Antioxidant Effects of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors: Free Radical and Oxidant Scavenging are Sulfhydryl Dependent, but Lipid Peroxidation is Inhibited by Both Sulfhydryl- and Nonsulfhydryl-Containing ACE Inhibitors

Abstract

With an assay that generates free radicals (FR) through photooxidation of dianisidine sensitized by riboflavin, 4 x 10(-5) M captopril, epicaptopril (SQ 14,534, captopril's stereoisomer), zofenopril, and fentiapril [all sulfhydryl (-SH)-containing angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors] were shown effective scavengers of nonsuperoxide free radicals whereas non-SH ACE inhibitors were not. Captopril was a more effective FR scavenger at pH 5.0 than at pH 7.5. Captopril (2 x 10(-5) M) also scavenged the other toxic oxygen species hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen and inhibited microsomal lipid peroxidation. Finally, captopril reduced the amount of superoxide anion-radical detected after neutrophils in whole blood were activated with zymosan, probably by inhibiting leukocyte superoxide production.