Detection of free radicals formed by in vitro metabolism of fluoride using EPR spectroscopy

In many parts of the globe, where water contains large amount of fluoride, fluorosis is a serious public health problem. It is accompanied by many changes, not only in the bones, but practically in all organs of the body. Since it was discovered that oxidation stress, together with the peroxidation of lipids which accompanies it, results in many diseases, research has been carried out on this aspect of fluorosis. The findings, however, are incomplete and divergent. The aim of our study was to determine the presence of free radicals in hepatocytes exposed to fluoride in concentrations which do not lead to changes in the concentrations of calcium and magnesium ions. Free radical properties of hepatocytes incubated with fluoride were studied by an X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Hepatocytes are paramagnetic and broad unsymmetrical EPR spectra were obtained for them. Oxygen free radicals with g-factor of 2.0032 exist in hepatocytes. The effect of fluoride concentration and the time of incubation on free radicals amount in cells were examined. The amount of free radicals in hepatocytes increases with the increase of fluoride concentration for all the incubation times (10, 30, and 60 min). The amount of free radicals in hepatocytes decreases with the increase of time of incubation for all the used fluoride concentrations (0.002, 0.082, and 0.164 mmol/l). EPR spectra of the studied cells are homogeneously broadened. Continuous microwave saturation of EPR lines indicates that slow spin-lattice relaxation processes exist in the studied cells. Strong dipolar interactions responsible for the broadening (ΔB(pp): 1.45-1.87 mT) of the EPR spectra exist in the hepatocytes.