Therapeutic strategies to protect the immature newborn myocardium during resuscitation following asphyxia

Perinatal asphyxia contributes to over one million newborn deaths worldwide annually, and may progress to multiorgan failure. Cardiac dysfunction, of varying severity, is seen in 50%-70% of asphyxiated newborns. Resuscitation is necessary to restore oxygenation to deprived tissues, including the heart. However, reoxygenation of asphyxiated newborns may lead to generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and further myocardial damage, termed reperfusion injury. The newborn heart is especially vulnerable to oxidative stress and reperfusion injury due to immature antioxidant defense mechanisms and increased vulnerability to apoptosis. Currently, newborn myocardial protective strategies are aimed at reducing the generation of ROS through controlled reoxygenation, boosting antioxidant defenses, and attenuating cellular injury via mitochondrial stabilization.     

Effects of post-resuscitation treatment with N-acetylcysteine on cardiac recovery in hypoxic newborn piglets

Aims

Although N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can decrease reactive oxygen species and improve myocardial recovery after ischemia/hypoxia in various acute animal models, little is known regarding its long-term effect in neonatal subjects. We investigated whether NAC provides prolonged protective effect on hemodynamics and oxidative stress using a surviving swine model of neonatal asphyxia.

Methods and Results

Newborn piglets were anesthetized and acutely instrumented for measurement of systemic hemodynamics and oxygen transport. Animals were block-randomized into a sham-operated group (without hypoxia-reoxygenation [H–R, n = 6]) and two H-R groups (2 h normocapnic alveolar hypoxia followed by 48 h reoxygenation, n = 8/group). All piglets were acidotic and in cardiogenic shock after hypoxia. At 5 min after reoxygenation, piglets were given either saline or NAC (intravenous 150 mg/kg bolus + 20 mg/kg/h infusion) via for 24 h in a blinded, randomized fashion. Both cardiac index and stroke volume of H-R controls remained lower than the pre-hypoxic values throughout recovery. Treating the piglets with NAC significantly improved cardiac index, stroke volume and systemic oxygen delivery to levels not different from those of sham-operated piglets. Accompanied with the hemodynamic improvement, NAC-treated piglets had significantly lower plasma cardiac troponin-I, myocardial lipid hydroperoxides, activated caspase-3 and lactate levels (vs. H-R controls). The change in cardiac index after H-R correlated with myocardial lipid hydroperoxides, caspase-3 and lactate levels (all p<0.05).

Conclusions

Post-resuscitation administration of NAC reduces myocardial oxidative stress and caused a prolonged improvement in cardiac function and in newborn piglets with H-R insults.     

Adiponectin up-regulates the expression of T-cadherin in cardiomyocytes injured by hypoxia/reoxygenation

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of adiponectin (APN) on the expression of T-cadherin in cultured Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat cardiomyocytes injured by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Primary myocardial cells from neonatal rats were obtained by enzymatic digestion. The cells were divided into control group, H/R group and H/R+APN (3, 10, 20 and 30 μg/mL) groups. The H/R group was incubated in anoxic environment (anoxic solution saturated with high concentration N2) for 3 h, and then in the reoxygenation environment (the reoxygenation solution saturated with pure oxygen) for 1 h. The H/R+APN group was pretreated with different concentrations of APN for 24 h prior to the initiation of H/R. The content of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was measured by chemistry chromatometry. Cellular apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The expression of T-cadherin was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that, compared with control group, the apoptotic rate and release of LDH were significantly increased in the H/R group, whereas the expressions of T-cad mRNA and protein were decreased. Pretreating with APN significantly and dose-dependently decreased apoptotic rate and LDH release, and up-regulated T-cad mRNA and protein level in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes under H/R conditions. These results suggest that APN may protect cardiomyocytes against H/R-induced injury by up-regulating H/R-decreased T-cad expression.     

Exploration on Mechanism of a New Type of Melatonin Receptor Agonist Neu-p11 in Hypoxia–Reoxygenation Injury of Myocardial Cells

To explore the mechanism of a new type of melatonin receptor agonist Neu-p11 in hypoxia–reoxygenation injury of myocardial cells. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model of H9c2 myocardial cells was established, and the cells were divided into control group, H/R group, and Neu-p11 group. Apoptosis rates of myocardial cells in different groups, the contents of creatinine kinase (CK), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in cell culture media were compared. Myocardial cells in control group showed diverse shape, and the refractivity of cells were high and the pulse was strong with synchronous rhythm of 60–80/min; The refractivity of myocardial cells in H/R group decreased, the pseudopodium was thinner, and the rhythm was reduced to 30–40/min; The morphology and refractivity of myocardial cells in Neu-p11 group were significantly improved with rhythm of 50–60/min. The apoptosis rates in the control group, the H/R group, and the Neu-p11 group were 2.48, 39.66, and 17.94 %, respectively. Levels of CK, LDH, and MDA were significantly decreased in Neu-p11 compared with H/R group, yet, both of which were significantly higher than that in control group. The SOD level was significantly lower in H/R group compared to that in control group, and Neu-p11 group with no statistical difference between the Neu-p11 group and the control group. Neu-p11 has protective effects on hypoxia–reoxygenation injury of myocardial cells. It inhibits cell apoptosis and improves the morphology and rhythm of myocardial cells; It alleviates injury of cell membrane by reducing its permeability, which can stabilize myocardial cell membrane; It also alleviates lipid peroxidation and protects mitochondria from myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.     

Expression of angiostatin and its related factors in the plasma of newborn pigs with hypoxia and reoxygenation

Little is known about angiostatin and its related factors in the hypoxia-reoxygenation of neonates. In this study we compared the effect of 21% and 100% reoxygenation on temporal changes in the plasma level of these factors in newborn piglets subjected to hypoxia. Newborn piglets were subjected to 2 h hypoxia followed by 1 h of reoxygenation with either 21% or 100% oxygen and observed for 4 days. On day 4 of recovery in 100% hypoxic-reoxygenated group, there were increases in total angiostatin, plasminogen/plasmin and MMP-2 levels, and decreases in VEGF levels (vs. respective baseline levels, all P <0.001), whereas no significant temporal changes were found in the 21% hypoxic-reoxygenated and sham-operated groups. Angiostatin levels correlated positively with the levels of MMP-2 and HIF-1alpha and negatively with VEGF levels in 100% hypoxic-reoxygenated group (all P <0.05). In comparison to 21% oxygen, neonatal resuscitation with 100% oxygen was found to increase the levels anti-angiogenic factors.     

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition mimics intermittent reoxygenation and improves cardioprotection in the hypoxic myocardium

Although chronic hypoxia is a claimed myocardial risk factor reducing tolerance to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), intermittent reoxygenation has beneficial effects and enhances heart tolerance to I/R. Aim of the study: To test the hypothesis that, by mimicking intermittent reoxygenation, selective inhibition of phosphodiesterase-5 activity improves ischemia tolerance during hypoxia. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to hypoxia for 15 days (10% O₂) and treated with placebo, sildenafil (1.4 mg/kg/day, i. p.), intermittent reoxygenation (1 h/day exposure to room air) or both. Controls were normoxic hearts. To assess tolerance to I/R all hearts were subjected to 30-min regional ischemia by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation followed by 3 h-reperfusion. Whereas hypoxia depressed tolerance to I/R, both sildenafil and intermittent reoxygenation reduced the infarct size without exhibiting cumulative effects. The changes in myocardial cGMP, apoptosis (DNA fragmentation), caspase-3 activity (alternative marker for cardiomyocyte apoptosis), eNOS phosphorylation and Akt activity paralleled the changes in cardioprotection. However, the level of plasma nitrates and nitrites was higher in the sildenafil+intermittent reoxygenation than sildenafil and intermittent reoxygenation groups, whereas total eNOS and Akt proteins were unchanged throughout. Conclusions: Sildenafil administration has the potential to mimic the cardioprotective effects led by intermittent reoxygenation, thereby opening the possibility to treat patients unable to be reoxygenated through a pharmacological modulation of NO-dependent mechanisms.     

The enzyme activity of carbohydrate metabolism in the liver of swine during the transition from prenatal to postnatal development

Studies have ben been made on the activity of hexokinase, glucokinase, phosphofructokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, as well as NADP-dependent dehydrogenases (malate and citrate) in the liver of foetuses and newborn piglets in relation to their age, fasting and reaction to injection of adaptive hormones (insulin and cortisol). It was shown that postpartum adaptation of carbohydrate metabolism in porcine liver is associated with activation of the glycolysis and with the increase in the activity of NADPH-generating dehydrogenases. In fasting newborn piglets the rate of carbohydrate catabolism increases. The effects of the investigated factors are different in the liver of 1-day piglets (sensitive to fasting) and 5-day animals (less sensitive). In is suggested that low ability of newborn piglets to maintain physiological level of glucose in the blood is associated with active glycolysis in the liver and ineffectiveness of the hormone-substrate mechanisms which control tissue glycaemia.     

Hyperoxia causes oxygen free radical-mediated membrane injury and alters myocardial function and hemodynamics in the newborn

Newborn children can be exposed to high oxygen levels (hyperoxia) for hours to days during their medical and/or surgical management, and they also can have poor myocardial function and hemodynamics. Whether hyperoxia alone can compromise myocardial function and hemodynamics in the newborn and whether this is associated with oxygen free radical release that overwhelms naturally occurring antioxidant enzymes leading to myocardial membrane injury was the focus of this study. Yorkshire piglets were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium (65 mg/kg), intubated, and ventilated to normoxia. Once normal blood gases were confirmed, animals were randomly allocated to either 5 h of normoxia [arterial Po(2) (Pa(O(2))) = 83 +/- 5 mmHg, n = 4] or hyperoxia (Pa(O(2)) = 422 +/- 33 mmHg, n = 6), and myocardial functional and hemodynamic assessments were made hourly. Left ventricular (LV) biopsies were taken for measurements of antioxidant enzyme activities [superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT)] and malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) as an indicator of oxygen free radical-mediated membrane injury. Hyperoxic piglets suffered significant reductions in contractility (P < 0.05), systolic blood pressure (P < 0.03), and mean arterial blood pressure (P < 0.05). Significant increases were seen in heart rate (P < 0.05), whereas a significant 11% (P < 0.05) and 61% (P < 0.001) reduction was seen in LV SOD and GPx activities, respectively, after 5 h of hyperoxia. Finally, MDA and 4-HNE levels were significantly elevated by 45% and 38% (P < 0.001 and P = 0.02), respectively, in piglets exposed to hyperoxia. Thus, in the newborn, hyperoxia triggers oxygen free radical-mediated membrane injury together with an inability of the newborn heart to upregulate its antioxidant enzyme defenses while impairing myocardial function and hemodynamics.     

Oxygen Radical Injury and Loss of High-Energy Compounds in Anoxic and Reperfused Rat Heart: Prevention By Exogenous Fructose-1, 6-Bisphosphate

Isolated Langendorff-perfused rat hearts after 10 minutes preperfusion, were subjected to a substrate-free anoxic perfusion (20 minutes) followed by 20 minutes reperfusion with a glucose-containing oxygen-balanced medium. Under the same perfusion conditions, the effect of exogenous 5mM fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate has been investigated. The xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase ratio, concentrations of high-energy phosphates and the TBA-reactive material (TBARS) were determined at the end of each perfusion period in both control and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate-treated hearts. Results indicate that anoxia induces the irreversible transformation of xanthine dehydrogenase into oxidase as a consequence of the sharp decrease of the myocardial energy metabolism. This finding is supported by the protective effect exerted by exogenous fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate which is able to maintain the correct xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase ratio by preventing the depletion of phosphorylated compounds during anoxia. Moreover, in control hearts, the release oflactate dehydrogenase during reperfusion, is paralleled by a 50% increase in the concentration of tissue TBARS. On the contrary, in fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate-treated hearts this concentration does not significantly change after reoxygenation, while a slight but significant increase of lactate dehydrogenase activity in the perfusates is observed.

On the whole these data indicate a direct contribution of oxygen-derived free radicals to the worsening of post-anoxic hearts. A hypothesis on the mechanism of action of fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate in anoxic and reperfused rat heart and its possible application in the clinical therapy of myocardial infarction are presented.     

Relationships of Dopamine, Cortical Oxygen Pressure, and Hydroxyl Radicals in Brain of Newborn Piglets During Hypoxia and Posthypoxic Recovery

Abstract: The present study describes the relationships of extracellular striatal dopamine, cortical oxygen pressure, and striatal hydroxyl radicals in brain of newborn piglets during hypoxia and posthypoxic reoxygenation. Hypoxia was induced by reducing the fraction of inspired oxygen (F_iO₂) from 22% (control) to 7% for 1 h. The F_iO₂ was then returned to the control value and measurements were continued for 2 h. Cerebral oxygen pressure was measured by the oxygen dependent quenching of phosphorescence and extracellular levels of dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), and hydroxy radicals in the striatum were determined by in vivo microdialysis. Hypoxia decreased the cortical oxygen pressure from 47 ± 2 to 9 ± 1.3 torr (p < 0.001); the levels of extracellular dopamine in the striatum increased to 16,000 ± 3,270% of control (p < 0.01), whereas the levels of DOPAC and HVA decreased to 25.3 ± 6% (p < 0.001) and 36 ± 5% (p < 0.01) of control, respectively. Compared with control, the hydroxyl radical levels at each time point were not significantly increased during hypoxia, although the sum of the measured values was significantly increased (p < 0.05). During the first 5 min after F_iO₂ was returned to 22%, the cortical oxygen pressure increased to control values and stayed at this level for the remainder of the measurement period. The extracellular level of dopamine declined to values not statistically different from control during 40 min of reoxygenation. During the first 10 min of reoxygenation, DOPAC and HVA further decreased and then began to slowly increase. By 70 min of reoxygenation, the values were not significantly different from control. Hydroxyl radicals were above control during the entire period of reoxygenation, with maximal values observed after 100 min of reoxygenation. This increase was largely abolished by injecting the animals with α-methyl-p-tyrosine 5 h before hypoxia, a procedure that depleted the brain of dopamine. Our results suggest that oxidation of striatal dopamine during posthypoxic reoxygenation is at least partly responsible for the observed increase in striatal level of hydroxyl radicals that may exacerbate posthypoxic cerebral injury.     

血必净注射液对缺氧/复氧大鼠心肌功能与结构的影响

目的：探讨不同剂量的血必净注射液对缺氧/复氧大鼠心肌功能的保护作用。方法：采用Langendorff方法制备大鼠离体心脏缺氧/复氧模型。130只雄性SD大鼠随机分为对照组（sham组）,缺氧/复氧组（H/R组）,低、中、高剂量血必净组（XBJ_L、XBJ_M、XBJ_H组）,除对照组外,其他四组按复氧不同时相（复氧0.5 h、1 h、2 h）又分别分为3个亚组（n=10）。对照组在平衡灌注20 min时纪录左室发展压（LVDP）、左心室发展压最大上升/下降速率（±dp/dt_max）、左心室内压（LVP）、心率（HR）的值, ELISA检测心肌中肌酸激酶同工酶（CK-MB）的浓度,光镜下观察心肌组织结构的改变;其余各组平衡灌注20 min后,灌注ThomasⅡ停搏液使心脏完全停搏30 min之后复灌K-H液使其心脏复跳,连续记录LVDP、±dp/dt_max、LVP、HR在复氧不同时间点的动态变化,ELISA检测各组复氧不同时间点心肌中CK-MB的浓度,光镜下观察各组复氧不同时间点心肌组织结构的改变。结果：与sham组相比,其余各组LVDP、±dp/dt_max、LVP值均降低（P<0.05）,心肌中CK-MB浓度上升（P<0.05）,心肌组织结构发生异常改变,随着复氧时间延长,以上指标异常变化逐渐加剧;在复氧0.5 h、1 h、2 h,各剂量血必净组LVDP、±dp/dt_max、LVP的值均高于H/R组对应时间点的值（P<0.05）,心肌中CK-MB浓度均低于H/R组,心肌组织结构异常变化减轻,以中剂量改善效果最佳（P<0.05）。结论：血必净注射液能够有效改善缺氧/复氧大鼠心肌的功能及形态学结构,以中剂量血必净（4 ml/100 ml）效果最佳。     

TCA循环中间产物对酿酒酵母胞内代谢关键酶活性的影响

对酿酒酵母在添加苹果酸、柠檬酸和琥珀酸的混合培养基与其在YEPD培养基中胞内丙酮酸激酶、葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶、异柠檬酸脱氢酶、苹果酸脱氢酶、乙醇脱氢酶的酶活力差异进行了对比分析。结果表明:添加苹果酸使胞内丙酮酸激酶、异柠檬酸脱氢酶、苹果酸脱氢酶、乙醇脱氢酶的酶活分别下降34.82%、57.23%、39.15%、12.10%;添加柠檬酸使胞内丙酮酸激酶、异柠檬酸脱氢酶、苹果酸脱氢酶的酶活分别下降50.17%、42.20%、48.40%;添加琥珀酸使胞内丙酮酸激酶、葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶、异柠檬酸脱氢酶、苹果酸脱氢酶、乙醇脱氢酶的酶活分别下降34.16%、34.16%、50.87%、50.87%、12.37%。丙酮酸激酶、异柠檬酸脱氢酶和苹果酸脱氢酶对3种有机酸的耐受性较差,葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶、乙醇脱氢酶对3种有机酸的耐受具有选择性。     

A modification of isocitrate and malate dehydrogenase assays for use in crude cell free extracts

A modification of the assays for isocitrate and malate dehydrogenase, using phenazine methosulphate and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, permits measurements on cell-free extracts. Phenazine methosulfate at concentrations higher than 30 nmoles/3 ml prevents the accumulation of NADPH or NADH and thus reduces errors due to endogenous oxidation of these compounds. The use of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol rather than a tetrazolium salt as the terminal electron acceptor allows continuous spectrophotometric measurement of enzyme activities.Assay for NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase can be performed in aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Assays for malate dehydrogenase should be run under anaerobic conditions because of the interference by oxygen on the phenazine methosulfate mediated reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol by NADH. Under anaerobic conditions, where NADH oxidase is inoperative, the phenazine methosulfate/dichlorophenolindophenol assay is more sensitive than the assay using direct measurement of NADH at 340 nm.     

Subcellular distribution of the enzymes of the malate-aspartate shuttle in rat heart and effect of experimental cardiac hypertrophy

The effect of experimental cardiac hypertrophy on the enzymes of the malate - aspartate shuttle aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) was studied. ( l ) Aortic constriction in adult rats resulted in 25% cardiac hypertrophy in 2 1/2-3 weeks. Total DNA (mg per heart) did not change. ( 2 ) The proportions of mitochondrial and cytosolic isozymes of AAT and MDH did not change as a result of cardiac h y p e r t r o p h y . About two-thirds of each enzyme occurred in the mitochondrial form and one-third in the cytosolic form. ( 3 ) Total AAT in hypertrophic hearts, in enzyme units per mg DNA, increased by 24% compared to AAT content in the hearts of sham-operated animals . Total MDH did not change. SoIubilized protein increased by 20%. Normal hearts contained 10 times more enzyme units of MDH than of AAT. (4) Cardiac growth stimulation induced in newborn rats did not result in specific changes of either enzyme. It is suggested that true cardiac hypertrophy acts as a specific stimulus for the possibly rate-limiting enzyme AAT of the shuttle.     

Effects of thiamine deprivation on the growth and metabolism of the phytoflagellatePolytomella agilis

The effects of thiamine deprivation on the growth, respiration, and activity of several enzymes of the phytoflagellate protozoanPolytomella agilis were studied. Vitamin deprivation had no effect on the exponential growth rate; the peak population of cultures grown without thiamine was 50% of the control level. The rates of oxygen consumption in control and thiamine-deprived cultures were not significantly different from each other. The activities of pyruvate dehydrogenase and oxoglutarate dehydrogenase in vitamin-deprived cells were 14% and 30%, respectively, of the control values. In these cells, the succinic dehydrogenase activity was 10% and mitochondrial ATPase activity was twice that of control cells. Vitamin deprivation had no effect on the activities of malate dehydrogenase and isocitrate lyase, but pyruvic carboxylase activity increased fourfold. These results indicate a complex role for thiamine in the regulation of growth, respiration, and metabolism in this organism.     

Activity of liver mitochondrial Krebs cycle NAD<Superscript>+</Superscript>-dependent dehydrogenases in rats with hepatitis induced by acetaminophen under conditions of alimentary protein deficiency

Activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and the NAD⁺/NADН ratio were studied in the liver mitochondrial fraction of rats with toxic hepatitis induced by acetaminophen under conditions of alimentary protein deficiency. Acetaminophen-induced hepatitis was characterized by a decrease of isocitrate dehydrogenase, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase activities, while the mitochondrial NAD⁺/NADН ratio remained at the control level. Modeling of acetaminophen-induced hepatitis in rats with alimentary protein deficiency caused a more pronounced decrease in the activity of studied Krebs cycle NAD⁺-dependent dehydrogenases and a 2.2-fold increase of the mitochondrial NAD⁺/NADН ratio.     

Inosine, not adenosine, initiates endothelial glycocalyx degradation in cardiac ischemia and hypoxia

Ischemia/reperfusion and hypoxia/reoxygenation of the heart both induce shedding of the coronary endothelial glycocalyx. The processes leading from an oxygen deficit to shedding are unknown. An involvement of resident perivascular cardiac mast cells has been proposed. We hypothesized that either adenosine or inosine or both, generated by nucleotide catabolism, attain the concentrations in the interstitial space sufficient to stimulate A3 receptors of mast cells during both myocardial ischemia/reperfusion and hypoxia/reoxygenation. Isolated hearts of guinea pigs were subjected to either normoxic perfusion (hemoglobin-free Krebs-Henseleit buffer equilibrated with 95% oxygen), 20 minutes hypoxic perfusion (buffer equilibrated with 21% oxygen) followed by 20 minutes reoxygenation, or 20 minutes stopped-flow ischemia followed by 20 minutes normoxic reperfusion (n = 7 each). Coronary venous effluent was collected separately from so-called transudate, a mixture of interstitial fluid and lymphatic fluid appearing on the epicardial surface. Adenosine and inosine were determined in both fluid compartments using high-performance liquid chromatography. Damage to the glycocalyx was evident after ischemia/reperfusion and hypoxia/reoxygenation. Adenosine concentrations rose to a level of 1 μM in coronary effluent during hypoxic perfusion, but remained one order of magnitude lower in the interstitial fluid. There was only a small rise in the level during postischemic perfusion. In contrast, inosine peaked at over 10 μM in interstitial fluid during hypoxia and also during reperfusion, while effluent levels remained relatively unchanged at lower levels. We conclude that only inosine attains levels in the interstitial fluid of hypoxic and postischemic hearts that are sufficient to explain the activation of mast cells via stimulation of A3-type receptors.     

Overexpression of CuZnSOD in coronary vascular cells attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury

Superoxide dismutase scavenges oxygen radicals, which have been implicated in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in the heart. Our experiments were designed to study the effect of a moderate increase of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) on myocardial I/R injury in TgN(SOD1)3Cje transgenic mice. A species of 0.8 kb human CuZnSOD mRNA was expressed, and a 273% increase in CuZnSOD activity was detected in the hearts of transgenic mice with no changes in the activities of other antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, immunoblot analysis revealed no changes in the levels of HSP-70 or HSP-25 levels. Immunocytochemical study indicated that there was increased labeling of CuZnSOD in the cytosolic fractions of both endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, but not in the myocytes of the hearts from transgenic mice. When these hearts were perfused as Langendorff preparations for 45 min after 35 min of global ischemia, the functional recovery of the hearts, expressed as heart rate x LVDP, was 48 +/- 3% in the transgenic hearts as compared to 30 +/- 5% in the nontransgenic hearts (p <.05). The improved cardiac function was accompanied by a significant reduction in lactate dehydrogenase release from the transgenic hearts. Our results demonstrate that overexpression of CuZnSOD in coronary vascular cells renders the heart more resistant to I/R injury.     

Modulation of p38 kinase by DUSP4 is important in regulating cardiovascular function under oxidative stress

Over-activation of p38 is implicated in many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including myocardial infarction, hypertrophy, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease. Numerous therapeutic interventions for CVDs have been directed toward the inhibition of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation that contributes to the detrimental effect after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injuries. However, the efficacy of these treatments is far from ideal, as they lack specificity and are associated with high toxicity. Previously, we demonstrated that N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) pretreatment up-regulates DUSP4 expression in endothelial cells, regulating p38 and ERK1/2 activities, and thus providing a protective effect against oxidative stress. Here, endothelial cells under hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) insult and isolated heart I/R injury were used to investigate the role of DUSP4 in the modulation of the p38 pathway. In rat endothelial cells, DUSP4 is time-dependently degraded by H/R (0.25±0.07-fold change of control after 2 h H/R). Its degradation is closely associated with hyperphosphorylation of p38 (2.1±0.36-fold change) and cell apoptosis, as indicated by the increase in cells immunopositive for cleaved caspase-3 (12.59±3.38%) or TUNEL labeling (29.46±3.75%). The inhibition of p38 kinase activity with 20 µM SB203580 during H/R prevents H/R-induced apoptosis, assessed via TUNEL (12.99±1.89%). Conversely, DUSP4 gene silencing in endothelial cells augments their sensitivity to H/R-induced apoptosis (45.81±5.23%). This sensitivity is diminished via the inhibition of p38 activity (total apoptotic cells drop to 17.47±1.45%). Interestingly, DUSP4 gene silencing contributes to the increase in superoxide generation from cells. Isolated Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts were subjected to global I/R injury. DUSP4^-/- hearts had significantly larger infarct size than WT. The increase in I/R-induced infarct in DUSP4^-/- mice significantly correlates with reduced functional recovery (assessed by RPP%, LVDP%, HR%, and dP/dt_max) as well as lower CF% and a higher initial LVEDP. From immunoblotting analysis, it is evident that p38 is significantly overactivated in DUSP4^-/- mice after I/R injury. The activation of cleaved caspase-3 is seen in both WT and DUSP4^-/- I/R hearts. Infusion of a p38 inhibitor prior to ischemia and during the reperfusion improves both WT and DUSP4^-/- cardiac function. Therefore, the identification of p38 kinase modulation by DUSP4 provides a novel therapeutic target for oxidant-induced diseases, especially myocardial infarction.     

ENZYMES OF THE TRICARBOXYLIC ACID CYCLE IN SEA URCHIN EGGS AND EMBRYOS

Changes in the activity of some enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle during development of sea urchins were investigated. Unfertilized eggs showed substantial activity of citrate synthase, aconitase, NAD- and NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenases, fumarase and malate dehydrogenase. During development, the activity of citrate synthase, aconitase, NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase increases gradually, whereas the activity of fumarase remains rather constant. There is no close correlation between changes in the enzyme activity and the increase in oxygen consumption during development. Citrate synthase, aconitase, NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase are mainly localized in the mitochondrial fraction, whereas fumarase and malate dehydrogenase are present in both mitochondrial and cytosol fractions. The intracellular localization of these enzymes does not change during development. A possible mechanism for the regulation of some enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in sea urchin eggs is discussed.