Abstract
High field proton Hahn spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been employed to investigate radiolytic damage to biomolecules present in intact human body fluids. γ-Radiolysis of healthy or rheumatoid human serum (5.00 kGy) in the presence of atmospheric O 2 gave rise to reproducible elevations in the concentration of NMR-detectable acetate which are predominantly ascribable to the prior oxidation of lactate to pyruvate by hydroxyl radical (·OH) followed by oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate by radiolytically-generated hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) and/or further ·OH radical. Increases in the serum levels of non-protein-bound, low-molecular-mass components such as citrate and glutamine were also observed subsequent to γ-radiolysis, an observation which may reflect their mobilisation from protein binding-sites by ·OH radical, superoxide anion and/or H 2O 2. Moreover, substantial radiolytically-mediated elevations in the concentration of serum formate were also detectable. In addition to the above modifications, γ-radiolysis of inflammatory knee-joint synovial fluid (SF) generated a low-molecular-mass oligosaccharide species derived from the radiolytic fragmentation of hyaluronate. The radiolytically-mediated production of acetate in SF samples was markedly greater than that observed in serum samples, a consequence of the much higher levels of ·OH radical-scavenging lactate present. Indeed, increases in SF acetate concentration were detectable at doses as low as 48 Gy. We conclude that high field proton NMR analysis provides much useful information regarding the relative radioprotectant abilities of endogenous components and the nature, status and levels of radiolytic products generated in intact biofluids. We also suggest that NMR-detectable radiolytic products with associated toxicological properties (e.g. formate) may play a role in contributing to the deleterious effects observed following exposure of living organisms to sources of ionising radiation.
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