Vitamin E protects developing rat hippocampus and cerebellum against ethanol-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis

It has been suggested that developmental alcohol-induced brain damage is mediated through increases in oxidative stress. Current research suggests that antioxidant therapy may afford some level of protection against the toxicity of alcohol and alcoholic beverage in cellular and genomic levels. Seven day pregnant wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, ethanol and vitamin E treated alcoholic groups. Apoptosis, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation amounts, as well as, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were compared in male offspring hippocampus and cerebellum in the end of lactation. Offspring from ethanol-exposed animals showed significant increase in apoptosis, protein carbonyl and lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) in hippocampus and cerebellum than controls. Vitamin E treatment significantly decreased apoptosis in ethanol group and restored the increased protein carbonyl and LPO contents and catalase activity to the level of controls. Our findings strongly support oxidative nature of alcohol-induced cellular stress in developing hippocampus and cerebellum, prove that oxidative stress induced cell apoptosis plays a crucial role in pathogenic consequences, and imply that a strong protective effect could be achieved using vitamin E as an antioxidant.     

Antioxidant effect derived from bioaccessible fractions of fruit beverages against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in Caco-2 cells

This work evaluates the effect of bioaccessible fractions from fruit beverages against oxidative stress (OS) in Caco-2 cells. A fruit beverage (grape + orange + apricot) (with/without milk and/or iron/zinc) was subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, and bioaccessible fractions were incubated with Caco-2 cell cultures. Following preincubation, OS was induced with 5 mM H₂O₂. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial potential (Δψ_m), mitochondrial metabolism (MTT test), intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) were measured. The data evidenced viable cultures with increased mitochondrial metabolism and GSH-Rd activities, without alteration in SOD activity. Accordingly, more preserved mitochondrial integrity was also evidenced, allowing the action of antioxidant systems in preincubated cultures. Based on these data, we can conclude that a cytoprotective effect is derived from bioaccessible fractions of fruit beverages, though this effect failed to prevent intracellular ROS accumulation in Caco-2 cell cultures exposed to 5 mM H₂O₂.     

Caseinophosphopeptides exert partial and site-specific cytoprotection against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in Caco-2 cells

Caseinophosphopeptides can sequester prooxidant metals and scavenge free radicals, and may thus be used as functional food ingredients. The total antioxidant capacity (TEAC and ORAC) of two pools of caseinophosphopeptides (1–3 mg/ml), obtained from casein subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion (at two different pH values) and selective precipitation, was evaluated to determine dose–response activity. Pool B (which showed the highest antioxidant capacity due to the presence of more antioxidant amino acids) was used to test its cytoprotective effect against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in Caco-2 cells. Caseinophosphopeptides protected the cells against oxidative damage by preserving cell viability, increasing GSH content, inducing catalase enzyme activity, diminishing lipid peroxidation and maintaining a correct cell cycle progression. However, they failed to exert protection at a mitochondrial level (ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential), implying a partial and site-specific effect. Thus, their mechanism of action is not only related to free radical scavenging activity, but also to metal chelation and the modulation of intracellular signaling cascades.     

Protective effect of Cordyceps militaris against high glucose-induced oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

The protective effect of Cordyceps militaris against high glucose-induced oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), as compared with Cordyceps sinensis, was examined. The cytotoxicity of HUVECs induced by 40 mM glucose was ameliorated by water extracts of C. militaris (CME) and water extracts of C. sinensis (CSE). CME and CSE inhibited the increase in ROS and NO in HUVECs induced by 40 mM high glucose. Moreover, CME increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, modulated the mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced the caspase-3 activity in high glucose-induced HUVECs. In addition, cordycepin, a component of CME and CSE, displayed protective effects against oxidative stress, which was partly responsible for the cytoprotective effects of CME and CSE against high glucose-induced oxidative stress in HUVECs. Overall, the obtained results show C. militaris helps preventing diabetic endothelial dysfunction and related complications.     

过氧化氢诱导人肝癌细胞产生氧化应激最佳作用浓度的研究

不同浓度过氧化氢作用人肝癌细胞(HepG2)4 h后,用单细胞凝胶电泳技术测定DNA损伤状况,分光光度法测定MDA含量、SOD及GSH-Px活性,研究过氧化氢的最佳作用浓度,构建体外氧化应激细胞模型。实验结果表明,过氧化氢的最佳作用浓度为100μmol/L,作用细胞的时间选择4 h,可以成功构建以过氧化氢为氧化应激诱导剂的HepG2细胞体外氧化应激模型。     

油酰乙醇酰胺改善LO2细胞中脂肪酸诱导的氧化应激

非酒精性脂肪性肝病(NAFLD)是最常见的慢性疾病之一,氧化应激在其发病和发展过程中起着关键作用。油酰乙醇酰胺(OEA)作为一种天然存在的脂质信号分子,具有多种药理学特性。研究探讨了油酰乙醇酰胺对脂肪酸诱导的LO2细胞氧化应激的影响及作用机制。通过0.4 mmol/L油酸和棕榈酸混合物(摩尔比2∶1)诱导LO2细胞产生氧化应激,添加不同浓度的OEA共同处理24 h。结果表明,OEA能够显著降低LO2细胞内ROS和MDA含量,提高抗氧化酶(SOD、CAT和GPx)活性。进一步的研究表明,OEA主要通过上调Nrf2和HO-1蛋白及mRNA的表达水平来改善氧化应激。     

Role of antioxidant enzymatic defences against oxidative stress H(2)O(2) and the acquisition of oxidative tolerance in Candida albicans

In Candida albicans, trehalose plays an essential role as a protector of cell integrity against oxidative challenge. A double homozygous mutant, tps1/tps1, deficient in trehalose synthesis, displayed severe cell mortality when exposed to high H(2)O(2) concentrations, compared with its congenic parental (CAI-4) strain (Alvarez-Peral et al., 2002). We have examined the putative role of a set of well-known antioxidant enzymes as components of the defence mechanism against oxidative challenges. When exposed to mild non-lethal oxidative treatment (0.5 mM H(2)O(2)), a significant induction of catalase, glutathione reductase (GR), and Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) was recorded in tps1/tps1 exponential cultures. However, in CAI-4 cells, subjected to the same conditions, there was only a clear activation of catalase, Mn-SOD and Cu,Zn-SOD activities. The degree of activation was always much more pronounced in the trehalose-deficient mutant than in its wild-type counterpart, except for Mn-SOD activity. After exposure to severe oxidative stress (50 mM H(2)O(2)) only GR and catalase activities increased in tps1/tps1 cultures, whereas in CAI-4 cells GR but not catalase was induced. In both cell strains, 50 mM H(2)O(2) caused inhibition of the Mn- and Cu,Zn-SOD isozymes, this inhibition being more pronounced in tps1/tps1 cells. C. albicans is able to acquire adaptive oxidative tolerance by pretreatment with a low non-stressing concentration of H(2)O(2) before exposure to a drastic oxidative challenge. When these antioxidant activities were measured during the adaptive response, a greater degree of enzymatic antioxidant induction was consistently observed in the tps1/tps1 mutant with respect to the CAI-4 strain. Together with a higher intrinsic sensitivity of tps1/tps1 cells, we suggest that this unexpected increase might be explained in terms of a compensatory mechanism to overcome the lack of endogenous trehalose upon drastic oxidative exposure, although this induction was not sufficient to improve the percentage of cell viability.     

Plant flavonol quercetin and isoflavone biochanin A differentially induce protection against oxidative stress and inflammation in ARPE-19 cells

In this work, differential ability of plant flavonol quercetin and plant isoflavone biochanin A to modulate oxidative stress and inhibit inflammation-related responses was investigated using human retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) at gene expression level. Quercetin protected cells from oxidative stress-induced cell death, whereas biochanin A had no statistically significant protective effects. Quercetin reduced the expression of cytokines IL-6 and IL-1?? in cells treated with H₂O₂, and expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 were increased by quercetin treatment suggesting protective function against oxidative stress. Our data indicate that quercetin may protect cells by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-6, and by inducing the expression of ROS-catalyzing phase II proteins such as HO-1. Therefore, plant extracts rich in flavonol quercetin may be an interesting resource for functional food products and other foods targeted for reduced risks of age-related macular degeneration.