Objective: To explore the relationship between metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO) and the formation of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs).
Methods: Specimens of human serum albumin (HSA) and pooled plasma were collected from 3 healthy volunteers and 4 uremia patients were divided into 3 groups: Group A incubated with copper sulfate solution of the concentrations of 0, 0.2, or 0.5 mmol/L, Group B, incubated with hydrogen peroxide 2 mmol/L, and Group C, incubated with copper sulfate 0.2 or 0.5 mmol/L plus hydrogen peroxide 2 mmol/L. 30 min and 24 h later the AOPP level was determined by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometry. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to observe the fragmentation effect on plasma proteins. Ninhydrin method was used to examine the protein fragments. The scavenging capacity of hydroxyl radical by macromolecules was measured so as to estimate the extent of damage for proteins induced by MCO.
Results: (1) The AOPP level of the HSA and plasma specimens of the uremia patients increased along with the increase of cupric ion concentration in a dose-dependent manner, especially in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (P < 0.05). (2) Aggregation of proteins was almost negligible in all groups, however, HPLC showed that cupric ion with or without hydrogen peroxide increased the fragments in the HAS specimens (with a relative molecular mass of 5000) and uremia patients' plasma proteins (with the molecular mass 7000). (3) The plasma AOPP level of the healthy volunteers was 68.2 micromol/L +/- 2.4 micromol/L, significantly lower than that of the uremia patients (158.5 micromol/L +/- 8.2 micromol/L). (4) The scavenging ability to clear hydroxyl radical by plasma proteins of the healthy volunteers was 1.38 -9.03 times as higher than that of the uremia patients.
Conclusion: MCO contributes to the formation of AOPPs mainly through its fragmentation effect to proteins.