Increases in [Ca2+]i and changes in intracellular pH during chemical anoxia in mouse neocortical neurons in primary culture

Knockdown of a Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Ion Channel Impairs Locomotor Activity and Recovery From Hypoxia in Adult Drosophila melanogaster

Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) modulates the speed of recovery from anoxia in adult Drosophila and mediates hypoxia-related behaviors in larvae. Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNG) and cGMP-activated protein kinase (PKG) are two cGMP downstream targets. PKG is involved in behavioral tolerance to hypoxia and anoxia in adults, however little is known about a role for CNG channels. We used a CNGL (CNG-like) mutant with reduced CNGL transcripts to investigate the contribution of CNGL to the hypoxia response. CNGL mutants had reduced locomotor activity under normoxia. A shorter distance travelled in a standard locomotor assay was due to a slower walking speed and more frequent stops. In control flies, hypoxia immediately reduced path length per minute. Flies took 30–40 min in normoxia for >90% recovery of path length per minute from 15 min hypoxia. CNGL mutants had impaired recovery from hypoxia; 40 min for ∼10% recovery of walking speed. The effects of CNGL mutation on locomotor activity and recovery from hypoxia were recapitulated by pan-neuronal CNGL knockdown. Genetic manipulation to increase cGMP in the CNGL mutants increased locomotor activity under normoxia and eliminated the impairment of recovery from hypoxia. We conclude that CNGL channels and cGMP signaling are involved in the control of locomotor activity and the hypoxic response of adult Drosophila.

Antagonism of ionotropic glutamate receptors attenuates chemical ischemia-induced injury in rat primary cultured myenteric ganglia

Alterations of the enteric glutamatergic transmission may underlay changes in the function of myenteric neurons following intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) contributing to impairment of gastrointestinal motility occurring in these pathological conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether glutamate receptors of the NMDA and AMPA/kainate type are involved in myenteric neuron cell damage induced by I/R. Primary cultured rat myenteric ganglia were exposed to sodium azide and glucose deprivation (in vitro chemical ischemia). After 6 days of culture, immunoreactivity for NMDA, AMPA and kainate receptors subunits, GluN₁ and GluA_1–4, GluK_1–3 respectively, was found in myenteric neurons. In myenteric cultured ganglia, in normal metabolic conditions, -AP5, an NMDA antagonist, decreased myenteric neuron number and viability, determined by calcein AM/ethidium homodimer-1 assay, and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, measured with hydroxyphenyl fluorescein. CNQX, an AMPA/kainate antagonist exerted an opposite action on the same parameters. The total number and viability of myenteric neurons significantly decreased after I/R. In these conditions, the number of neurons staining for GluN₁ and GluA_1–4 subunits remained unchanged, while, the number of GluK_1–3-immunopositive neurons increased. After I/R, -AP5 and CNQX, concentration-dependently increased myenteric neuron number and significantly increased the number of living neurons. Both -AP5 and CNQX (100–500 µM) decreased I/R-induced increase of ROS levels in myenteric ganglia. On the whole, the present data provide evidence that, under normal metabolic conditions, the enteric glutamatergic system exerts a dualistic effect on cultured myenteric ganglia, either by improving or reducing neuron survival via NMDA or AMPA/kainate receptor activation, respectively. However, blockade of both receptor pathways may exert a protective role on myenteric neurons following and I/R damage. The neuroprotective effect may depend, at least in part, on the ability of both receptors to increase intraneuronal ROS production.

Enhanced non-eupneic breathing following hypoxic, hypercapnic or hypoxic-hypercapnic gas challenges in conscious mice

C57BL6 mice display non-eupneic breathing and spontaneous apneas during wakefulness and sleep as well as markedly disordered breathing following cessation of a hypoxic challenge. We examined whether (1) C57BL6 mice display marked non-eupneic breathing following hypercapnic or hypoxic-hypercapnic challenges, and (2) compared the post-hypoxia changes in non-eupneic breathing of C57BL6 mice to those of B6AF1 (57BL6 dam × A/J sire) and Swiss-Webster mice, which display different ventilatory responses than C57BL6 mice. C57BL6 mice displayed marked increases in respiratory frequency and non-eupneic breathing upon return to room-air after hypoxic (10% O2, 90% N2), hypercapnic (5% CO2, 21% O2 and 74% N2) and hypoxic-hypercapnic (10% O2, 5% CO2 and 85% N2) challenges. B6AF1 mice displayed less tachypnea and reduced non-eupneic breathing post-hypoxia, whereas Swiss-Webster mice displayed robust tachypnea with minimal increases in non-eupneic breathing post-hypoxia. These studies demonstrate that non-eupneic breathing increases after physiologically-relevant hypoxic-hypercapnic challenge in C57BL6 mice and suggest that further studies with these and B6AF1 and Swiss-Webster mice will help define the genetics of non-eupneic breathing.

Creatine pretreatment protects cortical axons from energy depletion in vitro

Creatine is a natural nitrogenous guanidino compound involved in bioenergy metabolism. Although creatine has been shown to protect neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) from experimental hypoxia/ischemia, it remains unclear if creatine may also protect CNS axons, and if the potential axonal protection depends on glial cells. To evaluate the direct impact of creatine on CNS axons, cortical axons were cultured in a separate compartment from their somas and proximal neurites using a modified two-compartment culture device. Axons in the axon compartment were subjected to acute energy depletion, an in vitro model of white matter ischemia, by exposure to 6mM sodium azide for 30 min in the absence of glucose and pyruvate. Energy depletion reduced axonal ATP by 65%, depolarized axonal resting potential, and damaged 75% of axons. Application of creatine (10 mM) to both compartments of the culture at 24h prior to energy depletion significantly reduced axonal damage by 50%. In line with the role of creatine in the bioenergy metabolism, this application also alleviated the axonal ATP loss and depolarization. Inhibition of axonal depolarization by blocking sodium influx with tetrodotoxin also effectively reduced the axonal damage caused by energy depletion. Further study revealed that the creatine effect was independent of glial cells, as axonal protection was sustained even when creatine was applied only to the axon compartment (free from somas and glial cells) for as little as 2h. In contrast, application of creatine after energy depletion did not protect axons. The data provide the first evidence that creatine pretreatment may directly protect CNS axons from energy deficiency.

Maximizing neuroprotection: where do we stand?

Brain and spinal cord traumas include blunt and penetrating trauma, disease, and required surgery. Such traumas trigger events such as inflammation, infiltration of inflammatory and other cells, oxidative stress, acidification, excitotoxicity, ischemia, and the loss of calcium homeostasis, all of which cause neurotoxicity and neuron death. To prevent trauma-induced neurological deficits and death, each of the many neurotoxic events that occur in parallel or sequentially must be minimized or prevented. Although neuroprotective techniques have been developed that block single neurotoxic events, most provide only limited neuroprotection and are only applied singly. However, because many neurotoxicity triggers arise from common events, an approach for invoking more effective neuroprotection is to apply multiple neuroprotective methods simultaneously before the many neurotoxic triggers and cascades are initiated and become irreversible. This paper first discusses some triggers of neurotoxicity and neuroprotective mechanisms that block them, including hypothermia, alkalinization, and the administration of adenosine. It then examines how the simultaneous application of these techniques provides significantly greater neuroprotection than is provided by any technique alone. The paper also stresses the importance of determining whether the neuroprotection provided by these techniques can be further enhanced by combining them with additional techniques, such as the systemic administration of glucocorticoids. Finally, the paper stresses the absolute critical importance of applying these techniques within the "golden hour" following trauma, before the many neurotoxic events and cascades are manifest and before the neurotoxic cascades become irreversible.

Long-lasting effects of chemical hypoxia on spinal cord function in tadpoles

We investigated the effects of chemical hypoxia on the central pattern generator controlling swimming in stage 42 Xenopus laevis larvae. We recorded motoneuron activity from ventral roots of immobilized tadpoles and evoked swim episodes by brief electrical stimulation of the tail skin. In the presence of the metabolic inhibitor, sodium azide (5 mM, NaN3), swim episode duration and cycle frequency decreased until swim motor patterns could not be evoked. On recovery, cycle frequency returned to preazide levels; however, episode duration remained short for at least an hour. In addition, recovery induced spontaneous, short bouts of swimming similar to the slow rhythm that is evoked by N-methyl-D-aspartic acid. We conclude that abiotic features of the environment can have long-term modulatory effects on circuit function in the CNS.

Combinatorial techniques for enhancing neuroprotection: hypothermia and alkalinization

Brain and spinal cord (CNS) trauma typically kill a number of neurons, but even more neurons are killed by secondary causes triggered by the initial trauma. Thus, a minor insult may rapidly cause the death of a vastly larger number of neurons and complete paralysis. The best mechanism for reducing the extent of neurological deficits is to minimize the number of neurons killed by post-trauma sequelae. Neuroprotection techniques take many diverse forms with a breadth too great for a short review. Therefore, this review focuses on the neuroprotection provided by hypothermia and a number of other neuroprotective techniques, when administered singly or in combination, because it is generally found that combinations of applications lead to significantly better neuroprotection than is achieved by any one alone. The combinatorial approach to neuroprotection holds great promise for enhancing the degree of neuroprotection following trauma, leading to maximum maintenance of neurological function.

HL-1 mouse cardiomyocyte injury and death after simulated ischemia and reperfusion: roles of pH, Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2, and Na+/H+ exchange

The Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A(2) VI (iPLA(2)-VI) and the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) are highly pH-sensitive proteins that exert both protective and detrimental effects in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion. Here, we investigated the role of extracellular pH (pH(o)) in ischemia-reperfusion injury and death and in regulation and function of iPLA(2)-VI and NHE1 under these conditions. HL-1 cardiomyocytes were exposed to simulated ischemia (SI; 0.5% O(2), 8 mM K(+), and 20 mM lactate) at pH(o) 6.0 and 7.4, with or without 4 or 8 h of reperfusion (SI/R). Cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation were reduced after acidic compared with neutral SI, whereas necrotic death, estimated as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase release, was similar in the two conditions. Inhibition of iPLA(2)-VI activity by bromoenol lactone (BEL) elicited cardiomyocyte necrosis during normoxia and after acidic, yet not after neutral, SI. The isoform-selective enantiomers R- and S-BEL both mimicked the effect of racemic BEL after acidic SI. In contrast, inhibition of NHE activity by EIPA had no significant effect on necrosis after SI. Both neutral and acidic SI were associated with a reversible loss of F-actin and cortactin integrity. Inhibition of iPLA(2)-VI disrupted F-actin, cortactin, and mitochondrial integrity, whereas inhibition of NHE slightly reduced stress fiber content. iPLA(2)-VIA and NHE1 mRNA levels were reduced during SI and upregulated in a pH(o)-dependent manner during SI/R. This also affected the subcellular localization of iPLA(2)-VIA. Thus, the mode of cell death and the roles and regulation of iPLA(2)-VI and NHE1 are at least in part determined by the pH(o) during SI. In addition to having clinically relevant implications, these findings can in part explain the contradictory results obtained from previous studies of iPLA(2)-VIA and NHE1 during cardiac I/R.

Na-P(i) cotransporter type I activity causes a transient intracellular alkalinization during ATP depletion in rabbit medullary thick ascending limb cells

The cellular pathophysiology of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury was investigated in primary cell cultures from rabbit medullary thick ascending limb (MTAL). Metabolic inhibition (MI) was achieved with cyanide and 2-deoxyglucose. Sixty minutes of MI caused a profound but reversible decrease in intracellular concentration of ATP ([ATP]i). Intracellular pH (pHi) first decreased after initiation of MI, followed by a transient alkalinization. When [ATP]i reached its lowest value (<1% of control), the cells slowly acidified to reach a stable pHi of 6.92 after 50 min of MI. In the presence of EIPA (10 micromol/L), the pattern of changes in pHi was unchanged and acidification was not increased, indicating that the Na+/H+ exchangers were inactive during ATP depletion. When inorganic phosphate (P(i)) or Na+ was omitted from the apical solutions during MI, the transient alkalinization was no longer observed and the cytosol slowly acidified. Experiments on Na+-dependent alkalinizations revealed the presence of a Na-P(i) cotransporter in the apical cell membrane. With indirect immunofluorescence, the Na-P(i) cotransporter expressed in these primary cell cultures could be identified as Na-P(i) type I. Although the exact physiological role of Na-P(i) type I still is unresolved, these experiments demonstrate that apical Na-P(i) type I activity is increased at the onset of ATP depletion in MTAL cells.

Comparative study of ezrin phosphorylation among different tissues: more is good; too much is bad

In a comparison of three different tissues, the membrane cytoskeleton linker protein ezrin was found to assume high levels of phosphorylation on threonine-567 (T567) in the brush border membranes of renal proximal tubule cells and small intestine enterocytes, in contrast to the apical canalicular membrane of gastric parietal cells. Together with an earlier observation that increased T567 phosphorylation is associated with more elaborate microvilli in parietal cells, this comparative study suggested a higher phosphorylation level requirement for the denser and more uniform distribution of microvilli at brush border surfaces. Using a kinase inhibitor, staurosporin, and metabolic inhibitor, sodium azide, relatively high turnover of ezrin T567 phosphorylation was observed in all three epithelia. Aiming to understand the role of phosphorylation turnover in these tissues, detergent extraction analysis of gastric glands and proximal tubules revealed that an increased phosphorylation on ezrin T567 greatly enhanced its association with F-actin, while ezrin-membrane interaction persisted regardless of the changes of phosphorylation level on ezrin T567. Finally, expression of Thr567Asp mutant ezrin, which mimics the phospho-ezrin state but does not allow turnover, caused aberrant growth of membrane projections in cultured proximal tubule cells, consistent with what had previously been observed in several cell lines and gastric parietal cells. These results fit into a model of surface plasticity, which posits that the turnover of phosphorylation on T567 empowers ezrin to relax and reposition membrane to the underlying cytoskeleton under varying conditions of filament growth or rapid membrane expansion (or depletion).

Effects of acute hypoxia on intracellular-pH regulation in astrocytes cultured from rat hippocampus

We used the pH-sensitive dye BCECF to evaluate the effect of acute (5-10 min) hypoxia (approximately 3% O(2)) on the regulation of intracellular pH (pH(i)) in astrocyte populations cultured from rat hippocampus. For cells in the nominal absence of CO(2)/HCO(3)(-) at an extracellular pH of 7.40 (37 degrees C), acute hypoxia caused a small (0.05) decrease in steady-state pH(i), but increased the pH(i) recovery rate from an acid load during all but the late phase of the pH(i) recovery. During such pH(i) recoveries, the total acid extrusion rate (phi(E), the product of dpH(i)/dt and proton buffering power) decreased with increasing pH(i). Hypoxia alkali shifted the plot of phi(E) vs. pH(i); over the upper approximately 85% of the phi(E) range, this shift was 0.15-0.30. Hypoxia also stimulated the pH(i) recovery rate from an alkali load. Under normoxic conditions, switching the extracellular buffer to 5% CO(2)/22 mM HCO(-)(3) also alkali shifted the phi(E)-pH(i) plot (upper approximately 85%) by 0.4-0.5. Superimposing hypoxia on CO(2)/HCO(-)(3) further alkali shifted the phi(E)-pH(i) plot (upper approximately 85% of the phi(E) range) by 0.05-0.15. The SITS-insensitive component of phi(E) was alkali shifted by 0.20-0.30, whereas the SITS-sensitive component of phi(E) was depressed in the low pH(i) range. Thus, in the nominal absence of CO(2)/HCO(3)(-), acute hypoxia has little effect on steady-state pH(i) but stimulates acid extrusion and acid loading, whereas in the presence of CO(2)/HCO(-)(3), hypoxia stimulates the SITS-insensitive but inhibits the SITS-sensitive acid extrusion.

Physical interactions and functional coupling between Daxx and sodium hydrogen exchanger 1 in ischemic cell death

Daxx, a death domain-associated protein, is implicated in ischemic cell death. To clarify the mechanism of cell death mediated by Daxx, a yeast two-hybrid assay was performed. Sodium hydrogen exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) was identified as a Daxx-interacting protein. During ischemic stress, Daxx translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it colocalizes with NHE1. Daxx binds to the ezrin/radixin/moesin-interacting domain of NHE1, in competition with ezrin. Consistent with this finding, transfection of the constitutively cytoplasmic mutant, Daxx(W621A), inhibited ezrin-mediated Akt-1 activation. Moreover, transfection of Daxx(W621A), but not the Daxx(S667A) mutant that is confined to the nucleus, accelerated pH(i) recovery from an acid load, indicating that the cytoplasmic protein activates NHE1. Based on the results, we propose that ischemic insult triggers the nucleocytoplasmic translocation of Daxx, following which cytoplasmic Daxx stimulates the NHE1 transporter activity and suppresses activation of the NHE1-ezrin-Akt-1 pathway. Our data support a novel molecular function of Daxx as an upstream regulator of NHE1 in ischemic cell death.

Mechanisms of sodium azide-induced changes in intracellular calcium concentration in rat primary cortical neurons

An intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) increase is involved in sodium azide (NaN(3))-induced neurotoxicity, an in vitro model of brain ischemia. In this study the questions of possible additional sources of calcium influx, besides glutamate receptor activation, and of the time-course of NaN(3) effects have been addressed by measuring [Ca(2+)](i) in rat primary cortical cultures with the FURA-2 method. Basal [Ca(2+)](i) of neuronal populations was concentration-dependently increased 30 min, but not 24h, after a 10-min NaN(3) (3-30 mM) treatment; conversely, the net increase induced by electrical stimulation (10Hz, 10s) was consistently reduced. All the above effects depended on glutamate release and consequent NMDA receptor activation, since the NMDA antagonist MK-801 (1 microM) prevented them, and the spontaneous efflux of [(3)H]-d-aspartate from superfused neurons was concentration-dependently increased by NaN(3). In single neuronal cells, NaN(3) application progressively and concentration-dependently increased [Ca(2+)](i) (to 177+/-5% and 249+/-7% of the controls, 4 and 12 min after a 10mM-treatment, respectively). EGTA (5mM) pretreatment reduced the effect of 10mM NaN(3) (to 118+/-5% at 4 min, and to 148+/-10% at 12 min, respectively), while 1 microM cyclosporin A did not. Both MK-801 and CNQX (a non-NMDA glutamate antagonist, 10 microM) prevented NaN(3) effect at 4 min (to 147+/-8% and 153+/-5%, respectively), but not at 12 min after NaN(3) treatment. Conversely, 10 microM verapamil and 0.1 microM omega-conotoxin (L- and N-type calcium channel blockers, respectively) significantly attenuated NaN(3) effects at 12 min (to 198+/-8% and 164+/-5%, respectively), but not at 4 min; the P/Q-type calcium channel blocker, agatoxin, 0.3 microM, was ineffective. These findings show that the predominant source of calcium increase induced by NaN(3) is extracellular, involving glutamate receptor activation in a first step and calcium channel (mainly of the N-type) opening in a second step.

Roles of Na+/H+ exchange in regulation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and cell death after chemical anoxia in NIH3T3 fibroblasts

Activation of Na(+)/H(+) exchange (NHE) plays a major role in cell death following ischemia/hypoxia in many cell types, yet counteracts apoptotic cell death after other stimuli. To address the role of NHE activity in regulation of cell death/survival, we examined the causal relationship between NHE, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), ERK1/2, p53, and Akt activity, and cell death, after chemical anoxia in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. The NHE1 inhibitor 5'-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (EIPA) (5 muM), as well as removal of extracellular Na(+) [replaced by N-methyl-D: -glucamine (NMDG(+))], prevented recovery of intracellular pH (pH(i)) during chemical anoxia (10 mM NaN(3) +/- 10 mM glucose), indicating that activation of NHE was the dominating mechanism of pH(i) regulation under these conditions. NHE activation by chemical anoxia was unaffected by inhibitors of p38 MAPK (SB203580) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) (PD98059). In contrast, chemical anoxia activated p38 MAPK in an NHE-dependent manner, while ERK1/2 activity was unaffected. Anoxia-induced cell death was caspase-3-independent, mildly attenuated by EIPA, potently exacerbated by SB203580, and unaffected by PD98059. Ser(15) phosphorylation of p53 was increased by anoxia in an NHE- and p38 MAPK-independent manner, while Akt activity was unaffected. It is suggested that after chemical anoxia in NIH3T3 fibroblasts, NHE activity is required for activation of p38 MAPK, which in turn protects the cells against anoxia-induced death. In spite of this, NHE inhibition slightly attenuates anoxia-induced cell death, likely due to the involvement of NHE in other anoxia-induced death pathways.

Differential activation of protein kinase C isoforms following chemical ischemia in rat cerebral cortex slices

The aim of the current study was to characterize the effects of chemical ischemia and reperfusion at the transductional level in the brain. Protein kinase C isoforms (alpha, beta(1), beta(2), gamma, delta and epsilon) total levels and their distribution in the particulate and cytosolic compartments were investigated in superfused rat cerebral cortex slices: (i) under control conditions; (ii) immediately after a 5-min treatment with 10mM NaN(3), combined with 2mM 2-deoxyglucose (chemical ischemia); (iii) 1h after chemical ischemia (reperfusion). In control samples, all the PKC isoforms were detected; immediately after chemical ischemia, PKC beta(1), delta and epsilon isoforms total levels (cytosol+particulate) were increased by 2.9, 2.7 and 9.9 times, respectively, while alpha isoform was slightly reduced and gamma isoform was no longer detectable. After reperfusion, the changes displayed by alpha, beta(1), gamma, delta and epsilon were maintained and even potentiated, moreover, an increase in beta(2) (by 41+/-12%) total levels became significant. Chemical ischemia-induced a significant translocation to the particulate compartment of PKC alpha isoform, which following reperfusion was found only in the cytosol. PKC beta(1) and delta isoforms particulate levels were significantly higher both in ischemic and in reperfused samples than in the controls. Conversely, following reperfusion, PKC beta(2) and epsilon isoforms displayed a reduction in their particulate to total level ratios. The intracellular calcium chelator, 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, 1mM, but not the N-methyl-d-asparate receptor antagonist, MK-801, 1muM, prevented the translocation of beta(1) isoform observed during ischemia. Both drugs were effective in counteracting reperfusion-induced changes in beta(2) and epsilon isoforms, suggesting the involvement of glutamate-induced calcium overload. These findings demonstrate that: (i) PKC isoforms participate differently in neurotoxicity/neuroprotection events; (ii) the changes observed following chemical ischemia are pharmacologically modulable; (iii) the protocol of in vitro chemical ischemia is suitable for drug screening.

Quercetin inhibition of ROS-dependent and -independent apoptosis in rat glioma C6 cells

In the present study, we investigated the protective mechanism of quercetin (QUE) and its glycosides, rutin (RUT) and quercitrin (QUI), on reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent (H(2)O(2)) and -independent (chemical anoxia) cell death in rat glioma C6 cells. Induction of HO-1 protein expression was detected in QUE- but not RUT- or QUI-treated C6 cells, and this was prevented by cycloheximide and actinomycin D. Incubation of C6 cells with QUE, but not RUT or QUI, protected C6 cells from H(2)O(2)- and chemical anoxia-induced cytotoxicity according to the MTT and LDH release assays. Apoptotic characteristics including chromatin condensation, DNA ladders, and hypodiploid cells appeared in H(2)O(2)-and chemical anoxia-treated C6 cells, and those events were significantly suppressed by adding QUE (but not RUT or QUI). Increases in caspase 3, 8, and 9 enzyme activities with decreases in pro-PARP and pro-caspase 3 protein levels and an increase in cleaved D4-GDI protein were identified in H(2)O(2)-and chemical anoxia-treated C6 cells, and these were blocked by the addition of QUE, but not by RUT or QUI. Intracellular peroxide levels increased with H(2)O(2) and decreased with chemical anoxia, and the addition of QUE reduced the intracellular peroxide levels induced by H(2)O(2). Results of an anti-DPPH radical assay showed that QUE, RUT, and QUI dose-dependently inhibited the production of DPPH radicals in vitro; however, QUE (but not RUT or QUI) prevention of DNA damage induced by OH radicals was identified with a plasmid digestion assay. Increases in phosphorylated ERK and p53 protein expressions were detected in H(2)O(2)- but not chemical anoxia-treated C6 cells, and the addition of QUE significantly blocked H(2)O(2)-induced phosphorylated ERK and p53 protein expressions. Adding the HO-1 inhibitors, SnPP, CoPP, and ZnPP, reversed the protective effect of QUE against H(2)O(2)- and chemical anoxia-induced cell death according to the MTT assay and morphological observations. Additionally, QUE exhibited inhibitory effects on LPS/TPA-induced transformation in accordance with a decrease in MMP-9 enzyme activity and iNOS protein expression in C6 cells. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that QUE exhibits an inhibitory effect on both ROS-dependent and -independent cell death, and induction of HO-1 protein expression is involved.

Regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase p44 ERK activity during anoxia/recovery in rainbow trout hypodermal fibroblasts

It is well known from various mammalian cells that anoxia has a major impact on the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK, but a possible similar effect in fish cells has not been investigated. Here we characterise a p44ERK-like protein in the rainbow trout cell line RTHDF and study the effect of (i) serum stimulation, (ii) sodium azide (chemical anoxia) and removal of azide (recovery) and (iii) anoxia (PO2&lt;0.1%) and recovery. During both chemical and true anoxia p44ERK was inhibited and recovery resulted in robust reactivation of p44ERK activity, far above the initial level. The inhibition was secondary to activation of p38MAPK and the increase was MEK dependent, as SB203580 inhibited the dephosphorylation during anoxia and the presence of PD98059 inhibited phosphorylation of p44ERK during recovery. In addition, we demonstrated that the reactivation of p44ERK during recovery also was dependent on reactive oxygen species and a PP1/PP2A-like phosphatase.

The Na+/H+ exchanger NHE1 in stress-induced signal transduction: implications for cell proliferation and cell death

The ubiquitous plasma membrane Na+/H+ exchanger NHE1 is highly conserved across vertebrate species and is extensively characterized as a major membrane transport mechanism in the regulation of cellular pH and volume. In recent years, the understanding of the role of NHE1 in regulating cell function has expanded from one of a household protein involved in ion homeostasis to that of a multifaceted regulator and/or modulator of a wide variety of cell functions. NHE1 plays pivotal roles in response to a number of important physiological stress conditions which, in addition to cell shrinkage and acidification, include hypoxia and mechanical stimuli, such as cell stretch. It has recently become apparent that NHE1-mediated modulation of, e.g., cell migration, morphology, proliferation, and death results not only from NHE1-mediated changes in pHi, cell volume, and/or [Na+]i, but also from direct protein-protein interactions with, e.g., ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins and regulation of cellular signaling events, including the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and Akt/protein kinase B (PKB). The aim of this review is to present and discuss new findings implicating NHE1 activation as a central signaling event activated by stress conditions and modulating cell proliferation and death. The pathophysiological importance of NHE1 in modulating the balance between cell proliferation and cell death in cancer and in ischemia/severe hypoxia will also be briefly addressed.

Physiology and pathophysiology of Na+/H+ exchange and Na+ -K+ -2Cl- cotransport in the heart, brain, and blood

Maintenance of a stable cell volume and intracellular pH is critical for normal cell function. Arguably, two of the most important ion transporters involved in these processes are the Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) and Na+ -K+ -2Cl- cotransporter isoform 1 (NKCC1). Both NHE1 and NKCC1 are stimulated by cell shrinkage and by numerous other stimuli, including a wide range of hormones and growth factors, and for NHE1, intracellular acidification. Both transporters can be important regulators of cell volume, yet their activity also, directly or indirectly, affects the intracellular concentrations of Na+, Ca2+, Cl-, K+, and H+. Conversely, when either transporter responds to a stimulus other than cell shrinkage and when the driving force is directed to promote Na+ entry, one consequence may be cell swelling. Thus stimulation of NHE1 and/or NKCC1 by a deviation from homeostasis of a given parameter may regulate that parameter at the expense of compromising others, a coupling that may contribute to irreversible cell damage in a number of pathophysiological conditions. This review addresses the roles of NHE1 and NKCC1 in the cellular responses to physiological and pathophysiological stress. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms and consequences of stress-induced stimulation of these transporters with focus on the heart, brain, and blood. The physiological stressors reviewed are metabolic/exercise stress, osmotic stress, and mechanical stress, conditions in which NHE1 and NKCC1 play important physiological roles. With respect to pathophysiology, the focus is on ischemia and severe hypoxia where the roles of NHE1 and NKCC1 have been widely studied yet remain controversial and incompletely elucidated.

Effects of chemical ischemia in cerebral cortex slices. Focus on nitric oxide

Superfused rat cerebral cortex slices were submitted to a continuous electrical (5 Hz) stimulation and treated with sodium azide (1-10 mM) in the presence of 2 mM 2-deoxyglucose ("chemical ischemia"). Presynaptic cholinergic activity, evaluated as acetylcholine release, was inhibited depending on the sodium azide concentrations and on the length of application (5-30 min). Following a 5-min treatment with 10 mM sodium azide, acetylcholine release was reduced to 45+/-2.3%; simultaneously, there was a 15- and 10-fold increase in glutamate and nitric oxide effluxes, respectively. After restoring normal superfusion conditions, acetylcholine release recovered to 70+/-3.1% of the controls; the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801 (10 microM) as well as the nitric oxide scavengers, haemoglobin (20 microM) and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-l-oxyl-3-oxide (150 microM), improved the recovery in presynaptic activity, showing that both glutamate and nitric oxide play detrimental roles in chemical ischemia. On the other hand, the post-ischemic recovery was worsened by the guanylylcyclase inhibitor 1H-[l,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3,-a]quinoxalin-1-one (10 microM), suggesting that the activation of such a pathway plays a neuroprotective role and that the nitric oxide-induced harmful effects depend on different mechanisms. Chemical ischemia-evoked nitric oxide efflux partly derived from its calcium-dependent endogenous synthesis, since both the intracellular calcium chelator, 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (1 mM), and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (100 microM), substantially prevented sodium azide effects. Nitric oxide efflux was only weakly reduced by MK-801 and was not modified by either the L-type calcium channel blocker, nifedipine (10 microM) or the N-type calcium channel blocker omega-conotoxin (0.5 microM), thus suggesting a prevailing intracellular calcium-dependence of nitric oxide production, although a partial extracellular calcium source cannot be ruled out. These findings show that sodium azide plus 2-deoxyglucose treatment is a useful protocol to induce brain ischemia in vitro and underline the involvement of nitric oxide in the complex events following the ischemic insult.

Calcium and pH homeostasis in neurons during hypoxia and ischemia

One of the important events during hypoxia or ischemia in the brain (or other organs for that matter, including the myocardium) is the accumulation of Ca2+ ions intracellularly. Although various studies have shown various sources of and routes for Ca2+ entry and accumulation, it is clear now that it is likely that there is a multitude rather than a single mechanism for this accumulation. In this review, we highlight this Ca2+ accumulation during low O2 states and discuss some of the mechanisms leading to accumulation for two main reasons: (a) an accumulation of Ca2+ in the cytosol has been proven to be deleterious for cell function although this accumulation of Ca2+ and consequences represent only a limited view of events that can lead to cell injury during such stress and (b) developing therapeutic strategies involving the reduction or elimination of this accumulation depends, by and large, on the mechanism of entry. In addition to reviewing some of these Ca2+ events, we will also review the relation between pH (H+) and Ca2+ since these two ions and their regulation are tied to each other in a major way. For example, extracellular acidosis, which can occur during ischemia, has a remarkable effect on the function of some of the Ca2+ entry routes.

Neuroprotection of adult rat dorsal root ganglion neurons by combined hypothermia and alkalinization against prolonged ischemia

Ischemia and ischemia-induced secondary events, such as acidosis and excessive activation of receptors by amino acids, trigger neuron death. The isolation and dissociation of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) involves time during which the neurons are ischemic due to being densely packed within the intact DRG and surrounded by a connective tissue coat. Thus, the longer the time between killing the host animal and when the DRG are dissociated, the longer the neurons are ischemic and exposed to ischemia-induced secondary causes of neuron death. It is well established that hypothermia and alkalinization each separately protect neurons from ischemia and ischemia-induced secondary causes of neuron death, but there are no data on the neuroprotection provided by simultaneous hypothermia and alkalinization. The present experiments were designed to determine the combination of hypothermic and alkaline conditions that yield the largest number of viable neurons dissociated from intact DRG maintained ischemic for up to 4 h. Hypothermia (20 degrees C>15 degrees C>37 degrees C) and alkalinization (pH 9.3>pH 8.3>pH 7.4) increased the yield of viable neurons compared with the yield from DRG maintained under physiological conditions. Hypothermia and alkalinization combined (20 degrees C/pH 9.3) provided the greatest neuroprotection with a yield of viable neurons after 1 h of ischemia 2.5-fold larger than that from DRG maintained under physiological conditions (37 degrees C/pH 7.6). Over 4 h of ischemia, the yield of viable neurons from DRG maintained under both hypothermic/alkaline and physiological conditions decreased in a linear manner, but those at 20 degrees C/pH 9.3 had a 4.5-fold greater yield of viable neurons than those at 37 degrees C/pH 7.6. Thus, combined hypothermia and alkalinization provide significantly greater protection against ischemia and ischemia-induced secondary causes of neuron death than either alone.

Comparative biology of the ubiquitous Na+/H+ exchanger, NHE1: lessons from erythrocytes

By virtue of their electroneutral exchange of intracellular H+ for extracellular Na+, the Na+/H+ exchangers (NHE1-NHE8) play a pivotal role in many physiological processes. This review focuses on the ubiquitous plasma membrane isoform, NHE1. Particular attention is given to the roles and regulation of NHE1 in erythrocytes, in their own right and as model systems, but pertinent findings from non-erythroid cells are also discussed. NHE1 plays a key role in the regulation of cell volume and pH, and consequently in the control of such diverse processes as blood O2/CO2 transport, and cell proliferation, motility, and survival. Disturbances in NHE1 function are involved in important pathological states such as hypoxic cell damage and cancer development. NHE1 has a predicted topology of 12 transmembrane domains, and a hydrophilic C-terminus thought to be the major site for NHE1 regulation. NHE1 is highly conserved throughout the vertebrate phylum, particularly in the transmembrane region and the proximal part of the C-terminus. In non-erythroid, and probably also in erythroid cells, this part of the hydrophilic C-terminus interacts with multiple binding partners important for NHE1 function. Erythrocyte NHE1s from mammalian, amphibian, and teleost species are activated by cell shrinkage, decreased pH(i), inhibition of Ser/Thr protein phosphatases, and activation of Ser/Thr protein kinases, i.e., many of the stimuli activating NHE1 in non-erythroid cells. In erythrocytes of many lower vertebrates, NHE1 is activated during hypoxia and is an important modulator of hemoglobin oxygen affinity. Sensitivity of NHE1 to oxygenation status has recently been described also in non-erythroid mammalian cells.

Reduced contribution from Na+/H+ exchange to acid extrusion during anoxia in adult rat hippocampal CA1 neurons

The effect of anoxia on Na+/H+ exchange activity was examined in acutely isolated adult rat hippocampal CA1 neurons loaded with the H+-sensitive fluorophore, BCECF. Five-minute anoxia imposed under nominally HCO3-/CO2-free conditions induced a fall in pHi, the magnitude of which was smaller following prolonged exposure to medium in which N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG+) was employed as an extracellular Na+ (Na(+)(o)) substitute. Also consistent with the possibility that Na+/H+ exchange becomes inhibited soon after the induction of anoxia, rates of Na(+)(o)-dependent pHi recovery from internal acid loads imposed during anoxia were slowed, compared to rates of Na(+)(o)-dependent pHi recovery observed prior to anoxia. At the time at which rates of pHi recovery were reduced during anoxia, cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels had fallen to 35% of preanoxic levels, suggesting that ATP depletion might contribute to the observed inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange. In support, incubation of neurons with 2-deoxyglucose and antimycin A under normoxic conditions induced a fall in cellular ATP levels that was also associated with reduced Na(+)(o)-dependent rates of pHi recovery from imposed acid loads; conversely, pre-treatment with 10 mm creatine attenuated the effects of anoxia to reduce both ATP levels and Na(+)(o)-dependent rates of pHi recovery from internal acid loads. Taken together, the results are consistent with the possibility that functional Na+/H+ exchange activity in adult rat CA1 neurons declines soon after the onset of anoxia, possibly as a result of anoxia-induced falls in intracellular ATP.

Angiotensin II attenuates chemical hypoxia-induced caspase-3 activation in primary cortical neuronal cultures

In this study we determined whether caspase-3 is required in mouse cortical neurons for sodium azide-mediated apoptosis. Primary cortical neuronal cultures were treated with a cell permeable caspase-3 inhibitor, DEVD (1 nM-100 fM), prior to sodium azide-induced hypoxia. Treatment with the caspase-3 inhibitor resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in apoptosis, suggesting that sodium azide-induced apoptosis is mediated through a caspase-3 dependent pathway. Levels of cytochrome-c release and caspase-3 cleavage were assayed by Western analysis. Cytochrome-c release and caspase-3 cleavage were observed at 5 h (85.3+/-5.8%) and 8 h (53.4+/-14.9%), respectively. We have previously reported that angiotensin II, acting through the AT(2) receptor subtype, protects cultured mouse cortical neurons from sodium azide-induced apoptosis. We also examined whether the protective effect of angiotensin II is mediated through modulation of caspase-3. Pre-treatment of cells with angiotensin II and the AT(1) receptor antagonist, losartan, reduced levels of sodium azide-induced caspase-3 cleavage by 95.0+/-4.0%. Cells pre-treated with the AT(2) receptor antagonist, PD123319 showed a smaller reduction of caspase-3 cleavage (53.8+/-3.4%). Our findings indicate that sodium azide-induced apoptosis is caspase-3 dependent and that angiotensin II protects cortical neurons from chemical-induced apoptosis by reducing caspase-3 cleavage.

Growth and cellular differentiation: a physico-biochemical conundrum? The example of the hand

Currently, the predominant hypothesis explains cellular differentiation as an essentially genetic intracellular process. The goal of this paper is to suggest that cell growth and differentiation may be, simply, the result of physical and chemical constraints. Bone growth occurs at the level of cartilage conjunction (growth plate) in a zone of lesser constrain. It appears that this growth also induces muscle, tendon, nerve and skin elongation. This cartilage growth by itself seems to explain the elongation of the hand. Growth stops at puberty likely because of feed-back from an increasing muscle load. The ossification (that is differentiation of cartilage into bone) appears to result from the shear stress induced. The study of bone age, obtained by X-ray picture of the hand, shows that ossification of epiphyses is very precise both in time and space. Computer modelization suggests that this ossification occurs where shear stress is greatest. The cartilage which does not ossify (joint, nose, larynx, ear, bronchus, etc.) is not exposed to high shear. Shear stress induces the secretion of extracellular matrix and a change of the biochemical environment of the cell. Precipitation of calcium phosphate, as in ossification, seems related to the alkalosis induced by shear stress. To speak in more general terms, loss of cellular differentiation, as occurs with cancer, can result from a change in the physical-chemical environments.

Intracellular pH response to anoxia in acutely dissociated adult rat hippocampal CA1 neurons

The effects of anoxia on intracellular pH (pH(i)) were examined in acutely isolated adult rat hippocampal CA1 neurons loaded with the H(+)-sensitive fluorophore, 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein. During perfusion with HCO/CO(2)- or HEPES-buffered media (pH 7.35) at 37 degrees C, 5- or 10-min anoxic insults were typified by an intracellular acidification on the induction of anoxia, a subsequent rise in pH(i) in the continued absence of O(2), and a further internal alkalinization on the return to normoxia. The steady-state pH(i) changes were not consequent on changes in [Ca(2+)](i) and, examined in the presence of HCO, were not significantly affected by (DIDS). In the absence of HCO, the magnitude of the postanoxic alkalinization was attenuated when external Na(+) was reduced by substitution with N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG(+)), but not Li(+), suggesting that increased Na(+)/H(+) exchange activity contributes to this phase of the pH(i) response. In contrast, 100-500 microM Zn(2+), a known blocker of H(+)-conductive pathways, reduced the magnitudes of the internal alkalinizations that occurred both during and following anoxia. The effects of NMDG(+)-substituted medium and Zn(2+) to reduce the increase in pH(i) that occurred after anoxia were additive. Consistent with the steady-state pH(i) changes, rates of pH(i) recovery from internal acid loads imposed immediately after anoxia were increased, and the application of Zn(2+) and/or perfusion with NMDG(+)-substituted medium slowed pH(i) recovery. Reducing extracellular pH from 7.35 to 6.60, or reducing ambient temperature from 37 degrees C to room temperature, also attenuated the increases in steady-state pH(i) observed during and after anoxia and reduced rates of pH(i) recovery from acid loads imposed in the immediate postanoxic period. Finally, inhibition of the cAMP/protein kinase A second-messenger system reduced the magnitude of the rise in pH(i) after anoxia in a manner that was dependent on external Na(+); conversely, activation of the system with isoproterenol increased the postanoxic alkalinization, an effect that was attenuated by pretreatment with propranolol, Rp-cAMPS, or when NMDG(+) (but not Li(+)) was employed as an external Na(+) substitute. The results suggest that a Zn(2+)-sensitive acid efflux mechanism, possibly a H(+)-conductive pathway activated by membrane depolarization, contributes to the internal alkalinization observed during anoxia in adult rat CA1 neurons. The rise in pH(i) after anoxia reflects acid extrusion via the H(+)-conductive pathway and also Na(+)/H(+) exchange, activation of the latter being mediated, at least in part, through a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway.

Angiotensin protects cortical neurons from hypoxic-induced apoptosis via the angiotensin type 2 receptor

The effects of angiotensin on mouse cortical neuronal cultures exposed to chemical-induced hypoxia was investigated. Cultures exposed to 10 mM sodium azide for 5 min showed a 17% increase in apoptosis when assayed 24 h postinsult. The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 blocked sodium azide-induced cell death suggesting that the NMDA receptor contributes to the mediated cell death. Pretreatment of cultured neurons with angiotensin decreased sodium azide-induced apoptosis by 94%. When the AT(1) receptor was blocked by its receptor antagonist, losartan, angiotensin activation of the AT(2) receptor completely inhibited sodium azide-induced apoptosis. Pretreatment of neurons with the AT(2) receptor antagonist PD123319 resulted in angiotensin reducing sodium azide-induced apoptosis by 48%. These results demonstrate that angiotensin can significantly attenuate sodium azide-induced apoptosis primarily through activation of the AT(2) receptor and suggests that angiotensin may have a protective role in neurons undergoing ischemic injury.

Nuclear translocation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 is induced by ATP depletion

Phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymes may play a role in cellular injury due to ATP depletion. Renal Madin-Darby canine kidney cells were subjected to ATP depletion to assess the effects of cellular energy metabolism on cytosolic PLA(2) (cPLA(2)) regulation. ATP depletion results in a decrease in soluble cPLA(2) activity and an increase in membrane-associated activity, which is reversed upon restoration of ATP levels by addition of dextrose. In ATP-depleted cells cPLA(2) mass shifts from cytosol to nuclear fractions. GFP-cPLA(2) is localized at the nuclear membrane of stably transfected ATP-depleted LLC-PK(1) cells under conditions where [Ca(2+)](i) is known to increase. cPLA(2) translocation does not occur if the increase in [Ca(2+)](i) increase is inhibited. If [Ca(2+)](i) is allowed to increase when ATP is depleted and the cells are then lysed, cPLA(2) remains associated with nuclear fractions even if the homogenate [Ca(2+)] is markedly reduced. In contrast, cPLA(2), which becomes associated with the nucleus when [Ca(2+)](i) is increased using ionophore, readily dissociates from the nuclear fractions of ATP-replete cells upon reduction of homogenate [Ca(2+)]. Okadaic acid inhibits the ATP depletion-induced association of cPLA(2) with nuclear fractions. Thus energy deprivation results in [Ca(2+)]-induced nuclear translocation, which is partially prevented by a phosphatase inhibitor.