Importance of various antioxidant enzymes for cell stability. Confrontation between theoritical and experimental data

A theoretical model was developed taking into account the production and destruction of oxygen-derived free radicals. The steady state of the system was derived by using the rate equations of these reactions, and the stability of the system was tested. In the simplified model, only one stable steady state was found. However, we know that glutathione peroxidase can be inhibited by hydroperoxides, and, when incorporated into the model, this effect led to a complex situation with the presence of some stable and some unstable domains according to the concentration of either the enzyme or the hydroperoxide. This qualitative description of the system was compared with experimental data on the protection given by three antioxidant enzymes, and concordance of data was found which allows some quantification of the system. A general view of the efficiency of the three antioxidant enzymes and of the stability of the system according to their concentrations could be produced.