Enhanced Nitric Oxide Formation Research Articles

A new key player in VEGF-dependent angiogenesis in human hepatocellular carcinoma: dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1

BackgroundAnti-angiogenic therapies, targeting VEGF, are a promising treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To enhance this potential therapy, identification of novel targets in this pathway is of major interest. Nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in VEGF-dependent angiogenesis. NO production depends on arginine as substrate and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) as inhibitor. Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH-1) catabolizes ADMA and therefore regulates NO and VEGF expression. This study unravels additional mechanisms to improve VEGF targeting therapies.MethodsThe expression of DDAH-1 was examined in HCC specimen and non-tumorous background liver of 20 patients undergoing liver resection. Subsequently, arginine/ADMA balance, NO production, and VEGF expression were analyzed. The influence of hypoxia on DDAH-1 and angiogenesis promoting factors was evaluated in HepG2 cells and primary human hepatocytes.ResultsDDAH-1 expression was significantly induced in primary HCC tumors compared to non-tumorous background liver. This was associated with an increased arginine/ADMA ratio, higher NO formation, and higher VEGF expression in human HCC compared to non-tumorous liver. Hypoxia induced DDAH-1, iNOS, and VEGF expression in a time-dependent manner in HepG2 cells.ConclusionsOur results indicate that DDAH-1 expression is increased in human HCC, which is associated with an increase in the arginine/ADMA ratio and enhanced NO formation. Hypoxia may be an initiating factor for the increase in DDAH-1 expression. DDAH-1 expression is associated with promotion of angiogenesis stimulating factor VEGF. Together, our findings for the first time identified DDAH-1 as a key player in the regulation of angiogenesis in human HCC, and by understanding this mechanism, future therapeutic strategies targeting VEGF can be improved.

Organochlorine Pesticide-Mediated Induction of NADPH Oxidase and Nitric-Oxide Synthase in Endothelial Cell.

Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) are detected ubiquitously in human and have been shown to be associated with Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and atherosclerosis. To find out the effect of organochlorine pesticides in endothelial cell with regard to oxidative stress and associated expression of enzymes producing superoxide and Nitric Oxide (NO). Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) were cultured and treated with four OCPs which were found in human blood at a concentration of 0.1μM. The cells were tested for Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, NO production and mRNA expression of NAPDH oxidase (p47phox) and endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (eNOS). ROS generation was measured by using 2', 7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA) method. NO was analysed by Bioxytech nitric oxide assay kit method and mRNA of NADPH oxidase and eNOS was quantified by real time PCR. Data were expressed as the mean±SEM. Comparison between the groups were made by student's t-test (2-tailed) or one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc analysis depending on number of groups. For all statistical tests, p< 0.05 was considered to be significant. All the four pesticides generated ROS accompanied by enhanced expression of NADPH oxidase. Maximum effect was observed with β-endosulfan. Level of NO was found to be decreased significantly in endothelial cells treated with these pesticides accompanied by enhanced expression of eNOS. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduced ROS generation and enhanced NO formation. Pesticide-mediated ROS generation possibly reacts with NO forming peroxinitrite and thereby reducing the bioavailability of NO although eNOS expression is increased. OCPs induce endothelial dysfunction through increased ROS generation via NADPH oxidase expression and reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide.

NO and hypoxia: Taking nitrate to new heights

Residents of the Tibetan plateau appear to produce more nitric oxide (NO) compared to lowlanders as indicated by enhanced NO concentrations in exhaled breath and elevated levels of NO metabolites (incl. nitrite, nitrate and nitroso species) in their blood. This adaptation may help offset the consequences of life-long exposure to reduced atmospheric oxygen at high altitude by improving oxygen delivery and/or utilization and thus hypoxic tolerance. Recently, lowland participants of two independent research expeditions to Nepal have been demonstrated to also respond to environmental hypoxia with enhanced NO formation, suggesting this to be an integral part of human physiology that contributes to the process of acclimatization to reduced oxygen availability. Furthermore, dietary nitrate has been demonstrated to reduce the oxygen cost of exercise by improving mitochondrial efficiency at sea level and suggested to be sequentially reduced to nitrite and NO in hypoxia. This pathway could theoretically complement NOS-mediated l -arginine oxidation by providing an alternative source of NO under conditions of reduced oxygen availability. We hypothesized, therefore, that dietary nitrate administration may improve oxygen efficiency at high altitude, and this rationale has been tested in a randomized, double-blind field study carried out during summer 2010 at the Margherita Hut at 4,559 m ( Xtreme Alps ). This presentation will highlight some of the key results of this study and discuss their potential implications for the treatment of patients suffering from hypoxemia during critical illness.

Sulfur dioxide upregulates the aortic nitric oxide pathway in rats

Sulfur dioxide (SO 2) is a common gaseous pollutant. It is also, however, endogenously generated from sulfur-containing amino acids. Recent studies have demonstrated that rat blood pressure can be lowered by SO 2-exposure in vivo and that vasodilation caused by SO 2 at low concentrations (< 450 μM) is endothelium-dependent in rat aorta. However, effects of SO 2 on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and nitric oxide (NO) production have not been previously studied in rat aorta. The objective of the present study is to assess the effects of acute (10 min) and prolonged (2 h) stimulation with different concentrations of SO 2 on NO/cGMP pathway in isolated rat aorta. The results show that: (1) the acute and prolonged pretreatments with SO 2 produced an inhibition of vasoconstrictions induced by norepinephrine. (2) SO 2 potentiated activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), but not of induced NOS (iNOS). (3) SO 2 could increase expression of eNOS gene on the transcription and translation levels in rat aorta. (4) SO 2 enhanced NO formation in aortic tissue. (5) The level of cGMP in rat aorta was increased by SO 2 and no change of cAMP. These findings led to the conclusion: there were acute and prolonged effects of SO 2 on the NO/cGMP signalling pathway; and SO 2 could upregulate the eNOS–NO–cGMP pathway and at least partly by which the SO 2 might cause vasodilation and inhibition to vasoconstriction.

Reduction of Nitrous Acid to Nitric Oxide by Coffee Melanoidins and Enhancement of the Reduction by Thiocyanate: Possibility of Its Occurrence in the Stomach

Reactions of nitrous acid with freeze-dried instant coffee and its methanol-insoluble melanoidin fractions were studied at pH 2 in the presence and absence of thiocyanate (SCN (-)), simulating the mixture of coffee, saliva, and gastric juice. Coffee contained stable radicals, and the radical concentration increased by ferricyanide and decreased by ascorbic acid. This result indicates that the radical concentration was affected by the redox state of coffee and that the nature of the radical was due to quinhydrone structure that might be included in coffee melanoidins. Nitrite also increased the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity at pH 2, suggesting that nitrite oxidized melanoidins producing nitric oxide (NO). The formation of NO could be detected by oxygen uptake due to the autoxidation of NO and using an NO-trapping agent. SCN (-) largely enhanced NO formation in coffee and methanol-insoluble melanoidin fractions but only slightly in a methanol-soluble fraction, and the enhancement accompanied the consumption of SCN (-) but did not accompany the formation of a stable ESR signal. The enhancement was explained by the reduction of NOSCN by melanoidins in methanol-insoluble fractions and that the consumption was due to binding of SCN (-) to melanoidins during their oxidation by nitrous acid. The result obtained in this study suggests that when coffee is ingested, in addition to chlorogenic acid and its isomers, melanoidins can also react with salivary nitrite and SCN (-) in the gastric lumen, producing NO.

Bioactivation of Nitroglycerin by Purified Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Aldehyde Dehydrogenases

Metabolism of nitroglycerin (GTN) to 1,2-glycerol dinitrate (GDN) and nitrite by mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) is essentially involved in GTN bioactivation resulting in cyclic GMP-mediated vascular relaxation. The link between nitrite formation and activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is still unclear. To test the hypothesis that the ALDH2 reaction is sufficient for GTN bioactivation, we measured GTN-induced formation of cGMP by purified sGC in the presence of purified ALDH2 and used a Clark-type electrode to probe for nitric oxide (NO) formation. In addition, we studied whether GTN bioactivation is a specific feature of ALDH2 or is also catalyzed by the cytosolic isoform (ALDH1). Purified ALDH1 and ALDH2 metabolized GTN to 1,2- and 1,3-GDN with predominant formation of the 1,2-isomer that was inhibited by chloral hydrate (ALDH1 and ALDH2) and daidzin (ALDH2). GTN had no effect on sGC activity in the presence of bovine serum albumin but caused pronounced cGMP accumulation in the presence of ALDH1 or ALDH2. The effects of the ALDH isoforms were dependent on the amount of added protein and, like 1,2-GDN formation, were sensitive to ALDH inhibitors. GTN caused biphasic sGC activation with apparent EC50 values of 42 ± 2.9 and 3.1 ± 0.4 μm in the presence of ALDH1 and ALDH2, respectively. Incubation of ALDH1 or ALDH2 with GTN resulted in sustained, chloral hydrate-sensitive formation of NO. These data may explain the coupling of ALDH2-catalyzed GTN metabolism to sGC activation in vascular smooth muscle.

The Pharmacodynamics of L-Arginine

L-Arginine is a precursor for nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. NO is a ubiquitous mediator that is formed by a family of enzymes named NO synthases. In the brain, NO acts as a neurotransmitter; in the immune system, NO acts as a mediator of host defense; and in the cardiovascular system, NO mediates the protective effects of the intact endothelium, acting as a vasodilator and endogenous antiatherogenic molecule. About 5 g of L-arginine is ingested each day in a normal Western diet. L-Arginine plasma levels are not significantly reduced in most disease conditions, except end-stage renal failure during hemodialysis treatment. Nonetheless, intravenous or dietary (oral) administration of relatively large doses of L-arginine has been shown to result in enhanced NO formation in subjects with impaired endothelial function at baseline. In several controlled clinical trials, long-term administration of L-arginine has been shown to improve the symptoms of cardiovascular disease. However, in other trials L-arginine was not beneficial, and in a recent study, the authors reported higher mortality of subjects receiving L-arginine than those receiving placebo. Recently it became clear that endogenous levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a competitive inhibitor of L-arginine metabolism by NO synthase, may determine a subject’s response to L-arginine supplementation. L-Arginine appears to exert no effect in subjects with low ADMA levels, whereas in subjects with high ADMA levels, L-arginine restores the L-arginine/ADMA ratio to normal levels and thereby normalizes endothelial function. In conclusion, the effects of L-arginine supplementation on human physiology appear to be multicausal and dose-related. Doses of 3–8 g/d appear to be safe and not to cause acute pharmacologic effects in humans.

Nitric Oxide Modulates Oxygen Sensing by Hypoxia-inducible Factor 1-dependent Induction of Prolyl Hydroxylase 2

The transcription factor complex hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) plays a crucial role in cellular adaptation to low oxygen availability. O(2)-dependent HIF prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) modify HIF-1alpha, which is sent to proteasomal degradation under normoxia. Reduced activity of PHDs under hypoxia allows stabilization of HIF-1alpha and induction of HIF-1 target gene expression. Like hypoxia, nitric oxide (NO) was found to inhibit normoxic PHD activity leading to HIF-1alpha accumulation. In contrast under hypoxia, NO reduced HIF-1alpha levels due to enhanced PHD activity. Herein, we studied the role of NO in regulating PHD expression and the consequences thereof for HIF-1alpha degradation. We report a biphasic response of HIF-1alpha and PHDs to NO treatment both under normoxia and hypoxia. In the early phase, NO inhibits PHD activity that leads to HIF-1alpha accumulation, whereas in the late phase, increased PHD levels reduce HIF-1alpha. NO induces expression of PHD2 and -3 mRNA and protein under normoxia and hypoxia in a strictly HIF-1-dependent manner. NO-treated cells with elevated PHD levels displayed delayed HIF-1alpha accumulation and accelerated degradation of HIF-1alpha upon reoxygenation. Subsequent suppression of PHD2 and -3 expression using small interfering RNA revealed that PHD2 was exclusively responsible for regulating HIF-1alpha degradation under NO treatment. In conclusion, we identified the induction of PHD2 as an underlying mechanism of NO-induced degradation of HIF-1alpha.

α‐Tocopherol and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthesis

Nitric oxide (NO), a central regulator of vascular tone and homeostasis, is generated upon activation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), which is mediated by an increase of intracellular calcium and/or by eNOS phosphorylation. A reduction of NO bioavailability leads to endothelial dysfunction that has been shown to be improved by alpha-tocopherol in certain conditions. The underlying mechanisms, however, are not completely clarified. The present study was performed to investigate whether alpha-tocopherol is able to affect endothelial NO synthesis. The formation of NO was measured in human umbilical vein endothelial cells using citrulline (coproduct) and cGMP (product of the NO-activated soluble guanylate cyclase) as indicator molecules. alpha-Tocopherol (10-200 microM, 24 hr) increased ionomycin-induced citrulline and cGMP formation in intact cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In parallel, ionomycin-stimulated phosphorylation of eNOS at serine 1177, known to support enzyme activation, was increased by alpha-tocopherol, suggesting that this was the mechanism responsible for enhanced NO formation. The effect of alpha-tocopherol was dependent on its hydrophobic structure because it was mimicked by gamma-tocopherol but not by trolox, a hydrophilic derivative of alpha-tocopherol. Coincubation with ascorbic acid (100 microM, 24 hr) amplified the effects of alpha-tocopherol on eNOS phosphorylation and NO formation, which is possibly related to the regeneration of oxidized alpha-tocopherol by ascorbate. Our data suggest that vasoprotective effects of alpha-tocopherol in vivo may be related to an increase of NO formation. The effect of alpha-tocopherol seems to be dependent on tissue saturation with ascorbic acid, and both vitamins may act synergistically to provide optimal conditions for endothelial NO formation.

Mechanism of gram-positive shock: identification of peptidoglycan and lipoteichoic acid moieties essential in the induction of nitric oxide synthase, shock, and multiple organ failure.

The incidence of septic shock caused by gram-positive bacteria has risen markedly in the last few years. It is largely unclear how gram-positive bacteria (which do not contain endotoxin) cause shock and multiple organ failure. We have discovered recently that two cell wall fragments of the pathogenic gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan (PepG), synergize to cause the induction of nitric oxide (NO) formation, shock, and organ injury in the rat. We report here that a specific fragment of PepG, N-acetylglucosamine-beta-[1--> 4]-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine-D-isoglutamine, is the moiety within the PepG polymer responsible for the synergism with LTA (or the cytokine interferon gamma) to induce NO formation in the murine macrophage cell line J774.2. However, this moiety is also present in the PepG of the nonpathogenic bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We have discovered subsequently that S. aureus LTA synergizes with PepG from either bacterium to cause enhanced NO formation, shock, and organ injury in the rat, whereas the LTA from B. subtilis does not synergize with PepG of either bacterium. Thus, we propose that the structure of LTA determines the ability of a particular bacterium to cause shock and multiple organ failure (pathogenicity), while PepG acts to amplify any response induced by LTA.

Domon L, an immunopotentiating agent, acts as an NF-kappaB activator.

Domon L, a heat-treated component of gram-negative bacterium Achromobacter stenohalis, is used for the treatment of infectious diseases of animals. Here, we investigated the immunopotentiating potential of Domon L. In vitro studies showed that Domon L enhanced nitric oxide (NO) formation from murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells in concert with interferon (IFN)-gamma. The effect of Domon L on NF-kappaB activation was investigated, in order to understand the molecular mechanisms of enhanced NO formation by Domon L. Domon L induced translocation of NF-kappaB to the nucleus in RAW264.7 cells. Induction of NF-kappaB dependent gene expression by Domon L was further confirmed using a transfectant containing an NF-kappaB-luciferase reporter gene. In vivo injection of Domon L elevated both serum IL-6 and mucoprotein, whose gene expression is partly under the control of NF-kappaB. The spleen cells of rats treated with Domon L produced much more NO when stimulated with LPS + IFN gamma than spleen cells of untreated rats. These results suggest that Domon L acts as an anti-infectious agent via NF-kappaB activation.

Inhibition of nitrovasodilators by pyocyanin and methylene blue is dissociated from nitric oxide formation.

The phenazine pigment pyocyanin (Pyo), like methylene blue (MB), inhibits vascular relaxation induced by organic nitrates. These nitrovasodilators are pro-drugs that have in common the ability to generate nitric oxide (NO). In this study, we characterized responses of rabbit isolated aortic ring to 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1), S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), sodium nitroprusside, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), and isosorbide dinitrate in the presence and absence of 10 microM Pyo. We also examined the effect of Pyo (1 and 10 microM) and MB (1 and 10 microM) on vasorelaxation induced by authentic NO, and finally we tested the effects of Pyo and MB on the tissue-independent formation of NO from SIN-1, SNAP, and sodium nitroprusside, using the chemiluminescence--headspace gas method. Pyo (10 microM) surmountably inhibited aortic responses to GTN, isosorbide dinitrate, SIN-1, and SNAP with a characteristic rightward shift of the dose-response curve; the apparent EC50 of these drugs for relaxation of phenylephrine-contracted aorta was increased 18-, 4-, 13-, and 15-fold, respectively. Pyo (1 and 10 microM) and MB (10 microM) inhibited NO-induced vasorelaxation at the EC50 of NO by 35, 72, and 56%. In contrast, Pyo did not inhibit sodium nitroprusside induced vasodilation. For a 10-min incubation, 10 microM Pyro or MB increased NO production from SNAP 1.8- and 2.9-fold, respectively, and increased NO production from SIN-1 by 3.8- and 7.1-fold, respectively. Neither Pyo nor MB enhanced NO formation from sodium nitroprusside. These data indicate that Pyo and MB inhibit nitrovasodilator-induced relaxation of aortic ring by interfering with the action of NO, subsequent to its formation.

NMDA receptor-mediated stimulation of rat cerebellar nitric oxide formation is modulated by cyclic AMP

The effect of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) on N- methyl- d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated stimulation of nitric oxide (NO) formation was investigated in rat cerebellar slices. Forskolin (30–120 μM), while lacking any direct effect on NO production, elicited a concentration-dependent enhancement of the response to 10 μM NMDA. Dideoxyforskolin, which does not activate adenylyl cyclase did not influence the NMDA response. Increasing intracellular cAMP directly by incubation with the membrane-permeant analogue of cAMP, 2′- o-dibutyryladenosine 3′5′-cyclic monophosphate (dibutyryl cAMP) (1 mM), similarly enhanced NO formation, as did prevention of cAMP degradation with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline. The enhancement of NMDA activity appeared to involve protein phosphorylation (possibly of the receptor itself) since the protein kinase A inhibitor H-89, abolished the enhancements with both forskolin and dibutyryl cAMP. Thus cAMP may have a physiological role in the modulation of NMDA receptor-stimulated synthesis of NO.

Nitric oxide‐mediated hyporeactivity to noradrenaline precedes the induction of nitric oxide synthase in endotoxin shock

1. The role of an enhanced formation of nitric oxide (NO) and the relative importance of the constitutive and inducible NO synthase (NOS) for the development of immediate (within 60 min) and delayed (at 180 min) vascular hyporeactivity to noradrenaline was investigated in a model of circulatory shock induced by endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) in the rat. 2. Male Wistar rats were anaesthetized and instrumented for the measurement of mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate. In addition, the calcium-dependent and calcium-independent NOS activity was measured ex vivo by the conversion of [3H]-arginine to [3H]-citrulline in homogenates from several organs obtained from vehicle- and LPS-treated rats. 3. E. coli LPS (10 mg kg-1, i.v. bolus) caused a rapid (within 5 min) and sustained fall in MAP. At 30 and 60 min after LPS, pressor responses to noradrenaline (0.3, 1 or 3 micrograms kg-1, i.v.) were significantly reduced. The pressor responses were restored by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 1 mg kg-1, i.v. at 60 min), a potent inhibitor of NO synthesis. In contrast, L-NAME did not potentiate the noradrenaline-induced pressor responses in control animals. 4. Dexamethasone (3 mg kg-1, i.v., 60 min prior to LPS), a potent inhibitor of the induction of NOS, did not alter initial MAP or pressor responses to noradrenaline in control rats, but significantly attenuated the LPS-induced fall in MAP at 15 to 60 min after LPS. Dexamethasone did not influence the development of the LPS-induced immediate (within 60 min) hyporeactivity to noradrenaline. However,dexamethasone pretreatment prevented the hypotension and vascular hyporeactivity at 180 min.5. At 60 min after LPS a moderate increase in the activity of a calcium-independent (inducible) NOS activity was detected in the aorta, but not in any of the other tissues studied. However, at 180 min after LPS, a significant NOS induction was observed in the lung, liver, spleen, mesentery, heart and aorta.This NOS induction was substantially prevented by pretreatment with dexamethasone.6. These results suggest that the immediate hypotension and vascular hyporeactivity to noradrenaline in endotoxin shock is caused by an enhanced formation of NO due to activation of the constitutive enzyme. The delayed hypotension and vascular hyporeactivity, however, is due to enhanced NO formation by the LPS-induced enzyme.