Enhanced oxidation of NAD(P)H by oxidants in the presence of dehydrogenases but no evidence for a superoxide-propagated chain oxidation of the bound coenzymes

Recently we demonstrated that lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-bound NADH is oxidized by O2, H2O2, HNO2 and peroxynitrite predominantly via a chain radical mechanism which is propagated by superoxide. Here we studied both whether other dehydrogenases also increase their coenzymes' reactivity towards these oxidants and whether a chain radical mechanism is operating. Almost all dehydrogenases increased the oxidation of their physiological coenzymes by at least one of the oxidants. The oxidation of NADH or NADPH depended both on the binding dehydrogenase and the applied oxidant and in some cases the reactions were remarkably fast. The highest rate constant (k = 370 M-1 s-1) was found for the reaction of HNO2 with NADH bound to alcohol dehydrogenase. Regardless of the applied oxidant, superoxide dismutase failed to inhibit the oxidation of protein-bound NADH and NADPH. We therefore conclude that several dehydrogenases increase the oxidation of NADH and/or NADPH by the employed set of oxidants in bimolecular reactions, but, unlike LDH, do not mediate a O2*(-) dependent chain radical mechanism.     

Pyridine nucleotide-dependent generation of hydrogen peroxide by a particulate fraction from human neutrophils

The catalytic oxidation of [14C]-formate to 14CO2 was adapted to measure H2O2 formation in cellfree system. Standard curves employing glucose-glucose oxidase and xanthine-xanthine oxidase demonstrated linearity between 14CO2 evolution and enzyme concentration. A particulate fraction from human neutrophils was capable of oxidizing [14C]-formate; this reaction was dependent upon the presence of catalase, reduced pyridine nucleotide, and cellular material. Reaction increased with time of incubation and protein concentration, although not in a strictly linear fashion. The pH optimum was approximately 5.5 NADPH was a significantly better substrate than NADH, although both were capable of generating H2O2. The particulate fraction derived from phagocytizing cells was more active than a corresponding fraction from resting cells with either substrate. H2O2 production was abnormal in particulate fractions derived from 2 patients with chronic granulomatous disease. H2O2 production was markedly inhibited by superoxide dismutase or cytochrome c (scavengers of superoxide anion) but not by scavengers of singlet oxygen or hydroxyl radical. Reaction was greatly stimulated by the addition of manganous ion. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the respiratory burst in human neutrophils is initiated by an oxidase that can utilize either NADPH or NADH but exhibits a marked preference for the former. Further, the inhibitor studies strongly support a mechanism involving an initial enzymatic reaction followed by a self-sustaining free radical reaction involving superoxide anion.     

Effects of vanadate on the oxidation of NADH by xanthine oxidase

Vanadate (V(V)) stimulates the oxidation of NADH by xanthine oxidase and superoxide dismutase eliminates the effect of V(V). Paraquat stimulates both the oxidation of NADH by xanthine oxidase and the V(V) enhancement of that oxidation. Xanthine, which is a better substrate for xanthine oxidase than is NADH, causes a V(V)-dependent co-oxidation of NADH which is transient and eliminated by SOD. Urate inhibits the V(V)-stimulated oxidation of NADH by xanthine oxidase or by Rose Bengal plus light. Measurement of rates of both O2- production and V(V)-stimulated NADH oxidation showed that many molecules of NADH were oxidized per O2-. These chain lengths were an inverse function of overall reaction rate. Minimum chain lengths, calculated on the basis of 100% univalent reduction of O2 to O2-, were smaller than measured average chain lengths by a factor of five. All of these results are in accord with the view that V(V) does not directly affect the activity of the enzyme, but rather catalyzes the free radical chain oxidation of NADH by O2-. It was further shown that phosphate was not involved and that the active form of V(V) was orthovanadate, rather than decavanadate.     

NADH-dependent microsomal interaction with ferric complexes and production of reactive oxygen intermediates

The interaction of NADPH with ferric complexes to catalyze microsomal generation of reactive oxygen intermediates has been well studied. Experiments were carried out to characterize the ability of NADH to interact with various ferric chelates to promote microsomal lipid peroxidation and generation of .OH-like species. In the presence of NADH and iron, microsomes produced .OH as assessed by the oxidation of a variety of .OH scavenging agents. Rates of NADH-dependent .OH production were 50 to 80% those of the NADPH-catalyzed reaction. The oxidation of dimethyl sulfoxide or t-butyl alcohol was inhibited by catalase and competitive .OH scavengers but not by superoxide dismutase or carbon monoxide. NADH-dependent .OH production was effectively catalyzed by ferric-EDTA and ferric-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), whereas ferric-ATP and ferric-citrate were poor catalysts. All these ferric chelates were reduced by microsomes in the presence of NADH (and NADPH). H2O2 was produced in the presence of NADH in a reaction stimulated by the addition of ferric-EDTA, consistent with the increase in .OH production. The latter appeared to be limited by the rate of H2O2 generation rather than the rate of reduction of the ferric chelate. NADH-dependent lipid peroxidation was much lower than the NADPH-catalyzed reaction and showed an opposite response to catalysis by ferric complexes compared to .OH generation as production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive material was increased with ferric-ATP and -citrate, but not with ferric-EDTA or- DTPA, and was not affected by catalase, SOD, or .OH scavengers. These results indicate that NADH can support microsomal reduction of ferric chelates, with the subsequent production of .OH-like species and peroxidation of lipids. The pattern of response of the NADH-dependent reactions with respect to catalytic effectiveness of ferric chelates and sensitivity to radical scavengers is similar to that found with NADPH. Many of the metabolic actions of ethanol have been ascribed to production of NADH as a consequence of oxidation by alcohol dehydrogenase. Since the cytosol normally maintains a highly oxidized NAD+/NADH redox ratio, it is interesting to speculate that increased availability of NADH from the oxidation of ethanol may support microsomal reduction of iron complexes, with the subsequent generation of reactive oxygen intermediates.     

Vanadate-dependent NAD(P)H oxidation by microsomal enzymes

Vanadate-dependent NAD(P)H oxidation, catalyzed by rat liver microsomes and microsomal NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (P450 reductase) and NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase (b5 reductase), was investigated. These enzymes and intact microsomes catalyzed NAD(P)H oxidation in the presence of either ortho- or polyvanadate. Antibody to P450 reductase inhibited orthovanadate-dependent NADPH oxidation catalyzed by either purified P450 reductase or rat liver microsomes and had no effect on the rates of NADH oxidation catalyzed by b5 reductase. NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase catalyzed orthovanadate-dependent NADPH oxidation five times faster than NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase catalyzed NADH oxidation. Orthovanadate-dependent oxidation of either NADPH or NADH, catalyzed by purified reductases or rat liver microsomes, occurred in an anaerobic system, which indicated that superoxide is not an obligate intermediate in this process. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibited orthovanadate, but not polyvanadate-mediated, enzyme-dependent NAD(P)H oxidation. SOD also inhibited when pyridine nucleotide oxidation was conducted anaerobically, suggesting that SOD inhibits vanadate-dependent NAD(P)H oxidation by a mechanism independent of scavenging of O2-.     

Re-evaluation of the kinetics of lactate dehydrogenase-catalyzed chain oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by superoxide radicals in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetate.

The chain oxidation of lactate dehydrogenase-bound NADH initiated by superoxide radicals and propagated by oxygen was studied with pulse radiolysis. The kinetic parameters were re-evaluated in a system with carefully purified reagents (water and other chemicals) and in the presence of EDTA. The rate constant for the oxidation of the enzyme-bound NADH by O2- is calculated from the observed pseudo-first order disappearance of NADH and the chain length (molecules of NADH oxidized per O2- anion generated in the pulse). It is (1.0 +/- 0.2) X 10(5) M-1 S-1, consistent within a 13-fold variation in lactate dehydrogenase. NADH complex concentration and with varying chain length up to 6.1. Based on experiments with varying pH values from 4.5 to 9.0, the rate constant for oxidation of enzyme-bound NADH by HO2 is estimated to be 2.0 X 10(6) M-1 S-1.     

NADH- and NADPH-dependent formation of superoxide anions by bovine heart submitochondrial particles and NADH–ubiquinone reductase preparation

1. Both NADH and NADPH supported the oxidation of adrenaline to adrenochrome in bovine heart submitochondrial particles. The reaction was completely inhibited in the presence of superoxide dismutase, suggesting that superoxide anions (O(2) (-)) are responsible for the oxidation. The optimal pH of the reaction with NADPH was at pH7.5, whereas that with NADH was at pH9.0. The reaction was inhibited by treatment of the preparation with p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and stimulated by treatment with rotenone. Antimycin A and cyanide stimulated the reaction to the same extent as rotenone. The NADPH-dependent reaction was inhibited by inorganic salts at high concentrations, whereas the NADH-dependent reaction was stimulated. 2. Production of O(2) (-) by NADH-ubiquinone reductase preparation (Complex I) with NADH or NADPH as an electron donor was assayed by measuring the formation of adrenochrome or the reduction of acetylated cytochrome c which does not react with the respiratory-chain components. p-Hydroxymercuribenzoate inhibited the reaction and rotenone stimulated the reaction. The effects of pH and inorganic salts at high concentrations on the NADH- and NADPH-dependent reactions of Complex I were essentially similar to those on the reactions of submitochondrial particles. 3. These findings suggest that a region between a mercurialsensitive site and the rotenone-sensitive site of the respiratory-chain NADH dehydrogenase is largely responsible for the NADH- and NADPH-dependent O(2) (-) production by the mitochondrial inner membranes.     

Cytochemical localization of hydrogen peroxide production in the rat uterus

A reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H)-dependent H2O2-generating activity of the rat uterus was investigated both electron cytochemically and biochemically. We tried to cytochemically demonstrate H2O2 generation from the oxidation of reduced NADH or NADPH using the cerium method. NADPH oxidation resulted in electron-dense deposits on the apical plasma membrane covering the microvilli of the surface epithelium of the lightly fixed endometrium. In control specimens incubated in a medium from which substrate was omitted, no such deposits were observed. The reduction of ferricytochrome c due to NADH oxidation was spectrophotometrically detected in the lightly fixed uterus. Absorption at 550 nm increased with the addition of NADH, but not with that of NAD. The reaction was weakened by preheating and adversely affected by the addition of superoxide dismutase, but it was not inhibited by adding 50 mM sodium azide. These results suggest that a kind of NAD(P)H oxidase, generating H2O2 via superoxide formation, may possibly be present on the apical plasma membrane of the rat endometrial epithelium.     

Role of cytosolic superoxide dismutase as a stimulator in anthranilamide hydroxylation by a microsomal monooxygenase system in rat liver

We have isolated a protein factor from rat liver which stimulates anthranilamide hydroxylation by the microsomes in the presence of NADPH and oxygen and showed this factor to contain Cu and Zn and to have superoxide dismutase activity [Biochim. Biophys. Acta 365, 148-157 (1974)]. In the present study, this protein factor was confirmed to be a superoxide dismutase (SOD) by comparison of the recovery of SOD activity with that of anthranilamide hydroxylation-stimulating activity at each step of its purification, by inhibition of SOD activity with NaCN and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and by recovery of the SOD activity of the protein factor after reconstitution with Cu2+ and/or Zn2+. At a given SOD activity level, there was no difference among the rat liver SOD, Cu,Zn-SOD from bovine erythrocytes, and Mn-SOD from Serratia marcescens in their ability to stimulate anthranilamide hydroxylation not only by rat liver microsomes, but also by the reconstituted cytochrome P-450-containing monooxygenase system. Rat liver SOD stimulated anthranilamide hydroxylation by the reconstituted system in proportion to its amount below a protein concentration of 1 microgram/ml. In anthranilamide hydroxylation by the reconstituted system without SOD, only a slight hydroxylase activity was found at the initial stage of the reaction and a marked increase in the amounts of NADPH oxidized and H2O2 formed was observed after a lag time. In the presence of rat liver SOD, however, the hydroxylase activity was markedly and continuously increased almost proportionally to reaction time with a concomitant decrease in the amounts of NADPH oxidized and H2O2 formed. In addition, a trace of 3-OH anthranilamide, one of the products, not only stimulated NADPH-dependent H2O2 formation in the reconstituted system, but also inhibited the apparent reduction of cytochrome P-450 by NADPH in the reconstituted system. These effects of 3-OH anthranilamide were diminished by rat liver SOD. When a trace of 3-OH anthranilamide were added to a system composed of NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase and NADPH, H2O2 formation and NADPH oxidation were markedly stimulated. However, on addition of 3-OH anthranilamide to the system containing rat liver SOD, no stimulation on either H2O2 formation or NADPH oxidation was found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Superoxide is responsible for the vanadate stimulation of NAD(P)H oxidation by biological membranes

Vandate augments the oxidation of NAD(P)H, but not of NMNH, by rat liver microsomes. Paraquat increases the vanadate effect on NADPH, but not on NADH, oxidation. Substoichiometric levels of NADPH caused the co-oxidation of NADH or NMNH and SOD inhibited in all cases. The ratio of NADH or NMNH co-oxidized per NADPH added allowed estimation of average chain length, which increased as the pH was lowered from 8.0 to 7.1. The initial rate of this co-oxidation of NMNH was a saturating function of the concentration of microsomes, reflecting a decrease in chain length with an increase in number of concomitant reaction chains, and due to increasing radical-radical termination reactions. Mitochondrial outer membranes behaved like the microsomal membranes, but mitochondrial inner membranes catalyzed a rapid oxidation of NADH which could be augmented by vanadate, whose action was enhanced by paraquat and inhibited by antimycin or rotenone. These and related observations support the view that vanadate stimulates NAD(P)H oxidation by biological membranes, not by virtue of interacting with enzymes, but rather by interacting with O-2.     

The identification of primary sites of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide formation in the aerobic respiratory chain and sulfite reductase complex of Escherichia coli

The fitness of organisms depends upon the rate at which they generate superoxide (O-2) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as toxic by-products of aerobic metabolism. In Escherichia coli these oxidants arise primarily from the autoxidation of components of its respiratory chain. Inverted vesicles that were incubated with NADH generated O-2 and H2O2 at accelerated rates either when treated with cyanide or when devoid of quinones, implicating an NADH dehydrogenase as their source. Null mutations in the gene encoding NADH dehydrogenase II averted autoxidation of vesicles, and its overproduction accelerated it. Thus NADH dehydrogenase II but not NADH dehydrogenase I, respiratory quinones, or cytochrome oxidases formed substantial O-2 and H2O2. NADH dehydrogenase II that was purified from both wild-type and quinone-deficient cells generated approximately 130 H2O2 and 15 O-2 min-1 by autoxidation of its reduced FAD cofactor. Sulfite reductase is a second autoxidizable electron transport chain of E. coli, containing FAD, FMN, [4Fe-4S], and siroheme moieties. Purified flavoprotein that contained only the FAD and FMN cofactors had about the same oxidation turnover number as did the holoenzyme, 7 min-1 FAD-1. Oxidase activity was largely lost upon FMN removal. Thus the autoxidation of sulfite reductase, like that of the respiratory chain, occurs primarily by autoxidation of an exposed flavin cofactor. Great variability in the oxidation turnover numbers of these and other flavoproteins suggests that endogenous oxidants will be predominantly formed by only a few oxidizable enzymes. Thus the degree of oxidative stress in a cell may depend upon the titer of such enzymes and accordingly may vary with growth conditions and among different cell types. Furthermore, the chemical nature of these reactions was manifested by their acceleration at high temperatures and oxygen concentrations. Thus these environmental parameters may also directly affect the O-2 and H2O2 loads that organisms must bear.     

Increased NADH-dependent production of reactive oxygen intermediates by microsomes after chronic ethanol consumption: comparisons with NADPH.

Microsomes from chronic ethanol-fed rats were previously shown to catalyze the NADPH-dependent production of reactive oxygen intermediates at elevated rates compared to controls. Recent studies have shown that NADH can also serve as a reductant and promote the production of oxygen radicals by microsomes. The current study evaluated the influence of chronic ethanol consumption on NADH-dependent microsomal production of reactive oxygen intermediates, and compared the results with NADH to those of NADPH. Microsomal oxidation of chemical scavengers, taken as a reflection of the production of hydroxyl radical (.OH)-like species was increased about 50% with NADH as cofactor and about 100% with NADPH after chronic ethanol consumption. The potent inhibition of the production of .OH-like species by catalase suggests a precursor role for H2O2 in .OH production. Rates of NADH- and NADPH-dependent H2O2 production were increased by about 50 and 70%, respectively, after chronic ethanol consumption. A close correlation between rates of H2O2 production and generation of .OH-like species was observed for both NADH and NADPH, and increased rates of H2O2 production appear to play an important role in the elevated generation of .OH-like species after chronic ethanol treatment. Microsomal lipid peroxidation was elevated about 60% with NADH, and 120% with NADPH, after ethanol feeding. With both types of microsomal preparations, the characteristics of the NADH-dependent reactions were similar to the NADPH-dependent reactions, e.g., sensitivity to antioxidants and free radical scavengers and catalytic effectiveness of ferric complexes. However, rates with NADPH exceeded the NADH-dependent rates by 50 to 100%, and the increased production of reactive oxygen intermediates by microsomes after ethanol treatment was greater with NADPH (about twofold) than with NADH (about 50%). Oxidation of ethanol results in an increase in hepatic NADH levels and interaction of NADH, iron, and microsomes can produce potent oxidants capable of initiating lipid peroxidation and oxidizing .OH scavengers. These acute metabolic interactions produced by ethanol-derived NADH are increased, not attenuated, in microsomes from chronic ethanol-fed rats, and it is possible that such increases in NADH (and NADPH)-dependent production of reactive oxygen species play a role in the development of oxidative stress in the liver as a consequence of ethanol treatment.     

Vanadate-stimulated NADH oxidation by xanthine oxidase: an intrinsic property

Vanadate-dependent oxidation of NADH by xanthine oxidase does not require the presence of xanthine and therefore is not due to cooxidation. Addition of NADH or xanthine had no effect on the oxidation of the other substrate. Oxidation of NADH was high at acid pH and oxidation of xanthine was high at alkaline pH. The specific activity was relatively very high with NADH. Concentration-dependent oxidation of NADH Concentration-dependent oxidation of NADH was obtained in the presence of the polymeric form of vanadate, but not orthovanadate or metavanadate. Both NADH and NADPH were oxidized, as in the nonenzymatic system. Oxidation of NADH, but not xanthine, was inhibited by KCN, ascorbate, MnCl2, cytochrome c, mannitol, Tris, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and triiodothyronine. Oxidation of NADH was accompanied by uptake of oxygen and generation of H2O2 with a stoichiometry of 1:1:1 for NADH:O2:H2O2. A 240-nm-absorbing species was formed during the reaction which was different from H2O2 or superoxide. A mechanism of NADH oxidation is suggested wherein Vv and O2 receive one electron each successively from NADH followed by VIV giving the second electron to superoxide and reducing it to H2O2.     

Nitroxyl (NO-): a substrate for superoxide dismutase

The interactions of Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) with nitroxyl (NO-) and nitric oxide (NO), both of which are thought to be biologically significant, have been studied but remain undefined. Having previously noted that NO- can reduce Cu (II), Zn SOD aerobically, we now report that it also can do so anaerobically and that Cu, Zn SOD can catalyze the elimination of NO(-) in the absence of O2.NO- acts as a reductant of ferricytochrome c anaerobically, but in the presence of O2 causes the oxidation of ferrocytochrome c and NADPH. Equivalent fluxes of NO-, and NO + O2- were able to comparably oxidize NADPH, but the oxidation by NO + O2- was more than fivefold more sensitive to inhibition by Cu, Zn SOD than was the oxidation by NO-. Thus Cu, Zn SOD inhibited NADPH oxidation by NO- by a route independent of catalyzing the dismutation of O2. Plausible mechanisms for those observations are offered and rate constants are estimated.     

Activation by ATP of calcium-dependent NADPH-oxidase generating hydrogen peroxide in thyroid plasma membranes

An H2O2-generating fraction was prepared from porcine thyroid homogenate by differential and Percoll-density gradient centrifugations. The fraction consisted of mainly fragmented plasma membranes as judged by marker enzyme analysis and electron microscopy. The fraction produced H2O2 by reaction with NADPH only in the presence of Ca2+. The Ca2+ concentration for half-maximal activation (KCa) was about 0.1 microM and the Hill coefficient was 2. Sr2+ also activated the reaction whereas Mn2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ inhibited it. The reaction was enhanced about twice by addition of ATP but not ADP, and inhibited by addition of hexokinase together with glucose to remove ATP. The Km value for NADPH was 35 microM and was less than 1/12 that for NADH. The NADPH oxidation rate was measured and the KCa and the Km were similar to those for the H2O2 production. The stoichiometry between the oxidation and the H2O2 formation was essentially 1. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and KCN did not affect H2O2 production. The fraction catalyzed NADPH-cytochrome c reduction but the activity was SOD-insensitive. These results suggest that H2O2 was not generated through superoxide anion formation. NADPH-dichloroindophenol (DCIP) reductase activity was also observed and DCIP inhibited the production of H2O2. The cytochrome c and DCIP reductase activities were not influenced by Ca2+ or ATP. A unique electron transport system regulated by Ca2+ and ATP exists in the thyroid plasma membrane that produces H2O2. The concentrations of Ca2+ and ATP in thyroid cells may regulate hormone synthesis through activation of the production of H2O2, a substrate for peroxidase.     

Studies on the NADPH oxidation by subcellular particles from phagocytosing polymorphonuclear leucocytes: evidence for the involvement of three mechanisms

1. The NADPH-oxidizing activity of a 100 000 X g particulate fraction of the postnuclear supernatant obtained frm guinea-pig phagocytosing poymorphonuclear leucocytes has been assayed by simultaneous determination of oxygen consumption, NADPH oxidation and O2- generation at pH 5.5 and 7.0 and with 0.15 mM and 1 mM NADPH. 2. The measurements of oxygen consumption and NADPH oxidation gave comparable results. The stoichiometry between the oxygen consumed and the NADPH oxidized was 1:1. 3. A markedly lower enzymatic activity was observed, under all the experimental conditions used, when the O2- generation assay was employed as compared to the assays of oxygen uptake and NADPH oxidation. 4. The explanation of this difference came from the analysis of the effect of superoxide dismutase and of cytochrome c which removes O2- formed during the oxidation of NADPH. 5. Both superoxide dismutase and cytochrome c inhibited the NADPH-oxidizing reactin at pH 5.5. The inhibition was higher with 1 mM NADPH than with 0.15 mM NADPH. 6. Both superoxide dismutase and cytochrome c inhibited the NADPH-oxidizing reaction at pH 7.0 with 1 mM NADPH but less than at pH 5.5 with 1 mM NADPH. 7. The effect of superoxide dismutase at pH 7.0 with 0.15 mM NADPH was negligible. 8. In all instances the inhibitory effect of cytochrome c was greater than that of superoxide dismutase. 9. It was concluded that the NADPH-oxidizing reaction studied here is made up of three components: an enzymatic univalent reduction of O2; an enzymatic, apparently non-univalent, O2 reduction and a non-enzymatic chain reaction. 10. These three components are variably and independently affected by the experimental conditions used. For example, the chain reaction is freely operative at pH 5.5 with 1 mM NADPH but is almost absent at pH 7.0 with 0.15 mM NADPH, whereas the univalent reduction of O2 is optimal at pH 7.0 with 1 mM NADPH.     

On the mechanism of the Mn3(+)-induced neurotoxicity of dopamine:prevention of quinone-derived oxygen toxicity by DT diaphorase and superoxide dismutase

Dopamine (DA) is rapidly oxidized by Mn3(+)-pyrophosphate to its cyclized o-quinone (cDAoQ), a reaction which can be prevented by NADH, reduced glutathione (GSH) or ascorbic acid. The oxidation of DA by Mn3+, which appears to be irreversible, results in a decrease in the level of DA, but not in a formation of reactive oxygen species, since oxygen is neither consumed nor required in this reaction. The formation of cDAoQ can initiate the generation of superoxide radicals (O2-.) by reduction-oxidation cycling, i.e. one-electron reduction of the quinone by various NADH- or NADPH-dependent flavoproteins to the semiquinone (QH.), which is readily reoxidized by O2 with the concomitant formation of O2-.. This mechanism is believed to underly the cytotoxicity of many quinones. Two-electron reduction of cDAoQ to the hydroquinone can be catalyzed by the flavoprotein DT diaphorase (NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase). This enzyme efficiently maintains DA quinone in its fully reduced state, although some reoxidation of the hydroquinone (QH2) is observed (QH2 + O2----QH. + O2-. + H+; QH. + O2----Q + O2-.). In the presence of Mn3+, generated from Mn2+ by O2-. (Mn2+ + 2H+ + O2-.----Mn3+ + H2O2) formed during the autoxidation of DA hydroquinone, the rate of autoxidation is increased dramatically as is the formation of H2O2. Furthermore, cDAoQ is no longer fully reduced and the steady-state ratio between the hydroquinone and the quinone is dependent on the amount of DT diaphorase present. The generation of Mn3+ is inhibited by superoxide dismutase (SOD), which catalyzes the disproportionation of O2-. to H2O2 and O2. It is noteworthy that addition of SOD does not only result in a decrease in the amount of H2O2 formed during the regeneration of Mn3+, but, in fact, prevents H2O2 formation. Furthermore, in the presence of this enzyme the consumption of O2 is low, as is the oxidation of NADH, due to autoxidation of the hydroquinone, and the cyclized DA o-quinone is found to be fully reduced. These observations can be explained by the newly-discovered role of SOD as a superoxide:semiquinone (QH.) oxidoreductase catalyzing the following reaction: O2-. + QH. + 2H+----QH2 + O2. Thus, the combination of DT diaphorase and SOD is an efficient system for maintaining cDAoQ in its fully reduced state, a prerequisite for detoxication of the quinone by conjugation with sulfate or glucuronic acid. In addition, only minute amounts of reactive oxygen species will be formed, i.e. by the generation of O2-., which through disproportionation to H2O2 and further reduction by ferrous ions can be converted to the hydroxyl radical (OH.). Absence or low levels of these enzymes may create an oxidative stress on the cell and thereby initiate events leading to cell death.     

Characterization of vanadate-dependent NADH oxidation stimulated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae plasma membranes.

Plasma membrane-stimulated vanadate-dependent NADH oxidation has been characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This activity is specific for vanadate, because molybdate, a similar metal oxide, did not substitute for vanadate in the reaction. Vanadate-dependent plasma membrane-stimulated NADH oxidation activity was dependent on the concentrations of vanadate, NADH, and NADPH and required functional plasma membranes; no stimulation occurred in the presence of boiled membranes or bovine serum albumin. The dependence of membrane-stimulated vanadate-dependent NADH oxidation was not linearly dependent on added membrane protein. The activity was abolished by the superoxide anion scavenger superoxide dismutase and was stimulated by paraquat and NADPH. These data are consistent with the previously proposed chain reaction for vanadate-dependent NADH oxidation. The role of the plasma membrane appears to be to stimulate superoxide radical formation, which is coupled to NADH oxidation by vanadate. 51V-nuclear magnetic resonance studies are consistent with the hypothesis that a phosphovanadate anhydride is the stimulatory oxyvanadium species in the phosphate buffers used at pHs 5.0 and 7.0. In phosphate buffers, compared with acetate buffers, the single vanadate resonance was shifted upfield at both pH 5.0 and pH 7.0, which is characteristic of the phosphovanadate anhydride. Since the cell contains an excess of phosphate to vanadate, the phosphovanadate anhydride may be involved in membrane-mediated vanadate-dependent NADH oxidation in vivo.