An EPR Study Using Cyclic Hydroxylamines To Assess The Level of Mitochondrial ROS in Superinvasive Cancer Cells

Cell Biochem Biophys. 2020 Sep;78(3):249-254. doi: 10.1007/s12013-020-00921-6. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Abstract

It has been proposed that a mitochondrial switch involving a high mitochondrial superoxide production is associated with cancer metastasis. We here report an EPR analysis of ROS production using cyclic hydroxylamines in superinvasive SiHa-F3 compared with less invasive SiHa wild-type human cervix cancer cells. Using the CMH probe, no significant difference was observed in the overall level of ROS between SiHa and SiHa-F3 cells. However, using mitochondria-targeted cyclic hydroxylamine probe mitoTEMPO-H, we detected a significantly higher mitochondrial ROS content in SiHa-F3 compared with the wild-type SiHa cells. To investigate the nature of mitochondrial ROS, we overexpressed superoxide dismutase 2, a SOD isoform exclusively localized in mitochondria, in SiHa-F3 superinvasive cells. A significantly lower signal was detected in SiHa-F3 cells overexpressing SOD2 compared with SiHa-F3. Despite some limitations discussed in the paper, our EPR results suggest that mitochondrial ROS (at least partly superoxide) are produced to a larger extent in superinvasive cancer cells compared with less invasive wild-type cancer cells.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydroxylamines / chemistry
  • Mitochondria / metabolism*
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Organophosphorus Compounds / chemistry
  • Piperidines / chemistry
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism*
  • Superoxide Dismutase / genetics*
  • Superoxide Dismutase / metabolism
  • Superoxides / analysis

Substances

  • Hydroxylamines
  • MitoTEMPO
  • Organophosphorus Compounds
  • Piperidines
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Superoxides
  • Superoxide Dismutase
  • superoxide dismutase 2