J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 27, 12472-12476, Sep, 1986
Iron mediates paraquat toxicity in Escherichia coli
P Korbashi, R Kohen, J Katzhendler and M Chevion
The role of iron ions in paraquat toxicity was studied in bacterial system.
We show that addition of ferrous iron led to an enhancement of the
bacterial killing, whereas addition of chelating agents, such as
nitrilotriacetate and desferrioxamine, markedly reduced, up to a total
abolishment, the toxic effects. The calculated rates of bacterial killing
are proportional to both paraquat and iron concentrations, and conform to
the rate equation: dN/dt = -k[paraquat] [Fe2+]. The killing constant for
iron, k, is 24-fold smaller than the corresponding value for copper.
Mannitol, an OH. scavenger, has a partial protective effect: 15-35% at
concentrations range of 1-50 mM, respectively. Histidine, on the other
hand, provided a more efficient protection that may be due to a combination
of various effects. Induction of endogenous superoxide dismutase and
catalase provided partial protection (about 25%). These findings, together
with an earlier study on the role of copper in paraquat toxicity (Kohen,
R., and Chevion, M. (1985) Free Rad. Res. Commun. 1, 79-88) indicate that
transition metals play a central catalytic role in the production of the
deleterious effects of paraquat, probably by redox cycling and producing
OH. via the site- specific Fenton reaction.