alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-n-tert-butylnitrone and peroxynitric-acid

Ultraweak luminescence (uwCL) was coupled with electron spin resonance to study the reactions of 3 heterocyclic compounds (tryptophan, serotonin and imidazole) with peroxynitrite at pH 8.7. Tryptophan and serotonin reacted with emission of a flash peak of light (5 s) followed by a long-living light emission of +/- 80 s. Addition of the spin trap 4-POBN at different intervals, after the beginning of reaction revealed that a short-living free radical was produced in the case of serotonin and imidazole, but that with tryptophan, the initial radical rearranged into a relatively long-living radical, which was still formed when 4-POBN was added after 55 s (decreasing phase of uwCL).

Topics: Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; Free Radicals; Heterocyclic Compounds; Imidazoles; Kinetics; Luminescent Measurements; Molecular Structure; Nitrates; Nitrogen Oxides; Pyridines; Serotonin; Spin Labels; Tryptophan

Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is recognized to be a key step in atherogenesis. Previous studies show that LDL contains low-molecular-weight antioxidants such as vitamin E, beta-carotene, and ubiquinol, which can retard oxidative modification. In this report, we have evaluated the antioxidant potential of apolipoprotein B-100 (apo-B) thiols during LDL oxidation. Both apo-B thiols and vitamin E were depleted concomitantly during the lag phase of Cu(2+)-mediated LDL oxidation. The rate of thiol depletion was significantly inhibited by the lipophilic spin trap N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone (PBN) but not by the water-soluble spin trap alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone (POBN). Blocking apo-B thiols with sulfhydryl modifying agents increased the oxidizability of LDL. As with Cu2+, peroxynitrite also caused depletion of apo-B thiols, and again thiol depletion was inhibited by PBN but not by POBN. A PBN/lipid-derived radical adduct was observed by the electron spin resonance technique during oxidation of LDL with peroxynitrite. We conclude that apo-B thiol depletion is mediated by lipid peroxidation, prior to the onset of the propagation phase of LDL oxidation. The implications of apo-B thiols an intrinsic antioxidants of LDL are discussed.

Topics: Antioxidants; Apolipoprotein B-100; Apolipoproteins B; Copper; Cyclic N-Oxides; Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; Kinetics; Lipid Peroxidation; Lipoproteins, LDL; Nitrates; Nitrogen Oxides; Oxidation-Reduction; Pyridines; Spin Labels; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Sulfhydryl Reagents; Vitamin E