Benzo[a]pyrene-derived quinones exploit mitochondrial electron transport to drive catalytic redox cycling and potent ROS amplification
Y. Robert Li, Hong Zhu, Michael A. Trush · 2026
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Description
Robert Li, Hong Zhu, and Michael Trush trace how a known carcinogen's breakdown products make toxic oxygen species in mitochondria. Their twenty twenty-six article studies benzo[a]pyrene, a pollutant from smoke and charred food. Its quinone metabolites were known to spawn reactive oxygen, but the route was unclear.
In isolated mitochondria, all four quinones tested drove oxygen use that cyanide could not stop, a sign of redox cycling. Three were strong, and one worked at very low doses, which makes mitochondria potent amplifiers of the stress. Blocking tests point to complexes I and III of the electron transport chain as the main sites. Complexes II and IV played little part.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Y. Robert Li, Hong Zhu, Michael A. Trush |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 44 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |