Neutrophil Antioxidant Capacity During the Respiratory Burst: Loss of Glutathione Induced by Chloramines

Low-molecular weight antioxidants in rat peritoneal neutrophils undergo rapid redox recycling, so measurements were made of their initial content and subsequent changes during the respiratory burst, when superoxide formation is maximized. Endogenous vitamin E, ascorbate and total glutathione (reduced + oxidized) were not significantly changed during 30 min of respiratory burst, which was stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). When de novo synthesis of glutathione was inhibited by buthionine-[S,R] sulfoximine (BSO), the glutathione content rapidly decreased in activated neutrophils but not in resting cells. The lost total glutathione was recovered neither from the incubation medium nor as a protein-bound form, which suggests that irreversible oxidation of glutathione occurs. Furthermore, the glutathione loss continues even 30 min after PMA stimulation, when the respiratory burst has almost ceased. The decrease of glutathione was prevented by added catalase, or by addition of NaN3 or KCN which inhibits myeloperoxidase (MPO). Superoxide dismutase had no protective effects. These findings suggest the involvement of an MPO-H2O2-halide system in the accelerated consumption of glutathione during the respiratory burst. Additional studies showed that neutrophil-derived chloramines found in the extracellular medium could lead to intracellular glutathione loss. Incubation of resting cells with chemically produced membrane permeable monochloramine in the presence of BSO resulted in a decrease of glutathione, whereas membrane-impermeable taurine-chloramine was less effective. We conclude that chloramines are responsible for accelerated glutathione turnover in neutrophils during the respiratory burst. Permeable extracellular chloramines derived from the respiratory burst activity, such as monochloramine, can reenter cells and react with thiols.