Culture medium pH and stationary phase/chronological aging of different cells

There is an opinion that the chronological aging (ChA) of yeast and the stationary phase aging (SPA) of cultured animal and human cells are a consequence of growth medium acidification. However, a number of recent publications indicate that, although this process has a certain influence on the rate of “aging” of cells in the stationary growth phase, it does not determine it completely. Apparently, the key factor in this case is the restriction of cell proliferation, which leads to cell “aging” even under physiologically optimal conditions. During yeast ChA and mammalian cell SPA, the medium is getting acidified to pH ≤ 4. Prevention of acidification can prolong the culture life span, but the cells will still die, although at a slower rate. Effects of medium acidification during ChA and SPA can be explained by activation of highly conserved growth signaling pathways leading to oxidative stress, and these processes, in turn, can play a role in aging of multicellular organisms and development of age-related diseases. Our previous experiments on the effect of buffer capacity of growth medium on SPA of transformed Chinese hamster cells showed that 20 mM HEPES had no effect on cell growth rate; in addition, the growth curves of experimental and control cells reached a plateau on the same day. However, the cell saturation density in the medium with HEPES was lower (i.e., the cells were “older” in terms of the gerontological cell kinetics model); on the other hand, the rate of SPA was markedly reduced, compared to the control, although the cells were still “getting older.” It can be assumed that extracellular pH (by the way, well correlated with intracellular pH) is an important factor (I.A. Arshavsky’s concept of the role of acidic alteration in aging) but not the key factor determining the survival of cells in a stationary culture.     

Accumulation of oxidative DNA damage, 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine, and change of repair systems during in vitro cellular aging of cultured human skin fibroblasts

Effects of in vitro cellular aging on the content of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine, a typical oxidation product of DNA bases, were examined in cultured human skin fibroblasts. The 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine content in the DNA of TIG-3S cells established from skin tissues of a fetal donor increased immediately before the cessation of proliferation. TIG-114 and TIG-104 cells established from skin tissues of adult and aged donors, respectively, showed similar changes in 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine content during in vitro cellular aging. The accumulation of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine in late-passage cells was dependent on the number of cell divisions, and not on the cultivation time. Increases in the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were observed prior to the increase in 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine content, while the catalase activity decreased gradually during in vitro cellular aging at late-passage. Furthermore, the activities of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine endonuclease and DNA polymerases decreased with the progression of proliferation. These results indicate that defense systems against oxidative stress in late-passage cells remain sufficiently active before the cessation of cell division, but that repair systems against oxidative damage decay at late-passage. Oxidative stress beyond the antioxidant capacity and/or repair activity seems to result in an accumulation of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine in late-passage cells.     

Late onset administration of oral antioxidants prevents age-related loss of motor co-ordination and brain mitochondrial DNA damage

We have studied the effect of aging on brain glutathione redox ratio, on brain mitochondrial DNA damage and on motor co-ordination in mice and the possible protective role of late onset administration of sulphur-containing antioxidants. Glutathione redox ratios change to a more oxidized state in whole brain with aging but the changes are much more pronounced when this ratio is measured in brain mitochondria. The levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine in mitochondrial DNA are much higher in the brain of old animals than in those of young ones. Late onset oral administration of sulphur-containing antioxidants partially prevents oxidation of mitochondrial glutathione and DNA. There is an inverse relationship between age-associated oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA and motor co-ordination in old mice.     

Urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG), a reliable oxidative stress marker in hypertension

The potential use of oxidative stress products as disease markers and progression is an important aspect of biomedical research. In the present study, the quantification of urine 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) concentration has been used to express the oxidation status of hypertensive subjects.

8-oxo-dG has been simultaneously isolated and assayed in nuclear (nDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). In addition, oxidative stress of mononuclear cells has been estimated by means of GSH and GSSG levels and GSSG/GSH ratio in hypertensive subjects before and after antihypertensive treatment. It is shown that oxidative stress decreases significantly in hypertensive patients after treatment the effect being accompanied by reduction of their blood pressure.

A significant correlation is observed comparing the yield of urine 8-oxo-dG and that isolated from mitochondria DNA. Moreover, urinary excretion of 8-oxo-dG also correlates with the GSSG/GSH ratio of cells. Conclusion: urine 8-oxo-dG assay is a good marker for monitoring oxidative stress changes in hypertensives.     

Impact of cardiovascular risk factors on oxidative stress and DNA damage in a high risk Mediterranean population

Abstract

The impact of classic cardiovascular risk factors on oxidative stress status in a high-risk cardiovascular Mediterranean population of 527 subjects was estimated. Oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, 8-oxo-7′8′-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine, oxidized/reduced glutathione ratio) together with the activity of antioxidant enzyme triad (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) were analysed in circulating mononuclear blood cells. Malondialdehyde, oxidized glutathione and the ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione were significantly higher while catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities were significantly lower in high cardiovascular risk participants than in controls. Statistically significant differences were obtained after additional multivariate control for sex, age, obesity, diabetes, lipids and medications. Among the main cardiovascular risk factors, hypertension was the strongest determinant of oxidative stress in high risk subjects studied at a primary prevention stage.     

Evolution of the term “cellular senescence” and its impact on the current cytogerontological research

The term “cellular/cell senescence” was first introduced by Leonard Hayflick to describe the “age-related” changes in normal eukaryotic cells during aging in vitro, i.e., over the exhaustion of their mitotic potential. In the “classic” variant, it was assumed that cells “grow old” with the help of some internal mechanism, which leads to accumulation of various macromolecular defects (DNA damage in the first place). Currently, as a rule, “cellular senescence” means accumulation/appearance of particular “biomarkers of aging” in cells (they are most often transformed cells that do not demonstrate any replicative senescence) under the influence of various external factors (oxidative stress, H₂O₂, mitomycin C, ethanol, ionizing radiation, doxorubicin, etc.) that cause DNA damage. This phenomenon has been called DDR (DNA Damage Response). Among the said biomarkers, there are senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity, expression of p53 and p21 proteins as well as of proteins involved in the regulation of inflammation, such as IL-6 or IL-8, activation of oncogenes, etc. Thus, “aging/senescence” of cells does not occur simply by itself—it takes place because of the influence of DNA-damaging agents. This approach, in my opinion, despite being very important to define a strategy to fight cancer, distracts us, yet again, from the study of the real mechanisms of aging. It should be emphasized that the “stationary phase aging” model developed in my laboratory also allows registering the occurrence of certain biomarkers of aging in cultured cells, but in this case they arise due to the restriction of their proliferation by contact inhibition, i.e., due to a rather physiological impact, which does not cause any damage to cells by itself (the situation is similar to what we observe in a whole multicellular organism).     

A paradoxical effect of hydrated C60-fullerene at an ultralow concentration on the viability and aging of cultured Chinese hamster cells

The effect of an aqueous solution of hydrated C₆₀-fullerene (HyFn) on the growth and “stationary phase aging” (accumulation of “age-related” changes in cultured cells during the slowing down of their proliferation within a single passage and the subsequent “aging” in the stationary phase of growth) of transformed B11-dii FAF28 Chinese hamster cells was studied. The final calculated concentration of HyFn in the growth medium was 10^?19 M. A paradoxical result contrasting the available data on the absence of HyFn cytotoxicity at higher concentrations was obtained in our experiments: namely, HyFn decelerated cell proliferation (estimated by the growth of mass culture, as well as by the efficiency of colony formation) and accelerated the “stationary phase aging” of the cell culture. Moreover, repeated addition of an aqueous solution of HyFn (to the final calculated concentration of 10^?19 M) to the cells that had already reached the stationary phase of growth caused a rapid (within no more than 24 h) death of a significant part of the cell population. The observed effect of HyFn at ultralow concentration is supposed to arise from the alterations in the properties of the water surrounding the fullerene molecule: namely, water becomes a donor and acceptor of electrons and regulates redox processes (especially those involving oxygen) in aqueous systems. This effect of HyFn at an ultralow concentration may be specific for transformed cells, and, therefore, experiments on normal fibroblasts with limited mitotic potential are planned as a continuation of the present study. It is also possible that the reported antiaging effect of HyFn in experimental animals is due to its anticancer, immunostimulatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties manifested only at the whole-organism level.     

Complement-dependent NADPH oxidase enzyme activation in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

NADPH oxidase plays a central role in mediating oxidative stress during heart, liver, and lung ischemia/reperfusion injury, but limited information is available about NADPH oxidase in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Our aim was to investigate the activation of NADPH oxidase in a swine model of renal ischemia/reperfusion damage. We induced renal ischemia/reperfusion in 10 pigs, treating 5 of them with human recombinant C1 inhibitor, and we collected kidney biopsies before ischemia and 15, 30, and 60 min after reperfusion. Ischemia/reperfusion induced a significant increase in NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX-4) expression at the tubular level, an upregulation of NOX-2 expression in infiltrating monocytes and myeloid dendritic cells, and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine synthesis along with a marked upregulation of NADPH-dependent superoxide generation. This burden of oxidative stress was associated with an increase in tubular and interstitial expression of the myofibroblast marker α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Interestingly, NOX-4 and NOX-2 expression and the overall NADPH oxidase activity as well as α-SMA expression and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine synthesis were strongly reduced in C1-inhibitor-treated animals. In vitro, when we incubated tubular cells with the anaphylotoxin C3a, we observed an enhanced NADPH oxidase activity and α-SMA protein expression, which were both abolished by NOX-4 silencing. In conclusion, our findings suggest that NADPH oxidase is activated during ischemia/reperfusion in a complement-dependent manner and may play a potential role in the pathogenesis of progressive renal damage in this setting.     

Formation of spiroiminodihydantoin nucleoside from 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine by nitric oxide under aerobic conditions

When 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine in potassium phosphate buffer of pH 7.4 was bubbled by nitric oxide at room temperature under aerobic conditions, two major products were formed. They were identified as the diastereomers of spiroiminodihydantoin deoxyribonucleoside on the basis of their identical ESI-MS and UV spectra and HPLC retention times with those of the major products in reaction of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine with hypochlorous acid. A 1000-fold excess of 2′-deoxyguanosine did not inhibit the reaction of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine with nitric oxide. The results suggest that an 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine moiety formed in DNA may react with nitric oxide in the presence of oxygen molecule generating spiroiminodihydantoin in humans.     

The role of oxidative stress in acrolein-induced DNA damage in HepG2 cells

This study evaluated the role of oxidative stress in acrolein-induced DNA damage, using HepG2 cells. Using the standard single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, a significant dose-dependent increment in DNA migration was detected at lower concentrations of acrolein; but at the higher tested concentrations, a reduction in the migration was observed. Post-incubation with proteinase K significantly increased DNA migration in cells exposed to higher concentrations of acrolein. These results indicated that acrolein caused DNA strand breaks and DNA-protein crosslinks (DPC). To elucidate the oxidatively generated DNA damage mechanism, the 2,7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) and o-phthalaldehyde (OPT) were used to monitor the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH), respectively. The present study showed that acrolein induced the increased levels of ROS and depletion of GSH in HepG2 cells. Moreover, acrolein significantly caused 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) formation in HepG2 cells. These results demonstrate that the DNA damage induced by acrolein in HepG2 cells is related to the oxidative stress.     

Commentary the Measurement of Oxidative Damage to DNA by HPLC and GC/MS Techniques

Oxidative damage to DNA has been measured by quantitating 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdGuo) after enzymic digestion of DNA, followed by HPLC separation and electrochemical detection. Alternatively, 8-hydroxyguanine (and a wide range of other base-derived products of free radical attack) may be measured after acidic hydrolysis of DNA or chromatin, followed by derivatization and gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry. Both techniques have comparable sensitivity, but GC/MS enables determination of a wide variety of chemical changes to all four DNA bases and it can be applied to DNA-protein complexes. However, the two techniques do not always give similar results. Potential reasons for this are discussed. Greater attention to methodological questions is required before using measurement of 8-OHdGuo as a “routine” marker of oxidative DNA damage in vivo.     

On Choosing Control Objects in Experimental Gerontological Research

Recently, a large number of papers have appeared that describe the successful use of various biologically active compounds (short peptides, mitochondrial antioxidants, antidiabetic biguanides, mimetics of dietary restriction, autophagy modulators, etc.) as geroprotectors. However, in our opinion, in most cases, the positive results of such studies are determined by a “successful” selection of control objects. Animals with certain abnormalities are often used for this purpose, so that any favorable effect on the corresponding pathological processes leads to an increase in their lifespan. In addition, control animals can be normal (i.e., wildtype) but placed under certain extreme conditions that can be overcome just by using certain biologically active compounds. Thus, in this case, the treatment of pathologies rather than the effect on fundamental processes of aging is observed. There is a point of view that the results of Clive McCay’s well-known experiments, which have significantly prolonged the life of rats by limiting caloric intake, were determined by the facts that, firstly, the control animals fed ad libitum (which is absolutely untypical for animals in the wild) and, secondly, Fisher-344 rats, which were used in these experiments, are short-lived. The above considerations, apparently, also apply to the gerontological experiments on cultured cells. In particular, we sometimes hear remarks from our colleagues regarding the model of “stationary phase aging” of cell cultures, which is used in our laboratory, due to the fact that most of the experiments are performed on transformed rather than normal cells. However, this approach seems to us quite justified, because the phenomenon of “stationary phase”/chronological aging is common to a wide variety of cells, including bacteria, yeasts, cyanobacteria, mycoplasmas, as well as animal and plant cells. Cells with an unlimited mitotic potential do not change either from experiment to experiment or during long-term cultivation both with and without subcultivation (within the framework of the stationary phase aging model), which cannot be said of the normal diploid fibroblasts, whose telomeres are shortened with each division. In the period from seeding to entering the stationary phase of growth, the cells divide up to ten times! We believe that, to search for effective geroprotectors that affect the fundamental mechanisms of aging, it is necessary to perform studies on “maximally healthy” animals or on “maximally stable” model systems.     

Exogenous 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine: Biomedical properties,mechanisms of action,and therapeutic potential

Abstract—8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxo-G) is a key biomarker of oxidative damage to DNA in cells, and its genotox- icity is well-studied. In recent years, it has been confirmed experimentally that free 8-oxo-G and molecules containing it are not merely inert products of DNA repair or degradation, but they are actively involved in intracellular signaling. In this review, data are systematized indicating that free 8-oxo-G and oxidized (containing 8-oxo-G) extracellular DNA function in the body as mediators of stress signaling and initiate inflammatory and immune responses to maintain homeostasis under the action of external pathogens, whereas exogenous 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dGuo) exhibits pro- nounced antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. This review describes known action mechanisms of oxidized guanine and 8-oxo-G-containing molecules. Prospects for their use as a therapeutic target are considered, as well as a pharmaceu- tical agent for treatment of a wide range of diseases whose pathogenesis is significantly contributed to by inflammation and oxidative stress.     

Biological role of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine

The review presents currently available data on the biological role of 8-oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine. This compound for a long time has been used successfully as a biomarker of oxidative stress and diseases associated with it. However, in recent years, an increasing number of publications has appeared reporting that biological role of 8-oxo-dG is not only a mutagenic one; it also is involved in the regulation of gene expression, in some processes of DNA repair, in the control of inflammatory and autoimmune reactions, and in the activation of antioxidant systems. Probably, 8-oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine could prospectively be used as a drug.     

Gender-related differences in susceptibility to oxidative stress in healthy middle-aged Serbian adults

Gender-related differences in the association between polymorphism of xenobiotic-metabolising enzymes or non-genetic biomarkers and susceptibility to oxidative stress was assessed in healthy middle-aged Serbian adults, by urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG/creatinine) and total antioxidant status in serum (TAOS). Females were more susceptible to oxidative stress. In both genders, positive predictor of the antioxidative protection was serum triglyceride, while BMI?<25?kg/m² was associated with oxidative stress. Susceptibility to oxidative stress in males was associated with GSTT1*null allele and increased serum iron, but in females, it was decreased serum bilirubin. Early identification of the risk factors could be important in the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases.     

Metal-catalyzed oxidation of 2-alkenals generates genotoxic 4-oxo-2-alkenals during lipid peroxidation

Lipid peroxidation products react with cellular molecules, such as DNA bases, to form covalent adducts, which are associated with aging and disease processes. Since lipid peroxidation is a complex process and occurs in multiple stages, there might be yet unknown reaction pathways. Here, we analyzed comprehensively 2′-deoxyguanosine (dG) adducts with oxidized arachidonic acid using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and found the formation of 7-(2-oxo-hexyl)-etheno-dG as one of the major unidentified adducts. The formation of this adduct was reproduced in the reaction of dG with 2-octenal and predominantly with 4-oxo-2-octenal (OOE). We also found that other 2-alkenals (with five or more carbons) generate corresponding 4-oxo-2-alkenal-type adducts. Importantly, it was found that transition metals enhanced the oxidation of C4-position of 2-octenal, leading to the formation of OOE-dG adduct. These findings demonstrated a new pathway for the formation of 4-oxo-2-alkenals during lipid peroxidation and might provide a mechanism for metal-catalyzed genotoxicity.     

Time And Concentration Dependence Of Fenton-Induced Oxidation Of dG

The influence of incubation time and Fenton reagent concentrations was investigated on the oxidation of 2′-deoxyguanosine. The compounds identified and quantified, through use of an LC-MS/MS system, were 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and 8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine (8,5′cyclodG) and the secondary oxidation products guanidinohydantoin and dehydro-guanidinohydantoin. 8-oxodG and 8,5′cyclodG formed very quickly, reaching a maximum rapidly, but with 8-oxodG a rapid decline occurred thereafter due to its further oxidation into the secondary products, which formed more slowly. Due to the better stability, 8,5′cyclodG correlated better with the general level of oxidation than 8-oxodG. The results emphasize the advantages of measuring other oxidation adducts than 8-oxodG alone.     

Supplementation with a combination of antioxidants does not affect glycaemic control,oxidative stress or inflammation in type 2 diabetes subjects

Abstract

The present clinical trial examined the influence of a supplement, containing a combination of antioxidants extracted from fruit, berries and vegetables, on levels of plasma antioxidants (tocopherols, carotenoids and ascorbate), glycaemic control (blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin), oxidative stress biomarkers (F₂-isoprostane, malondialdehyd, nitrotyrosine, 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine, formamidopyrimidine glycosylase sites, frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes) and inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, prostaglandin F_2α-metabolite) in type 2 diabetes. Forty subjects were randomly assigned to control, single or double dose group and completed the study. In summary, 12 weeks of antioxidant supplementation did neither affect glycaemic control nor the levels of biomarkers of oxidative stress or inflammation, despite substantially increased plasma concentrations of antioxidants. The absence of an effect may be explained by the selected study subjects with relatively well-controlled diabetes, a high intake of fruit and vegetable and levels of plasma antioxidants, biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammatory markers comparable to those found in healthy subjects.     

Urinary excretion rates of 8-oxoGua and 8-oxodG and antioxidant vitamins level as a measure of oxidative status in healthy,full-term newborns

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the oxidative status in healthy full-term children and piglets. Urinary excretion of 8-oxoGua (8-oxoguanine) and 8-oxodG (8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine) were determined using HPLC/GS/MS methodology and concentrations of vitamins A, C and E with HPLC technique. The levels of 8-oxoGua in urine samples were about 7–8 times higher in newborn children and piglets when compared with the level of adult subjects, while in the case of 8-oxodG the difference was about 2.5 times. The levels of vitamin C and E in umbilical cord blood of newborn children significantly depend on the concentration of these compounds in their mother's blood. However, the values of vitamin C in human's cord blood were about 2-times higher than in respective mother blood, while the level of vitamin E showed an opposite trend. The results suggest that: (i) healthy, full-term newborns are under potential oxidative stress; (ii) urinary excretion of 8-oxoGua and 8-oxodG may be a good marker of oxidative stress in newborns; and (iii) antioxidant vitamins, especially vitamin C, play an important role in protecting newborns against oxidative stress.