Ascorbic acid deficiency decreases the renal level of kidney fatty acid-binding protein by lowering the alpha2u-globulin gene expression in liver in scurvy-prone ODS rats

Bombyx mori can synthesize ascorbic acid through the l-gulose pathway to varying degrees depending on developmental stage

Vitamin C (VC) is an essential nutrient for many animals. However, whether insects, including Bombyx mori, can synthesize VC remains unclear. In this article, the optimized HPLC method was used to determine the content of l-ascorbic acid (AsA) in silkworm eggs, larvae and pupae, and the activity of l-gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase (GULO), a key enzyme in VC synthesis. The RNA interference method was used to determine the effect of the BmGulo-like gene on embryonic development and GULO activity in the pupal fat body. The AsA content increased significantly during E144 h-E168 h in the late embryonic stage and P48 h-P144 h in the middle-late pupal stage, in which exogenous VC was not ingested. Furthermore, the body AsA content in larvae fed VC-free feed also increased with larval stage. The GULO enzymatic activity was present in eggs and the fat bodies of larvae and pupae, even when the larvae were reared with fresh mulberry leaves. Moreover, the activity was higher in the later embryonic stages (E144 h-E168 h) and the early pupal stage (before P24 h). The GULO activity in the pupal fat body dramatically decreased when the screened BmGulo-like gene (BGIBMGA005735) was knocked down with small interfering RNA; in addition, the survival rate and hatching rate of eggs significantly decreased 21% and 44%, respectively, and embryonic development was delayed. Thus, Bombyx mori can synthesize AsA through the l-gulose pathway, albeit with low activity, and this synthesis ability varies with developmental stages.

Gut Microbiota Is Not Involved in the Induction of Acute Phase Protein Expression Caused by Vitamin C Deficiency

Using rats, we previously found that vitamin C deficiency increases serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and glucocorticoid, and changes the gene expression of acute phase proteins (APP) in the liver. However, it remains unclear how vitamin C deficiency causes these inflammation-like responses. In this study, we investigated the possibility that changes in gut microbiota are involved in the induction of APP gene expression by vitamin C deficiency. ODS rats that cannot genetically synthesize vitamin C were divided into 4 groups based on the presence or absence of vitamin C or antibiotics and were raised for 15 d. Neomycin, vancomycin, and ampicillin were used as antibiotics, and 300 mg L-ascorbic acid/kg was added to the AIN93G diet. Vitamin C deficiency affected neither the wet tissue weights nor relative abundance of bacteria in the cecal contents. Antibiotic administration increased wet weights of the cecum, cecal contents, and colon, changed the relative abundance of some bacteria in the cecal contents, and decreased serum IL-6 level. However, antibiotic administration had no effect on serum concentrations of corticosterone and α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), vitamin C concentration in the liver, and mRNA levels of haptoglobin and AGP in the liver. Therefore, disturbance of gut microbiota did not attenuate the increase in glucocorticoid level and induction of APP gene expression due to vitamin C deficiency. This suggests that gut microbiota is not involved in the inflammation-like responses caused by vitamin C deficiency.

Effect and proposed mechanism of vitamin C modulating amino acid regulation of autophagic proteolysis

Autophagy is an intracellular bulk degradation process, induced under nutrient starvation. Failure of autophagy has been recognized as a contributor to aging and multiple age related neurodegenerative diseases. Improving autophagy is a beneficial anti-aging strategy, however very few physiological regulators have been identified. Here, we demonstrate that vitamin C is a nutritional stimulator of autophagy. Supplementation of fresh hepatocytes with vitamin C increased autophagic proteolysis significantly in the presence of amino acids in a dose- and time-dependent manner, although no effect was observed in the absence of amino acids. In addition, inhibitor studies with 3-methyladenine, chloroquine, leupeptin and β-lactone confirmed that vitamin C is active through the lysosomal autophagy and not the proteasome pathway. Furthermore, the autophagy marker LC3 protein was significantly increased by vitamin C, suggesting its possible site of action is at the formation step. Both the reduced (ascorbic acid, AsA) and oxidized form (dehydroascorbic acid, DHA) of vitamin C exhibited equal enhancing effect, indicating that the effect does not depend on the anti-oxidation functionality of vitamin C. To understand the mechanism, we established that the effective dose (50 μM) was 15× lower than the intracellular content suggesting these would be only a minor influx from the extracellular pool. Moreover, transporter inhibitor studies in an AsA deficient ODS model rat revealed more accurately that the enhancing effect on autophagic proteolysis still existed, even though the intracellular influx of AsA was blocked. Taken together, these results provide evidence that vitamin C can potentially act through extracellular signaling.

Ascorbic acid deficiency increases endotoxin influx to portal blood and liver inflammatory gene expressions in ODS rats

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine whether ascorbic acid (AsA) deficiency-induced endotoxin influx into portal blood from the gastrointestinal tract contributes to the inflammatory changes in the liver.

METHOD

The mechanisms by which AsA deficiency provokes inflammatory changes in the liver were investigated in Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi (ODS) rats (which are unable to synthesize AsA). Male ODS rats (6-wk-old) were fed a diet containing sufficient (300 mg/kg) AsA (control group) or a diet without AsA (AsA-deficient group) for 14 or 18 d.

RESULTS

On day 14, the hepatic mRNA levels of acute-phase proteins and inflammation-related genes were significantly higher in the AsA-deficient group than the control group, and these elevations by AsA deficiency were exacerbated on day 18. The serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, which induce acute-phase proteins in the liver, were also significantly elevated on day 14 in the AsA-deficient group compared with the respective values in the control group. IL-1β mRNA levels in the liver, spleen, and lung were increased by AsA deficiency. Moreover, on both days 14 and 18, the portal blood endotoxin concentration was significantly higher in the AsA-deficient group than in the control group, and a significant correlation between serum IL-1β concentrations and portal endotoxin concentrations was found in AsA-deficient rats. In the histologic analysis of the ileum tissues, the number of goblet cells per villi was increased by AsA deficiency.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that AsA deficiency-induced endotoxin influx into portal blood from the gastrointestinal tract contributes to the inflammatory changes in the liver.

Ascorbic Acid Deficiency Stimulates Hepatic Expression of Inflammatory Chemokine, Cytokine-Induced Neutrophil Chemoattractant-1, in Scurvy-Prone ODS Rats

ODS rat has a hereditary defect in ascorbic acid biosynthesis and is a useful animal model for elucidating the physiological role of ascorbic acid. We previously demonstrated by using ODS rats that ascorbic acid deficiency changes the hepatic gene expression of acute phase proteins, as seen in acute inflammation. In this study, we investigated the effects of ascorbic acid deficiency on the production of inflammatory chemokine, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1), in ODS rats. Male ODS rats (6 wk of age) were fed a basal diet containing ascorbic acid (300 mg/kg diet) or a diet without ascorbic acid for 14 d. Obvious symptoms of scurvy were not observed in the ascorbic acid-deficient rats. Ascorbic acid deficiency significantly elevated the serum concentration of CINC-1 on d 14. The liver and spleen CINC-1 concentrations in the ascorbic acid-deficient rats were significantly elevated to 600% and 180% of the respective values in the control rats. However, the lung concentration of CINC-1 was not affected by ascorbic acid deficiency. Ascorbic acid deficiency significantly elevated the hepatic mRNA level of CINC-1 (to 480% of the value in the control rats), but not the lung mRNA level. These results demonstrate that ascorbic acid deficiency elevates the serum, liver and spleen concentrations of CINC-1 as seen in acute inflammation, and suggest that ascorbic acid deficiency stimulate the hepatic CINC-1 gene expression.

A fast histochemical staining method to identify hyaline droplets in the rat kidney

Hyaline droplet formation in the proximal tubular cells of the kidney commonly occurs under different pathological conditions in experimental animals. In rats, intracytoplasmic hyaline droplet formation is predominantly associated with accumulation of the male rat-specific alpha(2u)-globulin, whereas under other (pathological) conditions (eg, histiocytic sarcoma and chronic progressive nephropathy [CPN]) other proteins are involved. Staining methods to visualize hyaline droplets either need plastic embedded material or time-consuming (immuno)histochemical methods. A fast Chromotrope-Aniline-Blue-staining on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded kidneys taking only 30 minutes is described. Using this method, hyaline droplets consisting of different types of proteins are easily recognized by their bright-red color.

Methacarn fixation: a novel tool for analysis of gene expressions in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens

To establish a quantitative method for analysis of gene expressions in small areas of tissue after paraffin embedding, preliminary validation experiments with RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed using methacarn-fixed rodent tissues and a cultured PC12 cell line. A total RNA yield of 52 +/- 15 ng/mm2, sufficient for a quantitative RT-PCR of many genes, could be extracted from a deparaffinized 10-microm-thick rat-liver section by a simple, single-step extraction method. The low concentration of contaminating genomic DNA and the resolution of ribosomal RNAs in RNA gel proved the purity and integrity of the extracted RNA samples, allowing PCR amplification of a long mRNA sequence and mRNA species expressing low copy numbers. PCR amplification of mRNA-derived target gene fragments could be achieved by optimizing the amount of total RNA for reverse transcription and the number of subsequent PCR cycles for each gene. By this validation, organ- and sex-specific mRNA expression could be detected in methacarn-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues without additional DNase treatment of RNA samples. RT-PCR analysis could also be performed with total RNA extracted from deparaffinized tissue dissected with a laser capture microdissection system. In addition, extraction of protein yielded 4.9 +/- 2.1 microg/mm2 from a 10-microm-thick rat-liver section, allowing a quantitative expression analysis of protein by Western blotting. Thus, in addition to its advantages for immunohistochemistry, methacarn-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue has benefits for analysis of both RNAs and proteins in the cells of histologically defined areas.

Ascorbic acid deficiency changes hepatic gene expression of acute phase proteins in scurvy-prone ODS rats

The ODS rat (genotype od/od), which has a hereditary defect in ascorbic acid biosynthesis, was used to investigate the effects of ascorbic acid deficiency on the hepatic gene expression of both the positive acute phase proteins, haptoglobin and alpha1-acid glycoprotein, and the negative acute phase proteins, apolipoprotein A-I and albumin. Male ODS rats (6 wk old, body weight approximately 140 g) were fed a basal diet containing ascorbic acid (300 mg/kg diet) or a diet without ascorbic acid for 14 d. Ascorbic acid deficiency significantly elevated the serum concentration of haptoglobin and significantly lowered those of apolipoprotein A-I and albumin. The hepatic mRNA levels of haptoglobin and alpha1-acid glycoprotein in the ascorbic acid-deficient rats were significantly elevated on d 12, and reached 260 (P < 0.05) and 360% (P < 0.01) of respective values in the control rats on d 14. On the contrary, the hepatic mRNA levels of apolipoprotein A-I and albumin in the ascorbic acid-deficient rats were lowered to 68 (P < 0.01) and 71% (P < 0.05) of respective values in the control rats on d 14. Although ascorbic acid deficiency significantly elevated the serum corticosterone concentration on d 14, the changes in mRNA levels of haptoglobin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, apolipoprotein A-I and albumin due to ascorbic acid deficiency were not affected by adrenalectomy, as assessed in a separate experiment. The serum concentration of interleukin-6, an inflammatory cytokine that stimulates gene expression of some acute phase proteins, was significantly higher in the ascorbic acid-deficient rats on d 14 than in the control rats. These results suggest that ascorbic acid deficiency causes physiologic changes similar to those that occur in the acute phase response.