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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
7
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-5-23
pubmed:abstractText
With the recognition of the central role of mitochondria in apoptosis, there is a need to develop specific tools to manipulate mitochondrial function within cells. Here we report on the development of a novel antioxidant that selectively blocks mitochondrial oxidative damage, enabling the roles of mitochondrial oxidative stress in different types of cell death to be inferred. This antioxidant, named mitoQ, is a ubiquinone derivative targeted to mitochondria by covalent attachment to a lipophilic triphenylphosphonium cation through an aliphatic carbon chain. Due to the large mitochondrial membrane potential, the cation was accumulated within mitochondria inside cells, where the ubiquinone moiety inserted into the lipid bilayer and was reduced by the respiratory chain. The ubiquinol derivative thus formed was an effective antioxidant that prevented lipid peroxidation and protected mitochondria from oxidative damage. After detoxifying a reactive oxygen species, the ubiquinol moiety was regenerated by the respiratory chain enabling its antioxidant activity to be recycled. In cell culture studies, the mitochondrially localized antioxidant protected mammalian cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis but not from apoptosis induced by staurosporine or tumor necrosis factor-alpha. This was compared with untargeted ubiquinone analogs, which were ineffective in preventing apoptosis. These results suggest that mitochondrial oxidative stress may be a critical step in apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide but not for apoptosis induced by staurosporine or tumor necrosis factor-alpha. We have shown that selectively manipulating mitochondrial antioxidant status with targeted and recyclable antioxidants is a feasible approach to investigate the role of mitochondrial oxidative damage in apoptotic cell death. This approach will have further applications in investigating mitochondrial dysfunction in a range of experimental models.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
0021-9258
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
16
pubmed:volume
276
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
4588-96
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Selective targeting of a redox-active ubiquinone to mitochondria within cells: antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties.
pubmed:affiliation
Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't