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Biomedical subjects

R Santus

Publications and source records attributed to R Santus.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Effects of anthralin on mitochondrial bioenergetics.

Isolated mitochondria were used to determine what causes anthralin inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation. In good agreement with other results, the rate of oxygen consumption was not modified by anthralin when mitochondria were first uncoupled with FCCP, suggesting that only the last steps of the process leading to ATP phosphorylation are implicated. No effects were found at the level of the ATPase and the Pi carrier in contrast with a competitive inhibition of the ADP/ATP translocator. These experiments suggest an atractyloside-like effect to explain the action of anthralin on mitochondria.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Estrogens inhibit copper and cell-mediated modification of low density lipoprotein.

The effects of estrogens on LDL modification by copper ions, U 937 monocyte-like cells or endothelial cells was studied by determination of the lipid peroxidation product content and measurement of the relative electrophoretic mobility. The presence of estradiol, estriol and estrone inhibited LDL oxidation in a dose-dependent manner in the range of concentrations from 5 to 50 microM. In the case of oxidation by Cu2+, the decreasing order of efficiency was: estradiol, estriol, estrone. In monocyte-induced oxidation, the protective effect of estrogens was more marked, and the order of efficiency was the same, except that estrone was as active as estriol. Pretreatment of monocyte cells with estrogens also inhibited the subsequent modification of LDL by these cells, tested in the absence of the hormones. Testosterone had no effect in all the studied systems. Furthermore, the degradation by J774 macrophage like cells of LDL modified either by Cu2+ or monocytes was markedly reduced when modification has been performed in the presence of estrogens. Since oxidative modification of LDL is believed to be involved in the appearance of atherosclerotic plaques, this effect of estrogens might be related to their protective action against atherosclerosis.

Animals↗

The role of the low density lipoprotein receptor pathway in the delivery of lipophilic photosensitizers in the photodynamic therapy of tumours.

Lipoproteins are now recognized as major blood carriers of many hydrophobic porphyrins and related chromophores which are being investigated as possible photosensitizers in the photodynamic therapy of tumours. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the role of the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor pathway in the delivery of photosensitizers to tumour cells and its importance in porphyrin accumulation by tumours. Lysosomes, which are involved in the cellular processing of LDL, are important intracellular targets in the LDL-porphyrin-induced phototoxicity. The use of the LDL receptor pathway as a tool for enhancing the selectivity of photosensitizer delivery to tumour cells appears to be a promising field of research in the photodynamic therapy of tumours.

Animals↗

Type I and type II photosensitization by the antibacterial drug nalidixic acid. A laser flash photolysis study.

The 355 nm laser flash photolysis of nalidixic acid at pH 9.2 leads to the formation of the nalidixate anion triplet state (absorption lambda max = 620 nm; 5700 less than or equal to epsilon T less than or equal to 9000 M-1cm-1; 0.6 less than or equal to phi T less than or equal to 1). The first order triplet state decay (kT = 7.7 x 10(3) s-1) is accompanied by a diffusion controlled triplet-triplet annihilation. Oxygen efficiently quenches the triplet state (k = 3.2 x 10(9) M-1s-1). The nalidixate radical dianion (absorption lambda max = 650 nm; epsilon = 3000 M-1cm-1) is produced by the diffusion controlled reductive quenching of the triplet state by tryptophan and tyrosine. The superoxide anion (O2-.) is produced by diffusion controlled reaction of the radical dianion with oxygen. The O2-. is characterized by its reactions with ferricytochrome c and superoxide dismutase. The physiological form of nalidixic acid is thus a good Type I and Type II photosensitizer.

Anions↗

Ferrous ion release from ferritin by ultraviolet-A radiations.

Ferritin is the principal protein of iron storage (in the Fe(III) state). The UV-A irradiation of 0.25 microM ferritin solutions (from horse spleen) loaded with 530 microM Fe(III) induces Fe2+ release in the medium. The initial quantum yield is wavelength dependent (phi(365 nm) approximately 2 x 10(-3) but pH and oxygen independent. The Fe2+ release reaches a plateau which strongly depends on pH and oxygen. The amino acid composition of the apoprotein is not altered by the UV irradiation. Addition of formate ions enhances the Fe2+ production, suggesting that the ferritin photoreduction involves an electron transfer from an OH- ligand. The possible importance of this phenomenon in skin photobiology is discussed.

Amino Acids↗

Photoreactivity of 5-geranoxypsoralen and lack of photoreaction with DNA.

5-Geranoxypsoralen, commonly called bergamottin, a major furocoumarin contained in bergamot oil, is reported in vitro as a highly photoreactive psoralen. In ethanol, it exhibits quite a high triplet state quantum yield (approximately 0.37). The triplet state is involved in subsequent photochemistry which depends on the initial concentration and on the presence of oxygen. In contrast to most psoralens, absorption and fluorescence data suggest that 5-geranoxypsoralen does not interact with DNA in the dark. No UVA-induced interstrand cross-links in DNA were shown.

DNA↗

Calcium antagonists prevent monocyte and endothelial cell-induced modification of low density lipoproteins.

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) incubated in the presence of the calcium antagonists verapamil, nifedipine and flunarizine were more resistant than control LDL to human monocyte- or endothelial cell-induced modification, as assessed by electrophoretic mobility in agarose gel, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance content, and degradation by J774 macrophages. The efficiency of the drugs was: flunarizine greater than nifedipine greater than verapamil. Moreover, a 24 h preculture with calcium antagonists significantly impaired the ability of cells to modify LDL in the absence of the drugs. All the studied drugs also inhibited copper-induced autooxidation of LDL. None of the studied calcium antagonists, at concentrations up to 10(-4) M, significantly reacted with free radicals as assessed by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl test. It is suggested that such a protective effect of calcium antagonists against LDL peroxidation could play a role in the previously reported antiatherogenic effect of these drugs.

Animals↗

Daflon as a cellular antioxidant and a membrane-stabilizing agent in human fibroblasts irradiated by ultraviolet A radiation.

Daflon is a strong inhibitor of Cu(2+)-induced arachidonic acid peroxidation, as revealed by the inhibition of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance formation in mixed liposomes of phosphatidylcholine and arachidonic acid. Diosmin, the major Daflon constituent, is a good complexant of Cu2+ ions but not of Fe2+ ions. The Cu2+ complex formation may thus explain part of the antioxidant effect. However, Daflon is also a good quencher of the singlet oxygen-induced arachidonic acid peroxidation that does not involve metal ions. When cultured human fibroblasts are incubated with the diosmin-hesperidin mixture constituting Daflon, the latter is as efficient as vitamin E in inhibiting the ultraviolet A-induced lipid peroxidation and plasma membrane damage measured by lactate dehydrogenase release.

Antioxidants↗

[Recent developments in anticancer photochemotherapy].

The photodynamic therapy of cancer (PDT) by porphyrins is now at a turning point with the advent of phase III clinical trials. The transport of photofrin II and its delivery to tumor cells and vasculature is believed to be a determinant of tumor necrosis by suppressing the oxygen supply. However, this treatment must be improved by increasing the selectivity of the photosensitizer uptake by tumors and also by using photosensitizers absorbing in the 700-800 nm range where tissues have the highest transmittance. In addition, these new photosensitizers (chlorines, phthalocyanines...) should be rapidly excreted to avoid the only secondary effect of the PDT: the long-lasting photosensitivity of the patient skin. Finally, the combination of PDT with other therapies or its chemopotentiation by "bioreductive" drugs which interfere with the metabolism of hypoxic cells resulting from the PDT are potential means for improving the effectiveness of this new modality for cancer treatment.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Oxygen dependency of tumor cell killing in vitro by light-activated Photofrin II.

Asynchronous populations of mouse EMT-6 tumor cells were treated with Photofrin II and exposed to various doses of 630 nm light in slowly stirred suspensions which had been equilibrated with various concentrations of oxygen. Survival curves were generated with cells exposed to 20 micrograms/ml Photofrin II in tissue culture medium for 1 h, a procedure which made it possible to remove more than 50% of the drug by washing. It is expected that under these conditions the drug would be loosely bound to cell surface and plasma membranes and in the cellular cytosol. Survival curves were also generated with cells exposed to 5 micrograms/ml Photofrin II for 20-24 h, a procedure which resulted in greater than 90% of the drug being tightly bound within cells, presumably to cellular lipids and membranes. Oxygen was obligatory for killing cells which had been exposed for both "short term" and "long term" to Photofrin II. After 30-40 min of pregassing cells with nitrogen gas which contained precise levels of oxygen, the concentration required to reduce rates of cell killing to 50% of maximum was approximately 0.5% O2 (gas phase) for short-term drug exposures and less than or equal to 0.05% O2 for long-term drug exposures. Even after pregassing times of 90-120 min prior to light administration, a Km of approximately equal to 0.1% O2 was observed for cells exposed to the drug for the longer time. When the same cells were exposed to 137Cs gamma rays in this irradiation chamber, no change in radiation sensitivity was observed after 30 min of pregassing cells with all oxygen concentrations studied.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

The effectiveness of short-term versus long-term exposures to Photofrin II in killing light-activated tumor cells.

Asynchronous populations of mouse EMT-6 tumor cells were exposed to various doses of 630-nm light in slowly stirred aerobic suspensions after both short-term and long-term exposures to Photofrin II. All survival curves are characterized by a "threshold" light dose below which no cell inactivation occurs followed by a steep light-dose response. Both the shoulder widths and the inactivation curve slopes are functions of Photofrin II concentration. After high doses of light where survival levels are 0.003 and lower, "resistant tails" are observed on some survival curves. Light doses required to inactivate 50% of tumor cell populations were obtained from whole survival curves and their reciprocals (1/D50% survival) used as inactivation "rates". The amount of Photofrin II within cells was measured by a fluorescence assay. Per unit of fluorescence, this photosensitizer is at least 10 times more effective after long-term than after short-term exposures. After long-term exposures, both fluorescence activity and photosensitizing effectiveness are retained in washed cells for several hours. After short-term exposures, a majority of both the fluorescence and photosensitizing activity is lost by multiple washings or stirring in tissue culture medium without drug. These data suggest that the cellular compartments associated with photosensitization after short-term exposures to Photofrin II are probably different from the cellular compartments associated with photosensitization after long-term exposures to the drug. The data are consistent with known properties of the monomeric and oligomeric components of Photofrin II.

Animals↗

In vitro interactions of the aromatic retinoids Ro 10-9359 (etretinate) and Ro 10-1670 (acitretin), its main metabolite, with human serum lipoproteins and albumin.

Serum lipoproteins are good carriers for the aromatic retinoid Ro 10-9359 (etretinate) and to a lesser extent for its main metabolite in human Ro 10-1670 (acitretin). Up to about 200 and 130 etretinate molecules and 200 and 70 acitretin molecules can bind to one LDL and one HDL, respectively. In contrast human serum albumin only binds about 10 etretinate or 30 acitretin molecules. In whole human serum loaded with the retinoids, lipoproteins carry approx. 67% of total etretinate or approx. 37% of total acitretin. In the particular case of etretinate, low density lipoproteins account for about 30% of the lipoprotein-carried etretinate.

Acitretin↗

Uptake of the aromatic retinoids Ro 10-9359 (etretinate) and Ro 10-1670 (acitretin), its main metabolite, delivered to cultured human fibroblasts by serum proteins. Lack of evidence for perturbation of LDL catabolism.

Etretinate or acitretin are efficiently delivered to cultured human fibroblasts in the presence of low density lipoproteins, high density lipoproteins or human serum albumin. In contrast to acitretin, delivery of etretinate to fibroblasts is more efficiently achieved with human serum albumin than with lipoproteins. The uptake of etretinate and acitretin via low density lipoproteins delivery, does not take place via the low density lipoprotein-receptor endocytotic pathway but mostly through a passive exchange with the plasma membrane. However, in contrast to acitretin, the exchange of etretinate seems to occur alter binding of etretinate-loaded low density lipoproteins to the apolipoprotein B receptors. No differences are observed in binding, internalization and degradation of native, etretinate-loaded low density lipoproteins and acitretin-loaded low density lipoproteins, suggesting that the presence of these retinoids in low density lipoproteins does not alter their processing by the cells. Furthermore, the presence of these retinoids in the cells does not notably affect, under our experimental conditions, the catabolism of native low density lipoproteins.

Acitretin↗

Phenothiazines inhibit copper and endothelial cell-induced peroxidation of low density lipoprotein. A comparative study with probucol, butylated hydroxytoluene and vitamin E.

The effect of two phenothiazines, chlorpromazine (CPZ) and trifluoperazine (TFP) on the copper and endothelial cell-induced peroxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) has been studied and compared to that of drugs previously shown to protect LDL against peroxidation: probucol (PBC) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Incubation with CPZ or TFP inhibited in a dose-dependent manner LDL peroxidation induced either by copper ions or by cultured endothelial cells. Both the electrophoretic mobility and the thiobarbituric reactive substance content of LDL returned to almost normal values in the presence of 50 microM CPZ or TFP. The two studied phenothiazines also strongly inhibited the hydrolysis of LDL phosphatidylcholine which accompanies copper or endothelial cell-induced peroxidation of the particle. CPZ and TFP were as effective as PBC and BHT in inhibiting the LDL peroxidation. Whereas copper or endothelial cell-oxidized LDL were recognized and rapidly catabolized by mouse peritoneal macrophages, CPZ- or TFP-, as well as PBC- or BHT-treated LDL were not. Moreover, it was found that, in contrast to vitamin E, neither CPZ nor PBC reacted with model peroxy radicals formed by gamma irradiation of aerated ethanol. The possible mechanisms underlying this protective effect of phenothiazines against LDL oxidative modification are discussed.

Animals↗

Degradation of crystallins from a psoriatic patient undergoing PUVA therapy.

Comparative physico-chemical and spectroscopic analyses were carried out in human lens proteins obtained from extracts of normal, senile and PUVA cataracts. Mass recovery analysis reveals a large protein concentration loss in the PUVA cataract relative to the normal lens and senile cataract. This protein loss parallels an increase in the degraded polypeptide chains. However, the tryptophan content (2.1 mol/mol of 20 kDa protein subunit) and the apparent fluorescence quantum yield (phi f = 0.056) of the tryptophan residues which are believed to be involved in the development of UV-induced cataracts are unchanged after age-related alterations and/or in vivo photochemistry associated with psoralen (8MOP) photosensitized reactions.

Aging↗

Synthesis, cellular uptake of, and cell photosensitization by a porphyrin bearing a quinoline group.

A tetraphenyl porphine linked to a 7-chloroquinoline (5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-1-3-[4-(4-aminobutyl)7-chloroquinoline] propioamidoporphine, TPPQ) was synthesized and examined as a potential photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of proliferative diseases. With respect to haematoporphyrin, TPPQ is a good in vitro photodynamic sensitizer producing singlet oxygen in 1% Triton X100 solutions. As with other hydrophobic porphyrins used in PDT, blood lipoproteins strongly bind TPPQ. Thus one low density lipoprotein (LDL) can incorporate 25 TPPQ molecules and 17 TPPQ molecules are taken up by one high density lipoprotein (HDL). Cell delivery of TPPQ using HDL or human serum albumin (HSA) as carrier is rather weak. However, an efficient TPPQ delivery to human skin fibroblasts is observed, partly aided by receptor-mediated endocytosis of LDL. Fluorescence spectroscopy shows that the cellular localization of TPPQ is both carrier and time dependent. During its delivery with LDL, TPPQ does not significantly impair the endocytosis of LDL-receptor complexes. After delivery with LDL, TPPQ is as efficient as other haematoporphyrin derivatives used in the PDT of cancers in photosensitizing human skin fibroblasts.

Aminoquinolines↗

Sensitivity of tryptophan and related compounds to oxidation induced by lipid autoperoxidation. Application to human serum low- and high-density lipoproteins.

Tryptamine, serotonin and tryptophan are readily oxidized during the Cu2+-catalyzed peroxidation of arachidonic acid (AA) at neutral pH and under certain experimental conditions which determine their relative susceptibility to oxidation. Thus, in AA micelles, fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrates that positively-charged indoles interact with negatively-charged micelles while Trp remains in the aqueous phase. As a result, serotonin and tryptamine are preferentially oxidized. In egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes loaded with AA, the three substrates interact with vesicles and undergo lipid-induced oxidation. EDTA inhibits the formation of thiobarbituric-reactive substances (TBARS) and prevents the indoles from oxidation. Owing to the intricate contact between the lipidic core and the apolipoproteins, the Trp residues of human serum LDL and HDL3 are very rapidly oxidized, i.e., at least one order of magnitude faster than Tyr HDL and Lys LDL, which are believed to be involved in the binding of these lipoproteins to their cell receptors. Cupric ions are rather specific for the lipid-induced autoxidation of Trp residues of lipoproteins whereas in micelles and liposomes, Mn2+ and Fe2+ can lead to TBARS production and to oxidation of indoles. This specificity is surprising considering the known ability of Fe2+ to catalyze LDL modification (measured by TBARS production) during their incubation with various cells. Biological consequences of the easy lipid-induced oxidation of biologically important indoles are discussed.

Humans↗