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CATECHOLAMINES OXIDATION BY XANTHINE OXIDASE

Dopamine and structurally related catecholamines in the presence of hydrogen peroxide are oxidized in vitro by xanthine oxidase producing the corresponding melanin pigments. The kinetic parameters of the reaction, measured as aminochrome formation, have been calculated. The rate of peroxidation depends on enzyme and hydrogen peroxide concentration. The optimum pH for the peroxidative activity of the enzyme is around 8.5. Activation of the peroxidative reaction is also elicited by catechol compounds through a redox cycle mechanism. Implications about the possible biochemical relevance of xanthine oxidase activity on catecholamines oxidation are discussed.

Antioxidants in cervical cancer: Chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects of polyphenols

Cervical cancer lesions are a major threat to the health of women, representing the second most common cancer worldwide. The unanimously recognized etiological factor in the causation of cervical cancer is the infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV infection, although necessary, is not per se sufficient to induce cancer. Other factors have to be involved in the progression of infected cells to the full neoplastic phenotype. Oxidative stress represents an interesting and under-explored candidate as a promoting factor in HPV-initiated carcinogenesis. Oxidative stress is known to perturb the cellular redox status thus leading to alteration of gene expression responses through the activation of several redox-sensitive transcription factors. This signaling cascade affects both cell growth and cell death. The ability of naturally occurring antioxidants to modulate cellular signal transduction pathways, through the activation/repression of multiple redox-sensitive transcription factors, has been claimed for their potential therapeutic use as chemopreventive agents. Among these compounds, polyphenols have been found to be promising agents toward cervical cancer. In addition to acting as antioxidants, polyphenols display a wide variety of biological function including induction of apoptosis, growth arrest, inhibition of DNA synthesis and modulation of signal transduction pathways. They can interfere with each stage of carcinogenesis initiation, promotion and progression to prevent cancer development. The present review discusses current knowledge of the major molecular pathways, which are involved in HPV-driven cancerogenesis, and the ability of polyphenols to modulate these pathways. By acting at specific steps of viral transformation cascade, polyphenols have been demonstrated to selectively inhibit tumor cell growth and may be a promising therapeutic tool for treatment of cervical cancer. In addition, recent results obtained in clinical trials using polyphenols are also discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antioxidants and Antioxidant Treatment in Disease.

Oxidative stress occurs early in Down syndrome pregnancy: A redox proteomics analysis of amniotic fluid

Purpose: The present study aims to evaluate a set of oxidative stress biomarkers in the amniotic fluid (AF) of women carrying Down syndrome (DS) fetuses that could prove in vivo the early occurrence of oxidative damage in DS.

Tyrosinase protects human melanocytes from ROS-generating compounds

The effects of two tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQs), tetrahydropapaveroline (THP) and salsolinol (SAL), on human primary melanocytes were studied. These compounds are naturally occurring alkaloids deriving from the condensation of dopamine with aldehydes. The effects on the viability were studied by treating the cells with variable concentration of THP or SAL; both TIQs were well tolerated up to roughly 30 micro M. At higher concentrations, THP became overtly toxic while SAL showed no cytotoxic effect up to 100 micro M. TIQs treatment determined an impairment of intracellular activity of antioxidant enzymes, like SOD, DT-diaphorase, and glutathione peroxidase. A decrease of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity was also evidenced following TIQs treatment; a very strong diminution was found in THP-treated cells, whose viability was highly decreased. Both TIQs increased tyrosinase-specific mRNA transcription followed, in the case of SAL, by an activation of tyrosinase. In the presence of tyrosinase inhibitors TIQs treatment resulted in a sharp cytotoxic effect even at concentrations normally well tolerated. Taken together these data suggest that tyrosinase represents an outstanding protective mechanism against ROS-generating compounds, once primary detoxifying mechanisms are impaired or not available.

Oxidative Stress in HPV-Driven Viral Carcinogenesis: Redox Proteomics Analysis of HPV-16 Dysplastic and Neoplastic Tissues

Genital infection by high risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV), although recognized as the main etio-pathogenetic factor of cervical cancer, is not per se sufficient to induce tumour development. Oxidative stress (OS) represents an interesting and under-explored candidate as a promoting factor in HPV-initiated carcinogenesis. To gain insight into the role of OS in cervical cancer, HPV-16 positive tissues were collected from patients with invasive squamous cervical carcinoma, from patients with High Grade dysplastic HPV lesions and from patients with no clinical evidence of HPV lesions. After virological characterization, modulation of proteins involved in the redox status regulation was investigated. ERp57 and GST were sharply elevated in dysplastic and neoplastic tissues. TrxR2 peaked in dysplastic samples while iNOS was progressively reduced in dysplastic and neoplastic samples. By redox proteomic approach, five proteins were found to have increased levels of carbonyls in dysplastic samples respect to controls namely: cytokeratin 6, actin, cornulin, retinal dehydrogenase and GAPDH. In carcinoma samples the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase A, ERp57, serpin B3, Annexin 2 and GAPDH were found less oxidized than in dysplastic tissues. HPV16 neoplastic progression seems associated with increased oxidant environment. In dysplastic tissues the oxidative modification of DNA and proteins involved in cell morphogenesis and terminal differentiation may provide the conditions for the neoplastic progression. Conversely cancer tissues seem to attain an improved control on oxidative damage as shown by the selective reduction of carbonyl adducts on key detoxifying/pro-survival proteins.

Effects of UVB-induced oxidative stress on protein expression and specific protein oxidation in normal human epithelial keratinocytes: A proteomic approach

BackgroundThe UVB component of solar ultraviolet irradiation is one of the major risk factors for the development of skin cancer in humans. UVB exposure elicits an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are responsible for oxidative damage to proteins, DNA, RNA and lipids. In order to examine the biological impact of UVB irradiation on skin cells, we used a parallel proteomics approach to analyze the protein expression profile and to identify oxidatively modified proteins in normal human epithelial keratinocytes.ResultsThe expression levels of fifteen proteins - involved in maintaining the cytoskeleton integrity, removal of damaged proteins and heat shock response - were differentially regulated in UVB-exposed cells, indicating that an appropriate response is developed in order to counteract/neutralize the toxic effects of UVB-raised ROS. On the other side, the redox proteomics approach revealed that seven proteins - involved in cellular adhesion, cell-cell interaction and protein folding - were selectively oxidized.ConclusionsDespite a wide and well orchestrated cellular response, a relevant oxidation of specific proteins concomitantly occurs in UVB-irradiated human epithelial Keratinocytes. These modified (i.e. likely dysfunctional) proteins might result in cell homeostasis impairment and therefore eventually promote cellular degeneration, senescence or carcinogenesis.

LIPOXYGENASE/H2O2-CATALYZED OXIDATION OF DIHYDROXYINDOLES : SYNTHESIS OF MELANIN PIGMENTS AND STUDY OF THEIR ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

5,6-Dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA), which are important intermediates in melanogenesis, can be converted into the corresponding melanin pigments by the action of the lipoxygenase/H2O2 system. Kinetic and HPLC analyses indicate that both DHI and DHICA are good substrates for this enzymatic system. Enzyme activity on both substrates was measured in comparison with peroxidase and tyrosinase; the oxidizing behaviour of lipoxygenase is more similar to that of peroxidase rather than that of tyrosinase. The antioxidant properties of DHI- and DHICA-melanins have been investigated in comparison with other kinds of melanins. DHICA-melanin shows a more pronounced antioxidant effect than that of DHI-melanin and this behaviour can be ascribed to the different structure and solubility of the two pigments. The mixed polymer synthesized from DHI and DHICA is the most effective one. Some implications about the possible explanation of the above mentioned behaviour are discussed.

Involvement of Oxidative Stress in Occurrence of Relapses in Multiple Sclerosis: The Spectrum of Oxidatively Modified Serum Proteins Detected by Proteomics and Redox Proteomics Analysis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Several evidences suggest that MS can be considered a multi-factorial disease in which both genetics and environmental factors are involved. Among proposed candidates, growing results support the involvement of oxidative stress (OS) in MS pathology. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of OS in event of exacerbations in MS on serum of relapsing-remitting (RR-MS) patients, either in relapsing or remitting phase, with respect to serum from healthy subjects. We applied proteomics and redox proteomics approaches to identify differently expressed and oxidatively modified proteins in the low-abundant serum protein fraction. Among differently expressed proteins ceruloplasmin, antithrombin III, clusterin, apolipoprotein E, and complement C3, were up-regulated in MS patients compared with healthy controls. Further by redox proteomics, vitamin D-binding protein showed a progressive trend of oxidation from remission to relapse, respect with controls. Similarly, the increase of oxidation of apolipoprotein A-IV confirmed that levels of OS are elevated with the progression of the disease. Our findings support the involvement of OS in MS and suggest that dysfunction of target proteins occurs upon oxidative damage and correlates with the pathology.

Melanins From Tetrahydroisoquinolines: Spectroscopic Characteristics, Scavenging Activity and Redox Transfer Properties

Tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQs) are endogenous compounds deriving from the nonenzymatic Pictet-Spengler condensation of catecholamines (CA) with aldehydes. TIQs have been extensively studied in the last years not only because they have been found in the brain of postmortem specimens of Parkinsons patients, but also because they are able to induce parkinsonian symptoms if injected in animals. In the present article we demonstrate that TIQs bearing a catecholic moiety (tetrahydropapaveroline, salsolinol, laudanosoline, and apomorphine) are easily oxidized in the presence of hydrogen peroxide by various enzymes--i.e., peroxidase (POD), lipoxygenase (LOX), and xanthine oxidase (XO)--into the corresponding TIQ-melanins. The kinetic parameters of the above-mentioned reactions and some spectroscopic characteristics of the synthetized pigments are reported. In particular, UV-VIS and EPR spectra emerge as very similar to those exhibited by dopa-melanin. Furthermore, TIQ-melanins appear to be similar to dopa-melanin regarding some specific physico-chemical properties: NADH-oxidizing properties, oxy-radicals scavenging activity, and ability to form soluble mixed polymers with melanins from opioid peptides.

Transamination of L-cystathionine and related compounds by a bovine liver enzyme. Possible identification with glutamine transaminase

A transaminase which catalyses the monodeamination of L-cystathionine was purified 1100-fold with a yield of 15% from bovine liver. The monoketoderivative of cystathionine spontaneously produces the cyclic ketimine. Other sulfur-containing amino acids related to cystathionine such as cystine, lanthionine and aminoethylcysteine were also substrates for the enzyme. The relative molecular mass of the enzyme was determined to be 94 000 with a probable dimeric structure formed of identical subunits. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was at pH 5.0 and the maximal enzymatic activity was found at pH 9.0--9.2. Kinetic parameters for cystathionine and for the other sulfur amino acids as well as for some alpha-keto acids were also determined. Among the natural amino acids tested, glutamine, methionine and histidine were the best amino donors. The enzyme exhibited maximal activity toward phenylpyruvate and alpha-keto-gamma-methiolbutyrate as amino acceptors. The broad specificity of the enzyme leads us to infer that the cystathionine transaminase is very similar or identical to glutamine transaminase.