Variable inhibitory effects on the formation of dinitrosyl iron complexes by deferoxamine and salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone in K562 cells.

A prerequisite of dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) formation is the presence of nitric oxide (NO), iron (Fe) and thiol/imidazole groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Fe chelators on the formation of DNIC in erythroid K562 cells. The cells were treated with lipophilic salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (SIH) (0.1 mM) and hydrophilic deferoxamine mesylate (DFO) (1 mM), a membrane permeable and non permeable Fe chelator, respectively. Dinitrosyl Fe complexes were generated by addition of 0.07 mM diethylamine NO. The DNIC formation was recorded using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Both chelators inhibited DNIC formation up to 50% after 6 hours of treatment. Taken together, our data suggest that an intracellular low molecular weight labile Fe pool (LIP) and protein-bound Fe participate in DNIC formation in K562 cells to a similar extent.