Rac1 signalling mediates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity through both reactive oxygen species-dependent and -independent pathways

Inhibition of calpain reduces oxidative stress and attenuates endothelial dysfunction in diabetes

Aims

The present study was to investigate the role of calpain in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in endothelial cells and endothelium-dependent vascular dysfunction under experimental conditions of diabetes.

Methods and results

Exposure to high glucose activated calpain, induced apoptosis and reduced nitric oxide (NO) production without changing eNOS protein expression, its phosphorylation and dimers formation in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). These effects of high glucose correlated with intracellular ROS production and mitochondrial superoxide generation. Selectively scavenging mitochondrial superoxide increased NO production in high glucose-stimulated HUVECs. Inhibition of calpain using over-expression of calpastatin or pharmacological calpain inhibitor prevented high glucose-induced ROS production, mitochondrial superoxide generation and apoptosis, which were concurrent with an elevation of NO production in HUVECs. In mouse models of streptozotocin-induced type-1 diabetes and OVE26 type-1 diabetic mice, calpain activation correlated with an increase in ROS production and peroxynitrite formation in aortas. Transgenic over-expression of calpastatin reduced ROS production and peroxynitrite formation in diabetic mice. In parallel, diabetes-induced reduction of endothelium-dependent relaxation in aortic ring was reversed by over-expression of calpastatin in mouse models of diabetes. However, the protective effect of calpastatin on endothelium-dependent relaxation was abrogated by eNOS deletion in diabetic mice.

Conclusions

This study suggests that calpain may play a role in vascular endothelial cell ROS production and endothelium-dependent dysfunction in diabetes. Thus, calpain may be an important therapeutic target to overcome diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction.

Synergistic apoptotic effect of Doxil ® and aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy on human breast adenocarcinoma cells

BACKGROUND

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a natural heme precursor metabolized into protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). PpIX preferentially accumulates in tumor cells resulting in the formation of singlet oxygen upon exposure to visible light. Doxil(®), an active agent against breast and ovarian cancer, is a nano-formulation of doxorubicin. This study aimed to investigate in vitro synergistic cytotoxic effect of low doses of combined chemotherapy and ALA/PDT to human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7) compared to high doses of each individual therapy.

METHODS

MCF-7 cells were pretreated with Doxil(®) (48 h) followed by ALA/PDT (4h). The cell viability was evaluated by trypan blue assay and PpIX production was measured spectrofluorometrically. Alkaline phosphatase was determined as a marker for cellular differentiation. Apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated by fluorescence stains. The apoptosis cell death pathways were investigated: detection of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and percent of DNA fragmentation, malondialdehyde, histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, caspase-3 and death receptors (DR4 and DR5). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was determined by ELISA, as an angiogenic mediator.

RESULTS

There was a higher reduction in cell viability in Doxil(®)+ALA/PDT-treated cells compared with their individual effect. The combined therapy showed enhanced apoptosis with a significant increase in the loss of ΔΨm, DNA fragmentation %, caspase-3, DR4, DR5 and lipid peroxides and inhibited HDAC. Pretreatment with Doxil(®) resulted in a twofold increase in the intracellular PpIX, by increasing the PDT killing of MCF-7 cells.

CONCLUSION

The combined therapy using 50% of IC50 of ALA/PDT and Doxil(®) possessed a synergistic apoptotic effect on MCF-7 cells compared to 100% of IC50 of each therapy through enhancing both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, thus may minimize side effects of Doxil(®) and ALA.

NSC23766, a widely used inhibitor of Rac1 activation, additionally acts as a competitive antagonist at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors

Small molecules interfering with Rac1 activation are considered as potential drugs and are already studied in animal models. A widely used inhibitor without reported attenuation of RhoA activity is NSC23766 [(N(6)-[2-[[4-(diethylamino)-1-methylbutyl]amino]-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinyl]-2-methyl-4,6-quinolinediamine trihydrochloride]. We found that NSC23766 inhibits the M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M2 mAChR)-induced Rac1 activation in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. Surprisingly, NSC27366 concomitantly suppressed the carbachol-induced RhoA activation and a M2 mAChR-induced inotropic response in isolated neonatal rat hearts requiring the activation of Rho-dependent kinases. We therefore aimed to identify the mechanisms by which NSC23766 interferes with the differentially mediated, M2 mAChR-induced responses. Interestingly, NSC23766 caused a rightward shift of the carbachol concentration response curve for the positive inotropic response without modifying carbachol efficacy. To analyze the specificity of NSC23766, we compared the carbachol and the similarly Giβγ-mediated, adenosine-induced activation of Gi protein-regulated potassium channel (GIRK) channels in human atrial myocytes. Application of NSC23766 blocked the carbachol-induced K(+) current but had no effect on the adenosine-induced GIRK current. Similarly, an adenosine A1 receptor-induced positive inotropic response in neonatal rat hearts was not attenuated by NSC23766. To investigate its specificity toward the different mAChR types, we studied the carbachol-induced elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells expressing M1, M2, or M3 mAChRs. NSC23766 caused a concentration-dependent rightward shift of the carbachol concentration response curves at all mAChRs. Thus, NSC23766 is not only an inhibitor of Rac1 activation, but it is within the same concentration range a competitive antagonist at mAChRs. Molecular docking analysis at M2 and M3 mAChR crystal structures confirmed this interpretation.

Nanodiamonds-mediated doxorubicin nuclear delivery to inhibit lung metastasis of breast cancer

Lung metastasis is one of the greatest challenges for breast cancer treatment. Here, a nanodiamonds (NDs)-mediated doxorubicin (DOX) delivery system was first designed to inhibit the lung metastasis of breast cancer effectively. DOX was non-covalently bound to NDs via physical adsorption in an aqueous solution, then DSPE-PEG 2K was coated to the NDs-DOX complex (NDX) to increase the dispersibility and prolong the circulation time. DSPE-PEG 2K coating NDX (DNX) displayed high drug loading and excellent ability to deliver DOX to the nucleus, thereby significantly enhancing cytotoxicity and inducing cell apoptosis. Furthermore, DNX showed good histocompatibility and could improve drug accumulation in lung, as a result, markedly inhibited the lung metastasis of breast cancer. The high anti-metastasis efficacy with the decreased systemic toxicity suggested that DNX could be a promising drug delivery system for the therapy of lung metastasis of breast cancer.

Novel aspects of ROS signalling in heart failure

Heart failure and many of the conditions that predispose to heart failure are associated with oxidative stress. This is considered to be important in the pathophysiology of the condition but clinical trials of antioxidant approaches to prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality have been unsuccessful. Part of the reason for this may be the failure to appreciate the complexity of the effects of reactive oxygen species. At one extreme, excessive oxidative stress damages membranes, proteins and DNA but lower levels of reactive oxygen species may exert much more subtle and specific regulatory effects (termed redox signalling), even on physiological signalling pathways. In this article, we review our current understanding of the roles of such redox signalling pathways in the pathophysiology of heart failure, including effects on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy signalling, excitation-contraction coupling, arrhythmia, cell viability and energetics. Reactive oxygen species generated by NADPH oxidase proteins appear to be especially important in redox signalling. The delineation of specific redox-sensitive pathways and mechanisms that contribute to different components of the failing heart phenotype may facilitate the development of newer targeted therapies as opposed to the failed general antioxidant approaches of the past.