title: Superoxide radical scavenging activity of idebenone in vitro studied by ESR spin trapping method and direct ESR measurement at liquid nitrogen temperature.
abstract: The radical scavenging activity of oxidized and reduced idebenone (ID-O and ID-H, respectively) against superoxide radical (O2(-*) was studied in vitro using two methods: (1) O2(-*) radicals were generated enzymatically in a hypoxanthine (HPX)-xanthine oxidase (XOD) system and detected by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) spin trapping. Superoxide dismutase and other scavengers added to this system competed to various extents with DMPO to trap O2(-*) radicals, resulting in a decrease of the ESR signal intensity of the DMPO-OOH spin adduct. ID-O reacted about 12-fold quicker (k = 4.48 x 10(4) M(-1)s(-1)) with the O2(-*) radicals than ID-H (k = 3.62 x 10(3) M(-1)s(-1)) x (2) O2(-*) radicals were generated chemically in potassium superoxide (KO2)-crown ether system. Quinoid compounds reacted with the O2(-*)radicals to form semiquinone radicals that could be observed by ESR. At liquid nitrogen temperature (-196 degrees C), the ESR signal of O2(-*) radicals could be observed directly, thus allowing us to estimate the scavenging activity of ID-O and ID-H. These experiments also revealed that ID-O possesses an O2(-*) radical scavenging activity, whereas ID-H reacts quantitatively much slower. Analyzing various quinone compounds, it has been established that the O2(-*) radical scavenging process is a reversible, most probably oscillating, monovalent electron transfer from superoxide to the quinone, and that the O2(-*) radical scavenging activity depends on the redox potential, i.e., on the actual state of oxidation of the quinones.
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Research Laboratories, Research and Development Division, Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. 17-85, Jusohonmachi 2-chome, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zs -Nagy