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PubMed1999

Protein-bound acrolein: a novel marker of oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease.

Several lines of evidence support the role of oxidative stress, including increased lipid peroxidation, in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lipid peroxidation generates various reactive aldehydes, such as 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), which have been detected immunochemically in AD, particularly in neurofibrillary tangles, one of the major diagnostic lesions in AD brains. A recent study demonstrated that acrolein, the most reactive among the alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde products of lipid peroxidation, could be rapidly incorporated into proteins, generating a carbonyl derivative, a marker of oxidative stress to proteins. The current studies used an antibody raised against acrolein-modified keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) to test whether acrolein modification of proteins occurs in AD. Double immunofluorescence revealed strong acrolein-KLH immunoreactivity in more than half of all paired helical filament (PHF)-1-labeled neurofibrillary tangles in AD cases. Acrolein-KLH immunoreactivity was also evident in a few neurons lacking PHF-1-positive neurofibrillary tangles. Light acrolein-KLH immunoreactivity occurred in dystrophic neurites surrounding the amyloid-beta core, which itself lacked acrolein-KLH staining. The pattern of acrolein-KLH immunostaining was similar to that of HNE. Control brains did not contain any acrolein-KLH-immunoreactive structures. The current results suggest that protein-bound acrolein is a powerful marker of oxidative damage to protein and support the hypothesis that lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage to protein may play a crucial role in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and to neuronal death in AD.

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PubMed2002

Thiolation of protein-bound carcinogenic aldehyde. An electrophilic acrolein-lysine adduct that covalently binds to thiols.

Acrolein, a representative carcinogenic aldehyde that could be ubiquitously generated in biological systems under oxidative stress, shows facile reactivity with the epsilon-amino group of lysine to form N(epsilon)-(3-formyl-3,4-dehydropiperidino)lysine (FDP-lysine) as the major product (Uchida, K., Kanematsu, M., Morimitsu, Y., Osawa, T., Noguchi, N., and Niki, E. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 16058-16066). In the present study, we determined the electrophilic potential of FDP-lysine and established a novel mechanism of protein thiolation in which the FDP-lysine generated in the acrolein-modified protein reacts with sulfhydryl groups to form thioether adducts. When a sulfhydryl enzyme, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, was incubated with acrolein-modified bovine serum albumin in sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) at 37 degrees C, a significant loss of sulfhydryl groups, which was accompanied by the loss of enzyme activity and the formation of high molecular mass protein species (>200 kDa), was observed. The FDP-lysine adduct generated in the acrolein-modified protein was suggested to represent a thiol-reactive electrophile based on the following observations. (i) N(alpha)-acetyl-FDP-lysine, prepared from the reaction of N(alpha)-acetyl lysine with acrolein, was covalently bound to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. (ii) The FDP-lysine derivative reacted with glutathione to form a GSH conjugate. (iii) The acrolein-modified bovine serum albumin significantly reacted with GSH to form a glutathiolated protein. Furthermore, the observation that the glutathiolated acrolein-modified protein showed decreased immunoreactivity with an anti-FDP-lysine monoclonal antibody suggested that the FDP-lysine residues in the acrolein-modified protein served as the binding site of GSH. These data suggest that thiolation of the protein-bound acrolein may be involved in redox alteration under oxidative stress, whereby oxidative stress generates the increased production of acrolein and its protein adducts that further potentiate oxidative stress via the depletion of GSH in the cells.

Acrolein↗
PubMed2003

Formation of acrolein-derived 2'-deoxyadenosine adduct in an iron-induced carcinogenesis model.

Acrolein is a representative carcinogenic aldehyde found ubiquitously in the environment and formed endogenously through oxidation reactions, such as lipid peroxidation and myeloperoxidase-catalyzed amino acid oxidation. It shows facile reactivity toward DNA to form an exocyclic DNA adduct. To verify the formation of acrolein-derived DNA adduct under oxidative stress in vivo, we raised a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb21) against the acrolein-modified DNA and found that the antibody most significantly recognized an acrolein-modified 2' -deoxyadenosine. On the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence, the major antigenic product of mAb21 was the 1,N6-propano-2' -deoxyadenosine adduct. The exposure of rat liver epithelial RL34 cells to acrolein resulted in a significant accumulation of the acrolein-2' -deoxyadenosine adduct in the nuclei. Formation of this adduct under oxidative stress in vivo was immunohistochemically examined in rats exposed to ferric nitrilotriacetate, a carcinogenic iron chelate that specifically induces oxidative stress in the kidneys of rodents. It was observed that the acrolein-2' -deoxyadenosine adduct was formed in the nuclei of the proximal tubular cells, the target cells of this carcinogenesis model. The same cells were stained with a monoclonal antibody 5F6 that recognizes an acrolein-lysine adduct, by which cytosolic accumulation of acrolein-modified proteins appeared. Similar results were also obtained from myeloperoxidase knockout mice exposed to the iron complex, suggesting that the myeloperoxidase-catalyzed oxidation system might not be essential for the generation of acrolein in this experimental animal carcinogenesis model. The data obtained in this study suggest that the formation of a carcinogenic aldehyde through lipid peroxidation may be causally involved in the pathophysiological effects associated with oxidative stress.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition of NFkappaB activation and IL-8 expression in human bronchial epithelial cells by acrolein.

Lipid oxidation and environmental pollutants are major sources of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes such as acrolein and 4-hydroxynonenal. Acrolein (2-propenal), a major product of organic combustion such as tobacco smoke, represents the most reactive alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde, with high reactivity toward nucleophilic targets such as sulfhydryl groups. To investigate how acrolein affects respiratory tract cell activation, we exposed either primary (NHBE) or immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE1) to 0-25 microM acrolein, and determined effects on basal and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-induced production of the chemokine interleukin (IL)-8. Cell exposure to acrolein dose-dependently suppressed IL-8 mRNA levels in HBE1 cells (26, 40, and 79% at 5, 10, and 25 microM acrolein concentrations, respectively) and resulted in corresponding decreases in IL-8 production. Studies of nuclear factor-kappaB (NFkappaB) activation, an essential event in IL-8 production, showed decreased TNFalpha-induced NFkappaB activation by acrolein, illustrated by inhibition of nuclear translocation of NFkappaB and reduced IkappaBalpha degradation. Immunochemical analysis of IkappaB kinase (IKK), a redox-sensitive regulator of NFkappaB activation, indicated direct modification of the IKK beta-subunit by acrolein, suggesting that acrolein may act directly on IKK. In summary, our results demonstrate that acrolein can suppress inflammatory processes in the airways by inhibiting epithelial IL-8 production through direct or indirect inhibitory effects on NFkappaB activation.

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PubMed2000

The molecular effects of acrolein.

Acrolein is a highly electrophilic alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde to which humans are exposed in a variety of environmental situations, particularly as a component of smoke. In addition, as a metabolite of cyclophosphamide, acrolein is a major factor in the toxicity and perhaps the therapeutic activity of this important anticancer agent. The exposures to acrolein that are attained in vivo in most situations are quite low and the effects may differ from those seen at acutely toxic doses. At low doses, acrolein inhibits cell proliferation without causing cell death and may enhance apoptosis from secondary toxins, while at higher doses oncosis ensues. Although the acute toxicology of acrolein has been extensively investigated, both in animals and cultured cells, little information exists on the molecular effects of this reactive aldehyde. It is possible that the acrolein-mediated decrease in cell proliferation is caused by effecting changes in the expression of one or more growth- or stress-related genes or transcription factors secondary to a reduction in glutathione (GSH), which is rapidly depleted following acrolein treatment. It is apparent that the activation of the transcription factors nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) can be inhibited by acrolein. The purpose of this review is to assess the literature currently available on the molecular effects of acrolein, to discuss the relationship between effects on glutathione with those on various genes, and to present some new data showing that acrolein actively stimulates genes associated with the electrophile response element.

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PubMed2007

Inhibition of acrolein-induced apoptosis by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine.

Acrolein is a highly electrophilic alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde to which humans are exposed in many situations. It is an environmental pollutant that is responsible for multiple respiratory diseases and has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. The hypothesis of the study is that the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of glutathione, could protect cells against acrolein-induced apoptosis. Exposure of Chinese hamster ovary cells to a noncytotoxic dose of acrolein (4 fmol/cell) depleted intracellular glutathione to 45% of initial levels. NAC, which increased intracellular glutathione levels by 30%, afforded protection against acrolein-induced cytotoxicity (loss of cell proliferation) and apoptosis. NAC protected against apoptosis by diminishing acrolein-induced activation of the mitochondrial death pathway. NAC inhibited acrolein-induced Bad translocation from the cytosol to the mitochondria, as well as Bcl-2 translocation from mitochondria to the cytosol, as evaluated by Western blot analysis. However, NAC had no effect on acrolein-induced Bax translocation to mitochondria and cytochrome c liberation into the cytosol. Meanwhile, NAC inhibited depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, as evaluated by rhodamine fluorescence using flow cytometry. NAC also inhibited procaspase-9 processing, activation of enzymatic activity of caspase-9, -7, and -8, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage induced by acrolein. Inhibition of acrolein-induced apoptosis using NAC was confirmed morphologically by diminished condensation of nuclear chromatin, as evaluated by fluorescence microscopy. These findings suggest that NAC could be potentially useful as a protective agent for people exposed to acrolein.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed2005

Hydralazine inhibits rapid acrolein-induced protein oligomerization: role of aldehyde scavenging and adduct trapping in cross-link blocking and cytoprotection.

Hydralazine strongly suppresses the toxicity of acrolein, a reactive aldehyde that contributes to numerous health disorders. At least two mechanisms may underlie the cytoprotection, both of which involve the nucleophilic hydrazine possessed by hydralazine. Under the simplest scenario, hydralazine directly scavenges free acrolein, decreasing intracellular acrolein availability and thereby suppressing macromolecular adduction. In a second "adduct-trapping" mechanism, the drug forms hydrazones with acrolein-derived Michael adducts in cell proteins, preventing secondary reactions of adducted proteins that may trigger cell death. To identify the most important mechanism, we explored these two pathways in mouse hepatocytes poisoned with the acrolein precursor allyl alcohol. Intense concentration-dependent adduct-trapping in cell proteins accompanied the suppression of toxicity by hydralazine. However, protective concentrations of hydralazine did not alter extracellular free acrolein levels, cellular glutathione loss, or protein carbonylation, suggesting that the cytoprotection is not due to minimization of intracellular acrolein availability. To explore ways whereby adduct-trapping might confer cytoprotection, the effect of hydralazine on acrolein-induced protein cross-linking was examined. Using bovine pancreas ribonuclease A as a model protein, acrolein caused rapid time- and concentration-dependent cross-linking, with dimerized protein detectable within 45 min of commencing protein modification. Lysine adduction in monomeric protein preceded the appearance of oligomers, whereas reductive methylation of protein amine groups abolished both adduction and oligomerization. Hydralazine inhibited cross-linking if added 30 min after commencing acrolein exposure but was ineffective if added after a 90-min delay. Adduct-trapping closely accompanied the inhibition of cross-linking by hydralazine. These findings suggest that cross-link blocking may contribute to hydralazine cytoprotection.

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PubMed2004

Protein adduct-trapping by hydrazinophthalazine drugs: mechanisms of cytoprotection against acrolein-mediated toxicity.

Acrolein is a highly toxic aldehyde involved in a number of diseases as well as drug-induced toxicities. Its pronounced toxicity reflects the readiness with which it forms adducts in proteins and DNA. As a bifunctional electrophile, initial reactions between acrolein and protein generate adducts containing an electrophilic center that can participate in secondary deleterious reactions (e.g., cross-linking). We hypothesize that inactivation of these reactive protein adducts with nucleophilic drugs may counteract acrolein toxicity. Because we previously observed that 1-hydrazinophthalazine (hydralazine) strongly diminishes the toxicity of the acrolein precursor allyl alcohol, we explored the possibility that hydralazine targets reactive acrolein adducts in proteins. We report that hydralazine abolished the immunoreactivity of an acrolein-modified model protein (bovine serum albumin), but only if the drug was added to the protein within 30 min of commencing modification by acrolein. The ability of a range of carbonyl-trapping drugs to interfere with "early" events in protein modification strongly correlated with their protective potencies against allyl alcohol toxicity in hepatocytes. In mass spectrometry studies using a model lysine-containing peptide, hydralazine rapidly formed hydrazones with Michael adducts generated by acrolein. Using an antibody raised against such ternary drug-acrolein-protein complexes in Western blotting experiments, clear adduct-trapping was evident in acrolein-preloaded hepatocytes exposed to cytoprotective concentrations of hydralazine ranging from 2 to 50 microM. These novel findings begin to reveal the molecular mechanisms whereby hydralazine functions as an efficient "protein adduct-trapping" drug.

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PubMed1993

Protective role for neuropeptides in acute pulmonary response to acrolein in guinea pigs.

To determine the potential role of neuropeptides in acrolein-induced airway responses, capsaicin-treated guinea pigs were exposed to acrolein aerosol in a regimen causing increased airway sensitivity to substance P. Acrolein exposure resulted in 100% mortality after capsaicin pretreatment compared with only 14% mortality in guinea pigs not pretreated with capsaicin. Acrolein exposure by itself caused marked pulmonary inflammation and large airway epithelial necrosis and denudation. Pretreatment with capsaicin exacerbated these responses throughout the lung. Intravenous acrolein caused an acute dose-related bronchoconstriction in naive guinea pigs that was diminished by capsaicin treatment and potentiated by thiorphan pretreatment, which suggests that arolein exposure causes an acute release of capsaicin-sensitive C-fiber neuropeptides. To determine whether acrolein-induced C-fiber release altered neuronal viability, either rhodamine or Fast Blue dye was instilled intratracheally into vehicle- or acrolein-exposed guinea pigs. Acrolein exposure did not reduce the neuronal uptake or retrograde transport of these dyes, as indicated by the number of fluorescent cell bodies in the nodose ganglia. To determine the functional state of airway neurons, the dose response to intravenous capsaicin was measured in vehicle-exposed and acrolein-exposed guinea pigs; no differences were observed. Thus, acrolein appears to activate airway C-fibers, which release neuropeptides that are protective against this insult, with no suggestion of an accompanying reduction in C-fiber function.

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PubMed1992

Acrolein initiates rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis.

Acrolein, a reactive, alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde which is ubiquitous in the environment, forms DNA adducts, is mutagenic, and is teratogenic. However, studies have not indicated a carcinogenic effect in rodent bioassays. Since it is present in cigarette smoke and is the toxic metabolite of cyclophosphamide with respect to the urinary tract, we investigated the possibility that acrolein might have carcinogenic activity toward the rat urinary bladder. We also evaluated whether it possessed initiating and/or promoting activity. To evaluate initiating activity, acrolein was administered at a dose of 2 mg/kg i.p. twice a week for 6 weeks followed by uracil as 3% of the diet for 20 weeks and then control diet for 6 weeks. N-[4-(5-Nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl]formamide (FANFT) as 0.2% of the diet followed by uracil was used as a positive control, and a negative control group was administered solvent control (water) i.p. during the 6-week initiation period followed by uracil. Acrolein followed by uracil produced an incidence of 18 of 30 rats (60%) with papilloma compared to 8 of 30 rats (27%) treated with solvent control followed by uracil. FANFT followed by uracil produced an incidence of 70% carcinomas and 30% papillomas, clearly indicating that it is a much more potent initiating agent than acrolein. Acrolein for 6 weeks followed by control diet produced no tumors. To evaluate promoting activity, groups of rats were fed FANFT for 6 weeks followed by acrolein. Acrolein administered during the initial 6 weeks and continued for the second phase of the experiment (to evaluate complete carcinogenic activity) resulted in severe toxicity. Administration of acrolein had to be terminated after 21 weeks of the experiment. The animals were maintained for 53 weeks of the experiment without further chemical treatment, and there was no evidence of papilloma or carcinoma development. This study clearly indicates that acrolein has initiating activity for the urinary bladder when administered by i.p. injection to the male F344 rat, but toxicity precluded evaluation of its promoting or complete carcinogenic activity.

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PubMed2001

Acrolein induces activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor of human keratinocytes for cell death.

Acrolein, which is a highly reactive formaldehyde generated by lipid peroxidation, can affect skin and cause various disorders. The effect of exposure of human keratinocytes to acrolein on cell surface-oriented signal transduction into cells was examined. Incubation of human keratinocytes with a relatively low concentration (50 microM) of acrolein caused a prompt and selective induction of tyrosine phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as a 180-kDa molecule during the period from 5-30 min after the start of incubation. This early event was followed by an increase in the density and number of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins during the period from 60-120 min after the start of incubation. The catalytic activity of EGFR as measured by the levels of autophorphorylation and phosphorylation of an exogenously added substrate, casein, in in vitro kinase assay, greatly increased as early as 1 min after the start of incubation and then decreased gradually 30 min later. MAP family kinases, including ERK, JNK, and p38 kinase, and the potentially downstream transcription factor c-Jun were all promoted for phosphorylation/activation during a period of 5-30 min. Selective prompt phosphorylation/activation of EGFR followed by phosphorylation of MAP family kinases and c-Jun and their blockade by a specific EGFR inhibitor, AG1478, suggested that activation of EGFR is the major, and possibly single, cell surface element for intracellular signal transduction in acrolein-treated cells. Incubation of human keratinocytes with 50 microM of acrolein induced atypical apoptosis with morphologic apoptotic features with low-grade oligonucleoside-sized DNA fragmentation. Partial inhibition of such a cytopathic effect of acrolein on human keratinocytes by preincubation with AG1478 suggests the involvement of an EGFR-mediated signal pathway for atypical apoptosis. These results provide new information on acrolein-induced cell surface-oriented signal transduction to human keratinocytes, and this information may be useful for understanding the pathogenesis of a number of skin diseases in response to environmental acrolein and acrolein-generating ultraviolet irradiation.

Acrolein↗
PubMed2001

Glutathione elevation and its protective role in acrolein-induced protein damage in synaptosomal membranes: relevance to brain lipid peroxidation in neurodegenerative disease.

Oxidative stress may be a hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acrolein is a highly reactive product of lipid peroxidation that is elevated in the brains of persons with AD. This alkenal potentially can react with proteins by Michael addition to alter their structure and function. In the present study, we used electron paramagnetic resonance in conjunction with a protein-specific spin label to monitor synaptosomal membrane protein conformational alterations induced by acrolein. A dose-dependent increased conformational alteration was observed. Consistent with this finding, protein carbonyl levels from protein-bound acrolein were significantly elevated. However, pretreatment of synaptosomes with glutathione ethyl ester (GEE) significantly ameliorated both the conformational alterations and protein carbonyls induced by acrolein. Based on this success, we tested the hypothesis that elevated levels of endogenous glutathione (GSH) would offer protection against acrolein-induced oxidative stress. In-vivo elevation of GSH (215% over control, P<0.04) was produced by i.p. injection of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a known precursor of GSH. Synaptosomes were treated with vehicle or 2 nM acrolein, the level of this alkenal found in AD brain. In contrast to synaptosomes from control animals, which had significantly increased protein carbonyl levels following addition of 2 nM acrolein, synaptosomes that were isolated from NAC-treated rodents and treated with 2 nM acrolein showed no increased carbonyl levels compared to untreated controls. These results demonstrate protection by increased in-vivo GSH levels against acrolein-induced oxidative stress at levels found in AD brain and are consistent with the notion that methods to increase endogenous GSH levels in neurodegenerative diseases associated with oxidative stress may be promising.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed2002

Acrolein causes transcriptional induction of phase II genes by activation of Nrf2 in human lung type II epithelial (A549) cells.

Acrolein, an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde, is by far the strongest electrophile present in cigarette smoke which is involved in several lung pathophysiological conditions. Acrolein depletes glutathione and creates thiol imbalance. Acrolein due to thiol imbalance as well as covalent modification of cysteine is known to inhibit the activity of redox sensitive transcription factors such as NF-kappaB and AP-1. Exposure of human type II lung epithelial (A549) cells to non-lethal dose of acrolein (150 fmol/cell for 1 h) depletes 80% of intracellular glutathione and increases the transcription of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) at 6-12 h post-treatment, which helps in replenishing the glutathione to normal level. Acrolein treatment activates transcription of phase II genes in general, as indicated by an increase in mRNA for NAD (P) H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1). Western blot analysis revealed the increased level of the transcription factor, Nrf2 in the nuclear extract from acrolein treated cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay shows increased binding of nuclear proteins to human antioxidant response element (ARE) consensus sequence after treatment with acrolein. The involvement of Nrf2 in ARE mediated transcriptional activation in response to acrolein exposure has been confirmed by human NQO1-ARE reporter assay. The ability of acrolein to transcriptionaly activate genes responsible for phase II enzymes may form the basis of resistance against cell death and can have implications in cigarette smoke related lung carcinogenesis.

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PubMed2003

Reactivity with Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane confounds immunodetection of acrolein-adducted proteins.

The toxic alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde acrolein readily attacks proteins, generating adducts at cysteine, histidine, and lysine residues. In this study, rabbit antiserum was raised against acrolein-modified keyhole limpet hemocyanin in the expectation that it would allow immunodetection of adducted proteins in biological samples. Using slot-blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, the antiserum detected acrolein-modified protein with high sensitivity and specificity. Adduct immunodetection was strongly inhibited by acrolein-modified polylysine but not polyhistidine. Efforts to develop a Western blotting method for detecting adducted proteins in cell lysates were hampered by irreproducible outcomes, evidently due to adduct instability during SDS-PAGE. Indeed, adducts generated via brief exposure of a model protein to acrolein displayed pH- and concentration-dependent instability to tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris), a nucleophilic buffer used in protein electrophoresis. The effect was most striking when Tris solutions were buffered to pH 8.0 and higher. In contrast, adducts formed during extended exposure to acrolein (> or =60 min) were completely stable to Tris. The time dependence of susceptibility raised the possibility that Tris interfered with specific steps in lysine modification, which involves stepwise Michael addition of two molecules of acrolein to the same residue, followed by condensation and dehydration to form a heterocyclic adduct, N(epsilon)-(3-formyl-3,4-dehydropiperidino)lysine. We hypothesize that carbonyl-retaining Michael adducts may react with Tris by forming imines with the primary amine of the buffer. Consistent with this idea, triethanolamine, a tertiary amine buffer unable to form imines, had no effect on acrolein-adducted protein. These effects of Tris may explain difficulties in the detection of acrolein-adducted proteins during conventional Western blotting procedures.

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PubMed1998

Protein-bound acrolein: potential markers for oxidative stress.

Acrolein (CH2==CH---CHO) is known as a ubiquitous pollutant in the environment. Here we show that this notorious aldehyde is not just a pollutant, but also a lipid peroxidation product that could be ubiquitously generated in biological systems. Upon incubation with BSA, acrolein was rapidly incorporated into the protein and generated the protein-linked carbonyl derivative, a putative marker of oxidatively modified proteins under oxidative stress. To verify the presence of protein-bound acrolein in vivo, the mAb (mAb5F6) against the acrolein-modified keyhole limpet hemocyanin was raised. It was found that the acrolein-lysine adduct, Nepsilon-(3-formyl-3, 4-dehydropiperidino)lysine, constitutes an epitope of the antibody. Immunohistochemical analysis of atherosclerotic lesions from a human aorta demonstrated that antigenic materials recognized by mAb5F6 indeed constituted the lesions, in which intense positivity was associated primarily with macrophage-derived foam cells and the thickening neointima of arterial walls. The observations that (i) oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein with Cu2+ generated the acrolein-low-density lipoprotein adducts and (ii) the iron-catalyzed oxidation of arachidonate in the presence of protein resulted in the formation of antigenic materials suggested that polyunsaturated fatty acids are sources of acrolein that cause the production of protein-bound acrolein. These data suggest that the protein-bound acrolein represents potential markers of oxidative stress and long-term damage to protein in aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes.

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PubMed2006

Old yellow enzymes protect against acrolein toxicity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Acrolein is a ubiquitous reactive aldehyde which is formed as a product of lipid peroxidation in biological systems. In this present study, we screened the complete set of viable deletion strains in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for sensitivity to acrolein to identify cell functions involved in resistance to reactive aldehydes. We identified 128 mutants whose gene products are localized throughout the cell. Acrolein-sensitive mutants were distributed among most major biological processes but particularly affected gene expression, metabolism, and cellular signaling. Surprisingly, the screen did not identify any antioxidants or similar stress-protective molecules, indicating that acrolein toxicity may not be mediated via reactive oxygen species. Most strikingly, a mutant lacking an old yellow enzyme (OYE2) was identified as being acrolein sensitive. Old yellow enzymes are known to reduce alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in vitro, but their physiological roles have remained uncertain. We show that mutants lacking OYE2, but not OYE3, are sensitive to acrolein, and overexpression of both isoenzymes increases acrolein tolerance. Our data indicate that OYE2 is required for basal levels of tolerance, whereas OYE3 expression is particularly induced following acrolein stress. Despite the range of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds that have been identified as substrates of old yellow enzymes in vitro, we show that old yellow enzymes specifically mediate resistance to small alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, such as acrolein, in vivo.

Acrolein↗
PubMed1999

Effect of acrolein on human alveolar macrophage NF-kappaB activity.

Acrolein is an environmental pollutant that is known to suppress respiratory host defense against infections; however, the mechanism of the decrease in host defense is not yet clear. We have previously reported that acrolein inhibited endotoxin-induced cytokine release and induced apoptosis in human alveolar macrophages, suggesting that the inhibition of cytokine release and/or cytotoxicity to alveolar macrophages may, in part, be responsible for acrolein-induced immunosuppression in the lung. Because nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is an important transcription factor for a number of cytokine genes and is also an important regulator of apoptosis, the effect of acrolein on NF-kappaB activity was examined by electrophoresis mobility shift assay. Acrolein caused a dose-dependent inhibition of endotoxin-induced NF-kappaB activation as well as an inhibition of basal level NF-kappaB activity. Because IkappaB is a principal regulator of NF-kappaB activity in the nucleus, changes in IkappaB were determined by Western blotting. Acrolein-inhibited IkappaB phosphorylation leads to an increase in cellular IkappaB levels preventing NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and is likely the mechanism of acrolein-induced inhibition of NF-kappaB activity. The role of basal level NF-kappaB in acrolein-induced apoptosis was also examined. An NF-kappaB inhibitor (MG-132) also induced apoptosis in human alveolar macrophages, suggesting that a certain basal level NF-kappaB activity may be required for macrophage cell survival. Taken together, our results suggest that the acrolein-inhibited endotoxin-induced NF-kappaB activation decreased the basal level NF-kappaB activity, which may be responsible for the inhibition of cytokine release and the induction of apoptosis in human alveolar macrophages.

Acrolein↗
PubMed2007

Acrolein, a toxicant in cigarette smoke, causes oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in RPE cells: protection by (R)-alpha-lipoic acid.

PURPOSE: To understand better the cell and molecular basis for the epidemiologic association between cigarette smoke, oxidant injury, and age-associated macular degeneration, the authors examined the effects of acrolein, a major toxicant in cigarette smoke, on oxidative mitochondrial damage in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and the reduction of this damage by lipoic acid. METHODS: Cultured human ARPE19 cells and primary cultures of human fetal (hf)RPE were treated with acrolein. The toxicity of acrolein and the protective effects of R-alpha-lipoic acid were examined with a variety of previously described techniques. RESULTS: Acute acrolein exposure exceeding 50 microM (24 hours) in ARPR19 cells caused toxicity, including decreases in cell viability, mitochondrial potential, GSH, antioxidant capacity, Nrf2 expression, enzyme activity (mitochondrial complexes I, II, III; superoxide dismutase; and glutathione peroxidase). Acute exposure also increased oxidant levels, protein carbonyls, and calcium. Continuous acrolein exposure over 8 or 32 days caused similar toxicity but from 10- to 100-fold lower doses (0.1-5 microM). Pretreatment with R-alpha-lipoic acid effectively protected ARPE-19 cells from acrolein toxicity. Primary hfRPE cells were comparable to the ARPE-19 cells in sensitivity to acrolein toxicity and lipoic acid protection. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that acrolein is a mitochondrial toxicant in RPE cells and that acrolein-induced oxidative mitochondrial dysfunction is reduced by lipoic acid. The similar sensitivity of the ARPE-19 and hfRPE cells suggests that both models are useful for studying RPE toxicity and protection. These experiments indicate that mitochondria-targeted antioxidants such as lipoic acid may be an effective strategy for reducing or preventing chronic oxidant-induced RPE degeneration in vivo from a variety of sources, including cigarette smoke.

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