2-dependent. We propose that polyunsaturated fatty acids are initially reduced to form alkoxyl radicals, which then undergo intramolecular rearrangement to form epoxyalkyl radicals. Each epoxyalkyl radical reacts with O2, forming a peroxyl radical. Subsequent unimolecular decomposition of this peroxyl radical eliminates O2-. radical.

Hemoglobin-catalyzed transformation of elliptinium acetate into electrophilic species. Evidences for oxidative activation of the drug in human red blood cells

The anti-tumor drug N2-methyl-9-hydroxyellipticinium acetate (NMHE, Celiptium) after incubation with various N or S containing amino acids (alanine, histidine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutathione) with hemoglobin and hydrogen peroxide or an organic peroxide (terbutylhydroperoxide) leads to the formation of the corresponding covalent binding adducts, via an oxidative activation. The formation of the covalent adduct glutathione-elliptinium was also demonstrated in human red blood cells. The importance of such process under in vivo conditions is discussed.

Spin trapping: ESR parameters of spin adducts

Spin trapping has become a valuable tool for the study of free radicals in biology and medicine. The electron spin resonance hyperfine splitting constants of spin adducts of interest in this area are tabulated. The entries also contain a brief comment on the source of the radical trapped.