Xenobiotic-induced oxidative stress: cell injury, signaling and gene regulation

19 important questions on Xenobiotic-induced oxidative stress: cell injury, signaling and gene regulation

What is the stepwise reduction of molecular oxygen?

each time an electron is added.
1) molecular oxygen
2) superoxide anion radical
3) hydroxen peroxide
4) hydroxyl radical
5) water

What is redox cycling?

A xenobiotic can e.g. accept an electron from NADPH via reductase-catalyze reactions. Then the xenobiotic can reduce a second molecular species then it can again accept an electron and so on.

What can be the toxicological consequences of repeated reduction and oxidation of a xenobiotic?

1) If the redox potential allows it, the reduced xenobiotic can in turn reduce molecular oxygen to yield superoxide anion.
2) a single molecule can generate numerous molecules of superoxide.
3) This process will continue until the supply of reducing equivalents (NADPH) is exhausted or can no longer be regenerated.
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What are features of the quinones?

The reaction occurs by redoxy cycling. The hydroquinone is less reactive than the semiquinone. But, also a 2-electron transfer can occur directly to the hydroquinone. This occurs via the NADPH-quinone oxidoreductase (NQO).

How works oxidative stress generating by CYPs?

There are coupling processes when everything goes well and there are uncoupling processes when the coupling occurs not on the substrate. In this cycle both superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide can leave the cycle.

How works superoxide dismutase?

It binds to superoxides together with a cofactor H2+ and the result is hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen.

How works the Fenton reaction?

hydrogen peroxid is used together with Fe2+. This results in Fe3+, hydroxyl radical and OH-. Furthermore, Fe3+ can be used to make molecular oxygen from superoxide anion.

In what way can copper play a role in the toxicology?

Normally it is stored in the liver in pathophysiological conditions. When the amount is very high, hepatitis or cholestasis can be the result. They are also involved in Alzheimers disease.

What are the 2 reasons that bleomycin only induces lung toxicity?

- The lung has low capacities to degrade bleomycin in contrast to other organs (aminopeptidase)
- The lung has a high pO2 what favors the formation of ROS.

What is the mechanism behind NO toxicity?

- It has a halflife aroun 1-10 sec.
- It can react with superoxide anion in ONOO- (peroxynitrite). Which is faster than the reaction with SOD.

Why are erythrocytes very sensitive to oxidative stress?

1) No nucleus, so damaged proteins cannot become resyntesized.
2) high oxygen concentration
3) xenobiotics are in most cases distributed to the blood in high concentrations.

What are Heinz bodies?

dark bodies aggregates of denatured hbg in erytrocytes. When this is visible, erythrocytes are degraded.

Why is lipid oxidation different?

- It is a cascade
- The alkoxy radicals that are generated can be in a same way toxic as ROS.

In what way lipid peroxidation can occur?

1) hydrogen abstraction by a hydroxyl
2) Conjugated diene. (the electron is moving)
3) molecular oxygen is added and the result is a lipid peroxyl radical
Chain reaction can occur because again a hydrogen is abstracted from another lipid which will result in more reactive lipids.
1) Fenton reaction can occur resulting in a  hydroxyl then fragmentation will occur.
resulting in aldehyde degradation products.

What are features of glutathione?

1) It has a reactive sulfhydryl group because of cystein
2) glutamate and cystein are not normally coupled to each other via the alpha carbon but via the gamma carboxy group. This protects it from protease digestion.
3) GSH reaches high steady state concentrations and these are maintained.

Via which enzyme is glutathione synthesized?

via gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase.

Which three pivotal tasks are at least fulfilled by GSH?

- radical scavenger (nonenzymatically)
- cosubstrate for enzymatic degradation of H2O2.
- Is involved in the regeneration of oxidized proteins and keeps the cell in a reduced state.

What are the mechanisms of SOD-protection against ethanol induced oxidative stress in the liver?

Ethanol increases the permeability of gram negative bacteria in the intestine. lipopolisacharide is a potent activator of kupffercells, which release both ROS and proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-alpha and superoxide anion. This one is converted by catalase and Glutathion peroxidase.

What are the mechanisms of oxidative stress mediated gene regulation?

- xenobiotics induce oxidative stress.
- oxidative damage to macromolecules (direct damage)
- There are also redox sensors that can activate transcription factors and kinases.
- This will result in gene (in)activation
- This will result in cell adaptation, cell proliferation or damage.

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