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Event: 2120
Key Event Title
Superoxide generation, increased
Short name
Superoxide, a reactive oxygen radical, is generated by incomplete (1-electron) reduction of molecular oxygen, O2. It is generated in, amongst other locations, the mitochondrial matrix, by the operation of the electron transport chain. Electron transport-mediated generation of superoxide is a quantitatively important route of generation. Superoxide has important cellular signalling functions but, being highly reactive, excess generation can result in damage to mitochondrial macromolecules with consequent deleterious impact on the cell (Murphy, 2009).
Mitochondrial superoxide is difficult to measure because of the high activity of superoxide dismutase in the mitochondrial matrix, which rapidly catalyses the dismutation of superoxide to O2 and hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, so measurement of mitochondrial superoxide is not routinely performed. Purified mitochondrial proteins can be manipulated so as to produce superoxide, but this is of limited physiological relevance. However, the H2O2 generated by dismutation within the mitochondrial matrix diffuses rapidly to the exterior, meaning that H2O2 generation by isolated mitochondria can be used to measure superoxide generation (Murphy, 2009).
| ID | Experimental Effect | Biological Object | Biological Process | Method of Measurement | Notes | Evidence Source ID | Citation (first author, year) |
|---|
| ID | Stressor | Sample (short_name) | Assay | Effect |
|---|
| Process | Object | Action |
|---|---|---|
| respiratory electron transport chain | superoxide | increased |
| Level of Biological Organization |
|---|
| Cellular |
Cell term
| Cell term |
|---|
| eukaryotic cell |
Organ term
AOPs Including This Key Event
| AOP Name | Role of event in AOP | Point of Contact | Author Status | OECD Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Succinate dehydrogenase inhibition leading to increased insulin resistance | KeyEvent | Evgeniia Kazymova (send email) | Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite |
Taxonomic Applicability
| Term | Scientific Term | Evidence | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| mammals | mammals | High | NCBI |
Life Stages
| Life stage | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Adult | High |
Sex Applicability
| Term | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Mixed | High |
The mitochondrial generation of superoxide is widespread in aerobic cells (Murphy, 2009).
Murphy, H.P. (2009), "How mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species", Biochemical Journal, Vol 417, pp1-13