BACKGROUND Isoniazid (INH) is front-line anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs, which are usually prescribed to TB patients for a total period of 6 months. Antituberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity (ATDH) is a serious adverse reaction of TB treatment. It is reported that INH-induced hepatotoxicity is associated with oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) is the key enzyme for the p...

Oxidative stress induced by maternal diabetes plays an important role in the development of cardiac malformations. Zinc (Zn) supplementation of animals and humans has been shown to ameliorate oxidative stress induced by diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, the role of Zn in the prevention of oxidative stress induced by diabetic cardiac embryopathy remains unknown. We analyzed the preventive role o...

A facultative intracellular parasite Legionella pneumophila has two kinds of superoxide dismutase (SOD), iron-containing superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) and copper,zinc-containing one (Cu,Zn-SOD). We cloned both SOD genes of L. pneumophila and determined their DNA sequences. The Fe-SOD gene (sodB), isolated by functional complementation of a SOD-deficient Escherichia coli strain, encoded a protei...

Oxidative stress has been suggested to potentiate atherogenesis. However, studies that have investigated the effect of antioxidants on atherosclerosis showed inconsistent results, ie, atherosclerosis was either retarded or not changed by dietary antioxidants. This report directly examined the effect of overexpressing Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) and/or catalase on atherosclerosis and ...

Molecular Infectious Diseases Groupf Department of Paediatrics, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, S t Mary's Hospital, London Copperand zinc-containing superoxide dismutases ([Cu,Zn]-SODS) are generally considered almost exclusively eukaryotic enzymes, protecting the cytosol and extracellular compartments of higher organisms from damage by oxygen free-radicals. The recent de...

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) have a higher level of oxidative stress and exhibit a greater depressor response to a superoxide scavenger, tempol, than normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). This study determined whether an increase in oxidative stress with a superoxide/NO donor, molsidomine, would amplify the blood pressure in SHR. Male SHR and WKY were given molsidomine (30 mg.kg(-1).da...

Because of its capacity to rapidly convert superoxide to hydrogen peroxide, superoxide dismutase (SOD) is crucial in both intracellular signalling and regulation of oxidative stress. In this paper we report the cloning of a Cu/Zn SOD (designated as pfSOD) from the pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata) using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR. The full-length cDNA of this Cu/Zn SOD contains an...

Nectarin I, a protein that accumulates in the nectar of Nicotiana sp. , was determined to contain superoxide dismutase activity by colorimetric and in-gel assays. This activity was found to be remarkably thermostable. Extended incubations at temperatures up to 90 degrees C did not diminish the superoxide dismutase activity of nectarin I. This attribute allowed nectarin I to be purified to homog...