Intronic DNA elements regulate Nrf2 chemical responsiveness of the human microsomal epoxide hydrolase gene (EPHX1) through a far upstream alternative promoter

Tissue-, Region-, and Gene-Specific Induction of Microsomal Epoxide Hydrolase Expression and Activity in the Mouse Intestine by Arsenic in Drinking Water

This study aimed to characterize the effects of arsenic exposure on the expression of microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH or EPHX1) and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH or EPHX2) in the liver and small intestine. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to sodium arsenite in drinking water at various doses for up to 28 days. Intestinal, but not hepatic, mEH mRNA and protein expression was induced by arsenic at 25 ppm, in both males and females, whereas hepatic mEH expression was induced by arsenic at 50 or 100 ppm. The induction of mEH was gene specific, as the arsenic exposure did not induce sEH expression in either tissue. Within the small intestine, mEH expression was induced only in the proximal, but not the distal segments. The induction of intestinal mEH was accompanied by increases in microsomal enzymatic activities toward a model mEH substrate, cis-stilbene oxide, and an epoxide-containing drug, oprozomib, in vitro, and by increases in the levels of PR-176, the main hydrolysis metabolite of oprozomib, in the proximal small intestine of oprozomib-treated mice. These findings suggest that intestinal mEH, playing a major role in converting xenobiotic epoxides to less reactive diols, but not sEH, preferring endogenous epoxides as substrates, is relevant to the adverse effects of arsenic exposure, and that further studies of the interactions between drinking water arsenic exposure and the disposition or possible adverse effects of epoxide-containing drugs and other xenobiotic compounds in the intestine are warranted. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Consumption of arsenic-contaminated water has been associated with increased risks of various adverse health effects, such as diabetes, in humans. The small intestinal epithelial cells are the main site of absorption of ingested arsenic, but they are not well characterized for arsenic exposure-related changes. This study identified gene expression changes in the small intestine that may be mechanistically linked to the adverse effects of arsenic exposure and possible interactions between arsenic ingestion and the pharmacokinetics of epoxide-containing drugs in vivo.

The Role of NRF2 in Obesity-Associated Cardiovascular Risk Factors

The raising prevalence of obesity is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), particularly coronary artery disease (CAD), and heart failure, including atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. Obesity contributes directly to incident cardiovascular risk factors, including hyperglycemia or diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, which are involved in atherosclerosis, including structural and functional cardiac alterations, which lead to cardiac dysfunction. CVDs are the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In obesity, visceral and epicardial adipose tissue generate inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce oxidative stress and contribute to the pathogenesis of CVDs. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2; encoded by Nfe2l2 gene) protects against oxidative stress and electrophilic stress. NRF2 participates in the regulation of cell inflammatory responses and lipid metabolism, including the expression of over 1000 genes in the cell under normal and stressed environments. NRF2 is downregulated in diabetes, hypertension, and inflammation. Nfe2l2 knockout mice develop structural and functional cardiac alterations, and NRF2 deficiency in macrophages increases atherosclerosis. Given the endothelial and cardiac protective effects of NRF2 in experimental models, its activation using pharmacological or natural products is a promising therapeutic approach for obesity and CVDs. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the current knowledge on the role of NRF2 in obesity-associated cardiovascular risk factors.

WDR23 regulates the expression of Nrf2-driven drug-metabolizing enzymes

Nrf2 plays a central role in the response to xenobiotics and oxidative stress. The activation of Nrf2 induces the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and is important for cytoprotection. Keap1 is a widely accepted proteasome-dependent regulator of Nrf2. Keap1 was reported to be absent in Caenorhabditis elegans, and the level of the Nrf2 ortholog SKN-1 was mainly regulated by WDR23. The WDR23 locus is highly conserved from C. elegans to humans. We investigated whether WDR23 regulates Nrf2 activity in mammalian cells, hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Hep3B) and human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa). We found that WDR23 has two isoforms (1 and 2) and that knockdown of WDR23 was sufficient to stabilize Nrf2 and alter the expression of several DMEs. Keap1 knockdown resulted in higher Nrf2 levels than WDR23 knockdown, and their effects on DMEs differed. These results were consistent with Keap1 being a canonical regulator of Nrf2, and that WDR23 may assist in Nrf2 regulation. We confirmed that WDR23 physically interacted with Nrf2, suggesting that WDR23 directly regulates Nrf2-dependent DMEs. In immunostaining experiments, human WDR23 isoform 1 was localized to the cytoplasm, whereas isoform 2 mainly resided in the nucleus. Taken together, our results suggested WDR23 is a novel regulator of DME expression.

Nrf2 positively regulates autophagy antioxidant response in human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to diesel exhaust particles

Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) are known to generate reactive oxygen species in the respiratory system, triggering cells to activate antioxidant defence mechanisms, such as Keap1-Nrf2 signalling and autophagy. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Keap1-Nrf2 signalling and autophagy pathways after DEP exposure. BEAS-2B cells were transfected with silencing RNA (siRNA) specific to Nrf2 and exposed to DEP. The relative levels of mRNA for Nrf2, NQO1, HO-1, LC3B, p62 and Atg5 were determined using RT-PCR, while the levels of LCB3, Nrf2, and p62 protein were determined using Western blotting. The autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin caused a significant decrease in the production of Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1 compared to DEPs treatment, whereas the Nrf2 activator sulforaphane increased the LC3B (p = 0.020) levels. BEAS-2B cells exposed to DEP at a concentration of 50 μg/mL for 2 h showed a significant increase in the expression of LC3B (p = 0.001), p62 (p = 0.008), Nrf2 (p = 0.003), HO-1 (p = 0.001) and NQO1 (p = 0.015) genes compared to control. In siRNA-transfected cells, the LC3B (p < 0.001), p62 (p = 0.001) and Atg5 (p = 0.024) mRNA levels and the p62 and LC3II protein levels were decreased, indicating that Nrf2 modulated the expression of autophagy markers (R < 1). These results imply that, in bronchial cells exposed to DEP, the Nrf2 system positively regulates autophagy to maintain cellular homeostasis.

Targets and mechanisms of sulforaphane derivatives obtained from cruciferous plants with special focus on breast cancer - contradictory effects and future perspectives

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Therefore, discovery of new and effective drugs with fewer side effects is necessary to treat it. Sulforaphane (SFN) is an organosulfur compound obtained from cruciferous plants, such as broccoli and mustard, and it has the potential to treat breast cancer. Hence, it is vital to find out how SFN targets certain genes and cellular pathways in treating breast cancer. In this review, molecular targets and cellular pathways of SFN are described. Studies have shown SFN inhibits cell proliferation, causes apoptosis, stops cell cycle and has anti-oxidant activities. Increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) produces oxidative stress, activates inflammatory transcription factors, and these result in inflammation leading to cancer. Increasing anti-oxidant potential of cells and discovering new targets to reduce ROS creation reduces oxidative stress and it eventually reduces cancer risks. In short, SFN effectively affects histone deacetylases involved in chromatin remodeling, gene expression, and Nrf2 anti-oxidant signaling. This review points to the potential of SFN to treat breast cancer as well as the importance of other new cruciferous compounds, derived from and isolated from mustard, to target Keap1 and Akt, two key regulators of cellular homeostasis.

Nrf2 in cancers: A double-edged sword

The Nrf2/Keap1 pathway is an important signaling cascade responsible for the resistance of oxidative damage induced by exogenous chemicals. It maintains the redox homeostasis, exerts anti-inflammation and anticancer activity by regulating its multiple downstream cytoprotective genes, thereby plays a vital role in cell survival. Interestingly, in recent years, accumulating evidence suggests that Nrf2 has a contradictory role in cancers. Aberrant activation of Nrf2 is associated with poor prognosis. The constitutive activation of Nrf2 in various cancers induces pro-survival genes and promotes cancer cell proliferation by metabolic reprogramming, repression of cancer cell apoptosis, and enhancement of self-renewal capacity of cancer stem cells. More importantly, Nrf2 is proved to contribute to the chemoresistance and radioresistance of cancer cells as well as inflammation-induced carcinogenesis. A number of Nrf2 inhibitors discovered for cancer treatment were reviewed in this report. These provide a new strategy that targeting Nrf2 could be a promising therapeutic approach against cancer. This review aims to summarize the dual effects of Nrf2 in cancer, revealing its function both in cancer prevention and inhibition, to further discover novel anticancer treatment.

NRF2 Intensifies Host Defense Systems to Prevent Lung Carcinogenesis, but After Tumor Initiation Accelerates Malignant Cell Growth

Nrf2 activation promotes resistance to chemical carcinogenesis in animal models, but activating mutations in Nrf2 also confer malignant characters to human cells by activating antioxidative/detoxifying enzymes and metabolic reprogramming. In this study, we examined how these contradictory activities of Nrf2, cancer chemoprevention and cancer cell growth enhancement, can be reconciled in an established mouse model of urethane-induced lung carcinogenesis. Using Keap1-knockdown (kd) mice, which express high levels of Nrf2, we found that urethane was rapidly excreted into the urine, consistent with an upregulation in the expression of urethane detoxification genes. Consequently, urethane-induced tumors were significantly smaller and less frequent in Keap1-kd mice than in wild-type mice. In contrast, tumor cells derived from Keap1-kd mice and transplanted into nude mice exhibited higher tumorigenicity compared with cells derived from wild-type mice. To identify the factors contributing to the tumor growth phenotype in the transplantation model, we performed a microarray analysis and found that many antioxidative stress genes were upregulated in the Keap1-kd-derived tumors. Therefore, we suggest that Nrf2 activation in cancer cells enhances their tumorigenicity, but global Nrf2 activation, as in Keap1-kd mice, simultaneously enhances anticancer immunity, thereby suppressing the growth potential of Keap1-kd tumors. Our findings provide relevant insight into the dual role of Nrf2 in cancer and warrant further studies of Nrf2 function during different stages of carcinogenesis. Cancer Res; 76(10); 3088-96. ©2016 AACR.

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase 1 (EPHX1): Gene, structure, function, and role in human disease

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (EPHX1) is an evolutionarily highly conserved biotransformation enzyme for converting epoxides to diols. Notably, the enzyme is able to either detoxify or bioactivate a wide range of substrates. Mutations and polymorphic variants in the EPHX1 gene have been associated with susceptibility to several human diseases including cancer. This review summarizes the key knowledge concerning EPHX1 gene and protein structure, expression pattern and regulation, and substrate specificity. The relevance of EPHX1 for human pathology is especially discussed.

Comparative analysis of NRF2-responsive gene expression in AcPC-1 pancreatic cancer cell line

NRF2 is a nuclear transcription factor activated in response to oxidative stress and related with metabolizing of xenotoxic materials and ABC transporter mediated drug resistance. We studied the expression of mRNAs under the siRNA-mediated knockdown of NRF2 and tBHQ-treated condition in AsPC-1 metastatic pancreatic cancer cell line to understand the AsPC-1 specific role(s) of NRF2 and further to investigate the relationship between drug resistance and metastatic plasticity and mobility of AsPc1. Here we show that the genes of aldo–keto reductases, cytochrome P450 family, aldehyde dehydrogenase, thioredoxin reductase, ABC transporter and epoxide hydrolase responsible for drug metabolism or oxidative stress concisely responded to NRF2 stabilization and knockdown of NRF2. In addition the expression of PIR, a candidate of oncogene and KISS1, a suppressor of metastasis were affected by NRF2 stabilization and knockdown. Our result provide comprehensive understanding of NRF2 target genes of drug response, oxidative stress response and metastasis in AsPc-1 metastatic pancreatic cancer cell line.

Tert-butylhydroquinone as a phenolic activator of Nrf2 antagonizes arsenic-induced oxidative cytotoxicity but promotes arsenic methylation and detoxication in human hepatocyte cell line

Oxidative stress plays crucial roles in exerting a variety of damages upon arsenic exposure. Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is a master transcriptional regulator protecting cells and tissues from oxidative injuries. The objective of this study was to test whether tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), a well-known synthetic Nrf2 inducer, could protect human hepatocytes against arsenic-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative injuries. Our results showed that 5 and 25 μmol/l tBHQ pretreatment suppressed the arsenic-induced hepatocellular cytotoxicity, reactive oxygen species generation, and hepatic lipid peroxidation, while relieved the arsenic-induced disturbances of intracellular glutathione balance. In addition, we also observed that tBHQ treatment promoted the arsenic biomethylation process and upregulated Nrf2-regulated downstream heme oxygenase-1 and NADPH: quinine oxidoreductase 1 mRNA expressions. Collectively, we suspected that Nrf2 signaling pathway may be involved in the protective effects of tBHQ against arsenic invasion in hepatocytes. These data suggest that phenolic Nrf2 inducers, such as tBHQ, represent novel therapeutic or dietary candidates for the population at high risk of arsenic poisoning.