Superoxide dismutase activity of the naturally occurring human serum albumin-copper complex without hydroxyl radical formation.

The superoxide radical anion (O2(.-)) is biologically toxic and contributes to the pathogenesis of various diseases. Here we describe the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of human serum albumin (HSA) complexed with a single Cu(II) ion at the N-terminal end (HSA-Cu complex). The structure of this naturally occurring copper-coordinated blood serum protein has been characterized by several physicochemical measurements. The O2(.-) dismutation ability of the HSA-Cu (1:1) complex is almost the same as that of the well-known SOD mimics, such as Mn(III) -tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium)porphyrin. Interestingly, the HSA-Cu complex does not induce a subsequent Fenton reaction to produce the hydroxyl radical (OH(.)), which is one of the most harmful reactive oxygen species.