谷胱甘肽键合柱对变性核糖核酸酶的复性研究

将氧化还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH/GSSG)共价键合到色谱固定相上, 实现了对变性核糖核酸酶(RNase)的复性. 实验发现, 谷胱甘肽键合柱具有典型的弱阳离子交换性质, 在离子交换(IEC)模式下能够对4种标准蛋白进行基线分离, 且具有较高的柱效. 当蛋白浓度为5 mg/mL, 流速为0.2 mL/min时, 在流动相中不加GSH/GSSG的条件下, GSH/GSSG柱对变性核糖核酸酶的活性回收率可达(39.5±3.8)%, 而普通IEC柱对变性核糖核酸酶的活性回收率几乎为0, 说明其对变性蛋白二硫键的正确对接具有明显的促进作用; 在收集液中加入GSH/GSSG后, 其活性回收率可达到(81.5±4.3)%. 本文结果对蛋白折叠液相色谱法的发展及降低蛋白复性成本具有一定的应用价值.     

Simultaneous analysis of oxidized and reduced glutathione in cell extracts by capillary zone electrophoresis

Glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) levels in cells constitute a thiol redox system. They can be used as an indicator of oxidative stress of the cell. In this study, a capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method is described that enables quantitation of GSH and GSSG from cellular extracts. The CZE buffer used was 20 mM ammonium acetate containing 5% (v/v) acetic acid at pH 3.1 in conjunction with a polybrene coated capillary operated in reverse polarity mode. Effects of different acids used to prepare cell samples were investigated on CZE performance. The acids include meta phosphoric acid (MPA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), phosphoric acid (PA) and sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) and are used to stabilize GSH and GSSG before performing CZE analysis. The method features a limit of detection of 4 microM and a limit of quantitation of 12 microM for both GSSG and GSH and recoveries of 94% for GSH and 100% for GSSG. Quantitative analysis of GSSG and GSH in HaCaT cell extracts (5% SSA, w/v) was performed with this method and changes in the ratio of GSH to GSSG in N-ethylmaleimide treated cell sample was observed by comparing with control cell samples.     

Determination of intracellular glutathione and glutathione disulfide using high performance liquid chromatography with acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence detection

Measurement of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) is a crucial tool to assess cellular redox state. Herein we report a direct approach to determine intracellular GSH based on a rapid chromatographic separation coupled with acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence detection, which was extended to GSSG by incorporating thiol blocking and disulfide bond reduction. Importantly, this simple procedure avoids derivatisation of GSH (thus minimising auto-oxidation) and overcomes problems encountered when deriving the concentration of GSSG from 'total GSH'. The linear range and limit of detection for both analytes were 7.5 × 10(-7) to 1 × 10(-5) M, and 5 × 10(-7) M, respectively. GSH and GSSG were determined in cultured muscle cells treated for 24 h with glucose oxidase (0, 15, 30, 100, 250 and 500 mU mL(-1)), which exposed them to a continuous source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Both analyte concentrations were greater in myotubes treated with 100 or 250 mU mL(-1) glucose oxidase (compared to untreated controls), but were significantly lower in myotubes treated with 500 mU mL(-1) (p < 0.05), which was rationalised by considering measurements of H(2)O(2) and cell viability. However, the GSH/GSSG ratio in myotubes treated with 100, 250 and 500 mU mL(-1) glucose oxidase exhibited a dose-dependent decrease that reflected the increase in intracellular ROS.     

Dynamic redox environment-intensified disulfide bond shuffling for protein refolding in vitro: molecular simulation and experimental validation

One challenge in protein refolding is to dissociate the non-native disulfide bonds and promote the formation of native ones. In this study, we present a coarse-grained off-lattice model protein containing disulfide bonds and simulate disulfide bond shuffling during the folding of this model protein. Introduction of disulfide bonds in the model protein led to enhanced conformational stability but reduced foldability in comparison to counterpart protein without disulfide bonds. The folding trajectory suggested that the model protein retained the two-step folding mechanism in terms of hydrophobic collapse and structural rearrangement. The disulfide bonds located in the hydrophobic core were formed before the collapsing step, while the bonds located on the protein surface were formed during the rearrangement step. While a reductive environment at the initial stage of folding favored the formation of native disulfide bonds in the hydrophobic core, an oxidative environment at a later stage of folding was required for the formation of disulfide bonds at protein surface. Appling a dynamic redox environment, that is, one that changes from reductive to oxidative, intensified disulfide bond shuffling and thus resulted in improved recovery of the native conformation. The above-mentioned simulation was experimentally validated by refolding hen-egg lysozyme at different urea concentrations and oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratios, and an optimal redox environment, in terms of the GSSG to GSH ratio, was identified. The implementation of a dynamic redox environment by tuning the GSSG/GSH ratio further improved the refolding yield of lysozyme, as predicted by molecular simulation.     

Chip-based SALDI-MS for rapid determination of intracellular ratios of glutathione to glutathione disulfide

Alterations in the ratio of glutathione(GSH) to glutathione disulfide(GSSG) reveal the cell living state and are associated with a variety of diseases. In this study, an Au NPs grafted nanoporous silicon chip was used for surface assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry(SALDI-MS) detection of GSH. Due to the bond interaction between thiol of GSH and Au NPs modified on the chip surfaces, GSH could be captured from the complex cellular lysate. Meanwhile, the composite nanostructures of Au NPs grafted porous silicon surface presented good desorption/ionization efficiency for GSH detection. The GSH levels in different tumor cells were successfully detected. Chip-based SALDI-MS was optimized for quantification of intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio changing under drug stimulation in liver tumor cells, GSSG was reduced to GSH by reductant of tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine(TCEP) and isotope-labeling GSH was as an internal standard. It was found that the increasing concentration of drug irinotecan and hypoxia culture condition caused the rapid consumption of GSH and a decrease of GSH/GSSG ratio in liver tumor cells. The developed SALDI-MS method provided a convenient way to accurately measure and rapidly monitor cellular GSH value and the ratios of GSH/GSSG.     

Self-assembly and gelation of oxidized glutathione in organic solvents.

The oxidized disulfide form of the ubiquitous tripeptide glutathione (gamma-glu-cys-gly) (GSSG) is shown to produce transparent, thermoreversible gels in aqueous solutions of dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylformamide, and methanol, at GSSG concentrations as low as 1.5 mM. The gels bind Congo Red and exhibit dramatic green birefringence when observed between crossed polarizers, characteristic of amyloid structures. By transmission electron microscopy, the gels appear to consist of a network of fibrous structures about 75 nm in diameter. Several structurally related peptides, including the glutathione isomer glu-cys-gly and the aspartyl analogue of glutathione (beta-asp-cys-gly), failed to produce gels under similar conditions. These results suggest that the interactions which produce gelation are highly specific and that the unusual peptide geometry introduced by gamma-glu-cys linkage is critical to the gelation behavior. (1)H NMR indicates solvent-dependent perturbation of the gamma-glutamyl alpha- and beta-protons and circular dichroism reveals a shift in the geometry of the disulfide bond under conditions producing gelation. We propose that in appropriate organic solvents, GSSG self-assembles into an extended network of beta-sheetlike structures capable of immobilizing bulk solvent. While obviously speculative, it is interesting to consider possible physiological consequences of glutathione self-recognition in such processes as abnormal protein aggregation and the thiol-disulfide exchange which is believed to participate in protein folding.     

Determination of glutathione disulfide levels in biological samples using thiol-disulfide exchanging agent, dithiothreitol

A reverse-phase HPLC method incorporating dithiothreitol (DTT) reduction for quantitative determination of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in biological samples is described here. This method is based on our previous enzymatic reduction technique that uses N-1-(pyrenyl) maleimide (NPM) as a derivatizing agent. In our earlier method, glutathione disulfide (GSSG) was measured by first reducing it to GSH with glutathione reductase (GR) in the presence of NADPH. However, this is a very costly and time-consuming technique. The method described here employs a common and inexpensive thiol-disulfide exchanging agent, DTT, for reduction of GSSG to GSH, followed by derivatization with NPM. The calibration curves are linear over a concentration range of 25-1250 nm (r(2) > 0.995). The coefficients of variations for intra-run precision and inter-run precision range from 0.49 to 5.10% with an accuracy range of 1.78-6.15%. The percentage of relative recovery ranges from 97.3 to 103.2%. This new method provides a simple, efficient, and cost-effective way of determining glutathione disulfide levels with a 2.5 nm limit of detection per 5 microL injection volume.     

Validation of a simplified procedure for convenient and rapid quantification of reduced and oxidized glutathione in human plasma by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis

Endogenous glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) status is highly sensitive to oxidative conditions and have broad application as a surrogate indicator of redox status in vivo. Established methods for GSH and GSSG quantification in whole blood display limited utility in human plasma, where GSH and GSSG levels are ~3–4 orders of magnitude below those observed in whole blood. This study presents simplified sample processing and analytical LC–MS/MS approaches exhibiting the sensitivity and accuracy required to measure GSH and GSSG concentrations in human plasma samples, which after 5-fold dilution to suppress matrix interferences range from 200 to 500 nm (GSH) and 5–30 nm (GSSG). The utility of the methods reported herein is demonstrated by assay performance and validation parameters which indicate good sensitivity [lower limits of quantitation of 4.99 nm (GSH) and 3.65 nm (GSSG), and high assay precision (intra-assay CVs 3.6 and 1.9%, and inter-assay CVs of 7.0 and 2.8% for GSH and GSSG, respectively). These methods also exhibited exceptional recovery of analyte-spiked plasma samples (98.0 ± 7.64% for GSH and 98.5 ± 12.7% for GSSG). Good sample stability at −80°C was evident for GSH for up to 55 weeks and GSSG for up to 46 weeks, with average CVs <15 and <10%, respectively.     

Ratios of biliary glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to glutathione (GSH): a potential index to screen drug-induced hepatic oxidative stress in rats and mice

Hepatotoxicity of drug candidates is one of the major concerns in drug screening in early drug discovery. Detection of hepatic oxidative stress can be an early indicator of hepatotoxicity and benefits drug selection. The glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) pair, as one of the major intracellular redox regulating couples, plays an important role in protecting cells from oxidative stress that is caused by imbalance between prooxidants and antioxidants. The quantitative determination of the GSSG/GSH ratios and the concentrations of GSH and GSSG have been used to indicate oxidative stress in cells and tissues. In this study, we tested the possibility of using the biliary GSSG/GSH ratios as a biomarker to reflect hepatic oxidative stress and drug toxicity. Four compounds that are known to alter GSH and GSSG levels were tested in this study. Diquat (diquat dibromide monohydrate) and acetaminophen were administered to rats. Paraquat and tert-butyl hydroperoxide were administered to mice to induce changes of biliary GSH and GSSG. The biliary GSH and GSSG were quantified using calibration curves prepared with artificial bile to account for any bile matrix effect in the LC–MS analysis and to avoid the interference of endogenous GSH and GSSG. With four examples (in rats and mice) of drug-induced changes in the kinetics of the biliary GSSG/GSH ratios, this study showed the potential for developing an exposure response index based on biliary GSSG/GSH ratios for predicting hepatic oxidative stress.     

Characterization of dansylated glutathione, glutathione disulfide, cysteine and cystine by narrow bore liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A method using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (RP-LC/ESI-MS) has been developed to confirm the identity of dansylated derivatives of cysteine (C) and glutathione (GSH), and their respective dimers, cystine (CSSC) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG). Cysteine, GSH, CSSC and GSSG are present at low concentrations in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver cells. Initially, hepatic cells were sampled from a suspension culture and disrupted upon addition of 10% perchloric acid. The reduced thiols present in the cell extracts were acetylated to prevent dimerization and then the C and GSH species were derivatized with dansyl chloride for fluorescence detection. An LC system using a weak anion exchange column (AE) with fluorescence detection (FLD) was used for sensitive routine analysis; however, it produced peaks of unknown origin in addition to the expected analytes. Analytes were then separated on a C18 RP-LC system using a water/acetonitrile gradient with 0.2% formic acid, and detected using LC/ESI-MS at 3.5 KV which produced an intense ion with a minimum limit of detection of less than 0.5 pmole injected (>10:1 signal-to-noise (S/N). Subsequently, fractions of effluent from the AE-LC/FLD system were analyzed by LC/ESI-MS to confirm the presence of the target analytes in routine cell extracts. Monodansylated GSSG was identified as a product that could possibly affect the quantification of GSH and GSSG.     

Cyclic voltammetric study of the redox system of glutathione using the disulfide bond reductant tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine

The stabilization of the reduction state of proteins and peptides is very important for the monitoring of protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-xenobiotic interactions. The reductive state of protein or peptide is characterized by the reactive sulfhydryl group. Glutathione in the reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) forms was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) as the disulfide bond reductant and/or hydrogen peroxide as the sulfhydryl group oxidant were used. Cyclic voltammetry measurements, following the redox state of glutathione, were performed on a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) in borate buffer (pH 9.2). It was shown that in aqueous solutions TCEP was able to reduce disulfide groups smoothly and quantitatively. The TCEP response at -0.25 V vs. Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl did not disturb the signals of the thiol/disulfide redox couple. The origin of cathodic and anodic signals of GSH (at -0.44 and -0.37 V) and GSSG (at -0.69 and -0.40 V) glutathione forms is discussed. It was shown that the application of TCEP to the conservation of sulfhydryl groups in peptides and proteins can be useful instrument for the study of peptides and proteins redox behavior.     

Determination of cellular redox status by stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of glutathione and glutathione disulfide

Oxidation of glutathione (GSH) to glutathione disulfide (GSSG) occurs during cellular oxidative stress. The redox potential of the 2GSH/GSSG couple, which is determined by the Nernst equation, provides a means to assess cellular redox status. It is difficult to accurately quantify GSH and GSSG due to the ease with which GSH is oxidized to GSSG during sample preparation. To overcome this problem, a stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography/multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (LC/MRM-MS) method has been developed using 4-fluoro-7-sulfamoylbenzofurazan (ABD-F) derivatization. ABD-F derivatization of the GSH thiol group was rapid, quantitative, and occurred at room temperature. The LC/MRM-MS method, which requires no sample clean-up, was validated within the calibration ranges of 5 to 400 nmol/mL in cell lysates for GSH and 0.5 to 40 nmol/mL in cell lysates for GSSG. Calibration curves prepared by adding known concentrations of GSH and GSSG to cell lysates were parallel to the standard curve prepared in buffers. GSH and GSSG concentrations were determined in two monocyte/macrophage RAW 267.4 cell lines with or without 15-LOX-1 expression (R15LO and RMock cells, respectively) after treatment with the bifunctional electrophile 4-oxo-2(E)-nonenal (ONE). R15LO cells synthesized much higher concentrations of the lipid hydroperoxide, 15(S)-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE), which undergoes homolytic decomposition to ONE. GSH was depleted by ONE treatment in both RMock and R15LO cells, leading to significant increases in their redox potentials. However, R15LO cells had higher GSH concentrations (most likely through increased GSH biosynthesis) and had increased resistance to ONE-mediated GSH depletion than RMock cells. Consequently, R15LO cells had lower reduction potentials at all concentrations of ONE. GSSG concentrations were higher in R15LO cells after ONE treatment when compared with the ONE-treated RMock cells. This suggests that increased expression of 15(S)-HPETE modulates the activity of cellular GSH reductases or the transporters involved in removal of GSSG.     

Determination of glutathione in blood via capillary electrophoresis with pH-mediated stacking

A new approach has been developed for the direct determination of reduced (glutathione [GSH]) and oxidized (glutathione disulfide [GSSG]) GSH in whole blood by means of capillary electrophoresis. Its features include GSH-stabilizing sample preparation, the use of an internal standard, and pH-mediated stacking. Blood stabilized with acid citrate and K₃EDTA was treated with acetonitrile with N-ethylmaleimide, and then the analytes were extracted with diethyl ether. The total analysis time was 8 min using a 50-µm (i.d.) by 32.5-cm (eff. length) silica capillary. The background electrolyte was 0.075-M citrate Na pH 5.8 with 200-µM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and 5-µM sodium dodecyl sulfate, and the separation voltage was −14 kV. The quantification limit (S/N = 15) of the method was 1.5 µM for GSSG. The accuracy levels of GSH and GSSG analysis were 104% and 103%, respectively, and between-run precision levels were 2.6% and 3.2%, respectively. Analysis of blood samples from healthy volunteers (N = 24) showed that the levels of GSH and GSSG and the GSH/GSSG ratio in the whole blood were 1.05 ± 0.14 mM, 3.9 ± 1.25 µM, and 256 ± 94, respectively. Thus, the presented approach can be used in clinical and laboratory practice.     

Biosensing approach for glutathione detection using glutathione reductase and sulfhydryl oxidase bienzymatic system

Chitosan membrane with glutathione reductase and sulfhydryl oxidase (SOX) was subsequently integrated onto the surface of spectrographic graphite rods for obtaining a glutathione biosensor. The working principle was based on the monitoring of O₂ consumption that correlates the concentration of glutathione during the enzymatic reaction. A linear relationship between sensor response and concentration was obtained between 0.5 and 2.0 mM for oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and 0.2–1.0 mM for reduced glutathione (GSH) in the presence of 2 μM nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) under the optimum working conditions. Also, reduced/oxidized glutathione were separated by HPLC and utility of bienzymatic system was investigated as an electrochemical detector for the analysis of these compounds. All data were given as a comparison of two systems: biosensor and diode array detector (DAD).     

Folding disulfide-containing proteins faster with an aromatic thiol

The traditional method for in vitro folding of disulfide-containing proteins is slow and involves a redox buffer of glutathione and glutathione disulfide. To increase the folding rate and to gain insight into the folding process, we replaced glutathione, an aliphatic thiol, with a commercially available aromatic thiol, 4-mercaptobenzeneacetate (1). Aromatic thiol 1 was selected due to its enhanced nucleophilicity and its enhanced leaving-group ability relative to glutathione at pH 7.7. To demonstrate the advantages of 1, the folding of reduced and scrambled RNase A at pH 7.0 and 7.7 in the presence of 1 and glutathione was investigated. For each set of folding conditions, the optimum concentration of each thiol was initially determined and then the folding rates in the presence of each thiol were measured concurrently. In all cases examined, the folding rate enhancement with the aromatic thiol was 5- 6-fold. Furthermore, under similar conditions folding rates were almost identical with either reduced or scrambled RNase A. In addition the 5-6-fold folding rate enhancement varied only slightly with pH, 7.0 vs 7.7.     

Disulfide bond cleavage induced by a platinum(II) methionine complex

The cleavage of a disulfide bond and the redox equilibrium of thiol/disulfide are strongly related to the levels of glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) or mixed disulfides in vivo. In this work, the cleavage of a disulfide bond in GSSG induced by a platinum(II) complex [Pt(Met)Cl2] (where Met = methionine) was studied and the cleavage fragments or their platinated adducts were identified by means of electrospray mass spectrometry, high-performance liquid chromatography, and ultraviolet techniques. The second-order rate constant for the reaction between [Pt(Met)Cl2] and GSSG was determined to be 0.4 M(-1) s(-1) at 310 K and pH 7.4, which is 100- and 12-fold faster than those of cisplatin and its monoaqua species, respectively. Different complexes were formed in the reaction of [Pt(Met)Cl2] with GSSG, mainly mono- and dinuclear platinum complexes with the cleavage fragments of GSSG. This study demonstrated that [Pt(Met)Cl2] can promote the cleavage of disulfide bonds. The mechanistic insight obtained from this study may provide a deeper understanding on the potential involvement of platinum complexes in the intracellular GSH/GSSG systems.     

Rapid colorimetric determination of reduced and oxidized glutathione using an end point coupled enzymatic assay

A simple and rapid colorimetric coupled enzymatic assay for the determination of glutathione is described. The proposed method is based on the specific reaction catalyzed by γ-glutamyltransferase, which transfers the γ-glutamyl moiety from glutahione to an acceptor, with the formation of the γ-glutamyl derivative of the acceptor and cysteinylglycine. The latter dipeptide is a substrate of leucyl aminopeptidase, which hydrolyzes cysteinylglycine to glycine and cysteine that can be easily measured spectrophotometrically. The proposed method was used to measure the content of glutathione in acid extracts of bovine lens, to follow the NADPH-dependent reduction of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to reduced glutathione (GSH) catalyzed by the enzyme glutathione reductase and to determine the glutathione content in human astrocytoma ADF cells subjected to oxidative stress. The results obtained showed that the method can be suitably used for the determination of GSH and GSSG in different biological samples and to monitor tissue or cell redox status under different conditions. It is also applicable for following reactions involving GSH and/or GSSG.

A novel approach for concurrent quantitation of glutathione,glutathione disulfide,and 2‐hydroxyethylated glutathione in lungs of mice exposed to ethylene oxide,using liquid chromatography–positive electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and 2‐hydroxyethylated glutathione (HESG) are important biomarkers for exploring the genotoxicity mechanism of ethylene oxide (EO) or ethylene in vivo. A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for simultaneous determination of GSH, GSSG and HESG in mouse lung tissues after inhalation exposure to EO. The lower limit of quantitation for all these biomarkers was 0.002 µg/mL. The linearity of the calibration curves for all analytes was >0.998. The intra‐day assay precision relative standard deviation (RSD) values for quality control samples for all analytes were ≤12.8% with accuracy values ranging from 87.2 to 113%. The inter‐day assay precision (RSD) values for all analytes were ≤13.1% with accuracy values ranging from 86.9 to 103%. This method was applied to concurrently determine the levels of GSH, GSSG and HESG in lung samples isolated from mouse after 4‐week inhalation exposure to EO at 0, 10, 50, 100 and 200 ppm. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetics and Equilibria of the Thiol/Disulfide Exchange Reactions of Somatostatin with Glutathione

Rate and equilibrium constants are reported for the thiol/disulfide exchange reactions of the peptide hormone somatostatin with glutathione (GSH). GSH reacts with the disulfide bond of somatostatin to form somatostatin-glutathione mixed disulfides (Cys(3)-SH, Cys(14)-SSG and Cys(3)-SSG, Cys(14)-SH), each of which can react with another molecule of GSH to give the reduced dithiol form of somatostatin and GSSG. The mixed disulfides also can undergo intramolecular thiol/disulfide exchange reactions to re-form the disulfide bond of somatostatin or to interconvert to the other mixed disulfide. Analysis of the forward and reverse rate constants indicates that, at physiological concentrations of GSH, the intramolecular thiol/disulfide exchange reactions that re-form the disulfide bond of somatostatin are much faster than reaction of the mixed disulfides with another molecule of GSH, even though the intramolecular reaction involves closure of a 38-membered ring. Thus, even though the disulfide bond of somatostatin is readily cleaved by thiol/disulfide exchange, it is rapidly reformed by intramolecular thiol/disulfide exchange reactions of the somatostatin-glutathione mixed disulfides. By comparison with rate constants reported for analogous reactions of model peptides measured under random coil conditions, it is concluded that disulfide bond formation by intramolecular thiol/disulfide exchange in the somatostatin-glutathione mixed disulfides is not completely random, but rather it is directed to some extent by conformational properties of the mixed disulfides that place the thiol and mixed disulfide groups in close proximity. A reduction potential of -0.221 V was calculated for the disulfide bond of somatostatin from the thiol/disulfide exchange equilibrium constant.