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1
Nagoya University Daiko Medical Center, 1-1-20 Daiko-minami, Higashi-ku, Nagoya 461-0047, Japan.
2
Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita,
Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
a Author for correspondence. Fax 81-52-719-1875; e-mail tniwa{at}med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
| Abstract |
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Methods: Hb samples obtained from patients with type 2 diabetes, patients with hyperlipidemia, and healthy subjects were analyzed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS). Glutathionyl Hb was synthesized in vitro by incubating Hb with GSH. The oxygen affinity of glutathionyl Hb was determined by measuring its oxygen dissociation curve.
Results: We first demonstrated that the concentration of glutathionyl Hbß chains is markedly increased in the diabetic patients and hyperlipidemic patients compared with healthy subjects. The in vitro synthesis of glutathionyl Hb by incubation of Hb with GSH was enhanced by adding H2O2, a reactive oxygen species, into the incubation solution. The glutathionyl Hb prepared in vitro by incubating Hb with GSH showed a marked increase in oxygen affinity and a marked decrease in the Hill coefficient compared with Hb incubated without GSH.
Conclusions: Glutathionyl Hb may be useful as a clinical marker of oxidative stress. The increased concentrations of glutathionyl Hb with high oxygen affinity and low cooperativity in diabetes and hyperlipidemia may lead to reduced tissue oxygen delivery.
| Introduction |
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H), peroxyl radicals (LOO·), and hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2), and protective
mechanisms. Several enzymatic systems can detoxify reactive oxygen
species: superoxide dismutase catalyzes the conversion of
O2- to
H2O2 and works
concomitantly with catalases and a selenoprotein, glutathione
peroxidase. The concentration of reduced glutathione
(GSH)1
is a limiting factor in this enzymatic process, which requires
the maintenance of a high reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio
as achieved by glutathione reductase. In addition, some reducing
agents, such as GSH, vitamin E, vitamin C, and ß-carotene, act as
free radical scavengers to nonenzymatically detoxify reactive oxygen
species.
The tripeptide glutathione
(
-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine) is the
major intracellular nonprotein thiol compound, and it plays a major
role in the protection of cells and tissue structures from oxidative
injury. Glutathione can be reduced (GSH), oxidized, or bound to
proteins. GSH inhibits free radical-mediated injury by eliminating
reactive oxygen species and protects protein thiol groups from
oxidation by serving as a biological redox agent. The intracellular and
blood concentrations of GSH are in millimolar range, whereas the plasma
concentration is in the micromolar range and accounts for ~0.4% of
total blood GSH (2)(3).
Oxidative stress has been proposed as a pathogenic factor for diabetic complications (4)(5)(6). Under diabetic conditions, the Maillard reaction facilitates the production of reactive oxygen species, and antioxidant defense systems are impaired, including decreased activity of superoxide dismutase and low GSH concentrations in the erythrocytes (6)(7)(8)(9). In fact, the presence of diabetic complications correlated negatively with the concentration of GSH in erythrocytes (9).
Numerous studies have investigated markers of oxidative stress such as malondialdehyde, or antioxidant defense systems such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase activity, or free radical scavengers. Although reactive oxygen species have been detected in vitro by electron spin resonance with or without spin-trapping reagents or by chemiluminescence, these methods are not yet applicable for clinical examination. Erythrocyte GSH has been measured by the enzyme recycling method (10), a spectrophotometric assay (11)(12), and HPLC with derivatization and fluorescence detection (2)(13).
In this study, we first demonstrated using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) that glutathionyl hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations are increased in diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Furthermore, we obtained the oxygen dissociation curves of glutathionyl Hb to determine whether the modification of Hb with glutathione affects its oxygen affinity.
| Materials and Methods |
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sample preparation for quantification of glutathionyl
Hb
After centrifugation at 800g for 10 min, the
supernatant plasma was removed, and the erythrocytes were kept at
-70 °C. The hemolysates were obtained by thawing the frozen
erythrocytes and subsequent centrifugation at 6000g for 10
min to remove the erythrocyte membranes. The hemolysate sample (10
µL) was mixed with distilled water (490 µL), and then the mixture
(10 µL) was diluted with 20 mL/L acetonitrile in 2 g/L acetic
acid (90 µL). After filtration through a 0.45 µm filter, the
diluted hemolysate sample (10 µL) was subjected to LC/ESI-MS.
lc/esi-ms
LC/ESI-MS was performed using a triple-stage quadrupole mass
spectrometer (TSQ7000; Thermoquest) equipped with a reversed-phase
column (TSKgel Phenyl-5PW RP, 7.5 cm x 4.6 mm i.d.). A mobile
phase consisting of solution A (20 mL/L acetonitrile in 2 g/L acetic
acid) and solution B (900 mL/L acetonitrile in 2 g/L acetic acid) was
delivered at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min at ambient temperature. The
mobile phase was programmed for a linear gradient from 15% of solution
B to 45% of solution B in 30 min. The conditions for ESI-MS were as
follows: electric field, 4.5 kV; nitrogen sheath gas, 70 psi; auxiliary
gas, 15 units; capillary temperature, 275 °C. The mass spectral
acquisition was performed at a scan speed of 2 s with a mass range
of m/z 600-1400, using Bioworks ICIS, Ver 8.2 software
(Thermoquest).
The glutathionyl Hbß and glycated Hbß concentrations were expressed
as the percentages of their peak height ratios to those of total Hbß
(intact Hbß + glutathionyl Hbß + glycated Hbß). Glycated Hb
concentrations were expressed as the percentages of their peak height
ratios to those of total Hb
(intact Hb
+ glycated Hb
).
reduction of hemolysate samples with dithiothreitol
Hemolysate samples were reduced with dithiothreitol (1 mol/L) at
room temperature for 15 min. After reduction, the solution was
centrifuged at 6000g for 5 min, and the supernatant was
subjected to LC/ESI-MS.
in vitro formation of glutathionyl Hb AND EFFECT OF
ADDED H2O2 ON ITS FORMATION
Hb (15 g/L; Sigma Chemical) and GSH (1 mmol/L; Sigma) were
incubated in distilled water with or without
H2O2 (1 mmol/L) at 37 °C
for 7 days. The incubation was performed in water, not in buffer,
because the salts in buffers disturb LC/ESI-MS analysis. The incubation
solution was subjected to LC/ESI-MS for the measurement of glutathionyl
Hb.
preparation of Hb SAMPLES FOR OXYGEN EQUILIBRIUM
STUDIES
A 10-mL blood sample was obtained from a healthy subject with
heparin as an anticoagulant. After dilution with 9 g/L NaCl (20
mL), the blood sample was centrifuged at 800g for 10 min.
The supernatant was removed, and packed erythrocytes (4 mL) were
obtained. The erythrocytes were washed three times with 9 g/L NaCl by
repetition of the above procedures. After addition of distilled water
(6 mL) and toluene (2 mL), the erythrocytes were hemolyzed by shaking
for 10 min at 4 °C. The hemolysate was centrifuged at
15 000g for 15 min at 4 °C, and the precipitated Hb was
obtained. The Hb solution was dialyzed against 1 mmol/L Tris solution
(3 L) at 4 °C overnight. After centrifugation at 15 000g
for 15 min at 4 °C, the obtained Hb was partly used as a control and
was also used to produce glutathionyl Hb by incubation with GSH for
oxygen equilibrium studies. Hb (60 g/L) was incubated in 0.05 mol/L
phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) with or without GSH (4 mmol/L) at 37 °C
for 4 or 7 days.
measurement of methemoglobin content and reduction of
methemoglobin
After dilution of the Hb samples with 0.05 mol/L phosphate buffer
(pH 7.4) and subsequent centrifugation at 2000g for 10 min,
methemoglobin (metHb) was measured by the method of Evelyn and Malloy
(14). To reduce metHb and to suppress autooxidation during
oxygen-equilibrium studies, the metHb reducing system prepared
according to the method of Hayashi et al. (15) was added to
the Hb samples (180 µmol/L), and kept at 4 °C for 2 days.
oxygen equilibrium studies
The oxygen dissociation curves of Hb samples were measured
according to the method of Imai (16), with a Hb
concentration of 180 µmol/L on a heme basis in 0.05 mol/L phosphate
(pH 7.4), 25 °C.
measurement of HbA1c
HbA1c was measured by an HPLC method with a column (40 x 6
mm i.d.) packed with hydrous polymer (1 mL) consisting of a
methacrylate-methacrylate ester copolymer, using automatic HbA1c
measurement equipment, Hi-Auto A1C HA-8150 (Kyoto-Daiichikagaku).
statistical analysis
Results were expressed as mean ± SE with a significance of
P <0.05. To compare values among diabetic patients,
hyperlipidemic patients, and healthy subjects, the Fisher PLSD
test of ANOVA was used.
| Results |
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and Hbß chains. Figs. 1B
(peak 1) and
demonstrate that glycated Hb
, but not glutathionyl Hb
, could be
detected. Figs. 1C
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The glutathionyl Hbß concentrations were markedly increased in
diabetic patients and hyperlipidemic patients compared with healthy
subjects (Table 1
). Glutathionyl Hbß was not significantly correlated with the
other biochemical variables. HbA1c was not correlated with
glutathionyl Hb but was well correlated with glycated Hbß
(r = 0.94; P <0.001) and glycated Hb
(r = 0.74; P <0.001).
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oxygen affinity of glutathionyl Hb
The oxygen dissociation curves of control Hb before incubation,
and Hb samples incubated with or without GSH for 7 days are shown in
Fig. 5
. The Hb sample incubated with GSH showed a marked increase in
oxygen affinity compared with control Hb and Hb incubated without GSH.
Glutathionyl Hb was detected at markedly increased concentrations in
the incubation solution of Hb with GSH. However, formation of
glutathionyl Hb was not observed in the presence of 1 mol/L
dithiothreitol. Table 2
summarizes the glutathionyl Hb concentrations, oxygen
equilibrium parameters, and metHb contents in control Hb and Hb samples
incubated with or without GSH. LC/ESI-MS analysis of Hb samples
incubated with GSH demonstrated that these Hb samples were highly
glutathionylated but did not show any other modifications. Hb samples
incubated with GSH for 4 and 7 days were 56.9% and 79.2%
glutathionylated, respectively, and exhibited 1.9- and 2.5-fold
increases in oxygen affinity, and 0.72- and 0.67-fold decreases in the
Hill coefficient, respectively, compared with Hb incubated without
GSH. These results clearly demonstrate that glutathionyl Hb exhibits
high oxygen affinity and low heme-heme interactions (low
cooperativity).
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Because Hb samples incubated without GSH for 4 and 7 days also showed slightly increased concentrations of glutathionyl Hb of 8.6% and 8.2%, respectively, compared with the control Hb (1.4%), they also exhibited slightly increased oxygen affinity and a slightly decreased cooperativity compared with control Hb.
| Discussion |
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Human adult Hb (HbA) can react in vitro with GSH with disulfide bond
formation between Cys-ß93 and the cysteine of GSH (17).
Glutathionyl Hb was produced in vitro by thiol-disulfide exchange
between mixed disulfides of Hb and GSH to study its antisickling
effect. The glutathione adduct formation is associated with the ß
chain but not the
chain because Cys-ß93 provides the only
accessible thiol group at the surface of the Hb molecule. The
glutathionyl Hb concentration in erythrocytes of healthy
subjects was so low that it could not be detected by
electrophoresis (17). However, we could detect it in
erythrocytes from healthy subjects as well as in the erythrocytes of
diseased patients by using highly sensitive and specific LC/ESI-MS.
The P50 of the control (7.9 mmHg) in
Table 2
was low compared with that of intact red cells (27 mmHg). This
is attributable to the absence of the allosteric effector,
2,3-diphosphoglycerate, in the purified Hb sample and the low
temperature (25 °C) compared with 37 °C in oxygen equilibrium
measurements. Glutathionyl Hb exhibits high oxygen affinity and reduced
cooperativity. The increase in oxygen affinity was similarly observed
in Hb treated with other sulfhydryl reagents such as
N-ethylmaleimide (18)(19)(20), iodoacetamide
(18)(20), 5,5-dithiobis-3,3-nitrobenzoic acid
(21), or 4,4-dithiodipyridine (22). The high
oxygen affinity of glutathionyl Hb, and probably also those of the
other S-modified Hbs described above, is ascribed to the perturbation
of the tertiary structure of the ß chain and the
1-ß2 contacts in the
T-state of Hb (23), leading to a shift of the allosteric
equilibrium toward the high affinity R-state. The marked increase in
oxygen affinity of Hb incubated with GSH is primarily attributable to
the formation of glutathionyl Hb and not merely by incubation at
37 °C for 7 days, because LC/MS did not show any abnormally modified
Hb except glutathionyl Hb.
In conclusion, the concentrations of glutathionyl Hb with high oxygen affinity and low cooperativity were markedly increased in diabetes and hyperlipidemia, probably because of the enhanced oxidative stress.
| Footnotes |
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| References |
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