Oncogenes, Oncogenesis, and Oxygen Radicals

The role that free radicals in general and oxygen radicals in particular play in carcinogenesis has attracted considerable attention in recent years. The oxygen radicals are undesirable but inevitable products of aerobic metabolism in the normal living cell. The cellular antioxidant defense system maintains an appropriate balance between necessary oxidative events and those that are excessive. When this critical balance cannot be maintained because of the overloading of the cellularredox system, oxygen radicals can induce cell damage. They can influence carcinogenesis by inducing DN A damage from direct oxidation or indirectly from DNA-binding products of lipid peroxidation. Oxygen radicals can induce conformational changes in the plasma membrane by lipid peroxidation and protein degradation, thus influencing membrane-associated cellular activities. They are capable of affecting membrane-bound protein kinases, growth factors and their receptors, and, therefore, signal transduction and oncogene activation. Thus, the oxygen radicals can have a major influence on oncogenes and oncogenesis. (C)1990 Academic Press.Inc.

Oxygen Radical Generation as an Index of Neurotoxic Damage

Biochemical, anatomical, and physiological characteristics of the brain make it especially vulnerable to insult. Specifically, some of these characteristics such as myelin and a high energy requirement provide for the introduction of free radical-induced insult. Recently, the biochemistry of free radicals has received considerable attention. It also has become increasingly suggestive that many drug and chemical-induced toxicities may be evoked via free radicals and oxidative stress. Major points addressed in this work are the regulation of neural-free radical generation by antioxidants and protective enzymes, xenobiotic-induced disruption of cerebral redox status, and specific examples of neurotoxic agent-induced alterations in free radicals as measured by the fluorescent probe dichlorofluorescein. This article considers that free radical mechanisms may contribute significantly to the properties of several diverse neurotoxic agents and proposes that free radicals may be common phenomena of neurotoxicity.

Inactivation of Bacillus Subtilis by Atomic Oxygen Radical Anion

UAtomic oxygen radical anion （O-） is one of the most active oxygen species, and has extremely high oxidation ability toward small-molecules of hydrocarbons. However, to our knowledge, little is known about the effects of O- on cells of micro-organisms. This work showed that O- could quickly react with the Bacillus subtilis cells and seriously damage the cell walls a s well as their other contents, leading to a fast and irreversible inactivation. SEM micrographs revealed that the cell structures were dramatically destroyed by their exposure to O-. The inactivation efficiencies of B. subtilis depend on the O- intensity, the initial population of cells and the treatment temperature, but not on the pH in the range of our investigation. For a cell concentration of 10^6 cfu/ml, the number of survived cells dropped from 10^6 cfu/ml to 10^3 cfu/ml after about five-minute irradiation by an O- flux in an intensity of 233 nA/cm^2 under a dry argon environment （30 ℃, 1 atm, exposed size： 1.8 cm^2）. The inactivation mechanism of micro-organisms induced by O- is also discussed.

Effect of Selenium Poisoning on Immune Function and Oxygen Free Radicals in Erythrocyte of Pig

[ Objective] This study was to investigate the effect of selenium（Se） on immune function and oxygen free radicals in erythrocyte of pig. [ Method] Fifteen weanling Landrace piglets as experimental animals were divided into three groups, two testing groups and one control group. For each group, Se content in whole blood, immune function of erythrocytes, activity of whole blood glutathione peroxidase（GSH-Px）, activity of blood plasma superoxide dismutase（SOD）, and blood plasma malondialdehyde（MDA） content were determined. [ Result] Compared with the control group, Se content in whole blood and blood plasma MDA content increased remarkably, while whole blood GSH-Px activity and blood plasma SOD activity decreased; RBC-C1 RR assumed a rise-fall trend, and RBC-ICR showed no obvious change. [Condusion] Se poisoning can reduce the activity of antioxidant enzymes, disturb the balance of oxygen free radicals metabolism, thereby inducing erythrooyte immune function in piglets.

THE ACTION OF CAPTOPRIL ON SCAVENGING OXYGEN FREE RADICALS

The protective effect of captopril on ischemic myocardium was studied in 40 patients with congenital heart disease accompanied with pulmonary hypertention.Twenty of these patients received captopril 50 mg b.i.d.for three months preoperatively (Group A).The other 20 patients without pretreatment with captopril were used as controls (Group B).In Group A,the cardiac output increased and the pulmonary pressure decreased significantly in the first 24 hours postoperatively,indicating a high cardiac output with a low vascular resistance.The differences or CPK,CPKMB,LDH release between Group A and Group B were highly significant or siguificant from the end of operation to 24 hours postoperatively. Myocardial protection in the reduction of the release of CPK, CPK-MB, LDH might be attributed to action on scavenging oxygen free radicals.

Direct Measurement of Oxygen Free Radicals of the Liver Tissue Following Shock/Reperfusion and Its Significance

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The Maturation and Senescence in Relation to Ca^2+,CaMContent and Ca^2+-ATPase Activity and Active OxygenMetabolism in Strawberry Fruits

The changes in content of Ca2 + and CaM, Ca2 + -ATPase activity and active oxygen metabolism during strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch. cv. Chunxing) fruits maturation and senescence were investigated in this study. The results showed that the soluble Ca2+ content and SOD activity in fruits tended to decline and O2 production rate to increase, the Ca2 + -ATPase activity peaked at first and then declined during fruits maturation and senescence. There were the highest CaM content at white stage in preharvest fruits and at marked senescence stage in postharvest ones. The above biochemical changes in fruits stored at low temperature (4℃)were slower than those stored at normal temperature(25℃). Thus, it indicated that the stimulation of calcium messenger system and accumulation of active oxygen free radical were closely related to fruits maturation and senescence.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor increases extracellular glutamic acid uptake and suppresses free radicals in an experimental model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Excitatory amino acid toxicity and free radical damage play important roles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor （G-CSF） protects nerve cells exposed to high-concentrations of glutamic acid, suggesting positive effects in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The present study induced in vitro motor neuron injury using glutamic acid excitotoxicity, and the biochemical effects of G-CSF on glutamic acid concentration were determined. In addition, the effects of G-CSF on superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase activity in motor neurons, and malondialdehyde and nitric oxide contents were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was performed to measure neuronal survival. Results revealed that G-CSF significantly suppressed free radical activity, inhibited excitotoxicity, and reduced apoptosis and loss of motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord.

Middle Molecular Weight Heparinyl Amino Acid Derivatives (MHADs) Function as Indirect Radical Scavengers in Vitro

We conducted the novel synthesis of middle molecular weight heparinyl amino acid derivatives (MHADs) to reduce the adverse effect of heparin (HE) based on its anticoagulant activity. Subsequently, we investigated the radical scavenging effects of 12 kinds of MHAD on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUV-ECs) damaged by oxygen free radicals using xanthine and xanthine oxidase in vitro. As a result, middle molecular weight heparinyl phenylalanine, middle molecular weight heparinyl leucine, and middle molecular weight heparinyl tyrosine showed significant protective effects on HUV-ECs. In conclusion, these three HE derivatives might be candidates for therapeutic agents to treat diseases attributed to peroxidation.

Puerarin prevents high glucose-induced apoptosis of Schwann cells by inhibiting oxidative stress

Oxidative stress may be the unifying factor for the injury caused by hyperglycemia in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Puerarin is the major isoflavonoid derived from Radix puerariae and has been shown to be effective in increasing superoxide dismutase activity. This study sought to investigate the neuroprotective effect of puerarin on high glucose-induced oxidative stress and Schwann cell apoptosis in vitro. Intracellular reactive oxygen radicals and mitochondrial transmembrane potential were detected by flow cytometry analysis. Apoptosis was confirmed by TUNEL and oxidative stress was monitored using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the DNA marker 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine. The expression levels of bax and bcl-2 were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR, while protein expression of cleaved caspase-3 and -9 were analyzed by means of western blotting. Results suggested that puerarin treatment inhibited high glucose-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial depolarization and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, puerarin treatment downregulated Bax expression, upregulated bcl-2 expression and attenuated the activation of caspase-3 and -9. Overall, our results indicated that puerarin antagonized high glucose-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in Schwann cells.

Molecular chaperones and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy（HIE） is a disease that occurs when the brain is subjected to hypoxia,resulting in neuronal death and neurological deficits,with a poor prognosis.The mechanisms underlying hypoxic-ischemic brain injury include excitatory amino acid release,cellular proteolysis,reactive oxygen species generation,nitric oxide synthesis,and inflammation.The molecular and cellular changes in HIE include protein misfolding,aggregation,and destruction of organelles.The apoptotic pathways activated by ischemia and hypoxia include the mitochondrial pathway,the extrinsic Fas receptor pathway,and the endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced pathway.Numerous treatments for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury caused by HIE have been developed over the last half century.Hypothermia,xenon gas treatment,the use of melatonin and erythropoietin,and hypoxic-ischemic preconditioning have proven effective in HIE patients.Molecular chaperones are proteins ubiquitously present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.A large number of molecular chaperones are induced after brain ischemia and hypoxia,among which the heat shock proteins are the most important.Heat shock proteins not only maintain protein homeostasis; they also exert anti-apoptotic effects.Heat shock proteins maintain protein homeostasis by helping to transport proteins to their target destinations,assisting in the proper folding of newly synthesized polypeptides,regulating the degradation of misfolded proteins,inhibiting the aggregation of proteins,and by controlling the refolding of misfolded proteins.In addition,heat shock proteins exert anti-apoptotic effects by interacting with various signaling pathways to block the activation of downstream effectors in numerous apoptotic pathways,including the intrinsic pathway,the endoplasmic reticulum-stress mediated pathway and the extrinsic Fas receptor pathway.Molecular chaperones play a key role in neuroprotection in HIE.In this review,we provide an overview of the mechanisms of HIE and discuss the various treatment strategies.Given their critical role in the disease,molecular chaperones are promising therapeutic targets for HIE.

Growth properties of gallium oxide on sapphire substrate by plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition

Gallium oxide was deposited on a c-plane sapphire substrate by oxygen plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition(PLD).An oxygen radical was generated by an inductive coupled plasma source and the effect of radio frequency(RF)power on growth rate was investigated.A film grown with plasma assistance showed 2.7 times faster growth rate.X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analysis showedβ-Ga2 O3 films grown with plasma assistance at 500℃.The roughness of the films decreased when the RF power of plasma treatment increased.Transmittance of these films was at least 80%and showed sharp absorption edge at 250 nm which was consistent with data previously reported.

The mechanism of hydrogen abstraction by high valence transition metal oxo compounds

We present here a systematic theoretical study to explore the underlying mechanisms of the H abstraction reaction from methane. Various abstracting agents have been modeled, using oxygen radicals and a set of high valence metal oxo compounds. Our calculations demonstrate that although H abstraction from CH3-H by metal oxoes can be satisfactorily fitted into the Polanyi correlation on the basis of oxygen radicals, the mechanisms behind are significantly different. The frontier orbital analyses show that there are three electrons and three active orbitals (3e, 3o) involved in H abstraction by oxygen radicals; whereas an additional orbital of pi(M-O)* is involved in H abstraction by M = O, resulting in a (4e, 4o) interaction. In terms of valence bond state correlation diagram, we find that H abstraction by a metal oxo may benefit from the contribution of ionic resonance structures, which could compensate the penalty of opening the M-O pbond. We believe that these findings can help to design more effective catalysts for the activation of light alkanes. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B. V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

Preparation of Elemental Tellurium Nanoparticles-Sucrose Sol and Its Antioxidant Activity in Vitro

The elemental tellurium nanoparticles （TeNPs） - sucrose sol was prepared by the reaction of sodium tellurite with ascorbic acid in sucrose aqueous solution. The results indicated that TeNPs were dispersion excellent in the TeNPs - sucrose sol and the morphology of TeNPs was needle-like with about 70 nm in width and 500 nm in length. The antioxidant activity of the TeNPs - sucrose sol in vitro was estimated by pyrogallol autoxidation method, Fenton method and oxygen radical absorbance capacity （ORAC） assay. The results showed that a certain amount of TeNPs - sucrose sol could effectively scavenge superoxide anion free radical and hydroxyl free radical with scavenging rates of 73 % and 57 %, respectively. ORAC assay was used to measure the total antioxidant capacity of TeNPs - sucrose sol. The order of ORAC values was 2.25 μmol.L-1 TeNPs - 0.025 % sucrose sol 〉 0.025 % sucrose 〉 2.25 μmol.L-1 Na2TeO3 〉 1.63 μmol.L-1 ascorbic acid. The results suggested that the TeNPs - sucrose sol had the excellent antioxidant activity and TeNPs were the dominating contributors to antioxidant capacity of the TeNPs - sucrose sol.

Pathogenesis of pancreatic encephalopathy in severe acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic encephalopathy (PE) is a serious complication of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). In recent years, more and more PE cases have been reported worldwide, and the onset PE in the early stage was regarded as a poor prognosis sign of SAP, but the pathogenesis of PE in SAP still has not been clarified in the past decade. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the possible pathogenesis of PE in SAP. DATA SOURCES: The English-language literature concerning PE in this review came from the Database of MEDLINE (period of 1991-2005), and the keywords of severe acute pancreatitis and pancreatic encephalopathy were used in the searching. RESULTS: Many factors were involved in the pathogenesis of PE in SAP. Pancreatin activation, excessive release of cytokines and oxygen free radicals, microcirculation abnormalities of hemodynamic disturbance, ET-1/NO ratio, hypoxemia, bacterial infection, water and electrolyte imbalance, and vitamin B1 deficiency participated in the development of PE in SAP. CONCLUSIONS: The pathogenesis of PE in SAP has not yet been fully understood. The development of PE in SAP may be a multi-factor process. To find out the possible inducing factor is essential to the clinical management of PE in SAP.

Neuroprotective effect of penehyclidine hydrochloride on focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Penehyclidine hydrochloride can promote microcirculation and reduce vascular permeability. However, the role of penehyclidine hydrochlodde in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury remains unclear. In this study, in vivo middle cerebral artery occlusion models were established in experimental rats, and penehyclidine hydrochloride pretreatment was given via intravenous injection prior to model establishment. Tetrazolium chloride, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling and immunohistochemical staining showed that, penehyclidine hydrochloride pretreatment markedly attenuated neuronal histopathological changes in the cortex, hippocampus and striatum, reduced infarction size, increased the expression level of BcI-2, decreased the expression level of caspase-3, and inhibited neuronal apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Xanthine oxidase and thiobarbituric acid chromogenic results showed that penehyclidine hydrochloride upregulated the activity of superoxide dismutase and downregulated the concentration of malondialdehyde in the ischemic cerebral cortex and hippocampus, as well as reduced the concentration of extracellular excitatory amino acids in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. In addition, penehyclidine hydrochloride inhibited the expression level of the NR1 subunit in hippocampal nerve cells in vitro following oxygen-glucose deprivation, as detected by PCR. Experimental findings indicate that penehyclidine hydrochloride attenuates neuronal apoptosis and oxidative stress injury after focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, thus exerting a neuroprotective effect.

Hepatocellular glycogen in alleviation of liver ischemia reperfusion injury

Objective: To study the mechanism of hepatocellular glycogen in alleviation of liver ischemia-reperfusion injury during hepatic vascular occlusion for partial hepatectomy. Methods: Seventeen patients were randomly divided into experimental group (n=9) and control group (n=8). In the experimental group, patients were given high concentration glucose intravenously during 24 hours before operation. The hepatic lesion was re- sected after portal triad clamping in the two groups. Non-cancer liver tissue was biopsied to measure he- patic tissue ATP content and change of malondialde- hyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Liver function of all patients was assessed before operation and the first and fifth day after operation. Results: Hepatic tissue ATP content of the experi- mental group was significantly higher than that of the control group both at the end of hepatic vascular oc- clusion and the point of one-hour reperfusion. Be- sides, liver function of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group the first and fifth day after operation. There was signifi- cant difference in SOD activity or MDA content be- tween the two groups at the end of hepatic vascular occlusion and at the point of one-hour reperfusion. Conclusions: Abundant intracellular glycogen may reduce liver ischemia-reperfusion injury caused by hepatic vascular occlusion. It is beneficial to give a large amount of glucose before a complex liver opera- tion, in which temporary occlusion of hepatic blood flow is necessary.

Effect of SP-A/B in lipoic acid on acute paraquat poisoning

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to observe the concentration of SP-A/B and the pulmonary surfactant in the lung tissue of rats with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by paraquat poisoning after the treatment of metabolic antioxidant-lipoic acid and whether its influence was related to TNF-α.METHODS: Sixty-six male Sprage-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group(NS group), 6 rats; paraquat poisoning group(PQ group), 30 rats; and paraquat+lipoic acid treatment group(LA group), 30 rats. The rats in the PQ and LA groups were subdivided into 3-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 48-hour subgroups, with 6 rats in each group. After the rats were sacrificed, lung tissue from the same part was taken from the rats. After HE staining, histological changes were observed in the tissue under a light microscope. Lung tissue was also taken to test the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and malondialdehyde(MDA). Whole blood(0.8 mL) without anticoagulant was drawn from the tail vein of rats for the determination of the TNF-α level. The total RNA of the lung tissue was collected, and the Rt-PCR method was used to measure the levels of SP-A and SP-B mRNA.RESULTS: HE staining showed that histopathological changes were milder in the LA group than in the PQ group. There were significant differences in MDA and SOD levels between different intervals both in intergroups and intragroups except the 3-hour subgroup(P<0.01). Likewise, the significant differences in the levels of TNF-α were also present between the three groups and between different intervals(P<0.01). The significant differences in SP-A mRNA and SP-B mRNA amplification ratio were seen between the three groups at the same intervals(P<0.01), but the differences between different intervals in the PQ group were statistically significant(P<0.05). The differences between different intervals in the LA group were statistically significant(P<0.01).CONCLUSION: Lipoic acid in acute paraquat poisoning could diminish lung tissue damage by regulating directly tumor necrosis factor and indirectly the content of pulmonary surfactant so as to reduce pulmonary edema, improve lung compliance, and finally protect lung tissues.

Antioxidant Activity of Pigment Extracted from Green-Wheat-Bran

The anthocyanin pigment extracted from green-wheat-bran was studied to identify its antioxidant activity.The antioxidant activities of the pigment were evaluated by anti-lipid peroxidation,total antioxidant activity （TAA）,superoxide anion radical scavenging activity （SARSA）,active oxygen scavenging activity （AOSA）,and DPPH （1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl free radical） radical scavenging activity.The results showed that the pigment had higher antioxidant activity and TAA,SARSA,AOSA and DPPH.scavenging activities at a certain concentration than Vc （antiscorbutic vitamin,vitamin C）,and the capacity increased with the increase of pigment concentration.Its TAA was 51.06 U mL-1,1.73 times of Vc,and SARSA 18 025.21 U mL-1,2.26% higher than Vc,and AOSA 3 776.31 U mL-1,1.24 times of Vc.As to the DPPH.scavenging activity of the pigment,there was a trend that higher concentration performed higher activity significantly improved with the company of Vc.The pigment showed significant antioxidant activities evaluated by different assays.Results will provide a better understanding on antioxidant activity of green wheat and allow the screening or breeding of green wheat varieties with higher antioxidant activity for food processing.

Neuroprotective effect of Shenqi Fuzheng injection pretreatment in aged rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Shenqi Fuzheng injection is extracted from the Chinese herbs Radix Astragali and Radix Codonopsis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of Shenqi Fuzheng injection in cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Aged rats（20–22 months） were divided into three groups： sham, model, and treatment. Shenqi Fuzheng injection or saline（40 m L/kg） was injected into the tail vein daily for 1 week, after which a cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury model was established. Compared with model rats that received saline, rats in the treatment group had smaller infarct volumes, lower brain water and malondialdehyde content, lower brain Ca2＋ levels, lower activities of serum lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase, and higher superoxide dismutase activity. In addition, the treatment group showed less damage to the brain tissue ultrastructure and better neurological function. Our findings indicate that Shenqi Fuzheng injection exerts neuroprotective effects in aged rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, and that the underlying mechanism relies on oxygen free radical scavenging and inhibition of brain Ca2＋ accumulation.