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Biomedical subjects

B A Freeman

Publications and source records attributed to B A Freeman.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Altered expression of type I collagen, TGF-beta 1, and related genes in rat lung exposed to 85% O2.

The gene expressions of type I collagen and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) were studied in lung tissue of rats exposed to air or 85% O2 for 14 days. Peak expression of type I collagen mRNA was observed by 14 days of 85% O2 exposure, at the same time as maximal immunoreactive type I collagen, which was most marked surrounding the major airways and vessels. TGF-beta 1 mRNA also significantly increased after 14, but not 4 or 6 days of 85% O2 exposure. TGF-beta 1 immunoreactivity was only detected on day 14 of 85% O2 exposure and was localized primarily to the pulmonary epithelium. As an increase in immunoreactive type I collagen was evident by day 6 of O2 exposure, the gene expressions of interstitial collagenase (MMP-1), stromelysin, and the tissue inhibitor of the metalloproteinases (TIMP) were also examined. Increased mRNA expressions of interstitial collagenase and TIMP preceded those of type I collagen and TGF-beta 1, occurring at 4-6 days of exposure to 85% O2, while there was no significant change in stromelysin mRNA. These findings are compatible with the initial O2-mediated increase in type I collagen deposition being a result of an altered proteinase/antiproteinase balance in the lung, and the subsequent more marked deposition being a response to increased TGF-beta 1 synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Delivery of superoxide dismutase to pulmonary epithelium via pH-sensitive liposomes.

Respiratory insufficiency, when treated with oxygen supplementation, or exposure to diverse pulmonary toxins can cause lung damage as a result of increased oxygen radical production. Enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) may attenuate this pathological process, but the intracellular delivery and antioxidant action of SOD is impeded by its inability to cross cellular membranes. One approach for facilitating intracellular delivery of macromolecules is to entrap SOD into liposomes. The delivery of SOD to lung cells was accomplished using pH-sensitive liposomes, made with 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) and 1-oleoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-succinate (DOSG), added to cultured fetal rat lung distal epithelial (FRLE) cells. FRLE cells, obtained from fetuses at day 19 gestation, expressed a high-affinity receptor for surfactant protein A (SP-A) with an apparent dissociation constant (Kd) = 3.6 +/- 0.2 micrograms/ml (5.5 x 10(-9) M) and a capacity of 130 +/- 3 ng/10(6) cells (125,000 +/- 3,000 binding sites/cell). This receptor was utilized for targeting liposomes to cells, after incorporating SP-A during liposome membrane formation. Liposomes were uniformly small (180 +/- 77 nm; mean +/- SD) and stable at 4 degrees C for 1 wk, entrapping 10 +/- 4% of initially added SOD. After incubation of pH-sensitive liposomes containing entrapped SOD with cultured FRLE cells, cell-associated SOD activity was increased 5.1-fold from 7.8 +/- 2.5 to 40.1 +/- 3.3 U SOD/mg cell protein. Incorporation of SP-A into liposomes increased by 6.2-fold the delivery of liposomal SOD to cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Basic fibroblast growth factor and growth factor receptor gene expression in 85% O2-exposed rat lung.

Lungs exposed to elevated O2 concentrations suffer an initial loss of type I pneumocytes, followed by a reparative type II pneumocyte hyperplasia. We hypothesized that type II pneumocyte hyperplasia after exposure of young adult rats to 85% O2 in vivo would be temporally related to 1) an increased concentration of intrapulmonary basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a potent stimulator of type II pneumocyte DNA synthesis in vitro, and 2) an upregulation of pneumocyte receptors for bFGF (FGF-R). Increased rat lung bFGF mRNA, relative to air-exposed control animals, was observed at 4 days of exposure, with no increase at days 6 and 14 of exposure. Parallel changes were observed with bFGF receptor (flg) mRNA. Nuclear runoff assays confirmed increased transcription of both bFGF and flg genes in response to 85% O2, whereas increased translation at 6 days of exposure was confirmed by protein immunoanalysis. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated a broad distribution of bFGF throughout the lung, including the alveolar epithelium, which increased after 6 and 14 days of exposure to 85% O2. Our findings are compatible with a role for bFGF in O2-mediated pneumocyte hyperplasia.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Pulmonary alveolar epithelial inducible NO synthase gene expression: regulation by inflammatory mediators.

Nitric oxide (.NO) is a short-lived mediator that can be induced by different cytokines and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a variety of cell types and produces many physiological and metabolic changes in target cells. In the current study, we show that a combination of cytokines, LPS, and zymosan-activated serum (ZAS; called for convenience cytomix Z) induces production of high concentrations of the NO oxidation products nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-) by cultured rat fetal lung epithelial type II cells in a time-dependent fashion. Interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha alone did not significantly affect .NO synthesis, whereas ZAS, LPS, and interleukin-1 beta caused only a modest increase in formation of .NO oxidation products. Production of NO2- and NO3- was inhibited by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine and cyclohexmide. After exposure of these cells to a combination of the above cytokines, Escherichia coli LPS, and ZAS (cytomix Z), enhanced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was indicated by an elevation in steady-state mRNA specific for iNOS (via Northern blot analysis) and increased immunofluorescence for iNOS after cell permeabilization, incubation with anti-iNOS antibody, and treatment with Cy3.18-conjugated rabbit-specific antibody. The extent of inflammatory mediator-induced.NO production by alveolar epithelium, which exceeds that of other lung cell types, reveals new insight into mechanisms of pulmonary host defense and pathways of free radical-mediated lung injury.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1995

Evidence for enhanced vascular superoxide anion production in nitrate tolerance. A novel mechanism underlying tolerance and cross-tolerance.

We sought to examine mechanisms underlying nitroglycerin (NTG) tolerance and "cross-tolerance" to other nitrovasodilators. Rabbits were treated for 3 d with NTG patches (0.4 mg/h) and their aortic segments studied in organ chambers. Relaxations were examined after preconstriction with phenylephrine. In NTG tolerant rabbit aorta, relaxations to cGMP-dependent vasodilators such as NTG (45 +/- 6%), SIN-1 (69 +/- 7%), and acetylcholine (ACh, 64 +/- 5%) were attenuated vs. controls, (90 +/- 2, 94 +/- 3, and 89 +/- 2% respectively, P < 0.05 for all), while responses to the cAMP-dependent vasodilator forskolin remained unchanged. In tolerant aorta, endothelial removal markedly enhanced relaxations to NTG and SIN-1 (82 +/- 4 and 95 +/- 3%, respectively). Other studies were performed to determine how the endothelium enhances tolerance. Vascular steady state .-O2 levels (assessed by lucigenin chemiluminescence) was increased twofold in tolerant vs. control vessels with endothelium (0.31 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.61 +/- 0.01 nmol/mg per minute). This difference was less in vessels after denudation of the endothelium. Diphenylene iodonium, an inhibitor of flavoprotein containing oxidases, and Tiron a direct .-O2 scavenger normalized .-O2 levels. In contrast, oxypurinol (1 mM) an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, rotenone (50 microM) an inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport and NG-nitro-L-arginine (100 microM) an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase did not affect the chemiluminescence signals from NTG-tolerant aortas. Pretreatment of tolerant aorta with liposome-entrapped, pH sensitive superoxide dismutase (600 U/ml) significantly enhanced maximal relaxation in response to NTG, SIN-1, and ACh, and effectively reduced chemiluminescence signals. These studies show that continuous NTG treatment is associated with increased vascular .-O2-production and consequent inhibition of NO. mediated vasorelaxation produced by both exogenous and endogenous nitrovasodilators.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1995

Antioxidant therapy in critical care medicine.

Antioxidant therapies are currently undergoing clinical trials to determine their benefit in a number of diseases seen in the critical care unit. It is particularly likely that their use will become standard therapy in a number of situations in which there is reperfusion injury following an ischemic episode. During the lag time from the conception of antioxidant interventions to their introduction into clinical practice, our understanding of how oxidant injuries are mediated has changed considerably. This understanding has allowed the development of more rational approaches to antioxidant therapy while exposing the limitations of some of the approaches currently being evaluated in a clinical setting. In addition, some existing therapeutic agents have previously unrecognized antioxidant and pro-oxidant effects. An inherent requirement of an effective antioxidant therapy is that such therapy is effective against the radicals being generated, and that sufficient quantities of the antioxidants used reach all sites of radical generation in time to limit tissue injury. Recent observations suggest that few, if any, of the currently known individual antioxidants can adequately meet these goals. However, combination therapy, or the development of synthetic compounds that can combine the properties of current antioxidants, may come close.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Nitric oxide regulation of superoxide and peroxynitrite-dependent lipid peroxidation. Formation of novel nitrogen-containing oxidized lipid derivatives.

Superoxide (O2-.), nitric oxide (.NO), and their reaction product peroxynitrite (ONOO-) have all been shown to independently exert toxic target molecule reactions. Because these reactive species are often generated in excess during diverse inflammatory and other pathologic circumstances, we assessed the influence of .NO on membrane lipid peroxidation induced by O2-., H2O2, and .OH derived from xanthine oxidase (XO) and by ONOO-. Experimental conditions in lipid oxidation systems were adjusted to yield different rates of delivery of .NO, relative to rates of O2-. and H2O2 generation, by infusion of either .NO or via .NO released from S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine or S-nitrosoglutathione. Peroxidation of phosphatidylcholine liposomes was assessed by formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive products and by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Liposomes exposed to XO-derived reactive species in the presence of .NO exhibited both stimulation and inhibition of lipid peroxidation, depending on the ratio of the rates of reactive oxygen species production and .NO introduction into reaction systems. Nitric oxide alone did not induce lipid peroxidation. Linolenic acid emulsions peroxidized by XO-derived reactive species showed similar dose-dependent regulation of lipid peroxidation by .NO. Mass spectral analysis of oxidation products showed formation of nitrito-, nitro-, nitrosoperoxo-, and/or nitrated lipid oxidation adducts, demonstrating that .NO serves as a potent terminator of radical chain propagation reactions. Electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis of incubation mixtures provided no evidence for formation of paramagnetic iron-lipid-nitric oxide complexes in reaction systems. Peroxynitrite-dependent lipid peroxidation, which predominantly occurs by metal-independent mechanisms, was also inhibited by .NO. Peroxynitrite-mediated benzoate hydroxylation was partially inhibited by .NO, inferring reaction between .NO and ONOOH. It is concluded that .NO can both stimulate O2-./H2O2/.OH-induced lipid oxidation and mediate oxidant-protective reactions in membranes at higher rates of .NO production, with the prooxidant versus antioxidant outcome critically dependent on relative concentrations of individual reactive species. Prooxidant reactions of .NO will occur after O2-. reaction with .NO to yield potent secondary oxidants such as ONOO- and the antioxidant effects of .NO a consequence of direct reaction with alkoxyl and peroxyl radical intermediates during lipid peroxidation, thus terminating lipid radical chain propagation reactions.

Hydroxyl Radical↗
PubMed1994

A critical role for thiol, but not ATP, depletion in 95% O2-mediated injury of preterm pneumocytes in vitro.

Prolonged exposure to elevated partial pressures of oxygen results in lung cell toxicity, both in vivo and in vitro, due to the excess production and target molecule reactions of reactive oxygen species. Events primarily responsible for cell death vary with the type of oxidant injury and with cell type. Because of the susceptibility of the premature lung to oxygen toxicity, and the critical barrier function of the epithelium, we have investigated the role of two potentially lethal consequences of O2 exposure in premature distal lung epithelial cells in vitro. A 48-h exposure of distal fetal rat lung epithelial cells to 95% O2 caused cytotoxicity, which was associated with DNA injury and depletion of both cellular protein and nonprotein reduced sulfhydryls. The observed DNA injury preceded other markers of cell injury and was not sufficient to either activate the chromosomal enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase or cause secondary ATP depletion. Buthionine sulfoxamine-induced depletion of nonprotein reduced sulfhydryls increased the sensitivity of cells to subsequent O2-mediated cytotoxicity. Addition of the glutathione precursor N-acetylcysteine to the culture medium maintained cellular protein and nonprotein reduced sulfhydryl concentrations and prevented O2-mediated cytotoxicity. We conclude that loss of protein and nonprotein reduced sulfhydryls, but not DNA injury, is causally related to the toxic effects of elevated O2 on premature distal lung epithelial cells.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1994

Endogenous xanthine oxidase does not significantly contribute to vascular endothelial production of reactive oxygen species.

The contribution of xanthine oxidoreductase (XDH + XO) to the extracellular release of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and intracellular H2O2 concentration in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) was determined. Intracellular H2O2 concentration was measured by the aminotriazole-mediated inactivation of catalase, while extracellular H2O2 release was measured by the horse-radish peroxidase-mediated oxidation of p-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid to a fluorescent dimer. Supplementation of reaction systems with xanthine did not increase H2O2 production by cells. Inhibition of XO activity with allopurinol did not decrease either intracellular concentrations or the extracellular release of H2O2. Similarly, inactivation of XO by culture of cells with tungsten did not have any effect on intracellular levels of H2O2, while it increased extracellular release of H2O2 by 86 and 103% from cells cultured in Medium 199 (M199) and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), respectively. Cells cultured in DMEM had an average of 8 times greater XDH + XO specific activity, compared to M199 cultured cells, and had a threefold greater rate of release of H2O2 than M199-grown cells. However, DMEM-cultured cells did not have a greater rate of myxothiazole-resistant respiration, suggesting that this increase in H2O2 release comes from sources other than XO. These results show that cellular XO does not contribute significantly to basal H2O2 production in bovine endothelial cells. Analysis of XDH + XO activity of endothelial cells derived from vessels of various species showed a relatively low specific activity of this potential oxidant source in human-derived cells compared with cells cultured from other species such as rodents.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Superoxide and peroxynitrite in atherosclerosis.

The role of reactive oxygen species in the vascular pathology associated with atherosclerosis was examined by testing the hypothesis that impaired vascular reactivity results from the reaction of nitric oxide (.NO) with superoxide (O2-), yielding the oxidant peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Contractility studies were performed on femoral arteries from rabbits fed a cholesterol-supplemented diet. Cholesterol feeding shifted the EC50 for acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation and impaired the maximal response to ACh. We used pH-sensitive liposomes to deliver CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD; superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1) to critical sites of .NO reaction with O2-. Intravenously injected liposomes (3000 units of SOD per ml) augmented ACh-induced relaxation in the cholesterol-fed group to a greater extent than in controls. Quantitative immunocytochemistry demonstrated enhanced distribution of SOD in both endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells as well as in the extracellular matrix. SOD activity in vessel homogenates of liposome-treated rabbits was also increased. Incubation of beta very low density lipoprotein with ONOO- resulted in the rapid formation of conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Our results suggest that the reaction of O2- with .NO is involved in the development of atherosclerotic disease by yielding a potent mediator of lipoprotein oxidation, as well as by limiting .NO stimulation of vascular smooth muscle guanylate cyclase activity.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1993

Peroxynitrite-induced luminol chemiluminescence.

Vascular endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, macrophages, neutrophils, Kupffer cells and other diverse cell types generate superoxide (O2.-) and nitric oxide (.NO), which can react to form the potent oxidant peroxynitrite anion (ONOO-). Peroxynitrite reacted with luminol to yield chemiluminescence which was greatly enhanced by bicarbonate. The quantum chemiluminescence yield of the ONOO- reaction with luminol in bicarbonate was approx. 10(-3). Chemiluminescence was superoxide dismutase-inhibitable, indicating that O2.- was a key intermediate for chemiexcitation. O2.- appears to be formed secondarily to the reaction of a bicarbonate-peroxynitrite complex with luminol, yielding luminol radical and O2.-. Luminol radical reacts with O2.- to form the unstable luminol endoperoxide, which follows the light-emitting pathway. Neither .NO nor O2.- alone were capable of directly inducing significant luminol chemiluminescence in our assay systems. These results suggest that ONOO- can be a critical unrecognized mediator of cell-derived luminol chemiluminescence reported in previous studies. In addition, it is shown that bicarbonate can participate in secondary oxidation reactions after reacting with ONOO-.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1993

The role of cytochrome c and mitochondrial catalase in hydroperoxide-induced heart mitochondrial lipid peroxidation.

The role of cytochrome c and catalase in hydroperoxide-induced lipid peroxidation of rat heart mitochondria was investigated. Mitoplasts were prepared from hearts of aminotriazole-treated rats which displayed both an 80-90% reduction in matrix catalase activity and rate of H2O2 consumption. Catalase-depleted mitochondria were more susceptible to H2O2-dependent lipid peroxidation and had similar extents of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH)-induced lipid peroxidation compared with control mitochondria. The magnitude of lipid peroxidation induced by H2O2 was greater than that for t-BuOOH in catalase-depleted mitochondria, while t-BuOOH induced soybean phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposome lipid peroxidation to a greater extent than H2O2. The t-BuOOH- and H2O2-dependent mitochondrial lipid peroxidation was inhibited 50 and 7%, respectively, by cytochrome c3+ depletion of mitochondria. Similar relative sensitivities to t-BuOOH- and H2O2-dependent peroxidation occurred for cytochrome c(3+)-supplemented soybean PC liposomes. These data show a critical role for cytochrome c3+ in hydroperoxide-induced mitochondrial lipid peroxidation and demonstrate the importance of matrix catalase in protecting heart mitochondria from the toxicity of H2O2.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Detection of H2O2 release from vascular endothelial cells.

Endothelial cells are both significant sources and targets of reactive oxygen species, including O2.-, H2O2, .OH, .NO, and ONOO-, which play important roles in vascular homeostatic mechanisms and pathogenic processes. To better quantify cell oxidant metabolism processes, a fluorescence technique has been developed to measure H2O2 release from bovine aortic endothelial cells. Incubation of H2O2 with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) results in HRP-mediated oxidation of p-hydroxy-phenylacetic acid (PHPA) to the fluorescent PHPA dimer, 2,2'-dihydroxy-biphenyl-5,5' diacetate [(PHPA)2]. The HRP-mediated dimerization of 5 mM PHPA with concentrations of H2O2 up to 2.5 mM resulted in a linear increase in fluorescence (R = .995, n = 8). Maximal fluorescence occurred at 2.9 mM H2O2, with greater H2O2 concentrations yielding products with altered spectrophotometric characteristics and decreased fluorescent yield. The fluorescence of (PHPA)2 was pH sensitive and increased 500-fold from pH to 9. Fluorescence versus pH profiles were adjusted to a Henderson-Hasselbalch fitting, with a 50% maximal emission at pH = 8.1 +/- 0.2. The apparent pKa of fluorescence emission correlated well with a weak range of buffering capacity of (PHPA)2, which had a pKa = 8.0 +/- 0.1. With cells maintained in Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS), the pH can increase to 7.90 during 3 h, with the increased pH due to the loss of HCO3- from HBSS. After adjustment for pH changes, a linear cellular H2O2 release of 217 pmol H2O2.min-1.mg protein-1 was observed. When bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were incubated with HBSS and PHPA alone, 50% less fluorescence was observed than when HRP was added.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Xanthine oxidase activity in the circulation of rats following hemorrhagic shock.

Reactive oxygen metabolites generated from xanthine oxidase play an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemia-induced tissue injury. In a hemorrhagic shock model of ischemia-reperfusion, the intracellular enzyme xanthine oxidase was released into the vasculature. This intravascular source of superoxide (O2.-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) interacted reversibly with glycosaminoglycans of vascular endothelium and markedly concentrated xanthine oxidase at cell surfaces, enhancing its ability to produce extensive damage to remote tissues. Rats were made hypotensive by hemorrhage, maintained for 2h, and reinfused with shed blood. Blood samples were obtained prior to hemorrhage and 15, 30, 60, and 90 min after reperfusion for determination of xanthine oxidase (XO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alanine transaminase (AST). These enzymes were not significantly elevated in control animals. Reperfusion after hemorrhage-induced ischemia resulted in significantly elevated AST and LDH in both low heparin (100 U/h) and high heparin (1000 U/h) groups. Xanthine oxidase was detected in the circulation only after 90 min reperfusion in the low heparin group and was elevated during the entire reperfusion period in the high heparin group. Studies with cultured vascular endothelium showed significant heparin-reversible binding of XO to cellular glycosaminoglycans. These results suggest that XO can gain access to the circulation following ischemia, where it then binds to the vascular endothelial cells to produce site-specific oxidant injury to organs remote from the site of XO release.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1993

GCD11, a negative regulator of GCN4 expression, encodes the gamma subunit of eIF-2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF-2 plays a critical role in regulating the expression of the yeast transcriptional activator GCN4. Mutations in genes encoding the alpha and beta subunits of eIF-2 alter translational efficiency at the GCN4 AUG codon and constitutively elevate GCN4 translation. Mutations in the yeast GCD11 gene have been shown to confer a similar phenotype. The nucleotide sequence of the cloned GCD11 gene predicts a 527-amino-acid polypeptide that is similar to the prokaryotic translation elongation factor EF-Tu. Relative to EF-Tu, the deduced GCD11 amino acid sequence contains a 90-amino-acid N-terminal extension and an internal cysteine-rich sequence that contains a potential metal-binding finger motif. We have identified the GCD11 gene product as the gamma subunit of eIF-2 by the following criteria: (i) sequence identities with mammalian eIF-2 gamma peptides; (ii) increased eIF-2 activity in extracts prepared from cells cooverexpressing GCD11, eIF-2 alpha, and eIF-2 beta; and (iii) cross-reactivity of antibodies directed against the GCD11 protein with the 58-kDa polypeptide present in purified yeast eIF-2. The predicted GCD11 polypeptide contains all of the consensus elements known to be required for guanine nucleotide binding, suggesting that, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the gamma subunit of eIF-2 is responsible for GDP-GTP binding.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Oxidant injury to the alveolar epithelium: biochemical and pharmacologic studies.

This multifaceted study involved a combined biochemical and cellular analysis of oxidant metabolism by a lung cell at risk from injury by endogenous and environmental oxidants, the pulmonary alveolar type II epithelial cell. Within the framework of this study, a method was developed for effectively delivering antioxidant enzymes and alpha-tocopherol to the intracellular compartment of alveolar epithelial cells. Alveolar type II cells are key sources of pulmonary surfactant phospholipids and apoproteins and serve as progenitors of type I alveolar epithelium, thus playing an important role in the re-epithelialization of the lung alveolus after exposure to pulmonary oxidants. The type I and II pulmonary epithelium also play an essential collaborative role in maintaining the integrity of the air-blood barrier of the lung. Because of these critical properties of the alveolar epithelium and their recognized sensitivity to oxidant stress derived from diverse sources, such as activated inflammatory cells, hyperoxia, the environmental oxidants and nitrogen dioxide, and surgical procedures, such as cardiopulmonary bypass and lung transplantation, we endeavored to understand more about the oxidant metabolism and antioxidant pharmacology of these cells. In our experiments, we made the observation that loss of differentiated oxidant generation and antioxidant properties of type II cells occurs very rapidly in vitro. For example, we observed a 50% to 75% reduction in the specific activities of type II cell superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, all critical scavengers of cell superoxide and hydrogen peroxide and key enzymes in the attenuation of hydroxyl radical formation. Although the differentiated characteristics of the type II cell antioxidant defenses changed in vitro, they may have become more reflective of type I alveolar epithelial cells. The type I cell is the most vulnerable for oxidant damage in the alveolus because of its large surface area and the possibility of a reduced antioxidant capacity compared to type II alveolar epithelium. In spite of this limitation, we were able to culture type II cells and study their adaptive and toxic responses to exogenously administered oxidant stress. We also observed that a significant source of self-generated oxidants in type II cells was the enzyme xanthine oxidase. Normal rates of oxidant production by this enzyme had an inhibitory effect on incorporation of biosynthetic precursors into surfactant phospholipids; these effects were eliminated by the xanthine oxidase inhibitor, allopurinol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Responses of vascular endothelial oxidant metabolism to lipopolysaccharide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Quantification of intracellular and extracellular levels and production rates of reactive oxygen species is crucial to understanding their contribution to tissue pathophysiology. We measured basal rates of oxidant production and the activity of xanthine oxidase, proposed to be a key source of O2- and H2O2, in endothelial cells. Then we examined the influence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and lipopolysaccharide on endothelial cell oxidant metabolism, in response to the proposal that these inflammatory mediators initiate vascular injury in part by stimulating endothelial xanthine oxidase-mediated production of O2- and H2O2. We determined a basal intracellular H2O2 concentration of 32.8 +/- 10.7 pM in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells by kinetic analysis of aminotriazole-mediated inactivation of endogenous catalase. Catalase activity was 5.72 +/- 1.61 U/mg cell protein and glutathione peroxidase activity was much lower, 8.13 +/- 3.79 mU/mg protein. Only 0.48 +/- 0.18% of total glucose metabolism occurred via the pentose phosphate pathway. The rate of extracellular H2O2 release was 75 +/- 12 pmol.min-1.mg cell protein-1. Intracellular xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase activity determined by pterin oxidation was 2.32 +/- 0.75 microU/mg with 47.1 +/- 11.7% in the oxidase form. Intracellular purine levels of 1.19 +/- 1.04 nmol hypoxanthine/mg protein, 0.13 +/- 0.17 nmol xanthine/mg protein, and undetectable uric acid were consistent with a low activity of xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase. Exposure of endothelial cells to 1000 U/ml tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or 1 microgram/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 1-12 h did not alter basal endothelial cell oxidant production or xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase activity. These results do not support a casual role for H2O2 in the direct endothelial toxicity of TNF and LPS.

Amitrole↗