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The antioxidant role of xanthurenic acid in the Aedes aegypti midgut during digestion of a blood meal.
- Source :
-
PloS one [PLoS One] 2012; Vol. 7 (6), pp. e38349. Date of Electronic Publication: 2012 Jun 11. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- In the midgut of the mosquito Aedes aegypti, a vector of dengue and yellow fever, an intense release of heme and iron takes place during the digestion of a blood meal. Here, we demonstrated via chromatography, light absorption and mass spectrometry that xanthurenic acid (XA), a product of the oxidative metabolism of tryptophan, is produced in the digestive apparatus after the ingestion of a blood meal and reaches milimolar levels after 24 h, the period of maximal digestive activity. XA formation does not occur in the White Eye (WE) strain, which lacks kynurenine hydroxylase and accumulates kynurenic acid. The formation of XA can be diminished by feeding the insect with 3,4-dimethoxy-N-[4-(3-nitrophenyl)thiazol-2-yl] benzenesulfonamide (Ro-61-8048), an inhibitor of XA biosynthesis. Moreover, XA inhibits the phospholipid oxidation induced by heme or iron. A major fraction of this antioxidant activity is due to the capacity of XA to bind both heme and iron, which occurs at a slightly alkaline pH (7.5-8.0), a condition found in the insect midgut. The midgut epithelial cells of the WE mosquito has a marked increase in occurrence of cell death, which is reversed to levels similar to the wild type mosquitoes by feeding the insects with blood supplemented with XA, confirming the protective role of this molecule. Collectively, these results suggest a new role for XA as a heme and iron chelator that provides protection as an antioxidant and may help these animals adapt to a blood feeding habit.
- Subjects :
- Aedes metabolism
Animals
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Female
Gastrointestinal Tract metabolism
Heme metabolism
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Iron metabolism
Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase antagonists & inhibitors
Mass Spectrometry
Molecular Structure
Sulfonamides pharmacology
Thiazoles pharmacology
Xanthurenates chemistry
Aedes physiology
Antioxidants metabolism
Chelating Agents metabolism
Digestion physiology
Gastrointestinal Tract physiology
Xanthurenates metabolism
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1932-6203
- Volume :
- 7
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- PloS one
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 22701629
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0038349