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How superoxide radical damages the cell

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Summary

Superoxide is considered to be poorly reactive, and cell damage has been attributed to HO· generated via the Haber-Weiss reaction. The function of O2 − in this reaction is only to reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+. In vivo, however, superoxide could not out-compete cellular reductants such as glutathione, NADPH, and ascorbate, which makes the observed O2 − toxicity rather puzzling. Little attention has been paid to the idea that, irrespective of its poor chemical reactivity, superoxide might be capable of interacting directly with specific intracellular targets; and that even the Haber-Weiss reaction might be a consequence of such direct interactions. This paper summarizes latest data that support the concept of such a mechanism.

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Abbreviations

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, 13110, Safat, Kuwait

    L. Benov

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  1. L. Benov
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Benov, L. How superoxide radical damages the cell. Protoplasma 217, 33–36 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01289410

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