Iron and dioxygen chemistry is an important route to initiation of biological free radical oxidations: an electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping study.
Iron can be a detrimental catalyst in biological free radical oxidations. Because of the high physiological ratio of [O2]/[H2O2] (> or = 10(3)), we hypothesize that the Fenton reaction with pre-existing H2O2 is only a minor initiator of free radical oxidations and that the major initiators of biological free radical oxidations are the oxidizing species formed by the reaction of Fe2+ with dioxygen. We have employed electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping to examine this hypothesis. Free radical oxidation of: 1) chemical (ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide); 2) biochemical (glucose, glyceraldehyde); and 3) cellular (L1210 murine leukemia cells) targets were examined when subjected to an aerobic Fenton (Fe2+ + H2O2 + O2) or an aerobic (Fe2+ + O2) system. As anticipated, the Fenton reaction initiates radical formation in all the above targets. Without pre-existing H2O2, however, Fe2+ and O2 also induce substantial target radical formation. Under various experimental ratios of [O2]/[H2O2] (1-100 with [O2] approximately 250 microM), we compared the radical yield from the Fenton reaction vs. the radical yield from Fe2+ + O2 reactions. When [O2]/[H2O2] < 10, the Fenton reaction dominates target molecule radical formation; however, production of target-molecule radicals via the Fenton reaction is minor when [O2]/[H2O2] > or = 100. Interestingly, when L1210 cells are the oxidation targets, Fe2+ + O2 is observed to be responsible for formation of nearly all of the cell-derived radicals detected, no matter the ratio of [O2]/[H2O2]. Our data demonstrate that when [O2]/[H2O2] > or = 100, Fe2+ + O2 chemistry is an important route to initiation of detrimental biological free radical oxidations.
Free Radical Research Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242-1101, USA.
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Qian
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Buettner
D000818:Animals; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D005609:Free Radicals; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D007939:Leukemia L1210 / Q000473:pathology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D019097:Spin Trapping; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D005609:Free Radicals; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007501:Iron; D010100:Oxygen