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Biomedical subjects

R F Burk

Publications and source records attributed to R F Burk.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Increased biliary GSSG efflux from rat livers perfused with thiocarbamide substrates for the flavin-containing monooxygenase.

Thiourea, phenylthiourea, and methimazole perfused into rat liver stimulated the biliary efflux of GSSG without affecting the excretion of GSH into either the bile or the caval perfusate. The thiocarbamide moiety appears essential, since perfusion with urea, phenylurea, or N-methylimidazole did not stimulate GSSG release. Hydrogen peroxide is also not an obligatory intermediate, since thiocarbamide-induced GSSG efflux was undiminished in livers from selenium-deficient animals. The response was also not affected by N-benzylimidazole, a potent cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, which suggests that this monooxygenase is not involved. However, the results are consistent with a model based on S-oxygenation of thiocarbamides to formamadine sulfenates catalyzed exclusively by the flavin-containing monooxygenase. The resulting sulfenate is reduced by GSH, yielding GSSG and the parent thiocarbamide. Rapid cellular oxidation of GSH by this mechanism leads to biliary efflux of the disulfide.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Reduced glutathione protection against rat liver microsomal injury by carbon tetrachloride. Dependence on O2.

Rat liver microsomal membranes contain a reduced-glutathione-dependent protein(s) that inhibits lipid peroxidation in the ascorbate/iron microsomal lipid peroxidation system. It appears to exert its protective effect by scavenging free radicals. The present work was carried out to assess the effect of this reduced-glutathione-dependent mechanism on carbon tetrachloride-induced microsomal injury and on carbon tetrachloride metabolism because they are known to involve free radicals. Rat liver microsomes were incubated at 37 degrees C with NADPH, EDTA and carbon tetrachloride. The addition of 1 mM-reduced glutathione (GSH) markedly inhibited lipid peroxidation and glucose 6-phosphatase inactivation and, to a lesser extent, inhibited cytochrome P-450 destruction. GSH also inhibited covalent binding of [14C]carbon tetrachloride-derived 14C to microsomal protein. These results indicate that a GSH-dependent mechanism functions to protect the microsomal membrane against free-radical injury in the carbon tetrachloride system as well as in the iron-based systems. Under anaerobic conditions, GSH had no effect on chloroform formation, carbon tetrachloride-induced destruction of cytochrome P-450 or covalent binding of [14C]carbon tetrachloride-derived 14C to microsomal protein. Thus, the GSH protective mechanism appears to be O2-dependent. This suggests that it may be specific for O2-based free radicals. This O2-dependent GSH protective mechanism may partly underlie the observed protection of hyperbaric O2 against carbon tetrachloride-induced lipid peroxidation and hepatotoxicity.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1983

Defective utilization of haem in selenium-deficient rat liver.

We have previously suggested that an inherent defect in hepatic haem utilization was responsible for the rapid stimulation of hepatic microsomal haem oxygenase activity observed in selenium-deficient rats given phenobarbital, a well known inducer of haem formation. To test this hypothesis, hepatic haem content was deliberately raised in selenium-deficient rats by administration of either tryptophan or allylisopropylacetamide, or by injecting haem itself. We now report that selenium-deficient rats are apparently relatively less efficient in utilizing hepatic haem than normal controls. The findings detailed in the present paper thus indicate that stimulation of hepatic microsomal haem oxygenase activity is indeed a manifestation of abnormal haem utilization in selenium deficiency. This suggests a novel role for selenium in hepatic haem metabolism.

Allylisopropylacetamide↗
PubMed1983

Glutathione-dependent protection by rat liver microsomal protein against lipid peroxidation.

GSH is an important cellular defense against oxidant injury. Its effect in the rat liver microsomal lipid peroxidation system has been examined. Incubation of fresh rat liver microsomes with ascorbic acid and ADP-chelated iron leads to the peroxidation of microsomal lipids (production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and destruction of polyunsaturated fatty acids) following a 2 to 5 min lag. Addition of 0.1 mM GSH to the system lengthened the lag period by 5 to 15 min without affecting the rate or the extent of lipid peroxidation. GSH could not be replaced in prolonging the lag by cysteine, mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol, propylthiouracil, or GSSG. The GSH effect on the lag was abolished by heating or trypsin digestion of the microsomes, indicating that microsomal protein is required for its expression. Progressively longer lags were observed as the GSH concentration was increased from 0.1 to 5 mM, but there was no evidence of GSH oxidation as a consequence of the protection against lipid peroxidation. GSH protected against heat inactivation of the microsomal protein responsible for the GSH effect. Experiments with an oxygen electrode revealed that the GSH protection did not alter the ratio of O2 consumed to thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances produced. This implicated free radical scavenging as the mechanism of protection. These results indicate the existence of a GSH-dependent rat liver microsomal protein which scavenges free radicals. This protein may be an important defense against free radical injury to the microsomal membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Non-selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity in rat lung: association with lung glutathione S-transferase activity and the effects of hyperoxia.

To determine if non-selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Non-Se GSH-Px) activity is present in rat lung, we fractionated rat lung soluble fractions from rats fed a selenium-deficient or control diet and measured glutathione peroxidase activity with both cumene hydroperoxide and hydrogen peroxide as substrates. We also measured glutathione S-transferase (GSH S-transferase) activity in the fractions with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as substrate. Non-Se GSH-Px activity was present (about 34% of total GSH-Px activity), and the peak present in the gel filtration chromatogram coeluted with the GSH S-transferase peak. We then measured GSH S-transferase activity in lung-soluble fractions from rats exposed to room air or 85% O2 for 5 days. Lung GSH S-transferase activity was increased in the oxygen-exposed animals when compared to the air-exposed controls. The increase in GSH S-transferase activity could represent the induction of lung non-Se GSH-Px activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Effect of selenium deficiency and vitamin E deficiency on glutathione metabolism in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Selenium deficiency and vitamin E deficiency both affect xenobiotic metabolism and toxicity. In addition, selenium deficiency causes changes in the activity of some glutathione-requiring enzymes. We have studied glutathione metabolism in isolated hepatocytes from selenium-deficient, vitamin E-deficient, and control rats. Cell viability, as measured by trypan blue exclusion, was comparable for all groups during the 5-h incubation. Freshly isolated hepatocytes had the same glutathione concentration regardless of diet group. During the incubation, however, the glutathione concentration in selenium-deficient hepatocytes rose to 1.4 times that in control hepatocytes. The selenium-deficient cells also released twice as much glutathione into the incubation medium as did the control cells. Total glutathione (intracellular plus extracellular) in the incubation flask increased from 47.7 +/- 8.9 to 152 +/- 16.5 nmol/10(6) selenium-deficient cells over 5 h compared with an increase from 46.7 +/- 7.1 to 92.0 +/- 17.4 nmol/10(6) control cells and from 47.7 +/- 11.7 to 79.5 +/- 24.9 nmol/10(6) vitamin E-deficient cells. This overall increase in glutathione concentration suggested that glutathione synthesis was accelerated by selenium deficiency. The activity of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase was twice as great in selenium-deficient liver supernatant (105,000 X g) as in vitamin E-deficient or control liver supernatant (105,000 X g). Hemoglobin-free perfused livers were used to determine the form of glutathione released and its route. Selenium-deficient livers released 4 times as much GSH into the caval perfusate as did control livers. Plasma glutathione concentration in selenium-deficient rats was found to be 2-fold that in control rats, suggesting that increased GSH synthesis and release is an in vivo phenomenon associated with selenium deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Effects of copper deficiency on the activity of the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase and on excretion and tissue retention of 75SeO3(2-).

Liver and lung activities of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined in control and copper-deficient rats. Decreased activity of SOD was found in liver and decreased activity of the selenoenzyme GSH-Px was found in liver and lung in the copper-deficient animals. The decreased liver activity of GSH-Px could be partially corrected by daily supplementation of the basal diet with sodium selenite. Urinary, fecal and biliary excretion of 75SeO3(2-) were determined in controls and copper-deficient rats in order to assess selenium losses. Urinary excretion of 75Se was not different in the two groups. Fecal loss of 75Se was increased in the copper-deficient animals when compared to controls and biliary excretion was decreased. Tissue retention of 75Se was also determined in both groups. Retention of 75Se in the copper-deficient rats was increased in brain and lung and decreased in liver. This pattern of tissue retention of 75Se is similar to that which occurs in selenium-deficient rats. Copper deficiency in rats results in decreased liver activity of both the copper-containing enzyme SOD and the selenoenzyme GSH-Px. The mechanism of decreased GSH-Px activity is unknown.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Hepatic cytochrome P-450 and microsomal heme oxygenase in copper-deficient rats.

Copper deficient and control rats were pair-fed from weaning a milk-based diet. Each animal received 25 mg of iron parenterally. After 6 weeks of dietary manipulations the animals were killed. As expected, rats fed the copper-deficient diet were anemic. Copper-dependent enzyme activities and copper content of plasma and liver confirmed that copper deficiency was present in these rats. Hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 specific contents were similar in control and copper-deficient animals in the uninduced state and following induction of cytochrome P-450 by treatment with phenobarbital. However, microsomal heme oxygenase was increased in copper-deficient animals compared with controls whether they were treated with phenobarbital or not. No differences were observed in splenic microsomal heme oxygenase between dietary groups. These studies suggest that hepatic heme catabolism is enhanced in copper deficiency. The explanation for this enhancement may be related to increased hepatic iron accumulation in copper-deficient animals or to the associated defect of selenium metabolism in copper deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Rat hepatic cytosolic glutathione-dependent enzyme protection against lipid peroxidation in the NADPH-microsomal lipid peroxidation system.

Dialyzed rat liver cytosol (105 000 X g supernatant), when added along with 2.5 mM glutathione, blocked malonaldehyde formation in the NADPH-microsomal lipid peroxidation system, thus protecting against lipid peroxidation. Preheating the cytosol for 10 min at 60 degrees C destroyed its protective ability. Ammonium sulfate fractionation and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration of cytosol indicated that more than one glutathione-dependent protective enzyme was present. Fractions from the G-100 column containing the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase failed to protect, but fractions containing the glutathione S-transferases, which have non selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity, did protect. The glutathione S-transferases were purified further with ion exchange chromatography and shown to have protective activity. Thus the rat hepatic cytosolic glutathione-dependent enzyme protection against lipid peroxidation in the NADPH-microsomal lipid peroxidation system is in part due to some of the glutathione S-transferases. The selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase appears to have no protective effect in this system.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Liver necrosis and lipid peroxidation in the rat as the result of paraquat and diquat administration. Effect of selenium deficiency.

Paraquat and diquat facilitate formation of superoxide anion in biological systems, and lipid peroxidation has been postulated to be their mechanism of toxicity. Paraquat has been shown to be more toxic to selenium-deficient mice than to controls, presumably as the result of decreased activity of the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase. The present study was designed to measure lipid peroxidation and to assess toxicity in control and selenium-deficient rats given paraquat and diquat. Lipid peroxidation was measured by determining ethane production rates of intact animals; toxicity was assessed by survival and by histological and serum enzyme evidence of liver and kidney necrosis. Paraquat and diquat were both much more toxic to selenium-deficient rats than to control rats. Diquat (19.5 mumol/kg) caused rapid and massive liver and kidney necrosis and very high ethane production rates in selenium-deficient rats. The effect of paraquat (78 mumol/kg) was similar to that of diquat but was not as severe. Acutely lethal doses of paraquat (390 mumol/kg) and diquat (230 mumol/kg) in control rats caused very little ethane production and no evidence of liver necrosis. These findings suggest that paraquat and diquat exert their acute toxicity largely through lipid peroxidation in selenium-deficient rats. Selenium deficiency had no effect on superoxide dismutase activity in erythrocytes or in 105,000 g supernate of liver or kidney. Glutathione peroxidase, which represents the only well-characterized biochemical function of selenium in animals, was dissociated from the protective effect of selenium against diquat-induced lipid peroxidation and toxicity by a time-course study in which selenium-deficient rats were injected with 50 mug of selenium and later given diquat (19.5 mumol/kg). Within 10 h, the selenium injection provided significant protection against diquat-induced lipid peroxidation and mortality even though this treatment resulted in no rise in glutathione peroxidase activity of liver, kidney, lung, or plasma at 10 h. This suggests that a selenium-dependent factor in addition to glutathione peroxidase exists that protects against lipid peroxidation.

Animals↗