Oxidative Stress Causes Intracellular Reversible S-Thiolation of Chicken Hemoglobin under Diamide and Xanthine Oxidase Treatment

Time courses of total (GSH-t), disulfide (GSSG), and mixed disulfide (PSSG) forms of glutathione were studied in chicken blood submitted to oxidative stress induced by diamide or by the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-producing system xanthine/xanthine oxidase (X/XO). Diamide-treated blood induced an immediate increase in GSSG and PSSG, while X/XO produced a slow and sustained stress with increased values of GSSG and PSSG only after 30 and/or 60 min of incubation. Both total protein S-thiolation (mixed disulfide with glutathione) and dethiolation and hemoglobin A S-thiolation and dethiolation were clearly observed. Hemoglobin A (Hb A) was the major S-thiolated protein. We further characterized chicken Hb S-thiolation through the reaction of Hb with GSSG or the GSH/GSSG redox couple. Methemoglobin levels did not change with diamide or with X/XO treatment. Present results suggest that the most reactive cysteine pair of Hb A, the major chicken Hb, might function as an antioxidant underin vivooxidative stress conditions.