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AcGly-Phe-Asn(OH) and AcGly-Phe-Asn(NH 2) tripeptides selectively affect the proliferation rate of MDA-MB 231 and HuDe cells. Mol Biol Rep 2020; 47:4009-4014. [PMID: 32277441 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05417-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in the bioactivity of peptides carrying out antiproliferative, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticholesterolemic, opioid, and antidiabetic activities. The bioavailability of peptides depends on how readily they are digested by endopeptidases and their ability to pass through cell membranes, features that are determined by the peptide's chemical and physical structure. On the basis of structures present in peptides that have biological activity, particularly antiproliferative activity, the tripeptides AcGly-Phe-Asn(OH) and AcGly-Phe-Asn(NH2) have been designed and synthesized, then tested for their antiproliferative activity on human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB 231) and human dermal fibroblasts (HuDe). The results show that the peptides significantly affect the proliferation of MDA-MB 231 and HuDe cells, with differentiated response between tumor and normal cells, and thus indicate that C-terminal amidation plays a role. Interestingly, the activity of both peptides in dermal fibroblasts follows the characteristic biphasic pattern of hormesis, a dose-response relationship.
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Gyires K, Zádori ZS. Brain neuropeptides in gastric mucosal protection. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2014; 19:24-30. [PMID: 24971914 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2014.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2014] [Revised: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The centrally induced gastroprotective effect of neuropeptides has been intensively studied. Besides many similarities, however, differences can also be observed in their gastroprotective actions. The gastroprotective dose-response curve proved to be either sigmoid, or bell-shaped. Additional gastrointestinal effects of neuropeptides can contribute to their mucosal protective effect. Part of the neuropeptides induces gastroprotection by peripheral administration as well. Besides vagal nerve the sympathetic nervous system may also be involved in conveying the central effect to the periphery. Better understanding of the complex mechanism of the maintenance of gastric mucosal integrity may result in the development of new strategy to enhance gastric mucosal resistance against injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klára Gyires
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Nagyvárad tér 4, 1089, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Zoltán S Zádori
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Nagyvárad tér 4, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
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Abstract
This article offers a broad assessment of the hormetic dose response and its relevance to biomedical researchers, physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, and public health scientists. This article contains a series of 61 questions followed by relatively brief but referenced responses that provides support for the conclusion that hormesis is a reproducible phenomenon, commonly observed, with a frequency far greater than other dose-response models such as the threshold and linear nonthreshold dose-response models. The article provides a detailed background information on the historical foundations of hormesis, its quantitative features, mechanistic foundations, as well as how hormesis is currently being used within medicine and identifying how this concept could be further applied in the development of new therapeutic advances and in improved public health practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Calabrese
- Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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4
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Puzzo D, Privitera L, Palmeri A. Hormetic effect of amyloid-β peptide in synaptic plasticity and memory. Neurobiol Aging 2012; 33:1484.e15-24. [PMID: 22284988 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2011] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 12/19/2011] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
One of the hot topics in Alzheimer's disease research field is the "amyloid hypothesis" postulating that the increase and deposition of beta-amyloid peptides (Aβ) is the main pathogenetic factor. However, antiamyloid-based therapies have so far been a failure and, most importantly, growing evidences suggest that Aβ has important physiologic functions. Based on our previous findings demonstrating that low concentrations of Aβ enhanced both synaptic plasticity and memory, whereas high concentrations induced the well-known impairment of cognition, here we show that Aβ acts on hippocampal long-term potentiation and reference memory drawing biphasic dose-response curves. This phenomenon, characterized by low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition and represented by a U-shaped or inverted-U-shaped curve, resembles the characteristics of hormesis. The Aβ double role raises important issues on the use of Aβ level reducing agents in Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Puzzo
- Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Section of Physiology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
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Calabrese EJ, Iavicoli I, Calabrese V. Hormesis: why it is important to biogerontologists. Biogerontology 2012; 13:215-35. [PMID: 22270337 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-012-9374-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 01/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This paper offers a broad assessment of the hormetic dose response and its relevance to biogerontology. The paper provides detailed background information on the historical foundations of hormesis, its quantitative features, mechanistic foundations, as well as how the hormesis concept could be further applied in the development of new therapeutic advances in the treatment of age-related diseases. The concept of hormesis has direct application to biogerontology not only affecting the quality of the aging process but also experimental attempts to extend longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Calabrese
- Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01003, USA.
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Calabrese V, Cornelius C, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Iavicoli I, Di Paola R, Koverech A, Cuzzocrea S, Rizzarelli E, Calabrese EJ. Cellular stress responses, hormetic phytochemicals and vitagenes in aging and longevity. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2011; 1822:753-83. [PMID: 22108204 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 280] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2011] [Revised: 10/31/2011] [Accepted: 11/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Modulation of endogenous cellular defense mechanisms represents an innovative approach to therapeutic intervention in diseases causing chronic tissue damage, such as in neurodegeneration. This paper introduces the emerging role of exogenous molecules in hormetic-based neuroprotection and the mitochondrial redox signaling concept of hormesis and its applications to the field of neuroprotection and longevity. Maintenance of optimal long-term health conditions is accomplished by a complex network of longevity assurance processes that are controlled by vitagenes, a group of genes involved in preserving cellular homeostasis during stressful conditions. Vitagenes encode for heat shock proteins (Hsp) Hsp32, Hsp70, the thioredoxin and the sirtuin protein systems. Dietary antioxidants, such as polyphenols and L-carnitine/acetyl-L-carnitine, have recently been demonstrated to be neuroprotective through the activation of hormetic pathways, including vitagenes. Hormesis provides the central underpinning of neuroprotective responses, providing a framework for explaining the common quantitative features of their dose response relationships, their mechanistic foundations, their relationship to the concept of biological plasticity as well as providing a key insight for improving the accuracy of the therapeutic dose of pharmaceutical agents within the highly heterogeneous human population. This paper describes in mechanistic detail how hormetic dose responses are mediated for endogenous cellular defense pathways including sirtuin, Nrfs and related pathways that integrate adaptive stress responses in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antioxidants and Antioxidant Treatment in Disease.
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Calabrese V, Cornelius C, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Calabrese EJ, Mattson MP. Cellular stress responses, the hormesis paradigm, and vitagenes: novel targets for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative disorders. Antioxid Redox Signal 2010; 13:1763-811. [PMID: 20446769 PMCID: PMC2966482 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2009.3074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 573] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2009] [Revised: 04/27/2010] [Accepted: 05/01/2010] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite the capacity of chaperones and other homeostatic components to restore folding equilibrium, cells appear poorly adapted for chronic oxidative stress that increases in cancer and in metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Modulation of endogenous cellular defense mechanisms represents an innovative approach to therapeutic intervention in diseases causing chronic tissue damage, such as in neurodegeneration. This article introduces the concept of hormesis and its applications to the field of neuroprotection. It is argued that the hormetic dose response provides the central underpinning of neuroprotective responses, providing a framework for explaining the common quantitative features of their dose-response relationships, their mechanistic foundations, and their relationship to the concept of biological plasticity, as well as providing a key insight for improving the accuracy of the therapeutic dose of pharmaceutical agents within the highly heterogeneous human population. This article describes in mechanistic detail how hormetic dose responses are mediated for endogenous cellular defense pathways, including sirtuin and Nrf2 and related pathways that integrate adaptive stress responses in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. Particular attention is given to the emerging role of nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide gases in hormetic-based neuroprotection and their relationship to membrane radical dynamics and mitochondrial redox signaling.
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Cellular Stress Responses, Mitostress and Carnitine Insufficiencies as Critical Determinants in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders: Role of Hormesis and Vitagenes. Neurochem Res 2010; 35:1880-915. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-010-0307-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Abstract
The hormesis concept has broad implications for biology and the biomedical sciences. This perspective on hormesis concentrates on toxicology and toxicological risk assessment and secondarily explores observations from other fields. It considers the varied manifestations of hormesis in the context of a broad family of biological stress responses. Evidence for hormesis is reviewed, and the hormesis model is contrasted with more widely accepted dose-response models in toxicology: a linear nonthreshold (LNT) model for mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, and a threshold model for most other toxicologic effects. Scientific, philosophical, and political objections to the hormesis concept are explored, and complications in the hormesis concept are analyzed. The review concludes with a perspective on the current state of hormesis and challenges that the hormesis model poses for risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- George R Hoffmann
- Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, One College Street, Worcester, MA 01610-2395, USA.
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Peters A, Conrad M, Hubold C, Schweiger U, Fischer B, Fehm HL. The principle of homeostasis in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system: new insight from positive feedback. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2007; 293:R83-98. [PMID: 17459911 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00907.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Feedback control, both negative and positive, is a fundamental feature of biological systems. Some of these systems strive to achieve a state of equilibrium or “homeostasis”. The major endocrine systems are regulated by negative feedback, a process believed to maintain hormonal levels within a relatively narrow range. Positive feedback is often thought to have a destabilizing effect. Here, we present a “principle of homeostasis,” which makes use of both positive and negative feedback loops. To test the hypothesis that this homeostatic concept is valid for the regulation of cortisol, we assessed experimental data in humans with different conditions (gender, obesity, endocrine disorders, medication) and analyzed these data by a novel computational approach. We showed that all obtained data sets were in agreement with the presented concept of homeostasis in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. According to this concept, a homeostatic system can stabilize itself with the help of a positive feedback loop. The brain mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors—with their known characteristics—fulfill the key functions in the homeostatic concept: binding cortisol with high and low affinities, acting in opposing manners, and mediating feedback effects on cortisol. This study supports the interaction between positive and negative feedback loops in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system and in this way sheds new light on the function of dual receptor regulation. Current knowledge suggests that this principle of homeostasis could also apply to other biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Peters
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Endocrinology, University of Luebeck, 23538 Luebeck, Germany.
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Schmelz EA, LeClere S, Carroll MJ, Alborn HT, Teal PEA. Cowpea chloroplastic ATP synthase is the source of multiple plant defense elicitors during insect herbivory. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2007; 144:793-805. [PMID: 17369425 PMCID: PMC1914193 DOI: 10.1104/pp.107.097154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
In cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) herbivory and oral secretions (OS) elicit phytohormone production and volatile emission due to inceptin [Vu-In; (+)ICDINGVCVDA(-)], a peptide derived from chloroplastic ATP synthase gamma-subunit (cATPC) proteins. Elicitor-induced plant volatiles can function as attractants for natural enemies of insect herbivores. We hypothesized that inceptins are gut proteolysis products and that larval OS should contain a mixture of related peptides. In this study, we identified three additional cATPC fragments, namely Vu-(GE+)In [(+)GEICDINGVCVDA(-)], Vu-(E+)In [(+)EICDINGVCVDA(-)], and Vu-In(-A) [(+)ICDINGVCVD(-)]. Leaf bioassays for induced ethylene (E) production demonstrated similar effective concentration(50) values of 68, 45, and 87 fmol leaf(-1) for Vu-In, Vu-(E+)In, and Vu-(GE+)In, respectively; however, Vu-In(-A) proved inactive. Shortly following ingestion of recombinant proteins harboring cATPC sequences, larval OS revealed similar concentrations of the three elicitors with 80% of the potential inceptin-related peptides recovered. Rapidly shifting peptide ratios over time were consistent with continued proteolysis and preferential stability of inceptin. Likewise, larvae ingesting host plants with inceptin precursors containing an internal trypsin cleavage site rapidly lost OS-based elicitor activity. OS containing inceptin elicited a rapid and sequential induction of defense-related phytohormones jasmonic acid, E, and salicylic acid at 30, 120, and 240 min, respectively, and also the volatile (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene. Similar to established peptide signals such as systemin and flg22, amino acid substitutions of Vu-In demonstrate an essential role for aspartic acid residues and an unaltered C terminus. In cowpea, insect gut proteolysis following herbivory generates inappropriate fragments of an essential metabolic enzyme enabling plant non-self-recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Schmelz
- Center of Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Chemistry Research Unit, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA.
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Mushak P. Hormesis and its place in nonmonotonic dose-response relationships: some scientific reality checks. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2007; 115:500-6. [PMID: 17450215 PMCID: PMC1852676 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2006] [Accepted: 01/04/2007] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This analysis is a critical assessment of current hormesis literature. I discuss definitions, characterization, generalizability, mechanisms, absence of empirical data specific for hormesis hypothesis testing, and arguments that hormesis be the "default assumption" in risk assessment. DATA SOURCES Hormesis, a biological phenomenon typically described as low-dose stimulation from substances producing higher-dose inhibition, has recently garnered interest in several quarters. The principal sources of published materials for this analysis are the writings of certain proponents of hormesis. Surprisingly few systematic critiques of current hormesis literature exist. Limits to the phenomenon's appropriate role in risk assessment and health policy have been published. DATA SYNTHESIS Serious gaps in scientific understanding remain: a stable definition; generalizability, especially for humans; a clear mechanistic basis; limitations in the presence of multiple toxic end points, target organs, and mechanisms. Absence of both arms-length, consensus-driven, scientific evaluations and empirical data from studies specifically designed for hormesis testing have limited its acceptance. CONCLUSIONS Definition, characterization, occurrence, and mechanistic rationale for hormesis will remain speculative, absent rigorous studies done specifically for hormesis testing. Any role for hormesis in current risk assessment and regulatory policies for toxics remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Mushak
- PB Associates, 714 9th Street, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
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Thayer KA, Melnick R, Huff J, Burns K, Davis D. Hormesis: a new religion? ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2006; 114:A632-3. [PMID: 17107829 PMCID: PMC1665404 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.114-1665404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
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Calabrese EJ. Paradigm lost, paradigm found: the re-emergence of hormesis as a fundamental dose response model in the toxicological sciences. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2005; 138:379-411. [PMID: 16098930 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2004.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 293] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2004] [Accepted: 10/05/2004] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
This paper provides an assessment of the toxicological basis of the hormetic dose-response relationship including issues relating to its reproducibility, frequency, and generalizability across biological models, endpoints measured and chemical class/physical stressors and implications for risk assessment. The quantitative features of the hormetic dose response are described and placed within toxicological context that considers study design, temporal assessment, mechanism, and experimental model/population heterogeneity. Particular emphasis is placed on an historical evaluation of why the field of toxicology rejected hormesis in favor of dose response models such as the threshold model for assessing non-carcinogens and linear no threshold (LNT) models for assessing carcinogens. The paper argues that such decisions were principally based on complex historical factors that emerged from the intense and protracted conflict between what is now called traditional medicine and homeopathy and the overly dominating influence of regulatory agencies on the toxicological intellectual agenda. Such regulatory agency influence emphasized hazard/risk assessment goals such as the derivation of no observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) and the lowest observed adverse effect levels (LOAELs) which were derived principally from high dose studies using few doses, a feature which restricted perceptions and distorted judgments of several generations of toxicologists concerning the nature of the dose-response continuum. Such historical and technical blind spots lead the field of toxicology to not only reject an established dose-response model (hormesis), but also the model that was more common and fundamental than those that the field accepted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Calabrese
- Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Morrill I, N344, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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Thayer KA, Melnick R, Burns K, Davis D, Huff J. Fundamental flaws of hormesis for public health decisions. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2005; 113:1271-6. [PMID: 16203233 PMCID: PMC1281265 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2004] [Accepted: 06/14/2005] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Hormesis (defined operationally as low-dose stimulation, high-dose inhibition) is often used to promote the notion that while high-level exposures to toxic chemicals could be detrimental to human health, low-level exposures would be beneficial. Some proponents claim hormesis is an adaptive, generalizable phenomenon and argue that the default assumption for risk assessments should be that toxic chemicals induce stimulatory (i.e., "beneficial") effects at low exposures. In many cases, nonmonotonic dose-response curves are called hormetic responses even in the absence of any mechanistic characterization of that response. Use of the term "hormesis," with its associated descriptors, distracts from the broader and more important questions regarding the frequency and interpretation of nonmonotonic dose responses in biological systems. A better understanding of the biological basis and consequences of nonmonotonic dose-response curves is warranted for evaluating human health risks. The assumption that hormesis is generally adaptive is an oversimplification of complex biological processes. Even if certain low-dose effects were sometimes considered beneficial, this should not influence regulatory decisions to allow increased environmental exposures to toxic and carcinogenic agents, given factors such as interindividual differences in susceptibility and multiplicity in exposures. In this commentary we evaluate the hormesis hypothesis and potential adverse consequences of incorporating low-dose beneficial effects into public health decisions. Key words: biphasic dose response, hormesis, individual susceptibility, low-dose exposures, nonmonotonic dose response, nonlinear dose response, public health, regulation, risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina A Thayer
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
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Qin L, Block ML, Liu Y, Bienstock RJ, Pei Z, Zhang W, Wu X, Wilson B, Burka T, Hong JS. Microglial NADPH oxidase is a novel target for femtomolar neuroprotection against oxidative stress. FASEB J 2005; 19:550-7. [PMID: 15791005 DOI: 10.1096/fj.04-2857com] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Inflammation has been increasingly recognized to contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Several compounds are neuroprotective at femtomolar concentrations through the inhibition of inflammation. However, the mechanisms mediating femtomolar-acting compounds are poorly understood. Here we show that both gly-gly-phe (GGF), a tri-peptide contained in the dynorphin opioid peptide, and naloxone are neuroprotective at femtomolar concentrations against LPS-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity through the reduction of microglial activation. Mechanistic studies demonstrated the critical role of NADPH oxidase in the GGF and naloxone inhibition of microglial activation and associated DA neurotoxicity. Pharmacophore analysis of the neuroprotective dynorphin peptides and naloxone revealed common chemical properties (hydrogen bond acceptor, hydrogen bond donor, positive ionizable, hydrophobic) of these femtomolar-acting compounds. These results support a common high-affinity site of action for several femtomolar-acting compounds, where NADPH oxidase is the critical mechanism governing neuroprotection, suggesting a novel avenue of anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liya Qin
- Neuropharmacology Section, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Chemistry, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA
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