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Biomedical subjects

H Sies

Publications and source records attributed to H Sies.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Preferential increase in chylomicron levels of the xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin compared to beta-carotene in the human.

The time-course of appearance of five carotenoids in chylomicrons and their distribution pattern were studied following ingestion of a single dose of Betatene, a natural carotenoid source composed of 0.5% lutein, 0.75% zeaxanthin, 3.6% alpha-carotene, 70.3% all-trans beta-carotene, 22.7% beta-carotene cis isomers, 2.1% unidentified carotenoids and no lycopene. Lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene and all-trans beta-carotene but not lycopene levels in chylomicrons increased after Betatene ingestion with a maximum at 9 h and a distinct decline from 9 to 12 h. However, the carotenoid pattern in the chylomicron fraction did not match the pattern in Betatene, with a 14-fold and 4-fold higher level of lutein and zeaxanthin, respectively, compared to their content in Betatene. The contribution of alpha-carotene to the carotenoid composition in chylomicrons reflected its content in Betatene, whereas the relative amount of all-trans beta-carotene was substantially lower than in Betatene. Thus, in the presence of high amounts of beta-carotene, there is a preferential uptake of the xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin as compared to all-trans beta-carotene from the intestinal lumen into chylomicrons.

Adult↗

beta-Cryptoxanthin selectively increases in human chylomicrons upon ingestion of tangerine concentrate rich in beta-cryptoxanthin esters.

beta-Cryptoxanthin is a major source of vitamin A, often second only to beta-carotene, and is present in fruits such as oranges, tangerines, and papayas. Here, we studied the uptake of this carotenoid upon ingestion of tangerine juice concentrate, rich in beta-cryptoxanthin esters. Increasing amounts of free beta-cryptoxanthin were detected in chylomicrons and serum. Peak levels in chylomicrons were reached at t = 6 h, and the concentration returned toward basal levels at t = 9 h. No beta-cryptoxanthin esters were detected in chylomicrons or serum, indicating efficient cleavage in the intestine before the carotenoid is incorporated into lipoproteins by the liver. Other xanthophyll esters, e.g., of zeaxanthin and lutein, were present in low amounts in the tangerine concentrate. As with beta-cryptoxanthin, no esters appeared in serum or chylomicrons, suggesting that the cleavage of carotenoid esters prior to release into the lymphatic circulation occurs generally in human oxocarotenoid biokinetics.

Absorption↗

The content of glutathione and glutathione S-transferases and the glutathione peroxidase activity in rat liver nuclei determined by a non-aqueous technique of cell fractionation.

Hepatocellular nuclei require glutathione, glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GPx) for intranuclear protection against damage from electrophiles or products of active oxygen. Data so far available from the literature on nuclei isolated in aqueous systems range from glutathione, GSTs and GPx either being absent altogether to being present in quantities in excess of those in the cytoplasm. This paper describes a small-scale preparation of a nuclear fraction from rat liver by a non-aqueous technique, designed to retain nuclear water-soluble molecules in situ, since low-molecular-mass compounds can diffuse freely into other compartments during aqueous separation. This non-aqueous procedure shows the nucleus to contain glutathione at 8.4 mM and soluble GSTs at 38 micrograms/mg of protein, the enrichment over the homogenate being 1.2-1.4-fold. Se-dependent GPx activity was also present in the nucleus (56 m-units/mg), although with slightly lower activity than in the homogenate (0.7-fold).

Animals↗

Turnover of glutathione S-transferase alpha mRNAs is accelerated by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate in human hepatoma and colon carcinoma cell lines.

The phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), known to induce murine glutathione S-transferase (GST) Ya, was examined for its effect on the expression of human GST alpha. Unexpectedly, 24-h treatment of the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 with 100 nmol/l TPA caused a decrease of the GST alpha mRNA level to below 5% of controls, i.e. opposite to the known response in the mouse. The level of mRNA for GST Mu was also decreased, but the mRNAs of c-jun and jun-B were elevated after 2 h. The decrease of GST alpha mRNAs was inhibited by staurosporine, suggesting an involvement of protein kinase C. Inhibition of transcription and translation by actinomycin D and cycloheximide also partially inhibited the effect of TPA on the expression of GST alpha. In the presence of actinomycin D, GST alpha mRNA halflife was 14.5 h, compared to 3.5 h in the presence of TPA. The calcium ionophore A23187 caused a loss of GST alpha mRNAs to levels almost as low as those obtained with TPA. The effects of TPA and the calcium ionophore were also observed in CaCo2 colon carcinoma cells. As a consequence of the decrease of mRNA levels, GST alpha protein levels and total GST enzyme activity were also diminished. Also, the morphology of the cells was changed after 3 h exposure to TPA. These data suggest that human GST alpha expression can be regulated at the level of mRNA stability by a pathway involving protein kinase C.

Animals↗

Some basic properties of ascorbate-dependent antioxidative-defence factors from rat liver cytosol.

Properties of the ascorbate-dependent antioxidative-defence factors from rat liver cytosol (Antonenkov and Sies, 1992, Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 373, 1111-1116) were investigated. The factors are assayed by their capacity to inhibit Fe/ADP-ascorbate (nonenzymatic) lipid peroxidation. Ammonium sulfate fractionation and gel-filtration of the dialysed cytosol on Sephadex G-200 or Sephacryl S-400 led to the separation of factors A and B, with approximate molecular masses of > 400 kDa and 60 kDa, respectively. After fractionation of cytosol, factors A and B required the presence of the thiol- reducing agent, dithioerythritol, for their activity; factor B more so than factor A. Inhibiting activity of factor B is displayed at higher ascorbate concentrations than that of factor A. Increasing the ionic strength strongly stimulated the inhibitory capacity of factor A, but only slightly that of factor B. Differences were observed in pH-dependence, though both factors were more active in neutral media (pH 6.2-6.8). Factors A and B had different time-courses of inhibition of TBARS formation and suppression of chemiluminescence intensity. Factor B was more stable in the course of thermal treatment. Repeated freezing and thawing did not affect the activity of both factors. However, factor A could be inactivated by ultrasonic treatment, whereas factor B was unaffected. A function of these factors could be to create more favourable conditions for the interaction of ascorbate as a very hydrophilic molecule with membrane-bound hydrophobic radicals.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Induction of gap junctional communication by 4-oxoretinoic acid generated from its precursor canthaxanthin.

The activity of 4-oxoretinoic acid as an inducer of gap junctional communication was investigated in C3H/10T1/2 murine fibroblasts. Two isomers of this retinoid, all-trans- and 13-cis-4-oxoretinoic acid, enhance gap junctional communication. This is accompanied by increased expression of connexin43 mRNA. Decomposition fractions of canthaxanthin were isolated by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and shown to be active in the cell-cell communication assay. Two of the decomposition compounds were identified as all-trans- and 13-cis-4-oxoretinoic acid. Therefore, it is concluded that the biological activity of canthaxanthin regarding cell-cell communication is at least in part due to the formation of active decomposition products such as 4-oxoretinoic acid.

Animals↗

Efficacy of all-trans-beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, and all-trans-, 9-cis-, and 4-oxoretinoic acids in inducing differentiation of an F9 embryonal carcinoma RAR beta-lacZ reporter cell line.

A reporter cell line was established from F9 mouse teratocarcinoma cells containing the RAR beta 2 promoter coupled to the lacZ (beta-galactosidase) reporter gene. All-trans-, 9-cis-, and all-trans-4-oxoretinoic acid were equipotent in inducing cell differentiation at 1 microM, determined by induction of collagen IV mRNA expression, of morphological changes, as well as of beta-galactosidase enzyme activity. By the same criteria, beta-carotene at 10 microM also induced differentiation, but less strongly and more slowly than the retinoic acids. In contrast, the oxocarotenoid (or xanthophyll) canthaxanthin, at 10 microM, had little effect on differentiation, unless preincubated in culture medium, from which 4-oxoretinoic acid was recovered and identified as a decomposition product. This indicates that canthaxanthin can act as an effective inducer of differentiation only after breakdown to active metabolites. Likewise, beta-carotene probably also acts subsequent to breakdown to retinoic acid. Throughout these experiments the response of the RAR beta promoter-lacZ reporter gene correlated well with other parameters of differentiation, making this cell line a useful system for examination of inducers of embryonal carcinoma cell differentiation.

Animals↗

The oxidation of ebselen metabolites to thiol oxidants catalyzed by liver microsomes and perfused rat liver.

The oxidation of 2-(methylseleno)benzanilide and 2-selenylbenzanilide, metabolites of the antioxidant drug ebselen, was examined in reactions catalyzed by rat, pig, and guinea pig liver microsomes and in perfused rat liver. Microsomes from all three species catalyzed NADPH- and oxygen-dependent oxidation of the selenide and the selenol to thiol-reactive metabolites. The oxidation product of the selenide was similar in properties to the chemically synthesized selenoxide [2-(methylseleninyl)benzanilide]. The selenoxide oxidized GSH and thiocholine at rate constants of 1.2 x 10(2) and 7.2 x 10(2) M-1 s-1, respectively at pH 7.4, 37 degrees C. n-Octylamine stimulated the oxidation of the ring-opened metabolites of ebselen catalyzed by pig and guinea pig liver microsomes but it had essentially no effect on these activities in rat liver microsomes. The selenoxidase activity of microsomes from all three species was partially (30-50%) sensitive to N-benzylimidazole. The effects of n-octylamine and the imidazole suggest that the oxidation of the selenide was catalyzed primarily by enzymes with the properties of flavin-containing and P450-dependent monooxygenases, but the nature of enzymes responsible for a small fraction of the N-benzylimidazole-sensitive activity was not fully resolved. The 2-(methylseleno)benzanilide oxidase activity of pig liver microsomes sensitive to N-benzylimidazole was only partially sensitive to antisera to pig liver NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. While neither 2-(methylseleno)benzanilide nor ebselen affected bile flow, the biliary efflux of GSSG was stimulated about fourfold in rat liver perfused with either of these selenium compounds. The increased GSSG efflux produced by 5 microM ebselen or its methyl metabolite was abolished by N-benzylimidazole.

Anilides↗

Ebselen.

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Antioxidants↗

Inactivation of viruses by chemically and photochemically generated singlet molecular oxygen.

Inactivation of viruses in blood plasma can be achieved by photodynamic procedures using methylene blue (MB) or other photoactive dyes. Singlet molecular oxygen (1O2) probably contributes to the virucidal effects of photosensitization. We report the inactivation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and suid herpes virus type 1 (SHV-1) by chemically generated singlet oxygen, produced by thermal decomposition of the endoperoxide of 3,3'-(1,4-naphthylidene)dipropionate (NDPO2). We demonstrate that viruses can be inactivated by 1O2 generated by chemiexcitation in a reaction in the dark, even in the presence of human plasma. Virus inactivation in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was enhanced when water was replaced by deuterium oxide (D2O) and diminished when human plasma or quenchers (imidazole or histidine) were added. The singlet oxygen quenching activities of plasma, imidazole and histidine correlated with their inhibitory effects on virus inactivation. The production of 1O2 was assessed by an indicator reaction: the bleaching of p-nitrosodimethylaniline (RNO) with imidazole as 1O2 acceptor. Virus inactivation and singlet oxygen generation of NDPO2 were compared with those of MB/light-mediated photosensitization. Based on similar amounts of 1O2 generated by either procedure, virus inactivation by MB/light was more effective. Virus inactivation by MB/light was not affected by type I quenchers (e.g. mannitol), but was inhibited by human plasma or singlet oxygen quenchers. Furthermore, in D2O-based PBS, virus inactivation was more effective than that in H2O. These observations confirm that singlet oxygen is involved in virus inactivation by MB/light. Taken together, the results demonstrate that singlet oxygen produced by either procedure is virucidal. The enhanced effect of the photochemical procedure suggests that, in addition to type II, type I reactions and/or the binding affinity of the dye for the virus contribute to virus killing by MB/light.

Animals↗

Vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids as antioxidants.

Tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and the carotenoids react with free radicals, notably peroxyl radicals, and with singlet molecular oxygen (1O2), which is the basis for their function as antioxidants. RRR-alpha-Tocopherol is the major peroxyl radical scavenger in biological lipid phases such as membranes or low-density lipoproteins. Ascorbic acid is present in aqueous compartments (eg, cytosol, plasma, and other body fluids) and can reduce the tocopherol radical; it also has several metabolically important cofactor functions in enzyme reactions, especially hydroxylations. These micronutrients need to be regenerated on oxidation in the biological setting, hence the need for further coupling to nonradical reducing systems such as glutathione-glutathione disulfide, dihydrolipoate-lipoate, or NADPH-NADP+ and NADH-NAD+. Carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lycopene, and some oxycarotenoids, eg, zeaxanthin and lutein, exert antioxidant functions in lipid phases by quenching 1O2 or free radicals. There are pronounced differences in tissue carotenoid patterns, extending also to the distribution between the all-trans and various cis isomers of the respective carotenoids. Physical quenching leaves the structure intact, so that in this mode the carotenoids do not require a regeneration reaction.

Animals↗

All-trans beta-carotene preferentially accumulates in human chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins compared with the 9-cis geometrical isomer.

Following ingestion of a beta-carotene isomer mixture (Betatene) containing nearly equal amounts of all-trans and 9-cis beta-carotene (all-trans/9-cis beta-carotene ratio approximately 1.5), concentrations of all-trans beta-carotene increased for 6 or 8 h in the chylomicron fraction of plasma from four of seven human subjects. A substantially lower increase in the 9-cis beta-carotene concentration was observed, with the accumulation of the all-trans isomer being 10- to 50-fold higher than that of the 9-cis isomer, calculated on the basis of the beta-carotene isomer pattern in the ingested mixture. A similar effect was observed in the VLDL fraction. Three of the seven subjects did not respond to beta-carotene ingestion. In the subjects that did respond, the all-trans/9-cis beta-carotene ratios in chylomicrons and VLDL suggest an efficient isomer-selective mechanism for intestinal uptake across the mucosa or very rapid elimination into tissues.

Administration, Oral↗

Singlet oxygen may mediate the ultraviolet A-induced synthesis of interstitial collagenase.

Singlet oxygen has been postulated to be generated by Ultraviolet (UV) A irradiation of mammalian cells. We studied the role of singlet oxygen in the downstream signaling of the complex UV response leading to the induction of matrix-metalloproteinase-1 (interstitial collagenase/MMP-1). Exposure of cultured human fibroblasts to singlet oxygen, generated in a dark reaction by thermodissociation of the endoperoxide of the disodium salt of 3,3'-(1,4-naphthylidene) dipropionate (NDPO2) induced collagenase mRNA steady state levels in a dose dependent manner. The increase in collagenase expression after singlet-oxygen exposure generated with 3 mM NDPO2 was equivalent to that observed with UVA at a dose rate of 200-300 kJ/m2 and developed in a similar time course. In contrast, mRNA levels of TIMP-1, the specific tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases, remained unchanged. Indirect evidence for the role of singlet oxygen in the UVA induction of collagenase comes from studies using singlet oxygen enhancer or quencher. Accordingly, incubation in deuterium oxide, an enhancer of singlet-oxygen lifetime, led to an additional increase in steady-state levels of collagenase mRNA after exposure to NDPO2 or to UVA irradiation. In contrast, sodium azide, a potent quencher of singlet oxygen, almost totally abrogated the induction of collagenase after exposure of fibroblasts to NDPO2 or to UVA irradiation. Similar results were obtained in studies of the proteins by radioimmunoprecipitation of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 using specific antibodies. Collectively, our data provide circumstantial evidence that singlet oxygen mediates the UVA induction of collagenase in vitro, whereas it does not exert any effect on TIMP-1 synthesis. The unbalanced synthesis of interstitial collagenase may contribute to the connective tissue damage in vivo related to photoaging and other photocutaneous disorders.

Azides↗

Singlet molecular oxygen production in the reaction of peroxynitrite with hydrogen peroxide.

Peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide are mediators of cytotoxicity. This study shows that the peroxynitrite anion reacts with hydrogen peroxide to release oxygen accompanied by emission of chemiluminescence (CL). Direct characterization of this light emission attributes it to the transition of singlet molecular oxygen to the triplet ground state. Chemiluminescence was monitored: (i) by dimol light emission in the red spectral region (> 610 nm) using a red-sensitive photomultiplier; and (ii) by monomol light emission in the infrared (1270 nm) with a liquid nitrogen-cooled germanium diode. These properties of photoemission and the enhancing effect of deuterium oxide on CL intensity as well as the quenching effect of sodium azide are diagnostic of molecular oxygen in the excited singlet state. For comparison, singlet molecular oxygen arising from the thermolysis of the water-soluble endoperoxide of 3,3'-(1,4-naphthylidene)dipropionate or from the hypochlorite/H2O2 system was also monitored. These novel observations identify a potential singlet oxygen-dependent mechanism contributing to cytotoxicity mediated by peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide.

Free Radicals↗

Human blood cells support the reduction of low-density-lipoprotein-associated cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides by albumin-bound ebselen.

Ebselen, a glutathione peroxidase mimic capable of reducing simple as well as complex hydroperoxides, including those of phospholipids and cholesteryl esters in intact oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDLox), requires the presence of low-molecular-mass thiols to be active. In plasma, the drug is thought to be transported as an inactive albumin complex. As formation of LDLox is likely to occur extracellularly, we tested under which conditions ebselen can support reduction of LDLox-associated cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides outside cells. We observed that addition of albumin-bound ebselen to whole blood, but not plasma, resulted in reduction of LDLox-associated cholesteryl linoleate hydroperoxides to the corresponding hydroxides. The observed reduction was rapid and its extent increased with increasing concentrations of ebselen. Physical contact of blood cells with LDLox was not required for this reducing activity. These results demonstrate that, in the presence of blood cells, extracellular ebselen is catalytically active. They suggest that ebselen may be considered as a drug for extracellular targets.

Adult↗

Vitamin D influences gap junctional communication in C3H/10T 1/2 murine fibroblast cells.

Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol, induces cell-cell communication via gap junctions in murine fibroblasts (C3H/10T 1/2 cells) at concentrations between 0.01 and 1.0 microM, as assayed by the dye transfer method using Lucifer yellow CH. The extent of induction is similar to that obtained with the positive controls, canthaxanthin or retinoic acid, applied at 10 and 1 microM, respectively. Vitamin D2 also induces cell-cell communication. At elevated concentrations of vitamin D3 (5 microM) there is a suppression of gap junctional communication, reversible upon exposure to all-trans retinoic acid (1 microM) after removal of vitamin D3 from the medium. Conversely, communication between cells prestimulated with retinoic acid (1 microM) rapidly decreases when the retinoid is replaced by vitamin D3 (5 microM). The data demonstrate a role for vitamin D in the regulation of intercellular communication. This novel property of vitamin D may contribute to the antiproliferative effects of vitamin D exhibited in some types of cancer.

Animals↗