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Anticancer action of cubé insecticide: correlation for rotenoid constituents between inhibition of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and induced ornithine decarboxylase activities.

Rotenone and rotenoid-containing botanicals, important insecticides and fish poisons, are reported to have anticancer activity in rats and mice. The toxic action of rotenone is attributed to inhibition of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity and the purported cancer chemopreventive effect of deguelin analogs has been associated with inhibition of phorbol ester-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. This study defines a possible relationship between these two types of activity important in evaluating the toxicology of rotenoid pesticides and the suitability of the anticancer model. Fractionation of cubé resin (the commercial rotenoid pesticide) establishes that the activity in both assays is due primarily to rotenone (IC50 = 0.8-4 nM), secondarily to deguelin, and in small part to rotenolone and tephrosin. In addition, the potency of 29 rotenoids from cubé insecticide for inhibiting NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase in vitro assayed with bovine heart electron transport particles satisfactorily predicts their potency in vivo in the induced ODC assay using noncytotoxic rotenoid concentrations with cultured MCF-7 human breast cancer cells (r = 0.86). Clearly the molecular features of rotenoids essential for inhibiting NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase are similar to those for blocking ODC induction. This apparent correlation extends to 11 flavonoids and stilbenoids from cubé resin (r = 0.98) and genistein and resveratrol except for lower potency and less selectivity than the rotenoids relative to cytotoxicity. These findings on cubé insecticide constituents and our earlier study comparing rotenone and pyridaben miticide indicate that inhibition of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity lowers the level of induced ODC activity leading to the antiproliferative effect and anticancer action.

Animals↗

Analysis of alpha-synuclein-associated proteins by quantitative proteomics.

To identify the proteins associated with soluble alpha-synuclein (AS) that might promote AS aggregation, a key event leading to neurodegeneration, we quantitatively compared protein profiles of AS-associated protein complexes in MES cells exposed to rotenone, a pesticide that produces parkinsonism in animals and induces Lewy body (LB)-like inclusions in the remaining dopaminergic neurons, and to vehicle. We identified more than 250 proteins associated with Nonidet P-40 soluble AS, and demonstrated that at least 51 of these proteins displayed significant differences in their relative abundance in AS complexes under conditions where rotenone was cytotoxic and induced formation of cytoplasmic inclusions immunoreactive to anti-AS. Overexpressing one of these proteins, heat shock protein (hsp) 70, not only protected cells from rotenone-mediated cytotoxicity but also decreased soluble AS aggregation. Furthermore, the protection afforded by hsp70 transfection appeared to be related to suppression of rotenone-induced oxidative stress as well as mitochondrial and proteasomal dysfunction.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Blockade of electron transport during ischemia protects cardiac mitochondria.

Subsarcolemmal mitochondria sustain progressive damage during myocardial ischemia. Ischemia decreases the content of the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin accompanied by a decrease in cytochrome c content and a diminished rate of oxidation through cytochrome oxidase. We propose that during ischemia mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species at sites in the electron transport chain proximal to cytochrome oxidase that contribute to the ischemic damage. Isolated, perfused rabbit hearts were treated with rotenone, an irreversible inhibitor of complex I in the proximal electron transport chain, immediately before ischemia. Rotenone pretreatment preserved the contents of cardiolipin and cytochrome c measured after 45 min of ischemia. The rate of oxidation through cytochrome oxidase also was improved in rotenone-treated hearts. Inhibition of the electron transport chain during ischemia lessens damage to mitochondria. Rotenone treatment of isolated subsarcolemmal mitochondria decreased the production of reactive oxygen species during the oxidation of complex I substrates. Thus, the limitation of electron flow during ischemia preserves cardiolipin content, cytochrome c content, and the rate of oxidation through cytochrome oxidase. The mitochondrial electron transport chain contributes to ischemic mitochondrial damage that in turn augments myocyte injury during subsequent reperfusion.

Animals↗

Identification of novel proteins associated with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1.

The molecular mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in Parkinson disease (PD) remain elusive, although many lines of evidence have indicated that alpha-synuclein and DJ-1, two critical proteins in PD pathogenesis, interact with each other functionally. The investigation on whether alpha-synuclein directly interacts with DJ-1 has been controversial. In the current study, we analyzed proteins associated with alpha-synuclein and/or DJ-1 with a robust proteomics technique called stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) in dopaminergic MES cells exposed to rotenone versus controls. We identified 324 and 306 proteins in the alpha-synuclein- and DJ-1-associated protein complexes, respectively. Among alpha-synuclein-associated proteins, 141 proteins displayed significant changes in the relative abundance (increase or decrease) after rotenone treatment; among DJ-1-associated proteins, 119 proteins displayed significant changes in the relative abundance after rotenone treatment. Although no direct interaction was observed between alpha-synuclein and DJ-1, whether analyzed by affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry or subsequent direct co-immunoprecipitation, 144 proteins were seen in association with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1. Of those, 114 proteins displayed significant changes in the relative abundance in the complexes associated with alpha-synuclein, DJ-1, or both after rotenone treatment. A subset of these proteins (mortalin, nucleolin, grp94, calnexin, and clathrin) was further validated for their association with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1 using confocal microscopy, Western blot, and/or immunoprecipitation. Thus, we not only confirmed that there was no direct interaction between alpha-synuclein and DJ-1 but also, for the first time, report these five novel proteins to be associating with both alpha-synuclein and DJ-1. Further characterization of these docking proteins will likely shed more light on the mechanisms by which DJ-1 modulates the function of alpha-synuclein, and vice versa, in the setting of PD.

Animals↗

Calcium uptake by bovine epididymal spermatozoa is regulated by the redox state of the mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides.

Immature caput epididymal sperm accumulate calcium from exogenous sources at a rate 2- to 4-fold greater than mature caudal sperm. Calcium accumulation by these cells, however, is maximal in the presence of lactate as external substrate. This stimulation of calcium uptake by optimum levels of lactate (0.8-1.0 mM) is about 5-fold in caput and 2-fold in caudal sperm compared to values observed with glucose as substrate. Calcium accumulation by intact sperm is almost entirely mitochondrial as evidenced by the inhibition of uptake by rotenone, antimycin, and ruthenium red. The differences in the ability of the various substrates in sustaining calcium uptake appeared to be related to their ability to generate NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). Previous reports have documented that mitochondrial calcium accumulation in several somatic cells is regulated by the oxidation state of mitochondrial NADH. A similar situation obtains for bovine epididymal sperm since calcium uptake sustained by site III oxidation of ascorbate in the presence of tetramethyl phenylenediamine and rotenone was also stimulated by NADH-producing substrates, including lactate, and inhibited by substrates generating NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, oxidized form). Further, calcium uptake by digitonin-permeabilized sperm in the presence of succinate was stimulated when NADH oxidation was inhibited by rotenone. The compounds alpha-keto butyric, valeric, and caproic acids, which generate NAD+, inhibited the maximal calcium uptake observed in the presence of succinate and rotenone, and the hydroxy acids lactate and beta-hydroxybutyrate reversed this inhibition. These results document the regulation of sperm calcium accumulation by the physiological substrate lactate, emphasize the importance of mitochondria in the accumulation of calcium by bovine epididymal sperm, and suggest that the mitochondrial location of the isozyme LDH-X in mammalian sperm may be involved in the regulation of calcium accumulation.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗

Mitochondrial dysfunction increases expression of endothelin-1 and induces apoptosis through caspase-3 activation in rat cardiomyocytes in vitro.

We have reported that the expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) increases in the failing heart. With the progress of heart failure, it has been reported that energy metabolism switches from mitochondrial b-oxidation to glycolysis. Furthermore, it has been reported that apoptosis is induced in the failing heart. However, it is not known how the gene expression of preproendothelin-1 and cellular apoptosis are affected by the mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, in order to elucidate this problem, we developed an in vitro model of mitochondrial dysfunction using rotenone, a mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I inhibitor, and studied preproendothelin-1 gene expression and apoptosis. Rotenone greatly increased the gene expression of pre-proendothelin-1 in cardiomyocytes. This result suggests that the gene expression of preproendothelin-1 is induced by the mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, treatment of cardiomyocytes with rotenone induced an elevation of caspase-3 activity, and caused a marked increase in DNA laddering, an indication of apoptosis. In conclusion, it is suggested that mitochondrial impairment in primary cultured cardiomyocytes induced by rotenone in vitro, mimics some of the pathophysiological features of heart failure in vivo, and that ET-1 may have a role in myocardial dysfunction with impairment of mitochondria in the failing heart.

Animals↗

Iptakalim modulates ATP-sensitive K(+) channels in dopamine neurons from rat substantia nigra pars compacta.

Iptakalim, a novel cardiovascular ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channel opener, exerts neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic (DA) neurons against metabolic stress-induced neurotoxicity, but the mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we examined the effects of iptakalim on functional K(ATP) channels in the plasma membrane (pm) and mitochondrial membrane using patch-clamp and fluorescence-imaging techniques. In identified DA neurons acutely dissociated from rat substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), both the mitochondrial metabolic inhibitor rotenone and the sulfonylurea receptor subtype (SUR) 1-selective K(ATP) channel opener (KCO) diazoxide induced neuronal hyperpolarization and abolished action potential firing, but the SUR2B-selective KCO cromakalim exerted little effect, suggesting that functional K(ATP) channels in rat SNc DA neurons are mainly composed of SUR1. Immunocytochemical staining showed a SUR1-rather than a SUR2B-positive reaction in most dissociated DA neurons. At concentrations between 3 and 300 microM, iptakalim failed to hyperpolarize DA neurons; however, 300 microM iptakalim increased neuronal firing. In addition, iptakalim restored DA neuronal firing during rotenone-induced hyperpolarization and suppressed rotenone-induced outward current, suggesting that high concentrations of iptakalim close neuronal K(ATP) channels. Furthermore, in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, iptakalim (300-500 microM) closed diazoxide-induced Kir6.2/SUR1 K(ATP) channels, which were heterologously expressed. In rhodamine-123-preloaded DA neurons, iptakalim neither depolarized mitochondrial membrane nor prevented rotenone-induced mitochondrial depolarization. These data indicate that iptakalim is not a K(ATP) channel opener in rat SNc DA neurons; instead, iptakalim is a pm-K(ATP) channel closer at high concentrations. These effects of iptakalim stimulate further pharmacological investigation and the development of possible therapeutic applications.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Biochemical and structural changes in cultured heart cells induced by metabolic inhibition.

We examined the relationship between ionic homeostasis, ATP, and irreversible cell injury in cultured embryonic chick heart cells treated with rotenone (10(-4) M) alone or in combination with iodoacetate (IAA) (10(-3) M), in the presence of extracellular calcium (Ca0) (2.7 mM) and its nominal absence. Changes in Na, K, and total cell Ca content did not correlate with parameters indicative of irreversible injury, i.e., ultrastructural damage or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Because structural defects in the plasma membrane occurred without a significant release of LDH after exposure to rotenone plus IAA for 1 h, LDH release appears to be a relatively late event in cell injury. In addition, cells exposed to rotenone in the presence of Ca0 for 2.5 h showed a significant fall in ATP and a rise in LDH release. This response was attenuated in the nominal absence of Ca0, and the addition of rotenone caused an eightfold increase in intracellular sodium (Nai), whereas in the presence of Ca0, Nai increased only threefold in 2.5 h. Thus Ca0 appears to promote Nai-Ca0 exchange and lead to an increase in cell Ca that can then stimulate ATP breakdown by Ca-activated ATPases. Of the measured variables associated with myocardial cell injury, a decline in ATP correlates best with changes in either LDH or morphology. The apparent lack of correlation between changes in intracellular ion content, LDH release, and morphology supports the conclusion that myocardial cell injury is a multifactorial process.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Mechanisms of adaptation of glucose transporters to changes in the oxidative chain of muscle and fat cells.

Cells in which glucose uptake is rate limiting respond to hypoxic insults with an increase in glucose transport activity. To understand the underlying cellular mechanisms involved in this adaptive response, the effects of an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation, 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and of an inhibitor of the electron transport chain, rotenone, were compared with the effect of hypoxia in L6 muscle cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. All three conditions (DNP, rotenone, and 3% oxygen) elevated hexose uptake by approximately twofold in 4 h relative to control cells. All three insults decreased cellular ATP levels rapidly. A subsequent recovery was observed within 1-2 h in the presence of DNP or 3% oxygen, probably as a result of anaerobic production of ATP through increased glucose uptake and glycolysis. DNP and rotenone elevated the content of GLUT-1 protein in isolated plasma membranes and decreased it in intracellular light microsomes, suggestive of translocation of this transporter isoform. No change in GLUT-4 protein distribution was detected. In contrast, 3% oxygen caused a marked specific increase in GLUT-1 protein in both plasma membranes and microsomes. Consistently, cycloheximide had no effect on the hexose transport responses to DNP or rotenone, but prevented the response to hypoxia. However, GLUT-1 mRNA and the total cell content of GLUT-1 protein were elevated by all three treatments. It is proposed that within the time frame studied, reductions in the energy charge may activate the glucose transport system in L6 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes by GLUT-1 protein biosynthesis and translocation. When both responses exist, the biosynthetic pathway is dispensable, and posttranslational mechanisms, including transporter translocation suffice to sustain the adaptive elevation in glucose transport activity for several hours.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

Metabolic inhibitors: effects on metabolism and transport in the proximal tubule.

This study examined the effects of the metabolic inhibitors rotenone and antimycin A on oxidative metabolism and transport in the proximal renal tubule of the rabbit. Measurements of oxygen consumption rate (QO2), cellular ATP content, and mitochondrial NAD redox state were made in suspensions of renal cortical tubules. Parallel experiments were conducted in isolated perfused proximal convoluted tubules to measure the absorption rates of fluid (Jv), phosphate (JlbPO4), and glucose (JlbGlc). The results indicate that rotenone and antimycin A, at doses (10(-6) M) that maximally inhibited mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, abolished net fluid and phosphate absorption and nearly eliminated net glucose transport. Partial inhibition of oxidative metabolism with 10(-7) M rotenone caused proportional reductions in QO2, ATP content, and Jv; however, JlbPO4 was reduced more markedly than either Jv or JlbGlc. We conclude that rotenone and antimycin A inhibit the sodium-dependent transport of fluid, phosphate, and glucose by blocking mitochondrial ATP production. Furthermore, the inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and the inhibition of net sodium transport are closely correlated.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Mitochondrial sources of H2O2 generation play a key role in flow-mediated dilation in human coronary resistance arteries.

We previously showed that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contributes to flow-induced dilation in human coronary resistance arteries (HCRAs); however, the source of this H2O2 is not known. We hypothesized that the H2O2 is derived from superoxide (O2*-) generated by mitochondrial respiration. HCRAs were dissected from right atrial appendages obtained from patients during cardiac surgery and cannulated with micropipettes. H2O2-derived radicals and O2*- were detected by electron spin resonance (ESR) using BMPO as the spin trap and by histofluorescence using hydroethidine (HE, 5 micromol/L) and dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCFH, 5 micromol/L). Diameter changes to increases in pressure gradients (20 and 100 cm H2O) were examined in the absence and the presence of rotenone (1 micromol/L), myxothiazol (100 nmol/L), cyanide (1 micromol/L), mitochondrial complex I, III, and IV inhibitors, respectively, and apocynin (3 mmol/L), a NADPH oxidase inhibitor. At a pressure gradient of 100 cm H2O, ubisemiquinone and hydroxyl radicals were detected from effluents of vessels. Including superoxide dismutase and catalase in the perfusate reduced the ESR signals. Relative ethidium and DCFH fluorescence intensities in HCRAs exposed to flow were enhanced (1.45+/-0.15 and 1.57+/-0.12, respectively compared with no-flow) and were inhibited by rotenone (0.87+/-0.17 and 0.95+/-0.07). Videomicroscopic studies showed that rotenone and myxothiazol blocked flow-induced dilation (% max. dilation at 100 cm H2O: rotenone, 74+/-3% versus 3+/-13%; myxothiazol, 67+/-3% versus 28+/-4%; P<0.05). Neither cyanide nor apocynin altered flow-induced dilation. These results suggest that shear stress induced H2O2 formation, and flow-induced dilation is derived from O2*- originating from mitochondrial respiration.

Coronary Circulation↗

A redox-based O2 sensor in rat pulmonary vasculature.

The effector mechanism of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) involves K+ channel inhibition with subsequent membrane depolarization. It remains uncertain how hypoxia modulates K+ channel activity. The similar effects of hypoxia and mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) inhibitors on metabolism and vascular tone suggest a common mechanism of action. ETC inhibitors and hypoxia may alter cell redox status by causing an accumulation of electron donors from the Krebs cycle and by decreasing the production of activated O2 species (AOS) by the ETC. We hypothesized that this shift toward a more reduced redox state elicits vasoconstriction by inhibition of K+ channels. Pulmonary artery pressure and AOS, measured simultaneously using enhanced chemiluminescence, were studied in isolated perfused rat lungs during exposure to hypoxia, proximal ETC inhibitors (rotenone and antimycin A), and a distal ETC inhibitor (cyanide). Patch-clamp measurements of whole-cell K+ currents were made on freshly isolated rat pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells during exposure to hypoxia and ETC inhibitors. Hypoxia, rotenone, and antimycin A decreased lung chemiluminescence (-62 +/- 12, -46 +/- 7, and -148 +/- 36 counts/0.1 s, respectively) and subsequently increased pulmonary artery pressure (+14 +/- 2, +13 +/- 3, and +21 +/- 3 mm Hg, respectively). These agents reversibly inhibited an outward, ATP-independent, K+ current in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells. Antimycin A and rotenone abolished subsequent HPV. In contrast, cyanide increased AOS and did not alter K+ currents or inhibit HPV. The initial effect of rotenone, antimycin A, and hypoxia was a change in redox status (evident as a decrease in production of AOS). This was associated with the reversible inhibition of an ATP-independent K+ channel and vasoconstriction. These findings are consistent with the existence of a redox-based O2 sensor in the pulmonary vasculature.

Animals↗

MPP+ analogs acting on mitochondria and inducing neuro-degeneration.

This review focuses on the mechanisms of action and the injurious effect of complex I inhibitors, of which 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)) is a well studied example. These compounds can be divided into two groups, i.e. competitive inhibitors with respect to ubiquinone, such as piericidine A, and non-competitive inhibitors such as rotenone. Complex I inhibitors such as MPP(+) have been reported to induce anatomical, behavioral, and biochemical changes similar to those seen in Parkinson's disease, which is characterized by nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuro-degeneration. Spectroscopic analyses and structure-activity relationship studies have indicated that the V-shaped structure of the rotenone molecule is critical for binding to the rotenone binding site on complex I. Many isoquinoline derivatives, some of them endogenous, are also complex I inhibitors. Many lines of evidence show that complex I inhibitors elicit neuronal cell death. Recently, it was reported that chronic and systemic exposure to low-dose rotenone reproduces the features of Parkinson's disease. This work further focused attention on compounds acting on mitochondria, such as MPP(+). In Guadeloupe, the French West Indies, patients with atypical parkinsonism or progressive supranuclear palsy are frequently encountered. These diseases seem to be associated with ingestion of tropical herbal teas or tropical fruits of the Annonaceae family, which contain complex I inhibitors such as benzylisoquinoline derivatives and acetogenins. Complex I inhibitors may not simply result in reactive oxygen species generation or ATP exhaustion, but may influence complex downstream signal transduction processes. An understanding of these changes would throw light on the ways in which complex I inhibitors induce a wide range of abnormalities.

1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium↗

Pesticides and impairment of mitochondrial function in relation with the parkinsonian syndrome.

The Parkinsonian syndrome induced by pesticides is associated with the impairment of mitochondrial function. Toxicants that inhibit selectively NADH-dehydrogenase activity, as rotenone or pyridaben, also show a selective inhibition of O2 uptake and respiratory control in rat brain mitochondria in the presence of NAD-dependent substrates. The IC50 of rotenone and pyridaben for complex I inhibition were in the range 1.7-2.2 microM. The determination of NADH-cytochrome c reductase, succinate-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome oxidase activities in rat brain submitochondrial showed again the selective inhibition of Complex I by rotenone and pyridaben, whereas paraquat produced a non-selective inhibition affecting all the respiratory chain complexes. In rat brain mitochondria, rotenone and pyridaben markedly decreased mtNOS functional activity with NAD-dependent substrates but not when the substrate was succinate. This observation suggest than mtNOS activity is regulated by the activity of complex I. This regulation and the role of mitochondrial NO diffusion as a signal for mitochondrial biogenesis could have a role in the etiopathology of Parkinson's disease.

Animals↗

Inhibitors of 7-ethoxyresorufin and 7-ethoxycoumarin de-ethylases in rat small intestinal microsomes and cells.

The influence of alpha-naphthoflavone (ANF), rotenone, SKF 525-A, antimycin A and metyrapone on 7-ethoxyresorufin metabolism by rat small intestinal microsomes and epithelial cells was examined. ANF and rotenone were the most potent inhibitors of ethoxyresorufin (ER) deethylase activity in intestinal microsomes from control and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-treated rats. At a concentration of 0.05 muM, ANF inhibited approximately 85% of ER deethylase activity of intestinal microsomes from control animals and 55% of the activity of microsomes from MC-treated rats. The pH optimum for ER deethylation was 7.6, and the amounts of resorufin formed/mg protein/min for the uninhibited control and MC microsomes were 60 +/- 13 pmol and 1317 +/- 207 pmol, respectively. A 2.25 muM concentration of ANF inhibited approximately 55% of the ER deethylase activity associated with intestinal cells from MC-treated rats. 7-Ethoxycoumarin (EC) deethylase activity in intestinal microsomes had a pH optimum of 7.8, and was inhibited by ANF, rotenone, SKF 525-A and metyrapone in a manner similar to the results observed for ER deethylase. These results, in conjunction with previous investigations, suggest that rotenone and ANF may be most useful in differentiating between various species of cytochrome P-450.

Animals↗

Electron transport complex I is required for CD8+ T cell function.

After Ag encounter, CD8+ T cells become activated and begin to proliferate. Early during infection, when Ag-specific effector CD8+ T cells are proliferating, producing cytokines, and lysing infected cells in vivo, their mitochondrial potential is increased. The purpose of the experiments presented here was to determine whether mitochondrial function was required for CD8+ T cell function. To block mitochondrial function, transgenic CD8+ T cells were incubated with increasing doses of rotenone, an inhibitor of electron transport complex I. Within minutes of T cell activation, rotenone incubation decreased the production of H(2)O(2), calcium flux, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Failure to undergo signal transduction resulted in a decrease in T cell division initiated by peptide-coated cells, CD3/CD28 Abs, and PMA/ionomycin stimulation. Decreased function following rotenone incubation was not restricted to naive cells, as effector and memory CD8+ T cells isolated directly ex vivo from lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-infected mice displayed decreased production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production after peptide stimulation. Furthermore, incubation with rotenone decreased degranulation of effector and memory cells, a critical step in the cytolysis of infected cells. These data suggest that electron transport complex I is required for CD8+ T cell signal transduction, proliferation, cytokine production, and degranulation.

Animals↗

[Modification of the analytical method for rotenoids in plants].

Rotenoids are the active ingredients of some botanical insecticides and prospective candidates as anticancer agents. The proper isolation and determination of rotenoids in plants is of great importance for their further research and development. However, the HPLC method available for this purpose was developed particularly for the detection and determination of rotenone, so it appears to be unsuitable for the analysis of other rotenoids such as deguelin, elliptone and their analogues. By checking the UV spectra, it has been found that four types of UV absorption patterns occurred among the major rotenoids isolated from the roots of Derris elliptica and leaves of Tephrosia vogelii, and that the detection wavelength at 240 nm is more adequate for the analysis of a complex of rotenoids than at 280 nm-300 nm, which is used for rotenone detection. The extraction of rotenoids from plants is conveniently carried out by CHCl3-MeOH(9:1, V/V) and the purification can be accomplished by filtration of the crude residue through a C18 reversed-phase cartridge. Rotenoids can be isocratically eluted by MeOH-H2O(66:34, V/V). The results showed that rotenone, deguelin, elliptone, and their 12a-hydroxy- and 6a,12a-dehydro-analogs can be easily detected by the modified method, along with a satisfactory peak separation. The rotenoid components might be characterized by their retention times and relative retention times based on rotenone, which were at a range of 3.26 min-39.42 min and 40.4%-489.1% respectively.

Benzopyrans↗

Activity of the inner and outer membrane oxidative enzymes in brown adipose tissue mitochondria.

1. The specific activity of cytochrome-oxidase, succinate-cytochrome c reductase and su-cinate-oxidase of brown adipose tissue mitochondria of 17-day-old rats was found to be twice as high in brwon adipose tissue mitochondria as in the liver. The specific activity of rotenone-sensitive NADH-cytochrome c reductase and NADH-oxidase was found to be six times higher in brown adipose tissue mitochondria than in the liver. 2. Brown adipose tissue mitochondria have extremely low activity of outer membrane enzymes. When compared with liver the specific activity of rotenone-insensitive NADH-cytochrome c reductase was found to be seven times lower, the specific activity of monoamineoxidase up to 30 times lower according to the substrate used. 3. The optimum conditions for the determination of both NADH-cytochrome c reductases in brown adipose tissue mitochondria were more specified on the base of the following findings: (a) the outer membrane rotenone-insensitive NADH-cytochrome c reductase is strongly inactivated by freezing-thawing, (b) freezing-thawing, alone is insufficient to release completely maximal activity of rotenone-sensitive NADH-cytochrone c reductase, freezing-thawing activite can be further potentiated by e.g. trypsin treatment. 4. The activities of the outer membranes of brown-adipose tissue mitochondria are discussed with regards to the structural integrity of the outer membrane, the activities of the inner membrane enzymes are discussed with regards to the functional specifity of the tissue.

Adipose Tissue, Brown↗