Singlet oxygen damages the function of Photosystem II in isolated thylakoids and in the green alga Chlorella sorokiniana.

Singlet oxygen (1O2) is an important damaging agent, which is produced during illumination by the interaction of the triplet excited state pigment molecules with molecular oxygen. In cells of photosynthetic organisms 1O2 is formed primarily in chlorophyll containing complexes, and damages pigments, lipids, proteins and other cellular constituents in their environment. A useful approach to study the physiological role of 1O2 is the utilization of external photosensitizers. In the present study, we employed a multiwell plate-based screening method in combination with chlorophyll fluorescence imaging to characterize the effect of externally produced 1O2 on the photosynthetic activity of isolated thylakoid membranes and intact Chlorella sorokiniana cells. The results show that the external 1O2 produced by the photosensitization reactions of Rose Bengal damages Photosystem II both in isolated thylakoid membranes and in intact cells in a concentration dependent manner indicating that 1O2 plays a significant role in photodamage of Photosystem II.

The Contribution of Singlet Oxygen to Insulin Resistance.

Insulin resistance contributes to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular dysfunctions. Recent studies showed that elevated singlet oxygen-mediated lipid peroxidation precedes and predicts diet-induced insulin resistance (IR), and neutrophils were suggested to be responsible for such singlet oxygen production. This review highlights literature suggesting that insulin-responsive cells such as endothelial cells, hepatocytes, adipocytes, and myocytes also produce singlet oxygen, which contributes to insulin resistance, for example, by generating bioactive aldehydes, inducing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and modifying mitochondrial DNA. In these cells, nutrient overload leads to the activation of Toll-like receptor 4 and other receptors, leading to the production of both peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide, which react to produce singlet oxygen. Cytochrome P450 2E1 and cytochrome c also contribute to singlet oxygen formation in the ER and mitochondria, respectively. Endothelial cell-derived singlet oxygen is suggested to mediate the formation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein which perpetuates IR, partly through neutrophil recruitment to adipose tissue. New singlet oxygen-involving pathways for the formation of IR-inducing bioactive aldehydes such as 4-hydroperoxy-(or hydroxy or oxo)-2-nonenal, malondialdehyde, and cholesterol secosterol A are proposed. Strategies against IR should target the singlet oxygen-producing pathways, singlet oxygen quenching, and singlet oxygen-induced cellular responses.

Kinetic study of the quenching of singlet oxygen by naringin isolated from peels of the fruit of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium I)

Introduction: antioxidant activity is the capacity of a substance to inhibit oxidative degradation, mainly through its ability to react with both radical and non-radical species (e.g. singlet oxygen). Interest by scientific communities in the study of the antioxidant capacity of natural compounds has increased in recent years, due to their possible applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Objective: estimate the antioxidant capacity of naringin against singlet oxygen using the rubrene method. Methods: naringin was isolated from peels of the fruit of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) and characterized using several spectroscopic techniques (UV-Vis and FTIR). The global rate constant for the reaction of 1O2 with naringin was determined with the Stern-Volmer plot derived from a stationary kinetic state based on the competition reaction with rubrene. Results: results showed that naringin acted as singlet oxygen quenching agent with a global rate constant of 2.1 x 107 M-1s-1 (derived from the linear relationship of Stern-Volmer). Conclusion: the kinetic study conducted suggests that naringin could be used as a singlet oxygen quenching agent in biological systems to protect them from oxidative damage(AU)

Introducción: la actividad antioxidante es la capacidad de una sustancia para inhibir la degradación oxidativa y actúa principalmente a través de su capacidad para reaccionar con las especies de radicales y no radicales (por ejemplo, oxígeno singulete). En los últimos años, se han incrementado el interés de las comunidades científicas en el estudio de la capacidad antioxidante de los compuestos naturales debido a sus posibles aplicaciones en la industria farmacéutica, cosmética y alimentaria. Objetivo: estimar la capacidad antioxidante de la naringina contra el oxígeno singulete usando el método de rubreno. Métodos: la naringina se aisló de cáscaras del fruto de la naranja agria (Citrus aurantium) y se caracterizó por algunas técnicas espectroscópicas (UV-Vis y FT-IR). La constante de velocidad global para la reacción de 1O2 con la naringina se determinó por medio del gráfico de Stern-Volmer derivado de una cinética en estado estacionario basada en la reacción de competición con el rubreno. Resultados: los resultados mostraron que la naringina actuó como un quenching del oxígeno singulete con una constante de velocidad global de 2.1 x 10 7 M-1s-1 (derivado de la relación lineal de Stern-Volmer). Conclusión: el estudio cinético sugiere que la naringina se podría utilizar como un quenching del oxígeno singulete en sistemas biológicos y protegerlos del daño oxidativo(AU)

Riboflavin as a photosensitizer. Effects on human health and food quality.

Riboflavin, vitamin B2, and flavins (as riboflavin building blocks or degradation products) are efficient photosensitizers inducing oxidative damage to light-exposed tissue and food by substrate-dependent mechanisms, for which protection is offered by specific nutrients. Phenolic and N-heterocyclic amino acids and their peptides and proteins deactivate triplet-excited state riboflavin in diffusion controlled processes, efficiently competing with deactivation by oxygen, resulting in direct (so called Type I) protein degradation through electron transfer or proton-coupled electron transfer. In light-exposed tissue, such often long lived protein radicals may as primary photoproducts initiate lipid and vitamin oxidation. In contrast, for lipid systems, oxygen deactivation of triplet-excited state riboflavin, resulting in formation of singlet oxygen, is under aerobic conditions faster than direct deactivation by lipids, which otherwise under anaerobic conditions occurs as hydrogen atom transfer from polyunsaturated lipids to triplet riboflavin. Singlet oxygen adds to unsaturated lipids and forms lipid hydroperoxides as primary lipid oxidation products or oxidizes proteins (Type II mechanism). Carotenoids seem not to deactivate triplet riboflavin, while chromanols like vitamin E and plant polyphenols are efficient in such deactivation yielding protection of proteins and lipids by these phenols. Indirect protection against the triplet reactivity of riboflavin is further important for polyphenols as riboflavin singlet excited state quenchers in effectively preventing riboflavin intersystem crossing to yield the reactive triplet state. Riboflavin photosensitization becomes critical for degradation of proteins, unsaturated lipids, and folate, thiamine, ascorbate and other vitamins during light exposure of food during storage. For skin, eye and other tissue exposed to high intensity light, dietary polyphenols like flavonoids are important in direct protection against photosensitized oxidation, while dietary carotenoids may yield protection through inner-filter effects, through scavenging of radicals resulting from Type I photosensitization, and through quenching of singlet oxygen formed in Type II photosensitization. Both carotenoids and polyphenols accordingly counteract the degenerative effect induced by riboflavin exposed to light, although by different mechanisms.

Single cell responses to spatially controlled photosensitized production of extracellular singlet oxygen.

The response of individual HeLa cells to extracellularly produced singlet oxygen was examined. The spatial domain of singlet oxygen production was controlled using the combination of a membrane-impermeable Pd porphyrin-dendrimer, which served as a photosensitizer, and a focused laser, which served to localize the sensitized production of singlet oxygen. Cells in close proximity to the domain of singlet oxygen production showed morphological changes commonly associated with necrotic cell death. The elapsed postirradiation "waiting period" before necrosis became apparent depended on: (1) the distance between the cell membrane and the domain irradiated, (2) the incident laser fluence and, as such, the initial concentration of singlet oxygen produced and (3) the lifetime of singlet oxygen. The data imply that singlet oxygen plays a key role in this process of light-induced cell death. The approach of using extracellularly generated singlet oxygen to induce cell death can provide a solution to a problem that often limits mechanistic studies of intracellularly photosensitized cell death: it can be difficult to quantify the effective light dose, and hence singlet oxygen concentration, when using an intracellular photosensitizer.

Interaction of phosphatidylcholine and α-tocopherol on the oxidation of sunflower oil and content changes of phosphatidylcholine and tocopherol in the emulsion under singlet oxygen.

Interaction of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and α-tocopherol (α-Toc) on the oxidation of oil in the emulsion consisting of sunflower oil and water under singlet oxygen at 25 °C was studied by determining peroxide value (PV) and conjugated dienoic acid (CDA) contents. Singlet oxygen was produced by chlorophyll b under 1700 lux. Single addition of PC or α-Toc decreased the values of peroxides and CDAs of oil in the emulsion via singlet oxygen quenching. PC and α-Toc showed simply additive interaction in decreasing the singlet oxygen oxidation of oil in the emulsion. α-Toc was a physical quencher of singlet oxygen in the emulsion, but PC involved chemical quenching in the antioxidant action. Chlorophyll and PC contents were decreased in the emulsion under singlet oxygen, while α-Toc was not. α-Toc protected chlorophyll and PC from degradation, and was a more important component than PC in the oil oxidation under singlet oxygen in the emulsion.

Oxidatively generated damage to DNA by UVA radiation in cells and human skin.

Exposure of cells and human skin to UVA radiation oxidatively induces damage to DNA that consists mostly of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua), together with relatively minor amounts of oxidized pyrimidine bases and oligonucleotide strand breaks. Singlet oxygen generated by the type II photosensitization mechanism forms 8-oxoGua, with a small contribution by hydroxyl radicals. The mechanisms of UVA-mediated formation of DNA oxidation products indicate the absence of induction of double-strand breaks.

Biological significance of singlet oxygen.

The biological significance of singlet oxygen (1O2), an electronically excited species of oxygen, has been realized only in the last two decades. This was mainly due to the lack of proper methodology to generate this reactive oxygen species (ROS) in pure form and its reactions with biological molecules. Recent studies, using newly developed detection methods, show that 1O2 being generated in many biological systems, can significantly and quite often adversely alter several crucial biomolecules including DNA, proteins and lipids with undesirable consequences including cytotoxicity and/or disesase development. The reactions of 1O2 with the biological molecules are rather specific, as compared to other ROS. There are various compounds, mainly derived from natural sources that offer protection against damage induced by 1O2. Among the antioxidants carotenoids are the most effective singlet oxygen quenchers followed by tocopherols and others. The same reactive species if generated specifically in diseased states such as cancer can lead to the cure of the disease, and this principle is utilized in the newly developing modality of cancer treatment namely photodynamic therapy. Singlet oxygen, in low concentrations can also act as signaling molecule with several biological implications. This review clearly brings out the biological significance of 1O2.