Purification and Characterization of a Cu,Zn-SOD from Garlic (Allium sativum L.). Antioxidant Effect on Tumoral Cell Lines

Crude garlic extract contains one Mn-superoxide dismutase designated as SOD1 and two Cu,Zn superoxide dismutases as SOD2 and SOD3. The major isoform SOD2 was purified to homogeneity by Sephacryl S200-HR gel filtration, DEAE Sepharose ion exchange chromatography, and chromatofocusing using PBE 94. SOD2 was purified 82-fold with a specific activity of 4,960 U/mg protein. This enzyme was stable in a broad pH range from 5.0 to 10.0 and at various temperatures from 25 to 60°C. The native molecular mass of SOD2 estimated by high performance liquid chromatography on TSK gel G2000SW column was 39 kDa. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed a single band near 18 kDa, suggesting that native enzyme was homodimeric. The isoelectric point as determined by chromatofocusing was 5. Analysis of its N terminal amino acid sequence revealed high sequence homology with several other cytosolic Cu,Zn-SODs from plants. Exposure of cancer cell lines to garlic Cu,Zn-SOD2 led to a significant decrease in superoxide content with a concomitant rise in intracellular peroxides, indicating that the enzyme is active in mammalian cells and could, therefore, be used in pharmacological applications.