Protection of mammalian cells by o-phenanthroline from lethal and DNA-damaging effects produced by active oxygen species.

Active oxygen species are suspected as being a cause of the cellular damage that occurs at the site of inflammation. Phagocytic cells accumulate at these sites and produce superoxide ion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical. The ultimate killing species, the cellular target and the mechanism whereby the lethal injury is produced are unknown. We exposed mouse fibroblasts to xanthine oxidase and acetaldehyde, a system which mimics the membrane of phagocytic cells in terms of production of oxygen species. We observed that the generation of these species produced DNA strand breaks and cellular death. The metal chelator o-phenanthroline completely abolished the former effect, and at the same time it effectively protected the cells from lethal injuries. Because complexing iron o-phenanthroline prevents the formation of hydroxyl radical by the Fendon reaction (Fe(II) + H2O2----Fe(III) + OH- + OH.), it is proposed that most of the cell death and DNA damage are brought about by OH radical, produced from other species by iron-mediated reactions.