Nitrogen dioxide radical generated by the myeloperoxidase-hydrogen peroxide-nitrite system promotes lipid peroxidation of low density lipoprotein. (57/3678)

Myeloperoxidase, a heme protein secreted by activated phagocytes, is present and enzymatically active in human atherosclerotic lesions. In the current studies, we explored the possibility that reactive nitrogen species generated by myeloperoxidase promote lipid peroxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) -- a modification that may render the lipoprotein atherogenic. We found that myeloperoxidase, an H2O2-generating system and nitrite (NO2-) peroxidized LDL lipids. The process required NO2- and each component of the enzymatic system; it was inhibited by catalase, cyanide and ascorbate, a potent scavenger of aqueous phase radicals. LDL peroxidation did not require chloride ion, and it was little affected by the hypochlorous acid scavenger taurine. Collectively, these results suggest that lipid peroxidation is promoted by a nitrogen dioxide radical-like species. These observations indicate that myeloperoxidase, by virtue of its ability to form reactive nitrogen intermediates, may promote lipid peroxidation and atherogenesis.  (+info)

Nitecapone reduces cardiac neutrophil accumulation in clinical open heart surgery. (58/3678)

BACKGROUND: To study the effect of nitecapone, a novel antioxidant, on cardiac neutrophil activation during cardiopulmonary bypass in patients. METHODS: In a double-blind, placebo controlled trial, 30 male patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were randomly assigned to control (crystalloid cardioplegia, n = 15) and nitecapone groups (cardioplegia supplemented with nitecapone, n = 15). Leukocyte differential counts, neutrophil and monocyte CD11b and L-selectin expressions and neutrophil hydrogen peroxide production were measured in blood samples parallelly obtained from the coronary sinus and aorta before cardiopulmonary bypass and at 1, 5, and 10 min after aortic declamping. Myocardial myeloperoxidase activity was analyzed in biopsies taken at 1, 5, and 10 min after declamping. RESULTS: Transcoronary neutrophil difference (i.e., aorta--sinus coronarius) at 1 min after aortic declamping was significantly lower in nitecapone-treated patients (0.41 [-0.42-0.98] x 10(9) cells/l) than in controls (0.68 [-0.28-2.47] x 10(9) cells/l; P = 0.032). At 5 min after aortic declamping, significant transcoronary reduction of neutrophil hydrogen peroxide production and CD11b expression were observed in controls but not in nitecapone patients. At 24 h postoperatively, left ventricular stroke volume was better in nitecapone-treated patients (94 [51-118] ml) than controls (66 [40-104] ml; P= 0.018). Data are median [range]. CONCLUSION: Nitecapone added to cardioplegia solution reduces cardiac neutrophil accumulation and transcoronary neutrophil activation during clinical cardiopulmonary bypass. Reflected by better left ventricular stroke volume, nitecapone treatment may be an additional way of reducing the deleterious effects of neutrophil activation during cardiopulmonary bypass.  (+info)

Chemotactic peptide uptake in acute pancreatitis: correlation with tissue accumulation of leukocytes. (59/3678)

Chemotactic peptides bind specifically to receptors on leukocyte membranes. This property makes them prospective vehicles to evaluate inflammation and infection. We used two well-established models of acute pancreatitis to quantitate the binding of the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-lysine (fMLFK) to leukocytes and its correlation to degree of organ inflammation. Uptake of the (99m)Tc-labeled nicotinyl hydrazine-derivatized chemotactic peptide analog fMLFK-HYNIC was measured in blood, pancreas, lung, and muscle specimens in rats with edematous or necrotizing pancreatitis and was compared with neutrophil sequestration assessed by myeloperoxidase activity and histology. Chemotactic peptide uptake in the pancreas was increased in mild and severe pancreatitis compared with controls, with higher levels in severe than in mild disease, and correlated with tissue myeloperoxidase activity (r = 0.7395, P < 0.001). Increased pulmonary uptake only in severe pancreatitis reflected pancreatitis-induced neutrophil sequestration in the lungs. Muscle uptake was unchanged compared with controls. Edema formation did not affect chemotactic peptide uptake. The data suggest that uptake of chemotactic peptides can contribute to quantitative assessment of neutrophils in localized inflammatory processes and is independent of associated edema formation or microcirculatory compromise.  (+info)

Antioxidant consumption and repletion kinetics in nasal lavage fluid following exposure of healthy human volunteers to ozone. (60/3678)

To obtain information on the real-time events occurring within human respiratory tract lining fluids (RTLFs) during ozone exposure, sequential nasal lavage was performed on 13 human volunteers exposed on separate occasions to 0.2 parts per million O3 and filtered air (2-h exposures, with intermittent exercise). Nasal lavage was performed and blood samples obtained at four time points throughout each exposure: pre-exposure (Pre-E), 1 h into exposure (1h-E), immediately post-exposure (0h-PE) and 1 h post-exposure (1h-PE). Endobronchial mucosal biopsies were obtained at 1.5 h-post exposure (1.5h-PE). Nasal RTLF neutrophilia was not apparent during, or 1.5 h after, 03 exposure. Furthermore, activation of the pre-existing neutrophil population did not occur. Airway permeability was not altered by this 03 exposure regimen. Sequential lavage resulted in significant washout of RTLF ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione, extracellular superoxide dismutase and myeloperoxidase at 1h-E, 0h-PE and 1.5h-PE relative to baseline Pre-E values. In contrast, RTLF uric acid (UA), total protein and albumin concentrations did not display washout kinetics. Of the antioxidants examined, only UA was clearly depleted by 03, concentrations, falling by 6.22 micromol x L(-1) at 1h-E, compared with 1.61 micromol x L(-1) (p<0.01) during control air exposure. The establishment of a new pseudo-steady-state concentration of RTLF UA (70% of Pre-E values) during the second hour of O3 exposure was coincident with a small but significant increase in plasma UA concentration (19.27 (O3) versus 1.95 micromol x L(-1) (air), p<0.05). These data demonstrate that inhalation of 0.2 parts per million 03 results in the depletion of nasal respiratory tract lining fluid uric acid and that this regional loss of uric acid leads to a small increase in plasma uric acid concentration. Whilst the reaction of uric acid with inspired 03 may confer protection locally, the role of upper airway uric acid as a sink for inhaled O3 is not supported by these findings.  (+info)

Characterization of the Asp94 and Glu242 mutants in myeloperoxidase, the residues linking the heme group via ester bonds. (61/3678)

The heme group of all mammalian peroxidases is covalently linked to the protein matrix via two esterbonds, as we have recently shown by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy [Kooter, I. M., Pierik, A.J., Merkx, M., Averill, B.A., Moguilevsky, N., Bollen, A. & Wever, R. (1997) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 119, 11542-11543]. We have examined the effects of mutation of Asp94 and Glu242, responsible for those ester bonds in myeloperoxidase, on the spectroscopic properties and catalytic activity of this enzyme. Mutation of Asp94 in myeloperoxidase results in two species. The first species has spectroscopic characteristics similar to that of wild-type myeloperoxidase. The second species has spectroscopic characteristics similar to that of Met243-->Gln mutant, and it is therefore concluded that, besides loss of the ester bond involving Asp94, this species also has lost the sulfonium ion linkage that is also characteristic of myeloperoxidase. The Asp94-->Asn mutant still has about 30% residual peroxidase activity while for the Asp94-->Val mutant only a few percentage activity is left. When Glu242 is mutated the sulfonium ion linkage is not affected, but this residue together with its neighbouring residue Met243, according to resonance Raman spectra, is responsible for the low symmetry of the heme group. Mutation of either of these residues results in loss of the bowed distortion from the planar conformation, and in a heme group with higher symmetry. For the Glu242-->Gln mutant 8% residual peroxidase activity is found.  (+info)

Mechanism-based chemopreventive strategies against etoposide-induced acute myeloid leukemia: free radical/antioxidant approach. (62/3678)

Etoposide (VP-16) is extensively used to treat cancer, yet its efficacy is calamitously associated with an increased risk of secondary acute myelogenous leukemia. The mechanisms for the extremely high susceptibility of myeloid stem cells to the leukemogenic effects of etoposide have not been elucidated. We propose a mechanism to account for the etoposide-induced secondary acute myelogenous leukemia and nutritional strategies to prevent this complication of etoposide therapy. We hypothesize that etoposide phenoxyl radicals (etoposide-O(.)) formed from etoposide by myeloperoxidase are responsible for its genotoxic effects in bone marrow progenitor cells, which contain constitutively high myeloperoxidase activity. Here, we used purified human myeloperoxidase, as well as human leukemia HL60 cells with high myeloperoxidase activity and provide evidence of the following. 1) Etoposide undergoes one-electron oxidation to etoposide-O(.) catalyzed by both purified myeloperoxidase and myeloperoxidase activity in HL60 cells; formation of etoposide-O(.)radicals is completely blocked by myeloperoxidase inhibitors, cyanide and azide. 2) Intracellular reductants, GSH and protein sulfhydryls (but not phospholipids), are involved in myeloperoxidase-catalyzed etoposide redox-cycling that oxidizes endogenous thiols; pretreatment of HL60 cells with a maleimide thiol reagent, ThioGlo1, prevents redox-cycling of etoposide-O(.) radicals and permits their direct electron paramagnetic resonance detection in cell homogenates. VP-16 redox-cycling by purified myeloperoxidase (in the presence of GSH) or by myeloperoxidase activity in HL60 cells is accompanied by generation of thiyl radicals, GS(.), determined by HPLC assay of 5, 5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline glytathionyl N-oxide glytathionyl nitrone adducts. 3) Ascorbate directly reduces etoposide-O(.), thus competitively inhibiting etoposide-O(.)-induced thiol oxidation. Ascorbate also diminishes etoposide-induced topo II-DNA complex formation in myeloperoxidase-rich HL60 cells (but not in HL60 cells with myeloperoxidase activity depleted by pretreatment with succinyl acetone). 4) A vitamin E homolog, 2,2,5,7, 8-pentamethyl-6-hydroxychromane, a hindered phenolic compound whose phenoxyl radicals do not oxidize endogenous thiols, effectively competes with etoposide as a substrate for myeloperoxidase, thus preventing etoposide-O(.)-induced redox-cycling. We conclude that nutritional antioxidant strategies can be targeted at minimizing etoposide conversion to etoposide-O(.), thus minimizing the genotoxic effects of the radicals in bone marrow myelogenous progenitor cells, i.e., chemoprevention of etoposide-induced acute myelogenous leukemia.  (+info)

Inhibition of dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice by intracolonically administered antibodies against adhesion molecules (endothelial leucocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1) or intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)). (63/3678)

We examined the effect of intracolonic administration of anti-adhesion molecule antibodies on DSS-induced colitis in mice. Immunohistochemical staining in mice with colitis showed increased expression of ELAM-1 and ICAM-1 on endothelial cells of vessels in the lamina propria and submucosa at sites of inflamed lesions. Intracolonic administration of anti-ELAM-1 or anti-ICAM-1 antibody decreased bloody stools, anaemia, and histologically evident damage, as well as myeloperoxidase activity and IL-1beta content. We concluded that adhesion molecule expression is important in the development of DSS-induced colitis in mice and that intracolonic administration of anti-adhesion molecule antibodies, especially anti-ELAM-1 antibody, effectively inhibits the colonic inflammation. Intracolonic administration of anti-adhesion molecule antibodies may show therapeutic promise in ulcerative colitis.  (+info)

Anti-lactoferrin antibodies and other types of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. (64/3678)

Fifty-five serum samples from patients with reactive arthritis (ReA), 40 from patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and three from patients with chronic sacroiliac joint arthritis were analysed for the presence of ANCA of IgG class by means of enzyme immunosorbent assay using lactoferrin (Lf), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and antigen extracted from azurophil granules ('alpha-antigen') containing proteinase 3 (PR3) as substrate. IgG-ANCA were found in 31 (56%) patients with ReA. Twenty-three (42%) had anti-Lf antibodies, nine (16%) had anti-MPO and eight (15%) had anti-alpha-antigen antibodies, none of which reacted with PR3. Only six (14%) AS or sacroiliac joint arthritis patients had ANCA (P < 0.001). Three (7%) had anti-Lf, two (5%) anti-MPO and two (5%) anti-alpha-antigen antibodies. Yersinia and Salmonella bacteria were separated by SDS-PAGE and blots were incubated with serum from rabbits immunized with human Lf. The hyperimmune serum recognized a band of 78 kD from both bacteria which was not seen when preimmune serum was used. The reaction to the 78-kD antigen could be completely inhibited when anti-Lf antibodies were absorbed on Lf coupled to cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose, possibly indicating cross-reacting epitopes in Lf and enterobacterial antigen.  (+info)