Hydroethidine: a fluorescent redox probe for locating hypoxic cells in spheroids and murine tumours

Involvement of superoxide generated by NADPH oxidase in the shedding of procoagulant vesicles from human monocytic cells exposed to bupivacaine

It is known that a variety of sized procoagulant vesicles that express tissue factor are released from several types of cells including monocytes by mechanisms related to the induction of apoptosis, while it has not yet been evaluated whether superoxide is involved in the production of such vesicles. Here, we report that a local anesthetic bupivacaine induces apoptosis in human monocytic cells THP-1 within a short observation period, where the shedding of procoagulant vesicles is associated. The property as procoagulant vesicles was evaluated using flow cytometry by the binding of FITC-conjugated fibrinogen to vesicles in the presence of fresh frozen plasma and the suppression of this binding by heparin. Bupivacaine (1 mg/ml) increased the apoptotic cells and procoagulant vesicles. LY294002 (100 µM), that inhibits the recruiting of intracellular component of NADPH oxidase to construct the activated form of this enzyme complex, or superoxide dismutase (1500 unit/ml) suppressed bupivacaine-provoked induction of apoptosis and the increase of procoagulant vesicles. We suggest that this simple experimental system is useful to explore the molecular mechanisms of action of superoxide in the shedding of procoagulant vesicles from human monocytic cells.

Selective and Reversible Approaches Toward Imaging Redox Signaling Using Small-Molecule Probes

SIGNIFICANCE

Recent research has identified key roles for reactive oxygen species (ROS)/reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in redox signaling, but much remains to be uncovered. Molecular imaging tools to study these processes must not only be selective to enable identification of the ROS/RNS involved but also reversible to distinguish signaling processes from oxidative stress. Fluorescent sensors offer the potential to image such processes with high spatial and temporal resolution.

RECENT ADVANCES

A broad array of strategies has been developed that enable the selective sensing of ROS/RNS. More recently, attention has turned to the design of reversible small-molecule sensors of global redox state, with a further set of probes capable of reversible sensing of individual ROS/RNS.

CRITICAL ISSUES

In this study, we discuss the key challenges in achieving simultaneous detection of reversible oxidative bursts with unambiguous determination of a particular ROS/RNS.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

We have highlighted key design features of small-molecule probes that show promise in enabling the study of redox signaling, identifying essential parameters that must be assessed for any new probe. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 24, 713-730.

Intracellular oxidation of hydroethidine: compartmentalization and cytotoxicity of oxidation products

Hydroethidine (HE) is a blue fluorescent dye that is intracellularly converted into red-emitting products on two-electron oxidation. One of these products, namely 2-hydroxyethidium, is formed as the result of HE superoxide anion-specific oxidation, and so HE is widely used for the detection of superoxide in cells and tissues. In our experiments we exploited three cell lines of different origin: K562 (human leukemia cells), A431 (human epidermoid carcinoma cells), and SCE2304 (human mesenchymal stem cells derived from endometrium). Using fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry analysis, we showed that HE intracellular oxidation products accumulate mostly in the cell mitochondria. This accumulation provokes gradual depolarization of mitochondrial membrane, affects oxygen consumption rate in HE-treated cells, and causes cellular apoptosis in the case of high HE concentrations and/or long cell incubations with HE, as well as a high rate of HE oxidation in cells exposed to some stimuli.

Hydroethidine- and MitoSOX-derived red fluorescence is not a reliable indicator of intracellular superoxide formation: another inconvenient truth

Hydroethidine (HE; or dihydroethidium) is the most popular fluorogenic probe used for detecting intracellular superoxide radical anion. The reaction between superoxide and HE generates a highly specific red fluorescent product, 2-hydroxyethidium (2-OH-E(+)). In biological systems, another red fluorescent product, ethidium, is also formed, usually at a much higher concentration than 2-OH-E(+). In this article, we review the methods to selectively detect the superoxide-specific product (2-OH-E(+)) and the factors affecting its levels in cellular and biological systems. The most important conclusion of this review is that it is nearly impossible to assess the intracellular levels of the superoxide-specific product, 2-OH-E(+), using confocal microscopy or other fluorescence-based microscopic assays and that it is essential to measure by HPLC the intracellular HE and other oxidation products of HE, in addition to 2-OH-E(+), to fully understand the origin of red fluorescence. The chemical reactivity of mitochondria-targeted hydroethidine (Mito-HE, MitoSOX red) with superoxide is similar to the reactivity of HE with superoxide, and therefore, all of the limitations attributed to the HE assay are applicable to Mito-HE (or MitoSOX) as well.

Detection and measurement of reactive oxygen intermediates in mitochondria and cells

Reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) play a key role in a number of human diseases either by inducing cell death, cellular proliferation, or by acting as mediators in cellular signaling. Therefore, their measurement in vivo and in cell culture is desirable but technically difficult and often troublesome. To address some of the key methodological issues in examining the formation of ROI in cells and mitochondria, this chapter discusses the following: (a) the cellular sources of ROI and their enzymatic removal, (b) common methods used to determine cellular and mitochondrial ROI such as chemiluminescence, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, fluorescence, and enzymatic techniques, and (c) some common problems associated with these assays and the interpretation of data. We also provide some simple protocols for the estimation of ROI production in cells and mitochondria, and when measuring ROI in cells and mitochondria, we emphasize the need for thorough understanding of results obtained and their interpretation.

Phosphorylation of the survival kinase Akt by superoxide is dependent on an ascorbate-reversible oxidation of PTEN

In this report, we demonstrate that in serum-deprived mouse embryonic fibroblasts an increase in intracellular level of superoxide through pharmacological inhibition of the Cu/ZnSOD protein or the down-regulation of its expression using specific siRNA mimics growth factor-induced phosphorylation of Akt. Using the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and PTEN knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we show that phosphorylation of Akt by superoxide requires the production of PIP3 and that the target for the induction of Akt phosphorylation by O2.- is the phosphatase PTEN. Interestingly, the inhibition of PTEN involves an O2.--mediated oxidation of the phosphatase rather than regulation of its phosphorylation or decreased protein expression. Moreover, using differential reduction of oxidized protein by DTT and ascorbate, O2.--dependent oxidation of PTEN is shown to be due to S-nitrosylation of the protein. Finally, exposure of serum-deprived mouse embryonic fibroblasts to fetal bovine serum leads to a rapid and strong phosphorylation of Akt that is dependent on an ascorbate-reversible O2.--mediated oxidation of PTEN. These results support O2.- as a physiologically relevant second messenger for Akt activation through S-nitrosylation of PTEN and offer a mechanistic explanation for the mitogenic and prosurvival activities of O2.-.

5-Methoxy-1,2-dimethyl-3-[(4-nitrophenoxy)methyl]indole-4,7-dione, a mechanism-based inhibitor of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1, exhibits activity against human pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo

The enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) has been found to be up-regulated in pancreatic cancer as well as many other solid tumors. A recent study showed that inhibition of NQO1 in pancreatic cancer cells using the nonselective inhibitor dicumarol suppressed the malignant phenotype. The authors suggested that inhibition of cell growth might result from an increase in intracellular superoxide production due to inhibition of NQO1. We have recently shown that NQO1 can directly scavenge superoxide and this effect may become physiologically relevant in cells containing high NQO1 levels. We therefore tested the hypothesis that 5-methoxy-1,2-dimethyl-3-[(4-nitrophenoxy)methyl]indole-4,7-dione (ES936), a specific mechanism-based inhibitor of NQO1, would be an effective agent for the treatment of pancreatic tumors. The human pancreatic tumor cell lines BxPC-3 and MIA PaCa-2 contain high levels of NQO1 activity and protein as verified by immunoblot and immunocytochemical staining of human pancreatic tumor cells. ES936 treatment inhibited NQO1 activity by >98% in MIA PaCa-2 and BxPC-3 cells. In addition, ES936 treatment induced growth inhibition [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay] in MIA PaCa-2 and BxPC-3 cells with an IC(50) of 108 and 365 nmol/L, respectively. Treatment of MIA PaCa-2 cells with ES936 also inhibited the ability of these cells to form colonies and grow in soft agar in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of mice carrying MIA PaCa-2 xenograft tumors with ES936 resulted in a significant difference in growth rates in ES936-treated and DMSO-treated (control) tumors. Our data did not show an increase in either intracellular superoxide production or oxygen consumption after treatment of cells with ES936, contrary to the effects seen with dicumarol. In summary, mechanism-based inhibitors of NQO1, such as ES936, may be useful therapeutic agents for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, although the underlying mechanism seems to be independent of superoxide generation.

Leukocyte recruitment and turnover in an experimental inflammatory exudate

The turn-over of leukocytes at sites of inflammation in vivo is to a large extent uninvestigated, mainly due to the technical difficulties associated with sampling and analysis of the inflammatory exudate. This paper investigates the immigration of fluorescently labeled granulocytes into exudate chambers at 8 h and at 1, 3, and 6 days after implantation into abdominal muscle of rat. In each experiment, the circulating granulocytes were labeled by intravenous administration of the DNA-labeling fluorochrome Hoechst 33342 and allowed to migrate into the chamber during 6 h before harvesting the chamber exudate. The rate of granulocyte immigration into the chamber varied considerably over time, showing a minimum at 3 days after implantation. The resulting kinetic pattern of granulocyte numbers in the exudate showed a two-step appearance, different from that of earlier determinations in soft tissue. A comparison between the calculated rates of granulocyte immigration and the total number of granulocytes present in the exudate at different times indicated that all immigrated cells survived in the chamber for the entire observation period of 6 days.

Flow cytometric analysis of cell suspensions exposed to shock waves in the presence of the radical sensitive dye hydroethidine

The occurrence of intracellularly and extracellularly generated free radicals during shock wave exposure on an experimental Siemens lithotripter was tested with the radical sensitive dyes hydroethidine and dichlorofluorescin (DCFH). DCFH, a nonfluorescent compound, is oxidised to dichlorfluorescein (DCF) by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of peroxidase. DCF green fluorescence intensity was used for fluorescence spectrometric measurement of hydrogen peroxide generated during shock-wave treatment of cell-free dye solutions. The fluorescence intensity of ethidium, the oxidised form of hydroethidine, was used for the flow-cytometric measurement of intracellular oxidising reagents present in RT4 tumour cells during shock-wave exposure. Changes in membrane permeability, which influence the intracellular content of ethidium, were controlled by counterstaining the cells with propidium iodide, an indicator for membrane integrity. We observed no increase in intracellular ethidium fluorescence intensity after shock-wave treatment of single cell suspensions and therefore no indication for shock-wave-induced intracellular free radicals.

Tumor hypoxia, reoxygenation and oxygenation strategies: possible role in photodynamic therapy

The concept of hypoxia and its role in tumor therapy are currently under re-evaluation. Poor oxygenation is no longer visualized as an independent feature promoting necrosis and resistance to treatments, but rather as one of the several interdependent microenvironmental parameters associated with impaired blood perfusion. Tumor cells display several survival strategies and remain clonogenic for long periods in nutrient-deprived situations. Reoxygenation may cause lethal damage, improve the response to therapy, or else allow the cell variants adapted to hypoxia to resume proliferation with enhanced aggressiveness and resistance to treatment. The blood supply parameters, oxygenation status and metabolism of malignant cells are discussed here from the standpoint of tumor photodynamic therapy. The role of the tumor interstitial fluid as oxygen- and sensitizer-carrier is discussed. Techniques for assessing tumor oxygenation and for mapping hypoxic territories are described. Strategies for locally improving the oxygenation levels or for selectively destroying the hypoxic populations are outlined.