Activity of soybean lipoxygenase in the absence of lipid hydroperoxide

Inhibition of lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases by linoleyl hydroxamic acid: comparative in vitro studies

In this first comparative in vitro study, linoleyl hydroxamic acid (LHA), a simple and stable derivative of linoleic acid, was tested as an inhibitor of several enzymes involved in arachidonic acid metabolism in mammals. The tested enzymes were human recombinant 5-lipoxygenase (h5-LO), porcine leukocyte 12-LO, rabbit reticulocyte 15-LO, ovine cyclooxygenases 1/2 (COX1/COX2), and human microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). Potato tuber and soybean lipoxygenases (ptLOX and sLOX, respectively) were studied for comparative purposes. LHA inhibited most of the tested enzymes with the exception of mPGES-1. The LHA inhibitory activity increased as follows: mPGES-1 (no inhibition)<<COX1 = COX2<h5-LO = sLOX = ptLOX<12-LO<<15-LO. The IC(50) values for COX1/COX2, h5-LO, 12-LO, and 15-LO were 60, 7, 0.6, and 0.02 muM, respectively. sLOX was the only tested enzyme that was capable of aerobic oxygenation of LHA, producing 13-hydroperoxy-LHA. The enzyme rapidly inactivated during the reaction. Therefore, LHA could be used as an effective LO/LOX inhibitor without affecting COX1/COX2 and mPGES-1. Possible implications of this observation include treating diseases and pathological states that are caused by (or lead to) hyperproduction of LO-derived metabolites, e.g., inflammation, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, asthma, allergies, psoriasis, and stroke.

Hydroperoxidase activity of lipoxygenase in the presence of cyclodextrins

The oxidation of xenobiotics by the hydroperoxidase activity of lipoxygenase in the presence of cyclodextrins was studied. These produced an inhibitory effect on xenobiotics oxidation, based on their degree of hydrophobicity and the charge (isoproterenol < 4-methyl-catechol (4MC) < 4-tert-butylcatechol (TBC) < 4-tert-octylcatechol (TOC)). This inhibitory effect was due to the complexation of xenobiotics in the hydrophobic cavity of cyclodextrins. The complexation constant Kc was calculated by nonlinear regression of the inhibition curves obtained in the presence of cyclodextrins, and the values obtained were 400, 16,250, and 35,127 M-1 for 4MC, TBC, and TOC, respectively. The validity of these values was checked at different points of the Michaelis-Menten saturation curve, and a sigmoidal inhibition curve was obtained at the saturating concentration of the o-diphenol, TBC, with no change in the Kc value. This demonstrates the validity of the equations used to calculate Kc for the complete range of the Michaelis-Menten equation.

Effects of reactive oxygen species on the biosynthesis of 12 (S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid in mouse epidermal homogenate

Arachidonic acid is converted to 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) in a homogenate of mouse epidermal cells. When the epidermal homogenate was preincubated with scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS), catalase or superoxide dismutase, significantly larger amounts of 12-HETE were produced as compared to untreated controls, suggesting that 12-lipoxygenase is quite prone to inactivation by ROS and peroxides. Mouse epidermal homogenate was then exposed to nine different ROS-generating systems to study the effects of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, hypochlorite, peroxyl radicals, and alkyl hydroperoxides on the enzyme activity. Analysis by chiral phase high performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that the 12-HETE biosynthesized from arachidonic acid by mouse epidermal homogenate was the 12 (S)-enantiomer and excludes oxidation of arachidonic acid by ROS in a nonspecific free radical mechanism which leads to racemic 12-HETE. ROS generated by the interaction of xanthine with xanthine oxidase strongly inhibited epidermal 12 (S)-HETE biosynthesis. A flux of 0.7 nmol of superoxide/min/ml of reaction medium resulted in more than 50% inhibition of epidermal 12-lipoxygenase activity. The decrease in 12 (S)-HETE biosynthesis appeared to involve both superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. The efficacy of the latter species was also documented by exposure of mouse epidermal 12-lipoxygenase to glucose and glucose oxidase, which resulted in similar inhibitory effects on 12 (S)-HETE biosynthesis. The presence of the iron chelator diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid during incubation of epidermal 12-lipoxygenase with both the xanthine/xanthine oxidase or the glucose/glucose oxidase systems partially protected the enzyme against inhibition, indicating that hydroxyl radical contributes to the overall inhibitory effect. Also, organic hydroperoxides inhibited epidermal 12-lipoxygenase, whereas singlet oxygen, hypochlorite, and peroxyl radicals were not effective. The results of this study lead to the proposal that 12-lipoxygenase activity may be regulated by ROS such as hydrogen peroxides, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals.

Hydroperoxidase activity of lipoxygenase: a kinetic study of isoproterenol oxidation

The hydroperoxidase activity of soybean lipoxygenase, a non-heme protein, oxidized isoproterenol using H2O2 at pH 6.0. This oxidation was enzymatic, since neither heat-denaturated enzyme or iron ions in the presence of H2O2 produced an increase in absorbance. The initial rate was not linear and showed a characteristic lag period whose length depended on the enzyme and substrate concentration. The lag was decreased if the enzyme and isoproterenol concentration were increased, whereas it increased if the H2O2 concentration was increased. Lipoxygenase showed the typical low specificity for electron donor characteristic of this hydroperoxidase activity (26 mM), but a high affinity for H2O2 (94 microM), although with substrate inhibition (ksi = 3.6 mM). The chemical intermediates produced during the oxidation of isoproterenol were characterized in order to determine the origin of the lag period. A plausible kinetic mechanism is proposed to explain the observed lag period and inhibition by high concentrations of H2O2.

Inhibition of soybean lipoxygenase-1 by a diaryl-N-hydroxyurea by reduction of the ferric enzyme

It has been proposed that catechols and other antioxidants inhibit lipoxygenase activity by reducing the active Fe3+ form of the enzyme [Kemal et al. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 7064-7072]. In this model, reductively inactivated lipoxygenase can be reactivated by reaction with the hydroperoxide product in a pseudoperoxidase reaction. The contribution of enzyme reduction in the inhibition of the activity of soybean lipoxygenase-1 by the reducing inhibitor N-(4-chlorophenyl)-N-hydroxy-N'-(3-chlorophenyl)-urea (CPHU) has been evaluated quantitatively. The inhibition by CPHU of the oxygenation of linoleic acid to 13-hydroperoxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid (13-HpODE) was accompanied by an initial lag phase which could be eliminated by the presence of exogenous 13-HpODE at the initiation of the reaction. In addition, both 13-HpODE and CPHU were found to be consumed during the lipoxygenase reaction, indicating occurrence of both oxygenase and pseudoperoxidase reactions. When analyzed individually, both the oxygenase reaction at different linoleic acid and O2 concentrations and the pseudoperoxidase reaction at different 13-HpODE and CPHU concentrations were found to follow ping-pong kinetics. A rate equation for the lipoxygenase-catalyzed reaction in the presence of reducing agent was derived considering that the inhibition of the oxygenase reaction is the combined result of 13-HpODE consumption and formation of inactive Fe2+ enzyme due to occurrence of the pseudoperoxidase reaction. By comparing the experimental data with those predicted by the rate equation, it is concluded that the inactivation of the enzyme by reduction can quantitatively account for the inhibition caused by CPHU.

Enzymatic oxidation of phenothiazines by lipoxygenase/H2O2 system

Lipoxygenase (LOX) (EC 1.13.11.12) oxidized a wide range of phenothiazine (Pt) tranquillizers to their corresponding radical cations in the presence of H2O2 by means of an enzymatic chemical second-order mechanism with substrate regeneration similar to that of horseradish peroxidase. The optimum pH of LOX for this hydroperoxidase activity was in the acid range (pH 3.0-4.0), as has been shown for other Pt oxidizing systems, such as peroxidase/H2O2 and haemoglobin. LOX showed Michaelis constants for Pt ranging from 1.4 to 8.5 mM and which, in some cases, e.g. trifluoperazine, displayed substrate inhibition. By contrast, it had a high affinity for H2O2 in the microM to mM range. A new, previously undescribed plot, which relates the enzymatic affinity and the apparent second-order decay of the cation radical, was developed to study the influence of the 2- and 10-substituents in the Pt ring. The implications of this new plot and the LOX-mediated Pt oxidation are also discussed.

Recent investigations into the lipoxygenase pathway of plants

The plant lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway is in many respects the equivalent of the 'arachidonic acid cascade' in animals. The LOX-catalyzed dioxygenation of the plant fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids, is followed by metabolism of the resulting fatty acid hydroperoxides by other enzymes. Although the physiological functions of the end-products do not appear to be fully defined at this time, hormonal and anti-fungal activities have been reported.