Simple and rapid catalytic spectrophotometric determination of superoxide anion radical and superoxide dismutase activity in natural medical vegetables using phenol as the substrate for horseradish peroxidase

The coupling reaction of 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) with phenol using the superoxide anion radical ( ) as oxidizing agent under the catalysis of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was studied. Based on the reaction, produced by irradiating vitamin B₂ (V_B2) was spectrophotometrically determined at 510 nm. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the relationship between A ₅₁₀ and concentration was linear in the range 9.14×10^–6–1.2×10^–4 mol L^–1. The detection limit was determined to be 1.37×10^–6 mol L^–1. A possible reaction mechanism was discussed. The effect of interferences and surfactants on the determination of was also investigated. The proposed method was applied to determine superoxide dismutase activity in garlic, scallion, and onion with satisfactory results.     

Interference of non-specific peroxidases in the fluorescence detection of superoxide radical by hydroethidine oxidation: a new assay for H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The present study shows that hydroethidine (HE), used for in-vivo qualitative fluorescent detection of superoxide anion, can be also oxidized by H₂O₂ via non-specific peroxidase (horseradish peroxidase and myeloperoxidase) catalysis, forming fluorescent oxidation products. These products give broad excitation/emission peaks (490–495/580–600 nm) near the excitation/emission peaks (475/580 nm) of the HE-superoxide oxidation product, and this may pose serious interference problems to the fluorescent detection of the superoxide radical. The study suggests cautionary use of the HE-superoxide anion assay mainly for detection of reactive oxygen species. A byproduct of this study was the development of a simple and sensitive HE-horseradish peroxidase assay for the in-vitro quantification of H₂O₂ in biological tissues with a sensitivity of 1 mol L^–1.     

Polyphenols as superoxide dismutase modulators and ligands for estrogen receptors

The capacity of estrogen and stilbene derivatives to modulate the activity of superoxide dismutases in relation with their estrogenic properties has been studied. The properties of trans-resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene) and its analogues, 4-hydroxystilbene, 4,4′-dihydroxystilbene, 3,5-dihydroxystilbene, 3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene and 4,4′-dihydroxy-3,5,3′,5′-tetramethylstilbene were compared to 17β-estradiol and its analogues (2-methoxyestradiol, estrone, 2-hydroxyestradiol and 2-methoxyestrone). Measurement of estrogen receptor-β (ER-β) binding capacity was carried out by a receptor competitor assay associated with fluorescence polarisation detection. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) modulation activity was followed with a spectrophotometric assay using the sequence xanthine/xanthine oxidase-2,3-bis[2-methoxy-4-nitro-sulfo-phenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (X/XO-XTT). The structure-activity relationship was different for the two series tested. In the estrogenic series, a compound which does not inhibit SOD, is recognized by the ER-β. In contrast for the stilbenic series both properties are parallel each other.     

A sensitive HPLC–MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of anemoside B4, anemoside A3 and 23‐hydroxybetulinic acid: Application to the pharmacokinetics and liver distribution of Pulsatilla chinensis saponins

Pulsatilla chinensis saponins, the major active components in the herb, have drawn great attention as potential hepatitis B virus infection and hepatoma treatments. Here, a sensitive and accurate HPLC–MS/MS method was established for simultaneous determination of three saponins – anemoside B4, anemoside A3 and 23‐hydroxybetulinic acid – in rat plasma and liver, and fully validated. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetics and liver distribution study of P. chinensis saponins. Consequently, 23‐hydroxybetulinic acid, with an extremely low content in the P. chinensis saponins, exhibited the highest exposure in the liver and in sites before and after hepatic disposition, namely, in the portal vein plasma and systemic plasma, followed by anemoside B4, which showed the highest content in the herb, whereas anemoside A3 displayed quite limited exposure. The hepatic first‐pass effects were 71% for 23‐hydroxybetulinic acid, 27% for anemoside B4 and 37% for anemoside A3, corresponding to their different extents of liver distribution. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation on the liver first‐pass effect and distribution of P. chinensis saponins to date. These results also provide valuable information for the understanding of the pharmacological effect of P. chinensis saponins on liver diseases.     

Kinetic and structural characterization of human manganese superoxide dismutase containing 3-fluorotyrosines

Incorporation of 3-fluorotyrosine and site-specific mutagenesis have been used with stopped-flow spectrophotometry and pulse radiolysis to investigate the catalytic properties of human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). All of the nine tyrosine residues in each of the four subunits of the homotetramer of human MnSOD were replaced with 3-fluorotyrosine. Previous studies showed that the crystal structures of the unfluorinated and fluorinated human MnSOD are nearly superimposable with the root-mean-square deviation for 198 -carbon atoms at 0.3 Å. However, the catalytic activity k_cat/K_m of the fluorinated MnSOD at 30 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹ was less than unfluorinated wild type at 800 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹. Comparison of the values of k_cat/K_m for fluorinated and unfluorinated wild-type andY34F MnSOD showed that this decrease for the fluorinated enzyme was in significant part due to 3-fluorotyrosine residues distant (>7 Å) from the active-site metal, not to 3-fluorotyrosine at position 34 close (5 Å) to the metal. Although many rate constants for the catalysis are decreased by this fluorination, the rate of dissociation of the product-inhibited complex appears unchanged by the presence of fluorinated tyrosines. These results suggest that Tyr34 is not a proton donor in the release of the product-inhibited complex, which involves protonation of a peroxo complex of the metal with release of hydrogen peroxide.     

Microcalorimetric studies on the dismutation of superoxide anion catalyzed by superoxide dismutase

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Development of a new biosensor for superoxide radicals

A superoxide dismutase (SOD) biosensor for determination of superoxide radicals has been developed by immobilization of superoxide dismutase within gelatin (G) on a Pt electrode surface. The properties of the biosensor have been investigated and optimum conditions–enzyme concentration, glutaraldehyde concentration, and pH–were determined. The response of the G-SOD biosensor was proportional to concentration and the detection limit was 0.01 mmol L⁻¹ at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The biosensor retained 89% and 60% of its sensitivity after use for three and four weeks, respectively. Immobilization of SOD on gelatin provides a biocompatible microenvironment around the enzyme and stabilizes the activity of the enzyme very efficiently. The superoxide dismutase biosensor was used to determine the antioxidant properties of acetylsalicylic acid-based drugs and the anti-radical activity of healthy and cancerous human brain tissues.     

Synthesis,Structure, and SOD‐like Activity of a Copper(II) Complex Containing a Bistriazole Group

The dinuclear complex [Cu₂(HL)₂(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₂ ( 1 ) [H₂L = 5′‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐1‐H,2′‐H‐3, 3′‐bis(1, 2,4‐triazole)] was obtained and fully characterized. It exhibits a centrosymmetry configuration, in which each copper(II) ion is pentacoordinate with four nitrogen atoms of two triazole ligands and one oxygen atom from a water molecule. The net atomic charges distribution and atomic orbital contribution to frontier molecular orbitals were obtained using the Gaussian 98 program with Hartree‐Fock method at LANL2DZ level, indicating that the copper(II) ion has the potential to accept the electron of O₂ ^{· –}. The complex showed quasi‐reversible one‐electron Cu^II/Cu^I redox waves with redox potentials of –0.034 V. The SOD‐like activity (IC₅₀) of 1 was measured to be 0.18 ± 0.01 μM by xanthine/xanthine oxidase‐NBT assay at pH 7.8. The relatively high SOD activity suggests that the positive charge of protonated triazole can effectively steer O₂ ^{· –} to and from the active copper ion.     

Effect of expression of manganese superoxide dismutase in baculovirus-infected insect cells

It has previously been demonstrated that baculovirus infection of the Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 (Sf-9) and Trichoplusia ni BTI-Tn-5B1-4 (Tn-5B1-4) insect cell lines leads to oxidative stress as measured by protein and membrane lipid oxidation and that this oxidative damage contributes to cell death. As a result of these findings, it was hypothesized that baculovirus infection stimulates superoxide radical (O ₂ ^·— synthesis in the mitochondria and that the resulting O ₂ ^·— accumulation overwhelms the cells’ antioxidant defenses. We investigated the ability of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) expression (which reduces O ₂ ^·— to H₂O₂) to overcome the oxidative damage caused by baculovirus infection. It was found that MnSOD expression significantly reduced oxidative damage in baculovirus-infected Tn-5B1-4 cells but had no significant effect on oxidative damage in baculovirus-infected Sf-9 cells. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that O ₂ ^·— accumulation in the mitochondria is at least partially responsible for the oxidative damage resulting from the baculovirus infection of insect cells.     

Indirect determination of superoxide anion radical in the plant of red sage based on vanillin-8-aminoquinoline with fluorescence

A novel spectrofluorimetric method using vanillin-8-aminoquinoline (VAQ) as fluorescent probe was developed for the determination of superoxide anion radical (O₂⁻). The new fluorescent probe was characterized by elemental analysis and IR spectra. Under the optimum conditions of the determination, the linear calibration range and the detection limit of the developed method for superoxide anion radical were in the range (0.0-1.0)×10⁻⁵ and 2.0×10⁻⁸ mol l⁻¹, respectively. The effect of interferences was studied. The proposed method was applied to determine the generation rate of superoxide anion radical in the course of aging in red sage successfully.     

Amperometric determination of live <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> using antibody-coated paramagnetic beads

Detecting and enumerating fecal coliforms, especially Escherichia coli, as indicators of fecal contamination, are essential for the quality control of supplied and recreational waters. We have developed a sensitive, inexpensive, and small-volume amperometric detection method for E. coli -galactosidase by bead-based immunoassay. The technique uses biotin-labeled capture antibodies (Ab) immobilized on paramagnetic microbeads that have been functionalized with streptavidin (bead–Ab). The bead–Ab conjugate captures E. coli from solution. The captured E. coli is incubated in Luria Bertani (LB) broth medium with the added inducer isopropyl -D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The induced -galactosidase converts p-aminophenyl -D-galactopyranoside (PAPG) into p-aminophenol (PAP), which is measured by amperometry using a gold rotating disc electrode. A good linear correlation (R²=0.989) was obtained between log cfu mL^–1 E. coli and the time necessary to product a specific concentration of PAP. Amperometric detection enabled determination of 2×10⁶ cfu mL^–1 E. coli within a 30 min incubation period, and the total analysis time was less than 1 h. It was also possible to determine as few as 20 cfu mL^–1 E. coli under optimized conditions within 6–7 h. This process may be easily adapted as an automated portable bioanalytical device for the rapid detection of live E. coli.     

Determination of superoxide dismutase and SOD-mimetic activities by a chemical system: Co2/H2O2/lucigenin

The bright chemiluminescence has been observed in the system: Co²⁺/hydrogen peroxide/lucigenin. The chemiluminescence intensity was directly proportional to either cobalt, hydrogen peroxide, or lucigenin concentrations. A procedure of determination of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by the chemiluminescence method in the cobalt–hydrogen peroxide–lucigenin system at pH 8.5 is suggested. A linear dependence was established between a relative chemiluminescence intensity and SOD concentration in the range of SOD concentrations between 0 and 4.5 nM, c _1/2 = 0.8 nM. The determination of SOD activity was performed in several tissue samples (rat plasma, erythrocyte hemolysate, and liver mitochondria). A technique of tissue sample preparation with the use of thermal inactivation of interfering proteins at 60 °C was used. The method was successfully applied for comparison of the efficiency of SOD mimetics.     

Continuous-flow separation and pre-concentration coupled on-line to solid-surface fluorescence spectroscopy for the simultaneous determination of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> o</Emphasis>-phenylphenol and thiabendazole

A novel and single flow-injection system combined with solid-surface fluorescence detection is proposed in this work for the resolution of a mixture of two widely used pesticides (o-phenylphenol and thiabendazole). The continuous-flow methodology is based on the implementation of on-line pre-concentration and separation of both analytes on the surface of C₁₈ silica gel beads placed just inside the flow cell, implemented with gel-phase fluorimetric multi-wavelength detection (using 305/358 and 250/345 nm as excitation/emission wavelengths for thiabendazole and o-phenylphenol, respectively). The separation of the pesticides was possible owing to the different retention/desorption kinetics of their interactions with the solid support in the zone where the stream impinges on the solid material. No previous separation of the analytes before they reach the flow cell is needed thereby simplifying substantially both the procedure and the manifold. By using a sample volume of 2,600 L, the system was calibrated in the range 0.5–16 and 5–120 ng mL^–1 with detection limits of 0.09 and 0.60 ng mL^–1 for thiabendazole and o-phenylphenol, respectively. The RSD values (n=10) were about 1% for both analytes. The proposed methodology was applied to environmental water samples and also to various commercial pesticide formulations containing both analytes. Recovery percentages were 97–103% and 98–102% for thiabendazole and o-phenylphenol, respectively.     

Catalytic action of Mn‐superoxide dismutase in scavenging superoxide radical anion by double hydrogen abstraction from dihydrolipoic acid: A theoretical study

The mechanism of scavenging superoxide radical anion ( ) by dihydrolipoic acid (diLA) in absence and presence of the enzyme Manganese‐superoxide dismutase (Mn‐SOD) has been investigated using density functional theory. Mn‐SOD was modelled by a complex of a manganese cation (Mn²⁺) bonded to three similar molecules having a histidine ring each and a water molecule. It has been shown that the scavenging mechanism involves double hydrogen abstraction by from different pairs of neighboring sites of diLA. It has been found that diLA alone cannot scavenge superoxide radical anions efficiently as the barrier energies involved in the reactions are very high. However, in presence of Mn‐SOD, owing to its catalytic action, the corresponding reactions become barrierless due to which superoxide radical anions would be scavenged highly efficiently. H₂O₂ formed from superoxide radical anion due to double hydrogen abstraction from diLA is scavenged by diLA alone barrierlessly without involving Mn‐SOD or any other catalyst.     

Determination of Levodopa and Benserazide Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Formulations by CZE with Amperometric Detection

A novel method, capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection, has been established for rapid and effective measurement of levodopa (L-dopa), and benserazide (BS) and its impurity (R,S)-2-amino-3-hydroxypropanohydrazide (Ro-04-1419) in co-beneldopa pharmaceutical formulations. Suitable separation and amperometric detection conditions were investigated and optimized. The optimum conditions of CZE detection were 40 mm phosphate solution at pH 5.3 as running buffer, 17 kV separation voltage, carbon-disk working electrode, 0.95 V (relative to Ag/AgCl) as detection potential, and sample injection for 8 s at 17 kV. The linear ranges were from 1.25 to 50 g mL^–1 for L-dopa, 1.2 × 10^–1 to 25.5 g mL^–1 for BS, and 1.0 × 10^–2 to 4.4 × 10^–1 g mL^–1 for Ro-04-1419, with correlation coefficients of 0.9994, 0.9951, and 0.9933, respectively. The detection limits for L-dopa, BS, and Ro-04-1419 were 0.38, 0.02, and 0.004 g mL^–1, respectively. Average recoveries were 100.2% for L-dopa, 102.4% for BS, and 90.8% for Ro-04-1419. This method was successfully applied to co-beneldopa granules and tablets.Revised: 30 November and 22 December 2004     

Determination of 6-amino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxepan-5-ol by postcolumn derivatization witho-phthalaldehyde/2-mercapto-ethanol after ion-pair chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is discribed for the determination of 6-amino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxepan-5-ol using Spherisorb ODS II stationary phase and mobile phase 30:70 (v/v) methanol: aqueous 1-octane sulfonic acid. Detection was fluorimetric following postcolumn derivatization with o-phthaladehyde/2-mercaptoethanol. The procedure was applied to the analysis of aqueous solutions and microcrystalline suspensions in liquid paraffin, prepared for investigation of the toxicological profile. The method was validated for selectivity, linearity of detector response, repeatability, limit of detection and quantitation. The HPLC method was selective. The instrumental limit of detection was 0.5 ng per injection (0.05 g mL^–1). The method detection limits were 0.5 g mL^–1 aqueous solution and 5 g mL^–1 liquid paraffin suspension, the quantitation limit 0.05 mg mL^–1 aqueous solution and 1.0 mg mL^–1 liquid paraffin. Linearity was within 0.94–47.1 g mL^–1. Intra-assay accuracy accounted for 99–100% in the range 0.05–226 mg mL^–1 aqueous solution, intra-assay precision for 2% (C.V.). For microcrystalline liquid paraffin suspensions with 1 and 250 mg mL^–1 99 and 109% was found for intra-assay accuracy. Intra-assay precision was 5% (C.V.). Reliable results over a wide concentration range can be obtained. The procedure is considered valid for determination of the analyte in aqueous solution or microcrystalline paraffin oil suspensions.     

Comparative Study of Antioxidant and Pro-Oxidant Properties of Homoleptic and Heteroleptic Copper Complexes with Amino Acids,Dipeptides and 1,10-Phenanthroline: The Quest for Antitumor Compounds

In a search for new antitumoral agents, a series of homoleptic copper(II) complexes with amino acids and dipeptides, as well as heteroleptic complexes containing both dipeptides and 1,10-phenanthroline, were studied. Furthermore, a single-crystal structure containing alanyl-leucinato ([Cu₃(AlaLeu)₃(H₂O)₃(CO₃)]·PF₆·H₂O), which is the first homotrinuclear carbonato-bridged copper(II) complex with a dipeptide moiety, is presented. To assess possible antitumor action mechanisms, we focused on the comparative analysis of pro- and antioxidant behaviors. Pro-oxidant activity, in which the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formed by the reaction of the complexes with H₂O₂ produce oxidative damage to 2-deoxy-d-ribose, was evaluated using the TBARS method. Additionally, the antioxidant action was quantified through the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, using a protocol based on the inhibitory effect of SOD on the reduction of nitrobluetetrazolium (NBT) by the superoxide anion generated by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system. Our findings show that Cu–amino acid complexes are strong ROS producers and moderate SOD mimics. Conversely, Cu–dipeptide–phen complexes are good SOD mimics but poor ROS producers. The activity of Cu–dipeptide complexes was strongly dependent on the dipeptide. A DFT computational analysis revealed that complexes with high SOD-like activity tend to display a large dipole moment and condensed-to-copper charge, softness and LUMO contribution. Moreover, good ROS producers have higher global hardness and copper electrophilicity, lower copper softness and flexible and freely accessible coordination polyhedra.     

Xanthine oxidase-assisted catalysis by dopamine β-hydroxylase: Mechanistic considerations on the role of superoxide anion

Dopamine β-monooxygenase catalyzes the transformation of dopamine into norepinephrine by inserting an O-atom on a benzylic C–H bond. The activation of O₂ occurs at a copper-containing active site in the presence of a reducer (ascorbate) that enables that copper ions be reduced to Cu(I) and reoxidized during catalysis. In the present paper, we establish that the xanthine/xanthine oxidase coupled system is a cofactor for this enzyme, and that hydroxylation of substrate tyramine is time-dependent. Using superoxide dismutase, we unambiguously prove that the species responsible for the hydroxylase activity is superoxide anion. The optimum pH for this activity is 6.8, a value about one pH unit higher than the physiological pH for the enzyme. Moreover, we propose a mechanism that takes into account all of our results, and describes putative interactions between the copper ions of the active site and superoxide anion.     

A rapid and sensitive LC‐MS/MS method for the determination of Pulsatilla saponin D in rat plasma and its application in a rat pharmacokinetic and bioavailability study

A simple, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of Pulsatilla saponin D, a potential antitumor constituent isolated from Pulsatilla chinensis in rat plasma. Rat plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation with methanol. The method validation was performed in accordance with US Food and Drug Administration guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The method was successfully applied to assess the pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of Pulsatilla saponin D in rats. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.