Catalase Protein Expression Research Articles

The Roles of 4β-Hydroxywithanolide E from Physalis peruviana on the Nrf2-Anti-Oxidant System and the Cell Cycle in Breast Cancer Cells.

4[Formula: see text]-Hydroxywithanolide E is an active component of the extract of Physalis peruviana that has been reported to exhibit antitumor effects. Although the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM)-dependent DNA damage signaling pathway in 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced apoptosis of breast cancer MCF-7 cells was demonstrated in our previous study, the relationship between ROS production and the cellular defense system response in 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced cell death requires further verification. The present study suggests that ROS play an important role in 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced MCF-7 cell death in which anti-oxidants, such as glutathione or N-acetylcysteine, can resist the 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced accumulation of ROS and cell death. Furthermore, N-acetylcysteine or glutathione can reverse the 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced changes in the cell cycle distribution and the expression of cell cycle regulators. We found that the 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced ROS accumulation was correlated with the upregulation of Nrf2 and Nrf2-downstream genes, such as antioxidative defense enzymes. In general, the activity of Nrf2 is regulated by the Ras signalling pathway. However, we demonstrated that Nrf2 was activated during 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced MCF-7 cell death in spite of the 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced inhibition of the Ras/Raf/ERK pathway. The activity and protein expression of superoxide dismutase and catalase were involved in the 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E-induced ROS production in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, 4[Formula: see text]-hydroxywithanolide E was demonstrated to significantly reduce the sizes of the tumor nodules in the human breast cancer MDA-MB231 xenograft tumor model.

Effect of Adenoviral Catalase Gene Transfer on Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) may through overt H₂O₂-induced pathophysiologic mechanisms lead to renal dysfunction. We explore whether catalase (CAT) protein overexpression by adenoviral CAT gene (Adv-CAT) transfection may improve ischemia/reperfusion-induced renal dysfunction. We augmented renal CAT expression by intrarenal arterial Adv-CAT administration with renal venous clamping in avertin-anesthetized female Wistar rats. After Adv-CAT transfection, we examined the CAT expression, location and effects on blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and urinary tubular injury biomarkers by biochemical assays, microcirculation by a laser perfusion imager, renal H₂O₂ amount by a chemiluminescent analyzer and molecular mechanisms including cytosolic cytochrome C leakage, apoptosis, autophagy and phospho- Akt (p-Akt)/phospho-endothelial nitric oxide (p-eNOS)/nitric oxide (NO) signaling by western blotting, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Adv-CAT enhanced 2.6-fold renal CAT protein expression primarily located in the proximal and distal tubules and renal vessels. Ischemia/reperfusion increased cytosolic cytochrome C leakage, renal H₂O₂-dependent level, autophagic Beclin-1/Atg5-Atg12/LC3 II expression, apoptotic Bax/Bcl-2/caspase 3/poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase fragments (PARP) expression and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferasemediated nick-end labeling (TUNEL) stains and BUN and urinary glutathione S-transferase (GST) levels leading to proximal tubular injury. Ischemia/reperfusion also decreased renal microvascular blood flow associated with the inhibited renal expression of p-Akt and p-eNOS and NO production. Adv-CAT significantly improved the reduction in renal microvascular blood flow, reduced ischemia/reperfusion-enhanced oxidative stress, Beclin-1/Atg5-Atg12/LC3 II-meidated autophagy, Bax/Bcl-2/caspase 3/PARP-mediated apoptotic signaling, TUNEL stains, urinary GST level, and restored the p-Akt/p-eNOS/NO signaling in the kidney. Treatment of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, deleted Adv-CAT-induced p-Akt/p-eNOS/NO protective signaling. In conclusion, our results suggest Adv-CAT gene transfer counteracts H₂O₂-induced ischemia/reperfusion injury through preserving p-Akt/p-eNOS/NO pathway in the rat kidney.

Changes in Liver Antioxidant Status of Offspring Mice Induced by Maternal Fluoride Exposure During Gestation and Lactation.

Excessive fluoride intake for a long time has been demonstrated to provoke hepatic oxidative stress in adults. However, the response to fluoride toxicity of liver in newborns exposed to fluoride during embryonic and suckling stages remains unclear. In this study, female Kunming mice were administrated with 25, 50, and 100mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF) from prenatal day 0 to day 21 after delivery, and the antioxidative status in the liver of their pups at postnatal day 21 was evaluated. The results showed that compared with the control group, NaF significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA) level and reduced catalase (CAT) activity, while no statistical difference was observed in activities and mRNA expressions of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR). Notably, with comparison to the controls, the protein level of CAT was significantly reduced in medium- and high-fluoride groups, while its relative mRNA abundance was enhanced which could result from the encouragement of the lowered CAT protein expression. These findings suggested that CAT was more susceptible to low-fluoride exposure in early life.

Neonatal Persistent Exposure to 6-Propyl-2-thiouracil, a Thyroid-Disrupting Chemical, Differentially Modulates Expression of Hepatic Catalase and C/EBP-β in Adult Rats.

Persistent exposure of rats to 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) from birth resulted in decreases in plasma thyroid hormone (TH) levels and hepatic expression of catalase and CCAAT enhancer binding protein β (C/EBP-β). Catalase promoter region (-185 to +52) that contains binding sites for C/EBP-β showed an augmentation in the methylation level along with a change in methylation pattern of CpG islands in response to PTU treatment. PTU withdrawal on 30 days of birth restored TH levels and C/EBP-β to control rats in adulthood. Although catalase expression was restored to some extent in adult rats in response to PTU withdrawal, a permanent change in its promoter CpG methylation pattern was recorded. The results suggest that downregulation of adult hepatic catalase gene in response to persistent neonatal PTU exposure may not solely be attributed to thyroid-disrupting properties of PTU. It is possible that besides thyroid-disrupting behavior, PTU may impair expression of hepatic catalase by altering methylation pattern of its promoter.

Salidroside protects retinal endothelial cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced injury via modulating oxidative status and apoptosis.

Oxidative stress can cause injury in retinal endothelial cells. Salidroside is a strong antioxidative and cytoprotective supplement in Chinese traditional medicine. In this study, we investigated the effects of salidroside on H2O2-induced primary retinal endothelial cells injury. Salidroside decreased H2O2-induced cell death, and efficiently suppressed cellular ROS production, malondialdehyde generation, and cell apoptosis induced by H2O2 treatment. Salidroside induced the intracellular mRNA expression, protein expression, and enzymatic activities of catalase and Mn-SOD and increased the ratio of Bcl2/Bax. Our results demonstrated that salidroside protected retinal endothelial cells against oxidative injury through increasing the Bcl2/Bax signaling pathway and activation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes. This finding presents salidroside as an attractive agent with potential to attenuate retinopathic diseases.

Optimization of selenizing conditions for Seleno-Lentinan and its characteristics

Lentinan was successfully modified with nitric acid-sodium selenite method based on L9(34) orthogonal experiments. The optimum selenizing conditions were obtained according to selenium conversion rate as follows: Lentinan of 1.0g, pH of 4.5, temperature of 70°C and sodium selenite of 1.50g. The antioxidant activity assays in vitro (DPPH, reducing power, superoxide radicals and hydroxyl radicals) proved that Lentinan had stronger antioxidant activity after selenizing. The elevations of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, as well as the abnormal hepatic architecture, verified that oral administration of Seleno-Lentinan (SL2-1) markedly alleviated oxidative damage in the liver of mice induced by D-gal. In addition, SL2-1 significantly increased total antioxidant capacity, activities and protein expressions of catalase and glutathione peroxidase and lowered malondialdehyde levels in serum and liver. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that selenium of SL2-1 was mostly existed as the formations of OSeO, SeO and SeOC. Scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis revealed that the surface structure and elemental components of Lentinan significantly changed after selenizing. The results are instructive for the development of organic selenium-supplement resource.

Antioxidant Defense Is Increased in Aged Hearts Following Omega-3 Supplementation in the Absence of Changes in Inflammation

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a 15-week omega-3 rich diet on age-related differences in myocardial antioxidant defense and inflammation. 20 mature (M) (6 mo.) and 20 old (O) (15 mo.) male Fisher 344 rats were assigned to two diet groups: Control (CON) or Fish Oil (FO). Following the diet, animals were sacrificed and left ventricular (LV) heart tissue was harvested for biochemical assays and western blot analysis. No differences were observed in expression of LV interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha as well as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) production between MCON and OCON. However, LV catalase protein expression and activity were increased in OCON vs. MCON and accompanied by increased expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD)-1. In contrast, LV IL-6 was lower in MFO vs. old rats, and LV H(2)O(2) was decreased in MFO and OFO relative to respective control groups. Protein expression and activity of LV catalase and SOD-1 expression were increased in OFO similarly to OCON, but LV SOD activity was also increased in OFO vs. mature rats. In summary, FO supplementation increased myocardial antioxidant defense in all animals and augmented age-associated increases in antioxidant capacity in the absence of changes in inflammation.

Correlation between sperm parameters and protein expression of antioxidative defense enzymes in seminal plasma: a pilot study.

Background. Semen analysis is the cornerstone in the evaluation of male (in)fertility. However, there are men with normal semen tests but with impaired fertilizing ability, as well as fertile men with poor sperm characteristics. Thus, there is rising interest to find novel parameters that will help to predict and define the functional capacity of spermatozoa. Methods. We examined whether there is a correlation between semen parameters (count, progressive motility, and morphology) and protein expression/activity of antioxidative defense enzymes in seminal plasma from 10 normospermic subjects. Results. Sperm progressive motility was in positive correlation with seminal plasma protein expression of both superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoforms (MnSOD and CuZnSOD) and catalase. Also, positive correlation was observed between sperm count and MnSOD protein expression, as well as between sperm morphology and protein expression of catalase in seminal plasma. In contrast, protein expression of glutathione peroxidase was not in correlation with any sperm parameter, while its activity negatively correlated with sperm morphology and motility. Conclusions. These data suggest that evaluation of protein expression of antioxidative defense enzymes in seminal plasma might be of importance in the evaluation of male fertility status and that could be used as an additional biomarker along with classic semen analysis in assessment of semen quality.

Cardioprotective effect of propofol against oxygen glucose deprivation and reperfusion injury in H9c2 cells.

Background. The intravenous anesthetic propofol is reported to be a cardioprotective agent against ischemic-reperfusion injury in the heart. However, the regulatory mechanism still remains unclear. Methods. In this study, we used H9c2 cell line under condition of oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by reperfusion (OGD/R) to induce in vitro cardiomyocytes ischemia-reperfusion injury. Propofol (5, 10, and 20 μM) was added to the cell cultures before and during the OGD/R phases to investigate the underlying mechanism. Results. Our data showed that OGD/R decreased cell viability, and increased lactate dehydrogenase leakage, and reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde production in H9c2 cells, all of which were significantly reversed by propofol. Moreover, we found that propofol increased both the activities and protein expressions of superoxide dismutase and catalase. In addition, propofol increased FoxO1 expression in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited p-AMPK formation significantly. Conclusions. These results indicate that the propofol might exert its antioxidative effect through FoxO1 in H9c2 cells, and it has a potential therapeutic effect on cardiac disorders involved in oxidative stress.

Exercise training reduces cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in ovariectomized rats submitted to myocardial infarction.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether exercise training (ET) prevents or minimizes cardiac dysfunction and pathological ventricular remodeling in ovariectomized rats subjected to myocardial infarction (MI) and to examine the possible mechanisms involved in this process. Ovariectomized Wistar rats were subjected to either MI or fictitious surgery (Sham) and randomly divided into the following groups: Control, OVX+SHAMSED, OVX+SHAMET, OVX+MISED and OVX+MIET. ET was performed on a motorized treadmill (5x/wk, 60 min/day, 8 weeks). Cardiac function was assessed by ventricular catheterization and Dihydroethidium fluorescence (DHE) was evaluated to analyze cardiac oxidative stress. Histological analyses were made to assess collagen deposition, myocyte hypertrophy and infarct size. Western Blotting was performed to analyze the protein expression of catalase and SOD-2, as well as Gp91phox and AT1 receptor (AT1R). MI-trained rats had significantly increased in +dP/dt and decreased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure compared with MI-sedentary rats. Moreover, oxidative stress and collagen deposition was reduced, as was myocyte hypertrophy. These effects occurred in parallel with a reduction in both AT1R and Gp91phox expression and an increase in catalase expression. SOD-2 expression was not altered. These results indicate that ET improves the functional cardiac parameters associated with attenuation of cardiac remodeling in ovariectomized rats subjected to MI. The mechanism seems to be related to a reduction in the expression of both the AT1 receptor and Gp91phox as well as an increase in the antioxidant enzyme catalase, which contributes to a reduction in oxidative stress. Therefore, ET may be an important therapeutic target for the prevention of heart failure in postmenopausal women affected by MI.

P67 - Redox regulation of E3 ubiquitin ligases and their role in skeletal muscle atrophy

Muscle atrophy is linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during hindlimb-unloading due, at least in part, to the activation of xanthine oxidase (XO). The major aim of our study was to determine the mechanism by which ROS cause muscle atrophy and its possible prevention by allopurinol, a well-known inhibitor of XO widely used in clinical practice, and indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. We studied the activation of p38 MAP Kinase and NF-?B pathways, and the expression of two E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in proteolysis, the Muscle atrophy F-Box (MAFb) and Muscle RING Finger-1 (MuRF-1).Male Wistar rats (3 mold) conditioned by 14 days of hindlimb unloading (n=18), with or without the treatment, were compared with freely ambulating controls (n=18). After the experimental intervention, soleus muscles were removed, weighted and analyzed to determine oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters. We found that hindlimb unloading induced a significant increase in XO activity in plasma (39%, p=0.001) and in the protein expression of CuZnSOD and Catalase in skeletal muscle. Inhibitionof XO partially prevented protein carbonylation, both in plasma and in soleus muscle, in the unloaded animals.The most relevant new fact reported is that allopurinol prevents soleus muscle atrophy by ~20% after hindlimb unloading. Combining allopurinol and indomethacin we found a further prevention in the atrophy process. This is mediated by the inhibition of the p38 MAPK-MAFbx and NF-?B -MuRF-1 pathways. Our data point out the potential benefit of allopurinol and indomethacin administration for bedridden, astronauts, sarcopenic and cachexic patients.

Switching Back to Normal Diet Following High-Fat Diet Feeding Reduces Cardiac Vulnerability to Ischaemia and Reperfusion Injury

Background: We have recently shown that hearts of mice fed high-fat diet exhibit increased vulnerability to ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R) in parallel to changes in catalase protein expression, mitochondrial morphology and intracellular diastolic Ca²⁺. Aims: To determine whether switching from high-fat back to normal diet alters vulnerability to I/R and to investigate cardiac cellular remodelling in relation to the mechanism(s) underlying I/R injury. Methods and Results: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 19-22 weeks; after which a subset of mice was switched back to normal diet for 4-6 weeks. Hearts from mice switched back to normal diet were more resistant to reperfusion injury compared to hearts from mice fed only high-fat diet. This was associated with a significant reversal in catalase expression (western blotting) and recovery of size and density of mitochondria (electron microscopy). In contrast, switching back to normal diet did not alter cardiomyocyte contractility or Ca²⁺ transients compared to high-fat diet. Conclusion: This study shows for the first time that switching the diet from high-fat back to normal reduces vulnerability to I/R. This effect is associated with changes in catalase levels and mitochondrial morphology without altering cardiomyocyte contractility or Ca²⁺ transients.

Possible Role of Toll‐like Receptor‐2 in the Intracellular Survival of Staphylococcus aureus in Murine Peritoneal Macrophages: Involvement of Cytokines and Anti‐Oxidant Enzymes

Effects of blocking toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2) on the survival of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and cytokine production in peritoneal macrophages of Swiss albino mice were analysed. Macrophages were infected with S. aureus in the presence and absence of anti-TLR-2 antibody. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentrations were measured. Expressions of TLR-2, NF-κB, MyD 88 were analysed by Western Blot. Expression of TLR-2 was increased in S. aureus-infected macrophages with respect to control and was MyD 88 independent. TLR2 blocking significantly reduced TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and IL-10 and increased IFN-γ and IL-12 production. Decreased catalase activity and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) by S. aureus with concomitant increase in H2 O2 and nitric oxide (NO) were observed in the case of prior TLR-2 blocking. To understand whether catalase contributing in the intracellular survival, was of bacterial origin or not, 3-amino, 1, 2, 4-triazole (ATZ) was used to inhibit specifically macrophage-derived catalase. Catalase enzyme activity from the whole staphylococcal cells in the presence of ATZ suggested that the released catalase were of extracellular origin. From the intracellular survival assay, it was evident that pretreatment of macrophages with ATZ reduces the bacterial burden in macrophages when infected with the recovered bacteria only from the anti-TLR-2 antibody-treated macrophages after phagocytosis. Catalase protein expression from the whole staphylococcal cells recovered after phagocytosis also indicated the catalase release from S. aureus. Capturing of S. aureus via TLR-2 induces inflammatory reactions through activation of NF-κB-signalling pathways which was MyD88-independent.

Redox regulation of antioxidant enzymes: post-translational modulation of catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity by resveratrol in diabetic rat liver.

Resveratrol is a strong antioxidant that exhibits blood glucose-lowering effects, which might contribute to its usefulness in preventing complications associated with diabetes. The present study aimed to investigate resveratrol effects on catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) gene and protein expression, their phosphorylation states and activities in rat liver of STZ-induced diabetes. Diabetes increased the levels of total protein phosphorylation and p-CAT, while mRNA expression, protein levels, and activity were reduced. Although diabetes induced transcriptional repression over GPx, it did not affect the protein levels and activity. When resveratrol was administered to diabetic rats, an increase in activity was associated with an increase in p-GPx levels. Decrease in Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) and increase in nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) gene expression in diabetes were associated with a decrease in CAT and GPx mRNA expression. A possible compensatory mechanism for reduced gene expression of antioxidant enzymes is proved to be nuclear translocation of redox-sensitive Nrf2 and NFκB in diabetes which is confirmed by the increase in nuclear and decrease in cytoplasmic protein levels of Nrf2 and NFκB. Taken together, these findings revealed that an increase in the oxidized state in diabetes intricately modified the cellular phosphorylation status and regulation of antioxidant enzymes. Gene regulation of antioxidant enzymes was accompanied by nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and NFκB. Resveratrol administration also activated a coordinated cytoprotective response against diabetes-induced changes in liver tissues.

Premature Graying as a Consequence of Compromised Antioxidant Activity in Hair Bulb Melanocytes and Their Precursors

Intricate coordinated mechanisms that govern the synchrony of hair growth and melanin synthesis remain largely unclear. These two events can be uncoupled in prematurely gray hair, probably due to oxidative insults that lead to the death of oxidative stress-sensitive melanocytes. In this study, we examined the gene expression profiles of middle (bulge) and lower (hair bulb) segments that had been micro-dissected from unpigmented and from normally pigmented hair follicles from the same donors using quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qPCR) arrays. We found a significant down-regulation of melanogenesis-related genes (TYR, TYRP1, MITF, PAX3, POMC) in unpigmented hair bulbs and of marker genes typical for melanocyte precursor cells (PAX3, SOX10, DCT) in unpigmented mid-segments compared with their pigmented analogues. qPCR, western blotting and spin trapping assays revealed that catalase protein expression and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities are strongly repressed in unpigmented hair follicles. These data provide the first clear evidence that compromised antioxidant activity in gray hair follicles simultaneously affects mature hair bulb melanocytes and their immature precursor cells in the bulge region.

Activity levels and expression of antioxidant enzymes in the ascorbate–glutathione cycle in artificially aged rice seed

Reactive oxygen species are the main contributors to seed deterioration. In order to study scavenging systems for reactive oxygen species in aged seed, we performed analyses using western blotting, real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, high-performance liquid chromatography, and antioxidant enzyme activity analyses in artificially aged rice seeds (Oryza sativa L. cv. wanhua no.11). Aging seeds by storing them at 50 °C for 1, 9, or 17 months increased the superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide levels and reduced the germination percentage from 99% to 92%, 55%, and 2%, respectively. The activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) did not change in aged seeds. In contrast, the activity levels of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) were significantly decreased in aged seeds, as were the expression of catalase and cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase protein. Transcript accumulation analysis showed that specific expression patterns were complex for each of the antioxidant enzyme types in the rice embryos. Overall, the expression of most genes was down-regulated, along with their protein expression. In addition, the reduction in the amount of ascorbate and glutathione was associated with the reduction in scavenging enzymes activity in aged rice embryos. Our data suggest that the depression of the antioxidant system, especially the reduction in the expression of CAT1, APX1 and MDHAR1, may be responsible for the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in artificially aged seed embryos, leading to a loss of seed vigor.

Increased microglial catalase activity in multiple sclerosis grey matter

Chronic demyelination, on-going inflammation, axonal loss and grey matter neuronal injury are likely pathological processes that contribute to disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). Although the precise contribution of each process and their aetiological substrates is not fully known, recent evidence has implicated oxidative damage as a major cause of tissue injury in MS. The degree of tissue injury caused by oxidative molecules, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), is balanced by endogenous anti-oxidant enzymes which detoxify ROS. Understanding endogenous mechanisms which protect the brain against oxidative injury in MS is important, since enhancing anti-oxidant responses is a major therapeutic strategy for preventing irreversible tissue injury in the disease. Our aims were to determine expression and activity levels of the hydrogen peroxide-reducing enzyme catalase in MS grey matter (GM). In MS GM, a catalase enzyme activity was elevated compared to control GM. We measured catalase protein expression by immune dot-blotting and catalase mRNA by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Protein analysis studies showed a strong positive correlation between catalase and microglial marker IBA-1 in MS GM. In addition, calibration of catalase mRNA level with reference to the microglial-specific transcript AIF-1 revealed an increase in this transcript in MS. This was reflected by the extent of HLA-DR immunolabeling in MS GM which was significantly elevated compared to control GM. Collectively, these observations provide evidence that microglial catalase activity is elevated in MS grey matter and may be an important endogenous anti-oxidant defence mechanism in MS.

Mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in mice with endothelium-specific deletion of the PPAR-δ gene

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-δ is a nuclear hormone receptor that is mainly involved in lipid metabolism. Recent studies have suggested that PPAR-δ agonists exert vascular protective effects. The present study was designed to characterize vascular function in mice with genetic inactivation of PPAR-δ in the endothelium. Mice with vascular endothelial cell-specific deletion of the PPAR-δ gene (ePPARδ(-/-) mice) were generated using loxP/Cre technology. ePPARδ(-/-) mice were normotensive and did not display any sign of metabolic syndrome. Endothelium-dependent relaxations to ACh and endothelium-independent relaxations to the nitric oxide (NO) donor diethylammonium (Z)-1-(N,N-diethylamino)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate were both significantly impaired in the aorta and carotid arteries of ePPARδ(-/-) mice (P < 0.05). In ePPARδ(-/-) mouse aortas, phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase at Ser(1177) was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). However, basal levels of cGMP were unexpectedly increased (P < 0.05). Enzymatic activity of GTP-cyclohydrolase I and tetrahydrobiopterin levels were also enhanced in ePPARδ(-/-) mice (P < 0.05). Most notably, endothelium-specific deletion of the PPAR-δ gene significantly decreased protein expressions of catalase and glutathione peroxidase 1 and resulted in increased levels of H2O2 in the aorta (P < 0.05). In contrast, superoxide anion production was unaltered. Moreover, treatment with catalase prevented the endothelial dysfunction and elevation of cGMP detected in aortas of ePPARδ(-/-) mice. The findings suggest that increased levels of cGMP caused by H2O2 impair vasodilator reactivity to endogenous and exogenous NO. We speculate that chronic elevation of H2O2 predisposes PPAR-δ-deficient arteries to oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction.

Oral Toxicity of Okadaic Acid in Mice: Study of Lethality, Organ Damage, Distribution and Effects on Detoxifying Gene Expression

In vivo, after administration by gavage to mice and rats, okadaic acid has been reported to produce lesions in liver, small intestine and forestomach. Because several reports differ in the damage detected in different organs, and on okadaic acid distribution after consumption, we determined the toxicity of this compound after oral administration to mice. After 24 hours, histopathological examination showed necrotic foci and lipid vacuoles in the livers of intoxicated animals. By immunohistochemical analysis, we detected this toxin in the liver and kidneys of intoxicated animals. Okadaic acid induces oxidative stress and can be activated in vitro into reactive compounds by the post-mitochondrial S9 fraction, so we studied the okadaic effect on the gene expression of antioxidant and phase II detoxifying enzymes in liver. We observed a downregulation in the expression of these enzymes and a reduction of protein expression of catalase and superoxide dismutase 1 in intoxicated animals.

(−)-Epicatechin rich cocoa mediated modulation of oxidative stress regulators in skeletal muscle of heart failure and type 2 diabetes patients

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and heart failure (HF) are associated with high levels of skeletal muscle (SkM) oxidative stress (OS). Health benefits attributed to flavonoids have been ascribed to antioxidation. However, for flavonoids with similar antioxidant potential, end-biological effects vary widely suggesting other mechanistic venues for reducing OS. Decreases in OS may follow the modulation of key regulatory pathways including antioxidant levels (e.g. glutathione) and enzymes such as mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD2) and catalase. We examined OS-related alterations in SkM in T2D/HF patients (as compared vs. healthy controls) and evaluated the effects of three-month treatment with (-)-epicatechin (Epi) rich cocoa (ERC). To evidence Epi as the mediator of the improved OS profile we examined the effects of pure Epi (vs. water) on SkM OS regulatory systems in a mouse model of insulin resistance and contrasted results vs. normal mice. There were severe alterations in OS regulatory systems in T2D/HF SkM as compared with healthy controls. Treatment with ERC induced recovery in glutathione levels and decreases in the nitrotyrosilation and carbonylation of proteins. With treatment, key transcriptional factors translocate into the nucleus leading to increases in SOD2 and catalase protein expression and activity levels. In insulin resistant mice, there were alterations in muscle OS and pure Epi replicated the beneficial effects of ERC found in humans. Major perturbations in SkM OS can be reversed with ERC in T2D/HF patients. Epi likely mediates such effects and may provide an effective means to treat conditions associated with tissue OS.