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Neopterin as an endogenous antioxidant
Author(s) -
Kojima Shuji,
Icho Takeshi,
Kajiwara Yoshio,
Kubota Kazuhiko
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(92)80610-s
Subject(s) - neopterin , chemistry , antioxidant , uric acid , xanthine oxidase , superoxide , endogeny , xanthine , biochemistry , in vitro , pharmacology , enzyme , medicine , biology
The in vitro potency of neopterin (NP) as an antioxidant and its in vivo activity to suppress alloxan‐induced diabetes were investigated. The reduced form of neopterin, 5,6,7,8‐tetrahydroneopterin (NPH‐4), showed an extremely high superoxide anion radical scavenging activity in two assay systems, i.e. xanthine/xanthine oxidase‐ and macrophage/phorbol myrislate acetate (PMA)‐reaction systems. NPH‐4 also inhibited the oxidation of linoleic acid about as effectively as uric acid. Furthermore, NPH‐4 and NP effectively suppressed alloxan‐induced mouse diabetes. These results suggest that pteridines play an important role as endogenous antioxidant.