Oxidative resistance of Na/K-ATPase.

1. Oxidative modification of Na/K-ATPase from brain and kidney has been studied. Brain enzyme has been found to be more sensitive than kidney enzyme to inhibition by both H2O2 and NaOCl. 2. The inhibition of Na/K-ATPase correlates well with the decrease in a number of SH groups, suggesting that the latter belong mainly to ATPase protein and are essential for the enzyme activity. We suggest that the differences in the number, location, and accessibility of SH groups in Na/K-ATPase isozymes predict their oxidative stability. 3. The hydrophilic natural antioxidant carnosine, the hydrophobic natural antioxidant alpha-tocopherol, and the synthetic antioxidant ionol as well as the ferrous ion chelating agent deferoxamine were found to protect Na/K-ATPase from oxidation by different concentrations of H2O2. The data suggest that these antioxidants are effective due to their ability to neutralize or to prevent formation of hydroxyl radicals.