Effects of oxygen radicals on the conformation of sulfhydryl groups on human polymorphonuclear leukocyte membranes.

The healthy intact polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) were labeled with 4-maleimide-TEMPO spin labeling compound (MAL) to study the effects of oxygen radicals produced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated PMNs on the conformation of sulfhydryl (SH) groups of PMN membrane proteins. The lipid peroxidation induced by PMA-stimulated PMNs was detected by evaluating the formation of malonaldehyde (MDA) with the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test. From the experiments of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) and fluorometry, it was found that Chinese herbs schizandrin B (Sin B) and quercetin (Q) possessed scavenging properties for oxygen radicals produced during the PMN respiratory burst. These two herbs can also inhibit the conformation changes in SH binding sites on the PMN membrane proteins caused by oxygen radicals produced by the PMNs themselves. They also decreased the amount of MDA, which was a final product formed during lipid peroxidation.