or superoxide, can generate reactive nitrogen oxide spe-AS was found to be cytotoxic to Chinese hamster V79 cies (RNOS) 2 , which can oxidize nitrate, or nitrosate, lung fibroblast cells over a concentration range of 2-4 mM. The presence of equimolar ferricyanide (Fe(III)-other biomolecules (2, 3). RNOS are proposed to medi-(CN 6 ) 30 ), which converts NO 0 to NO, afforded dramatic ate various toxic and cytotoxic mechanisms. In conprotection against AS-mediated cytotoxicity. Treat-trast, NO can protect cells from damage caused by reacment of V79 cells with L-buthionine sulfoximine to re-tive oxygen species (ROS) (4-6), as a result of different duce intracellular glutathione markedly enhanced AS chemical reactions than those involving RNOS (7-10).cytotoxicity, which suggests that GSH is critical for NO participates in chemical reactions associated cellular protection against the toxicity of NO 0 . Fur-with both oxidative and nitrosative stress which can ther experiments showed that low molecular weight have deleterious consequences in vivo. Studies suggest transition metal complexes associated with the forma-that there exists a balance between NO and two of tion of reactive oxygen species are not involved in AS-the major reactive nitrogen oxide species, dinitrogen mediated cytotoxicity since metal chelators had no ef-trioxide (N 2 O 3 ) and peroxynitrite (ONOO 0 ) (11-13) fect. However, under aerobic conditions, AS was more that can determine the toxicological outcome under toxic than under hypoxic conditions, suggesting that oxygen dramatically enhanced AS-mediated cytotoxicity. At a molecular level, AS exposure resulted in DNA 2 Abbreviations used: RNOS, reactive nitrogen oxide species; AS, double strand breaks in whole cells, and this effect was Angelis's salt; DETAPAC, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid; DF, desferrioxime; TPH, tempol-H; NADPH, b-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; GSH, intra-1 To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be ad-cellular glutathione; ER, enhancement ratio; ESR, electron spin resonance. dressed. Fax: (301) 480-2238.
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