Superoxide ion (O2•–) is of great significance as a radical species implicated in diverse chemical and biological systems. However, the chemistry knowledge of O2•– is rather scarce. In addition, numerous studies on O2•– were conducted within the latter half of the 20th century. Therefore, the current advancement in technology and instrumentation will certainly provide better insights into mechanisms and products of O2•– reactions and thus will result in new findings. This review emphasizes the state-of-the-art research on O2•– so as to enable researchers to venture into future research. It comprises the main characteristics of O2•– followed by generation methods. The reaction types of O2•– are reviewed, and its potential applications including the destruction of hazardous chemicals, synthesis of organic compounds, and many other applications are highlighted. The O2•– environmental chemistry is also discussed. The detection methods of O2•– are categorized and elaborated. Special attention is given to the f...

Superoxide Ion: Generation and Chemical Implications

A microtiter plate assay for superoxide dismutase using a water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1)

Germin is a hydrogen peroxide generating oxalate oxidase with extreme thermal stability; it is involved in the defense against biotic and abiotic stress in plants. The structure, determined at 1.6 A resolution, comprises beta-jellyroll monomers locked into a homohexamer (a trimer of dimers), with extensive surface burial accounting for its remarkable stability. The germin dimer is structurally equivalent to the monomer of the 7S seed storage proteins (vicilins), indicating evolution from a common ancestral protein. A single manganese ion is bound per germin monomer by ligands similar to those of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Germin is also shown to have SOD activity and we propose that the defense against extracellular superoxide radicals is an important additional role for germin and related proteins.

Germin is a manganese containing homohexamer with oxalate oxidase and superoxide dismutase activities.

The antioxidant activities of brown algal phlorotannins were evaluated using the inhibition of phospholipid peroxidation in the liposome system, and by determining radical scavenging activities against the superoxide anion and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Oligomers of phloroglucinol (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene), eckol (a trimer), phlorofucofuroeckol A (a pentamer), dieckol and 8,8′-bieckol (hexamers), isolated from the Laminarian brown algae Eisenia bicyclis, Ecklonia cava and Ecklonia kurome, showed potent inhibition of phospholipid peroxidation at 1 μM in the liposome system. The phlorotannins had significant radical scavenging activities against the superoxide anion (50% effective concentration values: 6.5–8.4 μM) and DPPH (50% effective concentration values: 12–26 μM), and were more effective compared to ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol. For the purpose of using phlorotannins as functional food ingredients, the antioxidant activity of a complex of crude phlorotannins and soybean protein was examined. The complex had a pronounced DPPH-radical scavenging activity. These results suggest that phlorotannins are potent anti-inflammatory substances, and that the Laminariaceous brown algae, which are abundant in phlorotannins, may be useful as a new functional foodstuff or supplement with anti-inflammatory activity.

Antioxidant activities of phlorotannins isolated from Japanese Laminariaceae

To elucidate the beneficial effects of porcine follicular fluid (pFF) added to maturation medium on the sustenance of cytoplasmic maturation responsible for the subsequent developmental competence after in vitro fertilization (IVF) of porcine oocytes, we focused on the antioxidative role of pFF in its function of protecting oocytes from reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced cell damage. Porcine follicular fluid collected from small (2-6 mm) follicles had about 7.2-fold higher levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity than that of fetal bovine serum (FBS), and this activity was markedly blocked by the CuZn-SOD inhibitor, diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC). The interruption of meiotic progression and the increasing intracellular glutathione (GSH) content throughout the maturation period, as well as an outbreak of DNA damage in oocytes and cumulus cells were difficult to detect in oocytes cultured in a medium supplemented with 10% pFF, even in the presence of ROS generated by the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system, whereas cell damage encompassed by ROS was prominent in oocytes cultured with 10% FBS and 10% pFF plus 100 microM DETC. Similarly, significant enhancement to the degree of transformation of the sperm nucleus into the male pronucleus (MPN) after in vitro fertilization was shown by the addition of pFF to the maturation medium. The presence of DETC during in vitro maturation reduced the ability of oocytes to promote MPN formation to the same extent as oocytes matured with FBS. The proportion developing to the blastocyst stage was increased in oocytes that matured with pFF, but this developmental competence was significantly lowered by treatment with DETC (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that pFF plays a critical role in protecting oocytes from oxidative stress through a higher level of radical scavenging activity elicited from SOD isoenzymes, resulting in the enhancement of cytoplasmic maturation responsible for developmental competence postfertilization.

Protection of Porcine Oocytes Against Cell Damage Caused by Oxidative Stress During In Vitro Maturation: Role of Superoxide Dismutase Activity in Porcine Follicular Fluid

Two novel highly water-soluble tetrazolium salts, WST-1 (4-[3-(4-iodophenyl)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-2H-5-tetrazolio]-1,3-benzene disulfonate sodium salt) and WST-8 (4-[3-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-2H-5-tetrazolio]-1,3-benzene disulfonate sodium salt) were applied to the assay of superoxide dismutase (SOD). The superoxide anion generated by xanthine/xanthine oxidase (XO) reduced WST-1 and WST-8 to water-soluble formazans which exhibited absorbance maxima at 438 and 460 nm, respectively. The rates of reduction were linearly related to the XO activity, and reduction was inhibited by SOD. Complete inhibition by SOD of the reduction of both WST-1 and WST-8 was achieved, suggesting that these WSTs were not reduced with XO. WST-1 was found more useful than WST-8 because it had shown higher sensitivity which was apparently not dependent on the assay pH value in the range pH 8.0-10.2. These properties of WST-1 are ideal for the spectrophotometric assay of SOD in an aqueous system.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1271/bbb.63.485

Spectrophotometric Assay for Superoxide Dismutase Based on the Reduction of Highly Water-soluble Tetrazolium Salts by Xanthine-Xanthine Oxidase

A flow-injection analysis (FIA) for superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was developed based on the use of tetrazolium salt, WST-1 (4-[3-(4-iodophenyl)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-2H-5-tetrazolio]-1,3-benzene disulfonate sodium salt) and an enzyme reactor packed with Sepharose 4B on which xanthine oxidase (XO) and catalase were co-immobilized. WST-1 is highly water-soluble, and no adhesion of the reduced form to the FIA line was observed during continuous operation for 3 months. As optimized conditions, a sample (9 vol) was mixed with a reagent solution (1 vol) containing 3 mM hypoxanthine and 2 mM WST-1, and the mixed solution (20 μl) was injected into a carrier stream of 50 mM carbonate buffer (pH 10.2) at a flow rate of 0.4 ml/min. Under the conditions, the concentration of the SOD preparation giving 50% inhibition (IC50) was 2.7 μg/ml and the sampling frequency was 30 samples/h. When the SOD activity in erythrocytes of rats was determined by the present FIA method, the values were linearly related to those obtained by the conventional nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) assay (r=0.975; n=18). The enzyme reactor was stable for at least 200 repetitive injections.

Flow-Injection Assay of Superoxide Dismutase Based on the Reduction of Highly Water-Soluble Tetrazolium

嗜好性飲料が有するO2-の消去活性(SOSA)の測定に対して,新しく開発されたSOD活性測定法,すなわち水溶性テトラゾリウム塩WST-1をO2-の検出プローブとして用いるWST-1法と,ルシゲニンの化学発光に基づくFIA法を応用した.得られた結果を従来法の一つであるESR法の測定結果と比較して,それらの方法の食品試料への適用性を調べた.(1) 食品試料中にはWST-1を直接還元する物質が存在した.しかしながら各試料を20-100倍に希釈することで,その直接的還元を無視しうるレベルまで抑えることができた.各試料が50%阻害を示す希釈倍率は180-3000倍で,WST-1の直接的な還元物質の影響は3%以下であった.本法で得られた測定結果はESRの結果と比較的良く一致したが,ワイン,緑茶では低い値を,インスタントコーヒーでは高い値を示す傾向が認められた.(2) 希釈食品試料の繰り返し分析においてCL-FIAシステムは良好な安定性を示した.また食品試料とルシゲニンとの間の非特異的な発光は認められなかった.本法で得られたSOSA値とESR法との測定結果との間には相関係数0.908の良好な直線関係が成立し,本法が食品試料に対して高い適用性を有していることが明らかとなった.

Daisuke Kawana

Papers

Spectrophotometric Assay for Superoxide Dismutase Based on the Reduction of Highly Water-soluble Tetrazolium Salts by Xanthine-Xanthine Oxidase

Flow-Injection Assay of Superoxide Dismutase Based on the Reduction of Highly Water-Soluble Tetrazolium

Application of Novel Assay Methods for Superoxide Anion-Scavenging Activity to Food Samples.

Enzymatic assay of dehydrogenase substrate based on the detection of superoxide anion.

Spectrophotometric Flow-Injection Analysis for Hypoxanthine Based on the Detection of Superoxide Anion