CHEMILUMINESCENCE FROM AUTOXIDIZING 6-HYDROXYDOPAMINE: THE INVOLVEMENT OF ACTIVATED FORMS OF OXYGEN

Abstract— The autoxidation of the catecholamine neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (20 μ M ) gave rise to a chemiluminescence which was greatly stimulated by FeSO₄ (20 μ M ) or by hydrogen peroxide addition (20 μ M to 2 m M ). The luminescence of both 6-hydroxydopamine alone or 6-hydroxydopamine plus hydrogen peroxide was strongly inhibited by catalase and by superoxide dismutase (both at 10 μg/m/); bovine serum albumin at 10 μg/m/ had no inhibitory effect. The luminescence was also strongly inhibited by several potent hydroxyl radical trapping agents and also by low concentrations of the ¹O₂ quencher DABCO (l,4-diazabicyclo-2.2.2.-octane). Chemiluminescence was greatly enhanced in D₂O, a solvent in which ¹O₂ has a prolonged lifetime. These data demonstrate the involvement of hydrogen peroxide, the superoxide radical and the hydroxyl radical in the chemiluminescence. The data are also consistent with some role for ¹O₂.