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Prooxidant and cytotoxic action of N-acetylcysteine and glutathione in combinations with vitamin B12b

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Abstract

Prooxidant and cytotoxic effects of thiols N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and glutathione (GSH) were studied in combinations with vitamin B12b. Both GSH and NAC at physiological doses when combined with B12b were shown to cause initiation of apoptosis. It was established that the prooxidant action of NAC (or GSH) combined with B12b, i.e., generation and accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in culture medium, led to intractellular oxidative stress and cell redox imbalance. These effects are completely prevented by nonthiol antioxidants catalase and pyruvate. The chelators of iron phenanthroline and deferoxamine do not suppress the H2O2 accumulation in culture medium, but inhibit cell death induced by NAC combined with B12b or by GSH combined with B12b. Therefore, the thiols GSH or NAC in combination with vitamin B12b reveal prooxidant properties and induce, with participation of intracellular iron, apoptotic HEp-2 cell death.

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Abbreviations

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

H2DCFDA:

2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate

DFO:

deferoxamine mesylate

GSH:

reduced glutathione

NAC:

N-acetylcysteine

PTL:

phenantroline

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290, Russia

    M. E. Solov’eva, V. V. Solov’ev, A. A. Faskhutdinova, A. A. Kudryavtsev & V. S. Akatov

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  1. M. E. Solov’eva
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  2. V. V. Solov’ev
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  3. A. A. Faskhutdinova
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  4. A. A. Kudryavtsev
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  5. V. S. Akatov
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Original Russian Text © M.E. Solov’eva, V.V. Solov’ev, A.A. Faskhutdinova, A.A. Kudryavtsev, V.S. Akatov, 2007, published in Tsitologiya, Vol. 49, No. 1, 2007, pp. 70–78.

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Solov’eva, M.E., Solov’ev, V.V., Faskhutdinova, A.A. et al. Prooxidant and cytotoxic action of N-acetylcysteine and glutathione in combinations with vitamin B12b . Cell Tiss. Biol. 1, 40–49 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1990519X07010063

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1990519X07010063

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