Oxidative modification of ferritin induced by hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

Excess free iron generates oxidative stress that may contribute to the pathogenesis of various causes of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we assessed the modification of ferritin induced by H2O2. When ferritin was incubated with H2O2, the degradation of ferritin L-chain increased with the H2O2 concentration whereas ferritin H-chain was remained. Free radical scavengers, azide, thiourea, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine suppressed the H2O2-mediated ferritin modification. The iron specific chelator, deferoxamine, effectively prevented H2O2-mediated ferritin degradation in modified ferritin. The release of iron ions from ferritin was increased in H2O2 concentration-dependent manner. The present results suggest that free radicals may play a role in the modification and iron releasing of ferritin by H2O2. It is assumed that oxidative damage of ferritin by H2O2 may induce the increase of iron content in cells and subsequently lead to the deleterious condition.