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Related Experiment Videos

Bioactivation of nitroglycerin by ascorbate.

Alexander Kollau1, Matteo Beretta, Antonius C F Gorren

  • 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria.

Molecular Pharmacology
|April 21, 2007
PubMed
Summary
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Nitroglycerin (GTN) is bioactivated by ascorbate, not just enzymes or cysteine, to activate soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). This nonenzymatic pathway may play a role in GTN tolerance and supplementation.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Nitroglycerin (GTN) bioactivation is crucial for its vasorelaxant effects.
  • Enzymatic and cysteine-mediated pathways are known GTN bioactivation mechanisms.
  • The nonenzymatic role of ascorbate in GTN bioactivation is unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the nonenzymatic bioactivation of GTN by ascorbate.
  • To determine if ascorbate can activate soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) in the presence of GTN.
  • To elucidate the mechanism and potential significance of this interaction.

Main Methods:

  • Assaying purified sGC activity with GTN and ascorbate.
  • Determining EC50 values for GTN and ascorbate.
  • Investigating the effects of oxyhemoglobin, superoxide, and superoxide dismutase.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Measuring glycerol dinitrate formation.

    • Main Results:

    • GTN alone did not activate sGC; however, with 10 mM ascorbate, GTN activated sGC to ~20% of maximal NO-stimulated activity (EC50 = 27.3 microM).
    • Ascorbate EC50 was 0.11 mM, and activation was sensitive to superoxide scavengers and inhibitors.
    • Nitrite with ascorbate mimicked GTN's effect, but product analysis excluded nitrite as an intermediate.

    Conclusions:

    • Ascorbate reacts with GTN to produce an sGC activator with NO-like properties.
    • This ascorbate-GTN interaction represents a novel nonenzymatic bioactivation pathway for GTN.
    • This mechanism may contribute to GTN's effects during tolerance or with ascorbate supplementation.