Potentiated glucose deprivation-induced death of astrocytes after induction of iNOS

Redox signaling in cardiovascular health and disease

Spatiotemporal regulation of the activity of a vast array of intracellular proteins and signaling pathways by reactive oxygen species (ROS) governs normal cardiovascular function. However, data from experimental and animal studies strongly support that dysregulated redox signaling, resulting from hyperactivation of various cellular oxidases or mitochondrial dysfunction, is integral to the pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this review, we address how redox signaling modulates the protein function, the various sources of increased oxidative stress in CVD, and the labyrinth of redox-sensitive molecular mechanisms involved in the development of atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Advances in redox biology and pharmacology for inhibiting ROS production in specific cell types and subcellular organelles combined with the development of nanotechnology-based new in vivo imaging systems and targeted drug delivery mechanisms may enable fine-tuning of redox signaling for the treatment and prevention of CVD.

Myricitrin protects against peroxynitrite-mediated DNA damage and cytotoxicity in astrocytes

Peroxynitrite, a potent oxidising and nitrating species, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. This study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect of myricitrin on peroxynitrite-mediated toxicity and the underlying mechanism. Our results showed that the presence of myricitrin was found to significantly inhibit peroxynitrite-mediated DNA damage. EPR spectroscopy demonstrated that myricitrin potently diminished the DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct signal from peroxynitrite. Further study showed that glutathione (GSH) depletion caused by peroxynitrite can be effectively prevented by pre-incubation of astrocytes with myricitrin. Moreover, co-incubation of astrocytes with myricitrin and buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) eliminated the myricitrin-induced GSH increase. In contrast, co-incubation of myricitrin with BSO slightly protected astrocytes against cytotoxicity and DNA damage mediated by peroxynitrite. These results revealed that myricitrin can protect against peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage and cytotoxicity, which might have implications for myricitrin-mediated neuroprotection.

Hispidin produced from Phellinus linteus protects against peroxynitrite-mediated DNA damage and hydroxyl radical generation

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the progression of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. One such mediator of oxidative stress is peroxynitrite, which is highly toxic to cultured neurons and astrocytes, and has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of various types of neuronal diseases. Therefore, searching for natural compounds with peroxynitrite-scavenging activity might be an effective therapy for peroxynitrite-mediated cytotoxicity. Hispidin, a phenolic compound from Phellinus linteus (a medicinal mushroom), has been shown to possess strong antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties. However, the astrocyte protective efficacy of hispidin has been not examined. This study was undertaken to investigate whether the astrocyte protective effect of hispidin is associated with inhibition of peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage, a critical event leading to peroxynitrite-mediated cytotoxicity. Our results showed that peroxynitrite can cause DNA damage in φX-174 plasmid DNA and rat primary astrocytes. The presence of hispidin (10-20 μg/ml) was found to significantly inhibit peroxynitrite-induced DNA damage and cytotoxicity. EPR spectroscopy demonstrated that the formation of DMPO-hydroxyl radical adduct (DMPO-OH) from peroxynitrite, and that hispidin potently diminished the adduct signal in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that hispidin can protect against peroxynitrite-mediated cytotoxicity, DNA damage and hydroxyl radical formation.

Reactive astrocytes give neurons less support: implications for Alzheimer's disease

Astrocytes become activated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), contributing to and reinforcing an inflammatory cascade. It is proposed that by transforming from a basal to a reactive state, astrocytes neglect their neurosupportive functions, thus rendering neurons vulnerable to excitotoxicity and oxidative stress. This review considers 3 important astrocytic functions, that when disrupted, can affect neuronal metabolism. These are the uptake of glucose and release of lactate; the uptake of glutamate and release of glutamine; and the uptake of glutathione precursors and release of glutathione. Conditions under which these functions can be manipulated in vitro, as well as examples of possible loss of astrocytic function in AD, are discussed. It is proposed that the targeting of astrocytes with pharmacological agents that are specifically designed to return astrocytes to a quiescent phenotype could represent a fruitful new angle for the therapeutic treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Etoposide Reduces Peroxynitrite-Induced Cytotoxicity via Direct Scavenging Effect

Previously, we reported that glucose-deprived astrocytes are more vulnerable to the cytotoxicity of peroxynitrite, the reaction product of nitric oxide and superoxide anion. The augmented vulnerability of glucose-deprived astrocytes to peroxynitrite cytotoxicity was dependent on their proliferation rate. Inhibition of cell cycle progression has been shown to inhibit the apoptotic cell death occurring in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. In the present study, we demonstrate that the increased death of glucose-deprived astrocytes by peroxynitrte was largely blocked by the cell cycle phase G2/M transition blocker etoposide. However, the cytoprotective effect of etoposide was not associated with its inhibition of cell cycle progression. Instead, etoposide effectively scavenged peroxynitrite. However, etoposide did not scavenge individual nitric oxide and superoxide anion and it did not prevent the hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity. The present results indicate that etoposide prevents the toxicity of peroxynitrite in astrocytes by directly scavenging peroxynitrite, not by inhibiting cell cycle progression.

MnTMPyP, a cell-permeant SOD mimetic, reduces oxidative stress and apoptosis following renal ischemia-reperfusion

Oxidative stress and apoptosis are important factors in the etiology of renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. The present study tested the hypothesis that the cell-permeant SOD mimetic manganese(III) tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (MnTMPyP) protects the kidney from I/R-mediated oxidative stress and apoptosis in vivo. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (175-220 g) underwent renal I/R by bilateral clamping of the renal arteries for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h. To examine the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in renal I/R injury, a subset of animals were treated with either saline vehicle (I/R Veh) or MnTMPyP (I/R Mn) (5 mg/kg ip) 30 min before and 6 h after surgery. MnTMPyP significantly attenuated the I/R-mediated increase in serum creatinine levels and decreased tubular epithelial cell damage following I/R. MnTMPyP also decreased TNF-alpha levels, gp(91phox), and lipid peroxidation after I/R. Furthermore, MnTMPyP inhibited the I/R-mediated increase in apoptosis and caspase-3 activation. Interestingly, although MnTMPyP did not increase expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2, it decreased the expression of the proapoptotic genes Bax and FasL. These results suggest that MnTMPyP is effective in reducing apoptosis associated with renal I/R injury and that multiple signaling mechanisms are involved in ROS-mediated cell death following renal I/R injury.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) potentiates hydrogen peroxide toxicity in T98G astrocytoma cells by suppression of anti-oxidative and growth factor gene expression

Background

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria with proved role in pathogenesis of sepsis. Brain injury was observed with both patients dead from sepsis and animal septic models. However, in vitro administration of LPS has not shown obvious cell damage to astrocytes and other relative cell lines while it does cause endothelial cell death in vitro. These observations make it difficult to understand the role of LPS in brain parenchymal injury.

Results

To test the hypothesis that LPS may cause biological changes in astrocytes and make the cells to become vulnerable to reactive oxygen species, a recently developed highly sensitive and highly specific system for large-scale gene expression profiling was used to examine the gene expression profile of a group of 1,135 selected genes in a cell line, T98G, a derivative of human glioblastoma of astrocytic origin. By pre-treating T98G cells with different dose of LPS, it was found that LPS treatment caused a broad alteration in gene expression profile, but did not cause obvious cell death. However, after short exposure to H₂O₂, cell death was dramatically increased in the LPS pretreated samples. Interestingly, cell death was highly correlated with down-regulated expression of antioxidant genes such as cytochrome b561, glutathione s-transferase a4 and protein kinase C-epsilon. On the other hand, expression of genes encoding growth factors was significantly suppressed. These changes indicate that LPS treatment may suppress the anti-oxidative machinery, decrease the viability of the T98G cells and make the cells more sensitive to H₂O₂ stress.

Conclusion

These results provide very meaningful clue for further exploring and understanding the mechanism underlying astrocyte injury in sepsis in vivo, and insight for why LPS could cause astrocyte injury in vivo, but not in vitro. It will also shed light on the therapeutic strategy of sepsis.

Down-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression by nitric oxide in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated rat primary astrocytes

Immunologically activated astrocytes over-express matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and nitric oxide (NO). Because they have both beneficial and detrimental effects on the pathophyiological outcomes of several neurological diseases, their expression should be tightly regulated in the CNS. NO can modify the activity of other proteins either by directly modifying protein structure or regulating the expression of target proteins. In this study, we investigated the role of NO on the expression of MMPs in rat primary astrocytes. Rat primary astrocytes were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), resulting in the over-expression of both MMP-9 and NO. Inhibition of NO production using nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, Nomega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), further increased MMP-9 expression, suggesting NO inhibits MMP-9 expression. In line with this observation, exogenous addition of NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), inhibited MMP-9 expression in astrocytes. The inhibitory effect of NO was mediated by the down-regulation of mRNA and protein levels of MMP-9 but not by the direct modification of the enzymatic activity of MMP-9. The effect of NO on MMP-9 expression was mimicked by dibutyryl-cGMP and inhibited by PKG inhibitor KT5823, suggesting NO regulates MMP-9 expression via guanylate cyclase-PKG pathway. Finally, SNP or dibutyryl-cGMP inhibited the activation of ERK1/2 in LPS-stimulated astrocytes, which is an essential regulator of MMP-9 expression in astrocytes. The regulation of MMP-9 expression by NO may confer additional levels of fine-tuning of the level of MMP-9 during brain inflammatory conditions.

S-Allyl-L-cysteine attenuates cerebral ischemic injury by scavenging peroxynitrite and inhibiting the activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase

S-Allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) has been shown to reduce ischemic injury due to its antioxidant activity. However, the antioxidant property of SAC has been controversial. The present study investigated the neuroprotective mechanism of SAC in cerebral ischemic insults. SAC decreased the size of infarction after transient or global ischemic insults. While it did not alter the N-methyl-D-aspartate excitotoxicity, SAC significantly scavenged the endogenously or exogenously produced ONOO- and reduced ONOO- cytotoxicity. In contrast, SAC has much lower scavenging activity against H2O2, O2*(-) or NO. Further, SAC inhibited the activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) increased in cultured neurons exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation or in rat brain tissue after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. The neuroprotective effect of SAC was mimicked by the ERK inhibitor U0125. The present results indicate that SAC exert its neuroprotective effect by scavenging ONOO- and inhibiting the ERK signaling pathway activated during initial hypoxic/ischemic insults.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) mediate SIN-1/ glucose deprivation-induced death in rat primary astrocytes

Peroxynitrite is a potent neurotoxic molecule produced from a reaction between NO and superoxide and induces NO-mediated inflammation under neuropathological conditions. Previously, we reported that glucose deprivation induced ATP depletion and cell death in immunostimulated astrocytes, which was mainly due to peroxynitrite. In this study, the role of MAPKs (ERK1/2, p38MAPK, and JNK1SAPK) signal pathway in the SIN-1/glucose deprivation-induced death of astrocytes was examined. A combined treatment with glucose deprivation and 50 microM SIN-1, an endogenous peroxynitrite generator, rapidly and markedly increased the death in rat primary astrocytes. Also, SIN-1/glucose deprivation resulted in the activation of MAPKs, which was significantly blocked by the treatment with 20 microM MAPKs inhibitors (ERK1/2, PD98059; p38MAPK, SB203580; JNK/SAPK, SP600125). Interestingly, SIN-1/glucose deprivation caused the loss of intracellular ATP level, which was significantly reversed by MAPKs inhibitors. These results suggest that the activation of MAPKs plays an important role in SIN-1/glucose deprivation-induced cell death by regulating the intracellular ATP level.

Oxidative and nitrative injury in periventricular leukomalacia: a review

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is the major substrate of cerebral palsy in survivors of prematurity. Its pathogenesis is complex and likely involves ischemia/reperfusion in the critically ill premature infant, with impaired regulation of cerebral blood flow, as well as inflammatory mechanisms associated with maternal and/or fetal infection. During the peak period of vulnerability for PVL, developing oligodendrocytes (OLs) predominate in the white matter. We hypothesize that free radical injury to the developing OLs underlies, in part, the pathogenesis of PVL and the hypomyelination seen in long-term survivors. In human PVL, free radical injury is supported by evidence of oxidative and nitrative stress with markers to lipid peroxidation and nitrotyrosine, respectively. Evidence in normal human cerebral white matter suggests an underlying vulnerability of the premature infant to free radical injury resulting from a developmental mismatch of antioxidant enzymes (AOE) and subsequent imbalance in oxidant metabolism. In vitro studies using rodent OLs suggest that maturational susceptibility to reactive oxygen species is dependent, not only on levels of individual AOE, but also on specific interactions between these enzymes. Rodent in vitro data further suggest 2 mechanisms of nitric oxide damage: one involving the direct effect of nitric oxide on OL mitochondrial integrity and function, and the other involving an activation of microglia and subsequent release of reactive nitrogen species. The latter mechanism, while important in rodent studies, remains to be determined in the pathogenesis of human PVL. These observations together expand our knowledge of the role that free radical injury plays in the pathogenesis of PVL, and may contribute to the eventual development of therapeutic strategies to alleviate the burden of oxidative and nitrative injury in the premature infant at risk for PVL.

Role of MAPK/ERK1/2 in the glucose deprivation-induced death in immunostimulated astroglia

Recently we have reported that glucose deprivation induces the potentiated death and loss of ATP in immunostimulated astroglia via the production of NO and eventually peroxynitrite. This study examined the role of the ERK1/2 signaling pathways in the glucose deprivation-induced death of immunostimulated astroglia. Immunostimulation with LPS+IFN-gamma induced the sustained activation of ERK1/2 for up to 48 h. Glucose deprivation caused the loss of ATP and consequently cell death in immunostimulated astroglia, which was significantly blocked by the treatment with the ERK kinase (MEK1) inhibitor, PD98059 (10-40 microM), to inhibit the ERK1/2 pathways. The systems for generating NO (iNOS) or superoxide (NADPH oxidase) were regulated by the ERK1/2 signaling pathways because the addition of PD98059 reduced the level of both. Interestingly, glucose deprivation caused an approximately two-fold increase in the level of peroxynitrite formation in immunostimulated astroglia, which was significantly reduced by the PD98059 treatment. This demonstrates that the ERK1/2 signaling pathways play an important role in glucose deprivation-induced death in immunostimulated astroglia by regulating the generation of NO, superoxide and their reaction product, peroxynitrite.

Accelerated cerebral ischemic injury by activated macrophages/microglia after lipopolysaccharide microinjection into rat corpus callosum

In cerebral ischemic insults, activated inflammatory cells such as microglia and macrophages may be implicated in the pattern and degree of ischemic injury by producing various bioactive mediators. In the present study, we provide the evidence that activated microglia/macrophages accelerate cerebral ischemic injury by overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). To activate microglia/macrophages, a potent inflammation inducer lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 microg/5 microl) was microinjected into rat corpus callosum. Isolectin B4-positive microglia/macrophages were abundantly observed in ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 day after LPS injection. RT-PCR showed that LPS injection induced iNOS mRNA expression mostly in microglia/macrophages, peaking in intensity at 15 h after LPS injection. While ischemic injury was little evoked in control rats by 2-h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 3-h reperfusion, it was markedly increased in rats pre-injected with LPS 1 day before MCAO. However, no significant difference between control and LPS-pretreated groups was observed after 24-h reperfusion. The increased ischemic injury in LPS-treated rats was well correlated with iNOS level expressed over 3 orders of magnitude than in LPS-untreated rats. Immunohistochemical studies showed that iNOS- and nitrotyrosine (a peroxynitrite marker)-positive cells were prominent throughout the infarct area. NOS inhibitors aminoguanidine or N(G)-nitro-L-arginine, simultaneously injected with LPS, reduced the iNOS immunoreactivity and infarct volume, especially in penumbra regions. Total glutathione levels in ischemic regions were decreased more in LPS pre-injected rats than in control ones. Further defining the role of NO in cerebral ischemic insults would provide the rationale for new therapeutic strategies based on modulation of microglial and macrophageal NO production in the brain.

Intracellular pH-dependent peroxynitrite-evoked synergistic death of glucose-deprived astrocytes

Previously, we reported that glucose-deprived astrocytes were highly vulnerable to peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Here we demonstrate that the increased vulnerability caused by glucose deprivation and ONOO- depends on intracellular pH. The ONOO- releasing reagent 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) markedly induced the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, the marker of cytotoxicity) in glucose-deprived astrocytes. Morphological studies and caspase activity assay showed that astrocytes treated together with glucose deprivation and ONOO- died mostly in a necrotic mode. Alkalinization of pH from 7.4 to 7.8 increased LDH release, whereas acidification from pH 7.4 to 7.0 decreased it. However, intracellular pH (pHi), not extracellular pH (pHe), appeared to play a critical role in the synergistic death. Thus, without a change in pHe (7.4) cytosolic acidification by a weak acid salt, sodium acetate, and a Na+/H+ antiporter inhibitor, amiloride, reduced LDH release. In contrast, a weak base, NH4Cl, and a Na+/H+ antiporter stimulator, monensin, increased pHi and greatly enhanced LDH release. The augmented death was found to be due, in part, to the preceding decrease in the level of reduced glutathione, the ONOO- scavenger, and collapse of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential at alkaline pH.

Aggravation of necrotic death of glucose-deprived cells by the MEK1 inhibitors U0126 and PD184161 through depletion of ATP

The extracellular-regulated kinases (ERK) modulate cell proliferation and survival in response to several different stimuli and are therefore important drug targets. ERKs are activated by the dual phosphorylation kinase MEK1 and MEK1 inhibitors PD98059, U0126 and CI-1040 are now widely used to inhibit ERKs in cell and animal studies. In an analysis of ERK functions in astrocytes we found that PD98059 (100microM) failed to inhibit ERK phosphorylation but U0126 (50microM) inhibited ERK phosphorylation to approximately 80%. Surprisingly, U0126 also caused profound depletion of ATP in glucose-deprived cells, leading to death by necrosis. Since glucose-deprived cells depend mainly on mitochondrial ATP-synthase for ATP production, we tested whether U0126 or PD184161, a derivative of CI-1040, might inhibit ATP synthase activity, using 143B(Rho0) cells (which lack a functional F0 subunit) to further parse this effect. We found that the F1F0ATPase activity extracted from U0126- or PD184161-treated parental 143B cells or astrocytes was indeed inhibited by >or=80% suggesting a covalent change in the enzyme. However, F1F0ATPase activity extracted from similarly treated 143B(Rho0) cells was spared. Because F1F0ATPase activity in isolated mitochondria was not inhibited directly, we propose that U0126 and PD184161 inhibit ATP-synthase via an indirect action on F0. The MEK1 inhibitors also induced necrosis of other glucose-deprived cell types including primary neurons at the same concentrations required for inhibition of ERK phosphorylation. Thus, the MEK1/ERK signalling pathway may modulate ATP synthase function, and its inhibition may cause cells unable to perform glycolysis to die by necrosis.

Ciclopirox prevents peroxynitrite toxicity in astrocytes by maintaining their mitochondrial function: a novel mechanism for cytoprotection by ciclopirox

Previously we have reported that astrocytes deprived of glucose were highly vulnerable to peroxynitrite (Choi and Kim, J. Neurosci. Res. 54 (1998) 870; Neurosci. Lett. 256 (1988) 109; Ju et al., J. Neurochem. 74 (2000) 1989). Here we report that ciclopirox, which is clinically used as an anti-fungal agent, completely prevents the increased death in glucose-deprived astrocytes exposed to 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1, a peroxynitrite-releasing reagent). The increased vulnerability was in good correlation with the peroxynitrite-evoked decrease of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MTP) in astrocytes. A simultaneous exposure to glucose deprivation and SIN-1 rapidly depolarized MTP and depleted ATP in astrocytes. Inclusion of ciclopirox initially increased the MTP, maintained it high, and blocked the ATP depletion in glucose-deprived SIN-1-treated astrocytes. However, ciclopirox did not prevent the depletion of reduced glutathione in glucose-deprived SIN-1-treated astrocytes. Consistently, ciclopirox did not scavenge various kinds of oxidants including peroxynitrite, nitric oxide, superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical. Ciclopirox has been experimentally used as a cell cycle G1/S phase transition blocker (Hoffman et al., Cytometry 12 (1991) 26). Flow cytometry analysis, however, showed that the cytoprotective effect of ciclopirox was not attributed to its inhibition of the cell cycle progression. The present results indicate that ciclopirox protects astrocytes from peroxynitrite cytotoxicity by attenuating peroxynitrite-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.

Adenosine and purine nucleosides protect rat primary astrocytes from peroxynitrite-potentiated, glucose deprivation-induced death: preservation of intracellular ATP level

Previously we have reported that immunostimulated astrocytes became highly vulnerable to glucose deprivation. In the present study we examined the effect of various kinds of nucleosides on the augmented death of glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes. Preincubation with interferon-gamma (100 U/ml) and lipopolysaccharide (1 microg/ml) for 48 h and continuous exposure to glucose deprivation (4 h) significantly induced the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, as a marker of cell injury or death, from astrocytes. The glucose deprivation-induced augmented cell death in immunostimulated astrocytes was mimicked by exogenous peroxynitrite generator 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1). The increased death in immunostimulated or SIN-1-treated astrocytes deprived of glucose was blocked by adenosine and ATP. Other purine nucleos(t)ides, not pyrimidine nucleotides, also showed similar protective effects. Adenosine receptor agonist R(-)-N-(2-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine or N-cyclohexyladenosine did not alter the augmented cell death. Adenosine receptor antagonists 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, xanthine amine congener or 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine also did not reverse the protective effect of adenosine. Intracellular ATP levels rapidly decreased prior to the LDH release in glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes. The loss of intracellular ATP was prevented by adenosine and other purine nucleotides. The present results suggest that adenosine and their metabolites may protect astrocytes from peroxynitrite-potentiated, glucose deprivation-induced death by serving as substrates for intracellular ATP generation.

Mimosine prevents the death of glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes by scavenging peroxynitrite

Immunostimulated astrocytes become highly vulnerable to glucose deprivation (Choi and Kim: J Neurosci Res 54:870-875, 1998a). The increased vulnerability is caused by the enhanced level of peroxynitrite endogenously produced in glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes. In the present study, we report that the plant amino acid mimosine can attenuate the increased death by scavenging peroxynitrite. Treatment with mimosine blocked the increase of nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity, a marker of peroxynitrite, in glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes. Furthermore, mimosine directly inhibited the nitration of tyrosine residues of bovine serum albumin and the oxidation of dihydrorhodamine-123 to rhodamine-123 by peroxynitrite. Mimosine has been used experimentally as a cell cycle G1/S phase transition blocker (Lalande: Exp Cell Res 186:332-339, 1990; Hoffman et al.: Cytometry 12:26-32, 1991). Flow cytometry analysis, however, showed that the cytoprotective effect of mimosine was not attributed to its inhibition of cell cycle progression. Furthermore, under our experimental conditions, mimosine did not alter the levels of cell cycle regulatory proteins, including p21(WAF1/CIP1), cyclins D1 and E, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. In addition, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors olomoucine and roscovitine did not block the increased death. These results indicate that mimosine inhibits the augmented death of glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes by scavenging peroxynitrite rather than suppressing the cell cycle progression.

Glucose deprivation decreases nitric oxide production via NADPH depletion in immunostimulated rat primary astrocytes

We have previously reported that the production of nitric oxide (NO) in immunostimulated astrocytes was markedly decreased under glucose-deprived conditions. The present study was undertaken to find the contributing factor(s) for the decreased NO production in glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes. NO production in rat primary astrocytes was stimulated for 24-48 h by cotreatment with lipopolysaccharides (1 microg/ml) and interferon-gamma (100 U/ml). Decreased NO production in immunostimulated astrocytes by glucose deprivation was mimicked by the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose and reversed by addition of pyruvate and lactate. Glucose deprivation did not alter the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in immunostimulated astrocytes. Addition of beta-NADPH, but not tetrahydrobiopterine, both of which are essential cofactors for NOS function, completely restored the NO production that was decreased in glucose-deprived immunostimulated astrocytes. Glucose deprivation and immunostimulation synergistically reduced intracellular NADPH level in astrocytes. The results indicate that glucose deprivation decreases NO production in immunostimulated astrocytes by depleting intracellular NADPH, a cofactor of iNOS.

Glucocorticoids exacerbate peroxynitrite mediated potentiation of glucose deprivation-induced death of rat primary astrocytes

Glucocorticoids have been implicated in the exacerbation of several types of neurotoxicity in various neuropathological situations. In this study, we investigated the effect of a glucocorticoid dexamethasone on glucose deprivation induced cell death of immunostimulated rat primary astrocytes, which is dependent on the production of peroxynitrite from the immunostimulated cells [Choi et al. Glia, 31(2001) 155-164; J. Neuroimmunol. 112 (2001) 55-62]. Glucose deprivation in immunostimulated rat primary astrocytes results in the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) after 5 h and co-treatment with dexamethasone (1-1000 nM) dose-dependently increased LDH release. Treatment of the exogenous peroxynitrite generator SIN-1 (20 microM), plus glucose deprivation, also increased LDH release after 6 h and co-treatment with dexamethasone dose-dependently increased LDH release. A glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU-486, reversed the potentiation of cell death by dexamethasone. Glucose deprivation in immunostimulated cells decreased the intracellular ATP levels, which preceded LDH release from the cell, and co-treatment with dexamethasone dose-dependently potentiated the depletion of intracellular ATP levels. In addition, dexamethasone further deteriorated SIN-1 plus glucose deprivation-induced decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential in rat primary astrocytes, which was reversed by RU-486. The results from the present study suggest that glucocorticoids may be detrimental to astrocytes in situations where activation of glial cells are observed, including ischemia and Alzheimer's disease, by mechanisms involving depletion of intracellular ATP levels and deterioration of mitochondrial transmembrane potentials.

Dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits the death of immunostimulated rat C6 glioma cells deprived of glucose

Pretreatment of interferon-gamma and lipopolysaccharides made C6 glioma cells highly vulnerable to glucose deprivation. Neither 12 h of glucose deprivation nor 2-day treatment with interferon-gamma (100 U/ml) and lipopolysaccharides (1 microg/ml) altered the viability of C6 glioma cells. However, significant death of immunostimulated C6 glioma cells was observed after 5 h of glucose deprivation. The augmented death was prevented by dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) treatment during immunostimulation, but not by DHEA treatment during glucose deprivation. DHEA reduced the rise in nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity, a marker of peroxynitrite, and superoxide production in glucose-deprived immunostimulated C6 glioma cells. DHEA, however, did not protect glucose-deprived C6 glioma cells from the exogenously produced peroxynitrite by 3-morpholinosydnonimine. Further, DHEA did not alter the production of total reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide in immunostimulated C6 glioma cells. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the synthetic SOD mimetic Mn(III)tetrakis (4-benzoic acid) porphyrin inhibited the death of glucose-deprived immunostimulated C6 glioma cells. In addition, a superoxide anion generator paraquat reversed the protective effect of DHEA on the augmented death. The data indicate that DHEA prevents the glucose deprivation-evoked augmented death by inhibiting the production of superoxide anion in immunostimulated C6 glioma cells.

Immunostimulation of rat primary astrocytes decreases intracellular ATP level

In this study we investigated the effect of immunostimulation on intracellular ATP level in rat glial cells. Rat primary astrocytes or C6 glioma cells were treated for 48 h with IFN-gamma, LPS or IFN-gamma plus LPS. These treatments increased NO production from the cells and a synergistic increase in NO production was observed with IFN-gamma plus LPS. Intracellular ATP level was decreased to about half the control level at the highest concentration of IFN-gamma (100 U/ml) plus LPS (1 microg/ml) without affecting cell viability. The level of intracellular ATP was inversely correlated with the extent of NO production from the glial cells. The increase in NO production is at least 6 h ahead of the initiation of ATP depletion, and NOS inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (NNA) or Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) inhibited NO production and ATP depletion. Exogenous addition of peroxynitrite generator 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) and to a lesser extent NO generator S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) depleted intracellular ATP level in a dose-dependent manner. The results from the present study imply that immunostimulation of rat glial cells decreases the intracellular ATP level without affecting cell viability. Considering the role of astrocytes as an essential regulator of the extracellular environment in the brain, the immunostimulation-induced decrease in intracellular ATP level may participate in the pathogenesis of various neurological diseases.

Involvement of interleukin-1 in glial responses to lipopolysaccharide: endogenous versus exogenous interleukin-1 actions

Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) participates in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Its mechanisms of action are not fully understood, but appear to involve complex interactions between neurons and glia. The objective of this study was to determine the involvement of endogenous IL-1beta in inflammatory responses to LPS in cultured mouse glial cells, and compare this to the effects of exogenous IL-1beta. Activation of primary mixed glial cultures by incubation with LPS (1 microgram/ml, 24 h), caused marked (approximately ten-fold) increases in release of NO, twenty-fold increases in PGE(2) and ninety-fold increases of IL-6 release. Incubation with human recombinant IL-1beta (100 ng/ml) also stimulated NO and IL-6 release to a similar extent to LPS, but IL-1beta (1 or 100 ng/ml) caused only modest increases (approximately seven-fold) in PGE(2) release. Co-incubation with IL-1ra inhibited the effects of LPS on NO release (-65%) and IL-6 production (-30%), but failed to reduce PGE(2) release. These results indicate that exogenous IL-1beta induces release of NO, PGE(2) and IL-6 in mixed glial cultures, and that endogenous IL-1beta mediates inflammatory actions of LPS on NO and to a lesser extent IL-6, but not on PGE(2) release in mixed glial cultures. Indeed endogenous IL-1beta appears to inhibit LPS-induced PGE(2) release.

Protection by a manganese porphyrin of endogenous peroxynitrite-induced death of glial cells via inhibition of mitochondrial transmembrane potential decrease

In the cerebral ischemic penumbra, progressive metabolic deterioration eventually leads to death of glial cells. The exact mechanism for the death of glial cells is unclear. Here we report that under glucose-deprived conditions immunostimulated glial cells rapidly underwent death via production of large amounts of peroxynitrite. The cell-permeable Mn(III)tetrakis(N-methyl-4'-pyridyl)porphyrin (MnTMPyP) caused a concentration-dependent attenuation of the increased death in glucose-deprived immunostimulated glial cells. The structurally related compound H(2)TMPyP, which lacks metals, did not attenuate this augmented cell death. MnTMPyP prevented the elevation in nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity (a marker of ONOO(-)) in glucose-deprived immunostimulated glial cells. In glucose-deprived glial cells, MnTMPyP also completely blocked the augmented death and nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity induced by the ONOO(-)-producing reagent 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1). The mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MTP), as measured using the dye JC-1, was rapidly decreased in immunostimulated or SIN-1-treated glial cells deprived of glucose. MnTMPyP, but not H(2)TMPyP, blocked the depolarization of MTP in those glial cells. The present data, at least in part, provide evidence for how glial cells die in the postischemic and/or recurrent ischemic brain.

Synergistic depletion of astrocytic glutathione by glucose deprivation and peroxynitrite: correlation with mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent cell death

Previously we reported that immunostimulated astrocytes were highly vulnerable to glucose deprivation. The augmented death was mimicked by the peroxynitrite (ONOO )-producing reagent 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1). Here we show that glucose deprivation and ONOO- synergistically deplete intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) and augment the death of astrocytes via formation of cyclosporin A-sensitive mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore. Astrocytic GSH levels were only slightly decreased by glucose deprivation or SIN-1 (200 microM) alone. In contrast, a rapid and large depletion of GSH was observed in glucose-deprived/ SIN-1-treated astrocytes. The depletion of GSH occurred before a significant release of lactate dehydrogenase (a marker of cell death). Superoxide dismutase and ONOO-scavengers completely blocked the augmented death, indicating that the reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide to form ONOO was implicated. Furthermore, nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity (a marker of ONOO-) was markedly enhanced in glucose-deprived/SIN-1 -treated astrocytes. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MTP) was synergistically decreased in glucose-deprived/SIN-1-treated astrocytes. The glutathione synthase inhibitor L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine markedly decreased the MTP and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) releases in SIN-1-treated astrocytes. Cyclosporin A, an MPT pore blocker, completely prevented the MTP depolarization as well as the enhanced LDH releases in glucose-deprived/SIN-1-treated astrocytes.

Nitric oxide-enhanced excitotoxicity-independent apoptosis of glucose-deprived neurons

Glucose deprivation has been shown to elicit neuronal death via extracellular glutamate accumulation. Here we report that immunostimulated glial expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase enhances the apoptotic death of glucose-deprived cerebellar granule cells (CGC) via the excitotoxicity-independent pathway. CGC cultures were immunostimulated by interferon-gamma (100 U/ml) and lipopolysaccharides (1 microg/ml) and 2 days later were challenged by glucose deprivation. Neither a 2-h Glucose deprivation nor a 2-day immunostimulation altered the viability of CGC. A 2-day immunostimulation, however, markedly enhanced the apoptotic death of CGC glucose-deprived for 1 h. The increased apoptotic death of glucose-deprived CGC after immunostimulation was mimicked by the nitric oxide (NO) releasing reagent 3-morpholinosydnonimine (200 microM, 30 min) and was partially prevented by the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitroarginine. The enhanced apoptotic death was not blocked by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists D-2-amino-5-phosphovalerate (APV) and dizocilpine (MK-801) or the non-NMDA receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX). Moreover, the NO-induced enhanced apoptotic death occurred without a significant increase of the concentration of glutamate in the bathing medium. Our data indicate that immunostimulated glial cells potentiate the apoptotic death of glucose-deprived CGC in part through the expression of inducible NOS but not through NMDA receptor activation. Potentiation of glucose-deprived CGC death by immunostimulated glial cells may be clinically implicated in the tendency of recurrent ischemic insults to be more severe and fatal than an initial ischemic insult.