[Effect of ubiquinone on contractile function and antioxidant status of the myocardium in spontaneously hypertensive rats].

During the period of aging of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) between 6 and 13 weeks the systolic arterial pressure increased from 131+/-2 up to 176+/-3 mm Hg while in the control group of WKY rats it reached 122+/-2 mmHg. The hypertension was combined with myocardial hypertrophy -- the relative weight of SHR heart was 24% higher. The contractile myocardial function of the isolated isovolumic heart of SHR group did not differ from WKY group in a wide range of coronary perfusion rates. During oxidative stress induced by 40-min intracoronary introduction of H(2)O(2) function of hypertrophied SHR hearts fell significantly deeper. This coincided with decreased myocardial activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase by 29-30%, and increased catalase activity by 18%. The rate of generation of active forms of oxygen (hydroxyl radicals HO(.-)) in mitochondria from SHR hearts was higher as compared with WKY. Thus, the development of hypertension was combined with decreased antioxidant protection of the myocardium. The addition of ubiquinone to drinking water (approximately 10 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks did not affect arterial pressure level, but was associated with two times lesser degree of myocardial hypertrophy. The hearts of SHR that received ubiquinone differed from those not treated with ubiquinone by increased maximal level of myocardial contractile function, and by improved myocardial relaxability and distensibility. After administration of H(2)O(2), myocardial function of SHR was kept on higher level. That was combined with less myocardial oedema, better preservation of antioxidant enzymes and reduced rate of succinate-dependent generation of superoxide radicals in mitochondria from hearts of ubiquinone treated SHR. The results have shown, that administration of ubiquinone to rats with hereditary hypertension reduces degree of myocardial hypertrophy, improves functional properties of the myocardium, promotes effective protection of antioxidant enzymes and increases the resistance of the cardiac muscle to oxidative stress.

Changes in antioxidant status of myocardium during oxidative stress under the influence of coenzyme Q10.

Changes in myocardium were studied during oxidative stress induced by infusion of hydrogen peroxide in the coronary vessels of isolated rat heart. Moderate concentrations of H2O2 increased the heart rate but decreased the contractile force, whereas higher concentrations of H2O2 decreased both parameters and increased the end diastolic pressure. The effect of H2O2 was stable, cumulative, and was associated with disturbance in respiration of mitochondria, increased production of ROS in them, and decrease in activities of antioxidant enzymes in the myocardium. Changes in the antioxidant status of the myocardium induced by long-term addition of coenzyme Q(10) into food was accompanied by decrease in the negative inotropic effect of H2O2, whereas the levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase after oxidative stress were virtually unchanged. The activities of these enzymes displayed a high positive correlation with the cardiac function. The findings suggest that coenzyme Q(10) should increase resistance of the myocardium to oxidative stress not only by a direct antioxidant mechanism but also indirectly, due to increased protection of antioxidant enzymes.

[The interaction of ferritin and myoglobin as inductors of lipid peroxidation. The role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species]. / Vzaimodeistvie ferritina i mioglobina kak induktorov perekisnogo okisleniia lipidov. Rol' aktivnykh form kisloroda i azota.

The effect of iron dinitrosyl complexes, S-nitrosoglutathione, and glutathione on free radical oxidation of rat heart mitochondria induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide and metmyoglobin or their combination with ferritin was studied. It was shown that iron dinitrosyl complexes or the combination of S-nitrosoglutathione and glutathione inhibited most effectively the peroxidation of mitochondrial membranes. It was found that ferritin stimulated the prooxidant action of metmyoglobin. Using EPR spectroscopy, it was established that, in conditions of O2*- generation, the destruction of iron dinitrosyl complexes took place. Iron dinitrosyl complexes also inhibited the formation of thiyl radicals, which appeared during O2*- generation in the system containing glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione. It is essential that the formation of iron dinitrosyl complexes in this reaction system took place with the involvement of ferritin. It was proposed that the prooxidant action of ferritin and myoglobin could be inverted to the antioxidant one.

Protection of rat myocardium by coenzyme Q during oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide.

Ubiquinone Q(10) (coenzyme Q) is an important component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and an antioxidant. The purpose of this work was to find out whether an increase in the level of coenzyme Q in the heart changes its maximal working capacity and resistance to oxidative stress. Male Wistar rats were treated with coenzyme Q (10 mg/kg body weight per day) for six weeks, and this increased its content in the myocardium by 63%. The myocardial content of malonic dialdehyde and activities of key antioxidant enzymes were unchanged, except nearly 2.5-fold decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase. The maximal working capacity of the isolated isovolumic heart did not change, but under conditions of oxidative stress induced by 45-min infusion of hydrogen peroxide (70 micro M) into coronary vessels the contractile function of these hearts decreased significantly more slowly. This was associated with less pronounced lesions in the ultrastructure of cardiomyocytes and lesser disorders in the oxidative metabolism of mitochondria that suggested increased antioxidant protection of the myocardium.

Interaction of oxoferrylmyoglobin and dinitrosyl-iron complexes.

It is shown that dinitrosyl-iron complexes (DNIC) with glutathione can reduce oxoferrylmyoglobin forming on interaction of tert-butyl hydroperoxide and metmyoglobin. A rapid decrease in the DNIC concentration was observed under the conditions of production of tert-butyl free radicals; however, destruction of DNIC in the presence of oxoferrylmyoglobin alone was negligible. It is demonstrated that DNIC reduces oxoferrylmyoglobin more than an order more efficiently than S-nitrosoglutathione and glutathione. DNIC also inhibits formation of the thiyl radicals of glutathione in a medium containing metmyoglobin and tert-butyl hydroperoxide. A mechanism of the antioxidant action of DNIC based on regeneration of the nitrosyl complexes from the products of their interaction with oxoferrylheme is proposed.

[Effects of reactive species of oxygen and nitrogen on iron ion release from ferritin and synthesis of dinitrosyl iron complexes]. / Vliianie aktivnykh form kisloroda i azota na vysvobozhdenie ionov zheleza iz ferritina i sintez dinitrozil'nykh kompleksov zheleza.

Using EPR spectroscopy it was established that Fe ions released from ferritin under the action of glutathione and superoxide took part in the formation of dinitrosyl complexes of iron with glutathione (DNIC). The reaction between O2-. and NO resulted in the formation of peroxynitrite, which oxidized glutathione to the thiyl radical. In these conditions, DNIC did not inhibit the formation of thiyl radicals but effectively slowed down the oxidative destruction of beta-carotene by peroxynitrite and free radicals of lipids. In the presence of glutathione, the inversion of the antioxidant properties of DNIC into prooxidant ones took place. S-nitrosoglutathione prevented this inversion and suppressed the free-radical oxidation of beta-carotene induced by ferritin. It was proposed that the equilibrium between S-nitrosoglutathione, DNIC, "free Fe" ions and ferritin may determine the balance between prooxidant and antioxidant processes in living organisms.