Endogenous Intracellular Glutathionyl Radicals Are Generated In
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 92, pp. 4582-4586, May 1995 Biochemistry Endogenous intracellular glutathionyl radicals are generated in neuroblastoma cells under hydrogen peroxide oxidative stress (free radical/spin trapping/electron paramagnetic resonance/glutathione/N-acetyl-L-cysteine) HAHN-S. KWAK*, HYUNG-S. YIM, P. BOON CHOCK, AND MOON B. YIMt Laboratory of Biochemistry, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 3, Room 202, Bethesda, MD 20892 Communicated by Earl R. Stadtman, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD, January 12, 1995 ABSTRACT We report the detection of endogenous in- In addition to the protection of cells by antioxidant enzymes, tracellular glutathionyl (GS') radicals in the intact neuro- low molecular weight antioxidant compounds are thought to blastoma cell line NCB-20 under oxidative stress. Spin- be involved in the protection of biomolecules against reactive trapping and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spec- free radical species, such as hydroxyl radicals ("OH) or other troscopic methods were used for monitoring the radicals. The radicals from xenobiotics, which cannot be removed by en- cells incubated with the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-l-pyrroline zymes. Cellularly abundant reduced glutathione (GSH) is an 1-oxide (DMPO) were challenged with H202 generated by the important molecule in this regard because it functions both as enzymic reaction of glucose/glucose oxidase. These cells a substrate or cofactor of antioxidant enzymes and as a good exhibit the EPR spectrum of the GS- radical adduct of DMPO radical scavenger (10-14). As a radical scavenger, glutathione (DMPO-'SG) without exogenous reduced glutathione (GSH). repairs free radical sites, R-, by the following reaction: The identity ofthis radical adduct was confirmed by observing hyperfine coupling constants identical to previously reported GSH + R GS + RH [1] values in in vitro studies, which utilized known enzymic where GS" is the glutathionyl radical and R* represents *OH, reactions, such as horseradish peroxidase and Cu/Zn super- other reactive radicals, or radical sites in proteins and DNA oxide dismutase, with GSH and H202 as substrates. The generated by cascading reactions (15, 16). When GSH defi- formation of the GS' radicals required viable cells and con- ciency is produced in newborn rats or guinea pigs, the animals tinuous biosynthesis of GSH. No significant effect on the develop multiorgan failure, which is directly related to the loss resonance amplitude by the addition of a membrane- of essential antioxidant capacity (13, 14, 17, 18). Also, the impermeable paramagnetic broadening agent indicated that activation of NF-KB is inhibited by the addition of N-acetyl- these radicals were located inside the intact cell. N-Acetyl-L- L-cysteine (NAC), which serves as an oxygen radical scavenger cysteine (NAC)-treated cells produced NAC-derived free rad- and as a precursor for GSH biosynthesis (4-7). Most of the icals (NAC-) in place of GS' radicals. The time course studies reaction rates involving GSH in reaction 1 are diffusion showed that DMPO-'SG formation exhibited a large increase controlled (19, 20). Therefore, the glutathionyl radical or its in its concentration after a lag period, whereas DMPO-NAC° cascading radicals, rather than the initial oxygen free radicals, formation from NAC-treated cells did not show this sudden are likely the predominant intracellular radical species. increase. These results were discussed in terms of the limit of We attempted to detect and identify free radicals formed antioxidant enzyme defenses in cells and the potential role of under H202 stress in intact cells by using electron paramag- the GS' radical burst in activation ofthe transcription nuclear netic resonance (EPR) and spin-trapping methods. Our results factor NF-KB in response to oxidative stress. show that H202 stress generates endogenous intracellular GS' radicals in intact cells and NAC-originated thiyl radicals Oxidative stress is believed to increase the concentration of (NAC') in NAC-treated cells. In addition, GS' formation reactive oxygen free radicals in vivo, which are responsible, at exhibited a large increase in its concentration after a lag least in part, for a wide variety of degenerative processes (1, 2). period, whereas NACG formation did not show this sudden Recent studies also demonstrated that treatment of cultured increase. cells with H202 or other stimuli for oxidative stress leads to the activation of nuclear factor KB (NF-KB) (3-8) and, in turn, MATERIALS AND METHODS induces expression and replication of the human immunode- ficiency virus (3-7). These investigations suggest that reactive Materials. The spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-l-pyrroline 1-oxide oxygen intermediates or free radicals serve as messengers for (DMPO), chromium oxalate, and 2-vinylpyridine were pur- activation of transcription factors. Although pathological and chased from Aldrich. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (type in vitro studies lead to the suggestion that toxic free radicals are VI), EDTA, GSH, 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), and responsible for oxidative damage, more understanding is re- cytochrome c (type VI, from horse heart) were obtained from quired at the cellular level about the mechanisms responsible Sigma. Glucose oxidase, glutathione peroxidase (bovine eryth- for the formation of oxygen radicals, their cascading reactions, rocytes), glutathione reductase (yeast), NADPH, oxidized and cellular signals to genomic levels for activation of defense glutathione, deoxycholate, and NAC were purchased from or repair systems. The fundamental importance in this respect Calbiochem. Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), is to find whether free radicals exist in viable cells and whether xanthine oxidase, and leupeptin were purchased from Boehr- oxidative stress increases the concentration of the free radicals inger Mannheim; Chelex 100 resin and SDS were from Bio- in viable cells. However, there is a paucity of direct detection and structural identification of free radicals formed in intact Abbreviations: GSH, reduced glutathione; DMPO, 5,5-dimethyl-1- cells because of inherent experimental difficulties (9). pyrroline 1-oxide; NAC, N-acetyl-L-cysteine; HRP, horseradish per- oxidase; SOD, superoxide dismutase; EPR, electron paramagnetic resonance. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge *Present address: Department of Genetic Engineering, Pai-Chai Uni- payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in versity, Taejon, Korea. accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. tTo whom reprint requests should be addressed. 4582 Downloaded by guest on October 1, 2021 Biochemistry: Kwak et aL Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92 (1995) 4583 were Rad; and H202 (30%) and picric acid from Fisher. A A A NCB20 Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), fetal bovine serum (FBS), and trypan blue were obtained from GIBCO. BCA protein assay reagent was from Pierce, and Triton X-100 B HRP+GSH+H202 was from Research Products International. All solutions were \ treated with Chelex 100. The pH values of the bicarbonate buffer (23.5 mM) and of bicarbonate-buffered saline (BBS) were adjusted to 7.4 by bubbling 5% C02/95% N2 or air/gas mixture. Methods. The spin-trapping method utilizes an addition reaction of transient free radicals to diamagnetic spin traps to produce relatively stable spin-trap-free radical adducts (21, 22). The identity of the free radical can be determined from hyperfine coupling constants of the spin adduct by EPR A was used in this EPR spectroscopy. spin trap, DMPO, study. -H202 spectra were recorded on a Bruker ESP 300 spectrometer with E a TM11o resonator. The spectrometer settings were as follows: modulation amplitude, 1.6 G; conversion time, 41 ms; time F -SOD constant, 0.328 s; resolution of field axis, 2048 points; sweep width, 100 G; sweep time, 84 s; accumulation, two times. II I i Cell Preparation. NCB-20 cells (kindly provided by M. 3440 3460 3480 3500 3520 Nirenberg, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD) were Gauss grown in monolayer in DMEM supplemented with 10% (vol/vol) FBS on culture dishes in 5% C02/95% air. At FIG. 1. EPR spectra of DMPO-free radical adducts observed in confluency, the medium was removed from the dishes and the NCB-20 cells and in known enzymic reactions. Spectrum A, the EPR attached cells were washed twice with Chelex 100-treated BBS sample from NCB-20 cells was recorded 100 min after addition of at were in BBS 100 glucose oxidase at 25°C under the conditions described in Materials pH 7.4. Incubations continued containing and Methods. the reaction mixture under anaerobic min at of cells was deter- Spectrum B, mM DMPO for 50 370C. Viability conditions contained 0.1 mg of HRP per ml, 0.05 mM H202, 10 mM mined by the trypan blue exclusion method with cells being GSH, and 60 mM DMPO in 20 mM Hepes buffer at pH 7.2. The removed by gentle scraping from plates. The medium was spectrum was taken with the sample in the quartz flat cell positioned removed bycentrifugation, glucose and glucose oxidase in BBS in a vertically mounted TM110o resonator 1 min after the reaction was were added, and cells were incubated again for 30 min at 370C. initiated by injecting H202. The spectrometer settings were identical The EPR sample (140 t1l) contains 1.0 x 107 cells, 7.5 mM to those in spectrum A except conversion time was 20.48 ms and glucose, and 200 units of glucose oxidase in a gas-permeable resolution was 4096 points. Spectrum C, the reaction mixture con- Teflon tube (0.032-inch i.d., 0.002-inch wall; Zeus Industrial tained 0.1 mg of Cu/Zn-SOD per ml, 2.0 mM H202, 20 mM GSH, and The under these 10 mM DMPO in 23.5 mM bicarbonate buffer at pH 7.6. Other Products, Orangeburg, SC). H202 produced conditions are identical to those in B.