Effect of Some Psychotropic Drugs on Luminol Ð Dependent Ð ț Chemiluminescence Induced by O2 , OH, HOCl Vera Hadjimitova*, Trayko Traykov, Milka Mileva and Stefan Ribarov Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Sofia University School of Medicine, Sofia 1431, Bulgaria, Fax: +359-2-517-176. E-mail: [email protected] * Author for correspondence and reprint requests Z. Naturforsch. 57c, 1066Ð1071 (2002); received June 6/July 15, 2002 Chemiluminescence, Free Radicals, Psychotropic Drugs We studied antioxidant activity of six neuroleptics (chlorpromazine, levomepromazine, promethazine, trifluoperazine and thioridazine) and two antidepressants (imipramine and amitriptyline) in the range of concentration of 10Ð7Ð10Ð4 m. We applied luminol-dependent chemiluminescence to test the ability of these drugs to scavenge the biologically relevant oxygen-derived species: hydroxyl radical, superoxide radical, hypochlorous acid in vitro. We found that the phenothiazines were powerful scavengers of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. Chlorprothixene, amitriptyline and imipramine had no scavenge activity to the superoxide radical. All drugs showed a moderate scavenger effect on hypochloric anion. α Introduction might inactivate 1-antiproteinase at the spot of Reactive oxygen radicals have been implicated inflammation and it contributes to protiolitic dam- in pathophysiology of many neurologic disorders ages though HOCl has a secondary role on bacte- and brain dysfunction (Kontos and George, 1985; ricide effect of phagocytes. Siesjo et al., 1989; Chan, 1994). The evidence The phenothiazines Ð their most widely known shows that reactive oxygen radicals are involved representative being chlorpromazine (CPZ) Ð and in brain injuries such as cerebral ischemia and re- their metabolites are distributed in many body tis- perfusion (Chan, 2001). It has been demonstrated sues reaching highest concentration in brain, lung, that approximately 2% to 5% of the electron flow liver and spleen (AHFS Drug Information 89). in isolated brain mitochondria produces superox- The common therapeutic plasma concentration of Ð these drugs is usually in the range of 0.05Ð5 µm in ide anion radicals (O2 ) and hydrogen peroxide the brain the concentration is about two times big- (H2O2) (Boveris and Chance, 1973). These con- stantly produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) ger (Krushkov and Lambev 1993). The main ther- are reduced by enzyme and nonenzyme antioxi- apeutic effect of CPZ is realized mostly at treat- dant protective systems of organism. Far more re- ment of psychic disorders. It is established active hydroxyl radicals (țOH) are generated at however that CPZ inhibits lipid peroxidation in - disturbance of the balance upon increase of the vivo (Roy et al., 1984) and in vitro (Slater, 1968). Ð CPZ and trifluoperazine (TFPZ) protect the myo- concentration of O2 and H2O2. The invasion of phagocytes at the spot of the damaged or inflamed cardial phospholipids from LP connected with tissue results in local increase of ROS concentra- ischemic tissue damages (Janero and Burghardt, tion. Together with the increased production of 1989). As far as initiation and development of LP Ð is connected with availability of ROS, the manifes- O2 and H2O2, HOCl is also produced. HOCl tation of antioxidant properties could be ascribed to the ability of drugs to scavenge ROS. Abbreviations:O2, superoxide radical; KO2, potassium Our aim was to establish the capability of a group superoxide; țOH, hydroxyl radical; ROS, reactive oxy- gen species; NaOCl, sodium hypochlorite; CL, chemilu- widely used psychotropic drugs to interact with minescence; CPZ, chlorpromazine; LVPZ, levomepro- ROS in vitro by means of luminol-dependent mazine; TRDZ, thioridazine; PMZ, promethazine; chemiluminescence (CL). The present paper covers TFPZ, trifluoperazine; CPX, chlorprothixene; AMI, am- the investigations on the ability of neuroleptics: itriptyline; IMI, imipramine; PBS, phosphate buffer solu- tion; CL-SI, chemiluminescence scavenging index; LP, chlorpromazine (CPZ), promethazine (PMZ), le- lipid peroxidation. vomepromazine (LVPZ),thioridazine (TRDZ), tri- 0939Ð5075/2002/1100Ð1066 $ 06.00 ” 2002 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, Tübingen · www.znaturforsch.com · D V. Hadjimitova et al. · Psychotropic Drugs and Chemiluminescence in Model Systems 1067 fluoperazine (TFPZ), chlorprothixene (CPX) and control sample, drug was omitted. Each sample antidepressants: imipramine (IMI), amitriptyline was incubated for 10 min. at 37 ∞C. Then, 20 µlof Ð ț (AMI) to scavenge O2 , OH and HOCl. xanthine oxidase (100 IU/l in PBS) were added (one unit xanthine oxidase will convert 1.0 µmol of Materials and Methods xanthine to uric acid per min at pH 7.5 at 25 ∞C). Subsequently, the CL signal was measured for Chemicals and preparations 5 min. The ratio of CL in the presence and in the The following psychotropic drugs were studied: absence of the drug was termed CL scavenging phenothiazines (chlorpromazine, levomepromazi- index (CL-SI). ne, thioridazine, promethazine and trifluopera- zine), three-cycled antidepressants-imipramine Luminol-dependent CL in a system of potassium and amitriptyline, and thioxanthene neuroleptic- superoxide (KO2) Ð produced superoxide (assay II) chlorprothixene. Chlorpromazine, thioridazine, The assay was carried out using 1 ml samples of promethazine hydrochlorides and trifluoperazine PBS, pH 7.4, containing 0.1 mm luminol and the dihydrochloride were obtained from Sigma Chem- drug (in control sample, drug was omitted). The ical Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA). Levomepromazine CL was measured immediately after addition of (2-methoxy-10-[3-dimethylamino-2-methylpropyl]- 20 µlKO solution. In this case the release of the phenothiazine) hydrochloride was kindly donated 2 superoxide is a fast process. Therefore, CL was by Pharmachim Co. (Sofia, Bulgaria). Chlorpro- measured using the “flash assay” option of the thixene, amitriptyline and imipramine were ob- MultiUse program, every 50 milliseconds. The tained from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO, ratio of CL in the presence and in the absence of USA). Sodium hypochlorite and most of the other the drug was termed CL scavenging index (CL- reagents were obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. SI). (St. Louis, MO, USA) and were of finest grade. The chemiluminescence reagent was prepared Luminol-dependent CL in a system of iron-depen- by dissolving luminol in a small amount of 0.01 m dent hydroxyl radical formation (assay III) NaOH. Then the solution was diluted to luminol concentration of 1 mm with a 50 mm phosphate One ml samples of PBS, pH 7.4, containing: 3+ buffer solution (PBS) and the pH was adjusted to 0.1 mm luminol, 0.1 mm Fe , 0.1 mm EDTA, 7.4 with 0.01 m HCl. 0.1 mm ascorbate, 1 mm H2O2 and either of tested Drugs were dissolved in PBS, pH 7.4. Their final drug at concentrations between 1 and 100 µm,ora concentrations in the samples investigated are buffer for the controls. The CL was measured shown in the Figure legends. using the “flash assay” option of the MultiUse program, every 50 milliseconds. The ratio of CL in Methods the presence and in the absence of the drug was termed CL scavenging index (CL-SI). Luminol-dependent CL was used for registration of ROS (Allen, 1975; Allen and Loose, 1976; Itoh et Luminol-dependent CL in a system of NaOCl- al., 1989). For this purpose an LKB 1251 lumino- generated hypochlorite (assay IV) meter (Bioorbit, Turku, Finland) set at 37 ∞C was used. It was connected with an AT-type computer The sample contained the following substances via serial interface and MultiUse program ver. 1.08 in 1 ml PBS: 0.1 mm luminol 0.06 mm NaOCl and (Bioorbit, Turku, Finland) was used for collecting the tested drug at concentrations between 1 and µ of the data. Four types of CL assays were used. 100 m, or a buffer for the controls. The chemilu- minescence was registered after addition of NaOCl using the “flash assay” option of the Luminol-dependent CL in a system of xanthine- MultiUse program, every 50 milliseconds. The ra- xanthine oxidase-generated superoxide (assay I) tio of CL in the presence and in the absence of One ml PBS, pH 7.4, containing 0.1 mm luminol, the drug was termed CL scavenging index (CL- 1mm xanthine and the drug at concentrations as SI). indicated in the figure legends were used. In the 1068 V. Hadjimitova et al. · Psychotropic Drugs and Chemiluminescence in Model Systems Results and Discussion gram every 50 milliseconds. The results obtained are summarized in Fig. 2a. We did not find any The effects of drugs on the luminol-dependent significant changes of CL-SI below drug concen- Ð µ CL in a system with enzymatically generated O2 trations of 10 m. At higher concentrations, CPZ, (assay I) are shown in Fig. 1. We assume that the PMZ and TFPZ slightly reduced CL-SI. At the CL ratio in the presence and in the absence of concentration of 0.1 mm, the phenothiazines de- Ð the tested drugs should show the O2 scavenging creased CL-SI 2.5 to 6.5-fold. properties of the drugs. Therefore, this ratio was Figurs 1b. and 2b. show data concerning the effect termed CL-SI (chemiluminescence scavenging in- of the CPX, IMI and AMI on the luminol-depen- dex). dent CL in a xanthine-xanthine oxidase and KO2 µ Ð At concentrations above 1 m, phenothiazines system of O2 generation. The results obtained de- decreased moderately CL-SI in a xanthine-xan- monstrate that the CPX, AMI and IMI in the sys- thine oxidase system. The effect was most distinct tems do not affect substantially the CL-response. for CPZ, while being vague for TFPZ. These re- The results obtained show that at concentrations sults possibly indicate that phenothiazines were lower than 10 µm, the investigated drugs do not ex- Ð able to scavenge O2 . hibit a detectable scavenging effect. Drug-induced decrease of the luminol-depen- The formation of țOH is achieved in most of the Ð dent CL in a system of xanthine-xanthine oxidase- O2 generating systems, in particular by activated generated superoxide radicals may be due to the phagocytes.