Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: CAS:17528-72-2 (Tetrahydrobiopterin)
 352 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In the presence of tyrosine, phenylalanine hydroxylase, which has been activated with lysolecithin, catalyzes the oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin at a rate 10-20% that of the parallel reaction with phenylalanine. Unlike the reaction with phenylalanine, there is no net concomitant hydroxylation of tyrosine, although the amino acid is still a necessary component. Tyrosine appears to form an abortive complex with the activated enzyme, the pterin cofactor and molecular oxygen. The Km for tetrahydrobiopterin is identical for the reactions with phenylalanine and tyrosine, whereas the Km for tyrosine is approximately 3 1/2 times greater than the Km for phenylalanine. The tyrosine-dependent oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin proceeds at both pH 6.8 and 8.2 and shows a similar dependence on the pH as that of the physiological reaction. Tetrahydrobiopterin can be replaced by the artificial cofactor, 6-methyltetrahydropterin, in the tyrosine-dependent oxidation at both pH 6.8 and 8.2. As in the parallel reaction with phenylalanine, both the Km for the cofactor and the Km for the aromatic amino acid increase with this substitution.
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PMID:The tyrosine-dependent oxidation of tetrahydropterins by lysolecithin-activated rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase. 318 48

A Clark-type nitric oxide-sensitive electrode was used for electrochemical determination of NO oxidation kinetics. Reaction with molecular oxygen followed second-order rate law with respect to NO with an overall rate constant of 9.2 +/- 0.33 x 10(6) M-2 s-1. Tetrahydrobiopterin, an essential cofactor of NO synthases, was found to induce rapid oxidation of NO in a 1:1 stoichiometry. The reaction required the presence of oxygen, was zero order with respect to NO and first order with respect to tetrahydrobiopterin, completely blocked by 5,000 units/ml superoxide dismutase, and mimicked by a superoxide-generating system. Purified brain NO synthase produced no detectable NO unless high amounts of superoxide dismutase were present. NO synthase-catalyzed citrulline formation was inhibited by superoxide dismutase (5,000 units/ml) in an oxyhemoglobin-sensitive manner, indicating that NO induces feedback inhibition of NO synthase. NO-stimulated soluble guanylyl cyclase was inhibited by tetrahydrobiopterin at half-maximally active concentrations of 2 microM. The present data suggest that NO is inactivated to peroxynitrite by superoxide generated in the course of tetrahydrobiopterin autoxidation.
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PMID:Kinetics and mechanism of tetrahydrobiopterin-induced oxidation of nitric oxide. 752 63

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is the cofactor for the aromatic amino acid monoxygenase group of enzymes and for all known isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Inborn errors of BH4 metabolism lead to hyperphenylalaninaemia and impaired catecholamine and serotonin turnover. The effects of BH4 deficiency on brain nitric oxide (NO) metabolism are not known. In this study we have used the hph-1 mouse, which displays GTP cyclohydrolase deficiency, to study the effects of BH4 deficiency on brain NOS. In the presence of exogenous BH4, NOS specific activity was virtually identical in the control and hph-1 preparations. However, omission of BH4 from the reaction buffer led to a significant 20% loss of activity in the hph-1 preparations only. The Km for arginine was virtually identical for the control and hph-1 NOS when BH4 was present in the reaction buffer. In the absence of cofactor, the Km for arginine was 3-fold greater for control and 5-fold greater for hph-1 preparations. It is concluded that (a) BH4 does not regulate the intracellular concentration of brain NOS; (b) less binding of BH4 to NOS occurs in BH4 deficiency states; (c) BH4 has a potent effect on the affinity of NOS for arginine; and (d) the availability of arginine for NOS activity may become severely limiting in BH4 deficiency states. Since, in the presence of suboptimal concentrations of BH4 or arginine, NOS may additionally form oxygen free-radicals, it is postulated that in severe BH4 deficiency states NO formation is impaired and the central nervous system is subjected to increased oxidative stress.
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PMID:Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency and brain nitric oxide synthase in the hph1 mouse. 754 13

Brain NO (nitric oxide) synthase contains FAD, FMN, heme, and tetrahydrobiopterin as prosthetic groups and represents a multi-functional oxidoreductase catalyzing oxidation of L-arginine to NO and L-citrulline, formation of H2O2, and reduction of cytochrome c. We show that substrate analogues and inhibitors interacting with the heme block both the reductive activation of oxygen and the oxidation of L-arginine without affecting cytochrome c reduction. We further demonstrate that N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine is an intermediate in enzymatic NO synthesis. The ratio of L-citrulline to free N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine was > or = 50 under various assay conditions, but could markedly be reduced down to 4 by redox active inhibitors. Brain NO synthase is shown to utilize both L-arginine and N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine for the formation of stoichiometric amounts of NO and L-citrulline. Tetrahydrobiopterin equally enhanced reaction rates from either substrate (approximately 5-fold), but its rate accelerating effects were only observed at NADPH concentrations > or = 3 microM. In the absence of L-arginine or tetrahydrobiopterin, brain NO synthase catalyzes the generation of H2O2. We now show that, in contrast to L-arginine, N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine fully blocked H2O2 formation in the absence of exogenous tetrahydrobiopterin, indicating that N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine is a direct inhibitor of enzymatic oxygen activation. Based on these data, a hypothetical mechanism of enzymatic NO formation is discussed.
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PMID:Multiple catalytic functions of brain nitric oxide synthase. Biochemical characterization, cofactor-requirement, and the role of N omega-hydroxy-L-arginine as an intermediate. 768 5

In hypercholesterolemia, impaired nitric oxide activity has been associated with increased nitric oxide degradation by oxygen radicals. Deficiency of tetrahydrobiopterin, an essential cofactor of nitric oxide synthase, causes both impaired nitric oxide activity and increased oxygen radical formation. In this study we tested whether tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency contributes to the decreased nitric oxide activity observed in hypercholesterolemic patients. Therefore, L-mono-methyl-arginine to inhibit basal nitric oxide activity, serotonin to stimulate nitric oxide activity, and nitroprusside as endothelium-independent vasodilator were infused in the brachial artery of 13 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and 13 matched controls. The infusions were repeated during coinfusion of L-arginine (200 microg/kg/min), tetrahydrobiopterin (500 microg/min), or the combination of both compounds. Forearm vasomotion was assessed using forearm venous occlusion plethysmography and expressed as ratio of blood flow between measurement and control arm (M/C ratio). Tetrahydrobiopterin infusion alone did not alter M/C ratio. Both the attenuated L-mono-methyl-arginine-induced vasoconstriction as well as the impaired serotonin-induced vasodilation were restored in patients during tetrahydrobiopterin infusion. Tetrahydrobiopterin had no effect in controls. In conclusion, this study demonstrates restoration of endothelial dysfunction by tetrahydrobiopterin suppletion in hypercholesterolemic patients.
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PMID:Tetrahydrobiopterin restores endothelial function in hypercholesterolemia. 901 74

Tetrahydrobiopterin is an essential co-factor required for catalytic activity of nitric oxide synthases. A close link between tetrahydrobiopterin and nitric oxide synthesis has been recently demonstrated in a number of different cell types, including endothelial cells. The precise role of tetrahydrobiopterin in regulation of nitric oxide synthase activity is not completely understood; however, it may function as both an allosteric and redox co-factor. In peripheral and cerebral arteries, administration of tetrahydrobiopterin can stimulate production of nitric oxide. By contrast, in arteries depleted of tetrahydrobiopterin, nitric oxide production is impaired. Evidence indicates that, under certain pathological conditions, decreased availability of tetrahydrobiopterin may be responsible for a dysfunction of nitric oxide synthase leading to a shift in the balance between the production of protective nitric oxide and deleterious oxygen-derived free radicals. This concept may have important implications in understanding the mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction and oxidative vascular injury described in a number of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis. This review will discuss the complex interaction between tetrahydrobiopterin and nitric oxide synthase and its role in the control of vascular tone.
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PMID:Tetrahydrobiopterin and endothelial function. 971 48

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is one of the cofactors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and the synthesis of BH4 is induced as well as inducible NOS (iNOS) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and/or cytokines. BH4 has a protective effect against the cytotoxicity induced by nitric oxide (NO) and/or reactive oxygen species in various types of cells. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not an excess of BH4 is present during the production of NO by iNOS in LPS-treated de-endothelialized rat aorta. Addition of LPS (10 microg/ml) to the aorta bath solution caused L-arginine (L-Arg)-induced relaxation from 1.5 hr after the addition of LPS in de-endothelialized rat aorta pre-contracted with 30 mM KCl. The L-Arg-induced relaxation was prevented by NOS inhibitors. BH4 content also increased from 3 hr after the addition of LPS. mRNAs of iNOS and GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH), a rate-limiting enzyme of BH4 synthesis, were increased from 1.5 hr after addition of LPS. Although the expression of iNOS and GTPCH mRNAs was observed in the media, the expression levels in the media were much lower than those in the adventitia. Ten millimolar 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine (DAHP), an inhibitor of GTPCH, strongly reduced L-Arg-induced relaxation, and decreased BH4 content to below the basal level in LPS-treated aorta, whereas 0.5 mM DAHP reduced the LPS-induced increase in BH4 content to the basal level but did not affect L-Arg-induced relaxation. The inhibition of L-Arg-induced relaxation by 10 mM DAHP was overcome by the addition of BH4 (10 microM). These results suggest that although BH4 is essential for NO production from iNOS, the increase in BH4 content above the basal level is not needed for eliciting L-Arg-induced relaxation by the treatment with LPS. Thus, an excess amount of BH4 may be synthesized during NO production by iNOS in LPS-treated rat aorta.
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PMID:Presence of excess tetrahydrobiopterin during nitric oxide production from inducible nitric oxide synthase in LPS-treated rat aorta. 1062 66

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and a scavenger of oxygen-derived free radicals. Decreased availability of BH4 leads, under in vitro conditions, to reduced nitric oxide (NO) production and increased superoxide formation. We studied the effect of exogenous BH4 on endothelial function of angiographically normal vessel segments in patients with coronary artery disease. Nineteen patients with coronary artery disease underwent quantitative coronary angiography with simultaneous coronary flow velocity measurements (Cardiometrics FloWire). Data were obtained in angiographically normal segments of the left coronary artery at baseline, after intracoronary (i.c.) administration of acetylcholine (Ach; 10(-4) M), after infusion of BH4 (10(-2) M), and after co-infusion of ACh and BH4. At the end of the study, 300 microg nitroglycerin (NTG) i.c. was administered to obtain maximal vasodilation. At each step, flow velocity was determined before and after 18 microg adenosine i.c. to assess coronary flow velocity reserve. In 15 patients, ACh induced coronary vasoconstriction of -18 +/- 3% (endothelial dysfunction; p < 0.0001 vs. baseline), and in four patients, vasodilation of +39 +/- 20%. In the 15 patients with endothelial dysfunction, BH4 alone did not influence vessel area but prevented vasoconstriction to ACh (+2 +/- 3%, NS, vs. baseline). Correspondingly, calculated volume flow showed the highest value after co-infusion of ACh and BH4. Coronary flow velocity reserve was comparable during the various infusion steps. BH4 prevents ACh-induced vasoconstriction of angiographically normal vessels in patients with coronary artery disease. Thus substitution of this cofactor of NOS may represent a new approach for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction.
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PMID:Tetrahydrobiopterin improves endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease. 1067 47

The underlying cause of the selective death of the nigral dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease is not fully understood. Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is synthesized exclusively in the monoaminergic, including dopaminergic, cells and serves as an endogenous and obligatory cofactor for syntheses of dopamine and nitric oxide. Because BH4 contributes to the syntheses of these two potential oxidative stressors and also undergoes autoxidation, thereby producing reactive oxygen species, it was possible that BH4 may play a role in the selective vulnerability of dopaminergic cells. BH4 given extracellularly was cytotoxic to catecholamine cells CATH. a, SK-N-BE(2)C, and PC12, but not to noncatecholamine cells RBL-2H3, CCL-64, UMR-106-01, or TGW-nu-1. This was not caused by increased dopamine or nitric oxide, because inhibition of their syntheses did not attenuate the damage and BH4 did not raise their cellular levels. Dihydrobiopterin and biopterin were not toxic, indicating that the fully reduced form is responsible. The toxicity was caused by generation of reactive oxygen species, because catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase protected the cells from the BH4-induced demise. Furthermore, thiol agents, such as reduced glutathione, dithiothreitol, beta-mercaptoethanol, and N-acetylcysteine were highly protective. The BH4 toxicity was initiated extracellularly, because elevation of intracellular BH4 by sepiapterin did not result in cell damage. BH4 was spontaneously released from the cells of its synthesis to a large extent, and the release was not further enhanced by calcium influx. This BH4-induced cytotoxicity may represent a mechanism by which selective degeneration of dopaminergic terminals and neurons occur.
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PMID:Tetrahydrobiopterin is released from and causes preferential death of catecholaminergic cells by oxidative stress. 1095 58

Tetrahydrobiopterin is one of the most potent naturally occurring reducing agents and an essential cofactor required for enzymatic activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The exact role of tetrahydrobiopterin in the control of NOS catalytic activity is not completely understood. Existing evidence suggests that it can act as allosteric and redox cofactors. Suboptimal concentration of tetrahydrobiopterin reduces formation of nitric oxide and favors "uncoupling" of NOS leading to NOS-mediated reduction of oxygen and formation of superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide. Recent findings suggest that accelerated catabolism of tetrahydrobiopterin in arteries exposed to oxidative stress may contribute to pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction present in arteries exposed to hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, smoking, and ischemia-reperfusion. Beneficial effects of acute and chronic tetrahydrobiopterin supplementation on endothelial function have been reported in experimental animals and humans. Furthermore, it appears that beneficial effects of some antioxidants (e.g., vitamin C) on vascular function could be mediated via increased intracellular concentration of tetrahydrobiopterin. In this review, the potential role of tetrahydrobiopterin in the pathogenesis of vascular endothelial dysfunction and mechanisms underlying beneficial vascular effects of tetrahydrobiopterin will be discussed.
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PMID:Vascular endothelial dysfunction: does tetrahydrobiopterin play a role? 1151 62


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