Acrolein causes inhibitor kappaB-independent decreases in nuclear factor kappaB activation in human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells. (1/412)

Acrolein is a highly electrophilic alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde to which humans are exposed in various situations. In the present study, the effects of sublethal doses of acrolein on nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells were investigated. Immediately following a 30-min exposure to 45 fmol of acrolein/cell, glutathione (GSH) and DNA synthesis and NF-kappaB binding were reduced by more than 80%. All parameters returned to normal or supranormal levels by 8 h post-treatment. Pretreatment with acrolein completely blocked 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced activation of NF-kappaB. Cells treated for 1 h with 1 mM diethyl maleate (DEM) showed a 34 and 53% decrease in GSH and DNA synthesis, respectively. DEM also reduced NF-kappaB activation by 64% at 2 h post-treatment, with recovery to within 22% of control at 8 h. Both acrolein and DEM decreased NF-kappaB function approximately 50% at 2 h after treatment with TPA, as shown by a secreted alkaline phosphatase reporter assay. GSH returned to control levels by 8 h after DEM treatment, but proliferation remained significantly depressed for 24 h. Interestingly, DEM caused a profound decrease in NF-kappaB binding, even at doses as low as 0.125 mM that had little effect on GSH. Neither acrolein nor DEM had any effect on the levels of phosphorylated or nonphosphorylated inhibitor kappaB-alpha (IkappaB-alpha). Furthermore, acrolein decreased NF-kappaB activation in cells depleted of IkappaB-alpha by TPA stimulation in the presence of cycloheximide, demonstrating that the decrease in NF-kappaB activation was not the result of increased binding by the inhibitory protein. This conclusion was further supported by the finding that acrolein modified NF-kappaB in the cytosol prior to chemical dissociation from IkappaB with detergent. Together, these data support the conclusion that the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation by acrolein and DEM is IkappaB-independent. The mechanism appears to be related to direct modification of thiol groups in the NF-kappaB subunits.  (+info)

Regulation of human airway mucins by acrolein and inflammatory mediators. (2/412)

Bronchitis, asthma, and cystic fibrosis, marked by inflammation and mucus hypersecretion, can be caused or exacerbated by airway pathogens or irritants including acrolein, an aldehyde present in tobacco smoke. To determine whether acrolein and inflammatory mediators alter mucin gene expression, steady-state mRNA levels of two airway mucins, MUC5AC and MUC5B, were measured (by RT-PCR) in human lung carcinoma cells (NCI-H292). MUC5AC mRNA levels increased after >/=0.01 nM acrolein, 10 microM prostaglandin E2 or 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, 1.0 nM tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), or 10 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (a protein kinase C activator). In contrast, MUC5B mRNA levels, although easily detected, were unaffected by these agonists, suggesting that irritants and associated inflammatory mediators increase mucin biosynthesis by inducing MUC5AC message levels, whereas MUC5B is constitutively expressed. When transcription was inhibited, TNF-alpha exposure increased MUC5AC message half-life compared with control level, suggesting that transcript stabilization is a major mechanism controlling increased MUC5AC message levels. Together, these findings imply that irritants like acrolein can directly and indirectly (via inflammatory mediators) increase airway mucin transcripts in epithelial cells.  (+info)

Cigarette smoke induces direct DNA damage in the human B-lymphoid cell line Raji. (3/412)

Human lymphoid cells (Raji) were exposed to water-soluble compounds from cigarette smoke (CS) generated in a smoking machine. DNA damage, as detected by alkaline single-cell microelectrophoresis (COMET assay), was induced in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in the cells. Most of the rapidly induced DNA damage was attributable to direct-acting compounds since cytochrome P450-related metabolic activities (ethoxy- and pentoxyresorufin-O-deethylases and coumarin-7-hydroxylase) were absent or very low. In addition, induction of DNA damage could be inhibited only slightly by beta-naphthoflavone and coumarin. Vitamin C enhanced DNA damage in Raji cells probably by redox cycling of catechol and hydroquinone present in CS implicating reactive oxygen intermediates as another source of DNA damage. N-acetylcysteine, a radical scavenger and glutathione precursor, reduced DNA damage in Raji cells when exposure to CS was followed by 2 h post-incubation in culture medium. Unrepaired DNA damage caused by CS persisted longer than gamma-irradiation-induced DNA damage. Among the CS constituents, acrolein, but not formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, induced DNA damage although less intensely than CS itself. At 50 and 100 microM concentrations, acrolein also inhibited repair of gamma- irradiation-induced DNA damage in the COMET assay. Inhibition of DNA synthesis by acrolein at 50 microM was demonstrated by an immunochemical assay for bromo-deoxyuridine incorporation; however, inhibition of a representative repair enzyme, 8-oxoguanosine hydrolase, by either CS or acrolein was not observed. The present results further confirm the presence of direct-acting genotoxic components and inhibitors of DNA repair in the gas phase of tobacco smoke, that may contribute to DNA damage and smoking-associated cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract.  (+info)

Monocyte inflammation augments acrolein-induced Muc5ac expression in mouse lung. (4/412)

Acrolein, an unsaturated aldehyde found in smog and tobacco smoke, can induce airway hyperreactivity, inflammation, and mucus hypersecretion. To determine whether changes in steady-state mucin gene expression (Muc2 and Muc5ac) are associated with inflammatory cell accumulation and neutrophil elastase activity, FVB/N mice were exposed to acrolein (3.0 parts/million; 6 h/day, 5 days/wk for 3 wk). The levels of Muc2 and Muc5ac mRNA were determined by RT-PCR, and the presence of Muc5ac protein was detected by immunohistochemistry. Total and differential cell counts were determined from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and neutrophil elastase activity was measured in the BAL fluid supernatant. Lung Muc5ac mRNA was increased on days 12 and 19, and Muc5ac protein was detected in mucous granules and on the surface of the epithelium on day 19. Lung Muc2 mRNA was not detected at measurable levels in either control or exposed mice. Acrolein exposure caused a significant and persistent increase in macrophages and a rapid but transient increase in neutrophils in BAL fluid. Recoverable neutrophil elastase activity was not significantly altered at any time after acrolein exposure. To further examine the role of macrophage accumulation in mucin gene expression, additional strains of mice (including a strain genetically deficient in macrophage metalloelastase) were exposed to acrolein for 3 wk, and Muc5ac mRNA levels and macrophage accumulation were measured. The magnitude of macrophage accumulation coincided with increased Muc5ac mRNA levels, indicating that excessive macrophage accumulation augments acrolein-induced Muc5ac synthesis and secretion after repeated exposure. These findings support a role for chronic monocytic inflammation in the pathogenesis of mucus hypersecretion observed in chronic bronchitis.  (+info)

Effect of acrolein on human alveolar macrophage NF-kappaB activity. (5/412)

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.  (+info)

Pharmacological and molecular evidence for kinin B1 receptor expression in urinary bladder of cyclophosphamide-treated rats. (6/412)

1. In the present study, we developed an experimental model of cystitis induced by cyclophosphamide (CYP). In order to characterize des-Arg9-BK-induced contraction on the urinary bladder (UB) during the development of inflammation and to quantify kinin B1 receptor gene expression using a quantitative RT - PCR technique. 2. In the presence of peptidase inhibitors captopril (10 microM), DL-thiorphan (1 microM) and DL-2-mercaptomethyl-3-guanidino-ethylthiopropanoic acid (MERGEPTA 5 microM), bradykinin (BK) (0.3 - 3,000 nM) evoked a concentration-dependent contraction of rat UB which was not different between the CYP- and vehicle-treated groups. Unlike BK, des-Arg9-BK (0.3 - 100,000 nM) did not contract UB from vehicle-treated rats but contracted vigorously bladder strips from CYP-treated rats 14, 24 and 168 h after treatment. In UB of 24 h treated rat, the pD2 value of des-Arg9-BK was 7.3+/-0.1. 3. The cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (3 microM) reduced by 30% the maximal response of des-Arg9-BK. Both the kinin B1 receptor antagonists des-Arg9-[Leu8]BK (10 microM) and des-Arg10-Hoe 140 (10 microM) produced a rightward shift of the concentration-response curve to des-Arg9-BK yielding pKB values of 6.8+/-0.2 and 7.2+/-0.1, respectively, whilst the kinin B2 receptor antagonist Hoe 140 (1 microM) had no effect. 4. After CYP treatment, mRNA coding for the kinin B1 receptor appeared predominantly in UB. In this organ, the induction was progressive, reaching a maximum 48 h after CYP treatment. 5. In conclusion, the present study provides strong evidence for an induction of kinin B1 receptors in UB of CYP-treated rats. This was associated at a molecular level with an increase in mRNA expression of the gene coding for the kinin B1 receptor. This kinin receptor displayed the whole features of a classical rat kinin B1 receptor.  (+info)

Sensory nerve-mediated immediate nasal responses to inspired acrolein. (7/412)

To investigate the role of sensory C-fiber stimulation and tachykinin release in the immediate nasal responses to the sensory irritant acrolein, the upper respiratory tract of the urethan-anesthetized male Fischer 344 rat was isolated via insertion of an endotracheal tube, and acrolein-laden air [2, 5, 10, or 20 parts/million (ppm)] was drawn continuously through that site at a flow rate of 100 ml/min for 50 min. Uptake of the inert vapor acetone was measured throughout the exposure to assess nasal vascular function. Plasma protein extravasation into nasal tissue and nasal lavage fluid was also assessed via injection of Evans blue dye. At 20 ppm, acrolein induced 1) a twofold increase in acetone uptake, indicative of vasodilation, followed by a progressive decline toward basal levels and 2) increased plasma protein extravasation, as indicated by dye leakage into nasal tissue and nasal lavage. These responses were inhibited by capsaicin pretreatment and the neurokinin type 1 antagonist N-acetyltrifluoromethyl tryptophan benzyl ester and were potentiated by the peptidase inhibitors phosphoramidon and captopril, suggesting that these responses were mediated by tachykinin. At lower exposure concentrations, acrolein was without effect on dye leakage but produced vasodilation, as indicated by increased acetone uptake. The responses at the lower concentrations were inhibited by capsaicin pretreatment, implicating nasal sensory C-fiber involvement, but were not influenced by N-acetyltrifluoromethyl tryptophan benzyl ester, phosphoramidon, or captopril, suggesting the involvement of a mediator other than the tachykinins substance P and neurokinin A.  (+info)

Glutathione antagonized cyclophosphamide- and acrolein-induced cytotoxicity of PC3 cells and immunosuppressive actions in mice. (8/412)

AIM: To study the antagonistic effect of glutathione (GSH) on toxicity of PC3 cell induced by cyclophosphamide (Cyc) and acrolein (Acr) and on immunosuppressive actions caused by Cyc. METHODS: Splenocyte, PC3 cell proliferation and cell protein content were measured by tetrazolium (MTT) assay and Coomassie brilliant blue assay. Serum anti-SRBC hemolysin, agglutinin, and splenocyte proliferation were measured in normal and S-180-bearing mice. Tumors were weighed. RESULTS: Pretreatment with GSH 2 mmol.L-1 reduced splenocyte proliferation inhibition from 18.64%, 49.72% to 6.78%, 18.36% (induced by Cyc 1, and 5 mmol.L-1), and PC3 cell proliferation inhibition from 27.7%, 45.3%, and 74.6% to 14.6%, 18.8%, and 49.1% (induced by Cyc 1, 3, and 5 mmol.L-1), and from 62.6%, 85.4%, and 90.6% to 41.9%, 57.7%, and 86.4% (induced by Acr 10, 25, and 50 mumol.L-1), respectively. In normal mice, s.c. GSH 75 or 150 mg.kg-1 b.i.d. x 5 d after i.p. Cyc 40 mg.kg-1, the hemolysin and the splenocyte proliferation were higher than those in normal mice i.p. Cyc 40 mg.kg-1 alone. Hemolysin, serum agglutinin, and splenocyte proliferation in S-180-bearing mice given s.c. GSH 150 mg.kg-1 b.i.d. x 10 d after i.p. Cyc 40 mg.kg-1 were also markedly higher than those in S-180-bearing mice given i.p. Cyc alone. But, according to tumor weight, GSH did not interfere the antitumor activity of Cyc in S-180-bearing mice. CONCLUSION: GSH exhibited protective effects against Cyc and Acr, but had no effect on the antitumor action of Cyc.  (+info)