Mechanism of hypochlorous acid-mediated heme destruction and free iron release

Dhiman Maitra, Jaeman Byun, Peter R. Andreana, Ibrahim Abdulhamid, Ghassan M. Saed, Michael P. Diamond, Subramaniam Pennathur, Husam M. Abu-Soud

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Here, we show that hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a potent neutrophil-generated oxidant, can mediate destruction of free heme (Ht) and the heme precursor, protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). Ht displays a broad Soret absorbance peak centered at 365 and 394 nm, indicative of the presence of monomer and μ-oxo-dimer. Oxidation of Ht by HOCl was accompanied by a marked decrease in the Soret absorption peak and release of free iron. Kinetic measurements showed that the Ht-HOCl reaction was triphasic. The first two phases were HOCl concentration dependent and attributable to HOCl binding to the monomeric and dimeric forms. The third phase was HOCl concentration independent and attributed to Ht destruction with the release of free iron. HPLC and LC-ESI-MS analyses of the Ht-HOCl reaction revealed the formation of a number of degradation products, resulting from the cleavage or modification of one or more carbon-methene bridges of the porphyrin ring. Similar studies with PPIX showed that HOCl also mediated tetrapyrrole ring destruction. Collectively, this work demonstrates the ability of HOCl to modulate destruction of heme, through a process that occurs independent of the iron molecule that resides in the porphyrin center. This phenomenon may play a role in HOCl-mediated oxidative injury in pathological conditions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)364-373
Number of pages10
JournalFree Radical Biology and Medicine
Volume51
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 15 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Free iron
  • Free radicals
  • Heme deficiency
  • Heme degradation
  • Mammalian peroxidases
  • Mass spectrometry
  • Oxidative stress
  • Porphyrin
  • Stopped-flow

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Physiology (medical)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mechanism of hypochlorous acid-mediated heme destruction and free iron release'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this