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The reaction of peroxynitrite with zeaxanthin.
Journal article

The reaction of peroxynitrite with zeaxanthin.

  • 1998-08-26
Published in:
  • Nitric oxide : biology and chemistry. - 1998
Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine
Freeze Fracturing
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Kinetics
Liposomes
Microscopy, Electron
Nitrates
Phosphatidylcholines
Spectrophotometry, Atomic
Xanthophylls
Zeaxanthins
beta Carotene
English The oxygenated carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein, found in the macular area of the retina, may offer protection against or repair of oxidative damage associated with the degenerative diseases of aging. Since both superoxide and nitrogen monoxide, which react to form peroxynitrite, are found in the retina, we studied the reaction of peroxynitrite with zeaxanthin in liposomes. Zeaxanthin was easily incorporated into liposomes constructed from the fully saturated lipid L-alpha-dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (C14:0) and from egg lecithin, and its absorbance spectrum in liposomes strongly resembles in shape and amplitude that of zeaxanthin dissolved in methanol. The reaction between peroxynitrite and zeaxanthin is first-order in both substrates. The pH profile indicates that the reaction with zeaxanthin involves peroxynitrous acid and not the conjugate anion. We hypothesize that zeaxanthin plays a major role in protection of macular tissue from oxidative damage.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/222174
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