Cytotoxicities of a linoleic acid hydroperoxide and its related aliphatic aldehydes toward cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells

An assay method for the quantification of the cytotoxicities of various agents toward cultured human endothelial cells was developed using Earle's solution as an incubation medium. By this method, the cytotoxicities of a linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LOOH) and its related aliphatic aldehydes toward human umbilical vein endothelial cells were investigated. Saturated aldehydes, pentanal, hexanal and 9-oxononanoic acid, are nontoxic; alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes, 2-hexenal, 2-heptenal, 2-octenal and 2-nonenal, are toxic only at high concentrations; LOOH and alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes with a hydroxy group or an additional double bond, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 2,4-nonadienal and 2,4-decadienal, are highly toxic. In particular, 2,4-decadienal, whose 50% lethal concentration is 9 microM, is the most injurious. The cytotoxicities of LOOH and its related aldehydes were found to be much reduced in growth medium containing serum, growth factors, heparin, amino acids and vitamins.     

Effect of linoleic acid hydroperoxide on production of matrix metalloproteinases by human skin fibroblasts.

The effect of linoleic acid hydroperoxide on in vitro production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by human skin fibroblasts was studied. The addition of linoleic acid hydroperoxide significantly increased the production of MMP-1 (tissue collagenase) and MMP-3 (stromelysin), while it rather decreased that of MMP-2 (gelatinase of 72 kDa; so-called "type IV collagenase"). The effect of lipid peroxides to alter collagen metabolism was discussed from pathogenic points of view.     

Effects of diets enriched in linoleic acid and its peroxidation products on brain fatty acids,oxylipins, and aldehydes in mice

Background

Linoleic acid (LA) is abundant in modern industrialized diets. Oxidized LA metabolites (OXLAMs) and reactive aldehydes, such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), are present in heated vegetable oils and can be endogenously synthesized following consumption of dietary LA. OXLAMs have been implicated in cerebellar degeneration in chicks; 4-HNE is linked to neurodegenerative conditions in mammals. It unknown whether increasing dietary LA or OXLAMs alters the levels of oxidized fatty acids (oxylipins), precursor fatty acids, or 4-HNE in mammalian brain.

Effect of orally administered secondary autoxidation products of linoleic acid on carbohydrate metabolism in rat liver

The effects of orally administered secondary autoxidation products of linoleic acid in rat liver were investigated. Their administration led to two toxic effects on hepatic carbohydrate metabolism, as compared to the administration of saline or linoleic acid used as controls. One effect was depletion of glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate caused by the reduction of glycolysis and glycogenolysis, accompanied by decreases in glycogen synthesis and pentose phosphate cyclic activity. The reduction in these metabolic systems seems unlikely to occur because phosphofructokinase was regulated by ATP or citrate enzymatically, because their accumulation in the liver was not detected in the secondary products. Another toxic effect was the depletion of oxaloacetate and isocitrate caused by the reduction in enzyme activity of the mitochondrial citrate cycle. On the basis of these results, the hepatotoxic effects of secondary products are discussed as follows: the incorporated secondary products impaired the activities of hexokinase and phosphoglucomutase in the liver. The reduction in these enzyme activities resulted in the depletion of glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate, which led ultimately to decreases in the activities of phosphofructokinase, the pentose phosphate cycle, and glycogen synthesis. Moreover, the secondary products disturbed the mitochondrial membrane, resulting in a decrease in the activity of the citrate cycle, which was accompanied by depletion of its metabolites.     

Gene dosage effects in human diploid and tetraploid fibroblasts

The effects of cell ploidy on the biochemical characteristics of cultured cells were compared using human diploid vs tetraploid fibroblasts isolated with a non-selective method. Their DNA replication was compared by thymidine incorporation, and DNA content by Feulgen staining and quantitative analysis. Their RNA and protein content, cell sizes and the specific activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) were assayed quantitatively. With the exception of RNA content, all other parameters demonstrated a 2-fold increase reflecting the increase in cell ploidy. These direct gene dosage effects on the genetic material and functional expression of the human genome were in contrast to previous observations in other species and validate the use of human intraspecific euploid hybrids for biochemical and genetic studies.     

Cytopathogenic effects of atoxyl,an ototoxic compound,on human diploid fibroblasts in vitro

Atoxyl, an arsenic compound, may cause degeneration in vivo of the inner ear including cells of the stria vascularis and hair cells. The mechanism behind the cytotoxic effect is not known. The effects of atoxyl at the subcellular level were investigated in this study using human diploid embryonic lung fibroblasts in monolayer cultures as an in vitro model system.Atoxyl caused a subtle but significant increase in the permeability of the fibroblast plasma membrane, as measured by release of a low molecular weight cytoplasmic marker (α-amino isobutyric acid). At higher concentrations or after longer incubation times, protein synthesis was impaired. This effect occurred in parallel with alterations in the cellular morphology as viewed by light microscopy. In the final stages of atoxyl intoxication the cells released also a higher molecular weight marker (nucleotide), indicating a further increased membrane permeability following the primary damage.It is concluded that atoxyl exerts a dual effect on the human fibroblasts, namely on membrane permeability and protein synthesis. Although the concentrations used were higher than those exerting the ototoxic effects in vivo, the prolonged exposure times to low concentrations obtained in whole animals may very well compensate for this fact. The effects observed in the in vitro fibroblast model system may thus be relevant to the mechanism of action of atoxyl during induction of ototoxic effects in vivo.     

Genotoxicity of formaldehyde and an evaluation of its effects on the DNA repair process in human diploid fibroblasts

Formaldehyde treatment of human fibroblasts gave rise to DNA damage detected by a nick translation assay. This damage was not repaired by typical 'long-patch'-type excision repair as evidenced by the failure of DNA repair inhibitor post-treatment to elevate the amount of DNA strand breakage. In addition, the effects of formaldehyde on DNA repair were examined in light of a recent report suggesting that formaldehyde inhibited the repair of X-ray-induced strand breaks and UV- and benzo [a]pyrene diol epoxide-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis in human bronchial cells. We report that formaldehyde (1) was ineffective at inhibiting the sealing of X-ray- or bleomycin-induced DNA strand breaks, (2) did not inhibit the removal of pyrimidine dimers from cellular DNA at short treatment times, and (3) that the previously observed inhibition of unscheduled DNA synthesis was most likely due to the inhibition of uptake of labeled precursor into formaldehyde-treated cells. Thus, our findings are not consistent with the notion that formaldehyde inhibits the repair process in human fibroblasts. Finally, formaldehyde was shown to elevate the level of misincorporation of bases into synthetic polynucleotides catalyzed by E. coli DNA polymerase I, indicating that the mutagenicity of formaldehyde may be due to covalent alteration of DNA bases.     

Microbial production of a novel trihydroxy unsaturated fatty acid from linoleic acid

A bacterium isolated from a dry soil sample collected from McCalla, AL, USA, converted linoleic acid to a novel compound, 12,13,17-trihydroxy-9 (Z)-octadecenoic acid (THOA). The organism is a Gram-positive, non-motile rod (0.5 μ m × 2 μ m). It was identified as a species of Clavibacter ALA2. The product was purified by high pressure liquid chromatography, and its structure was determined by ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, and by mass spectrometer. Maximum production of THOA with 25% conversion of the substrate was reached after 5–6 days of reaction. THOA was not further metabolized by strain ALA2. This is the first report of a 12,13,17-trihydroxy unsaturated fatty acid and its production by microbial transformation. Some dihydroxy intermediates were also detected. THOA has a structure similar to those of known plant self-defense substances. Received 13 January 1997/ Accepted in revised form 05 May 1997     

Inhibition of microsomal glucose 6-phosphatase by unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and ketones.

Aldehydes and ketones with one double bond conjugated to the carbonyl group inhibited the enzyme glucose 6-phosphatase, which is embedded in the microsomal membrane. The Michaelis constant, Km and the maximal rate of reaction, V, were affected in a way dependent on the inhibitor's chain-length: trans-2-pentenal and 1-penten-3-one increased Km linearly with concentration and had almost no effect on V, whereas trans-2-nonenal caused a large increase in V but only a small and non-linear change in Km. The effect of the short-chain aldehydes on the kinetic parameters increased with chain-length, but pentenone increased Km more than did trans-2-heptenal and conjugated dienals did not act as inhibitors. Therefore, sterical effects apparently are of importance. Washing the microsomes after incubation with hexenal or heptenal did not substantially decrease the inhibition, but with nonenal the inhibition was reduced by washing. Inhibition by the SH-group blocking reagent p-hydroxymercuribenzoate was competitive to inhibition by the alkenals. It is concluded that the alpha-beta unsaturated oxo-compounds inhibit glucose 6-phosphatase by binding covalently to an important mercapto group and that perturbation of the enzyme's membrane environment also plays a part in the inhibition.     

Protective effects of flavonoids on the cytotoxicity of linoleic acid hydroperoxide toward rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells

The protective effects of nine flavonoids, including apigenin, eriodictyol, 3-hydroxyflavone, kaempherol, luteolin, quercetin, rutin, and taxifolin (Table 1), on the cytotoxicity of linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LOOH) toward rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells were examined. The cytotoxicity was assessed by the trypan blue exclusion test and so-called MTT assay. When cells were preincubated with each flavonoid prior to LOOH exposure, quercetin, 3-hydroxyflavone, or luteolin decreased LOOH cytotoxicity toward undifferentiated cells, while only luteolin decreased efficiently LOOH cytotoxicity toward differentiated cells. On the other hand, when cells were coincubated with each flavonoid and LOOH, kaempherol, eriodictyol, quercetin, 3-hydroxyflavone, luteolin, or taxifolin decreased LOOH cytotoxicity toward undifferentiated and differentiated cells. On both preincubation prior to LOOH exposure and coincubation with LOOH, luteolin acted as the most efficiently protective agent against LOOH cytotoxicity. Further, these flavonoids showed protective effects on coincubation rather than preincubation. Flow cytometry using the fluorescence probe 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate revealed that LOOH increases the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species in undifferentiated cells in a dose-dependent manner, and that desferrioxamine mesylate suppresses the LOOH-induced increase in the level. These flavonoids suppress the LOOH-induced increase. Further, the protective effect of flavonoids on LOOH cytotoxicity correlates with the suppression of the LOOH-induced increase. These results suggest that such flavonoids are beneficial for neuronal cells under oxidative stress.     

Chlorophyll destruction in the presence of bisulfite and linoleic acid hydroperoxide

Chlorophyll was rapidly destroyed in the presence of bisulfite and linoleic acid hydroperoxide. Both bisulfite and linoleic acid hydroperoxide were required for chlorophyll destruction and both were consumed in the reaction; however, there was no oxygen requirement. Chlorophyll destruction occurred most readily in the slightly acidic pH region with little destruction occurring above pH 8. The free radical scavengers, hydroquinone and α-tocopherol, were very effective at inhibiting chlorophyll destruction, but the singlet oxygen quenchers, β-carotene, 2,5-dimethylfuran and 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran, were only slightly effective. The addition of metal chelators indicated that metals were not participating in the reaction. The evidence indicates that chlorophyll was destroyed by a free radical mechanism. Based on the present results and that of others, it is suggested that chlorophyll was destroyed via oxidation by the alkoxy radical which was produced during the decomposition of linoleic acid hydroperoxide by bisulfite.     

The effect of orally administered secondary autoxidation products of linoleic acid on the activity of detoxifying enzymes in the rat liver

Radioactive secondary autoxidation products of linoleic acid were administered orally to rats and the incorporation of radioactive substances into lipids was investigated in the liver. The radioactive substances were significantly incorporated into hepatic mitochondrial and microsomal lipids 12 h after the administration. 80% of the radioactivity in mitochondria was detected in neutral lipids. The radioactivity in microsomal neutral lipids significantly decreased and the activity in phospholipids increased 12 h after the administration. On the other hand, contents of lipid peroxide and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in liver were significantly increased by 40% at 15 h after the administration of the secondary autoxidation products. Activity of marker enzymes used for an indication of the hepatic injury was also elevated. Glutathione peroxidase activity increased 3-fold and catalase activity increased 1.5-fold. Activity of mitochondrial NAD-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase, however, was decreased by 50%. It seems likely that the secondary autoxidation products orally administered are detoxified in the hepatic mitochondria, metabolized to neutral lipids, and further metabolized to phospholipids in microsomes, while as the incorporated secondary autoxidation products induces hepatic injury by lipid peroxidation.     

Inhibition of linoleic acid hydroperoxide-induced toxicity in cultured human fibroblasts by anthocyanidins

The protective effect of anthocyanidins against the toxicity induced by linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LOOH) was examined in cultured human fetal lung fibroblasts, TIG-7. Cyanidin was more effective than pelargonidin or delphinidin in inhibiting LOOH-induced cytotoxicity. The presence of a catechol moiety in the B ring is shown to be important for the protective activities against the cytotoxicity of LOOH.     

Differences in growth response to hydrocortisone and ascorbic acid by human diploid fibroblasts

Summary The effects of hydrocortisone and ascorbic acid on growth parameters were measured in human diploid skin fibroblasts from fetal and adult donors. In the presence of culture medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 0.3 μM hydrocortisone produced a 20% increase in the population growth rate and a 50 to 70% increase in the confluent density of fibroblasts from adult donors. Daily addition of 28 μM ascorbic acid also stimulated the population growth rate and cell density at confluency. The effects of hydrocortisone and ascorbic acid on the final cell density were additive. The action of hydrocortisone was restricted to cells in log-phase growth, whereas ascorbic acid affected cells in both the log and the postconfluent phases of the growth cycle. In fibroblasts from fetal donors, ascorbic acid was stimulative but hydrocortisone was not. The data suggest that whereas both compounds stimulate cell growth in an additive manner, they do so by different cellular mechanisms. This investigation was supported in part by USPHS Grants AM 02456, AM 05020 and AM 15312, and by the Kroc Foundation, No. UW 63-2986. Dr. Rowe is a fellow of the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. Dr. Fujimoto is a recipient of a Research Career Development Award, AM 47142, from NIAMDD.     

Strong effects of 5-azacytidine on the in vitro lifespan of human diploid fibroblasts

Azacytidine (5-aza-CR) and azadeoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) are known to inhibit the methylation of cytosine (5-mC) in DNA, and their effects on the long-term growth of human fibroblasts, strain MRC-5, have been examined. A single treatment with either analogue initially inhibits growth, but the cells recover to normal morphology, growth rate and cell density at confluence. However, a memory of the treatment is retained, since the cells' subsequent lifespan is considerably reduced in comparison with controls, and the terminal stages of growth are indistinguishable from senescent cultures of untreated cells. The effect of 5-aza-CR or 5-aza-CdR does not appear to be closely related to the concentration used, or to the length of treatment up to about half-way through the total lifespan. Sequential doses have cumulative effects on longevity. There is evidence that the pattern of 5-mC in mammalian DNA is inherited via cell division; therefore, a reduction in 5-mC induced by a pulse treatment of 5-aza-CR or 5-aza-CdR will be transmitted to all descendants. The results are consistent with independent observations that the level of 5-mC declines continually during the serial subculture of human diploid cells. The analogues would be expected to precipitate this decline and thereby advance the physiological age of the culture. The results provide support for the view that the random loss of methyl groups in DNA may eventually have deleterious consequences, such as aberrant epigenetic changes in gene expression.     

The effects of platelet-derived transforming growth factor beta on normal human diploid gingival fibroblasts

Studies of the effects of transforming growth factor (TGF) beta on normal human diploid gingival fibroblasts (HGF) have been carried out to determine possible physiological effects of this growth factor. Responses distinctly different from those characterized using established cell lines were observed. Whether alone, or in combination with EGF (2.5 ng/ml), human platelet-derived TGF-beta (0.1 ng/ml or 1.0 ng/ml) did not induce anchorage-independent growth of HGFs in soft agar assays. However, TGF-beta with EGF acted synergistically in promoting a 1.8-fold increase in anchorage-dependent proliferation of quiescent HGFs. At the same concentrations TGF-beta alone stimulated the incorporation of [35S]methionine into both cellular (cell-layer) and matrix (medium) proteins by as much as 3-fold and 1.7-fold respectively. Densitometric analysis of fluorographs of radiolabeled media proteins separated by SDS-PAGE revealed that the TGF-beta-stimulated protein synthesis was selective. However, synthesis of collagen, the major protein synthesized and secreted by HGFs, was stimulated by TGF-beta to the same extent as the average secreted protein. Protein synthesis and cell proliferation were significantly greater in subconfluent cells compared to confluent and multilayered cells. These effects are likely to reflect physiological activity of platelet-derived TGF-beta which may act to promote the wound healing response.     

The origin and structures of dimeric fatty acids from the anaerobic reaction between soya-bean lipoxygenase, linoleic acid and its hydroperoxide

In an anaerobic system soya-bean lipoxygenase catalyses in the presence of linoleic acid and l-13-hydroperoxyoctadeca-cis-9-trans-11-dienoic acid the formation of dimeric fatty acids and of carbonyl compounds. The analogous reaction does not take place when d-9-hydroperoxyoctadeca-trans-10-cis-12-dienoic acid is used instead of the 13-hydroperoxy isomer. Non-oxygenated dimers stem directly from linoleic acid and have C((11))-C((13')) or -C((9')) and C((13))-C((13')) or -C((9')) linkages. Dimers that contain oxygen originate from linoleic acid and linoleic acid hydroperoxide. It is most likely that the oxygen is present in epoxy groups.     

Mitogenic and inhibitory effects of carrier ampholytes on quiescent and stimulated human diploid lung fibroblasts.

Carrier ampholytes of various manufacture and pH ranges were found to have multiple effects on quiescent human diploid lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) when applied at a physiological pH. These effects varied, depending on dosage and pH range of the ampholytes, from the stimulation of the initiation of DNA synthesis in the absence of natural growth factors (LKB pH range 9–11, batches 11, 12, and 13, at 0.01–1.0 mg/ml) to inhibition of the mitogenic effect of platelet factor (all tested ampholytes >0.3 mg/ml). The higher dose levels of the alkaline-range ampholytes more particularly proved cytotoxic. These biological effects are lost more slowly than expected through dialysis tubing, so that separation of the ampholytes from the smaller natural mitogens, in the purification of which they may be used, needs careful monitoring. Characterization of the structure of the active ampholyte(s) may prove extremely useful in understanding the action of mitogens and in providing a synthetic stimulant to cell replication. Fractionation of the pH 9–11 range Ampholines suggests that the biological effects may be caused by many members of this complex mixture of substances, but the greatest activity was found in fractions with isoelectric points in the range 10.4–10.9.