J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 11, 5023-5028, Apr, 1986
Oxidation of glutathione to its thiyl free radical metabolite by prostaglandin H synthase. A potential endogenous substrate for the hydroperoxidase
TE Eling, JF Curtis, LS Harman and RP Mason
The oxidation of glutathione to a thiyl radical by prostaglandin H synthase
was investigated. Ram seminal vesicle microsomes, in the presence of
arachidonic acid, oxidized glutathione to its thiyl-free radical
metabolite, which was detected by ESR using the spin trap 5,5-
dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide. Oxidation of glutathione was dependent on
arachidonic acid and inhibited by indomethacin. Peroxides also supported
oxidation, indicating that the oxidation was by prostaglandin
hydroperoxidase. Glutathione served as a reducingcofactor for the reduction
of 15-hydroperoxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid to 15-
hydroxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid at 1.5-2 times the nonenzymatic
rate. Although purified prostaglandin H synthase in the presence of either
H2O2 or 15-hydroperoxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid oxidized glutathione
to a thiyl radical, arachidonic acid did not support glutathione oxidation.
Glutathione also inhibited cyclooxygenase activity as determined by
measuring oxygen incorporation into arachidonic acid. Reverse-phase high
pressure liquid chromatography analysis of the arachidonic acid metabolites
indicated that the presence of glutathione in an incubation altered the
metabolite profile. In the absence of the cofactor, the metabolites were
PGD2, PGE2, and 15-hydroperoxy-PGE2 (where PG indicates prostaglandin),
while in the presence of glutathione, the only metabolite was PGE2. These
results indicate that glutathione not only serves as a cofactor for
prostaglandin E isomerase but is also a reducing cofactor for prostaglandin
H hydroperoxidase. Assuming that glutathione thiyl-free radical observed in
the trapping experiments is involved in the enzymatic reduction of
15-hydroperoxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid to
15-hydroxy-5,8,11,13-eicosatetraenoic acid, then a 1-electron donation from
glutathione to prostaglandin hydroperoxidase is indicated.