Subcellular localization of adrenal cortical glutathione peroxidase and protective role of the mitochondrial enzyme against lipid peroxidative damage

Melatonin improves placental efficiency and birth weight and increases the placental expression of antioxidant enzymes in undernourished pregnancy

Melatonin participates in circadian, seasonal and reproductive physiology. Melatonin also acts as a potent endogenous antioxidant by scavenging free radicals and upregulating antioxidant pathways. The placenta expresses melatonin receptors and melatonin protects against oxidative damage induced in rat placenta by ischemia-reperfusion. One of the most common complications in pregnancy is a reduction in fetal nutrient delivery, which is known to promote oxidative stress. However, whether melatonin protects placental function and fetal development in undernourished pregnancy is unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of maternal treatment with melatonin on placental efficiency, fetal growth, birth weight and protein expression of placental oxidative stress markers in undernourished pregnancy. On day 15 of pregnancy, rats were divided into control and undernourished pregnancy (35% reduction in food intake), with and without melatonin treatment (5 microg/mL drinking water). On day 20 of gestation, fetal biometry was carried out, the placenta was weighed and subsequently analyzed by Western blot for xanthine oxidase, heat shock protein (HSP) 27 and 70, catalase, manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx-1). A separate cohort was allowed to deliver to assess effects on birth weight. Maternal undernutrition led to a fall in placental efficiency, disproportionate intrauterine growth retardation and a reduction in birth weight. Maternal treatment with melatonin in undernourished pregnancy improved placental efficiency and restored birth weight, and it increased the expression of placental Mn-SOD and catalase. The data show that in pregnancy complicated by undernutrition, melatonin may improve placental efficiency and birth weight by upregulating placental antioxidant enzymes.

Selenium deficiency impairs corticosterone and leptin responses to adrenocorticotropin in the rat

Selenium deficiency causes oxidative stress and impairs steroidogenesis in vitro. Leptin is closely related to the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Leptin inhibits the HPA axis at the central level while corticosteroids have been shown to stimulate leptin secretion in most studies. We hypothesized that oxidative stress impairs adrenal steroidogenesis and decreases leptin production in vivo. The goal of this study was to investigate in rats the effects of selenium deficiency and oxidative stress on adrenal function and on leptin concentrations. Weanling rats were fed a selenium-deficient (Se-) or selenium-sufficient (Se+) diet for 4-10 weeks. Selenium deficiency caused a marked decrease in liver (> or = 99%) and adrenal (> or = 81%) glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. Selenium deficiency did not affect basal and short-term adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) stimulated corticosterone or leptin concentrations. In contrast, after long-term ACTH stimulation, selenium deficiency caused a doubling in adrenal isoprostane content and blunted the increase in corticosterone and leptin concentrations observed in Se+ animals. Plasma leptin concentrations were 50% lower in Se- compared to Se+ animals following long-term ACTH. Our results suggest that oxidative stress causes a decrease in circulating corticosterone in response to ACTH, and, as a consequence, a decrease in plasma leptin concentrations.

Modulation of steroidogenesis by selenium in a novel adrenal cell line developed using targeted tumorigenesis

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx-1) is a selenoenzyme that metabolizes H(2)O(2), a source of potentially toxic free radicals. Steroidogenesis is markedly inhibited by H(2)O(2) in vitro.

OBJECTIVE

to study the effects of selenium deficiency on GPx activity and adrenal steroidogenesis in a novel adrenal cell line developed using targeted tumorigenesis.

METHODS

AN4Rppc7 cells were grown for 7 days in serum-free medium. 8-Br-cAMP-stimulated concentrations of steroid hormones were measured by RIA. StAR (Steroid Acute Reactive Protein) mRNA was measured by Northern blot.

RESULTS

selenium deficiency caused a 99% There was a 51%, progesterone, corticosterone and aldosterone production, respectively (p<0.05 by ANOVA). StAR mRNA was not affected by selenium.

CONCLUSIONS

selenium deficiency causes a marked decrease in GPx activity. Decreased steroid hormone production occurs for selenium concentrations equal or lower than 5 nM. The absence of changes in StAR mRNA content suggests that selenium deficiency does not affect cholesterol access to the mitochondria.

Mice deficient in cellular glutathione peroxidase develop normally and show no increased sensitivity to hyperoxia

Glutathione peroxidase, a selenium-containing enzyme, is believed to protect cells from the toxicity of hydroperoxides. The physiological role of this enzyme has previously been implicated mainly using animals fed with a selenium-deficient diet. Although selenium deficiency also affects the activity of several other cellular selenium-containing enzymes, a dramatic decrease of glutathione peroxidase activity has been postulated to play a role in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases, particularly those whose progression is associated with an overproduction of reactive oxygen species, found in selenium-deficient animals. To further clarify the physiological relevance of this enzyme, a model of mice deficient in cellular glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx-1), the major isoform of glutathione peroxidase ubiquitously expressed in all types of cells, was generated by gene-targeting technology. Mice deficient in this enzyme were apparently healthy and fertile and showed no increased sensitivity to hyperoxia. Their tissues exhibited neither a retarded rate in consuming extracellular hydrogen peroxide nor an increased content of protein carbonyl groups and lipid peroxidation compared with those of wild-type mice. However, platelets from GSHPx-1-deficient mice incubated with arachidonic acid generated less 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and more polar products relative to control platelets at a higher concentration of arachidonic acid, presumably reflecting a decreased ability to reduce the 12-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid intermediate. These results suggest that the contribution of GSHPx-1 to the cellular antioxidant mechanism under normal animal development and physiological conditions and to the pulmonary defense against hyperoxic insult is very limited. Nevertheless, the potential antioxidant role of this enzyme in protecting cells and animals against the pathogenic effect of reactive oxygen species in other disorders remains to be defined. The knockout mouse model described in this report will also provide a new tool for future study to distinguish the physiological role of this enzyme from other selenium-containing proteins in mammals under normal and disease states.

The Gpx1 gene encodes mitochondrial glutathione peroxidase in the mouse liver

Mitochondria have GPX and PHGPX activity. It has been an unsettled issue whether mitochondrial GPX is encoded by Gpx1. Unlike the Gpx4 gene which encodes PHGPX with alternative transcription and translation start sites determining the subcellular localization of PHGPX, the Gpx1 gene appears to have a single translation start site. Additionally, mitochondrial GPX has been shown to have different chromatographic and kinetic properties from the cytosolic GPX1. We studied mouse liver mitochondrial GPX activity in homozygous Gpx1-knockout mice. Mitochondria were enriched at the density of 1.10 g/ml in the Percoll gradients as shown by electron microscopy. The H2O2-reducing GPX activity in the highly enriched mitochondrial fraction of wild-type mouse liver is 2700 mU/mg which is about one-half of specific activity found in cytosol. There is less than 0.5% GPX activity in the cytosol and no GPX activity in the mitochondria of Gpx1-knockout mouse liver compared to the cytosol of wild-type mouse liver using H2O2 or cumene hydroperoxide as the substrate. The fact that the knockout mice express normal levels of plasma GPX as well as testis and liver PHGPX activity indicates that animals are not selenium-deficient. Based on these observations, we concluded that mitochondrial GPX is the product of the Gpx1 gene.

Cloning and characterization of the rat glutathione peroxidase gene

The increased activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) in rat lungs is associated with the development of tolerance of the animals to hyperoxia. To understand further the regulation of expression of this enzyme, the molecular structure of the corresponding rat gene was characterized. The rat GSHPx gene consists of two exons interrupted by a single intron of 217 base pairs. The same initiation sites for transcription were found to be utilized in both lung and liver. The promoter of the GSHPx gene contains neither a 'TATA' box nor a 'CAAT' box. Instead, it comprises two copies of Sp1 binding motif and one copy of AP-2 binding motif. These features of the promoter may offer a clue to the mechanisms by which the expression of this gene is controlled.

Metabolism and toxicity of xenobiotics in the adrenal cortex, with particular reference to 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene

The adrenal cortex contains high amounts of detoxifying enzymes, as well as generators and protectors of reactive oxygen species. The high content of cytochrome P-450 enzymes in the adrenal cortex together with its remarkable tendency to accumulate hydrophobic substances probably contributes to the extraordinary vulnerability of the gland to a number of xenobiotics. The best studied adrenocorticolytic compounds are the potent carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and its liver metabolite 7-hydroxymethyl-12-methylbenz(a)anthracene (7-OHM-12-MBA). Adrenocorticolysis generated by these agents in vivo as well as in vitro demonstrates high regioselective requirements and is strongly influenced by the presence of ACTH, steroids, cytochrome P-450 inhibitors and antioxidants. Furthermore, 7-OHM-12-MBA has been demonstrated to uniquely generate selective and massive oxidation of mitochondrial glutathione in cultured rat adrenal cells. The DMBA-induced adrenocorticolysis is thoroughly discussed in this review with particular emphasis on the metabolism of DMBA and the influence of various effectors. A working hypothesis involving a possible peroxidative mechanism is also presented.

Drug-induced hydrogen peroxide production in isolated rat hepatocytes

A method for measuring drug-induced hydrogen peroxide production in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes is described. 3-Amino-1,2,4-triazole, an irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme catalase markedly reduces the capacity of isolated hepatocytes to metabolize hydrogen peroxide, with maximum inhibition (80%) being observed after 40 min of co-incubation. The present method is based on the observation that this inhibition of catalase by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole is prevented by methanol and that the effect of methanol is reversed in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Using this assay we could demonstrate increased hydrogen peroxide production during the metabolism of diquat, paraquat, xanthine, benzylamine and glycolate by hepatocytes. Inhibition of the hydrogen peroxide metabolic capacity was greatest with glycolate and diquat, whereas paraquat and benzylamine only had a minor effect.

The function of NADH-semidehydroascorbate reductase and ascorbic acid in corticosteroid hydroxylation

We have demonstrated in rat adrenal (Natarajan, R.D. and Harding, B.W. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 3902-3905) that NADH-semidehydroascorbate reductase and ascorbate participate in an electron transport pathway (ETP) supplying reducing equivalents from NADH to cytochrome P-450scc. Here, we demonstrate that this ascorbate dependent ETP also supplies reducing equivalents to cytochrome P-450(11 beta/18) in both rat adrenal and bovine adrenal cortex. The activity is dependent upon addition of catalase or upon 'cold shock' treatment of isolated mitochondria. Comparison of the rates of 11 beta- and 18-hydroxylation supported by this ETP and by the classical pathway supported by various TCA cycle intermediates suggests that in vivo the ascorbate dependent pathway may be essential for maximal flow of reducing equivalents to the mitochondrial hydroxylases. Partial reconstitution of the ascorbate dependent 11 beta/18-hydroxylase activity was achieved with purified bovine outer mitochondrial and inner mitochondrial membranes fortified with supernatant from sonified mitochondria all preincubated with phosphatidyl choline. These preparations no longer require catalase or 'cold shock' treatment. Ascorbate and NADH-semidehydroascorbate reductase are unable to support 17 alpha- or 21-hydroxylase activity in isolated bovine adrenal cortical microsomes whether incubated with purified outer mitochondrial membranes or not.

A diet rich in (n-3) fatty acids increases peroxisomal beta-oxidation activity and lowers plasma triacylglycerols without inhibiting glutathione-dependent detoxication activities in the rat liver

By using comparisons with a safflower oil diet (15% w/w) and a control, low-fat diet, the ability of a fish oil diet (15% MaxEPA) rich in the (n-3) fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, to alter hepatic activities has been determined in adult, male rats. Compared with the safflower diet, treatment for 2 weeks with the fish oil diet caused significant increases in the ratio of liver weight/body weight and the specific activities in liver homogenates of peroxisomal enzymes fatty acyl-CoA oxidase (263%) and catalase (149%) and caused a significant lowering of plasma triacylglycerol levels. Fish oil diets rich in (n-3) fatty acids should thus be placed in the category of hypotriglyceridemic agents which stimulate peroxisomal beta-oxidation activity. In contrast to the effects seen with the other hypotriglyceridemic, peroxisomal proliferating agents such as clofibrate, hepatic glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase activities are unchanged or are increased rather than inhibited with the fish oil diet.

Lipid peroxidation and mechanisms of toxicity

Aerobic organisms by definition require oxygen, and the importance of iron in aerobic respiration has long been recognized, but despite their beneficial roles, these elements can pose a real threat to the organism. During oxygen reduction, reactive species such as O2-. and H2O2 are formed readily. Iron can combine with these species, or with molecular oxygen itself, to generate free radicals which will attack the polyunsaturated fatty acids of membrane lipids. This oxidative deterioration of membrane lipids is known as lipid peroxidation. To protect itself against this form of attack, the organism possesses several types of defense mechanisms. Under normal conditions, these defenses appear to offer adequate protection for cell membranes, but the possibility exists that certain foreign compounds may interfere with or even overwhelm these defenses, and herein could lie a general mechanism of toxicity. This possible cause of toxicity is discussed in relation to other suggested causes.