CHAIN-BREAKING ANTIOXIDANTS AND FERRIHEME-BOUND DRUGS ARE SYNERGISTICINHIBITORS OF ERYTHROCYTE-MEMBRANE PEROXIDATION

Induced erythrocyte membrane peroxidation (EMP) is considered as an ac curate model of reperfusion injuries and as such was used to investiga te protective effects of various drugs. EMP was induced by an azo init iator and monitored by oxygen uptake. Both hydrophilic (ascorbic acid) and lipophilic (alpha-tocopherol, probucol, nicanartine) chain-breaki ng antioxidants as well as ferriheme-bound drugs (deferoxamine, chloro quine) inhibited EMP. When antioxidants and ferriheme-bound drugs were combined, synergistic effects were observed. It is proposed that ferr iheme compounds which catalyse peroxide induced lipid peroxidation wer e blocked by deferoxamine and/or chloroquine. So these drugs inhibited at least partly the membrane peroxidation process and added their eff ects to the ones of chain-breaking antioxidants.