Formation of spin trap adducts during the decomposition of peroxynitrite.

Peroxynitrite-mediated one-electron oxidations may be an important event in its cytotoxic mechanisms, and yet, free radical formation in the presence of peroxynitrite is difficult to study by EPR-spin trapping because adducts from most spin traps are destroyed by the oxidant. This led to some controversy with regard to the interpretation of experiments in the presence of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), an adequate spin trap to study most of free radicals. In this report we reexamined peroxynitrite-mediate formation of spin-trap adducts. Kinetic studies and EPR experiments with water labeled with 17O are in agreement with the reaction of DMPO with a highly reactive intermediate derived from peroxynitrite to produce the DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct by a mechanism not involving the oxidation of DMPO to a cation radical followed by water addition. The results cannot discriminate between two mechanisms of DMPO-hydroxyl radical formation, either spontaneous peroxynitrite homolysis to the hydroxyl radical or DMPO-assisted peroxynitrite homolysis. The formation of DMPO adducts during peroxynitrite-mediated oxidation of dimethyl sulfoxide, ethanol, and formate occurs through free radical mechanisms as confirmed by studies of oxygen consumption and product formation. Accordingly, spin-trapping experiments in the presence of 3,5-dibromo-4-nitrosobenzenesulfonic acid, a spin trap that is more resistant to nitrogen dioxide, led to the detection of the methyl and the beta-hydroxyethyl radical during peroxynitrite-mediated oxidation of dimethyl sulfoxide and ethanol, respectively. Oxidation of these hydroxyl radical scavengers to detectable radicals favors the hypothesis that the hydroxyl radical is produced during peroxynitrite homolysis. Bicarbonate was able to modulate peroxynitrite-mediated one-electron oxidations.

Pathways of peroxynitrite oxidation of thiol groups.

Peroxynitrite mediates the oxidation of the thiol group of both cysteine and glutathione. This process is associated with oxygen consumption. At acidic pH and a cysteine/peroxynitrite molar ratio of < or = 1.2, there was a single fast phase of oxygen consumption, which increased with increasing concentrations of both cysteine and oxygen. At higher molar ratios the profile of oxygen consumption became biphasic, with a fast phase (phase I) that decreased with increasing cysteine concentration, followed by a slow phase (phase II) whose rate of oxygen consumption increased with increasing cysteine concentration. Oxygen consumption in phase I was inhibited by desferrioxamine and 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide, but not by mannitol; superoxide dismutase also inhibited oxygen consumption in phase I, while catalase added during phase II decreased the rate of oxygen consumption. For both cysteine and glutathione, oxygen consumption in phase I was maximal at neutral to acidic pH: in contrast, total thiol oxidation was maximal at alkaline pH. EPR spin-trapping studies using N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone indicated that the yield of thiyl radical adducts had a pH profile comparable with that found for oxygen consumption. The apparent second-order rate constants for the reactions of peroxynitrite with cysteine and glutathione were 1290 +/- 30 M-1.S-1 and 281 +/- 6 M-1.S-1 respectively at pH 5.75 and 37 degrees C. These results are consistent with two different pathways participating in the reaction of peroxynitrite with low-molecular-mass thiols: (a) the reaction of the peroxynitrite anion with the protonated thiol group, in a second-order process likely to involve a two-electron oxidation, and (b) the reaction of peroxynitrous acid, or a secondary species derived from it, with the thiolate in a one-electron transfer process that yields thiyl radicals capable of initiating an oxygen-dependent radical chain reaction.

Desferrioxamine inhibition of the hydroxyl radical-like reactivity of peroxynitrite: role of the hydroxamic groups.

Nitric oxide reacts with superoxide to form peroxynitrite, a strong oxidizing species. Peroxynitrite can either directly oxidize molecules such as thiols or protonate to peroxynitrous acid, which can yield an oxidant with a reactivity similar to that of hydroxyl radical in a transition metal-independent mechanism. This oxidative chemistry of peroxynitrite, however, is inhibited by the metal chelator desferrioxamine. Indeed, desferrioxamine, was a potent inhibitor of dimethylsulfoxide, hydrogen peroxide, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide, and luminol oxidation, whereas the metal chelator diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, and ferrioxamine, the iron complex of desferioxamine, were not. Two other hydroxamates, acetohydroxamate and salicylhydroxamate, were also effective inhibitors. Stopped-flow experiments showed that there is no direct reaction between peroxynitrite anion or cis-peroxynitrous acid with desferrioxamine. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies showed the formation of the desferrioxamine nitroxide radical in incubations containing desferrioxamine, but not ferrioxamine, indicating that the hydroxamic group acts as a one-electron donor to peroxynitrite-derived oxidants. Taken together, our results led us to propose that desferrioxamine can inhibit the oxidative chemistry of peroxynitrite by reaction of the hydroxamic acid moieties with trans-peroxynitrous acid.

Leishmanicidal activity of peroxynitrite.

Nitric oxide reacts with superoxide to produce peroxynitrite which has been reported to be highly microbicidal to Trypanosoma cruzi in phosphate buffer but ineffective against Leishmania major in culture medium. This contradiction and the potential importance of peroxynitrite as a cytotoxic effector molecule of both macrophages and neutrophils led us to re-examine its leishmanicidal effects. Our results demonstrate that peroxynitrite inhibits growth of Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes in a concentration-dependent manner both in phosphate buffer and culture medium (DMEM containing 20% fetal calf serum). In the latter, 43% growth inhibition was observed with 4 mM peroxynitrite whereas in buffer a 70% inhibition was already observed with 0.5 mM peroxynitrite. Treated parasites presented reduced motility and became round in shape further confirming the leishmanicidal activity of peroxynitrite. The latter was attenuated by reduced glutathione supporting the view that peroxynitrite-mediated oxidation of critical thiol groups is a major mechanism accounting for its trypanocidal activity.

Peroxynitrite-mediated oxidation of albumin to the protein-thiyl free radical.

Nitric oxide reacts with superoxide to produce peroxynitrite, which may be an important mediator of oxidant-induced cellular injury. Here we report that peroxynitrite is able to oxidize a protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), to the corresponding protein-thiyl free radical as demonstrated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-spin-trapping experiments with both alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN) and 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO). BSA radical adduct yields increased with pH indicating peroxynitrite anion as its main forming agent. Reaction with peroxynitrite may be another aspect of the antioxidant action of albumin in extracellular fluids.

Spin-trapping studies of peroxynitrite decomposition and of 3-morpholinosydnonimine N-ethylcarbamide autooxidation: direct evidence for metal-independent formation of free radical intermediates.

Decomposition of peroxynitrite, the reaction product of superoxide and nitric oxide, was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-spin-trapping experiments with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO). Proton-catalyzed decomposition of peroxynitrite at pH 7.5 resulted in the formation of the DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct (DMPO-OH). Yields were low as DMPO-OH decomposes by direct reactions with peroxynitrite anion and nitrogen dioxide. The yield of DMPO-OH greatly increased in the presence of glutathione or cysteine. Both thiols inhibited the DMPO-OH signal decay by scavenging excess peroxynitrite anion and presumably nitrogen dioxide yielded during peroxynitrite decomposition. In turn, the reactions of peroxynitrite with either glutathione or cysteine resulted in the formation of thiyl radicals, detectable as the corresponding DMPO adduct. Systematic spin-trapping studies of peroxynitrite decomposition in the presence of glutathione established that DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct formation was metal independent, occurring in a metal-free buffer and being unaffected by diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid. Also, quantitative competition experiments with ethanol and formate demonstrated that the oxidant generated during peroxynitrite decomposition reacts with rate constants similar to those expected for free hydroxyl radical and forming the same free radical intermediates, alpha-ethyl-hydroxy and carbon dioxide radicals, respectively. Similar spin-trapping results were obtained in studies of the autooxidation of 3-morpholinosydnonimine, a sydnonimine which generates a flux of both superoxide and nitric oxide. The obtained results contribute for the understanding of the reactivity of peroxynitrite, a transient intermediate of emerging biological significance.

Distribution of HLA-A, B, C and the Merrit B-cell alloantigen specificities in chronic lymphatic leukemia.

Based upon reactions with both normal peripheral B-lymphocytes and a CLL panel, an additional 3 new specificities of the Merritt B-cell alloantigenic system have been defined. this brings the number of provisionally designated specificities to 22. The system of antigenic determinants is well represented on normal B-lymphocytes, and has a roughly similar distribution when compared to the CLL panel; however, evidence is presented which suggests that certain speficities may have significantly idfferent distributions on the 2 different panels, but the number of cells tested is low.