To examine the structural identities of reactive free radicals and the mechanism of the oxidative modification of proteins, we used EPR and spin-trapping methods to investigate the oxidation of amino acids by H202 as well as the decomposition of H202 itself catalyzed by Mn(11) ions. Superoxide and hydroxyl radicals (02T and OH-) were trapped by a spin trap, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (DMPO), in a reaction mixture containing Mn(11) and H202 in bicarbonate/ CO2 buffer. When Hepes was used in place of bicarbonate buffer, superoxide radical was not observed, indicating the importance of bicarbonate buffer. With addition of L-leucine to a similar reaction mixture, a leucine-derived radical that replaced the DMPO-superoxide adduct was detected in the absence and presence of DMPO. Using various isotope-enriched L-leucines, we successfully identified this radical as a hydronitroxide, -OOC(R)CHNHO-. The data are consistent with the formation of a transient "caged" OHS in the inner coordination sphere of Mn(iI). This caged OHS is likely to undergo an intramolecular hydrogen-atom abstraction from the Mn-bound H202 or amino acid. Two reaction schemes are proposed to account for the experimental results shown here and in the preceding papers.Mn ions are known to participate in certain superoxide dismutases (1, 2) and catalases (3,4). Low molecular weight complexes of Mn have also been observed to protect cells from oxygen damage (5, 6). This capability has been attributed to the fact that Mn(II) when complexed with certain anionic ligands is capable of catalyzing the dismutation of superoxide anion, 02 . Catalase-like activity has also been observed for nonprotein Mn(II) complexes (7,8). In addition, transition metal ions such as Fe and Cu are known to catalyze oxygen radical-mediated oxidative modification of proteins, a process implicated in protein turnover, aging, and oxygen toxicity (9, 10).In the preceding papers (8, 11), we showed that Mn(II)-bicarbonate complexes are capable of catalyzing the disproportionation of H202 to form 02 and the oxidation of amino acid by H202 to form the carbonyl derivatives of the amino acid, NH4', and CO2. To investigate the mechanisms ofthese catalytic reactions, we have used an EPR spectrometer together with a spin trap to detect short-lived free radical intermediates for these reactions. Various isotope-enriched leucines were also used for identifying the leucine-derived radical. Based on the results of this study and the kinetic and product analyses presented in the preceding papers (8, 11), two mechanisms are proposed, one for the catalase-like activity and the other for the oxidation of amino acids.
MATERIALS AND METHODSThe spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (DMPO), purchased from Aldrich, was further purified with activated charcoal under N2 gas in the dark (12) EPR spectra were recorded at 100-kHz frequency modulation and 9.87-GHz microwave irradiation with a Bruker ESP 300 spectrometer operated in the TM110 mode. An aqueous flat cell (-150 Al) was used and t...