RESUMO
Free-radical scavenging by tryptophan and eight of its metabolites through electron transfer was investigated in aqueous solution at physiological pH, using density functional theory and the Marcus theory. A test set of 30 free radicals was employed. Thermochemical and kinetic data on the corresponding reactions are provided here for the first time. Two different pathways were found to be the most important: sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET) and sequential double proton loss electron transfer (SdPLET). Based on kinetic analyses, it is predicted that the tryptophan metabolites kynurenic acid and xanthurenic acid are the best free-radical scavengers among the tested compounds; they were estimated to be at least 24 and 12 times more efficient than Trolox for scavenging (â¢)OOH. These findings are in line with previous reports suggesting that the antioxidant activity that has been attributed to tryptophan is actually due to its metabolites, and they demonstrate the particular importance of phenolic metabolites to such activity. Graphical Abstract Kynurenic acid (KNA) and xanthurenic acid (XNA) are the major contributors to the free-radical scavenging activity of tryptophan.
Assuntos
Sequestradores de Radicais Livres , Ácido Cinurênico/química , Modelos Moleculares , Triptofano/química , Xanturenatos/química , Transporte de Elétrons , Cinética , TermodinâmicaRESUMO
In the midgut of the mosquito Aedes aegypti, a vector of dengue and yellow fever, an intense release of heme and iron takes place during the digestion of a blood meal. Here, we demonstrated via chromatography, light absorption and mass spectrometry that xanthurenic acid (XA), a product of the oxidative metabolism of tryptophan, is produced in the digestive apparatus after the ingestion of a blood meal and reaches milimolar levels after 24 h, the period of maximal digestive activity. XA formation does not occur in the White Eye (WE) strain, which lacks kynurenine hydroxylase and accumulates kynurenic acid. The formation of XA can be diminished by feeding the insect with 3,4-dimethoxy-N-[4-(3-nitrophenyl)thiazol-2-yl] benzenesulfonamide (Ro-61-8048), an inhibitor of XA biosynthesis. Moreover, XA inhibits the phospholipid oxidation induced by heme or iron. A major fraction of this antioxidant activity is due to the capacity of XA to bind both heme and iron, which occurs at a slightly alkaline pH (7.5-8.0), a condition found in the insect midgut. The midgut epithelial cells of the WE mosquito has a marked increase in occurrence of cell death, which is reversed to levels similar to the wild type mosquitoes by feeding the insects with blood supplemented with XA, confirming the protective role of this molecule. Collectively, these results suggest a new role for XA as a heme and iron chelator that provides protection as an antioxidant and may help these animals adapt to a blood feeding habit.