Kalyani Amarnath

Copper accumulation and lipid oxidation precede inflammation and myelin lesions in N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate peripheral myelinopathy.

Dithiocarbamates have a wide spectrum of applications in industry, agriculture and medicine with new applications being actively investigated. One adverse effect of dithiocarbamates is the neurotoxicity observed in humans and experimental animals. Results from previous studies have suggested that dithiocarbamates elevate copper and promote lipid oxidation within myelin membranes. In the current study, copper levels, lipid oxidation, protein oxidative damage and markers of inflammation were monitored as a function of N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDC) exposure duration in an established model for DEDC-mediated myelinopathy in the rat. Intra-abdominal administration of DEDC was performed using osmotic pumps for periods of 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Metals in brain, liver and tibial nerve were measured using ICP-MS and lipid oxidation assessed through HPLC measurement of malondialdehyde in tibial nerve, and GC/MS measurement of F(2) isoprostanes in sciatic nerve. Protein oxidative injury of sciatic nerve proteins was evaluated through quantification of 4-hydroxynonenal protein adducts using immunoassay, and inflammation monitored by quantifying levels of IgGs and activated macrophages using immunoassay and immunohistochemistry methods, respectively. Changes in these parameters were then correlated to the onset of structural lesions, determined by light and electron microscopy, to delineate the temporal relationship of copper accumulation and oxidative stress in peripheral nerve to the onset of myelin lesions. The data provide evidence that DEDC mediates lipid oxidation and elevation of total copper in peripheral nerve well before myelin lesions or activated macrophages are evident. This relationship is consistent with copper-mediated oxidative stress contributing to the myelinopathy.

A simplified synthesis of the diastereomers of Levuglandin E2

Abstract We report a synthesis of Levuglandin E2, as a mixture of easily separable diastereomers (15‐E2‐isoketals). The key feature is the protection of its reactive aldehyde as dimethyl acetal, which is introduced with 2,2‐dimethoxyethanal and removed in minutes with Montmorillonite K‐10. The synthesis could be modified to the preparation of 15‐E2‐isoketals with stable isotopes or with radiolabels.

Nitrogen Substituent Polarity Influences Dithiocarbamate-Mediated Lipid Oxidation, Nerve Copper Accumulation, and Myelin Injury

Dithiocarbamates have a wide spectrum of applications in industry, agriculture, and medicine, with new applications being investigated. Past studies have suggested that the neurotoxicity of some dithiocarbamates may result from copper accumulation, protein oxidative damage, and lipid oxidation. The polarity of a dithiocarbamates nitrogen substituents influences the lipophilicity of the copper complexes that it generates and thus potentially determines its ability to promote copper accumulation within nerve and induce myelin injury. In the current study, a series of dithiocarbamate-copper complexes differing in their lipophilicity were evaluated for their relative abilities to promote lipid peroxidation determined by malondialdehyde levels generated in an ethyl arachidonate oil-in-water emulsion. In a second component of this study, rats were exposed to either N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate or sarcosine dithiocarbamate; both generated dithiocarbamate-copper complexes that were lipid- and water-soluble, respectively. Following the exposures, brain, tibial nerve, spinal cord, and liver tissue copper levels were measured by inductively coupled mass spectroscopy to assess the relative abilities of these two dithiocarbamates to promote copper accumulation. Peripheral nerve injury was evaluated using grip strengths, nerve conduction velocities, and morphologic changes at the light microscope level. Additionally, the protein expression levels of glutathione transferase alpha and heme-oxygenase-1 in nerve were determined, and the quantity of protein carbonyls was measured to assess levels of oxidative stress and injury. The data provided evidence that dithiocarbamate-copper complexes are redox active and that the ability of dithiocarbamate complexes to promote lipid peroxidation is correlated to the lipophilicity of the complex. Consistent with neurotoxicity requiring the formation of a lipid-soluble copper complex, significant increases in copper accumulation, oxidative stress, and myelin injury were produced by N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate but not by sarcosine dithiocarbamate.

5′-O-Alkylpyridoxamines: Lipophilic Analogues of Pyridoxamine Are Potent Scavengers of 1,2-Dicarbonyls

Pyridoxamine (PM) is a prospective drug for the treatment of diabetic complications. In order to make zwitterionic PM more lipophilic and improve its tissue distribution, PM derivatives containing medium length alkyl groups on the hydroxymethyl side chain were prepared. The synthesis of these alkylpyridoxamines (alkyl-PMs) starting from pyridoxine offers high yields and is amenable to bulk preparations. Interestingly, alkyl-PMs were found to react with methylglyoxal (MGO), a major toxic product of glucose metabolism and autoxidation, several orders of magnitude faster than PM. This suggests the formation of nonionic pyrido-1,3-oxazine as the key step in the reaction of PM with MGO. Since the primary target of MGO in proteins is the guanidine side chain of arginine, alkyl-PMs were shown to be more effective than PM in reducing the modification of N-α-benzoylarginine by MGO. Alkyl-PMs in the presence of MGO also protected the enzymatic activity of lysozyme that contains several arginine residues next to its active site. Alkyl-PMs can be expected to trap MGO and other toxic 1,2-carbonyl compounds more effectively than PM, especially in lipophilic tissue environments, thus protecting macromolecules from functional damage. This suggests potential therapeutic uses for alkyl-PMs in diabetes and other diseases characterized by the elevated levels of toxic dicarbonyl compounds.