Effects of radical scavenger protein from broad beans on glutathione status in human lung fibroblasts.

OBJECTIVE

Human diploid cells are more susceptible to oxidative stress at late passage than at early passage, presumably because of the decrease in cellular-reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration. Water-soluble protein (WSP) from broad beans scavenges free radicals. The effects of WSP on the glutathione system were examined in PDL 20 (early passage) and PDL 50 (late passage) human lung fibroblasts (TIG-1).

METHODS

To determine cytosolic glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, glutathione reductase (GR) activities, oxidized glutathione (GSSG) concentrations, and GSSG/reduced glutathione (GSH) ratios, WSP and hydrocortisone (HC) treatments of TIG-1 cells (PDL 20→50 and PDL 50→75) were performed for 40 days. We also investigated the GSSG concentrations and GR activities in PDL 20 cells that were continuously treated with WSP until PDL 39 and 55.

RESULTS

GSSG concentrations decreased in WSP- and HC-treated PDL 50→75 cells. The GSSG/GSH ratios in PDL 50→75 cells became low after the treatments. Increases in GR activities were observed in treated PDL 50→75 cells. The decline in the GSSG concentration of PDL 50→75 cells correlated with the increase in GR activity. The GSSG levels in control cells were higher following cellular age, whereas the levels in treated cells were lower than those in the control. The studies on cellular age-related changes indicated that greater increases in GR activity were found in treated cells than in the control.

CONCLUSION

These results indicated that WSP influences the GSSG concentration that is associated with cellular aging, but the mechanism of GSSG reduction by WSP remains unknown. The enhancement of glutathione status following WSP treatment may be related to the delay in the cellular aging.