Effects of endogenous neurotoxin quinolinic acid on reactive oxygen species production by Fenton reaction catalyzed by iron or copper

The tryptophan metabolite, quinolinic (2,3-pyridinedicarboxylic) acid, is known as an endogenous neurotoxin. Quinolinic acid can form coordination complexes with iron or copper. The effects of quinolinic acid on reactive oxygen species production in the presence of iron or copper were explored by a combination of chemical assays, classical site-specific and ascorbic acid-free variants of the deoxyribose degradation assay, and mass spectrometry (ESI–MS). Quinolinic acid showed evident antioxidant activity in chemical assays, but the effect was more pronounced in the presence of copper as transition metal catalyst than in presence of iron. Nano-ESI–MS confirmed the ability of quinolinic acid to form coordination complexes with iron(II) or copper(II) and quinolinic acid stability against oxidative attack by hydroxyl radicals. The results illustrate a highly milieu-dependent quinolinic acid chemistry when it enters reactions as competitive ligand.