Oxygen tension influences DNA fragmentation and cell death in glucocorticoid-treated thymocytes

Decreased apoptosis in fatty livers submitted to subnormothermic machine-perfusion respect to cold storage

Machine perfusion at subnormothermic temperature (20°C), MP20, was developed by Vairetti et al. and showed to afford a better preservation of fatty livers respect to traditional cold storage (CS) in terms of enzyme release into the perfusate and bile, glycogen stores, energy charge and oxidative stress. Here we investigated whether it also caused decreased cell death by apoptosis. Fatty and lean Zucker rats were submitted to MP20 or CS for 6 h and reperfused normothermically for 2 h. Apoptotic cells were revealed by immunohistochemistry of activated caspase-3 and M30 (new epitope on CK18 degraded by caspase-3) and by the TUNEL assay. Portal pressure was also determined. A statistically significant reduction of hepatocyte apoptosis, but especially of sinusoidal cells was determined for fatty livers submitted to MP20 respect to CS. Portal pressure was significantly lower after MP20 respect to CS. The reduction of sinusoidal cell death by apoptosis without need for anti-apoptotic therapies appears particularly positive since apoptotic sinusoidal cells hinder microcirculation in the sinusoids and are thrombogenic. These results further confirm the potential of MP20 for preserving fatty livers that would be otherwise discarded as grafts, and thus for increasing the donor pool for liver transplantation.

Protection of cells in physiological oxygen tensions against DNA damage-induced apoptosis

Oxygen availability has important effects on cell physiology. Although hyperoxic and hypoxic stresses have been well characterized, little is known about cellular functions in the oxygen levels commonly found in vivo. Here, we show that p53-dependent apoptosis in response to different DNA-damaging agents was reduced when normal and cancer cells were cultured at physiological oxygen tensions instead of the usual atmospheric levels. Different from what has been described in hypoxia, this was neither determined by decreases in p53 induction or its transactivation activity, nor by differences in the intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species. At these physiological oxygen levels, we found a constitutive activation of the ERK1/2 MAPK in all the models studied. Inhibition of this signaling pathway reversed the protective effect in some but not all cell lines. We conclude that a stress-independent constitutive activation of prosurvival pathways, including but probably not limited to MAPK, can protect cells in physiological oxygen tensions against genotoxic stress. Our results underscore the need of considering the impact of oxygen levels present in the tissue microenvironment when studying cell sensitivity to treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase overexpression models glucose deprivation and sensitizes lymphoma cells to apoptosis

Glucocorticoids are one component of combined treatment regimens for many types of lymphoma due to their ability to induce apoptosis in lymphoid cells. In WEHI7.2 murine thymic lymphoma cells, altering catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity by transfection or the use of chemical agents modulates the ability of glucocorticoids to induce apoptosis. This suggests that the oxidative stress response is important in determining the glucocorticoid sensitivity of the cells. For glutathione peroxidase and catalase to detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS), reducing equivalents in the form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form (NADPH) are ultimately required. The major source of NADPH in the cell is glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH). Therefore, we created G6PDH-overexpressing WEHI7.2 variants to test whether G6PDH activity is a key determinant of glucocorticoid sensitivity in WEHI7.2 cells. G6PDH-overexpressing WEHI7.2 cells were more sensitive to oxidative stress and glucocorticoids. The G6PDH-overexpressing WEHI7.2 variants appeared similar to cells undergoing glucose deprivation with decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis by the mitochondria and increased basal levels of ROS. Overexpression of G6PDH also sensitized the cells to other standard lymphoma chemotherapeutics including cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine. The decreased ATP and elevated ROS due to G6PDH overexpression may be key factors in increasing the sensitivity of the WEHI7.2 cells to lymphoma chemotherapeutics.

Bioreactors for tissue mass culture: Design, characterization, and recent advances

This paper reviews reports on three-dimensional mammalian tissue growth in bioreactors and the corresponding mammalian tissue growth requirements. The needs for nutrient and waste removal of several mammalian tissues are reviewed and compared with the environment of many reactors currently in use such as the continuous stirred tank, the hollow fiber, the Couette-Taylor, the airlift, and the rotating-wall reactors developed by NASA. Many studies conclude that oxygen supply appears to be one of the most important factors limiting tissue growth. Various correlations to describe oxygen mass transfer are presented and discussed with the aim to provide some guidance to design, construct, and test reactors for tissue mass culture. To obtain tissue thickness clinically valuable, dimensionless and other types of analysis tend to point out that diffusive transport will have to be matched with an important convection to bring sufficient oxygen molecular flux to the growing cells located within a tissue mass. As learned from solid-state fermentation and hairy root culture, during the growth of large biomass, heterogeneity (i.e., channeling, temperature gradients, non-uniform cell growth, transfer gradients, etc.) can cause some important problems and these should be addressed in tissue engineering as well. Reactors (along with the scaffolds) should be designed to minimize these issues. The role of the uterus, the reactor built by Nature, is examined, and the environment provided to a growing embryo is reported, yielding possible paths for further reactor developments. Finally, the importance of cell seeding methods is also addressed.

N-acetyl-l-cysteine protects intestinal lymphocytes from apoptotic death after acute exercise in adrenalectomized mice

Lymphocyte apoptosis has been observed after strenuous exercise. Both glucocorticoids (GC) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been suggested to contribute to exercise-induced lymphocyte apoptosis. The aims of this study were to 1) examine the direct contribution of GC during exercise-induced intestinal lymphocyte (IL) apoptosis and 2) determine the contribution of oxidative stress, in the absence of GC, to exercise-induced IL apoptosis. Mice were bilaterally adrenalectomized (ADX) and randomly assigned to receive saline (SAL) or N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) 30 min before treadmill exercise (EX). EX consisted of 90 min of continuous running at a 2 degrees slope (30 min at 22 m/min, 30 min at 25 m/min; and 30 min at 28 m/min), and then killed immediately (Imm) or 24 h (24 h) postexercise. Control mice were exposed to a nonexercised (NonEX) condition consisting of treadmill noise and vibration without running. ILs were isolated and measured for apoptotic (phosphatidylserine externalization, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, Bcl-2, caspase 3, and cytosolic cytochrome c) and oxidative stress (H(2)O(2) and glutathione) markers. Plasma was analyzed for corticosterone (CORT) by radioimmunoassay. ADX eliminated the exercise-induced elevation in CORT but did not prevent IL apoptosis and cell loss relative to NonEX mice. In contrast, administration of NAC to ADX mice protected ILs from apoptotic cell death and inhibited post-exercise cell loss. These findings suggest that GC are not responsible for exercise-induced apoptosis and cell loss of ILs. The protective effect provided by the antioxidant NAC strongly suggest that oxidative stress is the primary pathway for IL apoptosis and cell loss after strenuous exercise.

Thymic sensitivity to hypoxic condition in young and old rats. Age-dependent expression of NF-kappaB

Oxygen keeps the entire enzymatic machinery in its physiological state. Senescence is associated with damage caused by oxidative stress, affecting also the immune system. In this study the effect of chronic hypoxia for 12 days on young and elderly rat thymus was investigated. The significant changes in cell thymic organization in young and old-aged rat thymus, with redistribution of thymic cells and stroma, were even more marked after prolonged hypoxia. These were further associated to down-regulation of NF-kappaB expression in young rats but up-regulation in old rats. Reorganization of thymic compartments together with disregulated expression of transcription factors, mainly expressed by 'common' thymocytes, may be related to an altered function under hypoxic conditions, inducing opposite responses in young and aged thymuses, probably related to different states of basal oxidative stress.

Hypoxia in the thymus: role of oxygen tension in thymocyte survival

Our previous studies using oxygen microelectrodes showed that the thymus is grossly hypoxic under normal physiological conditions. We now have investigated how oxygen tension affects the thymus at the cellular and molecular level. Adducts of the hypoxia marker drug pimonidazole accumulated in foci within the cortex and medulla and at the corticomedullary junction, consistent with the presence of widespread cellular hypoxia in the normal thymus. Hypoxia-associated pimonidazole accumulation was decreased but not abrogated by oxygen administration. Genes previously reported to be induced by hypoxia were expressed at baseline levels in the normal thymus, indicating that physiological adaptation to hypoxia occurred. Despite changes in thymus size and cellularity, thymic PO(2) did not change with age. Combined assays for hypoxia and cell death showed that hypoxia achieved using either hypoxic gas mixtures or high-density culture in normoxia decreased spontaneous thymocyte apoptosis in vitro. Taken together, these data suggest that regulatory mechanisms exist to maintain thymic cellular hypoxia in vivo and that oxygen tension may regulate thymocyte survival both in vitro and in vivo.

Thymocytes selected for resistance to hydrogen peroxide show altered antioxidant enzyme profiles and resistance to dexamethasone-induced apoptosis

Treatment of WEHI7.2 cells, a mouse thymoma-derived cell line, with dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid, causes the cells to undergo apoptosis. Previous work has shown that treatment of WEHI7.2 cells with dexamethasone results in a downregulation of antioxidant defense enzymes, suggesting that increased oxidative stress may play a role in glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis. To test whether resistance to oxidative stress causes resistance to dexamethasone-induced apoptosis, WEHI7.2 cell variants selected for resistance to 50, 100 and 200 microM H(2)O(2) were developed. Resistance to H(2)O(2) is accompanied by increased antioxidant enzyme activity, resistance to other oxidants and a delayed loss of viable cells after dexamethasone treatment. In the 200 microM H(2)O(2)-resistant cell variant the delay in cell loss is correlated with delayed release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol. This suggests that reactive oxygen species play a role in a signaling event during steroid-mediated apoptosis in lymphocytes.

Hypoxia induces the expression and release of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist in mitogen-activated mononuclear cells

Hypoxia modulates the expression of inflammatory mediators in a variety of cell types. Since interleukin (IL-)1 receptor antagonist (Ra) is a cytokine widely associated with an inflammatory state and is expressed by activated mononuclear cells, we investigated whether hypoxia induces IL-1Ra expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) activated by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). RNase protection assay, conducted on PHA-activated PBMC cultured under hypoxic conditions (2% O(2)) for 16-40 h, revealed that hypoxia enhances IL-1Ra mRNA expression. Further, IL-1Ra release was significantly affected by hypoxia, as determined by ELISA. Concomitantly, hypoxia enhanced, even though at a lesser extent, both IL-1alpha and IL-1beta mRNA expression and release, as determined by RPA and ELISA. However, at 40 h of treatment, hypoxia did not affect cell viability and DNA fragmentation, but caused an inhibition of the proliferation index after PHA stimulation, obtained by MTT assay. These results suggest that activated mononuclear cells tend to respond to hypoxic stress by modulating the expression of IL-1Ra and IL-1-related molecules and their release in the surrounding microenvironment.

Pharmacological interventions of cyanide-induced cytotoxicity and DNA damage in isolated rat thymocytes and their protective efficacy in vivo

Cyanide inhibits the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme cytochrome oxidase causing histotoxic hypoxia. It is primarily considered as a neurotoxin but its other toxic manifestations are also well documented. Cyanide-induced apoptosis in neuronal cells has also been demonstrated recently. At the same time we also reported that potassium cyanide (KCN) produces extensive cytotoxicity and DNA fragmentation in rat thymocytes. The DNA damage was sensitive to elevated levels of extracellular Ca2+ and was attenuated by Zn2+ (modulator of Ca2+ dependent endonuclease), N-acetylcysteine (free radical scavenger) and diltiazem (Ca2+ channel blocker). In a continuation of this work, in the present study we have shown that the cytotoxicity and DNA fragmentation induced by 5 mM KCN was preceded by loss of mitochondrial integrity (MTT assay and rhodamine-123 staining) and nuclear viability (propidium iodide uptake) which were mediated by generation of reactive oxygen species (DCHF-DA staining). The DNA damage was also accompanied by nuclear fragmentation (Hoechst 33342 staining), a phenomenon that characterises the 'apoptotic' type of cell death. The in vitro toxic insult of KCN was challenged by pre-treatment (0.5 h), simultaneous treatment or post-treatment (0.5-3 h) of various pharmacological agents viz., Trolox (antioxidant), EGTA (Ca2+ modulator) and aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA; Ca2+/Mg2+ dependent endonuclease inhibitor). In addition, Quercetin (antioxidant) was tested as simultaneous treatment alone and was found to be ineffective. On the basis of various biochemical indices and DNA fragmentation (quantitative and qualitative), simultaneous treatment of Trolox was found to be the most effective in attenuating cyanide toxicity in vitro. This protection can be attributed to interventions in oxidative stress-mediated cell injury which is an early event preceding DNA damage. Both EGTA and ATA could not prevent this damage. Trolox also increased the LD(50) of KCN in mice 2.5-fold as compared to 1.8- and 1.6-fold for EGTA and ATA, respectively.

Circulating levels of soluble Fas ligand and soluble Fas in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Fas- and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-mediated apoptosis are known to be two principal apoptotic mechanisms in humans. Although there are several distinctions between these two systems, in vitro studies have demonstrated similar hypoxic activation and a functional relationship. Since patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) show chronic hypoxaemia and the activation of the TNF-alpha system, we investigated whether these pathophysiological changes influence the Fas-Fas ligand system. We measured the circulating soluble Fas ligand (sFas-L) level, an inducer of apoptosis, and the soluble Fas receptor (sFas) level, an inhibitor of apoptosis, in 34 COPD patients and 35 age-matched healthy controls. In addition, we investigated the relationships between the levels of sFas-L or sFas and clinical variables including the TNF-alpha system; circulating TNF-alpha and soluble TNF-receptor (sTNF-Rs: sTNF-R55 and R75) levels, in the COPD patients. Although circulating TNF-alpha, sTNF-R55 and R75 levels were significantly higher in the COPD patients than in the healthy controls, serum level of sFas-L (Fisher's exact probability test; P = 0.26) and plasma level of sFas [COPD patients vs. controls; mean (SD); 3.74 (0.63) vs. 3.67 (0.48) ng/ml; P = 0.89) were not increased in the COPD patients. There was no significant correlation between the levels of sFas-L or sFas and clinical variables in COPD patients. These results suggest that the Fas-Fas ligand system does not independently play an important role in the pathophysiology of patients with COPD.

The relationship between chronic hypoxemia and activation of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha system in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Although circulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels have been found to be increased in weight-losing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the main causes for this phenomenon remain to be elucidated. Since hypoxia itself can enhance the production of the TNF-alpha in vitro, we studied the relationship between hypoxemia and activities of the TNF-alpha system, including circulating TNF-alpha and soluble TNF-receptors (sTNF-R; sTNF-R55 and -R75) levels, in 27 COPD patients and 15 age-matched healthy controls. The COPD patients showed a significant weight loss (body mass index = 18.1 +/- 2.8 versus 22.8 +/- 2.2 [mean +/- SD] kg/m(2); p < 0.0001. % fat = 16.3 +/- 5.9 versus 24.3 +/- 4.9 %; p < 0.001), and hypoxemia (Pa(O2 )= 62.2 +/- 9.5 versus 88.6 +/- 5.9 mm Hg; p < 0.0001) as compared with the healthy controls. Serum TNF-alpha (6.15 +/- 1.08 versus 5.41 +/- 1.60 pg/ml; p < 0.05) and plasma sTNF-R55 (1.15 +/- 0.49 versus 0.67 +/- 0.13 ng/ml; p < 0.0001) and sTNF-R75 (3.54 +/- 1.16 versus 2.25 +/- 0.43; p < 0.0001) levels were significantly higher in the COPD patients than in the healthy controls. There were inverse correlations between Pa(O(2)) and circulating TNF-alpha and sTNF-R levels in patients with COPD (TNF-alpha; r = -0.426, p = 0.0297; sTNF-R55: r = -0.587, p = 0.0027; sTNF-R75: r = -0.573, p = 0.0035). In addition, we found inverse correlations between sTNF-R levels and % fat in COPD patients (sTNF-R55: r = -0.442, p = 0.0272; sTNF-R75: r = -0. 484, p = 0.0155). TNF-alpha levels correlated well with sTNF-R levels (sTNF-R55: r = 0.488, p = 0.0127; sTNF-R75: r = 0.609, p = 0. 0019). These relationships were not observed in the healthy controls. These data suggest that systemic hypoxemia noted in patients with COPD is associated with activation of the TNF-alpha system in vivo, which may be a factor contributing to the weight loss in patients with the disease.

Hypoxia modulates cyclin and cytokine expression and inhibits peripheral mononuclear cell proliferation

Previously, we found that hypoxia can deeply affect the production of cytokines in human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC). Here, we demonstrated that the cycle progression of hypoxic PBMC, cultured in the presence or not of a specific T cell activator such as phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), was delayed when compared with aerobic cultures. This delay was accompanied by a decrease of the expression of specific cyclins associated to cell cycle progression phases. Ribonuclease Protection Assay (RPA) studies reveal a decrease in the expression of cyclin A and B in PHA-stimulated PBMC kept for 40 hr under hypoxic condition (2% O(2)), when compared with aerobic cultures (20% O(2)). In concomitance, a decrease of cyclin D2 expression was present after 16 hr of hypoxic treatment. However, the decrease was transient and disappeared after 40 hr of hypoxic treatment. Furthermore, cyclin C expression was not affected by hypoxia. Hypoxia-induced cyclin modulation was accompanied by an increased synthesis of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4, analyzed by ELISA. By evaluating these results, it appears that hypoxia induces a growth suppressive state in mitogen-activated PBMC by inhibiting the synthesis of mitotic cyclins A and B. However hypoxic PBMC maintain their viability and capability of producing stimulatory cytokines, after mitogen treatment. This should be important in local hypoxia, usually associated with necrotic areas, in inflammation, and infections, where T lymphocyte capability of producing stimulatory cytokines is desirable.

Redox regulation of cellular signalling

Extracellular stimuli elicit a variety of responses, such as cell proliferation and differentiation, through the cellular signalling system. Binding of growth factors to the respective receptor leads to the activation of receptor tyrosine kinases, which in turn stimulate downstream signalling systems such as mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. These biochemical reactions finally reach the nucleus, resulting in gene expression mediated by the activation of several transcription factors. Recent studies have revealed that cellular signalling pathways are regulated by the intracellular redox state. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as H2O2, leads to the activation of protein tyrosine kinases followed by the stimulation of downstream signalling systems including MAP kinase and PLCgamma. The activation of PLCgamma by oxidative radical stress elevates the cellular Ca2+ levels by flux from the intracellular Ca2+ pool and from the extracellular space. Such reactions in the upstream signalling cascade, in concert, result in the activation of several transcription factors. On the other hand, reductants generally suppress the upstream signalling cascade resulting in the suppression of transcription factors. However, it is well known that cysteine residues in a reduced state are essential for the activity of many transcription factors. In fact, in vitro, oxidation of NFkappaB results in its activation, whereas reductants promote its activity. Thus, cellular signalling pathways are generally subjected to dual redox regulation in which redox has opposite effects on upstream signalling systems and downstream transcription factors. Not only are the cellular signalling pathways subjected to redox regulation, but also the signalling systems regulate the cellular redox state. When cells are activated by extracellular stimuli, the cells produce ROS, which in turn stimulate other cellular signalling pathways, indicating that ROS act as second messengers. It is thus evident that there is cross talk between the cellular signalling system and the cellular redox state. Cell death and life also are subjected to such dual redox regulation and cross talk. Death signals induce apoptosis through the activation of caspases in the cells. Oxidative radical stress induces the activation of caspases, whereas the oxidation of caspases results in their inactivation. Furthermore, some cell-death signals induce the production of ROS in the cells, and the ROS produced in turn stimulate the cell-death machinery. All this evidence shows that the cell's fate is determined by cross talk between the cellular signalling pathways and the cellular redox state through a complicated regulation mechanism.

Reactive oxygen species and intracellular Ca2+, common signals for apoptosis induced by gallic acid

Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid), a naturally occurring plant phenol, induces cell death in apparently different manners, depending on cell lines. Flow cytometric analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis indicated that internucleosomal breakdown of chromatin DNA was observed in HL-60RG cells but not in dRLh-84, HeLa, and PLC/PRF/5 cells, and that the action of gallic acid was independent of cell cycle. A detailed study of signal transduction revealed that the gallic acid-induced cell death of all cells tested in this study was prevented by treatment with the intracellular thiol antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine, catalase, and the intracellular calcium chelator bis-(o-aminophenoxy)-N,N,N,N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA-AM). However, the effects of ascorbic acid, superoxide dismutase, EGTA, the endonuclease inhibitor zinc sulfate, the calmodulin inhibitor N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7), and the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium chloride on cell death were different depending on the cell type, suggesting that the death signal induced by gallic acid was diverse among different cell types, although the production of reactive oxygen species, such as H2O2, and the elevation of intracellular calcium concentration were required as common signals.

Apoptosis of sinusoidal endothelial cells is a critical mechanism of preservation injury in rat liver transplantation

In livers excised for transplantation, sinusoidal endothelium appears especially vulnerable to injury during organ preservation in the cold and subsequent reperfusion. The degree of endothelial cell injury correlates with functional impairment of the graft following transplantation. The mechanism of injury remains obscure, but endothelial cell damage has been described as coagulative necrosis secondary to irreversible physico-chemical damage. We investigated whether endothelial cell death is caused by apoptosis rather than by necrosis. Tissue from rat livers stored for varying periods in cold (1 degree C) Euro-Collins solution and then reperfused for 1 hour at 37 degrees C were studied for evidence of apoptosis by detection of DNA fragmentation using the in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase d-uridine triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, DNA gel electrophoresis, and by transmission electron microscopy (EM). DNA fragmentation of the type characteristic of apoptosis was identified in 49.7% +/- 2.2% of sinusoidal lining cells after 8 hours of ischemia + reperfusion (viable graft) vs. 70.7% +/- 4.3% after 16 hours + reperfusion (nonviable graft) (P < .001). No such fragmentation was observed after cold preservation without reperfusion or in unpreserved, reperfused livers. EM demonstrated changes characteristic of apoptosis exclusively in endothelial cells. The study suggests that the apoptosis of sinusoidal endothelial cells is a pivotal mechanism of preservation injury in liver transplantation.

Inhibition of glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside, a cell-permeable activator of AMP-activated protein kinase

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is related to a growing family of protein kinases that are believed to protect cells against environmental and nutritional stress. In the present study the hypothesis of a protective role for AMPK against thymocyte apoptosis has been tested. It is shown that AMPK is expressed in rat thymocytes that contain the transcript for the a1 isoform of the AMPK catalytic subunit and can be activated by treatment with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR), a well-established activator of AMPK. AICAR is not toxic and prevents glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in the same concentration range used to activate AMPK. At concentrations higher than 1 mM, AICAR fully restores cell viability and inhibits DNA laddering in dexamethasone-treated thymocytes. Furthermore, AICAR blocks the dexamethasone-induced activation of caspase 3-like enzymes, which are believed to play a pivotal role in apoptotic cell death. Activation of AMPK by oligomycin, which depletes thymocytes of ATP, is also correlated to inhibition of caspase 3-like activity in dexamethasone-treated cells. However, AICAR and oligomycin do not exert any protective action when apoptosis is induced by staurosporine. These results indicate that AICAR is a powerful inhibitor of glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis and suggest that AMPK activation may interfere with a step in the apoptotic cascade triggered by dexamethasone.

Thermal injury induces thymocyte apoptosis in the rat

BACKGROUND

The thymus plays important roles in host defense, which may be impaired after burn injury. The effects of thermal injury on thymocytes were investigated in male Wistar rats.

METHODS

Changes in thymus weight and content of glutathione and corticosterone were determined after burn injury. Apoptosis of thymocytes was detected by electrophoresis of DNA, and lymphocyte subsets were characterized by flow cytometry. The effects of adrenalectomy and the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU486 in burned animals were also studied.

RESULTS

The weight of the thymus decreased progressively after burn injury, and this effect was accompanied by increases in the corticosterone concentration in plasma and the thymus and apoptosis of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. Administration of RU486 or adrenalectomy inhibited burn-induced thymocyte apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

Thermal injury increases the corticosterone concentration in plasma and the thymus and triggers thymocyte apoptosis.

Cyanide induced DNA fragmentation in mammalian cell cultures

Cyanide is a mitochondrial poison and its toxicity is mediated through histotoxic hypoxia. Although cyanide is regarded as a neurotoxin, its other toxic manifestations are also well documented. Cyanide triggers all those events which can lead to DNA damage, but its genotoxic potential has not been established yet. The present investigation addresses the DNA damage induced by cyanide in rat thymocytes in vitro. Cell viability (eosin Y exclusion and LDH leakage) along with DNA strand breaks were measured in thymocytes exposed to 1.25-10 mM KCN for various time intervals. Cleavage into oligonucleosomal fragments of extracted DNA from cyanide treated thymocytes were visualized on gel electrophoresis. Cyanide produced both time and dose dependent DNA fragmentation accompanied by cytotoxicity. The DNA damage was sensitive to elevated levels of extracellular Ca2+ and was minimal in Ca2+ free medium. The DNA fragmentation was attenuated by Zn2+ (modulator of Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent endonuclease), N-acetylcysteine (free radical scavenger) and diltiazem (Ca2+ channel blocker). Cyanide induced DNA damage was further observed in baby hamster kidney cells (BHK-21), where unlike thymocytes, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation was not observed. Thymocytes were more sensitive to cyanide as compared to BHK-21 cells.

Hypoxia affects cytokine production and proliferative responses by human peripheral mononuclear cells

We have shown that hypoxia (2% O2 approximately pO2 14 mmHg) as opposed to O2 atmospheric pressure (20.9% O2 approximately pO2 140 mmHg) can deeply affect the production of cytokines in human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) in the presence or absence of a specific T-cell activator such as phytohemagglutinin (PHA). In hypoxia, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and interferon (IFN)-gamma production increased by 110, 70, and 50% over that of controls, respectively, in PHA-stimulated PBMC (P < 0.05). Moreover, in hypoxia, IL-6 production was significantly enhanced in both resting and PHA-stimulated PBMC by 36 and 37%, respectively (P < 0.05). However, in hypoxia, IL-10 production decreased in both resting and stimulated PBMC, being 80 and 67% of controls, respectively (P < 0.05). PBMC proliferation was not significantly affected by hypoxia, although PBMC susceptibility to PHA was about 80% of that of the control (P < 0.05) after 40 hr of treatment, whereas the cycle progression of hypoxic PBMC was delayed. From an evaluation of these results, hypoxia apparently modifies the production of cytokines by PBMC. These results have both theoretical and practical interest because local hypoxia is very common in several conditions, such as inflammation and local ischemia, and is a host-nonspecific defense against infection. Furthermore, these results suggest a differential pattern of cytokine production in vivo in hypoxic tissues.

Plasma Fas ligand, an inducer of apoptosis, and plasma soluble Fas, an inhibitor of apoptosis, in patients with chronic congestive heart failure

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to examine plasma levels of soluble Fas/APO-1 receptor (sFas), an inhibitor of apoptosis, and soluble Fas ligand (sFas-L), an inducer of apoptosis, and their relation to each other and to other clinical variables, such as New York Heart Association functional class, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in congestive heart failure (CHF).

BACKGROUND

It has been recently reported that apoptotic cell death occurs in myocytes of dogs with CHF. Hypoxia is frequently seen in advanced CHF and can stimulate Fas/APO-1 receptors (Fas) to induce apoptosis in cultured myocytes. Fas and Fas ligand (Fas-L) are cell-surface proteins and representative apoptosis-signaling molecules. Fas on the cell membrane induces apoptosis when it binds Fas-L or sFas-L. However, plasma sFas, a molecule lacking the transmembrane domain of Fas, blocks apoptosis by inhibiting binding between Fas and Fas-L or sFas-L on the cell membrane. At present, it is unknown whether plasma sFas-L and plasma sFas increase in the presence of cardiac disease.

METHODS

The study included 70 patients (mean [+/-SEM] age 65 +/- 2 years, range 21 to 93) with chronic CHF (coronary artery disease in 28, dilated cardiomyopathy in 27, valvular heart disease in 15) and 62 age- and gender-matched normal control subjects. Plasma levels of sFas, sFas-L, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using monoclonal anti-human antibodies.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in sFas-L levels between normal subjects and patients in functional classes I to IV; however, sFas increased with severity of functional classification, independent of the underlying disease. sFas levels were significantly higher even in patients in functional class II than in normal subjects and those in functional class I, and were highest in patients in functional class IV (normal subjects; 2.2 +/- 0.1 ng/ml; functional class I: 2.2 +/- 0.2 ng/ml; functional class II: 3.1 +/- 0.2 ng/ml; functional class III: 3.9 +/- 0.3 ng/ml; functional class IV: 5.1 +/- 0.6 ng/ml). Plasma sFas levels were significantly higher in patients with elevated pulmonary artery wedge pressure and a decresed cardiac index than in those with values in the normal range. In patients in functional class IV, there was no significant difference in plasma sFas levels between the survivors and non-survivors during 6-month follow-up. However, plasma levels of sFas tended to decrease in nine patients with clinical improvement (baseline sFas: 5.2 +/- 0.8 ng/ml; 6-month sFas: 4.3 +/- 0.5 ng/ml, p = 0.07) but were similar in patients with no change in functional class. TNF-alpha and IL-6 were increased significantly only in patients in functional class IV, as previously reported, but were not related to sFas.

CONCLUSIONS

We found elevated levels of plasma sFas and no increase in plasma sFas-L in human CHF. The increase in sFas may play an important role in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of CHF.

ATP depletion inhibits glucocorticoid-induced thymocyte apoptosis

In quiescent thymocytes, mitochondrial de-energization was not correlated to apoptotic death. In fact, thymocytes treated with oligomycin, a highly specific inhibitor of ATP synthase, alone or with atractyloside to block ATP translocation from the cytoplasm, were alive, even if their mitochondria were depolarized, as revealed by flow cytometry after Rhodamine 123 staining. Furthermore, oligomycin was a powerful inhibitor of apoptosis induced in rat thymocytes by dexamethasone and, to a lesser extent, by the calcium ionophore A23187 and etoposide, but was without effect when apoptosis was induced by staurosporine, and increased cell death in mitogen-treated thymocytes. The inhibition of apoptosis was confirmed by morphological criteria, inhibition of inter-nucleosomal DNA fragmentation and inhibition of the loss of membrane integrity. The anti-apoptotic effect of oligomycin in cells treated with A23187 or etoposide was correlated to the inhibition of protein synthesis, while inhibition of apoptosis induced by dexamethasone, already evident at an oligomycin concentration of 10 ng/ml, was instead strictly correlated to the effect exerted on the cellular ATP level. Thymocyte apoptosis triggered by dexamethasone was blocked or delayed by inhibitors of respiratory-chain uncouplers, inhibitors of ATP synthase and antioxidants: a lasting protection from dexamethasone-induced apoptosis was always correlated to a drastic and rapid reduction in ATP level (31-35% of control), while a delay in the death process was characterized by a moderate decrease in ATP (73-82% of control). Oligomycin inhibited the specific binding of radioactive corticosteroid to thymocyte nuclei, confirming the inhibitory effect of ATP depletion on glucocorticoid binding and suggesting that ATP depletion is a common mediator of the anti-apoptotic action of different effectors in glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, the reported data indicate that ATP may act as a cellular modulator of some forms of apoptosis, depending on the death trigger, and that in quiescent cells the de-energization of mitochondria is not necessarily linked to apoptosis.

Redox regulation of apoptosis: impact of thiol oxidation status on mitochondrial function

The probability that a cell will undergo apoptosis is in part dictated by the cellular redox potential, which is mainly determined by the reduction and oxidation of thiol residues on glutathione and proteins. We and others have recently shown that mitochondria play a critical role in the apoptotic cascade. Here, we address the question as to whether thiol modification regulates apoptosis and in which cellular compartment apoptosis-regulatory thiols are localized. To resolve this problem, we employed the divalent thiol-reactive agent diamide, which causes thiol cross-linking and thus mimics disulfide bridge formation, and a panel of monovalent thiol-reactive compounds (which impede disulfide bridge formation due to thiol oxidation), one of which is specifically targeted to the mitochondrial matrix. Our data indicate that thymocyte apoptosis induced by diamide mimics natural apoptosis in the sense that mitochondrial transmembrane potential (delta psi(m)) disruption precedes nuclear chromatin degradation; that monovalent thiol-reactive compounds inhibit apoptosis induced by diamide, glucocorticoids, irradiation, and topoisomerase inhibition; that the critical thiols determining cell fate after exposure to diamide, glucocorticoids, or DNA damage are likely to be located in the mitochondrial matrix; and that thiol oxidation and reduction are critical for apoptosis induction by some stimuli (glucocorticoids, DNA damage), but not by Fas/CD95 cross-linking. Taken together, these findings suggest that, at least in some pathways of apoptosis, mitochondrial thiols constitute a critical sensor of the cellular redox potential.

Asbestos induces apoptosis of human and rabbit pleural mesothelial cells via reactive oxygen species

Mesothelial cells, the progenitor cell of the asbestos-induced tumor mesothelioma, are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of asbestos, although the molecular mechanisms by which asbestos induces injury in mesothelial cells are not known. We asked whether asbestos induced apoptosis in mesothelial cells and whether reactive oxygen species were important. Pleural mesothelial cells (rabbit or human) were exposed to asbestos (crocidolite, amosite, or chrysotile) or control particles at moderate doses (1-10 microg/cm2) over 24 h and evaluated for oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation, loss of membrane phospholipid asymmetry, and nuclear condensation. Asbestos fibers, not control particles, induced apoptosis in mesothelial cells by all assays and induction of apoptosis was dose dependent for all types of asbestos, with crocidolite (5 microg/cm2) inducing 15.0+/-1.1% (mean+/-SE; n = 12) apoptosis versus control particles < 4%. Apoptosis induced by asbestos, but not by actinomycin D, was inhibited by extracellular catalase, superoxide dismutase in the presence of catalase, hypoxia (8% oxygen), deferoxamine, 3-aminobenzamide [an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribosyl) polymerase], and cytochalasin B. Only catalase and cytochalasin B decreased fiber uptake. We conclude that asbestos induces apoptosis in mesothelial cells via reactive oxygen species. Escape from this pathway could allow the abnormal survival of mesothelial cells with asbestos-induced mutations.