Succinobucol induces apoptosis in vascular smooth muscle cells

Probucol is anti-hyperalgesic in a mouse peripheral nerve injury model of neuropathic pain

2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (2,6-DTBP) ameliorates mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia produced by partial sciatic nerve ligation in mice, and selectively inhibits HCN1 channel gating. We hypothesized that the clinically utilized non-anesthetic dimerized congener of 2,6-DTBP, probucol (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-[2-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfanylpropan-2-ylsulfanyl]phenol), would relieve the neuropathic phenotype that results from peripheral nerve damage, and that the anti-hyperalgesic efficacy in vivo would correlate with HCN1 channel inhibition in vitro. A single oral dose of probucol (800 mg/kg) relieved mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in a mouse spared-nerve injury neuropathic pain model. While the low aqueous solubility of probucol precluded assessment of its possible interaction with HCN1 channels, our results, in conjunction with recent data demonstrating that probucol reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, support the testing/development of probucol as a non-opioid, oral antihyperalgesic albeit one of unknown mechanistic action.

Antioxidants in the Fight Against Atherosclerosis: Is This a Dead End?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to focus on the outcome of recent antioxidant interventions using synthetic and naturally occurring molecules established as adjuvant strategies to lipid-lowering or anti-inflammatory therapies designed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

RECENT FINDINGS

To date, accumulated evidence regarding oxidation as a pro-atherogenic factor indicates that redox biochemical events involved in atherogenesis are indeed a very attractive target for the management of cardiovascular disease in the clinic. Nevertheless, although evidence indicates that redox reactions are important in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, oxidation with a pro-atherogenic context does not eliminate the fact that oxidation participates in many cases as an essential messenger of important cellular signaling pathways. Therefore, disease management and therapeutic goals require not only high-precision and high-sensitivity methods to detect in plasma very low amounts of reducing and oxidizing molecules but also a much better understanding of the normal processes and metabolic pathways influenced and/or controlled by oxidative stress. As several methodologies have been specifically described for the quantification of the total antioxidant capacity and the oxidation state of diverse biological systems, a successful way to carefully study how redox reactions influence atherosclerosis can be achieved. Since there is still a lack of standardization with many of these methods, clinical trials studying antioxidant capacity have been difficult to compare and therefore difficult to use in order to reach a conclusion. We believe a comprehensive analysis of new knowledge and its relationship with the presence of plasma antioxidants and their reducing capacity will undoubtedly open new ways to understand and develop new therapeutic pathways in the fight not only against atherosclerosis but also against other degenerative diseases.

Heme Oxygenases in Cardiovascular Health and Disease

Heme oxygenases are composed of two isozymes, Hmox1 and Hmox2, that catalyze the degradation of heme to carbon monoxide (CO), ferrous iron, and biliverdin, the latter of which is subsequently converted to bilirubin. While initially considered to be waste products, CO and biliverdin/bilirubin have been shown over the last 20 years to modulate key cellular processes, such as inflammation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as antioxidant defense. This shift in paradigm has led to the importance of heme oxygenases and their products in cell physiology now being well accepted. The identification of the two human cases thus far of heme oxygenase deficiency and the generation of mice deficient in Hmox1 or Hmox2 have reiterated a role for these enzymes in both normal cell function and disease pathogenesis, especially in the context of cardiovascular disease. This review covers the current knowledge on the function of both Hmox1 and Hmox2 at both a cellular and tissue level in the cardiovascular system. Initially, the roles of heme oxygenases in vascular health and the regulation of processes central to vascular diseases are outlined, followed by an evaluation of the role(s) of Hmox1 and Hmox2 in various diseases such as atherosclerosis, intimal hyperplasia, myocardial infarction, and angiogenesis. Finally, the therapeutic potential of heme oxygenases and their products are examined in a cardiovascular disease context, with a focus on how the knowledge we have gained on these enzymes may be capitalized in future clinical studies.

The metabolites of glutamine prevent hydroxyl radical-induced apoptosis through inhibiting mitochondria and calcium ion involved pathways in fish erythrocytes

The present study explored the apoptosis pathways in hydroxyl radicals ((∙)OH)-induced carp erythrocytes. Carp erythrocytes were treated with the caspase inhibitors in physiological carp saline (PCS) or Ca(2+)-free PCS in the presence of 40μM FeSO4/20μM H2O2. The results showed that the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the release of cytochrome c and DNA fragmentation were caspase-dependent, and Ca(2+) was involved in calpain activation and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure in (∙)OH-induced carp erythrocytes. Moreover, the results suggested that caspases were involved in PS exposure, and Ca(2+) was involved in DNA fragmentation in (∙)OH-induced fish erythrocytes. These results demonstrated that there might be two apoptosis pathways in fish erythrocytes, one is the caspase and cytochrome c-dependent apoptosis that is similar to that in mammal nucleated cells, the other is the Ca(2+)-involved apoptosis that was similar to that in mammal non-nucleated erythrocytes. So, fish erythrocytes may be used as a model for studying oxidative stress and apoptosis in mammal cells. Furthermore, the present study investigated the effects of glutamine (Gln)'s metabolites [alanine (Ala), citrulline (Cit), proline (Pro) and their combination (Ala10Pro4Cit1)] on the pathways of apoptosis in fish erythrocytes. The results displayed that Ala, Cit, Pro and Ala10Pro4Cit1 effectively suppressed ROS generation, cytochrome c release, activation of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 at the physiological concentrations, prevented Ca(2+) influx, calpain activation, PS exposure, DNA fragmentation and the degradation of the cytoskeleton and oxidation of membrane and hemoglobin (Hb) and increased activity of anti-hydroxyl radical (AHR) in (∙)OH-induced carp erythrocytes. Ala10Pro4Cit1 produced a synergistic effect of inhibited oxidative stress and apoptosis in fish erythrocytes. These results demonstrated that Ala, Cit, Pro and their combination can protect mammal erythrocytes and nucleated cells against oxidative stress and apoptosis. The studies supported the use of Gln, Ala, Cit and Pro as oxidative stress and apoptosis inhibitors in mammal cells and the hypothesis that the inhibited effects of Gln on oxidative stress and apoptosis are at least partly dependent on that of its metabolites in mammalian.

New insights into intracellular locations and functions of heme oxygenase-1

SIGNIFICANCE

Heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) plays a critical role in the protection of cells, and the inducible enzyme is implicated in a spectrum of human diseases. The increasing prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic morbidities, for which current treatment approaches are not optimal, emphasizes the necessity to better understand key players such as HMOX1 that may be therapeutic targets.

RECENT ADVANCES

HMOX1 is a dynamic protein that can undergo post-translational and structural modifications which modulate HMOX1 function. Moreover, trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum to other cellular compartments, including the nucleus, highlights that HMOX1 may play roles other than the catabolism of heme.

CRITICAL ISSUES

The ability of HMOX1 to be induced by a variety of stressors, in an equally wide variety of tissues and cell types, represents an obstacle for the therapeutic exploitation of the enzyme. Any capacity to modulate HMOX1 in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases should be tempered with an appreciation that HMOX1 may have an impact on cancer. Moreover, the potential for heme catabolism end products, such as carbon monoxide, to amplify the HMOX1 stress response should be considered.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

A more complete understanding of HMOX1 modifications and the properties that they impart is necessary. Delineating these parameters will provide a clearer picture of the opportunities to modulate HMOX1 in human disease.

Tocopheramine succinate and tocopheryl succinate: mechanism of mitochondrial inhibition and superoxide radical production

Tocopherols (TOH) are lipophilic antioxidants which require the phenolic OH group for their redox activity. In contrast, non-redox active esters of α-TOH with succinate (α-TOS) were shown to possess proapoptotic activity in cancer cells. It was suggested that this activity is mediated via mitochondrial inhibition with subsequent O2(-) production triggering apoptosis and that the modification of the linker between the succinate and the lipophilic chroman may modulate this activity. However, the specific mechanism and the influence of the linker are not clear yet on the level of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Therefore, this study systematically compared the effects of α-TOH acetate (α-TOA), α-TOS and α-tocopheramine succinate (α-TNS) in cells and submitochondrial particles (SMP). The results showed that not all cancer cell lines are highly sensitive to α-TOS and α-TNS. In HeLa cells α-TNS did more effectively reduce cell viability than α-TOS. The complex I activity of SMP was little affected by α-TNS and α-TOS while the complex II activity was much more inhibited (IC50=42±8μM α-TOS, 106±8μM α-TNS, respectively) than by α-TOA (IC50 >1000μM). Also the complex III activity was inhibited by α-TNS (IC50=137±6μM) and α-TOS (IC50=315±23μM). Oxygen consumption of NADH- or succinate-respiring SMP, involving the whole electron transfer machinery, was dose-dependently decreased by α-TOS and α-TNS, but only marginal effects were observed in the presence of α-TOA. In contrast to the similar inhibition pattern of α-TOS and α-TNS, only α-TOS triggered O2(-) formation in succinate- and NADH-respiring SMP. Inhibitor studies excluded complex I as O2(-) source and suggested an involvement of complex III in O2(-) production. In cancer cells only α-TOS was reproducibly able to increase O2(-) levels above the background level but neither α-TNS nor α-TOA. Furthermore, the stability of α-TNS in liver homogenates was significantly lower than that of α-TOS. In conclusion, this suggests that α-TNS although it has a structure similar to α-TOS is not acting via the same mechanism and that for α-TOS not only complex II but also complex III interactions are involved.

Antioxidant therapies for the management of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice, representing a major public health problem. Recent evidence suggests oxidative stress may play an important role in the pathogenesis and perpetuation of AF. In the past few years, experimental data and clinical evidence have tested the concept of antioxidant therapies to prevent AF. Besides statins, ACE-inhibitors (ACEIs) and/or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, several other interventions with antioxidant properties, such as Vitamin C and E, thiazolidinediones, N-acetylcysteine, probucol, nitric oxide donors or precursors, NADPH oxidase inhibitors, Xanthine oxidase inhibitors have emerged as novel strategies for the management of AF. We aim to review recent evidence regarding antioxidant therapies in the prevention and treatment of atrial fibrillation.