Oxygen free radicals and metallothionein

• Published in: Free Radical Biology and Medicine Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 325 - 337
• Main Authors: Sato, Masao, Bremner, Ian
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.03.1993; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Animals; Antioxidants - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon tetrachloride; Free Radical Scavengers; Free radicals; Free Radicals - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Lipid Peroxidation; Metalloproteins; Metallothionein; Metallothionein - chemistry; Metallothionein - metabolism; Metallothionein - pharmacology; Molecular Sequence Data; Other metalloproteins; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxidative stress; Paraquat; Proteins; Radical scavenger; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Stress, Physiological - metabolism; Vitamin E; Zinc; Oxidative stress; Free radicals; Vitamin E; Carbon tetrachloride; Lipid peroxidation; Paraquat; Radical scavenger; Metallothionein; Zinc; Human; Radical trapping; Induction; Detoxication; Biosynthesis; Review; Metalloproteins; Physicochemical properties; Free radical
• ISSN: 0891-5849; 1873-4596
• DOI: 10.1016/0891-5849(93)90029-T

It is generally accepted that the principal roles of metallothionein lie in the detoxification of heavy metals and regulation of the metabolism of essential trace metals. However, there is increasing evidence that it can act as a free radical scavenger. This article reviews that evidence supporting such a physiological role and describes induction of metallothionein synthesis by oxidative stress, possible mediators for this induction, and the radical scavenging capability of metallothionein in tissues and cells. The relationship between metallothionein and other antioxidant defense systems and the medical implications of the free radical scavenging properties of metallothionein are also discussed.