Quantitative studies of hydroperoxide reduction by prostaglandin H synthase. Reducing substrate specificity and the relationship of peroxidase to cyclooxygenase activities

The peroxidase activity of prostaglandin H (PGH) synthase catalyzes reduction of 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl hydroperoxide to 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl alcohol with a turnover number of approximately 8000 mol of 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl hydroperoxide/mol of enzyme/min. The kinetics and products of reaction establish PGH synthase as a classical heme peroxidase with catalytic efficiency similar to horseradish peroxidase. This suggests that the protein of PGH synthase evolved to facilitate peroxide heterolysis by the heme prosthetic group. Comparison of an extensive series of phenols, aromatic amines, beta-dicarbonyls, naturally occurring compounds, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs indicates that considerable differences exist in their ability to act as reducing substrates. No correlation is observed between the ability of compounds to support peroxidatic hydroperoxide reduction and to inhibit cyclooxygenase. In addition, the resolved enantiomers of MK-410 and etodolac exhibit dramatic enantiospecific differences in their ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase but are equally potent as peroxidase-reducing substrates. This suggests that there are significant differences in the orientation of compounds at cyclooxygenase inhibitory sites and the peroxidase oxidation site(s). Comparison of 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl hydroperoxide reduction by PGH synthase and horseradish peroxidase reveals considerable differences in reducing substrate specificity. Both the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase activities of PGH synthase inactivate in the presence of low micromolar amounts of hydroperoxides and arachidonic acid. PGH synthase was most sensitive to arachidonic acid, which exhibited an I50 of 0.6 microM in the absence of all protective agents. Inactivation by hydroperoxides requires peroxidase turnover and can be prevented by reducing substrates. The I50 values for inactivation by 15-hydroperoxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid are 4.0 and 92 microM, respectively, in the absence and presence of 500 microM phenol, a moderately good reducing substrate. The ability of compounds to protect against hydroperoxide-induced inactivation correlates directly with their ability to act as reducing substrates. Hydroquinone, an excellent reducing substrate, protected against hydroperoxide-induced inactivation when present in less than 3-fold molar excess over hydroperoxide. The presence of a highly efficient hydroperoxide-reducing activity appears absolutely essential for protection of the cyclooxygenase capacity of PGH synthase. The peroxidase activity is, therefore, a twin-edged sword, responsible for and protective against hydroperoxide-dependent inactivation of PGH synthase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Prostaglandin H synthase and hydroperoxides: peroxidase reaction and inactivation kinetics

The reaction kinetics of the peroxidase activity of prostaglandin H synthase have been examined with 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid and hydrogen peroxide as substrates and tetramethylphenylenediamine as cosubstrate. The apparent Km and Vmax values for both hydroperoxides were found to increase linearly with the cosubstrate concentration. The overall reaction kinetics could be interpreted in terms of an initial reaction of the synthase with hydroperoxide to form an intermediate equivalent to horseradish peroxidase Compound I, followed by reduction of this intermediate by cosubstrate to regenerate the resting enzyme. The rate constants estimated for the generation of synthase Compound I were 7.1 X 10(7) M-1 s-1 with the lipid hydroperoxide and 9.1 X 10(4) M-1 s-1 with hydrogen peroxide. The rate constants estimated for the rate-determining step in the regeneration of resting enzyme by cosubstrate were 9.2 X 10(6) M-1 s-1 in the case of the reaction with lipid hydroperoxide and 3.5 X 10(6) M-1 s-1 in the case of reaction with hydrogen peroxide. The intrinsic affinities of the synthase peroxidase for substrate (Ks) were estimated to be on the order of 10(-8) M for lipid hydroperoxide and 10(-5) M for hydrogen peroxide. These affinities are quite similar to the reported affinities of the synthase for these hydroperoxides as activators of the cyclooxygenase. The peroxidase activity was found to be progressively inactivated during the peroxidase reaction. The rate of inactivation of the peroxidase was increased by increases in hydroperoxide level, and decreased by increases in peroxidase cosubstrate. The inactivation of the peroxidase appeared to occur by a hydroperoxide-dependent process, originating from synthase Compound I or Compound II.     

Prostaglandin H Synthase-2-catalyzed Oxygenation of 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Is More Sensitive to Peroxide Tone than Oxygenation of Arachidonic Acid

The endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), is a selective substrate for the inducible isoform of prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS), PGHS-2. Its turnover leads to the formation of glyceryl esters of prostaglandins (PG-Gs), a subset of which elicits agonism at unique, as yet unidentified, receptors. The k_cat/K_m values for oxygenation of arachidonic acid (AA) and 2-AG by PGHS-2 are very similar, but the sensitivities of the two substrates to peroxide-dependent activation have not been compared. 15-Hydroperoxy derivatives of AA and 2-AG were found to be comparable in their ability to serve as substrates for the peroxidase activities of PGHS-2, PGHS-1, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). They also were comparable in the activation of AA oxygenation by cyanide-inhibited PGHS-2. However, oxygenation of 2-AG was significantly suppressed relative to AA by the presence of GPx and GSH. Furthermore, 2-AG oxygenation by peroxidase-deficient H388YmPGHS-2 was much less efficient than AA oxygenation. Wild-type rates of 2-AG oxygenation were restored by treatment of H388YmPGHS-2 with hydroperoxide derivatives of AA or 2-AG. RNAi silencing of phospholipid hydroperoxide-specific GPx (GPx4) in NIH/3T3 cells led to increases in cellular peroxidation and in the levels of the isoprostane product, 8-epi-PGF_2α. GPx4 silencing led to 2–4-fold increases in PG-G formation but no change in PG formation. Thus, cellular peroxide tone may be an important determinant of the extent of endocannabinoid oxygenation by PGHS-2.     

Cellular regulation of prostaglandin H synthase catalysis

Prostanoids are a group of potent bioactive lipids produced by oxygenation of arachidonate or one of several related polyunsaturated fatty acids. Cellular prostaglandin biosynthesis is tightly regulated, with a large part of the control exerted at the level of cyclooxygenase catalysis by prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS). The two known isoforms of PGHS have been assigned distinct pathophysiological functions, and their cyclooxygenase activities are subject to differential cellular control. This review considers the contributions to cellular catalytic control of the two PGHS isoforms by intracellular compartmentation, accessory proteins, arachidonate levels, and availability of hydroperoxide activator.     

The mechanism for the inhibition of prostaglandin H synthase-catalyzed xenobiotic oxidation by methimazole. Reaction with free radical oxidation products

Methimazole, an irreversible, mechanism-based (suicide substrate) inhibitor of thyroid peroxidase and lactoperoxidase, also inhibits the oxidation of xenobiotics by prostaglandin hydroperoxidase. The mechanism(s) by which methimazole inhibits prostaglandin H synthase-catalyzed oxidations is not conclusively known. In studies reported here, methimazole inhibited the prostaglandin H synthase-catalyzed oxidation of benzidine, phenylbutazone, and aminopyrine in a concentration-dependent manner. Methimazole poorly supported the prostaglandin H synthase-catalyzed reduction of 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl hydroperoxide to the corresponding alcohol (5-phenyl-4-pentenyl alcohol), suggesting that methimazole is not serving as a competing reducing cosubstrate for the peroxidase. Methimazole is not a mechanism-based inhibitor of prostaglandin hydroperoxidase or horseradish peroxidase since methimazole did not inhibit the peroxidase-catalyzed, benzidine-supported reduction of 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl hydroperoxide. In contrast, methimazole inhibited the reduction of 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl hydroperoxide to 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl alcohol catalyzed by lactoperoxidase, confirming that methimazole is a mechanism-based inhibitor of that enzyme and that such inhibition can be detected by our assay. Glutathione reduces the aminopyrine cation free radical, the formation of which is catalyzed by the hydroperoxidase, back to the parent compound. Methimazole produced the same effect at concentrations equimolar to those required for glutathione. These data indicate that methimazole does not inhibit xenobiotic oxidations catalyzed by prostaglandin H synthase and horseradish peroxidase through direct interaction with the enzyme, but rather inhibits accumulation of oxidation products via reduction of a free radical-derived metabolite(s).     

Phenylbutazone-dependent epoxidation of 7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene. A new mechanism for prostaglandin H synthase-catalyzed oxidations

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone markedly enhances the hydroperoxide-dependent epoxidation of 7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene catalyzed by microsomal and Tween-20 solubilized preparations of prostaglandin H synthase. Furthermore, phenylbutazone radically alters the hydroperoxide specificity of 7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo(a)pyrene epoxidation. In the absence of phenylbutazone, only allylic hydroperoxides are effective in initiating epoxidation, whereas in the presence of phenylbutazone the reaction can be initiated by t-butyl hydroperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, and hydrogen peroxide. All effects are dependent on the concentration of phenylbutazone present. The primary event is the oxidation of phenylbutazone by prostaglandin H synthase. This pathway yields a peroxy radical of phenylbutazone which appears to be the epoxidizing agent. This activation of a primary substrate by a peroxidase resulting in metabolism of a secondary substrate is analogous to the halogenation reactions catalyzed by chloroperoxidase. This represents a new class of oxidation reactions catalyzed by prostaglandin H synthase.     

Detection of a higher oxidation state of manganese-prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase.

Addition of arachidonic acid or 5-phenyl-4-pentenylhydroperoxide to manganese-prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (Mn-PGH synthase) produced a species with an absorbance maximum at 418 nm. This maximum is distinct from those of resting enzyme (372 and 468 nm) or reduced enzyme (434 nm). The formation of the 418 nm-absorbing species was observed immediately after the addition of hydroperoxide to enzyme but only after a 10-s lag period following addition of arachidonate. Mn-PGH synthase exhibited a peroxidase activity that was 0.8% that of Fe-PGH synthase. Addition of peroxidase reducing substrates to the oxidized form of Mn-PGH synthase diminished the absorbance at 418 nm. In the case of N,N,N',N'-tetramethylphenylenediamine, reduction of the 418 nm-absorbing species was accompanied by an increase in absorbance at 610 nm due to the oxidized form of the amine. Thus, the spectral and chemical properties of the 418 nm-absorbing species are consistent with its existence as a higher oxidation state of Mn-PGH synthase. Kinetic analysis indicated that formation of the higher oxidation state preceded or was coincident with oxygenation of the fatty acid substrate, eicosa-11,14-dienoic acid. The cyclooxygenase activity of Mn-PGH synthase was inhibited by the combination of glutathione and human plasma glutathione peroxidase at a glutathione peroxidase concentration 227-fold lower than the concentration that inhibited Fe-PGH synthase. The results suggest that Mn-PGH synthase forms a higher oxidation state following reaction with hydroperoxides added exogenously or generated endogenously from polyunsaturated fatty acid substrates. This higher oxidation state functions in the peroxidase catalytic cycle of Mn-PGH synthase, and its formation appears to be essential for activation of the cyclooxygenase catalytic cycle.     

Coupling of the peroxidase and cyclooxygenase reactions of prostaglandin H synthase

Interrelations between peroxidase and cyclooxygenase reactions catalyzed by prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (prostaglandin H synthase) were analyzed in terms of the mutual influence of these reactions. The original branched-chain mechanism predicts competition between these two reactions for enzyme, so that peroxidase cosubstrate should inhibit the cyclooxygenase reaction and the cyclooxygenase substrate is expected to inhibit the peroxidase reaction. In stark contrast, the peroxidase reducing substrate is well known to strongly stimulate the cyclooxygenase reaction. In the present work the opposite effect, the influence of the cyclooxygenase substrate on the peroxidase reaction was studied. Experiments were conducted on the effect of arachidonic acid on the consumption of p-coumaric acid by prostaglandin H synthase and 5-phenyl-4-pentenyl-1-hydroperoxide. Neither the steady-state rates nor the total extent of p-coumaric acid consumption was affected by the addition of arachidonic acid. This suggests that the cyclooxygenase substrate does not influence observable velocities of the peroxidase reaction, namely oxidation and regeneration of the resting enzyme. The data support coupling of the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase reactions. A combination of the branched-chain and tightly coupled mechanisms is proposed, which includes a tyrosyl radical active enzyme intermediate regenerated through the peroxidase cycle. Numerical integration of the proposed reaction scheme agrees with the observed relations between peroxidase and cyclooxygenase reactions in the steady state.     

Prostaglandin H synthase: an example of enzymic symbiosis

Reaction conditions which promote the heme-dependent peroxidase activity of prostaglandin H synthase appear to stimulate the heme-dependent cyclooxygenase activity also present in the synthase, even though the cyclooxygenase requires hydroperoxide for activity. However, aspirin-treated synthase, which retains only peroxidase activity, inhibited the cyclooxygenase activity of untreated synthase in the manner observed with similar levels of glutathione peroxidase. Any stimulatory effect of the synthase peroxidase on the synthase cyclooxygenase is thus likely to involve an intramolecular mechanism. Participation of peroxidase intermediates (Compounds I and II) in the initiation of a cyclooxygenase free radical chain reaction may provide an intramolecular mechanism for stimulation of the synthase cyclooxygenase by the synthase peroxidase.     

Amino acid substitutions in the human glutathione S-transferases confer different specificities in the prostaglandin endoperoxide conversion pathway

The human glutathione S-transferases 1-1 and 2-2, which differ from each other by 11 amino acids, have different catalytic activities against cumene hydroperoxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide. Using prostaglandin H2 as the peroxide substrate, we found that GSH S-transferase 1-1 catalyzed the transformation of prostaglandin H2 to prostaglandin F2 alpha and E2 at a 4:1 ratio whereas GSH S-transferase 2-2 produced primarily prostaglandin D2 and F2 alpha at a 4:1 ratio. Our results indicate that GSH S-transferases catalyze the reduction and isomerization of prostaglandin H2 endoperoxide in vitro. We suggest that the amino acid substitutions between these two isozymes may be responsible for the difference in catalytic specificities. We propose that these isozymes are important reagents for the biosynthesis of various prostaglandins.     

Deficient metabolic utilization of hydrogen peroxide in Trypanosoma cruzi.

The glutathione peroxidase-glutathione reductase system, an alternative pathway for metabolic utilization of H2O2 [Chance, Sies & Boveris (1979) Physiol. Rev. 59, 527-605], was investigated in Trypanosoma cruzi, an organism lacking catalase and deficient in peroxidase [Boveris & Stoppani (1977) Experientia 33, 1306-1308]. The presence of glutathione (4.9 +/- 0.7 nmol of reduced glutathione/10(8) cells) and NADPH-dependent glutathione reductase (5.3 +/- 0.4 munit/10(8) cells) was demonstrated in the cytosolic fraction of the parasite, but with H2O2 as substrate glutathione peroxidase activity could not be demonstrated in the same extracts. With t-butyl hydroperoxide or cumene hydroperoxide as substrate, a very low NADPH-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity was detected (equivalent to 0.3-0.5 munit of peroxidase/10(8) cells, or about 10% of glutathione reductase activity). Blank reactions of the glutathione peroxidase assay (non-enzymic oxidation of glutathione by hydroperoxides and enzymic oxidation of NADPH) hampered accurate measurement of peroxidase activity. The presence of superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activity in, as well as the absence of catalase from, epimastigote extracts was confirmed. Ascorbate peroxidase activity was cyanide-sensitive and heat-labile, but no activity could be demonstrated with diaminobenzidine, pyrogallol or guaiacol as electron donor. The summarized results support the view that T. cruzi epimastigotes lack an adequate enzyme defence against H2O2 and H2O2-related free radicals.     

Prostaglandin H synthase: distinct binding sites for cyclooxygenase and peroxidase substrates

Prostaglandin H synthase has two distinct catalytic activities: a cyclooxygenase activity that forms prostaglandin G2 from arachidonic acid; and a peroxidase activity that reduces prostaglandin G2 to prostaglandin H2. Lipid hydroperoxides, such as prostaglandin G2, also initiate the cyclooxygenase reaction, probably via peroxidase reaction cycle enzyme intermediates. The relation between the binding sites for lipid substrates of the two activities was investigated with an analysis of the effects of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids on the reaction kinetics of the peroxidase activity, and their effects on the ability of a lipid hydroperoxide to initiate the cyclooxygenase reaction. The cyclooxygenase activity of pure ovine synthase was found to have an apparent Km value for arachidonate of 5.3 microM and a Ki value (competetive inhibitor) for docosahexaenoate of 5.2 microM. When present at 20 microM neither fatty acid had a significant effect on the apparent Km value of the peroxidase for 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid: the values were 7.6 microM in the absence of docosahexaenoic acid and 5.9 microM in its presence, and (using aspirin-treated synthase) 13.7 microM in the absence of arachidonic acid and 15.7 microM in its presence. Over a range of 1 to 110 microM the level of arachidonate had no significant effect on the initiation of the cyclooxygenase reaction by 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid. The inability of either arachidonic acid or docosahexaenoic acid to interfere with the interaction between the peroxidase and lipid hydroperoxides indicates that the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase activities of prostaglandin H synthase have distinct binding sites for their lipid substrates.     

Substitution of tyrosine for the proximal histidine ligand to the heme of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2: implications for the mechanism of cyclooxygenase activation and catalysis

Prostaglandin H(2) synthesis by prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGHS) requires the heme-dependent activation of the protein's cyclooxygenase activity. The PGHS heme participates in cyclooxygenase activation by accepting an electron from Tyr385 located in the cyclooxygenase active site. Two mechanisms have been proposed for the oxidation of Tyr385 by the heme iron: (1) ferric enzyme oxidizes a hydroperoxide activator and the incipient peroxyl radical oxidizes Tyr385, or (2) ferric enzyme reduces a hydroperoxide activator and the incipient ferryl-oxo heme oxidizes Tyr385. The participation of ferrous PGHS in cyclooxygenase activation was evaluated by determining the reduction potential of PGHS-2. Under all conditions tested, this potential (<-135 mV) was well below that required for reactions leading to cyclooxygenase activation. Substitution of the proximal heme ligand, His388, with tyrosine was used as a mechanistic probe of cyclooxygenase activation. His388Tyr PGHS-2, expressed in insect cells and purified to homogeneity, retained cyclooxygenase activity but its peroxidase activity was diminished more than 300-fold. Concordant with this poor peroxidase activity, an extensive lag in His388Tyr cyclooxygenase activity was observed. Addition of hydroperoxides resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in lag time consistent with each peroxide's ability to act as a His388Tyr peroxidase substrate. However, hydroperoxide treatment had no effect on the maximal rate of arachidonate oxygenation. These data imply that the ferryl-oxo intermediates of peroxidase catalysis, but not the Fe(III)/Fe(II) couple of PGHS, are essential for cyclooxygenase activation. In addition, our findings are strongly supportive of a branched-chain mechanism of cyclooxygenase catalysis in which one activation event leads to many cyclooxygenase turnovers.     

The selenoenzyme phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase

The reduction of membrane-bound hydroperoxides is a major factor acting against lipid peroxidation in living systems. This paper presents the characterization of the previously described 'peroxidation-inhibiting protein' as a 'phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase'. The enzyme is a monomer of 23 kDa (SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). It contains one gatom Se/22 000 g protein. Se is in the selenol form, as indicated by the inactivation experiments in the presence of iodoacetate under reducing conditions. The glutathione peroxidase activity is essentially the same on different phospholipids enzymatically hydroperoxidized by the use of soybean lipoxidase (EC 1.13.11.12) in the presence of deoxycholate. The kinetic data are compatible with a tert-uni ping-pong mechanism, as in the case of the 'classical' glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9). The second-order rate constants (K1) for the reaction of the enzyme with the hydroperoxide substrates indicate that, while H2O2 is reduced faster by the glutathione peroxidase, linoleic acid hydroperoxide is reduced faster by the present enzyme. Moreover, the phospholipid hydroperoxides are reduced only by the latter. The dramatic stimulation exerted by Triton X-100 on the reduction of the phospholipid hydroperoxides suggests that this enzyme has an 'interfacial' character. The similarity of amino acid composition, Se content and kinetic mechanism, relative to the difference in substrate specificity, indicates that the two enzymes 'classical' glutathione peroxidase and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase are in some way related. The latter is apparently specialized for lipophylic, interfacial substrates.     

Prostaglandin H synthase. Kinetics of tyrosyl radical formation and of cyclooxygenase catalysis.

Hydroperoxides are known to induce the formation of tyrosyl free radicals in prostaglandin (PG) H synthase. To evaluate the role of these radicals in cyclooxygenase catalysis we have analyzed the temporal correlation between radical formation and substrate conversion during reaction of the synthase with arachidonic acid. PGH synthase reacted with equimolar levels of arachidonic acid generated sequentially the wide doublet (34 G peak-to-trough) and wide singlet (32 G peak-to-trough) tyrosyl radical signals previously reported for reaction with hydroperoxide. The kinetics of formation and decay of the doublet signal corresponded reasonably well with those of cyclooxygenase activity. However, the wide singlet free radical signal accumulated only after prostaglandin formation had ceased, indicating that the wide singlet is not likely to be an intermediate in cyclooxygenase catalysis. When PGH synthase was reacted with 25 equivalents of arachidonic acid, the wide doublet and wide singlet radical signals were not observed. Instead, a narrower singlet (24 G peak-to-trough) tyrosyl radical was generated, similar to that found upon reaction of indomethacin-treated synthase with hydroperoxide. Only about 11 mol of prostaglandin were formed per mol of synthase before complete self-inactivation of the cyclooxygenase, far less than the 170 mol/mol synthase produced under standard assay conditions. Phenol (0.5 mM) increased the extent of cyclooxygenase reaction by only about 50%, in contrast to the 460% stimulation seen under standard assay conditions. These results indicate that the narrow singlet tyrosyl radical observed in the reaction with high levels of arachidonate in this study and by Lassmann et al. (Lassmann, G., Odenwaller, R., Curtis, J.F., DeGray, J.A., Mason, R.P., Marnett, L.J., and Eling, T.E. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 20045-20055) is associated with abnormal cyclooxygenase activity and is probably nonphysiological. In titrations of the synthase with arachidonate or with hydroperoxide, the loss of enzyme activity and destruction of heme were linear functions of the amount of titrant added. Complete inactivation of cyclooxygenase activity was found at about 10 mol of arachidonate, ethyl hydrogen peroxide, or hydrogen peroxide per mol of synthase heme; maximal bleaching of the heme Soret absorbance peak was found with 10 mol of ethyl hydroperoxide or 20 mol of either arachidonate or hydrogen peroxide per mol of synthase heme. The peak concentration of the wide doublet tyrosyl radical did not change appreciably with increased levels of ethyl hydroperoxide. In contrast, higher levels of hydroperoxide gave higher levels of the wide singlet radical species, in parallel with enzyme inactivation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Requirements for hydroperoxide by the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase activities of prostaglandin H synthase

Purified prostaglandin H synthase contains cyclooxygenase activity that forms the hydroperoxide, prostaglandin G, and peroxidase activity which removes hydroperoxides. Since hydroperoxides are necessary activators of cyclooxygenase activity, the paradoxical presence of two apparently opposing activities requires careful interpretation. Kinetic studies indicate that the concentration of hydroperoxide needed for full cyclooxygenase activity is much less than that which gives 50 percent effectiveness with the peroxidase. Thus, the peroxidase activity of the synthase is very ineffective in decreasing the hydroperoxide concentration below levels that still permit rapid cyclooxygenase action.     

Requirements for hydroperoxide by the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase activities of prostaglandin H synthase

Purified prostaglandin H synthase contains cyclooxygenase activity that forms the hydroperoxide, prostaglandin G, and peroxidase activity which removes hydroperoxides. Since hydroperoxides are necessary activators of cyclooxygenase activity, the paradoxical presence of two apparently opposing activities requires careful interpretation. Kinetic studies indicate that the concentration of hydroperoxide needed for full cyclooxygenase activity is much less than that which gives 50 percent effectiveness with the peroxidase. Thus, the peroxidase activity of the synthase is very ineffective in decreasing the hydroperoxide concentration below levels that still permit rapid cyclooxygenase action.     

Regulation of endothelial cell prostaglandin synthesis by glutathione

Prostaglandin synthesis in in vitro systems is dependent on glutathione and peroxide concentrations. We tested the effects of glutathione depletion and H2O2 exposure on prostaglandin synthesis in cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells. Depletion of glutathione using buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), diethylmaleate, and 2,4-chlorodinitrobenzene increased prostaglandin synthetic capacity. Production of prostacyclin, but not prostaglandin E2, from exogenous arachidonic acid was significantly greater than in controls. Glutathione depletion also resulted in enhanced production of prostacyclin from exogenous prostaglandin H2. These responses were not due to direct effects of glutathione-depleting agents on prostaglandin synthetic enzymes. Exposure to H2O2 also altered prostaglandin synthetic capacity in endothelial cells. While 5 microM H2O2 stimulated prostaglandin production from exogenous arachidonate, 25 and 50 microM were found to be inhibitory. Prostaglandin synthetic capacity was greater in BSO-treated cells which were exposed to 5 and 10 microM H2O2 than in cells exposed to H2O2 alone. However, prostaglandin synthetic capacity was greatly reduced in BSO-treated cells exposed to 50 microM H2O2. Thus, normal levels of cellular glutathione exert an inhibitory influence on prostaglandin synthesis. However, glutathione depletion increases the sensitivity of prostaglandin synthesis to inhibition by 50 microM H2O2.     

Evidence for suitability of glutathione peroxidase as a protective enzyme: studies of oxidative damage, renaturation, and proteolysis

The stability of glutathione peroxidase was assessed in vitro via oxidative inactivation by peroxides and a peroxidizing fatty acid and by renaturation and proteolysis. The stability of glutathione peroxidase to methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, H2O2, linoleic acid hydroperoxide, and peroxidizing methyl linolenate was compared with the stability of several other enzymes. Sulfhydryl enzymes were the most labile to all four treatments. Some of the enzymes tested were very stable to methyl ethyl ketone peroxide but very labile to linoleic acid hydroperoxide treatment. Glutathione peroxidase in the absence of glutathione was relatively slowly inactivated by each treatment. Linoleic acid hydroperoxide damage to glutathione peroxidase was characterized by release of a nonstoichiometric amount of selenite from the protein. Glutathione peroxidase samples lost all of their activity when (i) acidified to pH 2, (ii) heated 5 min at 100 degrees C, and (iii) treated with 6 M guanidinium hydrochloride or 8.5 M urea and heated 5 min at 100 degrees C. When the pH 2 sample was neutralized or the guanidinium hydrochloride-treated sample was diluted 101-fold, about 80% of the original activity was recovered in 30 min. The samples treated with urea and heat recovered no activity when diluted 101-fold. No loss of glutathione peroxidase occurred during treatment for 24 h within trypsin or thermolysin. Based on these results, glutathione peroxidase appears to be a relatively stable enzyme, and thus is is well-suited to perform its role in peroxide detoxification and prevention of oxidative deterioration of cells.     

The peroxidase-dependent activation of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) to reactive intermediates. Formation of BHT-quinone methide via a chemical-chemical interaction

The food antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are shown to be metabolized to covalent binding intermediates and various other metabolites by prostaglandin H synthase and horseradish peroxidase. BHA was extensively metabolized by horseradish peroxidase (80% conversion of parent BHA into metabolites) resulting in the formation of three dimeric products. Only two of these dimers were observed in prostaglandin H synthase-catalyzed reactions. In contrast to BHA, BHT proved to be a relatively poor substrate for prostaglandin synthase and horseradish peroxidase, resulting in the formation of a small amount of polar and aqueous metabolites (23% conversion of parent BHT into metabolites). With arachidonic acid as the substrate, prostaglandin H synthase catalyzed the covalent binding of [14C]BHA and [14C]BHT to microsomal protein which was significantly inhibited by indomethacin and glutathione. The covalent binding of BHA and its metabolism to dimeric products were also inhibited by BHT. In contrast, the addition of BHA enhanced the covalent binding of BHT by 400%. Moreover, in the presence of BHA, the formation of the polar and aqueous metabolites of BHT was increased and two additional metabolites, BHT-quinone methide and stilbenequinone, were detected. The increased peroxidase-dependent oxidation of BHT in the presence of BHA is proposed to occur via the direct chemical interaction of BHA phenoxyl radical with BHT or BHT phenoxyl radical. These results suggest a potential role for phenoxyl radicals in the activation of xenobiotic chemicals to toxic metabolites.