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W A Pryor

Publications and source records attributed to W A Pryor.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The ESR properties, DNA nicking, and DNA association of aged solutions of catechol versus aqueous extracts of tar from cigarette smoke.

Previous studies in our laboratories have shown that extracts from mainstream or sidestream tobacco smoke nick DNA. These solutions contain the tar semiquinone free radical, and the tar radical becomes associated with cellular DNA. Aged solutions of catechol contain a semiquinone species that has ESR properties similar to those of the radical in cigarette tar extracts, and we have used these catechol solutions as a model for the tar radical. Both the radical in aged catechol solutions and the cigarette tar radical become associated with the DNA in mammalian cells and also nick DNA. The nicking of DNA caused by both tar and aged catechol solutions follows saturation kinetics. Aged catechol solutions thus allow the study of a model for the radical present in cigarette tar, without interference from the other toxic constituents in tar extracts.

Animals↗

What does ozone react with at the air/lung interface? Model studies using human red blood cell membranes.

We exposed human red blood cell (RBC) membranes to low levels of ozone and measured the oxidative damage that occurs to the proteins and the unsaturated lipids that are present. Oxidative damage to proteins causes significant decreases in the content of thiol groups, the fluorescence of protein-tryptophan residues, and the activity of membrane-bound acetylcholinesterase. Oxidative damage to lipids causes changes in some of the unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) in the lipid fraction of these RBC membranes. Significant amounts of hexanal, heptanal, and nonanal are formed from the ozonation of UFA. Although no decrease in the amount of oleate is detected, it does undergo ozonation to yield nonanal; thus, as would be expected, product appearance is a more sensitive measure of ozonation than is substrate disappearance. These results imply that both proteins and unsaturated lipids undergo simultaneous and competitive ozonation in human RBC membranes when ozone is the limiting reactant. The ratios of reaction of ozone with different targets can be predicted in reasonably good agreement with the observed values using calculations (W. A. Pryor and R. M. Uppu (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 3120-3126; R. M. Uppu and W. A. Pryor (1994) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 7, 47-55) that take into account the reactivities and relative amounts of protein and lipid functionalities present in the RBC membranes. Similar calculations are used to predict the reaction of ozone with unsaturated lipids and proteins at the air/lung interface, and both UFA and proteins are predicted to react with ozone in the lung, as in RBC membranes.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

A new mechanism for the toxicity of ozone.

Ozone, with its high reactivity, is entirely consumed as it passes through the first layer of tissue it contacts at the lung/air interface. This layer includes the epithelial cell lining fluid (ELF) and, where the ELF is thin or absent, the membranes of the epithelial cells that line the airways. Thus the biochemical changes that follow the inhalation of ozone must be relayed into deeper tissue strata by a cascade of ozonation products. Lipid ozonation products (LOP) are suggested to be the most likely relay molecules of ozone's signal. This is because unsaturated fatty acids are present in relatively high concentrations in both the ELF and in pulmonary cell bilayers, and ozone reacts with unsaturated fatty acids to produce ozone-specific products. Further, LOP are finite in number, have structures that are predictable from the Criegee ozonation mechanism, and are small, diffusible, stable (or meta-stable) molecules, similar to other lipid-derived signal transduction species. Preliminary data show that individual LOP cause the activation of specific lipases, which trigger the release of endogenous mediators of inflammation.

Animals↗

A practical method for preparing peroxynitrite solutions of low ionic strength and free of hydrogen peroxide.

The reaction of ozone (approximately 5% in oxygen) with sodium azide (0.02-0.2 M in water) at pH 12 and 0-4 degrees C is shown to yield concentrated, stable peroxynitrite solutions of up to 80 mM. The product of this reaction is identified based on a broad absorption spectrum with a maximum around 302 nm and by its first-order rate of decomposition (k = 0.40 +/- 0.01 s-1 at pH 7.05 and 25 degrees C). These peroxynitrite solutions can be obtained essentially free of hydrogen peroxide (detection limit 1 microM) and only traces of azide (detection limit 0.1 mM). They are low in ionic strength and have a pH of about 12 but without buffering capacity; therefore, they can be adjusted to any pH by addition of buffer. These preparations of peroxynitrite frozen at -20 degrees C show negligible decomposition for about 3 weeks of storage and follow a first-order decomposition with a halflife of about 7 days at refrigerator temperatures (approximately 5 degrees C). These preparations give reactions that are characteristic of peroxynitrite. For example, at pH 7.0, they react with L-tyrosine to give a 7.3 mol % yield of nitrotyrosine(s), and with dimethyl sulfoxide to give a 8.2 mol % yield of formaldehyde, based on starting peroxynitrite concentration.

Azides↗

Detection of free radicals in aqueous extracts of cigarette tar by electron spin resonance.

Aqueous extracts of cigarette tar (ACT) autooxidize to produce semiquinone, hydroxyl, and superoxide radicals in air-saturated buffered aqueous solutions. The semiquinone species were detected by direct electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements and identified as o- and p-benzosemiquinone radicals by comparison with the ESR signals of catechol and hydroquinone radicals under similar conditions. The rate of formation of these radicals was dependent on pH. Hydroxyl and superoxide radicals were detected as 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) spin adducts by ESR spin trapping. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) (20 units/ml) inhibited the formation of the superoxide spin adduct of DMPO completely. Addition of Fe2+ to this system increased the ESR signal intensity of hydroxyl radical spin adduct of DMPO three to five times. These results indicate that superoxide and hydroxyl radicals are produced during the autooxidation of hydroquinone- and catechol-related species in ACT.

Cyclic N-Oxides↗

Effect of lipid ozonation products on liposomal membranes detected by Laurdan fluorescence.

We report here the influence of the lipid ozonation products, 1-palmitoyl-2-(9-oxononanoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PC-aldehyde) and 1-palmitoyl-2[8-(5-octyl-1, 2, 4,-trioxolan-3-yl)- octanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PC-Criegee ozonide), on the phase domains of small unilamellar vesicles. (See Scheme 1 for structures.) 6-Lauroyl-2-dimethylaminonaphtalene (Laurdan) fluorescence excitation and emission spectra and generalized polarization measurements allowed us to study how lipid ozonation products affect the phase components of phospholipid membranes. A shift of excitation and emission spectra and a decrease in generalized polarization reveal the presence of a more polar environment surrounding the probe. We find that when either PC-aldehyde or PC-Criegee ozonide are incorporated into a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) membrane, or when the POPC membrane is directly ozonated, a change in polarity of the phospholipid environment occurs that changes the properties of the bilayer. The introduction of more oxygenated and more polar phospholipids creates a more polar environment allowing the deeper penetration of water molecules into the membrane. Water penetration also is facilitated by the membrane disorder-producing effect of the ozonation products. The presence of an increased number of water molecules in the membrane effects the bilayer, altering packing order and cooperatively among fatty acyl chains as well as enhancing membrane fluidity.

Liposomes↗

The cascade mechanism to explain ozone toxicity: the role of lipid ozonation products.

Ozone is so reactive that it can be predicted to be entirely consumed as it passes through the first layer of tissue it contacts at the lung/air interface. This layer includes the lung lining fluid (tracheobronchial surface fluid and alveolar and small airway lining fluid) and, where the lung lining fluid is thin or absent, the membranes of the epithelial cells that line the airways. Therefore, the biochemical changes that follow the inhalation of ozone must be relayed into deeper tissue strat by a cascade of ozonation products. Lipid ozonation products (LOP) are suggested to be the most likely species to act as signal transduction molecules. This is because unsaturated fatty acids are present in the lipids in both the lung lining fluid and in pulmonary cell bilayers, and ozone reacts with unsaturated fatty acids to produce ozone-specific products. Further, lipid ozonation products are finite in number, have structures that are predictable from the Criegee ozonation mechanism, and are small, diffusible, stable (or metastable) molecules. Preliminary data show that individual LOP cause the activation of specific lipases, which trigger the release of endogenous mediators of inflammation.

Animals↗

The chemistry of peroxynitrite: a product from the reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide.

Nitric oxide and superoxide, which are produced by several cell types, rapidly combine to form peroxynitrite. This reaction can result in nitric oxide scavenging, and thus mitigation of the biological effects of superoxide. Also, superoxide can trap and hence modulate the effects of nitric oxide; superoxide dismutase, by controlling superoxide levels, therefore can influence the reaction pathways open to nitric oxide. The production of peroxynitrite, however, causes its own sequelae of events: Although neither .NO nor superoxide is a strong oxidant, peroxynitrite is a potent and versatile oxidant that can attack a wide range of biological targets. The peroxynitrite anion is relatively stable, but its acid, peroxynitrous acid (HOONO), rearranges to form nitrate with a half-life of approximately 1 s at pH 7, 37 degrees C. HOONO exists as a Boltzmann distribution of rotamers; at 5-37 degrees C HOONO has an apparent acidity constant, pKa,app, of 6.8. Oxidation reactions of HOONO can involve two-electron processes (such as an SN2 displacement) or a one-electron transfer (ET) reaction in which the substrate is oxidized by one electron and peroxynitrite is reduced. These oxidation reactions could involve one of two mechanisms. The first mechanism is homolysis of HOONO to give HO. and .NO2, which initially are held together in a solvent cage. This caged pair of radicals (the "geminate" pair) can either diffuse apart, giving free radicals that can perform oxidations, or react together either to form nitrate or to reform HOONO (a process called cage return). A large amount of cage return can explain the small entropy of activation (Arrhenius A-factor) observed for the decomposition of HOONO. A cage mechanism also can explain the residual yield of nitrate that appears to be formed even in the presence of high concentrations of all of the scavengers studied to date, since scavengers capture only free HO. and .NO2 and not caged radicals. If the cage mechanism is correct, the rate of disappearance of peroxynitrite be slower in solvents of higher viscosity, and we do not find this to be the case. The second mechanism is that an activated isomer of peroxynitrous acid, HOONO*, can be formed in a steady state. The HOONO* mechanism can explain the inability of hydroxyl radical scavengers to completely block either nitrate formation or the oxidation of substrates such as methionine, since HOONO* would be less reactive, and therefore more selective, than the hydroxyl radical itself.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

One- and two-electron oxidations of methionine by peroxynitrite.

Peroxynitrite is stable, but its acid, HOONO, either rearranges to form nitrate or oxidizes nearby biomolecules. We report here the reactions of HOONO with methionine and the methionine analog 2-keto-4-thiomethylbutanoic acid (KTBA). These oxidations proceed by two competing mechanisms. The first yields the sulfoxide; the second-order rate constants, k2, for this process for methionine and KTBA are 181 +/- 8 and 277 +/- 11 M-1.s-1, respectively, at pH 7.4 and 25 degrees C. In the second mechanism, methionine or KTBA undergoes a one-electron oxidation that ultimately gives ethylene. We propose that the one-electron oxidant is an activated form of peroxynitrous acid, HOONO*, that is formed in a steady state mechanism. The ratios of the second-order rate constants for the ethylene-producing reaction (k*2) and the first-order rate constant to produce nitric acid (kN) for methionine and KTBA, k*2/kN, are 1250 +/- 290 and 6230 +/- 1390 M-1, respectively. Both ceric and peroxydisulfate ions also oxidize KTBA to ethylene, confirming a one-electron transfer mechanism. The yields of neither MetSO nor ethylene are affected by several hydroxyl radical scavengers, suggesting that a unimolecular homolysis of HOONO to HO. and .NO2 is not involved in these reactions. HOONO* gives hydroxyl radical-like products from various substrates but displays more selectivity than does the hydroxyl radical; thus, HOONO* is incompletely trapped by typical HO. scavengers. However, a mechanism involving dissociation of HOONO* to caged radicals cannot be ruled out at this time.

Chelating Agents↗

Effect of ozonation products on phospholipase A2 hydrolytic activity: use of bis(1-hydroxyheptyl)peroxide as a precursor of the ozonation product 1-hydroxy-1-hydroperoxyheptane.

Bis(1-hydroxyheptyl)peroxide (BisC7) upon spontaneous hydrolysis affords the difficult-to-isolate ozonation product 1-hydroxy-1-hydroperoxyheptane along with heptanal. PLA2 hydrolytic activity is enhanced when the BisC7 hydrolysis products are incorporated in the membrane of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine liposomes, suggesting they cause a pronounced alteration in the bilayer packing order. Conversely, inhibition is observed when PLA2 is incubated with BisC7 hydrolytic products prior to incubation with the liposomes, suggesting that these products are capable of reacting with and modifying the enzyme when present in solution.

Alcohols↗

The reaction of low levels of nitrogen dioxide with methyl linoleate in the presence and absence of oxygen.

The reaction of methyl linoleate with low levels of nitrogen dioxide in a carrier gas, such as helium or air, at nitrogen dioxide concentrations ranging from 2 to 228 ppm was studied and the products formed were monitored. In both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, low concentrations of nitrogen dioxide reacted with methyl linoleate predominantly to form allylic products. When a 1:1 mixture of methyl palmitate/methyl linoleate was layered over an aqueous buffer and a nitrogen dioxide stream was passed from underneath, so that the stream passed through the aqueous layer before contacting the organic layer, allylic products again predominated. In the absence of air, the allylic products consisted of allylic nitro and nitrite, derivatives of linoleate, whereas in the presence of air, allylic hydroperoxides were the principal products. The findings suggest that fatty acids with doubly allylic hydrogen atoms react preferentially by a hydrogen atom abstraction reaction rather than by the addition of nitrogen dioxide to a double bond.

Fatty Acids↗

Breath ethane generation during clinical total body irradiation as a marker of oxygen-free-radical-mediated lipid peroxidation: a case study.

Total body irradiation (TBI) is used therapeutically for treatment of leukemias and other malignancies of the hemopoietic system. Ionizing radiation produces oxygen free radicals that contribute to cytotoxicity. Breath collected from one patient undergoing therapeutic TBI showed measurable changes in levels of ethane during treatment. Breath ethane is a marker of lipid peroxidation of n-3 fatty acids. The TBI treatment involved 4 days of irradiation. The largest changes in breath ethane occurred on Day 2. The increased levels of breath ethane on Day 2 were correlated to clinical manifestations of toxicity. The correlation of the onset of gastrointestinal side effects with higher levels of breath ethane suggests that breath ethane may be a clinically useful measure of the toxicity of various TBI fractionation treatment protocols currently in use at different medical centers. The levels of breath ethane on the other days of treatment were lower, suggesting that the oxidative-antioxidative balance of the patient may be important in protection against free radical mediated injury. These results for a single patient suggest that breath ethane may be a promising approach to elucidate the role of antioxidants in clinical TBI and should be extended for verification to a larger volunteer patient population.

Adult↗

Mechanisms of radical formation from reactions of ozone with target molecules in the lung.

Ozone is known to cause radicals to be formed in biological systems: for example, it initiates lipid peroxidation and vitamin E protects in vitro model systems, cells, and animals against the effects of ozone. Ozone is not itself a radical, and we have asked: With what molecules does ozone react in the lung and how are radicals produced? Ozone reacts by two quite different mechanisms to produce radicals; one involves an ozone-olefin reaction and the other a reaction with electron donors such as glutathione (GSH). The first mechanism splits an R radical out of an olefin with the structure R-CH = CH2. The R then reacts with dioxygen to become a peroxyl radical (ROO), and both carbon- and oxygen-centered radicals can be detected by the electron spin resonance spin trap method. From the effects of temperature, metal chelators, and water, it is concluded that ozone reacts by the Criegee ozonation pathway to give the classical 1,2,3-trioxolane, which then undergoes O--O bond homolysis to form a diradical. This diradical then either undergoes beta-scission to split out the R radical or forms the more usual carbonyl oxide and a carbonyl compound. (See Figure 3 in the text). The low yield of Criegee ozonide that is generally obtained probably is due in part to the reactions forming radicals from the 1,2,3-trioxolane that compete with production of the Criegee ozonide. The second mechanism for radical production involves the reaction of ozone with electron donors. If the electron donor is, for example, GSH or its ion (GS-), this reaction produces the thiyl radical GS. and 0.3-. The ozone radical anion then reacts with a proton to form the hydroxyl radical and dioxygen: O3.- + H+-->HO. and O2. Using 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide, the spin adduct of the hydroxyl radical is detected. Similar reactions are observed with catechol.

Alkenes↗

Cigarette smoking, emphysema, and damage to alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor.

The proteinase-antiproteinase theory for the pathogenesis of emphysema proposes that the connective tissue destruction associated with emphysema arises from excessive proteinase activity in the lower respiratory tract. For this reason, the relative activities of neutrophil elastase and alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1-PI) are considered important. Most emphysema is observed in smokers; therefore, alpha 1-PI has been studied as a target for smoke-induced damage. Damage to alpha 1-PI in lung fluid could occur by several mechanisms involving species delivered to the lung by cigarette smoke and/or stimulated inflammatory cells. Oxidative damage to alpha 1-PI has received particular attention, since both cigarette smoke and inflammatory cells are rich sources of oxidants. In this article we review almost two decades of research on mechanistic studies of damage to alpha 1-PI by cigarette smoke and phagocytic cells in vitro, studies emphasizing the importance of elastinolytic activity in the pathogenesis of emphysema in vivo and studies of human lung lavage fluid to detect defects in alpha 1-PI at the molecular and functional levels.

Animals↗

Environmental tobacco smoke is just as damaging to DNA as mainstream smoke.

This study demonstrates the ability of tar isolated from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) to nick DNA in mammalian cells. Solutions of ETS tar behave similarly to aqueous solutions of cigarette tar from mainstream smoke. Both solutions contain the tar semiquinone radical, and this radical associates with the DNA in viable rat alveolar macrophages. Solutions of tar from ETS cause single-strand DNA breaks in rat thymocytes in proportion to the amount of tar present, until a plateau is reached. ETS tar solutions, like mainstream tar solutions, produce hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide appears to be an essential component of the mechanism by which both ETS tar and mainstream tar cause DNA damage in rat thymocytes, as catalase substantially protects against DNA damage. Glutathione also protects against DNA nicking by both ETS and mainstream tar solutions by scavenging radicals and/or oxidants. The chelator diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid also provides partial (40%) protection. The studies demonstrate that the water-soluble components of ETS tar can enter cells, associate with, and then nick DNA.

Air Pollutants↗