Deuterium Incorporation Protects Cells from Oxidative Damage.

Abstract

In the cold environments of the interstellar medium, a variety of molecules in which a hydrogen (H) atom has been replaced by its heavier isotope deuterium (D) can be found. From its emergence, life had to counteract the toxic action of many agents, which posed a constant threat to its development and propagation. Oxygen-reactive species are archaic toxicants that lead to protein damage and genomic instability. Most of the oxidative lesions involve cleavage of C-H bonds and H abstraction. According to free radical chemistry principles, the substitution of D for H in oxidation-sensitive positions of cellular components should confer protection against the oxidative attack without compromising the chemical identity of the compounds. Here, we show that deuterated nucleosides and proteins protect from oxidative damage. Our data suggest a new, subtle but likely role of D in terrestrial life's evolution in that its inclusion in critical biomolecules might have facilitated their resistance during the infinite generations of life entities, cells, and organisms.

• Authors: Piero Sestili, Maurizio Brigotti, Cinzia Calcabrini, Eleonora Turrini, Valentina Arfilli, Domenica Carnicelli, Marco Lucarini, Andrea Mazzanti, Andrea Milelli, Valeria Righi, Carmela Fimognari
• Journal: Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity (Oxid Med Cell Longev) Vol. 2019 Pg. 6528106 ( 2019) ISSN: 1942-0994 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 31396304 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Free Radicals
• Glycation End Products, Advanced
• Nucleosides
• Proteins
• Deuterium

Topics

• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Cell-Free System
• DNA Damage (drug effects)
• Deuterium (chemistry)
• Free Radicals (chemistry)
• Glycation End Products, Advanced (analysis)
• Humans
• Jurkat Cells
• Nucleosides (chemistry, metabolism, pharmacology)
• Oxidative Stress (drug effects)
• Protein Carbonylation
• Proteins (chemistry, metabolism)