title: Neopterin as an endogenous antioxidant.
abstract: The in vitro potency of neopterin (NP) as an antioxidant and its in vivo activity to suppress alloxan-induced diabetes were investigated. The reduced form of neopterin, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroneopterin (NPH-4), showed an extremely high superoxide anion radical scavenging activity in two assay systems, i.e. xanthine/xanthine oxidase- and macrophage/phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-reaction systems. NPH-4 also inhibited the oxidation of linoleic acid about as effectively as uric acid. Furthermore, NPH-4 and NP effectively suppressed alloxan-induced mouse diabetes. These results suggest that pteridines play an important role as endogenous antioxidants.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Biosciences, Science University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Icho
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubota
mesh_terms: D000496:Alloxan / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D019798:Neopterin; D011621:Pteridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001786:Blood Glucose; D011621:Pteridines; D013481:Superoxides; D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin; D000496:Alloxan; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase