Hydroxyl radical scavengers inhibit TNF-alpha production in mononuclear cells but not in polymorphonuclear leukocytes

NDMA formation during ozonation of metformin: Roles of ozone and hydroxyl radicals

Metformin, a high-consumed pharmaceutical for diabetes, has been reported to generate carcinogenic nitroso-dimethylamine (NDMA) during treatment of its containing wastewater. However, whether it would produce NDMA during ozonation or not is unclear, let alone discriminate roles of ozone (O₃) and hydroxyl radicals (OH). In this paper, effects of ozonation on NDMA formation from metformin were investigated, roles of O₃ and OH were also distinguished by adding tert-butyl alcohol (tBA) as OH scavenger. Moreover, various influencing factors and reaction mechanisms were demonstrated. The results indicated that NDMA could be directly formed from metformin during ozonation, the addition of OH scavenger significantly enhanced its formation (0-46.2 ng/L vs 0-139.1 ng/L). The formation of NDMA by O₃ and OH was more affected by bromide and HCO₃^- than those with only O₃; while the impacts of pH and sulphate on the latter were more notable. No matter without/with tBA in the solution, the formed NDMA during ozonation of metformin increased with raising pH (from 5 to 9) and achieved the maximum 69.6 ng/L and 235.9 ng/L at pH 9, respectively; small amount of bromide (0.1 μM) promoted NDMA production, high levels of bromide (10 μM) inhibited its formation; the existence of HCO₃^- enhanced the amounts of NDMA from 44.5 to 73.5 ng/L (raised by 65.2%) by O₃ and OH and from 102.9 to 130 ng/L with only O₃ (raised by 26.3%); with the addition of sulphate, NDMA concentration raised by 43.8% by O₃ and OH, while the value was high up to 134.6% with only O₃. Based on the result of UPLC-Q-TOF and density functional theory, the oxidation intermediates were identified and possible transformation pathways of metformin during ozonation were proposed. The findings in this paper would provide reference when treating metformin-containing water in future.

The inducibility of TNF-alpha production is different in the granulocytic and monocytic differentiated forms of wild type and CGD-mutant PLB-985 cells

Chronic granulomatous disease is an inherited disorder associated with a defect in phagocytic cell oxidative metabolism resulting in ineffective microbicidal activity. Consequently, patients with chronic granulomatous disease suffer from recurrent infections. Published data show that besides the failure to produce superoxide and its derivatives, other functional problems can also be found in chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cells. Since in innate immune responses other mediators, such as cytokines, also play an important role, we hypothesized that there may be a disturbance in cytokine production by chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cells as well. To prove this hypothesis, the production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha, an important proinflammatory cytokine, was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in wild-type and chronic granulomatous disease-mutant myelomonoblastic PLB-985 cells in their immature, granulocytic and monocytic/macrophage differentiated forms. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha production was induced with N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (100 nmol/L), lipopolysaccharide (10 micro g/mL), opsonized zymosan (100 micro g/mL) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (100 nmol/L) for 24 h. We could demonstrate that: (i) there were marked differences in tumour necrosis factor-alpha production only in the differentiated forms of both wild-type and chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cells, while there were no differences in the case of their immature counterparts; (ii) only chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cells retained sensitivity to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate both in their granulocytic and monocytic forms, although phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate responsiveness was a characteristic of both types of immature cells; (iii) the granulocytic form of wild-type cells produced tumour necrosis factor-alpha after opsonized zymosan stimulation, but such a response was not observed in cells originating from the chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cell line; (iv) with the monocytic forms, significantly higher tumour necrosis factor-alpha production could be induced by lipopolysaccharide in the wild-type cells than in the chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cells, although there was no difference in their lipopolysaccharide receptor CD14 expression. In summary, these data show an altered inducibility of tumour necrosis factor-alpha production by chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cells. Our observations suggest a further defect in differentiated chronic granulomatous disease-mutant cells in addition to the known defect in reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, which may contribute to the development of susceptibility to infections in people with chronic granulomatous disease.

Wear Particles Generated from Studded Tires and Pavement Induces Inflammatory Reactions in Mouse Macrophage Cells

Health risks associated with exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) have been shown epidemiologically as well as experimentally, pointing to both respiratory and cardiovascular effects. These health risks are of increasing concern in society, and to protect public health, a clarification of the toxic properties of particles from different sources is of importance. Lately, wear particles generated from traffic have been recognized as a major contributing source to the overall particle load, especially in the Nordic countries where studded tires are used. The aim of this study was to further investigate and compare the ability to induce inflammatory mediators of different traffic-related wear particles collected from an urban street, a subway station, and studded tire-pavement wear. Inflammatory effects were measured as induction of nitric oxide (NO), IL-6, TNF-alpha, arachidonic acid (AA), and lipid peroxidation after exposure of the murine macrophage like cell line RAW 264.7. In addition, the redox potential of the particles was measured in a cell-free system. The results show that all particles tested induce IL-6, TNF-alpha, and NO, and those from the urban street were the most potent ones. In contrast, particles collected from a subway station were most potent to induce lipid peroxidation, AA release, and formation of ROS. Particles from studded tire-pavement wear, generated using a road simulator, were able to induce inflammatory cytokines, NO, lipid peroxidation, and ROS formation. Interestingly, particles generated from pavement containing granite as the main stone material were more potent than those generated from pavement containing quartzite as the main stone material.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory efficacy of NAC in the treatment of COPD: discordant in vitro and in vivo dose-effects: a review

In order to develop efficient therapeutic regimes for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been tested as a medication which can suppress various pathogenic processes in this disease. Besides its well-known and efficient mucolytic action, NAC meets these needs by virtue of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory modes of action. NAC is a thiol compound which by providing sulfhydryl groups, can act both as a precursor of reduced glutathione and as a direct ROS scavenger, hence regulating the redox status in the cells. In this way it can interfere with several signaling pathways that play a role in regulating apoptosis, angiogenesis, cell growth and arrest and inflammatory response. Overall, the antioxidant effects of NAC are well documented in in vivo and in vitro studies. It successfully inhibits oxidative stress at both high and low concentrations, under acute (in vitro) and chronic administration (in vivo). With regard to its anti-inflammatory action, in contrast, the effects of NAC differ in vivo and in vitro and are highly dose-dependent. In the in vitro settings anti-inflammatory effects are seen at high but not at low concentrations. On the other hand, some long-term effectiveness is reported in several in vivo studies even at low dosages. Increasing the dose seems to improve NAC bioavailability and may also consolidate some of its effects. In this way, the effects that are observed in the clinical and in vivo studies do not always reflect the success of the in vitro experiments. Furthermore, the results obtained with healthy volunteers do not always provide incontrovertible proof of its usefulness in COPD especially when number of exacerbations and changes in lung function are chosen as the primary outcomes. Despite these considerations and in view of the present lack of effective therapies to inhibit disease progression in COPD, NAC and its derivatives, because of their multiple molecular modes of action, remain promising medication once doses and route of administration are optimized.

Involvement of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in sulfur mustard-induced skin lesion; effect of topical iodine

Sulfur mustard (SM), also termed mustard gas, is a potent vesicant that elicits an inflammatory response upon exposure of the skin. Evaluation of mouse ear 3 h after SM exposure revealed acute inflammatory-cell aggregates in the vascular beds accompanied by strongly TNF-alpha-positive neutrophils. Eight hours after SM exposure, this phenomenon became intensified and associated with infiltration into the adjacent dermis. In ear skin topically treated with iodine, however, no inflammatory cells were observed 3 h after SM exposure; 8 h postexposure, blood vessels contained very few TNF-alpha-positive inflammatory cells. Since TNF-alpha induction was shown to be associated with reactive oxygen species production, we studied the effect of iodine on activated peritoneal mouse neutrophils. Iodine elicited a concentration-dependent reduction in the oxidative burst of activated neutrophils. Iodine also scavenged hydroxyl radicals generated by glucose oxidase in a concentration-dependent manner. The involvement of TNF-alpha in SM-induced skin toxicity was confirmed by reduction of 49 and 30% in ear edema following administration of 1 and 2 mug anti-TNF-alpha antibodies, respectively. These findings were corroborated by quantitative analysis of the histological findings showing 46% reduction in acute inflammation and no signs of subacute inflammation in the treated group, in contrast to the control group treated with SM only. Other epidermal (microblister formation, ulceration, and necrosis) and dermal (neutrophilia, hemorrhage, and necrosis) parameters also showed marked reductions in the antibodies-treated group in comparison to controls. The combination of iodine and antiTNF-alpha antibodies might constitute a new approach for treatment of SM-exposed individuals.

Fluctuations of intracellular iron modulate elastin production

Production of insoluble elastin, the major component of elastic fibers, can be modulated by numerous intrinsic and exogenous factors. Because patients with hemolytic disorders characterized with fluctuations in iron concentration demonstrate defective elastic fibers, we speculated that iron might also modulate elastogenesis. In the present report we demonstrate that treatment of cultured human skin fibroblasts with low concentration of iron 2-20 microm (ferric ammonium citrate) induced a significant increase in the synthesis of tropoelastin and deposition of insoluble elastin. Northern blot and real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that treatment with 20 microm iron led to an increase of approximately 3-fold in elastin mRNA levels. Because treatment with an intracellular iron chelator, desferrioxamine, caused a significant decrease in elastin mRNA level and consequent inhibition of elastin deposition, we conclude that iron facilitates elastin gene expression. Our experimental evidence also demonstrates the existence of an opposite effect, in which higher, but not cytotoxic concentrations of iron (100-400 microm) induced the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species that coincided with a significant decrease in elastin message stability and the disappearance of iron-dependent stimulatory effect on elastogenesis. This stimulatory elastogenic effect was reversed, however, in cultures simultaneously treated with high iron concentration (200 microm) and the intracellular hydroxyl radical scavenger, dimethylthiourea. Thus, presented data, for the first time, demonstrate the existence of two opposite iron-dependent mechanisms that may affect the steady state of elastin message. We speculate that extreme fluctuations in intracellular iron levels result in impaired elastic fiber production as observed in hemolytic diseases.

Reactive oxygen species-related induction of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 expression in primary hepatocytes exposed to sulforaphane

Expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2), an efflux pump contributing to biliary secretion of xenobiotics, was investigated in primary rat and human hepatocytes exposed to sulforaphane, a naturally-occurring chemopreventive agent. Northern blot indicated that sulforaphane increased MRP2 mRNA levels in primary rat hepatocytes; it also induced expression of drug metabolizing enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase A1/2 isoforms and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase in a dose-response and time-course manner similar to that observed for the upregulation of MRP2 transcripts. This sulforaphane-related increase of MRP2 mRNAs paralleled increased expression of 190 kD MRP2 protein as assessed by Western blotting; it was fully abolished by the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D. MRP2 induction was associated with increased cellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and addition of dimethyl sulfoxide, that reduced sulforaphane-related formation of ROS, and also decreased MRP2 mRNA levels in sulforaphane-treated primary rat hepatocytes; this suggests that sulforaphane-mediated production of ROS may contribute to MRP2 induction. This link between ROS and MRP2 regulation was further supported by the increase of MRP2 expression occurring in response to t-butylhydroquinone, known to regulate drug metabolizing enzymes through ROS formation. In addition to rat cells, primary human hepatocytes exposed to sulforaphane also displayed induced MRP2 expression evidenced at both mRNA and protein levels. All these observations strongly support the conclusion that the export pump MRP2 can be classified among the detoxifying proteins that are regulated by sulforaphane and that are thought to contribute, at least in part, to its anticarcinogenic properties.

Tolerance to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) regulates the endotoxin effects on Shiga toxin-2 lethality

It has been suggested that Shiga toxin (Stx) is necessary but not sufficient for hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) development, and pro-inflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram negative bacteria are needed. Taking into account that LPS is present in the natural infection during HUS development, detoxification or regulation of LPS activity could be crucial to define the course of the disease. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether tolerance to LPS and/or antibodies to LPS, are able to modify the LPS-induced modulation of Stx type-2 (Stx2) lethality in a mouse model. Our results demonstrate that the high levels of IgG anti-LPS antibodies in immunized mice did not modify the dual effects of LPS (enhancement or protection) on Stx2 action. This could be attributed to the fact that antibodies do not recognize the active portion of LPS molecule (lipid A). However, the enhancement of Stx2 toxicity exerted by LPS was inhibited in tolerant mice. This effect could be ascribed to the inhibition of LPS-induced TNF-alpha and IL-1beta secretion in tolerant animals, two cytokines known to be involved in the overexpression of Stx receptors. The phenomenon of LPS-induced protection on Stx2 toxicity was also inhibited in tolerant animals, although the mechanism involved in this effect is not clear. This is the first description which shows the influence of endotoxin tolerance on the evolution of experimental HUS. However, like in Gram negative infections, further knowledge on tolerance mechanism is necessary in order to achieve a comprehensive view of this phenomenon.

Relationship between TNF-alpha and iron metabolism in differentiating human monocytic THP-1 cells

The human monocytic cell line THP-1 differentiates along the macrophage line after phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) supplementation and can be stimulated to secrete tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) addition. We found that, in the early stage of differentiation (1-48 h), PMA induction elicited an upregulation of intracellular H ferritin and H ferritin binding sites and a downregulation of transferrin receptor. In addition, we found that iron administration to PMA-differentiating cells induced the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA and TNF-alpha secretion to levels even higher than those induced by IFN-gamma alone. The iron chelator desferrioxamine showed the opposite effect and reduced TNF-alpha release. In contrast, preincubation of the cells with iron before PMA induction resulted in a decrease of the TNF-alpha secretion induced by IFN-gamma, whereas the opposite was true after preincubation with desferrioxamine. The data support a co-ordinate interaction between iron and TNF-alpha in monocyte macrophages, with an iron-mediated upregulation of TNF-alpha in the early phase of differentiation and an iron-mediated inhibition at later stages. This complex relationship has to be considered in evaluating the effects of iron on inflammation.

Deferoxamine reduces tissue injury and lethality in LPS-treated mice

We studied the effect of deferoxamine (DFX), an iron chelator, which can also act as a free radical scavenger, in an experimental murine model of sepsis. In vivo studies demonstrated that pretreatment of mice with DFX reduces tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) serum levels and increases the rate of survival of mice inoculated with lethal doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or Escherichia coli O111:B4. By using the iron chelated form of DFX (ferrioxamine) the same results were obtained, suggesting that in this model, DFX could act as a free radical scavenger. On the other hand, DFX prevents mortality induced either by LPS or murine recombinant TNF-alpha in D(+)-galactosamine (GalN)-sensitized mice. These protective actions of DFX correlate with an attenuated tissue damage observed in lungs, livers and kidneys of LPS-treated animals and GalN-sensitized mice inoculated with TNF-alpha.