11 - Reaction of Ubiquinols with Nitric Oxide

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This chapter surveys some aspects of the general redox properties of ubiquinols and free radicals, with emphasis on nitric oxide (NO), their interaction, and the fates of the ubisemiquinone radical thereby derived, as well as the biological significance of these processes in all ubiquinone-containing membranes. Coenzyme Q or ubiquinone-10 is a redox component present in all mammalian cell membranes. In the inner mitochondrial membrane, ubiquinone plays a key role in shuttling electrons from complexes I and II to complex III (cytochrome b-c1 segment) of the respiratory chain. In extramitochondrial membranes, ubiquinone may function in its reduced form (ubiquinol) as an antioxidant protecting unsaturated fatty acids from peroxidative damage. A comprehensive description of the antioxidant functions of ubiquinol requires consideration of the participation of its one-electron oxidation product, ubiseminquinone, in oxygen radical production, resulting in possible pro-oxidant effects.

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