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P Moldéus

Publications and source records attributed to P Moldéus.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Mechanism of p-hydroxybenzoate ester-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cytotoxicity in isolated rat hepatocytes.

The relationship between the metabolism and the cytotoxic effects of the alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) has been studied in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Incubation of hepatocytes with propyl-paraben (0.5 to 2.0 mM) elicited a concentration- and time-dependent cell death that was enhanced when enzymatic hydrolysis of propyl-paraben to p-hydroxybenzoic acid was inhibited by a carboxylesterase inhibitor, diazinon. The cytotoxicity was accompanied by losses of cellular ATP, total adenine nucleotide pools, and reduced glutathione, independently of lipid peroxidation and protein thiol oxidation. In the comparative toxic effects based on cell viability, ATP level, and rhodamine 123 retention, butyl- and isobutyl-parabens were more toxic than propyl- and isopropyl-parabens, and ethyl- and methyl-parabens and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were less toxic than propyl-paraben. The addition of propyl-paraben to isolated hepatic mitochondria reduced state 3 respiration with NAD+-linked substrates (pyruvate plus malate) and/or with an FAD-linked substrate (succinate plus rotenone), whereas state 3 respiration with ascorbate plus tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (cytochrome oxidase-linked respiration) was not affected significantly by propyl-paraben. Further, the addition of these parabens caused a concentration-dependent increase in the rate of state 4 oxygen consumption, indicating an uncoupling effect. The rate of state 3 oxygen consumption was inhibited by propyl-paraben, butyl-paraben, and their chain isomers. These results indicate that a) propyl-paraben-induced cytotoxicity is mediated by the parent compound rather than by its metabolite p-hydroxybenzoic acid; b) the toxicity is associated with ATP depletion via impairment of mitochondrial function related to membrane potential and/or oxidative phosphorylation; and c) the toxic potency of parabens to hepatocytes or mitochondria depends on the relative elongation of alkyl side-chains esterified to the carboxyl group of p-hydroxybenzoic acid.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

Propyl gallate-induced DNA fragmentation in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Incubation of isolated rat hepatocytes with propyl gallate (PG) at concentrations of > or = 1 mM induced cell killing, whereas PG at < or = 0.5 mM did not cause cell death during a 3-h incubation. PG at > or = 0.5 mM elicited the ladder formation of soluble low-molecular weight DNA fragments with integer multiples of approximately 180 bp and specific nuclear DNA cleavages detected cytopathologically by labeling of a digoxigenin-nucleotide complex to new 3'-OH ends. Both of these PG-induced changes observed in hepatocytes are characteristic features of apoptosis. In contrast, the pretreatment of N-acetylcysteine (4 mM), a precursor of intracellular glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant, prevented PG (0.5 mM)-induced formation of soluble DNA fragments and loss of cellular GSH, ATP, and formation of blebbing. These results suggest that when the concentration of PG is decreased, the effects of PG on hepatocytes change from acute necrotic to apoptotic mode, and that the onset of DNA fragmentation is associated with GSH depletion.

Acetylcysteine↗

Hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)-induced lung impairment: studies in isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lungs.

Isolated, perfused and ventilated guinea pig lungs were exposed to hexamethylene diisocyanate via the air passages. Two air concentrations of hexamethylene diisocyanate were studied (3.5 and 11 mg/m3). There was a statistically significant (P < 0.05-0.001) dose-related reduction in both conductance and compliance but no effects were noted on the pulmonary circulation. With 3.5 mg/m3 hexamethylene diisocyanate the conductance capacity was reduced with 38% and compliance with 30% after 60 min. exposure. Eleven mg/m3 hexamethylene diisocyanate reduced the conductance and compliance capacity with 86 and 69%, respectively, on an average. The reduction in lung function (with 11 mg/m3) was abolished when 100 microM diclofenac, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, was added to the perfusate (P < 0.01). The thromboxane A2 antagonist L-670, 596 (20 microM) exerted a partial protective effect. The capacity of conductance and compliance decreased with 46 and 32%, respectively, on an average, after preperfusion with L-670, 596 and a following exposure of 11 mg/m3 hexamethylene diisocyanate for 60 min. Statistically significant protection (P < 0.05) was obtained on compliance and the P-value was < 0.1 for conductance. Thus, these data indicate that hexamethylene diisocyanate-induced bronchoconstriction is mediated via arachidonic acid release and thromboxane formation, in isolated, perfused and ventilated guinea pig lungs.

Animals↗

Relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and toxicity of propyl gallate in isolated rat hepatocytes.

The relationship between cytotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by propyl gallate (PG) has been studied in hepatocytes freshly prepared from fasted rats. Hepatocytes isolated from fasted (18 h) rats were significantly more susceptible to the toxicity of PG than hepatocytes from fed rats. The addition of fructose (15 mM), an alternative carbohydrate source, to hepatocyte suspensions resulted in the prevention of PG (1 mM)-induced cell killing accompanied by decrease in intracellular ATP loss during a 3 h-incubation period. Despite this, fructose did not completely prevent an abrupt loss of intracellular glutathione caused by PG, but effectively inhibited the loss of protein thiol levels. Fructose elicited a concentration (0.5-20mM)-dependent protection against the cytotoxicity of 1.5 mM PG. The incubation of hepatocytes with sodium azide (4 mM), an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation, enhanced the toxicity induced by PG (1 mM), but coincubation with fructose delayed the onset of toxicity. Neither azide alone nor fructose plus azide did affect the cell viability during the incubation period. Furthermore, the addition of 2 mM salicylamide, nontoxic to hepatocytes during the incubation period, enhanced PG (1 mM)-induced cytotoxicity and decreased the loss of free PG. These results indicate that the onset of cytotoxicity caused by PG may depend on the intracellular energy status and that mitochondria are critical target for the compound. In addition, the toxicity caused by the inhibition of mitochondrial ATP synthesis is related to the concentration of PG remaining in cell suspensions.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of 3,5-dimethyl acetaminophen causes cell death by selective protein thiol modification in isolated rat hepatocytes.

In this study we used a peroxidase model system (glucose/glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase) to investigate the effect of extracellularly generated reactive metabolites of 3,5-Me2-acetaminophen on cell viability and on cellular thiol levels. Incubation of hepatocytes with 3,5-Me2-acetaminophen in the presence of glucose/glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase caused a concentration-dependent loss of cell viability. Loss of viability was associated with decreased protein thiol levels. Addition of the reducing agent DTT, but not catalase, during the incubation restored cellular protein thiol levels and arrested the cell killing. Protein thiol depletion occurred selectively to the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions and was specific for a very limited number of protein bands. The data suggest that the oxidative modification of individual protein cysteine residues within the latter two organelle fractions is critically involved in the mechanism of toxicity.

Acetaminophen↗

Effects of glutathione and pH on the oxidation of biomarkers of cellular oxidative stress.

Cellular oxidative stress is associated with such pathological conditions as arteriosclerosis, inflammatory diseases and cancer. The oxidation of the biomarkers. 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin (DCFH), 2-deoxyribose, and lipid peroxidation are often used to assess the status of oxidative stress in cells and tissues. Since high levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and acidic conditions have been associated with diminished chemical lethality, we evaluated the influence of these parameters on the cellular response to oxidative stress. We used a cultured hepatocyte line (ch/ch cells) that is susceptible to oxidative toxicity. A hydroxyl radical-generating system consisting of H2O2, ascorbate and iron produced a pH-dependent lethality, with complete cell killing at pH 7.4 and none at pH 6.8. Lethality correlated with the depletion of intracellular GSH, and with an increase in DNA fragmentation. The influence of GSH and pH was assessed for DCFH and 2-deoxyribose oxidation, and for lipid peroxidation. The oxidation of DCFH and 2-deoxyribose was inhibited by GSH, with about 4-fold greater inhibition efficacy at pH 6.8 than at pH 7.4 [IC50 values (microM GSH) for pH 6.8 and 7.4, respectively: DCFH = 7 and 30; 2-deoxyribose = 125 and 490]. GSH did not affect lipid peroxidation at either pH, even at a high intracellular concentration of 10 mM. We conclude: 1) GSH is not inhibiting DCFH and 2-deoxyribose oxidation by simply quenching reactive oxygen (hydroxyl radical or perferryl oxygen), since GSH did not inhibit lipid peroxidation: 2) the protonated form GSH is more likely to be the inhibitory species rather than GS-, since even in the simple cell-free systems lower pH inhibited biomarker oxidation; and; 3) hydroxyl radical may not be the primary intracellular oxidant of DCFH, since intracellular GSH concentrations are typically 10- to 100-fold higher than the IC50 values for GSH inhibiting reactive oxygen-mediated DCFH oxidation.

Animals↗

Direct exposure to nitrogen dioxide fails to induce the expression of some inflammatory cytokines in an IC-21 murine macrophage cell model.

Biologically-active molecules secreted from alveolar macrophages, such as cytokines, have been proposed to be involved in the induction of pulmonary toxicity and inflammation in response to the inhalation of oxidant gas pollutants such as NO2 and O3. Despite this, mechanistic studies are hampered by the difficulty in obtaining control macrophages from human subjects, and the intrinsic variability of such primary cells. It is, thus, of importance to develop alternative models for such studies. Here, we have characterised expression kinetics of the mRNAs for tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1 beta) in confluent cultures of the murine IC-21 macrophage line in response to LPS. The secretion of TNF-alpha protein into the medium, assayed by L-929 cell bioassay, closely followed the expression of its mRNA in response to the LPS stimulus. In contrast to LPS, the exposure of IC-21 cells to either air or various concentrations of NO2 in air between 2 and 20 ppm, in an inverted plate exposure model, failed to induce the expression of any of the cytokine mRNAs probed. We conclude that the IC-21 cell line may represent a suitable model for studying the role of stimulated cytokine gene expression in inflammation and that the early events in the pulmonary inflammatory response to the inhalation of NO2 do not involve stimulated release of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta or MIP-1 alpha/MIP-1 beta from macrophages.

Actins↗

Evidence for the activation of the signal-responsive phospholipase A2 by exogenous hydrogen peroxide.

The intracellular events that lead to arachidonic acid release from bovine endothelial cells in culture treated with hydrogen peroxide were characterized. The hydrogen peroxide-stimulated release of arachidonic acid was time- and dose-dependent, with maximal release achieved at 15 minutes after the addition of 100 microM hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide-stimulated release of arachidonic acid was blocked with the phospholipase A2 inhibitor quinacrine. Treatment of the cells with hydrogen peroxide did not result in liberation of oleic acid, indicating that hydrogen peroxide exercised its effect on an arachidonate-specific phospholipase. Pretreatment of the cells with antioxidants, transition metal chelators, and hydroxyl radical scavengers did not affect the hydrogen peroxide-stimulated arachidonic acid release, indicating that the response to hydrogen peroxide is not oxygen radical-mediated. The response to hydrogen peroxide does not appear to be calcium-dependent, due to the following two observations: (a) No increase in intracellular calcium was seen upon exposure of the FURA2-loaded cells to hydrogen peroxide at concentrations sufficient to release arachidonic acid, and (b) no change in the release response was detected in cells loaded with the intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA. Significant inhibition of arachidonic acid release was seen when the cells were pretreated with inhibitors of protein kinase C, but not with inhibitors of tyrosine kinase. The results of these studies indicate that hydrogen peroxide-stimulated arachidonic acid release is mediated by a specific signal-responsive phospholipase A2, and that this process is not mediated via the actions of either lipid peroxidation or calcium but, rather, that a stimulation of intracellular kinase activity is necessary for this response.

Animals↗

The cytoprotective roles of ascorbate and glutathione against nitrogen dioxide toxicity in human endothelial cells.

The depletion of human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cell glutathione with buthionine sulfoximine or with sulfur amino acid-free medium potentiated the sub-lethal (3H-deoxyglucose release) and lethal (lactate dehydrogenase release) cytotoxicity responses of the cells to direct exposure to NO2 over the range 2-20 ppm. When control cells, or glutathione-depleted cells, were either pre-loaded with ascorbate (intracellular ascorbate), or washed with ascorbate-containing medium just before exposure (extracellular ascorbate), the cells were fully protected from NO2-dependent toxicity. Concomitant with these exposures, NO2 caused dose-dependent depletions of both glutathione and ascorbate. Further, it was noted that the depletion of the intracellular ascorbate pool was accelerated in these glutathione depleted cells. Conversely, loading ascorbate into the cells significantly diminished NO2-dependent depletion of intracellular GSH. In contrast to affecting the acute cytotoxicity response of the HUVE cells to NO2, ascorbate supplementation of the medium of cells exposed to NO2 at clonal density facilitated considerable protection to the colony-forming efficiency of the cells. We conclude that both ascorbate and glutathione play important protective roles in defending HUVE cells from the toxicity of NO2 under direct exposure conditions. The results also strengthen the premise that ascorbate and glutathione co-operate in the antioxidative protection of cellular viability.

Antioxidants↗

Cytotoxicity of NO2 gas to cultured human and murine cells in an inverted monolayer exposure system.

We report the development of an optimised exposure system for the exposure of inverted cell cultures to NO2, which presents several advantages over conventional, right-side-up exposure systems. Firstly, the cells may be directly exposed to NO2 in the gas phase for up to 1 h, without the interposition of an aqueous layer. Secondly, the chamber system allows simple and precise control of the gas concentration during the exposure. Finally, the system allows the simultaneous exposure of large numbers of cells under sterile conditions, facilitating further culture of the cells after the exposure period. We report the application of this system to a comparative study of the toxicity of NO2 in three different cell types involved in the circuit of the inflammatory response, the IC-21 murine macrophage line, the A-549 human pulmonary type II-like epithelial cell line and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. As little as 2 ppm NO2 for 20 min reduced colony-forming efficiency of HUVE cells and A-549 cells and A-549 cells to 35% and 78% of their air controls, respectively. Exposure to 5 ppm NO2 for 1 h increased lactate dehydrogenase release of HUVE cells, IC-21 macrophages and A-549 cells from 7.9% to 21.6%, 5.7% to 10.9% and 2.0% to 3.4%, respectively, whilst 10 ppm NO2 for 1 h lowered cellular glutathione in HUVE cells, IC-21 cells and A-549 cells from 35.2 nmol/mg to 23.3 nmol/mg, from 45.0 nmol/mg to 31.0 nmol/mg and from 86.4 nmol/mg to 69.2 nmol/mg, respectively. Of the cell types tested it was shown that HUVE cells and IC-21 cells were equally sensitive to the toxicity of NO2, whilst A-549 cells displayed considerable resistance, perhaps due to the considerably higher levels of glutathione in this cell line. Further, a comparison of the sensitivity of HUVE cells to NO2, using several modes of exposure (inverted and right-side-up (either rocked or static)) and the assay of lactate dehydrogenase and [3H]deoxyglucose release, revealed that the present inverted exposure technique potentiated the acute cytotoxicity of the gas.

Animals↗

N-ethyl maleimide stimulates arachidonic acid release through activation of the signal-responsive phospholipase A2 in endothelial cells.

Treatment of bovine endothelial cells with the alkylator N-ethyl maleimide results in arachidonic acid mobilization. N-ethyl maleimide-stimulated arachidonic acid release was dose and time dependent and maximum release was achieved after 10-15 min with 50 microM N-ethyl maleimide, N-ethyl maleimide-stimulated arachidonic acid release could be prevented by pretreating the cells with the phospholipase A2 inhibitor quinacrine. Based on the finding that N-ethyl maleimide was not able to release oleic acid from oleic acid-preloaded cells, it was clear that the effect of N-ethyl maleimide was limited to an arachidonic acid-specific phospholipase. The effect of N-ethyl maleimide does not appear to be dependent on calcium, as shown by the observation that N-ethyl maleimide was not able to increase intracellular calcium concentration in FURA2-loaded cells. Pretreatment of the cells with staurosporine totally inhibited N-ethyl maleimide-stimulated arachidonic acid liberation. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein was also able to significantly inhibit arachidonic acid release. It is concluded from the results obtained in this study that N-ethyl maleimide stimulates arachidonic acid release by stimulating the activity of a specific, signal-responsive phospholipase A2. Furthermore this activation is not mediated by intracellular calcium fluxes but by a stimulation of intracellular kinase activity which eventually leads to the activation of this signal-responsive phospholipase A2.

Animals↗

Studies on the effect of sulfite on benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol activation to reactive intermediates in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Sodium sulfite, a hydrolysis product of the environmental pollutant sulfur dioxide increased the activation of (-)-trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BP-7,8-diol) to the (+)-anti-enantiomer of trans-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE) in phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). This effect was potentiated in the presence of DMSO. No significant effect of sulfite on BP-7,8-diol activation was observed in resting leukocytes. As revealed by the 32P-postlabelling technique the dominant adduct in both intracellular DNA and to DNA added to the leukocytes was (+)-anti-BPDE bound to the exocyclic nitrogen of deoxyguanosine. The mechanism underlying the stimulatory effect of sulfite on diol epoxide production and increased DNA-binding probably involves one-electron oxidation of sulfite to a sulfur trioxide radical anion and subsequent reaction with molecular oxygen to form the corresponding peroxyl radical. This step obviously requires PMA-initiated oxidative burst and thus, production of superoxide radical anions (O2-.).

Biotransformation↗

Mechanisms of 3-carene-induced bronchoconstriction in the isolated guinea pig lung.

Inhaled 3-carene at a concentration of 5,000 mg/m3 caused bronchoconstriction in isolated, ventilated and perfused guinea pig lungs. This effect was inhibited by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor diclofenac (100 microM) and the thromboxane/prostaglandin endoperoxide-receptor antagonist L-670,596 (1 microM). 3-Carene exposure also increased the amount of thromboxane in the perfusate from the lungs. In cultured calf pulmonary arterial endothelial cells 3-carene caused a dose-related release of arachidonic acid. Thus, the results obtained in this experimental model may have implications in the understanding of the pathophysiology of 3-carene-induced obstructive pulmonary disease in humans.

Animals↗

Metabolism and cytotoxicity of propyl gallate in isolated rat hepatocytes: effects of a thiol reductant and an esterase inhibitor.

The relationship between the metabolism and the cytotoxic effects of propyl gallate (PG) has been studied in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Addition of PG (0.5-2.0 mM) to the hepatocytes elicited concentration-dependent cell death, accompanied by decreases in intracellular ATP, adenine nucleotide pools, glutathione, and protein thiols. The rapid loss of ATP preceded the onset of cell death. PG in the hepatocyte suspensions was converted to gallic acid, 4-O-methyl-gallic acid, and other minor products over time. In addition, PG was converted to a dimer [dipropyl-4,4',5,5',6,6'-hexahydroxydiphenate (PG-dimer)] and ellagic acid via autooxidation. In comparisons of the toxic effects of PG and its metabolites at concentrations of 2 mM, the parent compound PG was the most toxic. Pretreatment of hepatocytes with diazinon (100 microM), an esterase inhibitor, enhanced PG-induced cytotoxicity. This was accompanied by delay of PG loss and inhibition of gallic acid formation. The cytotoxicity of PG was also enhanced by addition of the thiol reductant dithiothreitol (4 mM), although intracellular levels of glutathione and protein thiols were maintained during the incubation period. Dithiothreitol did not affect the hydrolysis of PG to gallic acid by esterases but did delay the conversion of PG and prevented the formation of PG-dimer. In isolated hepatic mitochondria, PG elicited a concentration-dependent increase in the rate of state 4 oxygen consumption, indicating an uncoupling effect. In contrast, PG-dimer inhibited the rate of state 3 oxygen consumption. Based on the respiratory control index, the order of potency for impairment of mitochondria was PG > PG-dimer > gallic acid = 4-O-methyl-gallic acid = ellagic acid - propyl alcohol. These results indicate (a) that PG-induced hepatotoxicity is mediated by the parent compound and not its metabolites, (b) that toxicity is associated with ATP depletion apparently independently of cellular thiol depletion, and (c) that mitochondria may represent critical targets of PG-induced cytotoxicity.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Characterization of bronchodilator effects and fate of S-nitrosothiols in the isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lung.

In this study the effects of S-nitrosothiols, in particular S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), were evaluated with regard to their bronchodilating properties, both after infusion via the pulmonary circulation and after inhalation, in the isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lung. Infused GSNO induced bronchorelaxation of lungs that were precontracted with methacholine. During a 15-min period of single-passage perfusion with GSNO (10 microM), maximally 10% was taken up and/or degraded by the lung. A spontaneous breakdown of GSNO in the perfusion buffer was also observed, which was partially accompanied by the formation of nitrite. Low levels of nitric oxide (NO) were detected in the perfusion buffer when GSNO was present. This was due to the presence of contaminating transition metals, because EDTA and 2,2'-dipyridyl largely reduced the formation of NO. The NO-scavenging agents oxyhemoglobin and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide abolished levels of NO in the buffer but did not abolish GSNO-induced bronchodilation. The effects of infused GSNO are therefore attributed to an action of the intact S-nitrosothiol and not to NO released from GSNO in the perfusion buffer. Similarly, perfusion with S-nitrosated glutathione isopropyl ester, cysteinyl glycine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine or N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine, but not with nitrosated bovine serum albumin or sodium nitrite, was found to induce bronchodilation. Inhalation of nebulized GSNO induced bronchodilation of methacholine-precontracted lungs with a rapid onset of action, although it was a less potent bronchodilator than salbutamol. The results show that infused or inhaled S-nitrosothiols have bronchodilating properties in the isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lung.

Aerosols↗

On the mechanisms of 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole- and its metabolites-induced cytotoxicities in isolated rat hepatocytes.

The cytotoxic effects of 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA) and its metabolites, 3-tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) and 3-tert-butyl-4,5-dihydroxyanisole (BHA-OH), were investigated in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. These compounds caused a time-dependent cell death accompanied by loss of intracellular ATP, glutathione (GSH) and protein thiols at concentration of 0.5 mM. Supplementation of the hepatocyte suspension with 5 mM N-acetylcysteine, a precursor of intracellular GSH, significantly delayed the onset of cytotoxicity induced by BHA-OH and tBHQ; the loss of intracellular ATP, GSH and protein thiols was also prevented. Although N-acetylcysteine did not affect BHA disappearance in the cell suspension, disappearance of tBHQ and formation of tBHQ-GSH conjugate were stimulated by N-acetylcysteine. In addition, N-acetylcysteine prevented BHA-OH disappearance and 3-tert-butyl-5-methoxy-1,2-benzoquinone (BHA-Q) formation. In isolated hepatic mitochondria, BHA, tBHQ and BHA-OH impaired respiration related to oxidative phosphorylation; tert-butylquinone (tBQ) and BHA-Q, quinones derived from tBHQ and BHA-OH, resulted in the significant inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. These results indicate that BHA-OH is the most cytotoxic followed by tBHQ and BHA and that protein thiols and mitochondrial respiratory system are important targets for BHA and its intermediates.

Acetylcysteine↗

S-thiolation of human endothelial cell glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase after hydrogen peroxide treatment.

Exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide, tertbutyl hydroperoxide and diamide has been shown to induce oxidant-specific S-thiolation of cellular proteins. In this study one of the main S-thiolated proteins in hydrogen-peroxide-treated cells was identified as the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Additionally, we have shown that the post-translational modification of the cysteinyl thiols of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase accompanies an inhibition of the enzyme and that both events are simultaneously and rapidly reversed upon the removal of the oxidative stimulus.

Blotting, Western↗

Sensory neuropeptide-mediated bronchoconstriction of the guinea pig lung by diamide; a comparison to hydrogen peroxide.

The effect of the thiol oxidizing agent diamide on airway conductance, dynamic compliance and perfusion flow of isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lungs was investigated. When infused in the pulmonary circulation, diamide (100 microM) induced bronchoconstriction, but no effect on perfusion flow was observed. Although diamide exposure induced the formation of thromboxane A2, the thromboxane/prostaglandin endoperoxide receptor antagonist L-670,596 did not affect the decrease in conductance and compliance induced by diamide. Diamide induced the release of the sensory neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide. The bronchoconstriction and the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide induced by diamide were abolished by capsaicin pretreatment of the guinea pigs. Combined pretreatment with the NK1 and NK2 receptor antagonists, CP-96,345 and SR-48968, attenuated the effect of diamide. Hydrogen peroxide-induced vaso- and bronchoconstriction was not affected by capsaicin-pretreatment, nor did hydrogen peroxide induce detectable release of calcitonin gene-related peptide. The results indicate that diamide activates sensory nerves and induces neuropeptide release and neurokinin receptor-mediated bronchoconstriction in the isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lung.

Animals↗