Redox Ratio Research Articles

Abstract 5616: Optical metabolic imaging of treatment-naive human NSCLC to determine long-term outcome

Abstract Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US and worldwide.​ The five-year survival rate of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains significantly low given that over half present with locally advanced or metastatic disease at time of diagnosis, and experience tumor recurrence following therapeutic intervention.​Current evaluation techniques to assess treatment response are lacking, given they are implemented several weeks after treatment completion and are solely based on anatomical changes in tumor size, forgoing other criteria such as functional or metabolic changes.​ There is a critical need to identify markers early on following diagnosis that are indicative of patient long-term outcome. Two photon microscopy (TPM) techniques are well-suited to provide non-invasive high-resolution information on cell metabolism within three-dimensional tissue. Specifically, two-photon excited fluorescence imaging of autofluorescent cofactors, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), can be used to metabolically characterize cancerous tissue. The goal of this study is to utilize the optical redox ratio (ORR) of FAD/[NADH+FAD] autofluorescence and NADH fluorescence lifetime decay to identify measurable differences in optical metabolic endpoints of human NSCLC that are indicative of their long-term outcome. Twenty-nine NSCLC specimens were obtained from the Lung Cancer Biospecimen Resource Network. They were resected from the lung prior to the patient receiving therapy. Clinical detail reports were used to evaluate the follow-up data of each patient and classify them into groups that reflected their eventual outcomes: responder (N=21), non-responder (N=18), non-metastatic (N=25), and metastatic (N=14). TPM was used to determine the ORR for each sample. NADH lifetime images were collected and fit to a biexponential model to separate the short (A1) and long (A2) components of free and bound NADH. We observed a significantly higher optical redox ratio for tumors within the metastatic group compared to non-metastatic. ​This is consistent with previous findings from our lab that revealed increases in the ORR with increasing metastatic potential in cells, as well as other studies reporting a decrease in NADH concentration in metastatic cancers.​ Additionally, a significantly shorter mean NADH lifetime in the metastatic tumor group was revealed when compared to non-metastatic. This stands in agreement with other studies highlighting decreases in the average lifetime of NADH in metastatic cells compared to non-metastatic. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using optical imaging of autofluorescence and lifetimes of metabolic cofactors to characterize treatment-naïve primary NSCLC tumors and determine differences in their optical metabolic endpoints that are indicative of their long-term outcome. Citation Format: Paola Monterroso Diaz. Optical metabolic imaging of treatment-naive human NSCLC to determine long-term outcome. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5616.

Changes in oxidative stress markers in pediatric burn injury over a 1-week period

Abstract The importance of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of burn injuries has been shown in various studies. Glutathione (GSH) and thiols have important roles in antioxidant protection and detoxification. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between pediatric burn trauma and GSH and thiol homeostasis. Twenty-nine children with thermal-burn injuries and 29 healthy peers are included in this prospective randomized study. Children with burn wounds of 15–25% of total body surface area (TBSA) were included in the patient group. The control group was created from healthy peers of both sexes. All children were 1–10 years of age. Serum GSH, oxidized glutathione (GSSG), redox ratio (GSH/GSSG), and thiol–disulfide (SS) tests were conducted in both groups, and the changes between admission and day 7 were analyzed in patients with burn injuries. The mean age was 4.09 ± 2.54 years for the patient group and 4.28 ± 2.55 years for the controls (p > 0.05). Total thiol (TT), native thiol (SH), and SS levels were significantly lower in the patient group than in the controls (TT = 291.69 ± 7.93 vs 346.79 ± 18.89 μmol/L, SH = 259.39 ± 7.90 vs 297.64 ± 12.81 μmol/L, SS = 16.15 ± 4.68 vs 24.58 ± 5.76 μmol/L; p < 0.001). SH/TT ratio was higher in the patient group (89.05 ± 3.00 vs 85.93 ± 3.01 μmol/L; p < 0.001). The SS/SH and SS/TT ratios were significantly lower in the patient group, while the SH/TT ratio was significantly higher (p < 0.001). The patients had significantly decreased GSH levels (26.12 ± 2.42 vs 34.80 ± 2.26) and GSH/GSSG ratios (1.69 ± 0.12 vs 3.05 ± 0.29) and increased GSSG levels (16.09 ± 0.34 vs 11.48 ± 1.17, p < 0.001 for all). The GSSG level and GSSG/SH and GSSG/TT ratios were higher in the patient group than in the controls while the SH, TT, and SS levels, and SS/SH and SS/TT ratios were lower in the patient group. Analysis of serum GSSG levels, and ratios with SH and TT homeostasis, might be useful in order to determine burn damage in children.

Alternative reductants for foam control during vitrification of high-iron High Level Waste (HLW) feeds

Foaming during vitrification of radioactive waste in Joule-Heated Ceramic Melters (JHCM) is exacerbated by trapping of evolving gases, such as CO2, NOx and O2, beneath a viscous reaction layer. Foaming restricts heat transfer during melting. Sucrose is employed as the baseline additive at the Hanford site in Washington State, USA to reduce foaming. Alternative carbon-based reductant additives were explored in simulated, inactive Hanford high-iron HLW-NG-Fe2 feeds, for both their effect on foaming and to give insight to the behaviour of multivalent species in glass melts under different redox conditions. Graphite, coke (93% C), formic acid and HEDTA additives were compared with sucrose, and a feed with no additive. Graphite and coke additions proved most effective in reducing the maximum foam volume by 51 ± 3% and 54 ± 2%, respectively, compared with 24 ± 5% for sucrose. Lower foaming could result in more efficient vitrification in JHCMs. Reductants also affected redox ratios in the multivalent species present in the feed. The order of reduction, Mn3+/Mn2+ > Cr6+/Cr3+ > Ce3+/Ce4+ > Fe3+/Fe2+ was as predicted on the basis of their redox potentials. There is less reduction overall, particularly in the Fe3+ → Fe2+, than predicted by the calculations, attributed to the oxygenated atmosphere of the experiments.

THE ROLE OF IRON OXIDES IN THE PRODUCTION OF FLOAT GLASS

A statistical analysis of the relationship of the redox ratio of the produced float glass with the technological mode of cooking, the charge content and the chemical composition of the glass was carried out. The influence of the redox ratio on the technical and economic performance of the bath furnace and the quality of the glass produced is shown.

Flavin fluorescence lifetime and autofluorescence optical redox ratio for improved visualization and classification of brain tumors.

Modern techniques for improved tumor visualization have the aim to maximize the extent of resection during brain tumor surgery and thus improve patient prognosis. Optical imaging of autofluorescence is a powerful and non-invasive tool to monitor metabolic changes and transformation in brain tumors. Cellular redox ratios can be retrieved from fluorescence emitted by the coenzymes reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Recent studies point out that the influence of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) has been underestimated. Fluorescence lifetime imaging and fluorescence spectroscopy were performed through a modified surgical microscope. We acquired 361 flavin fluorescence lifetime (500-580 nm) and fluorescence spectra (430-740 nm) data points on freshly excised different brain tumors: low-grade gliomas (N=17), high-grade gliomas (N=42), meningiomas (N=23), metastases (N=26) and specimens from the non-tumorous brain (N=3). Protein-bound FMN fluorescence in brain tumors did increase with a shift toward a more glycolytic metabolism (R=-0.87). This increased the average flavin fluorescence lifetime in tumor entities with respect to the non-tumorous brain. Further, these metrics were characteristic for the different tumor entities and showed promise for machine learning based brain tumor classification. Our results shed light on FMN fluorescence in metabolic imaging and outline the potential for supporting the neurosurgeon in visualizing and classifying brain tumor tissue during surgery.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging insight into the effects of Taxol on cell metabolism.

Mitochondria and microtubules are two of the main targets for many anticancer drugs, which has prompted us to investigate immediate effects of these classes of chemotherapeutic agents on the mitochondrial respiratory chain and enzyme-bound metabolic co-factors flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). Cancer cells depend on NADH availability for biogenesis and to protect them from reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from cancer cell metabolism. Microtubule integrity, besides having key importance in cell division, also has a role in mitochondrial localization and regulation. Herein, we investigate the multiple effects of Taxol on the oxygenation level, optical redox ratio (oxidative phosphorylation vs. glycolytic) and ROS-induced carbonylation in the PC-3 human prostate cancer cell line. Inhibitors rotenone/antimycin and uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) are also used to investigate the effects of oxygen consumption on the metabolic outcomes.

Super-resolution non-linear multimodal imaging platform for studying spatially correlated metabolic reactions.

Metabolism is a collective biochemical process in living organisms, which involves numerous molecules and consists of various reaction steps. To understand the multi-step biochemical reactions composed of various components, it is thus essential to elucidate the correlations between different types of molecules, and the different molecules should be directly imaged in situ. Here, we established a nonlinear multimodal imaging platform that integrates stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS), multiphoton fluorescence (MPF), and second harmonic generation (SHG) for studying correlations between different metabolic activities in cells and tissues. We further developed an Adam-based Pointillism Deconvolution (A-PoD) algorithm to achieve super-resolution multimodal imaging of metabolism. Combining with heavy water-probing, we not only directly visualized metabolic changes of a variety of biomolecules in Drosophila ovaries during aging processes, but also distinguished the metabolic heterogeneity in triple-negative breast cancer tissues. The protein and lipid turnover rates, lipid unsaturation rate, and optical redox ratio were quantitatively analyzed in situ at subcellular scale, and the spatially correlated distributions of various metabolites were also studied by using a Pearson correlation coefficient mapping method. This super-resolved multimodal imaging platform, together with the analytic method enable us to quantitatively image collective molecular events in the same region of interest simultaneously. It offers powerful tools potentially for early stage disease detection, prognosis, and therapeutic effects, as well as for mechanistic understanding of scientific fundamentals in aging and biomedicine.

Structure and redox ratio of soda‐lime‐silica glasses with high iron oxide concentrations

AbstractThe high temperature synthesis of glasses in the system (100‐x)(0.16Na2O/0.10CaO/0.74SiO2)/xFe2O3, x = 5 ÷ 20 mol% is reported. For Fe2O3 concentrations ≤15 mol%, glasses are formed while the sample with 20 mol% crystallizes during cooling the melt. X‐ray diffraction shows the crystallization of magnetite. The microstructure of the glass‐crystalline sample is investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy and two types of iron‐rich crystals corresponding to magnetite and hematite are detected. The refractive indices as determined by the Becke line method are in the 1.567 ‐ 1.639 range and. increase with increasing Fe2O3 concentration. The structure is characterized using Infra‐red spectroscopy. The presence of symmetric stretching, asymmetric stretching and bending vibrations of Si‐O‐Si is detected and attributed to the occurrence of SiO4 tetrahedral units with varying numbers of nonbridging oxygens. Also, the increasing Fe2O3 concentration results in occurrence of Fe‐O‐Si bonds indicating the glass network depolymerization due to Fe2O3 addition. In all samples, the presence of Fe3+ and Fe2+ and the existence of iron ions in tetrahedral and octahedral coordination, as well as a very small amount of Fe0 and the precipitation of hematite and magnetite in the glass‐crystalline sample is revealed by Mössbauer spectroscopy.

Supplementation with rice bran hydrolysates reduces oxidative stress and improves lipid profiles in adult dogs.

Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidant defense mechanisms of the body. An overproduction of ROS leads to lipid and protein oxidation, injuring the cells both in normal and pathological conditions. Rice bran protein hydrolysates (RBH) has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and hypolipidemic effects. Little is known, however, about the effects of RBH in dogs. The present study evaluated the antioxidative, anti-ACE and metabolic effects of RBH in adult dogs. Eighteen adult dogs were divided into 2 groups: control (n=7) and RBH supplemented groups (n=11), received a diet with the same nutritional compositions. The RBH supplemented group was fed with RBH 500 mg/kg body weight (BW) mixed with food for 30 days. BW, blood glucose, lipid profiles, liver enzymes, electrocardiography (ECG), plasma ACE activity, oxidative stress and antioxidant biomarkers were determined on day 0 and day 30 of supplementation periods. Results showed that RBH decreased oxidative stress and increased antioxidant biomarkers by significantly reducing plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl, enhanced blood glutathione (GSH) and improved the GSH redox ratio. Moreover, decreased LDL-C and increased HDL-C levels were found after RBH supplementation whereas BW, blood glucose, liver enzymes, plasma ACE activity, plasma catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and cardiac function were not significantly changed. These results suggest that RBH may help to lower the risk of oxidative stress and dyslipidemia in adult dogs.

Spectroscopic Study of Time-Varying Optical Redox Ratio in NADH/FAD Solution.

Autofluorescence imaging has been widely applied as advanced noninvasive diagnostics for in vivo and ex vivo tissues. The optical redox ratio (ORR), which is defined as the fluorescence intensity ratio between reduced nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and oxidized flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), has been used as a diagnostic parameter strongly, because NADH and FAD play an important role in energetic and respiratory metabolism as coenzymes. The ORR method has provided successful assessment in cancer diagnosis including breast, cervical, and oral cancer; few studies have been reported about optical and chemical interference between two molecules resulting in a change in ORR values. In this study, we investigated the variations in ORR values of NADH/FAD mixtures dissolved in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, phosphate buffer, and deionized water environments. In vitro solutions were prepared in various concentration ratios and the experimental and theoretical ORR values were obtained from fluorescence and absorption spectra in time series. Based on the spectroscopic analysis, we concluded that the inner filter effect causes an instant decrease in FAD fluorescence just after dissolution and that the oxidation-reduction coupled with oxygenation reaction results in time-varying decreases in NADH fluorescence and FAD emission.

Effect of network connectivity on behavior of synthetic Broborg hillfort glasses

AbstractThere is wide industrial interest in developing robust models of long‐term (>100 years) glass durability. Archeological glass analogs, glasses of similar composition, and alteration conditions to those being tested for durability can be used to evaluate and inform such models. Two such analog glasses from a 1500‐year‐old vitrified hillfort near Uppsala, Sweden have previously been identified as potential analogs for low concentration Fe‐bearing aluminosilicate nuclear waste glasses. However, open questions remain regarding the melting environment from which these historic glasses were formed and the effect of these conditions on their chemical durability. A key factor to answering the previous melting and durability questions is the redox state of Fe in the starting and final materials. Past work has shown that the melting conditions of a glass‐forming melt may influence the redox ratio value (Fe+3/∑Fe), a measure of a glass's redox state, and both melting conditions and the redox ratio may influence the glass alteration behavior. Synthetic analogs of the hillfort glasses have been produced using either fully oxidized or reduced Fe precursors to address this question.In this study, the melting behavior, glass transition temperature, oxidation state, network structure, and chemical durability of these synthesized glass analogs is presented. Resulting data suggests that the degree of network connectivity as impacted by the oxidation state of iron impacted the behavior of the glass‐forming melt but in this case does not affect the chemical durability of the final glass. Glasses with a lower degree of melt connectivity were found to have a lower viscosity, resulting in a lower glass transition temperature and softening temperature, as well as in a lower temperature of foam onset and temperature of foam maximum. This lower degree of network connectivity most likely played a more significant role in accelerating the conversion of batch chemicals into glass than the presence of water vapor in the furnace's atmosphere. Future work will focus on using the results from this work with outcomes from other aspects of this project to evaluate long‐term glass alteration models.

Development of an Endoscopic Auto-Fluorescent Sensing Device to Aid in the Detection of Breast Cancer and Inform Photodynamic Therapy.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer type in women, with it being the second most deadly cancer in terms of total yearly mortality. Due to the prevalence of this disease, better methods are needed for both detection and treatment. Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) are autofluorescent biomarkers that lend insight into cell and tissue metabolism. As such, we developed an endoscopic device to measure these metabolites in tissue to differentiate between malignant tumors and normal tissue. We performed initial validations in liquid phantoms as well as compared to a previously validated redox imaging system. We also imaged ex vivo tissue samples after modulation with carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone (FCCP) and a combination of rotenone and antimycin A. We then imaged the rim and the core of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer tumors, with our results showing that the core of a cancerous lesion has a significantly higher optical redox ratio ([FAD]/([FAD] + [NADH])) than the rim, which agrees with previously published results. The mouse muscle tissues exhibited a significantly lower FAD, higher NADH, and lower redox ratio compared to the tumor core or rim. We also used the endoscope to measure NADH and FAD after photodynamic therapy treatment, a light-activated treatment methodology. Our results found that the NADH signal increases in the malignancy rim and core, while the core of cancers demonstrated a significant increase in the FAD signal.

Gray and white matter astrocytes differ in basal metabolism but respond similarly to neuronal activity.

Astrocytes are a heterogeneous population of glial cells in the brain, which adapt their properties to the requirements of the local environment. Two major groups of astrocytes are protoplasmic astrocytes residing in gray matter as well as fibrous astrocytes of white matter. Here, we compared the energy metabolism of astrocytes in the cortex and corpus callosum as representative gray matter and white matter regions, in acute brain slices taking advantage of genetically encoded fluorescent nanosensors for the NADH/NAD+ redox ratio and for ATP. Astrocytes of the corpus callosum presented a more reduced basal NADH/NAD+ redox ratio, and a lower cytosolic concentration of ATP compared to cortical astrocytes. In cortical astrocytes, the neurotransmitter glutamate and increased extracellular concentrations of K+ , typical correlates of neuronal activity, induced a more reduced NADH/NAD+ redox ratio. While application of glutamate decreased [ATP], K+ as well as the combination of glutamate and K+ resulted in an increase of ATP levels. Strikingly, a very similar regulation of metabolism by K+ and glutamate was observed in astrocytes in the corpus callosum. Finally, strong intrinsic neuronal activity provoked by application of bicuculline and withdrawal of Mg2+ caused a shift of the NADH/NAD+ redox ratio to a more reduced state as well as a slight reduction of [ATP] in gray and white matter astrocytes. In summary, the metabolism of astrocytes in cortex and corpus callosum shows distinct basal properties, but qualitatively similar responses to neuronal activity, probably reflecting the different environment and requirements of these brain regions.

Optical Redox Imaging of Ex Vivo Hippocampal Tissue Reveals Age-Dependent Alterations in the 5XFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

A substantial decline in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) has been reported in brain tissue homogenates or neurons isolated from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) models. NAD, together with flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), critically supports energy metabolism and maintains mitochondrial redox homeostasis. Optical redox imaging (ORI) of the intrinsic fluorescence of reduced NAD (NADH) and oxidized FAD yields cellular redox and metabolic information and provides biomarkers for a variety of pathological conditions. However, its utility in AD has not been characterized at the tissue level. We performed ex vivo ORI of freshly dissected hippocampi from a well-characterized AD mouse model with five familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations (5XFAD) and wild type (WT) control littermates at various ages. We found (1) a significant increase in the redox ratio with age in the hippocampi of both the WT control and the 5XFAD model, with a more prominent redox shift in the AD hippocampi; (2) a higher NADH in the 5XFAD versus WT hippocampi at the pre-symptomatic age of 2 months; and (3) a negative correlation between NADH and Aβ42 level, a positive correlation between Fp and Aβ42 level, and a positive correlation between redox ratio and Aβ42 level in the AD hippocampi. These findings suggest that the ORI can be further optimized to conveniently study the metabolism of freshly dissected brain tissues in animal models and identify early AD biomarkers.

Effect of iron redox ratio on the structures of boroaluminosilicate glasses

AbstractIron oxide is commonly found in natural or industrial glass compositions and can exist as ferrous (Fe2+) or ferric (Fe3+) species, with their ratios depending on glass composition, temperature, pressure and the redox reactions during the glass forming process. The iron redox ratio plays an important role on silicate glass structures and consequently various properties. This work aims to study the effect of iron oxide, and particularly the iron redox ratio, on the structures of borosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glasses using molecular dynamics simulations with newly developed iron potential parameters that are compatible with the borosilicate potentials. The results provide detailed cation coordination states of both iron species and the effect of redox ratio on boron coordination and other structural features. Particularly, competition for charge compensating modifier cations (such as Na+) among the fourfold‐coordinated cations such as B3+, Al3+, and Fe3+ is investigated by calculating the cation–cation pair distribution functions and coordination preferential ratios. The results show that the trivalent ferric ions, with a shorter Fe–O bond distance and better defined first coordiation shell with mainly four‐fold coordination, act as a glass former whereas the divalent ferrous ions mainly play the role of glass modifier. The ferrous/ferric ratio (Fe2+/Fe3+) was found to affect the glass chemistry and hence glass properties by regulating the amount of four‐coordinated boron, the fraction of non‐briding oxygen and other features. The results are compared with available experimental data to gain insights of the complex structures and charge compensation schemes of the glass system.

Prostate cancer cells demonstrate unique metabolism and substrate adaptability acutely after androgen deprivation therapy.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been the standard of care for advanced hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (PC), yet tumors invariably develop resistance resulting in castrate-resistant PC. The acute response of cancer cells to ADT includes apoptosis and cell death, but a large fraction remains arrested but viable. In this study, we focused on intensively characterizing the early metabolic changes that result after ADT to define potential metabolic targets for treatment. A combination of mass spectrometry, optical metabolic imaging which noninvasively measures drug responses in cells, oxygen consumption rate, and protein expression analysis was used to characterize and block metabolic pathways over several days in multiple PC cell lines with variable hormone response status including ADT sensitive lines LNCaP and VCaP, and resistant C4-2 and DU145. Mass spectrometry analysis of LNCaP pre- and postexposure to ADT revealed an abundance of glycolytic intermediates after ADT. In LNCaP and VCaP, a reduction in the optical redox ratio [NAD(P)H/FAD], extracellular acidification rate, and a downregulation of key regulatory enzymes for fatty acid and glutamine utilization was acutely observed after ADT. Screening several metabolic inhibitors revealed that blocking fatty acid oxidation and synthesis reversed this stress response in the optical redox ratio seen with ADT alone in LNCaP and VCaP. In contrast, both cell lines demonstrated increased sensitivity to the glycolytic inhibitor 2-Deoxy- d-glucose(2-DG) and maintained sensitivity to electron transport chain inhibitor Malonate after ADT exposure. ADT followed by 2-DG results in synergistic cell death, a result not seen with simultaneous administration. Hormone-sensitive PC cells displayed altered metabolic profiles early after ADT including an overall depression in energy metabolism, induction of a quiescent/senescent phenotype, and sensitivity to selected metabolic inhibitors. Glycolytic blocking agents (e.g., 2-DG) as a sequential treatment after ADT may be promising.

Olive oil protects against progression of heart failure by inhibiting remodeling of heart subsequent to myocardial infarction in rats

We examined the beneficial effects of olive oil against heart failure post‐myocardial infarction (PMI), induced by coronary artery ligation in rats. Animals were divided into sham and ligated groups and fed either regular chow, olive oil (10% wt/wt), or corn oil (10% wt/wt) and were followed up to 16 weeks. On the echocardiography at 3 days (PMI), in the ligated regular chow (LRC), ligated olive oil (LOO), and ligated corn oil (LCO) left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decrease was 12.14%, 16.42%, and 17.53% from the baseline, respectively. However, only LOO group improved LVEF significantly at 16 weeks PMI and became comparable with all sham groups. Both scar formation and collagen deposition at 16 weeks PMI were less pronounced in the LOO group. Myocardial TNF‐α level at 4 weeks of PMI increased by 176%, 11%, and 181% in the LRC, LOO, and LCO groups, respectively. Plasma TNF‐α levels in LOO were significantly lower than LRC group after 4 weeks of PMI. Myocardial redox ratio (reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione) decreased at 4 weeks PMI by 44.4%, 16.4%, and 36.9% in the LRC, LOO, and LCO groups, respectively, compared to the baseline. These changes in the redox ratio at 16 weeks PMI were further exacerbated in the LRC and LCO groups. Lipid hydroperoxides formation increased at 4 weeks PMI by 137.4%, 14.6%, and 97.1% in the LRC, LOO, and LCO groups, respectively. Since coronary artery ligation decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, increased myocardial TNF‐α and oxidative stress, and since olive oil was able to inhibit these effects, it is proposed that dietary olive oil modulates cardiac remodeling and heart failure subsequent to myocardial infarction.

Optical imaging detects metabolic signatures associated with oocyte quality†.

Oocyte developmental potential is intimately linked to metabolism. Existing approaches to measure metabolism in the cumulus oocyte complex (COC) do not provide information on the separate cumulus and oocyte compartments. Development of an assay that achieves this may lead to an accurate diagnostic for oocyte quality. Optical imaging of the autofluorescent cofactors reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) [NAD(P)H] and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) provides a spatially resolved indicator of metabolism via the optical redox ratio (FAD/[NAD(P)H + FAD]). This may provide an assessment of oocyte quality. Here, we determined whether the optical redox ratio is a robust methodology for measuring metabolism in the cumulus and oocyte compartments compared with oxygen consumption in the whole COC. We also determined whether optical imaging could detect metabolic differences associated with poor oocyte quality (etomoxir-treated). We used confocal microscopy to measure NAD(P)H and FAD, and extracellular flux to measure oxygen consumption. The optical redox ratio accurately reflected metabolism in the oocyte compartment when compared with oxygen consumption (whole COC). Etomoxir-treated COCs showed significantly lower levels of NAD(P)H and FAD compared to control. We further validated this approach using hyperspectral imaging, which is clinically compatible due to its low energy dose. This confirmed lower NAD(P)H and FAD in etomoxir-treated COCs. When comparing hyperspectral imaged vs non-imaged COCs, subsequent preimplantation development and post-transfer viability were comparable. Collectively, these results demonstrate that label-free optical imaging of metabolic cofactors is a safe and sensitive assay for measuring metabolism and has potential to assess oocyte developmental competence.

Screen for Small-Molecule Modulators of Circadian Rhythms Reveals Phenazine as a Redox-State Modifying Clockwork Tuner.

A high-throughput cell-based screen identified redox-active small molecules that produce a period lengthening of the circadian rhythm. The strongest period lengthening phenotype was induced by a phenazine carboxamide (VU661). Comparison to two isomeric benzquinoline carboxamides (VU673 and VU164) shows the activity is associated with the redox modulating phenazine functionality. Furthermore, ex vivo cell analysis using optical redox ratio measurements shows the period lengthening phenotype to be associated with a shift to the NAD/FAD oxidation state of nicotinamide and flavine coenzymes.

Label-free multimodal nonlinear optical imaging of needle biopsy cores for intraoperative cancer diagnosis.

.Significance: Needle biopsy (NB) procedures are important for the initial diagnosis of many types of cancer. However, the possibility of NB specimens being unable to provide diagnostic information, (i.e., non-diagnostic sampling) and the time-consuming histological evaluation process can cause delays in diagnoses that affect patient care.Aim: We aim to demonstrate the advantages of this label-free multimodal nonlinear optical imaging (NLOI) technique as a non-destructive point-of-procedure evaluation method for NB tissue cores, for the visualization and characterization of the tissue microenvironment.Approach: A portable, label-free, multimodal NLOI system combined second-harmonic generation (SHG) and third-harmonic generation and two- and three-photon autofluorescence (2PF, 3PF) microscopy. It was used for intraoperative imaging of fresh NB tissue cores acquired during canine cancer surgeries, which involved liver, lung, and mammary tumors as well as soft-tissue sarcoma; in total, eight canine patients were recruited. An added tissue culture chamber enabled the use of this NLOI system for longitudinal imaging of fresh NB tissue cores taken from an induced rat mammary tumor and healthy mouse livers.Results: The intraoperative NLOI system was used to assess fresh canine NB specimens during veterinary cancer surgeries. Histology-like morphological features were visualized by the combination of four NLOI modalities at the point-of-procedure. The NLOI results provided quantitative information on the tissue microenvironment such as the collagen fiber orientation using Fourier-domain SHG analysis and metabolic profiling by optical redox ratio (ORR) defined by 2PF/(2PF + 3PF). The analyses showed that the canine mammary tumor had more randomly oriented collagen fibers compared to the tumor margin, and hepatocarcinoma had a wider distribution of ORR with a lower mean value compared to the liver fibrosis and the normal-appearing liver. Moreover, the loss of metabolic information during tissue degradation of fresh murine NB specimens was shown by overall intensity decreases in all channels and an increase of mean ORR from 0.94 (standard deviation 0.099) to 0.97 (standard deviation 0.077) during 1-h longitudinal imaging of a rat mammary tumor NB specimen. The tissue response to staurosporine (STS), an apoptotic inducer, from fresh murine liver NB specimens was also observed. The mean ORR decreased from 0.86 to 0.74 in the first 40 min and then increased to 0.8 during the rest of the hour of imaging, compared to the imaging results without the addition of STS, which showed a continuous increase of ORR from 0.72 to 0.75.Conclusions: A label-free, multimodal NLOI platform reveals microstructural and metabolic information of the fresh NB cores during intraoperative cancer imaging. This system has been demonstrated on animal models to show its potential to provide a more comprehensive histological assessment and a better understanding of the unperturbed tumor microenvironment. Considering tissue degradation, or loss of viability upon fixation, this intraoperative NLOI system has the advantage of immediate assessment of freshly excised tissue specimens at the point of procedure.