DNA strand breakage and activation of poly-ADP ribosyltransferase: a cytotoxic pathway triggered by peroxynitrite

Neuroprotective effects of NU1025, a PARP inhibitor in cerebral ischemia are mediated through reduction in NAD depletion and DNA fragmentation

Oxidative stress induced cell injury is reported to contribute to the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia. Reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide radical along with nitric oxide and peroxynitrite generated during ischemia-reperfusion injury, causes the overactivation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) leading to neuronal cell death. In the present study we have evaluated the effects of PARP inhibitor, 8-hydroxy-2 methyl-quinazolin-4-[3H]one (NU1025) in H2O2 and 3-morphilinosyndonimine (SIN-1) induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells as well as in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Exposure of PC12 cells to H2O2 (0.4 mM) and SIN-1 (0.8 mM) resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability after 6 h. Pretreatment with NU1025 (0.2 mM) restored cell viability to approximately 73 and 82% in H2O2 and SIN-1 injured cells, respectively. In MCAO studies, NU1025 was administered at different time points (1 h before reperfusion, immediately before reperfusion, 3 h after reperfusion and 6 h after reperfusion). NU1025 at 1 and 3 mg/kg reduced total infarct volume to 25% and 45%, respectively, when administered 1 h before reperfusion. NU1025 also produced significant improvement in neurological deficits. Neuroprotection with NU1025 was associated with reduction in PAR accumulation, reversal of brain NAD depletion and reduction in DNA fragmentation. Results of this study demonstrate the neuroprotective activity of NU1025 and suggest its potential in cerebral ischemia.

Tetrahydrobiopterin attenuates microvascular reperfusion injury following murine pancreas transplantation

In this study we investigated the effect of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), an essential cofactor for nitric oxide synthases, on ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) following murine pancreas transplantation. Pancreatic grafts were exposed to prolonged cold ischemia times (CIT) and different treatment regimens: normal saline (S), S + 16 h CIT, BH4 50 mg/kg + 16 h CIT. Nontransplanted animals served as controls. Graft microcirculation was analyzed by means of functional capillary density (FCD) and capillary diameters (CD) after 2 h reperfusion using intravital microscopy. Quantification of inflammatory responses (mononuclear infiltration) and endothelial disintegration (edema formation) was done by histology (hematoxylin and eosin), and peroxynitrite formation assessed by nitrotyrosine immunostaining. FCD was significantly reduced after prolonged CIT, paralleled by increased peroxynitrite formation as compared with controls (all p < 0.05). Microcirculatory changes correlated significantly with intragraft peroxynitrite generation (Spearman: r = -0.56; p < 0.01). Pancreatic grafts treated with BH4 displayed markedly higher FCD values (p < 0.01) and abrogated nitrotyrosine staining (p = 0.03). CD were not significantly different in any group. Histology showed increased inflammation, interstitial edema, hemorrhage, acinar vacuolization and focal areas of necrosis after 16 h CIT, which was diminished by BH4 administration (p < 0.01). BH4 treatment significantly reduces post-ischemic deterioration of microcirculation as well as histologic damage and might be a promising novel strategy in attenuating IRI following pancreas transplantation.

The role of the bronchial circulation in the acute lung injury resulting from burn and smoke inhalation

Smoke inhalation in burn patients is a serious medical problem around the world. Inhalation injury increases mortality in addition to increasing infections, ventilator-days, and hospital stays. There are also large numbers of patients subjected to smoke inhalation without burns from cooking fires, burning crops and forest fires. The injury results in a fall in arterial oxygenation as a result of airway blockade, increased pulmonary transvascular fluid flux and loss of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. The changes in cardiopulmonary function are mediated at least in part by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Nitric oxide (NO) is generated by both inducible and constitutive isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NO combines with superoxide to form reactive nitrogen species such as peroxynitrite. These reactive nitrogen species can be detected by measuring their reaction products such as 3-nitrotyrosine. The latter is elevated in the airway following smoke/burn injury. The control of NO formation involves poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) and its ability to up-regulate the activity of nuclear transcription factors through ribosylation. Present data also support a major role for the bronchial circulation in the injury since blockade of bronchial blood flow will also minimize the pulmonary injury. The data suggest that cytotoxins or activated cells are formed in the airway and carried to the parenchyma. These materials cause the formation of oedema and a reduction of PaO(2).

The molecular biology of chronic wounds and delayed healing in diabetes

Wound healing is a complicated and integrated process. Although there is some tolerance in terms of redundancy and interrelated control mechanisms, pushing beyond such limits may contribute to delayed wound healing, and in extreme cases lead to chronic wounds/ulcers and thus potentially to lower extremity amputation. Diabetes is associated with such disruption in wound healing. Research in humans and in animal models has identified a large number of changes associated with diabetes at the molecular level in delayed wound healing and to a lesser extent in chronic diabetic ulcers. Better overall understanding of these changes and how they are interrelated would allow for specifically targeted treatment, thus ensuring improved quality of life for patients and providing savings to the high costs that are associated with all aspects of chronic diabetic ulcers. This review examines the work done at the molecular level on chronic diabetic ulcers, as well as considering changes seen in diabetes in general, both in humans and animal models, that may in turn contribute to ulcer formation.

Elevated serum nitric oxide metabolites in biliary atresia

Biliary atresia (BA) remains one of the most intractable liver diseases in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible roles of nitric oxide (NO) in BA. Serum levels of nitrite and nitrate (NO production) were determined using a colorimetric method from 65 post-operative BA patients and 12 healthy children. The patients were categorized into two groups according to their jaundice status, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT, a marker for liver injury). Unpaired t tests were used. Data are expressed as mean and SD in terms of mumol/l. Age and gender between BA patients and controls were comparable. Serum NO metabolites of BA patients was higher than the controls (79.77+/-21.22 vs. 65.75+/-9.44, P=0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that there was no difference in serum nitrate/nitrite levels of BA patients without jaundice compared to those with jaundice (78.85+/-23.23 vs. 80.90+/-18.76, P=0.70). However, patients with serum ALT> or =100 IU/l had higher levels of serum NO metabolites compared to those with serum ALT<100 IU/l. In conclusion, NO production was elevated in BA patients compared to normal controls. Serum NO was associated with serum ALT levels, but not with jaundice status, in BA patients. These suggest that NO plays a role in the pathophysiology of liver injury in post-operative BA.

The emerging functions of UCP2 in health, disease, and therapeutics

The uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are attracting an increased interest as potential therapeutic targets in a number of important diseases. UCP2 is expressed in several tissues, but its physiological functions as well as potential therapeutic applications are still unclear. Unlike UCP1, UCP2 does not seem to be important to thermogenesis or weight control, but appears to have an important role in the regulation of production of reactive oxygen species, inhibition of inflammation, and inhibition of cell death. These are central features in, for example, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease, and experimental evidence suggests that an increased expression and activity of UCP2 in models of these diseases has a beneficial effect on disease progression, implicating a potential therapeutic role for UCP2. UCP2 has an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes by inhibiting insulin secretion in islet beta cells. At the same time, type 2 diabetes is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis where an increased expression of UCP2 appears to be beneficial. This illustrates that therapeutic applications involving UCP2 likely will have to regulate expression and activity in a tissue-specific manner.

Survival pathways triggered by peroxynitrite in cells belonging to the monocyte/macrophage lineage

Peroxynitrite, a highly reactive nitrogen species, promotes in U937 cells (a promonocytic cell line) a mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-dependent necrosis. An initial event triggered by peroxynitrite (i.e., inhibition of complex III of the mitochondrial respiratory chain) is responsible for the time-dependent formation of H(2)O(2), essential for the occurrence of cell death. Otherwise non-toxic concentrations of peroxynitrite nevertheless commit cells to MPT-dependent necrosis, which is however prevented by a cytoprotective signaling driven by arachidonic acid (AA) released by the cytosolic PLA(2) isoform. Interestingly, the mechanism whereby delayed formation of H(2)O(2) promotes toxicity in cells exposed to intrinsically toxic concentrations of peroxynitrite is independent of the accumulation of additional damage. Cell death is in fact mediated by inhibition of the AA-dependent cytoprotective signaling. Exogenous AA, however, prevented toxicity also under these conditions. An additional point to be made is that the major findings obtained using U937 cells were reproduced in different cell types belonging to the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Hence, within the context of the inflammatory response, monocytes and macrophages may cope with peroxynitrite by using AA, a signaling molecule largely available at the inflammatory sites.

Cerebral endothelial cell apoptosis after ischemia-reperfusion: role of PARP activation and AIF translocation

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion leads to vascular dysfunction characterized by endothelial cell injury or death. In the present study, we used an in vitro model to elucidate mechanisms of human brain microvascular endothelial cell (HBMEC) injury after episodic ischemia-reperfusion. Near-confluent HBMEC cultures were exposed to intermittent hypoxia-reoxygenation (HX/RO) and, at different recovery time points, cell viability was assessed by the MTT assay, apoptotic death by fluorescence microscopy of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells, and nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) by immunoblotting of subcellular fractions. Reductions in HBMEC viability were proportional to the number of HX/RO cycles, and not the total duration of hypoxia. Using four cycles of 1-h HX with 1 h of intervening normoxic RO, cell viability was reduced 30% to 40% between 12 and 48 h. Treatment with the PARP-1 inhibitors 3-aminobenzamide or 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide during the insult improved HBMEC viability at 24 h after insult, and resulted in dose-dependent reductions in TUNEL-positivity at 16 h after insult, but not if these treatments were delayed by 4 h. HX/RO-induced increases in nuclear AIF translocation, as well as PARP-1 cleavage, were also reduced dose-dependently at 4 h after insult by the inhibitors. The caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk blocked PARP-1 cleavage, but did not affect AIF translocation and was only modestly cytoprotective. These findings indicate that PARP-1 activation and a PARP-1-dependent, caspase-independent, nuclear translocation of AIF contribute to apoptotic cerebral endothelial cell death after ischemia-reperfusion, underscoring the potential for ischemic microvascular protection by inhibiting PARP activation or preventing AIF translocation.

Cardiotoxicity of digitalis glycosides: roles of autonomic pathways, autacoids and ion channels

1 Cardiac glycosides have been used for centuries as therapeutic agents for the treatment of heart diseases. In patients with heart failure, digoxin and the other glycosides exert their positive inotropic effect by inhibiting Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, thereby increasing intracellular sodium, which, in turn, inhibits the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger and increases intracellular calcium levels. As the therapeutic index of digitalis is narrow, arrhythmias are common problems in clinical practice. The mechanisms and mediators of these arrhythmias, however, are not completely understood. 2 The involvement of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system in digitalis cardiac toxicity is reviewed. 3 Receptors, channels, exchange systems or other cellular components involved in digitalis-induced cardiotoxicity are also reviewed. 4 Possible mediators of digitalis-induced cardiac toxicity are discussed. 5 Management of digitalis toxicity in patients is summarized. 6 The determination of the possible mediators of digitalis-induced cardiac toxicity will enhance our knowledge and lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies to treat these lethal arrhythmias.

ERK1/2-dependent regulation of U937 cell survival after exposure to peroxynitrite

A short-term growth of U937 cells in serum-free medium causes a prompt, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-dependent necrotic response after exposure to an otherwise non-toxic concentration of peroxynitrite. This event is mediated by inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation, essential for the cytosolic phospholipase A(2)-dependent arachidonic acid (AA) release evoked by peroxynitrite. Reduced availability of the lipid messenger would therefore limit the efficiency of the AA-dependent survival signalling and cause an MPT-based necrosis. Since peroxynitrite further reduces the extent of ERK1/2 phosphorylation, regardless of whether cells had been grown in serum-free or -containing medium, it appears that basal ERK1/2 phosphorylation is a critical determinant for the survival response of U937 cells to a non-toxic, but nevertheless MPT-committing, concentration of peroxynitrite.

Facilitated nitration and oxidation of LDL in cigarette smokers

BACKGROUND

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing atherosclerosis and ischaemic heart disease. Smoking-induced oxidative stress is considered to favour oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and subsequently promotes the atherogenic process. We investigated whether peroxynitrite, a reaction product of cigarette smoke, is involved in facilitated oxidation of LDL in smokers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Plasma LDL was obtained from 10 healthy asymptomatic cigarette smokers and 10 healthy nonsmokers. The state of enhanced oxidative stress in the plasma was assessed by LDL subfraction assay using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (AE-HPLC) and measurements of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), vitamin E, 3-nitrotyrosine and 3-chlorotyrosine.

RESULTS

Smokers showed a significantly higher level of TBARS and 8-OHdG as well as a significantly lower level of vitamin E than nonsmokers, even after stopping smoking for 10 h or more. The LDL subfraction assay demonstrated an increase in oxidatively modified LDL, as expressed by lower levels of LDL1 and higher levels of LDL2. The 3-nitrotyrosine levels in apolipoprotein B in LDL were significantly higher in smokers than nonsmokers, while the 3-chlorotyrosine levels remained unchanged. In addition, these changes observed in the smokers were further accelerated within 30 min after resumption of cigarette smoking when compared with the levels before smoking resumption.

CONCLUSION

The present study suggests that peroxynitrite plays a significant role in oxidative modification of plasma LDL induced by cigarette smoking.

Bench-to-bedside review: Apoptosis/programmed cell death triggered by traumatic brain injury

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a physiological form of cell death that is important for normal embryologic development and cell turnover in adult organisms. Cumulative evidence suggests that apoptosis can also be triggered in tissues without a high rate of cell turnover, including those within the central nervous system (CNS). In fact, a crucial role for apoptosis in delayed neuronal loss after both acute and chronic CNS injury is emerging. In the current review we summarize the growing evidence that apoptosis occurs after traumatic brain injury (TBI), from experimental models to humans. This includes the identification of apoptosis after TBI, initiators of apoptosis, key modulators of apoptosis such as the Bcl-2 family, key executioners of apoptosis such as the caspase family, final pathways of apoptosis, and potential therapeutic interventions for blocking neuronal apoptosis after TBI.

Accelerated cerebral ischemic injury by activated macrophages/microglia after lipopolysaccharide microinjection into rat corpus callosum

In cerebral ischemic insults, activated inflammatory cells such as microglia and macrophages may be implicated in the pattern and degree of ischemic injury by producing various bioactive mediators. In the present study, we provide the evidence that activated microglia/macrophages accelerate cerebral ischemic injury by overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). To activate microglia/macrophages, a potent inflammation inducer lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 microg/5 microl) was microinjected into rat corpus callosum. Isolectin B4-positive microglia/macrophages were abundantly observed in ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 day after LPS injection. RT-PCR showed that LPS injection induced iNOS mRNA expression mostly in microglia/macrophages, peaking in intensity at 15 h after LPS injection. While ischemic injury was little evoked in control rats by 2-h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 3-h reperfusion, it was markedly increased in rats pre-injected with LPS 1 day before MCAO. However, no significant difference between control and LPS-pretreated groups was observed after 24-h reperfusion. The increased ischemic injury in LPS-treated rats was well correlated with iNOS level expressed over 3 orders of magnitude than in LPS-untreated rats. Immunohistochemical studies showed that iNOS- and nitrotyrosine (a peroxynitrite marker)-positive cells were prominent throughout the infarct area. NOS inhibitors aminoguanidine or N(G)-nitro-L-arginine, simultaneously injected with LPS, reduced the iNOS immunoreactivity and infarct volume, especially in penumbra regions. Total glutathione levels in ischemic regions were decreased more in LPS pre-injected rats than in control ones. Further defining the role of NO in cerebral ischemic insults would provide the rationale for new therapeutic strategies based on modulation of microglial and macrophageal NO production in the brain.

Effects of inhibition of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) synthase on acute cardiac allograft rejection

BACKGROUND

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-2 is expressed during acute cardiac allograft rejection in association with death of heart muscle cells. The nuclear enzyme poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) synthase (PARS) is activated by agonists such as NO and peroxynitrite, which cause single-strand DNA breaks; PARS, in turn can promote both necrosis and apoptosis. To investigate the hypothesis that NO produced by NOS-2 in cardiomyocytes activates PARS and contributes to heart muscle cell death by apoptosis, experiments were performed using a heterotopic rat abdominal heart transplant model and cytokine-stimulated heart muscle cells in tissue culture.

METHODS

Cardiac allografts were treated after transplantation with either the PARS inhibitor 5-aminoisoquinolinone at 3 mg/kg subcutaneously daily or with vehicle. Isolated purified adult rat cardiomyocytes incubated with cytokines to induce NOS-2 were treated in vitro with another PARS inhibitor, 3-aminobenzamide (3AB).

RESULTS

PARS inhibition increased cardiac-allograft survival from 6 +/- 2 to 10 +/- 3 days (n=6, n=6, P<0.05). The inflammatory infiltrate, NOS-2-positive macrophages, myocyte apoptosis, and myocyte content of nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP-ribose) were significantly decreased in PARS inhibited allografts at day 5 posttransplantation. Similarly, apoptosis and PARS activity were diminished in cytokine-stimulated adult rat cardiomyocytes when either 3AB or L-NMMA were applied.

CONCLUSIONS

The data indicate that PARS activation occurs during acute cardiac-allograft rejection and contributes significantly to the inflammatory response and to the death of cardiac muscle cells by apoptosis. They suggest that PARS inhibition combined with immunosuppression might enhance salvage of heart-muscle cells during acute cardiac-allograft rejection.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity contributes to peroxynitrite-induced spinal cord neuronal cell death in vitro

Peroxynitrite, which has been implicated in secondary neuronal damage resulting from spinal cord injury, is capable of mediating several toxic interactions including inducing DNA strand breaks and activating the nuclear enzyme, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). In the present study we have tested the hypothesis that peroxynitrite-induced cell death in spinal cord injury is due to activation of PARP. Initially we examined whether peroxynitrite exerts toxic effects on primary cultures of spinal cord neurons and then determined whether the spinal cord neuronal cell death triggered by peroxynitrite was associated with PARP activation. Peroxynitrite dose-dependently reduced the viability of spinal cord neurons in vitro. Furthermore, peroxynitrite exposure markedly increased the number of DNA strand breaks in primary spinal cord neurons, resulting in activation of PARP. To identify whether PARP activation plays a direct role in peroxynitrite-induced neurotoxicity we assessed the effects of the PARP inhibitors, nicotinamide, 3-aminobenzamide and 5-iodo-6-amino-1,2 benzopyrone on cell viability in spinal cord neurons exposed to peroxynitrite. The presence of the PARP inhibitors in the cultures not only inhibited peroxynitrite-induced PARP activity in spinal cord neurons but also protected the cells from the deleterious actions of peroxynitrite. Therefore, our results demonstrate that peroxynitrite exerts toxic effects on spinal cord neurons in vitro at least in part through a PARP-dependent pathway.

Peroxynitrite-mediated inactivation of heme oxygenases

Background

Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) are generated by nitric oxide synthase and heme oxygenase, respectively. Like NO, CO has been accepted as an important cellular signaling molecule in biological systems. An up-regulation in both gene and protein expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) under oxidative/nitrosative stress has been well documented, and the protective role of HO-1 and HO-2 against oxidative damage is proposed. However, data on the direct effect of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) on HO function is incomplete. Using gas chromatography to quantify carbon monoxide (CO) formation from heme oxidation, we investigated the effects of peroxynitrite (ONOO^-) on the in vitro catalytic activity of rat spleen (HO-1) and brain (HO-2) microsomal heme oxygenases.

Results

Exposure to ONOO^- led to concentration-dependent but reversible decreases in the activity of microsomal rat spleen and brain HO activity. Spleen HO activity was 100-fold more sensitive to ONOO^--dependent inactivation compared to that of the brain, with IC₅₀ values of 0.015 ± 0.005 mM and 1.25 ± 0.25 mM respectively. Inhibition of both rat spleen and brain microsomal HO activity was also observed with tetra-nitromethane, a tyrosine nitrating agent, as well as two NO donors, S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) and diethylamine NONOate (DEA-NONOate). However, no additive effect was found following the application of NO donors and ONOO^- together.

Conclusion

These results indicate that ONOO^- may regulate HO-1 and HO-2 activities by mechanisms that involve different interactions with these proteins. It is suggested that while nitration of tyrosine residues and oxidation of sulfhydryl groups may be involved, consideration should be given to other facets of ONOO^- chemistry. This inhibition of HO activity offers a mechanism for cross talk between the nitric oxide synthase and HO systems.

Inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase attenuates acute lung injury in an ovine model of sepsis

It is known that in various pathophysiological conditions, reactive oxidants cause DNA strand breakage and subsequent activation of the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP). Activation of PARP results in cellular dysfunction. We hypothesized that pharmacological inhibition of PARP reduces the damage in the ovine model of acute lung injury (ALI). After smoke inhalation, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5 x 109 cfu/kg) was instilled into both lungs. All of the animals were mechanically ventilated with 100% O2. The infusion of the PARP inhibitor (INO-1001, n = 6) began 1 h after the injury and thereafter through 24 h (3 mg bolus + 0.3 mg/kg/h, i.v.). Control animals (n = 6) were treated with saline. Sham injury animals (n = 8) received sham smoke and were mechanically ventilated in the same fashion. One-half of those sham animals (n = 4) were given the same dose of INO-1001. PaO2/FiO2 ratio at 24 h in saline and in the INO-1001-treated groups were 95 +/- 22 and 181 +/- 22, respectively (P < 0.05). Peak airway pressure at 24 h in the saline- and INO-1001-treated groups was 32.6 +/- 3.0 and 24.4 +/- 2.2, respectively (P < 0.05). Pulmonary shunt fraction was also significantly attenuated. INO-1001 treatment reduced pulmonary histological injury and attenuated poly (ADP-ribose) accumulation in the lung. In conclusion, inhibition of PARP improved the ALI after smoke inhalation and pneumonia. The results suggest that the activation of PARP plays a role in the pathophysiology of ALI in sheep.

Protective effect of nicotinamide on neuronal cells under oxygen and glucose deprivation and hypoxia/reoxygenation

Nicotinamide (vitamin B(3)) reduces the infarct volume following focal cerebral ischemia in rats; however, its mechanism of action has not been reported. After cerebral ischemia and/or reperfusion, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species may be generated by inflammatory cells through several cellular pathways, which can lead to intracellular calcium influx and cell damage. Therefore, we investigated the mechanisms of action of nicotinamide in neuroprotection under conditions of hypoxia/reoxygenation. Results showed that nicotinamide significantly protected rat primary cortical cells from hypoxia by reducing lactate dehydrogenase release with 1 h of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) stress. ROS production and calcium influx in neuronal cells during OGD were dose-dependently diminished by up to 10 mM nicotinamide (p < 0.01). This effect was further examined with OGD/reoxygenation (H/R). Cells were stained with the fluorescent dye 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) or antibodies against anti-microtubule-associated protein-2 and cleaved caspase-3. Apoptotic cells were studied using Western blotting of cytochrome c and cleaved caspase-3. Results showed that vitamin B(3) reduced cell injury, caspase-3 cleavage and nuclear condensation (DAPI staining) in neuronal cells under H/R. In addition, nicotinamide diminished c-fos and zif268 immediate-early gene expressions following OGD. Taken together, these results indicate that the neuroprotective effect of nicotinamide might occur through these mechanisms in this in vitro ischemia/reperfusion model.

Lack of detrimental effects of nitric oxide inhibition in bile duct-ligated rats with hepatic encephalopathy

BACKGROUND

The pathogenetic mechanisms of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are not fully understood. Vasodilatation induced by nitric oxide (NO) may be involved in the development of HE. There is no comprehensive data concerning the effects of NO inhibition on HE in chronic liver disease.

METHODS

Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 240-270 g at the time of surgery were selected for experiments. Secondary biliary cirrhosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL). Counts of movements were compared between BDL rats and rats receiving a sham operation. In another series of experiments, BDL rats received either Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 25 mg kg-1 day-1 in tap water) or tap water (control) from the 36th to 42nd days after BDL. Besides motor activities, plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and nitrate/nitrite, liver biochemistry tests and haemodynamics were determined after treatment.

RESULTS

Compared with the sham-operated rats, the total, ambulatory and vertical movements were significantly decreased in the BDL rats (P </= 0.001). The L-NAME group had a significantly higher mean arterial pressure than that of the control group (119.0 +/- 2.5 mmHg vs. 97.3 +/- 2.8 mmHg, P = 0.002). However, the counts of motor activities, plasma levels of TNF-alpha and nitrate/nitrite, and serum biochemistry tests were not significantly different between the L-NAME and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Bile duct ligation may induce HE evidenced by a decrease in motor activities. However, chronic L-NAME administration did not have significantly detrimental or therapeutic effects on the severity of encephalopathy in BDL rats.

The effects of PBN (phenyl-butyl-nitrone) on GLT-1 levels and on the extracellular levels of amino acids and energy metabolites in a model of iron-induced posttraumatic epilepsy

This study investigates astrocytic glutamate uptake in the iron-induced animal model of posttraumatic epilepsy. Since formation of free radicals may be involved in epileptogenesis after brain trauma and hemorrhage the effects of the nitrone radical scavenger alpha-phenyl-tert-N-butyl nitrone (PBN) were also studied. Animals received an intracortical iron injection, or were sham-operated. They were given PBN intraperitoneally or saline as control. Twenty-four hours after lesion, brain tissue was collected and the level of glial glutamate transporter (GLT-1) was analyzed using immunoblotting. The extracellular concentrations of amino acids and energy metabolites were measured using microdialysis. The results showed significantly decreased levels of GLT-1 (70 kDa), higher basal levels of glutamate, and lower levels of glutamine as well as low arginine/citrulline ratios at the lesion compared to controls. PBN significantly attenuated the decrease of 70 kDa GLT-1 in the lesioned animals and attenuated the alterations in amino acid levels but not to a significant level. PBN also increased the arginine/citrulline ratios indicating reduced nitric oxide synthase activity. Our results suggest that astrocytic uptake of glutamate is oxidatively impaired in iron-induced epileptogenesis and that the administration of a radical scavenger can attenuate this process.

Protective effects of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside from blackberry extract against peroxynitrite-induced endothelial dysfunction and vascular failure

Anthocyanins are a group of naturally occurring phenolic compounds as colorants in several plants, flowers and fruits. These pigments have a great importance as quality indicators, as chemotaxonomic markers and antioxidants. The content of blackberry (Rubus species) juice was investigated by HPLC/ESI/MS using narrow bore HPLC columns. Using this method we demonstrated that cyanidin-3-O-glucoside represents about 80% of the total anthocyanin contents in blackberry extract. Here we investigated antioxidant activity of the blackberry juice and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside on the endothelial dysfunction in cells and in vascular rings exposed to peroxynitrite. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro, peroxynitrite caused a significant suppression of mitochondrial respiration (38 +/- 2.1% of control cells), as measured by the mitochondrial-dependent conversion of the dye MTT to formazan. Peroxynitrite caused DNA strand breakage (63 +/- 1.9% single strand vs 3 +/- 0.9% single strand in control cells), as measured by the alkaline unwinding assay, and caused an activation of PARS, as measured by the incorporation of radiolabeled NAD(+) to nuclear proteins. Blackberry juice (different dilutions that contained 80 ppm;40 ppm;14.5 ppm of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside) and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (as chloride) (0.085 microM; 0.028 microM; 0.0085 microM) reduced the peroxynitrite-induced suppression of mitochondrial respiration, DNA damage and PARS activation in HUVECs. Vascular rings exposed to peroxynitrite exhibited reduced endothelium-dependent relaxant responses in response to acetylcholine as well as a vascular contractility dysfunction in response to norepinephrine. The development of this peroxynitrite-induced vascular dysfunction was ameliorated by the blackberry juice (different dilutions that contained 80 ppm;40 ppm;14.5 ppm of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside) and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (as chloride) (0.085 microM;0.028 microM;0.0085 microM). In conclusion our findings clearly demonstrate that blackberry juice containing cyanidin-3-O-glucoside is a scavenger of peroxynitrite and that exert a protective effect against endothelial dysfunction and vascular failure induced by peroxynitrite.

High glucose potentiates palmitate-induced NO-mediated cytotoxicity through generation of superoxide in clonal beta-cell HIT-T15

Prolonged exposure to free fatty acids induces beta-cell cytotoxicity. We investigated whether this fatty-acid-induced cytotoxicity is affected by high glucose levels. In clonal beta-cell HIT-T15, palmitate-induced cytotoxicity was potentiated depending on elevated glucose concentrations due to increased apoptosis without cytotoxic effects of high glucose per se. This palmitate cytotoxicity was blocked by NO synthase inhibitors, and palmitate actually increased cellular NO production. The potentiation of palmitate cytotoxicity under high glucose was reversed by decreasing superoxide production, suggesting that superoxide overproduction under high glucose enhances NO-mediated cytotoxicity in beta-cells, which may explain the mechanism of synergistic deterioration of pancreatic beta-cells by free fatty acids and high glucose.

The basic aspects of therapeutics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Once thought to be a single pathological disease state, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is now recognized to be the limited phenotypic expression of a complex, heterogeneous group of biological processes, resulting in an unrelenting loss of motor neurons. On average, individuals affected with the disease live <5 years. In this article, the complex nature of the pathogenesis of ALS, including features of age dependency, environmental associations, and genetics, is reviewed. Once held to be uncommon, it is now clear that ALS is associated with a frontotemporal dementia and that this process may reflect disturbances in the microtubule-associated tau protein metabolism. The motor neuron ultimately succumbs in a state where significant disruptions in neurofilament metabolism, mitochondrial function, and management of oxidative stress exist. The microenvironment of the neuron becomes a complex milieu in which high levels of glutamate provide a source of chronic excitatory neurotoxicity, and the contributions of activated microglial cells lead to further cascades of motor neuron death, perhaps serving to propagate the disease once established. The final process of motor neuron death encompasses many features of apoptosis, but it is clear that this alone cannot account for all features of motor neuron loss and that aspects of a necrosis-apoptosis continuum are at play. Designing pharmacological strategies to mitigate against this process thus becomes an increasingly complex issue, which is reviewed in this article.

A dual role for poly-ADP-ribosylation in spatial memory acquisition after traumatic brain injury in mice involving NAD+ depletion and ribosylation of 14-3-3gamma

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a homeostatic enzyme that paradoxically contributes to disturbances in spatial memory acquisition after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in transgenic mice, thought to be related to depletion of its substrate nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). In this study, systemic administration of the PARP-1 inhibitor 5-iodo-6-amino-1,2-benzopyrone (INH2BP) after TBI preserved brain NAD+ levels and dose-dependently reduced poly-ADP-ribosylation 24 h after injury. While moderate-dose INH2BP improved spatial memory acquisition after TBI; strikingly, both injured- and sham-mice receiving high-dose INH2BP were unable to learn in the Morris-water maze. Poly-ADP-ribosylated peptides identified using a proteomics approach yielded several proteins potentially associated with memory, including structural proteins (tubulin alpha and beta, gamma-actin, and alpha-internexin neuronal intermediate filament protein) and 14-3-3gamma. Nuclear poly-ADP-ribosylation of 14-3-3gamma was completely inhibited by the dose of INH2BP that produced profound memory disturbances. Thus, partial inhibition of poly-ADP-ribosylation preserves NAD+ and improves functional outcome after TBI, whereas more complete inhibition impairs spatial memory acquisition independent of injury, and is associated with ribosylation of 14-3-3gamma.

Peroxynitrite-induced oligodendrocyte toxicity is not dependent on poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation

Oligodendrocyte loss is a characteristic feature of several CNS disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury. However, the mechanisms responsible for oligodendrocyte destruction remain undefined. As recent studies have implicated peroxynitrite in the pathogenesis of both spinal cord injury and MS, we have examined whether peroxynitrite may mediate at least some of the oligodendrocyte damage and demyelination observed in these conditions. Primary rat oligodendrocytes were exposed to authentic peroxynitrite in vitro and assessed for cytotoxicity. Mitochondrial function, measured by the reduction of MTT to formazan, and mitochondrial membrane potential were used as indicators of cell viability. Cell death was quantitated by measuring either the release of lactate dehydrogenase from, or the uptake of propidium iodide into, damaged and dying cells. Peroxynitrite dose-dependently reduced the viability of primary oligodendrocytes and induced cell death. Furthermore, peroxynitrite significantly increased DNA strand breakage and the activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in oligodendrocyte cultures. To identify whether PARP activation plays a role in peroxynitrite-induced oligodendrocyte toxicity, we examined the effects of the PARP inhibitors 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) and 5-iodo-6-amino-1,2-benzopyrone (INH(2)BP) on mitochondrial function and cell death in oligodendrocytes. The presence of 3AB and INH(2)BP did not protect oligodendrocytes from peroxynitrite-induced cytotoxicity. However, both compounds significantly reduced PARP activity in these cells. Primary oligodendrocytes generated from PARP-deficient mice were also highly susceptible to peroxynitrite-induced cell death. Therefore, our results show that peroxynitrite exerts cytotoxic effects on oligodendrocytes in vitro independently of PARP activation.

Comparison of uric acid and ascorbic acid in protection against EAE

Serum levels of uric acid (UA), an inhibitor of peroxynitrite- (ONOO-) related chemical reactions, became elevated approximately 30 million years ago in hominid evolution. During a similar time frame, higher mammals lost the ability to synthesize another important radical scavenger, ascorbic acid (AA), leading to the suggestion that UA may have replaced AA as an antioxidant. However, in vivo treatment with AA does not protect against the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a disease that has been associated with the activity of ONOO- and is inhibited by UA. When compared in vitro, UA and AA were found to have similar capacities to inhibit the nitrating properties of ONOO-. However UA and AA had different capacities to prevent ONOO- -mediated oxidation, especially in the presence of iron ion (Fe3+). While UA at physiological concentrations effectively blocked dihydrorhodamine-123 oxidation in the presence of Fe3+, AA did not, regardless of whether the source of ONOO- was synthetic ONOO-, SIN-1, or RAW 264.7 cells. AA also potentiated lipid peroxidation in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, the superior protective properties of UA in EAE may be related to its ability to neutralize the oxidative properties of ONOO- in the presence of free iron ions.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase triggers the microvascular mechanisms of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

Activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) mediates oxidative stress-induced cell injury. We tested the hypothesis that PARP contributes to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) damage of the liver by triggering the mechanisms of microcirculatory failure. Leukocyte- and platelet-endothelial cell interactions as well as sinusoidal perfusion were analyzed by intravital fluorescence microscopy after lobar hepatic I/R (90 min/30 min) in C57BL/6 x 129/Sv wild-type (PARP+/+) and PARP-deficient (PARP-/-) mice. Hepatic I/R induced leukocyte/platelet-endothelial cell interactions and tissue injury in PARP+/+ mice, as indicated by impaired sinusoidal perfusion and increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) serum activities. In PARP-/- mice, however, the postischemic increase in the numbers of rolling/adherent leukocytes and platelets was significantly lower. In addition, I/R-induced translocation of CD62P as well as mRNA expression of CD62E, CD54, and CD106 were attenuated. The degree of perfusion failure was reduced and the increase in the ALT/AST activities was lower in PARP-/- mice compared with PARP+/+ mice. We conclude that PARP contributes to hepatic microvascular injury by triggering the expression/translocation of adhesion molecules and modulating leukocyte/platelet-endothelial cell interactions.

The role of NADPH oxidase, neuronal nitric oxide synthase and poly(ADP ribose) polymerase in oxidative neuronal death induced in cortical cultures by brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-4/5

Certain neurotrophins promote or induce oxidative neuronal death in cortical cultures. However, the effector mechanisms mediating this phenomenon have not been delineated. In this study, we investigated the possibility that NADPH oxidase and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) function as such effectors. Western blot analysis showed that treatment with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin (NT)-4/5 increased the levels of NADPH oxidase subunits. Moreover, neurotrophin treatment resulted in membrane translocation of p67phox, a characteristic feature of NADPH oxidase activation. Administration of the specific NADPH oxidase inhibitor, 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonylfluoride (AEBSF), attenuated increases in oxygen free radicals thereby suggesting that NADPH oxidase contributes to the oxidative stress induced by neurotrophins. Furthermore, neuronal death induced by BDNF or NT-4/5 was significantly attenuated by AEBSF. Treatment with BDNF has previously been shown to induce neuronal NOS (nNOS). Our data indicated that inhibitors of nNOS attenuated neuronal death induced by BDNF or NT-4/5, consistent with an active role of nNOS in the mediation of neurotrophin neurotoxicity. As in other models of oxidative cell death, BDNF-induced neuronal death was accompanied by poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation. AEBSF or N-nitro-l-arginine (NNA) reduced BDNF-mediated PARP activation. PARP and poly(ADP ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) are actively involved in mediating neurotrophin neurotoxicity since inhibitors of PARP and PARG significantly reduced levels of cell death. These results suggest that NADPH oxidase and nNOS contribute to increased oxidative stress, subsequent activation of PARP/PARG, and neuronal death induced by prolonged neurotrophin exposure.

Life imaging of peroxynitrite in rat microglial and astroglial cells: Role of superoxide and antioxidants

Free radicals, such as superoxide and nitric oxide, are known to play a role in a number of inflammatory and degenerative brain diseases, in which resident microglia upregulate the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and thus produce large amounts of nitric oxide. Simultaneously, microglia generate superoxide mainly via NADPH-oxidase, which reacts at a diffusion-limited rate with nitric oxide to form the powerful oxidant peroxynitrite. We used mixed astroglial/microglial cultures to study the effects of iNOS induction by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma on free radical formation. Using the fluorogenic compound 2,7-dihydrodichlorofluorescein diacetate, we monitored cellular peroxynitrite formation by confocal laser microscopy. Peroxynitrite formation in continuously nitric oxide-producing microglial cells was rather limited. However, activation of the superoxide-generating enzyme NADPH-oxidase dramatically increased DCF fluorescence within a few minutes. We conclude that superoxide is the limiting factor for peroxynitrite formation. Since the formation and oxidant activity of peroxynitrite depends strongly on the availability of cellular antioxidants, we investigated the capacity of several compounds to influence peroxynitrite formation. Among the substances under investigation in this study, glutathione and the synthetic compound ebselen had a major effect on preventing peroxynitrite formation, whereas ascorbate failed to decrease peroxynitrite levels.

Hypoxia sensitizes cells to nitric oxide-induced apoptosis

Nitric oxide (NO) can induce apoptosis in a variety of cell types. A non-toxic concentration of nitric oxide under normal oxygen conditions triggered cell death under hypoxic conditions (1.5% O(2)) in fibroblasts. Nitric oxide administered during hypoxia induced the release of cytochrome c, caspase-9 activation, and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential followed by DNA fragmentation and lactate dehydrogenase release (markers of cell death). Bcl-X(L) protected cells from nitric oxide-induced apoptosis during hypoxia by preventing the release of cytochrome c, caspase-9 activation, and by maintaining a mitochondrial membrane potential. Murine embryonic fibroblasts from bax(-/-) bak(-/-) mice exposed to nitric oxide during hypoxia did not die, indicating that pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members are required for NO-induced apoptosis during hypoxia. The nitric oxide-induced cell death during hypoxia was independent of cGMP and peroxynitrite. Cells devoid of mitochondrial DNA (rho secondary-cells) lack a functional electron transport chain and were resistant to nitric oxide-induced cell death during hypoxia, suggesting that a functional electron transport chain is required for nitric oxide-induced apoptosis during hypoxia.

Protective effect of a novel, potent inhibitor of poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribose) synthetase in a porcine model of severe bacterial sepsis

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether activation of the nuclear enzyme poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) synthetase (PARS) contributes to mortality rate, myocardial dysfunction, and cardiovascular collapse in a porcine model of sepsis induced by implantation of an infected clot.

DESIGN

Prospective, random animal study.

SETTING

Research laboratory at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center.

SUBJECTS

Twenty pigs were chronically instrumented with intracardiac transducers to measure left ventricular pressure, sonomicrometer crystals in the left ventricle to measure short axis diameter, an ultrasonic flow meter to measure cardiac output, and catheters in the pulmonary artery and aorta to measure blood pressures and collect samples.

INTERVENTIONS

By using a randomized study design, we administered either the novel potent PARS inhibitor PJ34 (10 mg/kg for 1 hr, 2 mg x kg(-1) x hr(-1) for 96 hrs) or vehicle to pigs immediately before intraperitoneal implantation of Escherichia coli 0111.B4 (2.3 +/- 0.1 x 10(10) colony-forming units/kg)-laden fibrin clots to produce peritonitis and bacteremia.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

In vehicle-treated pigs, 12% survival was recorded at 24 hrs, whereas 83% and 66% survival was recorded in the PJ34-treated animals at 24 and 96 hrs, respectively (p <.05). PJ34 treatment attenuated bacteremia-induced increases in systemic and pulmonary vascular resistances. In controls, peritonitis induced rapid increase in plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha. PJ34 treatment significantly attenuated this cytokine response. The formation of peroxynitrite and the activation of PARS were confirmed in hearts and lungs of the septic pigs by the immunohistochemical detection of nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP-ribose), respectively. Inhibition of PARS with PJ34 abolished poly(ADP-ribose) formation in septic animals.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with a potent PARS inhibitor improved survival and cardiovascular status and attenuated an important mediator component of the inflammatory response in a lethal porcine model of sepsis.

Resistance to acute septic peritonitis in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1-deficient mice

Sepsis is associated with a widespread production of proinflammatory cytokines and various oxidant species. Activation of the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) has been shown to contribute to cell necrosis and organ failure in various diseases associated with inflammation and reperfusion injury. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the role of PARP activation in the multiple organ dysfunction complicating sepsis in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Mice genetically deficient in PARP (PARP-/-) and their wild-type littermates (PARP+/+) were subjected to CLP. After 12 and 24 h, the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6, as well as the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and nitrite/nitrate were measured in plasma samples. Organs were harvested for the measurement of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and immunohistochemical staining for nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP ribose) was performed in gut sections. PARP-/- mice, and their wild-type littermate showed a similar time-dependent increase in plasma nitrite/nitrate and in gut and lung MDA content, as well as the presence of nitrotyrosine in the gut. In contrast to wild-type mice showing a PARP activation in the gut, PARP-/- mice had no staining for poly(ADP ribose). PARP-/- mice had significantly lower plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-10, and they exhibited a reduced degree of organ inflammation, indicated by decreased MPO activity in the gut and lung. These effects were associated with a significant improvement in the survival of CLP in PARP-/- mice. Thus, PARP activation has an important role in systemic inflammation and organ damage in the present model of polymicrobial septic shock.

Delayed formation of hydrogen peroxide mediates the lethal response evoked by peroxynitrite in U937 cells

The toxicity paradigm used in the present study involves exposure of U937 cells to a concentration of authentic peroxynitrite, leading to a rapid necrotic response mediated by mitochondrial permeability transition. We found that addition of catalase after treatment with peroxynitrite specifically prevents the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and the ensuing lethal response. The protective effects of catalase were mimicked by the cocktail glutathione peroxidase/reduced glutathione. A defensive role of intracellular catalase was implied by experiments showing that catalase-depleted cells are hypersensitive to peroxynitrite and that cells with an increased catalase content, selected for their resistance to H(2)O(2), are cross-resistant to peroxynitrite. Further experiments demonstrated that H(2)O(2) formation takes place after peroxynitrite exposure. Various approaches using inhibitors of the mitochondrial respiratory chain as well as respiration-deficient cells revealed that the oxidant is produced upon dismutation of superoxides generated at the level of complex III. Interestingly, respiration-deficient cells were found to be resistant to peroxynitrite toxicity, and all those treatments increasing formation of H(2)O(2) produced a parallel increase in toxicity. In conclusion, the results presented in this study indicate that peroxynitrite-induced impairment of electron transport from cytochrome b to cytochrome c1 leads to delayed formation of hydrogen peroxide, which plays a pivotal role in the ensuing necrotic response.

Effect of growth factors on nuclear and mitochondrial ADP-ribosylation processes during astroglial cell development and aging in culture

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin (INS) are powerful mitogens and may regulate gene expression in cultured astrocytes by ADP-ribosylation process. Nuclear poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) and mitochondrial monoADP-ribosyltransferase (ADPRT) are the key enzymes involved in poly-ADP-ribosylation and mono ADP-ribosylation, respectively. In this investigation the effect of EGF, bFGF, IGF-I or INS on nuclear PARP and mitochondrial ADPRT activities were assessed in nuclei and mitochondria purified from developing (30 DIV) or aging (90 and 190 DIV) primary rat astrocyte cultures. A marked increase of PARP activity in bFGF or IGF-I treated astroglial cell cultures at 30 DIV was found. Nuclear PARP and mitochondrial ADPRT activities were greatly stimulated by treatment with EGF or INS alone or together in astrocyte cultures at 30 DIV. Nuclear PARP and mitochondrial ADPRT activities showed a more remarkable increase in control untreated astrocyte cultures at 190 DIV than at 90 DIV. These findings suggest that ADP-ribosylation process is involved in DNA damage and repair during cell differentiation and aging in culture. Twelve hours treatment with EGF, INS or bFGF significantly stimulated nuclear PARP and mitochondrial ADPRT activities in 190 DIV aging astrocyte cultures. The above results indicate that EGF, INS and bFGF may play a crucial role in the post-translational modification of chromosomal proteins including ADP-ribosylation process in in vitro models. This suggests that growth factors regulate genomic stability in glial cells during development and maturation, stimulating nuclear and mitochondrial ADP-ribosylation processes in developing or aging astrocyte cultures.

Poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate) ribose polymerase activation as a cause of metabolic dysfunction in critical illness

Poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate) ribose polymerase is a nuclear enzyme activated in response to genotoxic stress induced by a variety of DNA damaging agents. Several oxygen and nitrogen-centered free radicals, notably peroxynitrite, are strong inducers of DNA damage and poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate) ribose polymerase activation in vitro and in vivo. Activation of this nuclear enzyme depletes the intracellular stores of its substrate nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, slowing the rate of glycolysis, mitochondrial electron transport and adenosine triphosphate formation. This process triggers a severe energetic crisis within the cell, leading to acute cell dysfunction and cell necrosis. Poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate) ribose polymerase also plays an important role in the regulation of inflammatory cascades, through a functional association with various transcription factors and transcription co-activators. Recent works identified this enzyme as a critical mediator of cellular metabolic dysfunction, inflammatory injury, and organ damage in conditions associated with overwhelming oxidative stress, including systemic inflammation, circulatory shock, and ischemia-reperfusion. Accordingly, pharmacological inhibitors of poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate) ribose polymerase protect against cell death and tissue injury in such conditions, and may therefore represent novel therapeutic tools to limit multiple organ damage and dysfunction in critically ill patients.

Protective effects of poly (ADP-ribose) synthase inhibitors on digoxin-induced cardiotoxicity in guinea-pig isolated hearts

Reactive oxygen species, generated and released during digoxin-induced cardiotoxicity, can produce an activation of poly (ADP-ribose) synthase (PARS). Our objective was to examine the effects of PARS inhibitors, 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB ) and nicotinamide, on digoxin-induced arrhythmias in guinea-pig isolated hearts. 3-AB (0.1-0.3 mM) and nicotinamide (0.3 mM) were added to the perfusion solution starting 10 min before digoxin infusion (8 microg x ml (-1)min (-1)reaching the heart) and maintained throughout the experiments. Electrocardiograms and coronary perfusion pressure were recorded continuously, and digoxin-induced arrhythmias were determined. Nicotinamide markedly inhibited ventricular tachycardia (VT) incidence (from 100%, n= 7, to 29%, n= 7), and abolished ventricular fibrillation (VF) incidence. 3-AB (0.1 mM, n= 9) significantly decreased VT incidence from 100% ( n= 7) to 22% ( n= 9) and VF incidence from 86% ( n= 7) to 11% ( n= 9). Both nicotinamide and 3-AB (0.1 mM) markedly decreased number of ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs) and arrhythmia score. 3-AB at 0.3 mM ( n= 8) appeared to decrease the VT (to 63%) and VF incidence (to 38%), but these reductions did not reach statistically significance levels. Moreover, 3-AB at high concentration (0.3 mM) did not significantly modify the number of VEBs and arrhythmia score. There were no significant changes in coronary perfusion pressure, heart rate or pressure rate index measured at certain time points throughout the experiment in all groups. Our results suggest that PARS activation plays a role in the digitalis-induced cardiotoxicity in guinea-pig isolated hearts.

Activation of poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase-1 is a central mechanism of lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung inflammation

Recent studies demonstrated that activation of the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) by oxidant-mediated DNA damage is an important pathway of tissue injury in conditions associated with oxidative stress. Using a dual approach of PARP-1 suppression, by genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition with the phenanthridinone PARP inhibitor PJ-34, we now demonstrate an essential role of PARP-1 in the development of pulmonary inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). PARP-1+/+ and PARP-1-/- mice received an intratracheal instillation of LPS (50 microg), followed after 24 h by bronchoalveolar lavage to measure the cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6, the chemokines MIP-1alpha and MIP-2, leukocyte counts and myeloperoxidase activity (neutrophil accumulation), protein content (high permeability edema), and nitrite/ nitrate (nitric oxide production). Malondialdehyde (an index of lipid peroxidation) was measured in lung tissue. Similar experiments were conducted in BALB/c mice treated with PJ-34 or vehicle. The absence of functional PARP-1 reduced LPS-induced increases of cytokines and chemokines, alveolar neutrophil accumulation, lung hyperpermeability, NO production, and lipid peroxidation. Histological analysis revealed attenuated lung damage after PARP inhibition. Our findings support a mechanistic role of PARP-1 in the regulation of LPS-induced lung inflammation. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP may be useful in clinical conditions associated with overwhelming lung inflammation.

Immunohistochemical detection of inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitrotyrosine and manganese superoxide dismutase following hyperglycemic focal cerebral ischemia

We have characterized the temporal changes in iNOS, MnSOD and nitrotyrosine immune reactivity in a rat model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion under acute hyperglycemic or normoglycemic conditions followed by either 3- or 24-h recovery. We found that the macroscopic labeling pattern for all three antibodies colocalized with the ischemic core and penumbra which was determined by cresyl violet histological evaluation in adjacent sections. Hyperglycemia induced prior to ischemia resulted in earlier infarction which correlated with increased immunoreactivity for iNOS, MnSOD and nitrotyrosine. In the penumbral region of the frontal cortex, labeling of specific cell structures was largely limited to cortical neurons near the corpus callosum and was apparent earlier in the hyperglycemic rats. Increased polymorphonuclear leukocyte adhesion in blood vessels was observed at 24 h in the hyperglycemic group. At both of the recovery times studied, we observed only minor vascular staining for nitrotyrosine and none for iNOS. Our results are consistent with hyperglycemia resulting in an early and concomitant increase in both superoxide and nitric oxide production which can lead to peroxynitrite formation that then nitrates tyrosine residues. It would appear that hyperglycemic ischemia contributes to the early induction of key enzymes involved in nitric oxide bioavailability.

Therapeutic potential of anti-oxidants and diabetic retinopathy

Retinopathy, a severely disabling complication of diabetes mellitus, is today the leading cause of acquired blindness among young adults in developed countries. Good glycaemic control can attenuate the development of diabetic retinopathy but such metabolic control is often difficult to achieve and maintain and additional therapies need to be identified by which retinopathy can be prevented or arrested. Hyperglycaemia plays a critical role in the development and progression of retinopathy, but the mechanism by which hyperglycaemia results in the development of retinopathy is not clear. Oxidative stress is increased in the retina in diabetes. The possible sources of increased oxidative stress might include increased generation of free radicals or impaired anti-oxidant defence system. Dietary supplementation with anti-oxidants in animal models of diabetic retinopathy inhibits retinal metabolic abnormalities and retinal histopathology, suggesting that oxidative stress is associated with the development of retinopathy. The mechanism by which anti-oxidants inhibit retinopathy in diabetes warrants further investigation, but animal studies show that increasing the diversity of anti-oxidants provides significantly more protection than using any single anti-oxidant. Thus, supplementation with anti-oxidants represents an achievable adjunct therapy to help preserve vision in diabetic patients.

Role of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase activation in the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Peroxynitrite formation has been demonstrated during experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Furthermore, peroxynitrite has been identified as an activator of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS), an enzyme implicated in neurotoxicity. In the current study, we examined the role of PARS activation in the development of EAE. Administration of the PARS inhibitor 5-iodo-6-amino-1,2-benzopyrone (INH2BP) delayed the onset of EAE and reduced the incidence and severity of disease signs. Moreover, drug treatment lowered iNOS activity and decreased cell infiltration in cervical spinal tissues from EAE-sensitized animals. To conclude, the results of the present investigation suggest that PARS activity may contribute to the pathogenesis of EAE.

Nitric oxide- and nitric oxide donors-induced relaxation and its modulation by oxidative stress in piglet pulmonary arteries

Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is widely used in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension while inhaled NO donors have been suggested as an alternative therapy. The differential susceptibility to inactivation by oxidative stress and oxyhaemoglobin of NO and two NO donors, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP) were analysed in isolated endothelium-denuded pulmonary arteries from 2-week-old piglets stimulated with U46619. NO, SNAP and SNP relaxed the arteries (pIC(30)=7.73+/-0.12, 7.26+/-0.17 and 6.43+/-0.13, respectively) but NO was not detected electrochemically in the bath after the addition of SNP and only at concentrations at which SNAP produced more than 50% relaxation. The sGC inhibitor ODQ (10(-6) M) or the sarcoplasmic Ca(2+)-ATPase thapsigargin (2x10(-6) M) markedly inhibited the relaxation induced by NO, SNAP and SNP. Addition of oxyhaemoglobin (3x10(-7) M) or diethyldithiocarbamate (1 mM) markedly inhibited NO- (pIC(30)=6.88+/-0.07 and 6.92+/-0.18, respectively), weakly inhibited SNAP- and had no effect on SNP-induced relaxation. Xanthine oxidase (5 mu ml(-1)) plus hypoxanthine (10(-4) M) markedly inhibited NO- (pIC(30)=6.96+/-0.12) but not SNAP- or SNP-induced relaxation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), MnCl(2), diphenileneiodonium and exposing the luminal surface of the rings outwards (inversion) potentiated the relaxant responses of NO (pIC(30)=8.52+/-0.16, 8.23+/-0.11, 8.01+/-0.11 and 8.20+/-0.10, respectively). However, SOD did not modify the NO detected by the electrode and had no effect on SNAP- or SNP-induced relaxation. Therefore, the kinetics and local distribution of NO release of NO donors influence the susceptibility to the scavenging effects of oxyhaemoglobin and superoxide.

Peroxynitrite production, DNA breakage, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation in a mouse model of oxazolone-induced contact hypersensitivity

Peroxynitrite-induced poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory conditions. Here we have investigated whether peroxynitrite and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase may play a role in the pathophysiology of the elicitation phase of contact hypersensitivity. We have detected nitrotyrosine, DNA breakage, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation in the epidermis of mice in an oxazolone-induced contact hypersensitivity model. As tyrosine nitration is mostly mediated by peroxynitrite, a nitric-oxide-derived cytotoxic oxidant capable of causing DNA breakage, we have applied peroxynitrite directly on mouse skin and showed poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation in keratinocytes and in some scattered dermal cells. We have also investigated the cellular effects of peroxynitrite in HaCaT cells, a human keratinocyte cell line. We found that peroxynitrite inhibited cell proliferation and at higher concentrations also caused cytotoxicity. Peroxynitrite activates poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in HaCaT cells and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation contributes to peroxynitrite-induced cytotoxicity, as indicated by the cytoprotective effect of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide. The cytoprotective effect of 3-aminobenzamide cannot be attributed to inhibition of apoptosis, as apoptotic parameters (caspase activation and DNA fragmentation) were not reduced in the presence of 3-aminobenzamide in peroxynitrite-treated cells. Moreover, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibition by 3-aminobenzamide dose-dependently reduced interferon-induced intercellular adhesion molecule 1 expression as well as interleukin-1beta-induced interleukin-8 expression. Our results indicate that peroxynitrite and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase regulate keratinocyte function and death in contact hypersensitivity.

Methamphetamine-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity: role of peroxynitrite and neuroprotective role of antioxidants and peroxynitrite decomposition catalysts

Oxidative stress, reactive oxygen (ROS), and nitrogen (RNS) species have been known to be involved in a multitude of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Both ROS and RNS have very short half-lives, thereby making their identification very difficult as a specific cause of neurodegeneration. Recently, we have developed a high performance liquid chromatography/electrochemical detection (HPLC/EC) method to identify 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), an in vitro and in vivo biomarker of peroxynitrite production, in cell cultures and brain to evaluate if an agent-driven neurotoxicity is produced by the generation of peroxynitrite. We show that a single or multiple injections of methamphetamine (METH) produced a significant increase in the formation of 3-NT in the striatum. This formation of 3-NT correlated with the striatal dopamine depletion caused by METH administration. We also show that PC12 cells treated with METH has significantly increased formation of 3-NT and dopamine depletion. Furthermore, we report that pretreatment with antioxidants such as selenium and melatonin can completely protect against the formation of 3-NT and depletion of striatal dopamine. We also report that pretreatment with peroxynitrite decomposition catalysts such as 5, 10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4'-pyridyl)porphyrinato iron III (FeTMPyP) and 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis (2,4,6-trimethyl-3,5-sulfonatophenyl) porphinato iron III (FETPPS) significantly protect against METH-induced 3-NT formation and striatal dopamine depletion. We used two different approaches, pharmacological manipulation and transgenic animal models, in order to further investigate the role of peroxynitrite. We show that a selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), significantly protect against the formation of 3-NT as well as striatal dopamine depletion. Similar results were observed with nNOS knockout and copper zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD)-overexpressed transgenic mice models. Finally, using the protein data bank crystal structure of tyrosine hydroxylase, we postulate the possible nitration of specific tyrosine moiety in the enzyme that can be responsible for dopaminergic neurotoxicity. Together, these data clearly support the hypothesis that the reactive nitrogen species, peroxynitrite, plays a major role in METH-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity and that selective antioxidants and peroxynitrite decomposition catalysts can protect against METH-induced neurotoxicity. These antioxidants and decomposition catalysts may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of psychostimulant addictions.

Peroxynitrite promotes mitochondrial permeability transition-dependent rapid U937 cell necrosis: survivors proliferate with kinetics superimposable on those of untreated cells

A short term exposure to peroxynitrite promotes a time- and concentration-dependent lethal response in U937 cells. The mode of cell death was necrosis and rapid (within minutes) cell lysis was found to occur via a mechanism involving mitochondrial permeability transition. Apoptosis was not detected in cells exposed to low levels of peroxynitrite, or in cells which survived a treatment with toxic amounts of peroxynitrite, neither after the 60 min exposure nor following increasing time intervals of growth in fresh culture medium. Rather, cells treated with peroxynitrite concentrations which were not immediately lethal, as well as the survivors of treatments with toxic levels of peroxynitrite, proliferated with kinetics superimposable on those observed in untreated cells.

SIN-1-induced DNA damage in isolated human peripheral blood lymphocytes as assessed by single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay)

Human lymphocytes were exposed to increasing concentrations of SIN-1, which generates superoxide and nitric oxide, and the formation of single-strand breaks (SSB) in individual cells was determined by the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay). A dose- and time-dependent increase in SSB formation was observed rapidly after the addition of SIN-1 (0.1-15 mM). Exposure of the cells to SIN-1 (5 mM) in the presence of excess of superoxide dismutase (0.375 mM) increased the formation of SSB significantly, whereas 1000 U/ml catalase significantly decreased the quantity of SSB. The simultaneous presence of both superoxide dismutase and catalase before the addition of SIN-1 brought the level of SSB to that of the untreated cells. Moreover, pretreatment of the cells with the intracellular Ca(2+)-chelator BAPTA/AM inhibited SIN-1-induced DNA damage, indicating the involvement of intracellular Ca(2+) changes in this process. On the other hand, pretreatment of the same cells with ascorbate or dehydroascorbate did not offer any significant protection in this system. The data suggest that H2O2-induced changes in Ca(2+) homeostasis are the predominant pathway for the induction of SSB in human lymphocytes exposed to oxidants.

GPI 6150, a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect in rat models of inflammation

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, a nuclear enzyme activated by DNA strand breaks, has been show to play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammation. Here, we investigate the effects of GPI 6150 (1,11b-dihydro-[2H]benzopyrano [4,3,2-de]isoquinolin-3-one), a new poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, in animal models of acute and chronic inflammation (carrageenan-induced paw edema, adjuvant-induced arthritis and zymosan-induced multiple organ failure) where oxygen radicals, nitric oxide and peroxynitrite are known to play a crucial role in the inflammatory process. The results show that the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor GPI 6150 inhibits the inflammatory response (paw swelling, and organ injury). The present results demonstrate that inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase by GPI 6150 exerts potent anti-inflammatory effects. Part of these anti-inflammatory effects may be related to a reduction of neutrophil recruitment into the inflammatory site.

Rat germinal cells require PARP for repair of DNA damage induced by gamma-irradiation and H2O2 treatment

The ability of rat germinal cells to recover from genotoxic stress has been investigated using isolated populations of primary spermatocytes and round spermatids. Using a comet assay at pH 10.0 to assess single strand breakage (SSB) in DNA, it was found that a high level of damage was induced by 5 Gy gamma-irradiation and acute exposure to 50 microM H2O2. This damage was effectively repaired during a subsequent recovery period of 1-3 hours culture in vitro but repair was significantly delayed in the presence of the poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide (3-ABA). Immunofluorescence detection of PARP with specific antibodies localised the protein to discrete foci within the nucleus of both spermatocytes and spermatids. Poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPR) could also be detected in spermatid nuclei following gamma-irradiation or H2O2 treatment. Moreover, PARP activation occurs both in spermatocytes and spermatids left to recover after both genotoxic stresses. The NO donors, 3-morpholino-sydnonimine (SIN-1) and S-nitrosoglutathione (SNOG), caused significant SSBs in both spermatocytes and spermatids. The effects of SIN-1 could be prevented by exogenous catalase (CAT), but not superoxide dismutase (SOD), in the cell suspensions. SNOG-induced SSBs were insensitive to both CAT and SOD. It is concluded that DNA in spermatocytes and spermatids is sensitive to damage by gamma-irradiation and H2O2 and that efficient repair of SSBs requires PARP activity.

Peroxynitrite affects Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent calcium channels

The effect of peroxynitrite (OONO-) on voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) was examined by measuring [45Ca2+] influx into mouse cerebral cortical neurones. OONO- time- and dose-dependently increased [45Ca2+] influx and this increase was abolished by manganese (III) tetrakis (4-benzoic acid) porphyrin, a scavenger for OONO-. Inhibition of cyclic GMP (cGMP) formation did not alter the OONO(-)-induced [45Ca2+] influx. OONO-, as well as 30 mm KCl, significantly increased fluorescence intensity of cell-associated bis-(1,3-dibutylbarbituric acid) trimethine oxonol (bis-oxonol). Tetrodotoxin and membrane stabilizers such as lidocaine dose-dependently suppressed OONO(-)-induced [45Ca2+] influx. Although each of 1 microM nifedipine and 1 microM omega-agatoxin VIA (omega-ATX) significantly inhibited the OONO(-)-induced [45Ca2+] influx and the concomitant presence of these agents completely abolished the influx, 1 microM omega-conotoxin GVIA (omega-CTX) showed no effect on the influx. On the other hand, OONO- itself reduced 30 mM KCl-induced [45Ca2+] influx to the level of [45Ca2+] influx induced by OONO- alone, and the magnitude of this reduction was as same as that of KCl-induced [45Ca2+] influx by omega-CTX. These results indicate that OONO- increases [45Ca2+] influx into the neurones through opening P/Q- and L-type VDCCs subsequent to depolarization, and inhibits the influx through N-type VDCCs.