Mechanisms of cell death induced by nitric oxide and peroxynitrite in Calu-1 cells

Impact of air pollutants on oxidative stress in common autophagy-mediated aging diseases

Atmospheric pollution-induced cellular oxidative stress is probably one of the pathogenic mechanisms involved in most of the common autophagy-mediated aging diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's, disease, as well as Paget's disease of bone with or without frontotemporal dementia and inclusion body myopathy. Oxidative stress has serious damaging effects on the cellular contents: DNA, RNA, cellular proteins, and cellular organelles. Autophagy has a pivotal role in recycling these damaged non-functional organelles and misfolded or unfolded proteins. In this paper, we highlight, through a narrative review of the literature, that when autophagy processes are impaired during aging, in presence of cumulative air pollution-induced cellular oxidative stress and due to a direct effect on air pollutant, autophagy-mediated aging diseases may occur.

Neuroprotective effects of Cyperus rotundus on SIN-1 induced nitric oxide generation and protein nitration: ameliorative effect against apoptosis mediated neuronal cell damage

Nitrosylation of tyrosine (3-nitro tyrosine, 3-NT) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various disorders particularly neurodegenerative conditions and aging. Cyperus rotundus rhizome is being used as a traditional folk medicine to alleviate a variety of disorders including neuronal stress. The herb has recently found applications in food and confectionary industries also. In current study, we have explored the protective effects of C. rotundus rhizome extract (CRE) through its oxido-nitrosative and anti apoptotic mechanism to attenuate peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) induced neurotoxicity using human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Our results elucidate that pre-treatment of neurons with CRE ameliorates the mitochondrial and plasma membrane damage induced by 500 μM SIN-1 to 80% and 24% as evidenced by MTT and LDH assays. CRE inhibited NO generation by downregulating i-NOS expression. SIN-1 induced depletion of antioxidant enzyme status was also replenished by CRE which was confirmed by immunoblot analysis of SOD and CAT. The CRE pre-treatment efficiently potentiated the SIN-1 induced apoptotic biomarkers such as bcl-2 and caspase-3 which orchestrate the proteolytic damage of the cell. The ONOO(-) induced damage to cellular, nuclear and mitochondrial integrity was also restored by CRE. Furthermore, CRE pre-treatment also regulated the 3-NT formation which shows the potential of plant extract against tyrosine nitration. Taken together, our findings suggest that CRE might be developed as a preventive agent against ONOO(-) induced apoptosis.

Activation of GABA-A receptor ameliorates homocysteine-induced MMP-9 activation by ERK pathway

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is a risk factor for neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. Homocysteine (Hcy) induces redox stress, in part, by activating matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which degrades the matrix and leads to blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Hcy competitively binds to gamma-aminbutyric acid (GABA) receptors, which are excitatory neurotransmitter receptors. However, the role of GABA-A receptor in Hcy-induced cerebrovascular remodeling is not clear. We hypothesized that Hcy causes cerebrovascular remodeling by increasing redox stress and MMP-9 activity via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway and by inhibition of GABA-A receptors, thus behaving as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Hcy-induced reactive oxygen species production was detected using the fluorescent probe, 2'-7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. Hcy increased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase-4 concomitantly suppressing thioredoxin. Hcy caused activation of MMP-9, measured by gelatin zymography. The GABA-A receptor agonist, muscimol ameliorated the Hcy-mediated MMP-9 activation. In parallel, Hcy caused phosphorylation of ERK and selectively decreased levels of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-4 (TIMP-4). Treatment of the endothelial cell with muscimol restored the levels of TIMP-4 to the levels in control group. Hcy induced expression of iNOS and decreased eNOS expression, which lead to a decreased NO bioavailability. Furthermore muscimol attenuated Hcy-induced MMP-9 via ERK signaling pathway. These results suggest that Hcy competes with GABA-A receptors, inducing the oxidative stress transduction pathway and leading to ERK activation.

Involvement of peroxynitrite on the early loss of p450 in short-term hepatocyte cultures

The biological chemistry of nitric oxide (NO) in the oxygenated cellular environment is extremely complex. It involves the direct interaction of NO with specific biomolecules and the so-called indirect effects, due to secondary more potent oxidant species derived from NO which are also able to react with DNA, lipids, thiols and transition metals (Wink et al., 1996; Nathan, 1992). In addition to its regulatory role as a signalling molecule (Nathan, 1992; Moncada and Palmer, 1991) it has become evident that NO (or NO-derived species) is a critical factor involved in various toxicological mechanisms (Wink et al., 1996; Wang et al., 1998; Estevez et al., 1999; Wink et al., 1999). Some controversy exists however about the damaging vs. protective actions of NO on oxidative injury, whose biological significance in living cells and tissues remains still ill defined. Research in this laboratory (López-García, 1998; López-García and Sanz-Gonzalez, 2000) has shown that NO synthesis is significantly activated in hepatocytes from control rats following isolation by the classical collagenase-based procedure. NO overproduction appears to be due to the very early activation of liver constitutive Ca2+-dependent NO synthase (cNOS). Previous results have also provided first experimental evidence for the direct involvement of endogenously generated NO as a causal factor responsible for important phenotypic changes commonly observed in short-term cultured hepatocytes, which includes the early impairment of hepatocyte mitochondrial function--i.e., transient cell energy depletion--and glucose metabolism, and the well-known quick and irreversible loss of P450 content (López et al. 1987; López-García, 1998). This study aims to further characterise the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Results show that the hepatocyte isolation procedure (the commonly employed collagenase-based two step liver perfusion method) induces strong oxidative stress that lasts for at least 4 h in culture and involves both oxygen-derived (ROS) and nitrogen-derived (RNS) reactive species. On the basis of the combined use of dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) as a probe and L-NAME (N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) to efficiently block NO synthesis, the analysis of the amount, the time-course pattern, and the nature of the species involved support the view that peroxynitrite* (PN) is readily formed within the early culture hours. Immunodetection of protein bound 3-nitrotyrosine provides direct evidence for PN generation upon hepatocyte isolation: several nitrated protein bands--most already present after only 30 min of liver perfusion and quantitatively increasing for the first 2 hours in culture--have been identified as preferential PN protein targets in the different cellular compartments. Since the early inhibition of NO synthesis is enough to provide full maintenance of the hepatocyte initial P450 content, results support the view that PN--while not affecting cell viability and monolayer development--is the main species likely responsible for the early loss of P450 in short-term cultured hepatocytes.

Molecular mechanisms underlying chemopreventive activities of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals: down-regulation of COX-2 and iNOS through suppression of NF-kappa B activation

A wide array of phenolic substances, particularly those present in edible and medicinal plants, have been reported to possess substantial anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic activities. The majority of naturally occurring phenolics retain antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties which appear to contribute to their chemopreventive or chemoprotective activity. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inducible and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are important enzymes that mediate inflammatory processes. Improper up-regulation of COX-2 and/or iNOS has been associated with pathophysiology of certain types of human cancers as well as inflammatory disorders. Since inflammation is closely linked to tumor promotion, substances with potent anti-inflammatory activities are anticipated to exert chemopreventive effects on carcinogenesis, particularly in the promotion stage. Examples are curcumin, a yellow pigment of turmeric (Curcuma longa L., Zingiberaceae), the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and resveratrol from grapes (Vitis vinifera, Vitaceae) that strongly suppress tumor promotion. Recent studies have demonstrated that eukaryotic transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) is involved in regulation of COX-2 and iNOS expression. Several chemopreventive phytochemicals have been shown to inhibit COX-2 and iNOS expression by blocking improper NF-kappa B activation. Multiple lines of compelling evidence indicate that extracellular-regulated protein kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase are key elements of the intracellular signaling cascades responsible for NF-kappa B activation in response to a wide array of external stimuli. Curcumin, EGCG and resveratrol have been shown to suppress activation of NF-kappa B. One of the plausible mechanisms underlying inhibition of NF-kappa B activation by aforementioned phytochemicals involves repression of degradation of the inhibitory unit I kappa B alpha, which hampers subsequent nuclear translocation of the functionally active subunit of NF-kappa B.

Peroxynitrite generated from constitutive nitric oxide synthase mediates the early biochemical injury in short-term cultured hepatocytes

Early loss of P450 in rat hepatocyte cultures appears directly related to nitric oxide (NO) overproduction. This study provides experimental evidence for the induction - shortly after isolation through the classical procedure - of strong oxidative stress that involves both oxygen-derived and NO-derived species. NO formation at this stage is due to the early activation of liver constitutive NO synthase (cNOS). Immunodetection of nitrated proteins provides direct evidence of endogenous peroxynitrite (PN) formation upon hepatocyte isolation. On the basis of the combined use of dihydrorhodamine 123 and NOS inhibitors, the analysis of the amount, time course and nature of the species involved supports the view that PN generated from cNOS-derived NO, while not affecting cell viability and hepatocyte monolayer development, is the main species likely responsible for the early biochemical injury commonly observed in hepatocyte cultures.

Suppression of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine- and S-nitrosoglutathione-induced apoptosis by Bcl-2 through inhibiting glutathione-S-transferase pi in NIH3T3 cells

In this study, both NIH3T3 and Bcl-2 transfected NIH3T3 cells were examined for their propensity to undergo nitroso compound-induced apoptosis. Bcl-2-expressing NIH3T3 prevented N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)- and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO)-induced apoptosis as compared with the control NIH3T3 cells. Flow cytometry revealed that NIH3T3 cells treated with MNNG undergo apoptotic death, which occurred after G2-M arrest in the second cycle of cell proliferation. The mechanism of MNNG-induced NIH3T3 cells apoptosis was observed throughout the activation of caspase-3 protease, PARP degradation and cytochrome c release; it was independent of p53 activation. Glutathione-S-transferanse pi (GST pi) is activated through the transcription activation of antioxidant response element (ARE) during MNNG- and GSNO-induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, overexpression of Bcl-2 in NIH3T3 cells can prevent these features of cell death. Furthermore, both MNNG- and GSNO-induced apoptosis of NIH3T3 cells were accompanied with a decrease in the level of glutathione (GSH); whereas Bcl-2 overexpression led to an increase in total cellular glutathione. MNNG was metabolized rapidly to nitric oxide that reacted with glutathione under the catalysis of GSH transferase in NIH3T3 cell to form GSNO. In short, the production of GSNO in cells was found capable of apoptosis initiation while the overexpression of Bcl-2 can prevent MNNG-mediated cell apoptosis through the elevation of glutathione levels.