Journal article
High activity antioxidant enzymes protect flying-fox haemoglobin against damage: an evolutionary adaptation for flight?
Journal of Comparative Physiology B, Vol.176(8), pp.729-737
2006
PMID: 16758214
Abstract
Flying-foxes are better able to defend haemoglobin against autoxidation than non-volant mammals such as sheep. When challenged with the common physiological oxidant, hydrogen peroxide, haemolysates of flying-fox red blood cells (RBC) were far less susceptible to methaemoglobin formation than sheep. Challenge with 1-acetyl-2-phenylhydrazine (APH) caused only half as much methaemoglobin formation in flying-fox as in ovine haemolysates. When intact cells were challenged with phenazine methosulfate (PMS), flying-fox RBC partially reversed the oxidant damage, and reduced methaemoglobin from 40 to 20% over 2 h incubation, while ovine methaemoglobin remained at 40%. This reflected flying-fox cells' capacity to replenish GSH fast enough that it did not deplete beyond 50%, while ovine RBC GSH was depleted to around 20%. The greater capacity of flying-foxes to defend haemoglobin against oxidant damage may be explained in part by antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase and cytochrome-b ( 5 ) reductase having two- to four-fold higher activity than in sheep (P < 0.001). Further, their capacity to limit GSH depletion to 50% and reduce methaemoglobin (in the presence of glucose), despite ongoing exposure to PMS may result from having ten-fold higher activity of G6PD and 6PGD than sheep (P < 0.001), indicating the presence of a very efficient pentose phosphate pathway in flying-foxes.
Details
- Title
- High activity antioxidant enzymes protect flying-fox haemoglobin against damage: an evolutionary adaptation for flight?
- Authors
- Nicole Reinke (Author) - University of New EnglandG M O'Brien (Author) - University of New England
- Publication details
- Journal of Comparative Physiology B, Vol.176(8), pp.729-737
- Publisher
- Springer
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00360-006-0094-7
- ISSN
- 1432-136X
- PMID
- 16758214
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health - Biomedicine
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99695097502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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