A novel type of superoxide generating system in nuclear membranes from hepatoma 22a ascites cells

Reactive oxygen species in programmed death of pea guard cells

Hydrogen peroxide potentiates CN(-)-induced apoptosis of guard cells recorded as destruction of cell nuclei in the epidermis from pea leaves. A still stronger effect was exerted by the addition of H2O2 and NADH, which are the substrates of the plant cell wall peroxidase producing O2*- coupled to the oxidation of NADH. The CN(-)-or (CN(-) + H2O2)-induced destruction of guard cell nuclei was completely removed by nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) oxidizing O2*- and preventing there-by the subsequent generation of H2O2. The reduced NBT was deposited in the cells as formazan crystals. Cyanide-induced apoptosis was diminished by mannitol and ethanol, which are OH* traps. The dyes Rose Bengal (RB) and tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) photosensitizing singlet oxygen production suppressed the CN(-)-induced destruction of the cell nuclei in the light. This suppression was removed by exogenous NADH, which reacts with 1O2 yielding O2*-. Incubation of leaf slices with RB in the light lowered the photosynthetic O2 evolution rate and induced the permeability of guard cells for propidium iodide, which cannot pass across intact membranes. Inhibition of photosynthetic O2 evolution by 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea or bromoxynil prevented CN(-)-induced apoptosis of guard cells in the light but not in the dark. RB in combination with exogenous NADH caused H2O2 production that was sensitive to NBT and estimated from dichlorofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence. Data on NBT reduction and DCF and TMRE fluorescence obtained using a confocal microscope and data on the NADH-dependent H2O2 production are indicative of generation of reactive oxygen species in the chloroplasts, mitochondria, and nuclear region of guard cells as well as with participation of apoplastic peroxidase. Cyanide inhibited generation of reactive oxygen species in mitochondria and induced their generation in chloroplasts. The results show that H2O2, OH*, and O2*- resources utilized for H2O2 production are involved in apoptosis of guard cells. It is likely that singlet oxygen generated by RB in the light, judging from the permeability of the plasmatic membrane for propidium iodide, makes Photosystem II of chloroplasts inoperative and induces necrosis of the guard cells.

Oxidative stress and aging: the potential role of iron

According to the free radical theory of aging proposed by Denham Harman more than 50 years ago, oxidatively modified cellular components accumulate continuously in the cells during the organism's lifespan leading to progressive decline of cellular functions. Since then, it has been shown that proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and other cell components undergo reversible and/or irreversible oxidative modifications during aging. Moreover, oxidized cell components can undergo further oxidative modifications leading to formation of products that cell degradation systems are incapable of removing. Accumulation of such non-degradable aggregates further inhibits the functionality of degradation systems, thus aggravating the effects and leading to a vicious cycle. In this presentation, we propose that the availability of intracellular iron in its redox active form (labile iron) represents the main catalyst that mediates extensive oxidative modifications of cellular components and ultimately leads to their accumulation and consequent cellular dysfunction. It is tempting to speculate that regulated restriction of labile iron may have positive effects on health in general and aging in particular.

Effect of phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene treatment on NADPH- and NADH-dependent production of reactive oxygen intermediates by rat liver nuclei

The effect of inducing the rat liver nuclear mixed-function oxidase system by phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene on NADPH- and NADH-dependent production of reactive oxygen intermediates was evaluated. The inducing agents produced a 2-fold increase in cytochrome P-450, a 50 to 70% increase in NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity, and a 20 to 30% increase in NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity. Associated with these increases was a corresponding increase in NADPH- and NADH-dependent production of hydroxyl radical (.OH)-like species and of H2O2. Rates of .OH production were inhibited by catalase and partially sensitive to superoxide dismutase. The increase in nuclear production of .OH-like species after drug treatment appears to be due a corresponding increase in H2O2 generation. In contrast to H2O2 and .OH generation, production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive material by nuclei was not increased by the phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene treatment. Redox cycling agents such as menadione and paraquat increased oxygen radical generation to similar extents in the control and the induced nuclei. These results indicate that induction of the nuclear mixed-function oxidase system by phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene can result in a subsequent increase in production of reactive oxygen intermediates in the presence of either NADPH or NADH.

Interaction of ferric complexes with rat liver nuclei to catalyze NADH-and NADPH-Dependent production of oxygen radicals

The production of potent oxygen radicals by microsomal reaction systems has been well characterized. Relatively little attention has been paid to generation of oxygen radicals by liver nuclei, or to the interaction of nuclei with different ferric complexes to catalyze NADH- or NADPH-dependent production of reactive oxygen intermediates. Intact rat liver nuclei were capable of catalyzing an iron-dependent production of .OH as reflected by the oxidation of .OH scavenging agents such as 2-keto-4-thiomethylbutyrate, dimethyl sulfoxide, and t-butyl alcohol. Inhibition of .OH production by catalase implicates H2O2 as the precursor of .OH generated by the nuclei, whereas superoxide dismutase had only a partially inhibitory effect. The production of .OH with either cofactor was striking increased by addition of ferric-EDTA or ferric-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) whereas ferric-ATP and ferric-citrate were not effective catalysts. All these ferric complexes were reduced by the nuclei in the presence of either NADPH or NADH. The pattern of iron chelate effectiveness in catalyzing lipid peroxidation by nuclei was opposite to that of .OH production; with either NADH or NADPH, nuclear lipid peroxidation was increased by the addition of ferric ammonium sulfate, ferric-ATP, or ferric-citrate, but not by ferric-EDTA or ferric-DTPA. NADPH-dependent nuclear lipid peroxidation was insensitive to catalase, superoxide dismutase, or .OH scavengers; the NADH-dependent reaction showed a partial sensitivity (30 to 40%) to these additions. The overall patterns of .OH production and lipid peroxidation by the nuclei are similar to those shown by microsomes, e.g., effect of ferric complexes, sensitivity to antioxidants; however, rates with the nuclei are less than 20% those of microsomes, which reflect the lower activities of NADPH- and NADH-cytochrome c reductase in the nuclei. The potential for nuclei to reduce ferric complexes and catalyze production of .OH-like species may play a role in the susceptibility of the genetic material to oxidative damage under certain conditions since such radicals would be produced site-directed and not exposed to cellular antioxidants.

Role of the superoxide anion in the oxidative activation of the new antitumor drug BD40: a radiolysis study

BD40, a new antitumor drug derived from 9-azaellipticine, is thought to have an oxygen-dependent metabolism in vivo. We have investigated the one-electron oxidation of this drug by gamma radiolysis using OH. free radicals as oxidants and the reaction of O2-. with the BD40 oxidized transient(s). The absorption spectrum of the one-electron oxidized free radical was determined by pulse radiolysis using OH. or N.3 as reactant. In the absence of O2 and O2-., the initial yield of disappearance of the drug is equal to 2.5 x 10(-7) mol J-1 independently of the initial concentration of the drug and of the dose rate. When BD40 is oxidized by OH. radicals in the presence of O2 and O2-., the yield is the same. This yield is halved if superoxide dismutase is present during irradiation. Superoxide anions do not react directly with the drug. Thus it is suggested that these radicals oxidize the BD40 free radical produced by oxidation with OH. Biological implications are discussed.

An unusual NAD(P)H-dependent O2-.-enerating redox system in hepatoma 22a nuclei

Nuclear membranes from many tumors contain an unusual redox chain discovered originally in the Hepatoma 22a nuclear membranes which catalyzes superoxide dismutase-sensitive adrenaline oxidation to adrenochrome in the presence of either NADPH or NADH as electron donor, the reaction being inhibited by cyanide and azide. This redox chain can reduce anthracycline antitumor antibiotics adriamycin and carminomycin to their free radical states under anaerobic conditions. Evidence has been obtained for a higher stability of the carminomycin radical as compared to that of adriamycin. Operation of the nuclear membrane-bound redox chain can be a source of oxygen radical-mediated single strand breaks in DNA. The role of the nuclear membrane-associated electron transfer chain in augmenting the anticancer action of the anthracycline antibiotics is discussed.

Membrane alterations in cancer cells: the role of oxy radicals

Membranes isolated from tumor cells present profound alterations in their composition, structural organization, and functional properties. In this study we have reported some of these alterations in microsomal and plasma membranes of hepatomas with different growth rate and degree of differentiation. The chemical parameters studied were the phospholipid-to-protein, the cholesterol-to-protein, and the cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratios and the fatty acid composition of the phospholipids. The physical parameters were the molecular order (static) and the fluidity (dynamic), determined, respectively, as the order parameter [P2] and the correlation time tau R of the fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH). The functional property investigated was the ability of the membranes to undergo superoxide-induced lipid peroxidation, determined as byproduct (malondialdehyde and lipid hydroperoxides) formation and as changes in the fatty acid acyl residues. Changes in the physical state of the membrane, induced by oxy radicals, were also monitored during lipid peroxidation. A study of the antioxidant activity of the tumor cell, in terms of oxy radical enzymatic defenses (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase) was also performed. The main results obtained are the following: hepatoma membranes possess a lower phospholipid content and a lower degree of fatty acid unsaturation; on the other hand, the cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratio is increased; the physical state appears characterized by an increased rigidity (increased molecular order of the lipids and decreased fluidity); the membrane peroxidizability is markedly depressed and its order parameter, in contrast to liver membranes, does not increase with exposure to the action of O2- radicals; and the oxy radical enzymatic defense mechanisms are decreased. All these alterations increase with increasing growth rate and dedifferentiation of the tumor. Considering all of the data, we are inclined to think that tumor membranes are altered structurally and functionally in part as the result of an oxy radical-induced damage that takes place in vivo under conditions of increased oxygen toxicity.

Cell nuclei generate DNA-nicking superoxide radicals

Rat liver nuclei generate superoxide radicals in the presence of NADPH. Active oxygen species induced nicks in nuclear DNA. This was prevented by superoxide dismutase and catalase as well as by anaerobiosis. EDTA-Fe3+ dramatically increased the active oxygen-dependent DNA nicking.