Measurement of thiols in cell populations from tumor and normal tissue

Sulbutiamine counteracts trophic factor deprivation induced apoptotic cell death in transformed retinal ganglion cells

Sulbutiamine is a highly lipid soluble synthetic analogue of vitamin B(1) and is used clinically for the treatment of asthenia. The aim of our study was to demonstrate whether sulbutiamine is able to attenuate trophic factor deprivation induced cell death to transformed retinal ganglion cells (RGC-5). Cells were subjected to serum deprivation for defined periods and sulbutiamine at different concentrations was added to the cultures. Various procedures (e.g. cell viability assays, apoptosis assay, reactive oxygen species analysis, Western blot analysis, flow cytometric analysis, glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) measurement) were used to demonstrate the effect of sulbutiamine. Sulbutiamine dose-dependently attenuated apoptotic cell death induced by serum deprivation and stimulated GSH and GST activity. Moreover, sulbutiamine decreased the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and AIF. This study demonstrates for the first time that sulbutiamine is able to attenuate trophic factor deprivation induced apoptotic cell death in neuronal cells in culture.

Mutagenicity of the mycotoxin patulin in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells, and its modulation by intracellular glutathione

Because the ability of the mycotoxin patulin (PAT) to cause gene mutations in mammalian cells is still ambiguous, we have studied the mutagenicity of PAT at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene locus in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells with normal, depleted, and elevated glutathione (GSH) levels. PAT was more toxic to GSH-depleted cells than to normal cells and caused an increase of the intracellular GSH level in normal and GSH-depleted cells. It also caused synchronization of the cell cycle due to a temporary accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase; this G2/M arrest was more persistent in GSH-depleted than in normal cells. PAT gave rise to a clear and concentration-dependent induction of HPRT mutations at non-cytotoxic concentrations in V79 cells with normal GSH level; the lowest PAT concentration causing a significant number of mutant cells was 0.3 micromolar, and the mutagenic potency of PAT equaled that of the established mutagen 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide. The mutagenicity of PAT was again more pronounced, by a factor of about three, in GSH-depleted V79 cells. Elevated GSH levels abolished all observed effects of PAT. These data support the notion that PAT is a mutagenic mycotoxin, in particular in cells with low GSH concentration. The ability of PAT to cause gene mutations in mammalian cells might have a bearing on its carcinogenicity.

Relationship between colorectal cancer glutathione levels and patient survival: early results

PURPOSE

Elevated glutathione is a cause of resistance to anticancer agents and x-rays. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and clinical significance of glutathione elevation in human colorectal cancer.

METHODS

Glutathione levels were measured in 41 colon cancers, 24 rectal cancers, and corresponding normal tissues. The patients were then followed up prospectively for tumor recurrence and survival. Survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meir method and Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS

Glutathione levels in primary colorectal cancers were significantly higher than in the corresponding normal tissues. Elevated glutathione levels had a significant negative effect on survival in patients with colorectal cancer, whether based on the mean (P = 0.02) or median (P = 0.04) normal tissue levels. A negative effect of glutathione levels on survival was apparent in patients with colorectal cancer, whether or not they were treated with postoperative therapy. The larger the ratio of tumor glutathione to normal tissue glutathione, the poorer the prognosis. When adjusted for other covariates, glutathione was still a significant predictor of survival.

CONCLUSIONS

An elevated tumor glutathione level at the time of diagnosis appears to confer a poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer. Longer-term study using a larger number of patients will be required to confirm these findings. Knowledge of tumor glutathione content may help identify patients requiring more intensive therapy.

Interaction of the antitumor antibiotic chromomycin A3 with glutathione, a sulfhydryl agent, and the effect upon its DNA binding properties

Chromomycin A3 (CHR), an anticancer antibiotic, blocks macromolecular synthesis via reversible interaction with DNA only in the presence of divalent cations like Mg2+. In the absence of DNA, the antibiotic forms a dimer: Mg2+ complex [(CHR)2Mg2+]. It is the DNA-binding ligand. The antibiotic has potential reactive centers that could interact with GSH, the most abundant non-protein thiol in eukaryotic cells and a putative cofactor involved in the activation of many antibiotics in vivo. To understand the mode of action of CHR in vivo, we studied the interactions of CHR and the (CHR)2Mg2+ complex with GSH and the association of the resultant complexes with DNA by means of absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The novel finding was that GSH interacts non-covalently with CHR without a chemical modification of the antibiotic. The interaction was reversible in nature. The results are reported in two parts: the interaction of CHR with GSH in the absence and presence of Mg2+, and the effect of this interaction on the DNA-binding properties of the antibiotic. CHR forms a single type of complex with GSH. In contrast, (CHR)2Mg2+ forms two different types of complexes with GSH: a low GSH complex at approximately 12 mM GSH and a high GSH complex at > or = 16 mM GSH. Binding and thermodynamic parameters for the reversible association of the complexes with DNA demonstrated that they bind differently to the same DNA. The thermodynamic parameters indicate that the presence of GSH alters the mode of binding of the (CHR)2Mg2+ complex with DNA. The (CHR)2Mg2+ complex binds to DNA via an entropy-driven process, whereas in the presence of GSH the association is enthalpy-driven. The significance of these results in the understanding of the molecular basis of action of the antibiotic is discussed.

Direct determination of glutathione in human blood by micellar electrokinetic chromatography: simultaneous determination of lipoamide and lipoic acid

A reproducible, rapid procedure for the determination of glutathione in human blood by micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been developed. Whole blood samples were deproteinized with 5% w/v sulfosalicylic acid (final concentration). After centrifugation, the supernatant was directly injected for analysis, without further derivatization. Separations were performed by using an uncoated capillary of 30 cm effective length and 50 microns internal diameter (ID), 50 mM Tris-HCl, 30 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), pH 7.00, as running buffer, and 10-20 kV. On-line detection was carried out at 214 nm and a detection limit in the range of femtomoles was achieved. Under the same experimental conditions, we resolved a mixed standard solution containing glutathione in its oxidize and reduced forms, lipoamide and alpha-lipoic acid. The corresponding migration times were reproducible. The present method allows rapid determination of these compounds, which play a critical role in oxidative stress, in cellular defense against injurious agents and whose levels are related to the toxicology and metabolism of several toxins and drugs, such as antineoplastic agents.