The effect of light on the aging of human diploid fibroblasts

The role of ultraviolet radiation in melanomagenesis

The role of ultraviolet radiation (UV) in the pathogenesis has been discussed controversially for many decades. Studies in mice (SCID, HGF/SF, SV40T) which develop malignant melanoma, show a role of UVB in melanomagenesis. In contrast to this, the role of UVA is less clear. We will review the recent in vitro and in vivo data in support of the hypothesis that UVA is also involved in the development of malignant melanoma. The role of UVA in p53 activation, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and photoproduct formation is discussed.

'To repair or not to repair - no longer a question': repair of mitochondrial DNA shielding against age and cancer

The role of mitochondria in energy production and apoptosis is well known. The role of mitochondria and particularly the role of the mitochondria's own genome, mitochondrial (mt) DNA, in the process of ageing were postulated decades ago. However, this was discussed, debated and more or less disposed of. Recent data from elegant mouse models now confirm that mutations of mtDNA do indeed play a central and pivotal role in the ageing process. Newer reports also indicate a possible role of mtDNA mutations in the carcinogenesis of several organs. But is damaged mtDNA repaired, or is it simply degraded and discarded? This question appears to be answered now. According to recent data, mitochondria possess functional repair mechanisms such as base excision repair, double-strand break repair and mismatch repair, yet nucleotide excision repair has so far not been detected.

Riboflavin-mediated axonal degeneration of postnatal retinal ganglion cells in vitro is related to the formation of free radicals

It is well known that glial cells produce several neurotrophic factors. We detected a neurogedegenerative/neurite growth inhibiting activity in serum-free astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM). After high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-purification, spectral analysis and test of biologic activity in tissue cultures of postnatal retinal explants we isolated a fraction containing a riboflavin-(vitamin B2)-like compound which caused the neuronal degeneration. We therefore investigated the influence of pure riboflavin on axonal regeneration in vitro. Riboflavin is a normal compound of Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) and other tissue culture media in various concentrations. The removal of riboflavin from ACM by reversed phase chromatography abolished the neurite growth inhibiting effect and enhanced the regenerative response of axonal outgrowth from postnatal rat retinal explants. However, doubling of the normal medium concentration (1 microM) of riboflavin lead to strong degenerative alteration of the outgrowing axons in a dose-dependent manner, even under maximal growth stimulation by cultivating the explants in astrocyte-conditioned medium. To check the possibility that riboflavin-mediated cytotoxicity is related to the production of free radicals through photoabsorption from daylight, we irradiated culture medium with UV light, and induced radical stress by incubating the explants with Fe2+/3+. In an other set of experiments, we proofed, if antioxidants/free radical scavengers like pyruvate or vitamin C and E are able to overcome the neurite growth inhibiting influence of riboflavin or the radical stress. Our findings suggest an involvement of riboflavin-mediated formation of free radicals/reactive oxygen species and subsequent neurite degeneration in in vitro-assays of neuronal regeneration or neuronal cell cultures. How far the riboflavin/free radical-induced axonal degeneration could be an explanation for neurological degenerative disorders has to be elucidated.

Effects of light-exposed parenteral nutrition on hepatic function and lidocaine metabolism: a study using isolated rat liver perfusion

Effects of light-exposed parenteral solutions on hepatic function and lidocaine metabolism were studied. Male rats (190-220 g) were randomly assigned to one of the three isocaloric treatment groups: parenteral nutrition (PN) (+L) group (n = 6), animals received a solution of 24.2% dextrose and 5.2% amino acids with light exposure; PN(-L) group (n = 5), animals received the same solution without light exposure; and CF group, chow-fed animals (n = 6) that received rat chow and water. Average energy intake in these animals was approximately 33 kcal/100 g/d. Lidocaine metabolism was studied in livers isolated from animals 7 d after treatment. Liver morphology indicated that five livers from PN(+L) animals developed steatosis. The lidocaine metabolism rate was the slowest in PN(+L) animals; this is marked by changes in the steady state levels (% dose) of lidocaine [PN(+L), 47.9 +/- 17.6; PN(-L), 25.9 +/- 2.1; versus CF, 11.3 +/- 5.3; p < 0.05]. The extraction ratio and intrinsic clearance values were reduced by 41 and 86% in PN(+L) group and 16 and 70% in PN(-L) group, respectively, when compared with CF (p < 0.05). Metabolite to drug ratios indicated that N-dealkylation, ring-hydroxylation, and aryl methyl hydroxylation of lidocaine were severely impaired, particularly in the PN(+L) animals. The extents of reduction in metabolic pathways were in the ranges 79-95% in the PN(+L) group and 44-90% in the PN(-L) (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that parenteral nutrition infusion induces steatosis and reduces the rate of lidocaine metabolism and exposure of parenteral nutrition solutions to light exacerbates this change.

The effects of light exposure on the in vitro hepatic response to an amino acid-vitamin solution

BACKGROUND

Administration of parenteral nutrition (PN) that has been irradiated with light is associated with hepatic dysfunction in rats in vivo. Using the isolated perfused rat liver, we report the in vitro hepatic response to a light-exposed amino acid-vitamin (AAV) solution, compared with a light-protected solution.

METHODS

The amino acid-vitamin solution (3 g Aminosyn and 2.5 mL MVI-12 added to buffer) was placed under a lamp in a beaker that was covered completely with foil (light-protected) or with a transparent wrap (light-exposed) for 24 hours before liver perfusion. Livers from adult male rats were isolated and perfused with buffer for 30 minutes, with the AAV solution for 60 minutes, and again with buffer for 30 minutes.

RESULTS

Infusion with the AAV solution resulted in decreases in bile flow rates. Compared with light-protected groups, light-exposure was associated with significantly lower bile flow rates, significant increases in biliary concentrations of oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and significantly decreased biliary concentrations of free amino acids, including the glutathione precursors glutamate and glycine.

CONCLUSIONS

Perfusion of the isolated rat liver with an AAV solution that has been irradiated with light for 24 hours results in a decrease in bile flow rates and an increase in biliary GSSG concentrations, suggesting oxidant stress. Consideration should be given to protecting solutions from light in the clinical setting.

Photosensitized oxidation of tryptophan: effect on liver and brain tryptophan

Toxic products are formed when tryptophan is irradiated with light in the presence of photosensitizers such as riboflavin. In order to further investigate this phenomenon, solutions of tryptophan (48 mumol.mL-1) were irradiated with broad spectrum fluorescent light in the presence or absence of riboflavin (0.01 mg.mL-1). Solutions of riboflavin were similarly irradiated; control solutions were the respective solutions not exposed to light. Two-week-old suckling gerbils were then assigned to receiving 7 days of intraperitoneal injections of the light-exposed or non-light-exposed solutions. There were significant differences in the concentrations of tryptophan in serum, liver, and brain; activity of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) as well as liver protein were also significantly different among the groups. Body and liver weights were also significantly different among the groups. In order to identify the photoproducts responsible for these changes, solutions of tryptophan that had been irradiated with light in the presence of riboflavin were then fractionated based on time of elution during high-pressure liquid chromatography and the fractions were then injected into the gerbils as before. GGT responses to one of the fractions was similar to that of the parent compound. Chromatographic studies indicated the presence of numerous photoadduct compounds of tryptophan and riboflavin after exposure to light. Both the presence of riboflavin and the exposure of the solutions to light alter brain concentrations of tryptophan in the developing gerbil indicating differing availability to the brain of this serotonin precursor. Clinical implications of the infusion of amino acids in the presence of photosensitizers and light must be considered.

Photosensitized oxidation of tryptophan and hepatic dysfunction in neonatal gerbils

Hepatic dysfunction is a common metabolic complication of parenteral nutrition. Studies in animals have suggested that several amino acids, especially tryptophan, may play a role in the development of hepatic dysfunction. Further, photoirradiation of amino acids in the presence of photosensitizers, such as riboflavin, causes photooxidative changes in several amino acids. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of tryptophan, after photoirradiation in the presence of riboflavin, on hepatic function in neonatal gerbils. Two-week-old suckling gerbils received approximately 4 mmol/kg/day of light-exposed or nonlight-exposed tryptophan or received saline intraperitoneally for 4 days. An increase in the activity of serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was found in gerbils receiving both light-exposed and nonlight-exposed tryptophan compared to control. Concentrations of tryptophan were significantly higher in animals receiving saline than in the other two groups. There were no significant differences in the major tissue amino acids among the three groups of animals. Our data suggest the role of photosensitized oxidation of tryptophan in the pathogenesis of hepatic dysfunction in neonatal gerbils. It is possible that similar photooxidation occurring during infusion of parenteral amino acid solutions containing vitamins exposed to constant illumination in the newborn nursery is responsible for the observed hepatic dysfunction in parenterally fed neonates.

Loss of responsiveness in senescent human TIG-1 cells to the DNA synthesis-inducing effect of various growth factors

Responses of human diploid cells, TIG-1, were examined with respect to their ability to initiate DNA synthesis under the influence of various growth factors and their combinations. The following agents stimulated DNA synthesis in quiescent TIG-1 cells at 37-49 PDL (population doubling level) (66-79% of lifespan completed): fetal bovine serum; tumor-derived DNA synthesis factors such as those from rat rhodamine fibrosarcoma, human adenoma and from the conditioned medium of cultured human pituitary cells; human and mouse epidermal growth factors; tumor promotors such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate and teleocidin; microtubule-disrupting agents as colchicine, vinblastine, podophyllotoxin and TN-16; melittin; and dexamethasone. Cells at 58-60 PDL (94-97% of lifespan completed) were stimulated to synthesize DNA by fetal bovine serum, tumor-derived DNA synthesis factors and epidermal growth factors, but not by other agents. Finally, in senescent cells at 62 PDL (100% of lifespan completed), any of these growth factors and of their combinations failed to induce DNA synthesis at all. These senescent cells, however, still retained the ability to initiate DNA synthesis following infection with SV40 as reported previously [Exp. Cell Res., 143 (1983) 343-349].

The current state of research with peripheral tissues in Huntington disease

Huntington disease is a neurological autosomal dominant disease of unknown origin and the search for a suitable diagnostic marker has been extended to the peripheral tissues. It is generally believed that a membrane defect exists in Huntington disease although the evidence is controversial. It is the aim of this review to examine the validity of these claims for each of the peripheral tissues and techniques involved, and it is not intended to include all other aspects of research into Huntington disease.

Riboflavin enhances photo-oxidation of amino acids under simulated clinical conditions

In neonatal nurseries, solutions of amino acids with added vitamins may be exposed to relatively intense light from phototherapy units. Light, especially in the presence of photosensitizers such as certain vitamins, is capable of destroying amino acids. In the present study, the effect of riboflavin on amino acid concentrations in solutions exposed to light was studied. Solutions of crystalline amino acids with and without added riboflavin were infused into shielded collecting vessels for 24 hr under conditions simulating those occurring during phototherapy. Decreases in concentrations of some amino acids were observed with light exposure alone. Decreases in concentrations of methionine, proline, tryptophan, and tyrosine were significantly greater in the presence of riboflavin that in its absence. Riboflavin concentrations were also significantly reduced after light exposure. Although the losses of amino acids are probably not nutritionally significant, the photo-oxidation products are largely unknown and may be toxic.

Reinitiation of host DNA synthesis in senescent human diploid cells by infection with Simian virus 40

Human diploid fibroblasts, TIG-1, cease to proliferate at about 60-62 population doubling level. In their senescent state used in this study, the percentage of nuclei labeled by [3H]thymidine for 48 h was around 1-2% in fresh medium containing 5-40% fetal bovine serum. The percentage of labelled nuclei increased up to 10-fold after infection with SV40. This increase reflects stimulation of cell DNA synthesis because: 1. The increase also occurred when ts A900 was used for infection at the non-permissive temperature, under these conditions viral DNA synthesis is inhibited; 2, the increase paralleled the stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA in a Hirt-precipitate fraction from SV40-infected cells. UV-irradiated SV40 had reduced ability to induce DNA synthesis. A viable deletion mutant of SV40, d1940, had almost the same activity to induce cell DNA synthesis as did wild-type SV40. Equilibrium density gradient centrifugation analysis of DNA labelled with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) supported semiconservative replication rather than repair synthesis. We conclude that a considerable fraction of human diploid cells in a senescent population initiate host DNA replication by infection with SV40, although these cells cannot be stimulated with fetal bovine serum.

Recent advances in the cell biology of aging

Cultured normal human and animal cells are predestined to undergo irreversible functional decrements that mimic age changes in the whole organism. When normal human embryonic fibroblasts are cultured in vitro, 50 +/- 10 population doublings occur. This maximum potential is diminished in cells derived from older donors and appears to be inversely proportional to their age. The 50 population doubling limit can account for all cells produced during a lifetime. The limitation on doubling potential of cultured normal cells is also expressed in vivo when serial transplants are made. There may be a direct correlation between the mean maximum life spans of several species and the population doubling potential of their cultured cells. A plethora of functional decrements occurs in cultured normal cells as they approach their maximum division capability. Many of these decrements are similar to those occurring in intact animals as they age. We have concluded that these functional decrements expressed in vitro, rather than cessation of cell division, are the essential contributors to age changes in intact animals. Thus, the study of events leading to functional losses in cultured normal cells may provide useful insights into the biology of aging.

Identification of hydrogen peroxide as a photoproduct toxic to human cells in tissue-culture medium irradiated with "daylight" fluorescent light

Hydrogen peroxide, lethal for human cells, is produced in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's tissue culture medium when exposed to "daylight" fluorescent light. Addition of pure H2O2 and use of the enzyme catalase demonstrate that about 40% of the toxicity in irradiated medium is due to generated peroxide. Riboflavin and tryptophan, or riboflavin and tyrosine, are the components necessary for formation of lethal levels of H2O2 during light exposure.

The effect of tobacco smoke condensate on the growth and longevity of human diploid fibroblasts

Human embryonic diploid lung fibroblasts were exposed to various fractions of cigarette smoke condensate over their in vitro life-time. Most fractions were toxic at a concentration of 50 microgram/ml, with the exception of the strong acid and one water soluble basic fraction, which stimulated growth and increased longevity significantly at this concentration. Most fractions produced no effect on cell growth at 10 microgram/ml, with the exception of another basic fraction which inhibited growth at 1 microgram/ml. Nicotine had no apparent effect on growth and longevity at 50 microgram/ml. The neutral fraction containing the polynuclear hydrocarbon carcinogens produced normal growth and longevity at 10 microgram/ml. No cell transformations were observed.

Proliferative response of human diploid fibroblasts to intermittent light exposure

Three- to four-hour exposure to fluorescent light, one to three times weekly, reproducibly enhanced the proliferation rate of human diploid fibroblasts. This enhancement was observed in WI-38 and a line from whole embryo mince at late population doubling level (PDL) as well as in a line from adult skin at early PDL. Single or multiple exposures of short duration stimulated proliferation, whereas exposures of long duration were cytotoxic. This proliferative response is reversible, and is mediated through the culture medium, Dulbecco Vogt's supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Apparently light produces some mitogenic substance(s) in the culture medium that accumulates in the cells and is toxic or growth-stimulatory depending on its concentration per cell. Another possibility is that light produces in the medium both cytotoxic and growth-stimulatory substances.