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Active oxygen species
Institute of Cellular
Regulation Technology, Graduate School of Genetic Resources Technology,
Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-81, Japan,
Water Institute, Nisshin Building 9F, 2-5-10 Shinjuku, Tokko 160,
Japan; and **Nihon Trim Co. Ltd.,
Meiji Seimei Jusou Building 6F, 1-2-13
Shinkitatno, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532, Japan
Received March 21. 1997
Active oxygen species or free radicals are considered to cause extensive
oxidative damage to biological macromolecules, which brings about a variety of
diseases as well as aging. The ideal scavenger for active oxygen should be
'active hydrogen'. 'Active hydrogen' can be produced in reduced water near the
cathode during electrolysis of water. Reduced water exhibits high pH, low
dissolved oxygen (DO), extremely high dissolved molecular hydrogen (DH), and
extremely negative redox potential (RP) values. Strongly electrolyzed-reduced
water, as well as ascorbic acid, (+)-catechin and tannic acid, completely
scavenged O·2 produced by the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase (HX-XOD) system in
sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity
of reduced water is stable at 4º C for over a month and was not lost even after
neutralization, repeated freezing and melting, deflation with sonication,
vigorous mixing, boiling, repeated filtration, or closed autoclaving, but was
lost by opened autoclaving or by closed autoclaving in the presence of tungsten
trioxide which efficiently adsorbs active atomic hydrogen. Water bubbled with
hydrogen gas exhibited low DO, extremely high DH and extremely low RP values, as
does reduced water, but it has no SOD-like activity. These results suggest that
the SOD-like activity of reduced water is not due to the dissolved molecular
hydrogen but due to the dissolved atomic hydrogen (active hydrogen). Although
SOD accumulated H2O2 when added to the HX-XOD system, reduced water decreased
the amount Of H202 produced by XOD. Reduced water, as well as catalase and
ascorbic acid, could directly scavenge H202. Reduced water suppresses
single-strand breakage of DNA by active oxygen species produced by the Cu(II)-catalyzed
oxidation of ascorbic acid in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that reduced
water can scavenge not only O·2 and H2O2, but also ·O, and ·OH. - 1997
Strong electrolyzed-reduced water
completely scavenged 02 produced by the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase (HX-XOD)
system at pH 7.0 Although SOD accumulated h202 when added to the HX-XOD system,
reduced water decreased the amount of h202 produced by XOD. Reduced water
suppressed single-strand breakage of DNA by active oxygen species produced by
the Cu(II)-catalyzed oxidation of ascorbic acid. The expression of Interleukin-6
gene was enhanced by reduced water as well as ascorbic acid, (+)-catechin and
tannic acid when added to the culture of human osteosarcoma cell line, MG-63
cells, suggesting that reduced water acts as a reductant to cells.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Characteristics of
electrolyzed-reduced water. The principle of electrolysis was founded by Michael
Faraday (1791-1867). In this process, reduction occurs at the cathode (+) and
oxidation at the anode (-). Dissociation of H2O produces H- and OH- ions. At the
cathode, H+ ions gain electrons to change into active atomic hydrogen (H-)
Active atomic hydrogen exhibits high reducing potential. It is then changed to
hydrogen molecules (H2) which are chemically inert at room temperature. At the
anode, OH- ions lose electrons to form OH, which results in the production of
O2, and H2O. Cathodic alkaline water (reduced water) is abundant in DH, whereas
anodic acidic water (oxidized water) is abundant in DO. The relationships of RP
with pH, DO, and DH in reduced water were shown in FIG. 1. Marked changes in
these values occur in water after electrolysis. It should be noted that the DH
value is higher in reduced water than in the original water by two orders of
magnitude.
Prefer your water
Oxygenated and Alkaline then ......
 
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