Channel-specific induction of the cyclosporine A-sensitive mitochondrial permeability transition by menadione

Artificial humic acid promotes growth of maize seedling under alkali conditions

Salinization of cropland is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting global agricultural sustainability, posing a serious threat to agricultural productivity and food security. Application of artificial humic acid (A-HA) as plant biostimulants has been increasingly attracting farmers and researchers. However, its regulation of seed germination and growth under alkali stress has rarely received attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of maize (Zea mays L.) seed germination and seedling growth after the addition of A-HA. The effects of A-HA on seed germination, seedling growth, chlorophyll contents and osmoregulation substance under black and saline soil conditions were studied by soaking maize in solutions with and without various concentrations of A-HA. Artificial humic acid treatments significantly increased the seed germination index and dry weight of seedlings. The effects of maize root in absence and presence of A-HA under alkali stress were also evaluated using transcriptome sequencing. GO and KEGG analyzes were performed on differentially expressed genes, and the reliability of transcriptome data was verified by qPCR analysis. Results showed that A-HA significantly activated phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation pathways and plant hormone signal transduction. Moreover, Transcription factor analysis revealed that A-HA induced the expression of several transcription factors under alkali stress which had a regulatory effect on the alleviation of alkali damage in the root system. Overall, our results suggested that soaking seeds with A-HA can alleviate alkali accumulation and toxicity in maize, constituting a simple and effective strategy to mitigate saline toxicity. These results will provide new insights for the application of A-HA in management to reduce alkali-caused crop loss.

Use of Ore-Derived Humic Acids With Diverse Chemistries to Elucidate Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR) of Humic Acids in Plant Phenotypic Expression

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Disruption of mitochondrial function as mechanism for anti-cancer activity of a novel mitochondriotropic menadione derivative

Menadione, also known as vitamin K₃, is a 2-methyl-1,4 naphthoquinone with a potent cytotoxic activity mainly resulting from its quinone redox-cycling with production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although increased ROS generation is considered a relevant mechanism in cancer cell death, it may not be sufficiently effective to kill cancer cells due to phenotypic adaptations. Therefore, combining ROS-generating agents with other molecules targeting important cancer cell phenotypes can be an effective therapeutic strategy. As mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in many human diseases, including cancer, we describe here the discovery of a mitochondrial-directed agent (MitoK₃), which was developed by conjugating a TPP cation to the C3 position of the menadione's naphthoquinone ring, increasing its selective accumulation in mitochondria, as well as led to alterations of its redox properties and consequent biological outcome. MitoK₃ disturbed the mitochondrial bioenergetic apparatus, with subsequent loss of mitochondrial ATP production. The combinatory strategy of MitoK₃ with anticancer agent doxorubicin (DOX) resulted in a degree of cytotoxicity higher than those of the individual molecules, as the combination triggered tumour apoptotic cell death evident by caspase 3/9 activities, probably through mitochondrial destabilization or by interference with mitochondrial redox processes. The results of this investigation support the importance of drug discovery process in developing molecules that can be use as adjuvant therapy in patients with specific cancer subtypes.

Toxic effects of microbial phenolic acids on the functions of mitochondria

Low-molecular-weight phenolic acids (PhAs) phenylacetate, phenyllactate, phenylpropionate, p-hydroxyphenyllactate, and p-hydroxyphenylacetate are essentially the products of the degradation of aromatic amino acids and polyphenols by the intestinal microflora. In sepsis, the concentrations of some of these acids in the blood increase tens of times. Assuming that these compounds can cause the mitochondrial dysfunction in sepsis, we examined their effects on respiration, the induction of pore opening, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria. It was found that phenylpropionate and phenylacetate produce a more toxic effect on mitochondria than the other phenolic acids. At concentrations 0.01-0.1 mM they decreased the rate of oxidation of NAD-dependent substrates and activated the Ca2+- and menadione-induced opening of the cyclosporin A-sensitive pore and the production of ROS. The disturbances caused by these PhAs are similar to those observed in mitochondria in sepsis, and hence the rise in their level may be one of the causes of mitochondrial dysfunctions. Phenyllactate, p-hydroxyphenyllactate, and p-hydroxyphenylacetate inhibited the production of ROS and pore opening, acting as antioxidants. Thus, the ability of PhAs to affect the mitochondrial functions, as well as an increase in their concentrations in sepsis (the total concentration of these PhAs in the blood is close to 0.1 mM), suggests that PhAs can be directly involved in the development of mitochondrial failure.

Effect of amyloid beta-peptide on permeability transition pore: a comparative study

A potentially central factor in neurodegeneration is the permeability transition pore (PTP). Because of the tissue-specific differences in pore properties, we directly compared isolated brain and liver mitochondria responses to the neurotoxic A beta peptides. For this purpose, the following parameters were examined: mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta Psi m), respiration, swelling, ultrastructural morphology, and content of cytochrome c. Both peptides, A beta(25-35) (50 microM) and A beta(1-40) (2 microM), had a similar toxicity, exacerbating the effects of Ca(2+), although, per se, they did not induce (PTP). In liver mitochondria, A beta led to a drop in Delta Psi m and potentiated matrix swelling and disruption induced by Ca(2+). In contrast, brain mitochondria, exposed to the same conditions, demonstrated a higher capacity to accumulate Ca(2+) before the Delta Psi m drop and a slight increase of mitochondrial swelling compared with liver mitochondria. Furthermore, mitochondrial respiratory state 3 was depressed in the presence of A beta, whereas state 4 was unaltered, resulting in an uncoupling of respiration. In both types of mitochondria, A beta did not affect the content of cytochrome c. The Delta Psi m drop was reversed when Ca(2+) was removed by EGTA or when ADP plus oligomycin was present. Pretreatment with cyclosporin A or ADP plus oligomycin prevented the deleterious effects promoted by A beta and/or Ca(2+). It can be concluded that brain and liver mitochondria show a different susceptibility to the deleterious effect of A beta peptide, brain mitochondria being more resistant to the potentiation by A beta of Ca(2+)-induced PTP.

Induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition in vitro by short-chain carboxylic acids

We recently reported that acrylic acid (AA) induces the MPT in vitro, which we suggested might be a critical event in the acute inflammatory and hyperplastic response of the olfactory epithelium. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine if induction of the MPT is a general response to short-chain carboxylic acids or if there are critical physical chemical parameters for this response. Freshly isolated rat liver mitochondria were incubated in the presence of varying concentrations of selected carboxylic acids. All of the acids that we tested caused a concentration-dependent induction of the MPT, which was blocked by cyclosporine A. Although the C4 carboxylic acids were slightly more potent than the C5 acids, there was no correlation with the degree of saturation, the octanol/water coefficient (log P), or the dissociation constant (pK(a)) of the acids that we tested. We conclude that induction of the MPT in vitro is a general response to short-chain carboxylic acids having a pK(a) of 4 to 5.

Mitochondria and neuronal survival

Mitochondria play a central role in the survival and death of neurons. The detailed bioenergetic mechanisms by which isolated mitochondria generate ATP, sequester Ca(2+), generate reactive oxygen species, and undergo Ca(2+)-dependent permeabilization of their inner membrane are currently being applied to the function of mitochondria in situ within neurons under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Here we review the functional bioenergetics of isolated mitochondria, with emphasis on the chemiosmotic proton circuit and the application (and occasional misapplication) of these principles to intact neurons. Mitochondria play an integral role in both necrotic and apoptotic neuronal cell death, and the bioenergetic principles underlying current studies are reviewed.

Dopamine oxidation alters mitochondrial respiration and induces permeability transition in brain mitochondria: implications for Parkinson's disease

Both reactive dopamine metabolites and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in the neurodegeneration of Parkinson's disease. Dopamine metabolites, dopamine quinone and reactive oxygen species, can directly alter protein function by oxidative modifications, and several mitochondrial proteins may be targets of this oxidative damage. In this study, we examined, using isolated brain mitochondria, whether dopamine oxidation products alter mitochondrial function. We found that exposure to dopamine quinone caused a large increase in mitochondrial resting state 4 respiration. This effect was prevented by GSH but not superoxide dismutase and catalase. In contrast, exposure to dopamine and monoamine oxidase-generated hydrogen peroxide resulted in a decrease in active state 3 respiration. This inhibition was prevented by both pargyline and catalase. We also examined the effects of dopamine oxidation products on the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, which has been implicated in neuronal cell death. Dopamine oxidation to dopamine quinone caused a significant increase in swelling of brain and liver mitochondria. This was inhibited by both the pore inhibitor cyclosporin A and GSH, suggesting that swelling was due to pore opening and related to dopamine quinone formation. In contrast, dopamine and endogenous monoamine oxidase had no effect on mitochondrial swelling. These findings suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction induced by products of dopamine oxidation may be involved in neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease and methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity.

Dietary restriction augments protection against induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition

Exposure to oxidants or phosphate, especially in the presence of calcium, has been long known to lead to mitochondrial structural alteration and damage. In the past 15 years, it has become increasingly appreciated that this damage is often the result of a cyclosporin A-sensitive event, the "permeability transition" (PT). Using liver mitochondria isolated from male Fischer 344 rats of 6-24 months of age, we now present evidence that long-term, life-prolonging, dietary restriction regimens greatly delay induction of a PT following challenge. Dietary restriction slowed induction by 25 microM calcium, or by calcium in conjunction with the strong oxidant t-butyl hydroperoxide, by approximately 50%. The increased resistance to PT induction was maintained through 24 months of age. Dietary restriction also protected against t-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of high calcium challenges (250 microM), although the extent of this protection was age-dependent. Induction by 2.5 mM phosphate alone was blocked in most 6-month-old dietary restricted animals and was slowed by 50-100% in animals 12-24 months of age. Susceptibility to 25 microM calcium in conjunction with phosphate varied in an age-dependent manner, ranging from 4-12 times slower in the dietary restricted animals than in their ad lib fed counterparts. Together, these data provide evidence that the factors regulating PT induction are affected by long-term physiological and environmental conditions such as age and diet. The observed effects represent one of the largest recognized dietary restriction-mediated increases in a parameter related to antioxidant defenses. These data also suggest that the endogenous defense systems that protect mitochondria from calcium in conjunction with inorganic phosphate differ from those that protect against calcium in conjunction with an oxidant.

Preferential oxidation of cardiac mitochondrial DNA following acute intoxication with doxorubicin

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether acute doxorubicin intoxication causes a preferential accumulation of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG) adducts to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as opposed to nuclear DNA (nDNA), particularly in cardiac tissue. Adult male rats received a single i.p. bolus of doxorubicin (15 mg/kg) and were killed 1-14 days later. Acute intoxication with doxorubicin caused a 2-fold greater increase in 8OHdG adducts to mtDNA compared to nDNA, the concentration of adducts to both nDNA and mtDNA being 20%-40% greater for heart as opposed to liver. For both tissues, the relative abundance of adducts was highest at the earliest time-point examined (24 h) and decreased to control values by 2 weeks. The temporal dilution of 8OHdG adducts was not the result of cell hyperplasia and was only partially due to amplification of the mitochondrial genome, most probably via an increase in DNA copy number rather than a stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis.

Benzoquinone inhibits the voltage-dependent induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition caused by redox-cycling naphthoquinones

The mitochondrial permeability pore is subject to regulation by a thiol-dependent voltage sensor (Petronilli, V., Costantini, P., Scorrano, L., Colonna, R., Passamonti, S., and Bernardi, P., J. Biol. Chem. 269, 16638-16642, 1994); thiol oxidation increases the gating potential, which increases the probability of pore opening. Monofunctional sulfhydryl-alkylating agents, by preventing formation of the disulfide, inhibit oxidant-induced changes in the gating potential. According to this paradigm, redox-cycling and arylating quinones should have distinct and opposing effects on the voltage-dependent permeabilization of mitochondrial membranes. Freshly isolated rat liver mitochondria were susceptible to a calcium-dependent permeability transition characterized by osmotic swelling and membrane depolarization, both of which were inhibited by Cyclosporine A. 1,4-Naphthoquinone, 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione), and 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone elicited an increase in gating potential of the permeability pore that was prevented by Cyclosporine A or N-ethylmaleimide and reversed by dithiothreitol. Benzoquinone, on the other hand, inhibited NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase. Accordingly, in mitochondria energized with glutamate plus malate benzoquinone caused a direct, calcium-independent depolarization of membrane potential and mitochondrial swelling that were not inhibited by Cyclosporine A. In contrast, benzoquinone did not interfere with succinate-supported mitochondrial bioenergetics. In fact, adding benzoquinone to succinate-energized mitochondria prevented induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition by all three redox-cycling naphthoquinones. We attribute this to the electrophilic, sulfhydryl-arylating reactivity of benzoquinone. The results suggest that differences in the mechanisms by which quinones of varying chemical reactivity interfere with mitochondrial bioenergetics can be explained in terms of the distinct manner in which they react with the thiol-dependent voltage sensor of the mitochondrial permeability pore.