The role of mitochondrial manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) in the maintenance of vascular function has not yet been studied. Thus we examined flow- and agonist-induced dilations in isolated mesenteric arteries (approximately 90 microm in diameter) of Mn-SOD heterozygous (Mn-SOD+/-) and wild-type (WT) mice. Increases in flow elicited dilations in all vessels, but the magnitude of the dila...

Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is the major extracellular antioxidant enzyme. We have determined the primary structure of mouse EC-SOD by characterization of complementary DNA (cDNA) clones and by amino-acid sequence analysis of purified protein. cDNA sequence analysis indicates that mouse EC-SOD is synthesized as a 251-amino-acid precursor protein with a predicted molecular weight...

Nitroxides are the most important metal-independent superoxide dismutase mimics. They act as antioxidants mainly by reacting with superoxide. Nitroxides are low molecular weight, cell membrane permeable, and relatively stable radicals. The SOD-mimic activities of nitroxides are catalytic processes in which nitroxides and their oxidized form exchange among themselves without depletion of nitroxi...

Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is an antioxidant abundant in the lung. Previous studies demonstrated depletion of lung parenchymal EC-SOD in mouse models of interstitial lung disease coinciding with an accumulation of EC-SOD in airspaces. EC-SOD sticks to the matrix by a proteolytically sensitive heparin-binding domain; therefore, we hypothesized that interstitial inflammation and ...

The antioxidant enzyme extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is abundant in the lung and is known to limit inflammation and fibrosis following numerous pulmonary insults. Previous studies have reported a loss of full-length EC-SOD from the pulmonary parenchyma with accumulation of proteolyzed EC-SOD in the airspace after an interstitial lung injury. However, following airspace only inflam...

To investigate the possible role of the superoxide radical and its scavenging system in the human endometrium, the immunohistochemical distribution of superoxide dismutase (SOD), activities of SOD and lipid peroxide concentrations were studied in the human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle and in early pregnancy. The endometrial epithelium showed a positive immunostaining for Cu, Zn-SO...

A facultative intracellular parasite Legionella pneumophila has two kinds of superoxide dismutase (SOD), iron-containing superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) and copper,zinc-containing one (Cu,Zn-SOD). We cloned both SOD genes of L. pneumophila and determined their DNA sequences. The Fe-SOD gene (sodB), isolated by functional complementation of a SOD-deficient Escherichia coli strain, encoded a protei...