Epidemiological data suggest that dietary antioxidants play a protective role against cancer. This has led to the proposal that dietary supplementation with antioxidants such as vitamin C (vit C) may be useful in disease prevention. However, vit C has proved to be ineffective in cancer chemoprevention studies. In addition, concerns have been raised over potentially deleterious transition metal ion-mediated pro-oxidant effects. We have now determined that vit C induces lipid hydroperoxide decomposition to the DNA-reactive bifunctional electrophiles 4-oxo-2-nonenal, 4,5-epoxy-2(E)-decenal, and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. The compound 4,5-Epoxy-2(E)-decenal is a precursor of etheno-2'-deoxyadenosine, a highly mutagenic lesion found in human DNA. Vitamin C-mediated formation of genotoxins from lipid hydroperoxides in the absence of transition metal ions could help explain its lack of efficacy as a cancer chemoprevention agent.

The high demand for clean and renewable energy has fueled the exploration of advanced energy storage systems. As a potential alternative device for lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries (NIBs) have attracted extraordinary attention and are becoming a promising candidate for energy storage due to their low cost and high efficiency. Recent progress has demonstrated that metal sulfides (MSs) are very promising electrode candidates for efficient Na‐storage devices, because of their excellent redox reversibility and relatively high capacity. In this review, recent developments of MSs as anode materials for NIBs are presented. The corresponding electrochemical mechanisms are briefly discussed. We also present critical issues, challenges, and perspectives with the hope of providing a fuller understanding of the associated electrochemical processes. Such an understanding is critical for tailoring and designing metal sulfides with the desired activity and stability.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are environmental pollutants and suspected human lung carcinogens. In patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma, differential display shows that aldo-keto reductase (AKR1C) transcripts are dramatically overexpressed. However, whether AKR1C isoforms contribute to the carcinogenic process and oxidize potent PAH trans-dihydrodiols (proximate carcinogens) to reactive and redox active o-quinones is unknown; nor is it known whether these reactions occur in human lungs. We now show that four homogeneous human recombinant aldoketo reductases (AKR1C1-AKR1C4) are regioselective and oxidize only the relevant non-K region trans-dihydrodiols. However, these enzymes are not stereo-selective, since they oxidized 100% of these racemic substrates. The highest utilization ratios (V max /K m ) were observed for some of the most potent proximate carcinogens known (e.g. 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-3,4-diol (DMBA-3,4-diol) and benzo[g]chrysene-11,12-diol). In vitro, DMBA-3,4-diol was oxidized by AKR1C4 to the highly reactive 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-3,4-dione (DMBA-3,4-dione), which was trapped in situ as its mono-and bis-thioether conjugates, which arise from the sequential 1,6-and 1,4-Michael addition of thiol nucleophiles. Human multiple tissue expression array analysis showed that AKR1C isoform transcripts were highly expressed in the human lung carcinoma cell line A549. Isoform-specific reverse transcriptase-PCR showed that AKR1C1, AKR1C2, and AKR1C3 transcripts were all expressed. Western blot analysis and functional assays confirmed high expression of AKR1C protein and enzyme activity in these lung cells. A549 cell lysates were found to convert DMBA-3,4-diol to the corresponding o-quinone. In trapping experiments, LC/MS analysis identified peaks in the cell lysates that corresponded to the synthetically prepared mono-and bis-thioether conjugates of DMBA-3,4-dione. This quinone is one of the most electrophilic and redox-active o-quinones produced by AKRs. Its unique ability to form bis-thioether conjugates parallels the formation of bis-and tris-glutathionyl conjugates of hydroquinone, which display end organ toxicity. The ability to measure DMBA-3,4-dione formation in A549 cells implicates the AKR pathway in the metabolic activation of PAH in human lung. PAHs1 are ubiquitous environmental pollutants and are tobacco carcinogens implicated in the causation of human lung cancer. PAHs are metabolically activated to exert their deleterious effects. Three principal pathways have been proposed for PAH activation and are shown for the representative compound BP (Fig. 1).The first pathway involves the formation of radical cations catalyzed by P450 peroxidases (1). Radical cations form N-7 guanine-depurinating DNA adducts, a process that can lead to G to T transversions in ras (2, 3).In the second pathway, PAHs are activated by members of the CYP superfamily to form an arene oxide on the terminal benzo-ring; subsequent hydrolysis by epoxide hydrolase results in the formation of non-K reg...

Li–O2 batteries have received much attention due to their extremely large theoretical energy density. However, the high overpotentials required for charging Li–O2 batteries lower their energy efficiency and degrade the electrolytes and carbon electrodes. This problem is one of the main obstacles in developing practical Li–O2 batteries. To solve this problem, it is important to facilitate the oxidation of Li2O2 upon charging by using effective electrocatalysis. Using solid catalysts is not too effective for oxidizing the electronically isolating Li‐peroxide layers. In turn, for soluble catalysts, red‐ox mediators (RMs) are homogeneously dissolved in the electrolyte solutions and can effectively oxidize all of the Li2O2 precipitated during discharge. RMs can decompose solid Li2O2 species no matter their size, morphology, or thickness and thus dramatically increase energy efficiency. However, some negative side effects, such as the shuttle reactions of RMs and deterioration of the Li‐metal occur. Therefore, it is necessary to study the activity and stability of RMs in Li–O2 batteries in detail. Herein, recent studies related to redox mediators are reviewed and the mechanisms of redox reactions are illustrated. The development opportunities of RMs for this important battery technology are discussed and future directions are suggested.

Fe(II)-mediated decomposition of 13-[S-(Z,E)]-9, 11-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic (hydroperoxylinoleic) acid resulted in the formation of three alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes. At low Fe(II) concentrations or at early time points after the addition of Fe(II), two major products were observed. The least polar product had chromatographic properties that were identical with those of 4-oxo-2-nonenal. Conversion of this product to its bis-oxime derivative with hydroxylamine hydrochloride resulted in two syn- and two anti-oxime isomers that had chromatographic and mass spectral properties identical with the properties of products derived from an authentic standard of 4-oxo-2-nonenal. This confirmed for the first time that 4-oxo-2-nonenal is a major product of the Fe(II)-mediated breakdown of lipid hydroperoxides. The more polar product had chromatographic properties that were similar to those of 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal. LC/MS analysis of its syn- and anti-oxime isomers confirmed this structural assignment. Thus, 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal is a previously unrecognized major product of lipid hydroperoxide decomposition. At high Fe(II) concentrations and at longer incubation times, a third more polar product was observed with chromatographic properties that were identical to those of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. The syn- and anti-oxime isomers had chromatographic and mass spectral properties identical with the properties of products derived from an authentic standard of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. It appears that 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal is formed initially and that it is then converted to 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in the presence of high Fe(II) concentrations or by extended incubations in the presence of low Fe(II) concentrations. It is conceivable that some of the 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal is also converted to 4-oxo-2-nonenal. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that it is also formed by a concerted mechanism from a rearrangement product of 13-[S-(Z,E)]-9, 11-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid.