Publication
Title
Unraveling the permeation of reactive species across nitrated membranes by computer simulations
Author
Abstract
Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) are involved in many biochemical processes, including nitrooxidative stress that causes cancer cell death, observed in cancer therapies such as photodynamic therapy and cold atmospheric plasma. However, their mechanisms of action and selectivity still remain elusive due to the complexity of biological cells. For example, it is not well known how RONS generated by cancer therapies permeate the cell membrane to cause nitro-oxidative damage. There are many studies dedicated to the permeation of RONS across native and oxidized membranes, but not across nitrated membranes, another lipid product also generated during nitro-oxidative stress. Herein, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to calculate the free energy barrier of RONS permeation across nitrated membranes. Our results show that hydrophilic RONS, such as hydroperoxyl radical (HO2) and peroxynitrous acid (ONOOH), have relatively low barriers compared to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radical (HO), and are more prone to permeate the membrane than for the native or peroxidized membranes, and similar to aldehyde-oxidized membranes. Hydrophobic RONS like molecular oxygen (O2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO) even have insignificant barriers for permeation. Compared to native and peroxidized membranes, nitrated membranes are more permeable, suggesting that we must not only consider oxidized membranes during nitro-oxidative stress, but also nitrated membranes, and their role in cancer therapies.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Computers in biology and medicine. - Oxford
Publication
Oxford : 2021
ISSN
0010-4825
DOI
10.1016/J.COMPBIOMED.2021.104768
Volume/pages
136 (2021) , 14 p.
Article Reference
104768
ISI
000696938800003
Pubmed ID
34426173
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Plasma-based cancer treatment: Atomic level simulations.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 22.09.2021
Last edited 02.10.2024
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