Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Redox Mechanism (redox + mechanism)
Selected AbstractsMitogenic and Apoptotic Signaling by Carotenoids: Involvement of a Redox MechanismIUBMB LIFE, Issue 1 2001Paola Palozza Abstract The potential for carotenoids to modulate tumor growth is currently under investigation. Although epidemiological studies evidence that a high intake of vegetables, rich in carotenoids, decreases cancer incidence and mortality, clinical trials demonstrate that supplementation of ,-carotene to chronic smokers or to asbestos workers increases the risk for lung cancer. These contradictory findings have renewed interest in elucidating the mechanism of action of carotenoids in biological systems. In this review, we show evidence for mitogenic and apoptotic effects of carotenoids and we support the hypothesis that these molecules may act as anticarcinogens or as procarcinogens through a redox mechanism. In particular, we report demonstrations for the anti-oxidant or pro-oxidant effects of carotenoids in vitro and in vivo, focusing our attention on the relationship existing between cell growth and redox status. [source] Structure,activity analysis of the potentiation by aminothiols of the chromosome-damaging effect of bleomycin in G0 human lymphocytesENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 2 2001George R. Hoffmann Abstract The radioprotective aminothiols 2-[(aminopropyl)amino] ethanethiol (WR-1065) and cysteamine (CSM) potentiate the induction of chromosomal damage by the radiomimetic compound bleomycin (BLM) in G0 human lymphocytes. To investigate the mechanism of potentiation, we measured the clastogenic activity of BLM in the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay in the presence and absence of amines, thiols, and aminothiols. The hydroxy analog of WR-1065, 2-(3-aminopropylamino) ethanol (WR-OH), potentiates BLM only slightly, indicating the critical nature of the thiol group. As thiols, WR-1065 and CSM may donate electrons for the activation of Fe+2 -BLM or for the regeneration of Fe+2 -BLM from inactive Fe+3 -BLM. The amines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine all potentiate BLM, but they are weaker potentiators than the aminothiols, and they are effective only at high concentrations. Their activity, like that of WR-OH, is probably a consequence of conformational alteration of DNA. Dithioerythritol (DTE) and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), thiols lacking an amino group, are less effective potentiators of BLM than are the aminothiols. The thiol group of WR-1065 and CSM is therefore essential, but insufficient, for explaining the strong enhancement of BLM activity. The cationic nature of CSM and WR-1065, conferred by the amino groups, evidently concentrates the active thiol function at the site of BLM action on DNA. As expected on this basis, the diamine WR-1065 is a more effective potentiator of BLM than is the monoamine CSM, whereas cysteine and N -acetylcysteine (NAC), which lack a net positive charge, potentiate BLM only weakly. These studies suggest that potentiation of the clastogenic action of BLM by aminothiols can be explained by the combination of a thiol-mediated redox mechanism and an amine-mediated targeting of the thiol function to DNA. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 37:117,127, 2001 © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Synthesis and Characterisation of a New Cu(O2CNAllyl2)2 Carbamato Complex and an Unusual Polymeric CuI Complex [CuI4Cl4(NHAllyl2)4]n: New Insights into Metal Carbamato ChemistryEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 35 2009Alberto Albinati Abstract Transition-metal N,N -dialkylcarbamato complexes represent an interesting class of compounds that can be conveniently used as precursors for the controlled formation of inorganic compounds, typically oxides. They can also be used as convenient precursors for chemical grafting of metal oxides on oxide surfaces as well as for the synthesis of inorganic,organic hybrid materials. In this last case, the presence of double bonds on the complex would enable its covalent embedding into a polymer matrix through reaction with suitable monomers. To this aim, we addressed the synthesis of an allyl-functionalised copper carbamato complex. During the synthesis of the N,N -diallylcarbamato complex Cu(O2CNAllyl2)2 (Cu1), the formation of the crystalline and unusual polymeric CuI complex [CuI4Cl4(NHAllyl2)4]n (Cu2) was observed. The new compound was characterised by X-ray single crystal diffraction and FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis. In an attempt to investigate the redox mechanism and the equilibria leading to the formation of the observed unusual CuI polymeric complex, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC,MS) experiments were carried out, which allowed us to identify 3,4-dimethylpyrrole as the oxidation product of the reaction, leading to the reduction of CuII to CuI.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Mitogenic and Apoptotic Signaling by Carotenoids: Involvement of a Redox MechanismIUBMB LIFE, Issue 1 2001Paola Palozza Abstract The potential for carotenoids to modulate tumor growth is currently under investigation. Although epidemiological studies evidence that a high intake of vegetables, rich in carotenoids, decreases cancer incidence and mortality, clinical trials demonstrate that supplementation of ,-carotene to chronic smokers or to asbestos workers increases the risk for lung cancer. These contradictory findings have renewed interest in elucidating the mechanism of action of carotenoids in biological systems. In this review, we show evidence for mitogenic and apoptotic effects of carotenoids and we support the hypothesis that these molecules may act as anticarcinogens or as procarcinogens through a redox mechanism. In particular, we report demonstrations for the anti-oxidant or pro-oxidant effects of carotenoids in vitro and in vivo, focusing our attention on the relationship existing between cell growth and redox status. [source] Structure of Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein copper-binding domain at atomic resolutionACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 10 2007Geoffrey Kwai-Wai Kong Amyloid precursor protein (APP) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, as its cleavage generates the A, peptide that is toxic to cells. APP is able to bind Cu2+ and reduce it to Cu+ through its copper-binding domain (CuBD). The interaction between Cu2+ and APP leads to a decrease in A, production and to alleviation of the symptoms of the disease in mouse models. Structural studies of CuBD have been undertaken in order to better understand the mechanism behind the process. Here, the crystal structure of CuBD in the metal-free form determined to ultrahigh resolution (0.85,Å) is reported. The structure shows that the copper-binding residues of CuBD are rather rigid but that Met170, which is thought to be the electron source for Cu2+ reduction, adopts two different side-chain conformations. These observations shed light on the copper-binding and redox mechanisms of CuBD. The structure of CuBD at atomic resolution provides an accurate framework for structure-based design of molecules that will deplete A, production. [source] | |||||||||||||