Alexander Kollau

Contribution of aldehyde dehydrogenase to mitochondrial bioactivation of nitroglycerin: evidence for the activation of purified soluble guanylate cyclase through direct formation of nitric oxide

Vascular relaxation to GTN (nitroglycerin) and other antianginal nitrovasodilators requires bioactivation of the drugs to NO or a related activator of sGC (soluble guanylate cyclase). Conversion of GTN into 1,2-GDN (1,2-glycerol dinitrate) and nitrite by mitochondrial ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) may be an essential pathway of GTN bioactivation in blood vessels. In the present study, we characterized the profile of GTN biotransformation by purified human liver ALDH2 and rat liver mitochondria, and we used purified sGC as a sensitive detector of GTN bioactivity to examine whether ALDH2-catalysed nitrite formation is linked to sGC activation. In the presence of mitochondria, GTN activated sGC with an EC50 (half-maximally effective concentration) of 3.77+/-0.83 microM. The selective ALDH2 inhibitor, daidzin (0.1 mM), increased the EC50 of GTN to 7.47+/-0.93 microM. Lack of effect of the mitochondrial poisons, rotenone and myxothiazol, suggested that nitrite reduction by components of the respiratory chain is not essential to sGC activation. However, since co-incubation of sGC with purified ALDH2 led to significant stimulation of cGMP formation by GTN that was completely inhibited by 0.1 mM daidzin and NO scavengers, ALDH2 may convert GTN directly into NO or a related species. Studies with rat aortic rings suggested that ALDH2 contributes to GTN bioactivation and showed that maximal relaxation to GTN occurred at cGMP levels that were only 3.4% of the maximal levels obtained with NO. Comparison of sGC activation in the presence of mitochondria with cGMP accumulation in rat aorta revealed a slightly higher potency of GTN to activate sGC in vitro compared with blood vessels. Our results suggest that ALDH2 catalyses the mitochondrial bioactivation of GTN by the formation of a reactive NO-related intermediate that activates sGC. In addition, the previous conflicting notion of the existence of a high-affinity GTN-metabolizing pathway operating in intact blood vessels but not in tissue homogenates is explained.

Bioactivation of Nitroglycerin by Purified Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Aldehyde Dehydrogenases

Metabolism of nitroglycerin (GTN) to 1,2-glycerol dinitrate (GDN) and nitrite by mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) is essentially involved in GTN bioactivation resulting in cyclic GMP-mediated vascular relaxation. The link between nitrite formation and activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is still unclear. To test the hypothesis that the ALDH2 reaction is sufficient for GTN bioactivation, we measured GTN-induced formation of cGMP by purified sGC in the presence of purified ALDH2 and used a Clark-type electrode to probe for nitric oxide (NO) formation. In addition, we studied whether GTN bioactivation is a specific feature of ALDH2 or is also catalyzed by the cytosolic isoform (ALDH1). Purified ALDH1 and ALDH2 metabolized GTN to 1,2- and 1,3-GDN with predominant formation of the 1,2-isomer that was inhibited by chloral hydrate (ALDH1 and ALDH2) and daidzin (ALDH2). GTN had no effect on sGC activity in the presence of bovine serum albumin but caused pronounced cGMP accumulation in the presence of ALDH1 or ALDH2. The effects of the ALDH isoforms were dependent on the amount of added protein and, like 1,2-GDN formation, were sensitive to ALDH inhibitors. GTN caused biphasic sGC activation with apparent EC50 values of 42 ± 2.9 and 3.1 ± 0.4 μm in the presence of ALDH1 and ALDH2, respectively. Incubation of ALDH1 or ALDH2 with GTN resulted in sustained, chloral hydrate-sensitive formation of NO. These data may explain the coupling of ALDH2-catalyzed GTN metabolism to sGC activation in vascular smooth muscle.

Mitochondrial nitrite reduction coupled to soluble guanylate cyclase activation: Lack of evidence for a role in the bioactivation of nitroglycerin

Reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide (NO) by components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain may link nitroglycerin biotransformation by mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) to activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). We used purified sGC as detector for NO-like bioactivity generated from nitrite and GTN by isolated heart and liver mitochondria. Exogenous NADH caused a pronounced increase in oxygen consumption that was completely inhibited by myxothiazol and cyanide. Oxygen depletion of cardiac mitochondria by NADH was accompanied by activation of sGC and cyanide-sensitive formation of NO. Mitochondrial biotransformation of nitroglycerin was sensitive to ALDH2 inhibitors and coupled to sGC activation but not affected by respiratory substrates or inhibitors. Our data suggest that cytochrome c oxidase catalyzes reduction of nitrite to NO at low O(2) tension but argue against the involvement of this pathway in mitochondrial bioactivation of nitroglycerin.

Effects of nitroglycerin/L-cysteine on soluble guanylate cyclase: evidence for an activation/inactivation equilibrium controlled by nitric oxide binding and haem oxidation.

GTN (nitroglycerin; glycerol trinitrate) causes dilation of blood vessels via activation of nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive sGC (soluble guanylate cyclase), a heterodimeric haem protein that catalyses the conversion of GTP into cGMP. Activation of sGC by GTN requires enzymatic or non-enzymatic bioactivation of the nitrate. Based on insufficient NO release and lack of spectroscopic evidence for formation of NO-sGC, the cysteine (Cys)-dependent activation of sGC by GTN was proposed to occur in an NO-independent manner. This extraordinary claim is questioned by the present findings. First, the effect of GTN/Cys was blocked by the NO scavenger oxyhaemoglobin, the superoxide-generating compound flavin mononucleotide and the haem-site sGC inhibitor ODQ (1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one). Secondly, at equi-effective concentrations, GTN/Cys and the NO donor 2,2-diethyl-1-nitroso-oxyhydrazine released identical amounts of NO. Finally, at sufficiently high rates of NO release, activation of sGC by GTN/Cys was accompanied by a shift of the Soret band from 431 to 399 nm, indicating formation of NO-sGC. In the absence of Cys, GTN caused haem oxidation, apparent as a shift of the Soret band to 392 nm, which was accompanied by inactivation of the NO-stimulated enzyme. These results suggest that the effect of GTN/Cys is the result of an activation/inactivation equilibrium that is controlled by the rate of NO release and haem oxidation.

Bioactivation of nitroglycerin by ascorbate.

Bioactivation of nitroglycerin (GTN) into an activator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) is essential for the vasorelaxant effect of the drug. Besides several enzymes that catalyze GTN bioactivation, the reaction with cysteine is the sole nonenzymatic mechanism known so far. Here we show that a reaction with ascorbate results in GTN bioactivation. In the absence of ascorbate, GTN did not affect the activity of purified sGC. However, the enzyme was activated to ∼20% of maximal NO-stimulated activity by GTN in the presence of 10 mM ascorbate with an EC50 value of 27.3 ± 4.9 μM GTN. The EC50 value of ascorbate was 0.11 ± 0.011 mM. Activation of sGC was sensitive to oxyhemoglobin, superoxide, and a heme-site enzyme inhibitor. GTN had no effect when ascorbate was replaced by 1000 U of superoxide dismutase per milliliter. Ascorbate is known to reduce inorganic nitrite to NO. In the presence of 10 mM ascorbate, ∼30 μM nitrite caused the same increase in sGC activity as 0.3 mM GTN. Determination of ascorbate-driven 1,2- and 1,3-glycerol dinitrate formation indicated that a 140 nM concentration of products was generated from 0.3 mM GTN within 10 min, excluding nitrite as a relevant intermediate. Our results suggest that a reaction between GTN and ascorbate or an ascorbate-derived species yields an activator of sGC with NO-like chemical properties. This reaction may contribute to GTN bioactivation in blood vessels under conditions of GTN tolerance and ascorbate supplementation.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase-independent bioactivation of nitroglycerin in porcine and bovine blood vessels

Graphical abstract

Scavenging of nitric oxide by hemoglobin in the tunica media of porcine coronary arteries.

Scavenging of nitric oxide (NO) often interferes with studies on NO signaling in cell-free preparations. We observed that formation of cGMP by NO-stimulated purified soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) was virtually abolished in the presence of cytosolic preparations of porcine coronary arteries, with the scavenging activity localized in the tunica media (smooth muscle layer). Electrochemical measurement of NO release from a donor compound and light absorbance spectroscopy showed that cytosolic preparations contained a reduced heme protein that scavenged NO. This protein, which reacted with anti-human hemoglobin antibodies, was efficiently removed from the preparations by haptoglobin affinity chromatography. The cleared cytosols showed only minor scavenging of NO according to electrochemical measurements and did not decrease cGMP formation by NO-stimulated sGC. In contrast, the column flow-through caused a nearly 2-fold increase of maximal sGC activity (from 33.1 ± 1.6 to 54.9 ± 2.2 μmol × min−1 × mg−1). The proteins retained on the affinity column were identified as hemoglobin α and β subunits. The results indicate that hemoglobin, presumably derived from vasa vasorum erythrocytes, is present and scavenges NO in preparations of porcine coronary artery smooth muscle. Selective removal of hemoglobin-mediated scavenging unmasked stimulation of maximal NO-stimulated sGC activity by a soluble factor expressed in vascular tissue.

Sustained Formation of Nitroglycerin-Derived Nitric Oxide by Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 in Vascular Smooth Muscle Without Added Reductants. Implications for the Development of Nitrate Tolerance

According to current views, oxidation of aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) during glyceryltrinitrate (GTN) biotransformation is essentially involved in vascular nitrate tolerance and explains the dependence of this reaction on added thiols. Using a novel fluorescent intracellular nitric oxide (NO) probe expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), we observed ALDH2-catalyzed formation of NO from GTN in the presence of exogenously added dithiothreitol (DTT), whereas only a short burst of NO, corresponding to a single turnover of ALDH2, occurred in the absence of DTT. This short burst of NO associated with oxidation of the reactive C302 residue in the active site was followed by formation of low-nanomolar NO, even without added DTT, indicating slow recovery of ALDH2 activity by an endogenous reductant. In addition to the thiol-reversible oxidation of ALDH2, thiol-refractive inactivation was observed, particularly under high-turnover conditions. Organ bath experiments with rat aortas showed that relaxation by GTN lasted longer than that caused by the NO donor diethylamine/NONOate, in line with the long-lasting nanomolar NO generation from GTN observed in VSMCs. Our results suggest that an endogenous reductant with low efficiency allows sustained generation of GTN-derived NO in the low-nanomolar range that is sufficient for vascular relaxation. On a longer time scale, mechanism-based, thiol-refractive irreversible inactivation of ALDH2, and possibly depletion of the endogenous reductant, will render blood vessels tolerant to GTN. Accordingly, full reactivation of oxidized ALDH2 may not occur in vivo and may not be necessary to explain GTN-induced vasodilation.

Modulation of nitric oxide-stimulated soluble guanylyl cyclase activity by cytoskeleton-associated proteins in vascular smooth muscle

Graphical abstract Figure. No Caption available. Abstract Soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC, EC 4.6.1.2) is a key enzyme in the regulation of vascular tone. In view of the therapeutic interest of the NO/cGMP pathway, drugs were developed that either increase the NO sensitivity of the enzyme or activate heme‐free apo‐sGC. However, modulation of sGC activity by endogenous agents is poorly understood. In the present study we show that the maximal activity of NO‐stimulated purified sGC is significantly increased by cytosolic preparations of porcine coronary arteries. Purification of the active principle by several chromatographic steps resulted in a protein mixture consisting of 100, 70, and 40 kDa bands on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The respective proteins were identified by LC‐MS/MS as gelsolin, annexin A6, and actin, respectively. Further purification resulted in loss of activity, indicating an interaction of sGC with a protein complex rather than a single protein. The partially purified preparation had no effect on basal sGC activity or enzyme activation by the heme mimetic BAY 60‐2770, suggesting a specific effect on the conformation of the NO‐bound heterodimeric holoenzyme. Since the three proteins identified are all related to contractile elements of smooth muscle, our data suggest that regulation of vascular tone involves a modulatory interaction of sGC with the cytoskeleton.

Activation of soluble guanylate cyclase in the presence of purified human aldehyde dehydrogenases

Since we found no link between ALDH2-catalyzed GTN metabolism and mitochondrial nitrite reduction (Kollau A., Beretta M. & Mayer B.; unpublished), we investigated the possibility that an activator of sGC is produced directly in the course of ALDH2 reaction by co-incubation of purified human ALDH2 with purified sGC in the presence of GTN. In the absence of ALDH2, GTN had no effect on sGC activity (0.28 ± 0.07 μmol/mg/min). In the presence of 25 μg of ALDH2 there was a biphasic stimulation of cGMP formation with an EC50 (half-maximally effective concentration) of ~1 μM GTN and a maximum at 10 μM GTN (1.66 ± 0.22 μmol/mg/min). The effect of ALDH2 was dependent on the protein concentration, with a linear increase from 1 to 100 μg (2.10 ± 0.23 μmol/ mg/min) and saturation between 100 and 250 μg of ALDH2. ALDH2-dependent sGC activation was inhibited by 1 mM chloral hydrate (41.5% of control) and by 100 μM daidzin (18.9% of control). The effect of ALDH2 on cGMP formation was almost completely inhibited by the NO scavenger oxy-haemoglobin, the superoxide generator flavin adenine dinucleotide, and the heme site sGC inhibitor ODQ (0.1 mM, each).