Book Reviews

Oxidative Stress: Oxidants and Antioxidants, Helmut Sies, editor, Academic Press, 1991, xxii + 650 pages. £76 ($150)

Oxygen Chemistry D.T. Sawyer Oxford University Press, England, E30, xiii + 223 pages     

Book Reviews

Antioxidants in Disease Mechanisms and Therapy Helmut Sies, Volume Editor Advances in Pharmacology Series

Present Knowledge in Nutrition (Seventh Edition) Ed E.E. Zeigler and L.J. Filer jr

Cytokines Produced by Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils: Molecular and Biological Aspects Cassatella

Tamoxifen: Beyond the Antiestrogen Edited by J.A. KELLEN     

Book Reviews

Natural Antioxidants in Human Health and Disease Edited by Balz Frei Academic Press, San Diego

In Vitro Toxicology Edited by: Shayne Cox Gad Raven Press Ltd.: New York, 290pp ISBN: 0-88167-974-7

Active Oxygen, Lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidants Edited by Kunio Yagi Japan Scientific Society Press: Tokyo ISBN 4-7622-6738-4, 1993 CRC Press: Boca Raton ISBN 0-8493-7769-2, 1993 x +372 pages Y 13, 000

Free Radicals, Cardiovascular Dysfunction and Protection Strategies R C Kukreja and M L Hess R G Landes Company: Austin, Texas, USA, 1994

Oxygen and Environmental Stress in Plants (Special issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, volume 102 1994) eds R M M Crawford, G A F Hendry and B A Goodman

Mitochondria: DNA, Proteins and Disease Eds. V. Darley Usmar and A.H.V. Schapira Portland Press Research Monograph V, London, 1994

Human Medicinal Agents From Plants Edited by A. Douglas Kinghorn and Manuel F. Balandrin ACS Symposium Series 534 American Chemical Society: Washington DC, 1993, pp. xii + 356. ISBN 08412 2705 5. $89.95.     

Antioxidants and reactive oxygen species in plants

Reactive oxygen species, antioxidants and oxygen stress arethe subject of investigation by many research laboratories worldwide.The use of molecular biology techniques is propelling the subjectalong at a fast pace and the number of research papers on thetopic is growing fast. Antioxidants and Reactive Oxygen Speciesin Plants summarizes much recent     

Production of metabolites with antioxidant activity by Botryosphaeria dothidea in submerged fermentation

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Antioxidants are able of inhibiting free radicals and play an important role in human diet, protection of foods, anti-aging cosmetics, among others. Fungi...     

Buffalo Milk Casein Derived Decapeptide (YQEPVLGPVR) Having Bifunctional Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidative Features Under Cellular Milieu

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Antioxidants having anti-inflammatory potential will be useful in reducing the progression of many lifestyle associated diseases. Under...     

Enzymatic synthesis of ascorbyl ester derived from linoleic acid

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Antioxidants are substances that defend cells against damage, kidnapping and destroying free radicals. They have been largely used in the food industry due...     

The effect of estrogens and progestagens on biochemical components of hemostasis, platelets, continuous intravascular coagulation, and tolerance to thrombin: Correction of their effect by antioxidants

Estrogen and progestin (ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel, respectively) in a dose dependent manner accelerated platelet lipid peroxidation (LPO), activated platelets, increased continuous intravascular coagulation and reduced tolerance to thrombin. Antioxidants limited these effects.     

Elevation of glutathione as a therapeutic strategy in Alzheimer disease

Oxidative stress has been associated with the onset and progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD). AD and MCI brain and plasma display extensive oxidative stress as indexed by protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, free radical formation, DNA oxidation, and decreased antioxidants. The most abundant endogenous antioxidant, glutathione, plays a significant role in combating oxidative stress. The ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione is utilized as a measure of intensity of oxidative stress. Antioxidants have long been considered as an approach to slow down AD progression. In this review, we focus on the elevation on glutathione through N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) and γ-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester (GCEE) as a potential therapeutic approach for Alzheimer disease. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antioxidants and Antioxidant Treatment in Disease.     

氧化应激与糖尿病

高血糖引起的自由基产生过多或消除障碍导致氧化应激的出现,氧化应激与糖尿病及其并发症的发生发展密切相关。抗氧化治疗为糖尿病及并发症的防治提供了新的思路。     

氧化应激与糖尿病

高血糖引起的自由基产生过多或消除障碍导致氧化应激的出现,氧化应激与糖尿病及其并发症的发生发展密切相关。抗氧化治疗为糖尿病及并发症的防治提供了新的思路。     

Microalgae as natural sources for antioxidative compounds

Antioxidants are substances that have the ability to reduce free, energized radicals. Thus, they prevent the oxidation of sensitive metabolites like lipids or amino acids and shield them from being destroyed by interrupting auto- or photooxidative chain reactions inside the cell. Antioxidants are also of industrial importance because they can be used as food, drug, or plastics additives. Ubiquinol, the reduced form of coenzyme Q₁₀, is one of the most effective antioxidants in human cells. This paper explores optimization strategies to increase Q₁₀ concentration in the biomass of Porphyridium purpureum, based on the variation of photosynthetic photon flux density. In addition, a cultivation process was performed in the 120-L scale followed by an automized extraction procedure (Accelerated Solvent Extraction?) resulting in an increase of the product recovery by a factor of 14 compared to the standard extraction method, hence reaching a specific coenzyme Q₁₀ concentration of 141?μg?g _{dry weight} ^?1 and a volumetric coenzyme Q₁₀ concentration of 1.96?mg?L^?1, respectively.     

利用来自多技术平台数据的候选基因挖掘食物抗氧化剂共同影响基因或通路

抗氧化剂通过调节机体基因表达发挥广泛的功能,基于多种技术平台的研究文献中蕴藏大量抗氧化剂可调控的基因.探索这些基因间的关系有助于阐明抗氧剂的共同作用机理,也有助于开发新的生物标记用于抗氧化剂筛选.选择维生素C、维生素E和视黄酸等3种典型抗氧化剂为研究对象,从highwire数据库检索文献提取与它们功能相关主要基因,利用DAVID在线GO分析工具和pathway express分析工具分析其相关的GO生物过程定义及基因通路.结果表明,这3种抗氧化剂共同可调控的基因有14个,每种抗氧化剂显著相关的GO生理过程定义及基因通路具有很多相似性,涉及细胞通讯、免疫、细胞凋亡、细胞周期和多种典型信号传导通路.粘着斑是这3种抗氧化剂共同影响的基因网络,说明这3种抗氧化剂可能通过这一信号通路系统调节细胞周期调控、细胞骨架组装、粘附、迁徙、运动能力、生长调节、生存、血管生成等多方面发挥了重要作用,并以此通路为靶标抑制肿瘤发生、发展及侵袭转移.     

Loss of creatine in the body in cardiac insufficiency and prevention of this pathology with alpha-tocopherol]

Peculiarities of creatinemia and creatinurea have been studied in patients with different stages of the heart failure. Administration of alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant, promotes normalization of these changes. Antioxidants are discussed in the aspect of their possibility prevent the creatine loss by the heart and skeletal muscles in case of the heart failure.     

Cepharanthine triggers apoptosis in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HuH-7) through the activation of JNK1/2 and the downregulation of Akt

Cepharanthine (CEP), a biscoclaurine alkaloid, has been reported to induce cell death, however, the molecular mechanism of this phenomenon remains unclear. We herein report that CEP induced apoptosis in HuH-7 cells through nuclear fragmentation, DNA ladder formation, cytochrome c release, caspase-3 activation and poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase cleavage. CEP triggered the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates, the activation of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38, JNK1/2 and p44/42, and the downregulation of protein kinase B/Akt. Antioxidants and SP600125, an inhibitor of JNK1/2, but not inhibitors of p38 MAPK and MEK1/2, significantly prevented cell death, thus implying that reactive oxygen species and JNK1/2 play crucial roles in the CEP-induced apoptosis of HuH-7 cells.     

Action of antioxidants on membrane-toxic effects of anticholinesterase agents

It was found therapeutic-preventive effectiveness of antioxidants (1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives) at poisoning with malathion insecticide. The effect of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives can be attributed to a prevention of lipid peroxidation. Antioxidants do not affect the toxicity of 0,0-dimethyl-0-2,2-dichlorvinylphosphate. Thus, antioxidants are pathogenetic drugs for treatment of poisonings with cholinesterase inhibitors.     

Shiga toxin activates p38 MAP kinase through cellular Ca(2+) increase in Vero cells

We examined whether the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is involved in Shiga toxin (Stx)-induced Vero cell injury. Consonant with cell injury, Stx caused a transient extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and a sustained p38 MAPK phosphorylation. p38 MAPK inhibitors (SB 203580 and PD 169316), but not an ERK1/2 kinase inhibitor (PD 98059), partially inhibited the Stx-induced cell death. BAPTA-AM, a Ca(2+) chelator, reduced both cell injury and p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Antioxidants reduced Stx1-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation. These data indicate that Stx activates p38 MAPK through an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) and reactive oxygen species, and this signaling is involved in Stx-induced cell death.     

Dietary antioxidants protect hematopoietic cells and improve animal survival after total-body irradiation

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a dietary supplement consisting of L-selenomethionine, vitamin C, vitamin E succinate, alpha-lipoic acid and N-acetyl cysteine could improve the survival of mice after total-body irradiation. Antioxidants significantly increased the 30-day survival of mice after exposure to a potentially lethal dose of X rays when given prior to or after animal irradiation. Pretreatment of animals with antioxidants resulted in significantly higher total white blood cell and neutrophil counts in peripheral blood at 4 and 24 h after 1 Gy and 8 Gy. Antioxidants were effective in preventing peripheral lymphopenia only after low-dose irradiation. Antioxidant supplementation was also associated with increased bone marrow cell counts after irradiation. Supplementation with antioxidants was associated with increased Bcl2 and decreased Bax, caspase 9 and TGF-beta1 mRNA expression in the bone marrow after irradiation. Maintenance of the antioxidant diet was associated with improved recovery of the bone marrow after sublethal or potentially lethal irradiation. Taken together, oral supplementation with antioxidants appears to be an effective approach for radioprotection of hematopoietic cells and improvement of animal survival, and modulation of apoptosis is implicated as a mechanism for the radioprotection of the hematopoietic system by antioxidants.     

Mitogenic signaling mediated by oxidants in retinol treated sertoli cells

Recent intervention studies revealed that supplementation with retinoids resulted in a higher incidence of lung cancer. Recently the causal mechanism has begun to be clarified. We report here that retinol-induced oxidative stress is accompanied by cellular proliferation. Retinol (7 μM) significantly induced thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) formation, which was inhibited by trolox, superoxide dismutase, N-acetylcysteine and ethanol. This was accompanied by an increase in DNA synthesis and focus formation in cultured rat Sertoli cells. Antioxidants and ethanol inhibited retinol-induced DNA synthesis. Our findings suggest that retinol-induced oxidative stress was associated with cellular proliferation complementing our understanding of the significance of retinol supplementation in neoplastic transformation.     

Measuring circulating antioxidants in wild birds

Antioxidants protect against free radical damage, which is associated with various age-related pathologies. Antioxidants are also an important buffer against the respiratory burst of the immune system. This protection presumably has costs and therefore might underlie important life-history trade-offs. Studying such trade-offs in a comparative context requires field-applicable methods for assessing antioxidant capacity in wild animals. Here, we present modifications to a simple spectrophotometric assay (the TEAC or TAS assay) that can be applied to miniscule amounts of blood plasma to determine circulating antioxidant capacity. Additionally, uric acid, the most abundant circulating antioxidant, should be measured independently. Uric acid in birds is derived from amino acid catabolism, perhaps incidentally to its antioxidant function. The assay was validated in experimental studies on chickens showing effects of diet on antioxidant capacity, and in field measurements on 92 species of birds, which demonstrate substantial species differences in constitutive antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, most wild birds demonstrate a dramatic change in antioxidant capacity due to stress. These results show that this technique detects variation appropriate for both interspecific and intraspecific studies, and that antioxidants and uric acid change in response to conditions of interest to field ecologists, such as diet and stress.