Sandrine Derochette

Curcumin and resveratrol act by different ways on NADPH oxidase activity and reactive oxygen species produced by equine neutrophils.

In neutrophils (PMNs), superoxide anion (O2*-), the first reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced to kill pathogenic agents, is generated by NADPH oxidase, an enzymatic complex formed by the translocation of cytosolic subunits to the membrane flavocytochrome b558. In horses, excessive activation of PMNs is often associated with deadly pathologies and the modulation of their ROS production by acting on NADPH oxidase is a prime target to manage inflammation. We developed a cell-free assay to measure the activity of equine NADPH oxidase assembled in vitro, in order to test the effects of natural or synthetic compounds on the enzyme activity or assembly. The cell-free assay was validated with diphenyleneiodonium chloride and Gp91ds-tat, two inhibitors largely described for human NADPH oxidase. The anti-oxidant effects of curcumin and resveratrol at final concentration ranging from 10(-4) to 10(-6) M were studied on whole cells by chemiluminescence (CL) and by cell-free assay, in which the molecule was added before or after the enzyme assembly. The CL assay demonstrated that curcumin efficiently inhibited the O2(-) production and easily entered into PMNs or interacted with their membrane. Cell-free assay showed that curcumin acted on the reconstitution of NADPH oxidase even at 10(-5)M, while resveratrol appeared to be an O2*- scavenger rather than an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase activity, since it acted from outside the cell in CL and after the complex assembly in cell-free assay. By acting directly on NADPH oxidase, curcumin should be a good candidate for the treatment of acute or inflammatory diseases involving an excessive ROS production.

Intra- and extracellular antioxidant capacities of the new water-soluble form of curcumin (NDS27) on stimulated neutrophils and HL-60 cells

Phagocytic cells, especially neutrophils (PMNs) are specialized in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill pathogenic agents, but an excessive ROS production is associated with tissue damages and inflammatory diseases. Phagocytes are thus prime therapeutic targets to control inflammatory events associated to ROS production. Nowadays, there is a growing interest for the use of polyphenols to modulate the inflammatory response. The aim of this work was to study the antioxidant effect of NDS27, a highly water-soluble form of the polyphenolic molecule curcumin, on in vitro stimulated equine PMNs and human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). NDS27 was either pre-incubated with cells and eliminated before their activation (intracellular effect) or let in the medium (extracellular effect). Our results indicate that NDS27 significantly and dose-dependently (10(-6) M-10(-4) M) inhibited the ROS production in both cell types without affecting their viability. NDS27 was able to cross and interact with cell membrane, especially for HL-60 cells, while we observed a better intracellular antioxidant effect with PMNs. The activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) released by PMNs and HL-60 cells, was decreased by NDS27, but more efficiently for PMNs. These results suggested that the greater efficiency of NDS27 in PMNs is due to an inhibitory effect on cells which are more mature for ROS production, probably by targeting the enzymes implied in respiratory burst like MPO. The modulatory effect of NDS27 on the oxidant activity of cells involved in immune and inflammatory responses opens perspectives for a therapeutic control of pathologies with excessive inflammatory reactions.

An immunological method to combine the measurement of active and total myeloperoxidase on the same biological fluid, and its application in finding inhibitors which interact directly with the enzyme

Abstract Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a pro-oxidant enzyme involved in inflammation, and the measurement of its activity in biological samples has emerged essential for laboratory and clinical investigations. We will describe a new method which combines the SIEFED (specific immunological extraction followed by enzymatic detection) and ELISA (ELISAcb) techniques to measure the active and total amounts of MPO on the same human sample and with the same calibration curve, as well as to define an accurate ratio between both the active and total forms of the enzyme. The SIEFED/ELISAcb method consists of the MPO extraction from aqueous or biological samples by immobilized anti-MPO antibodies coated onto microplate wells. After a washing step to eliminate unbound material, the activity of MPO is measured in situ by adding a reaction solution (SIEFED). Following aspiration of the reaction solution, a secondary anti-MPO antibody is added into the wells and the ELISAcb test is carried out in order to measure the total MPO content. To validate the combined method, a comparison was made with SIEFED and ELISA experiments performed separately on plasma samples isolated from human whole blood, after a neutrophil stimulation. The SIEFED/ELISAcb provides a suitable tool for the measurement of specific MPO activity in biological fluids and for the estimation of the inhibitory potential of a fluid. The method can also be used as a pharmacological tool to make the distinction between a catalytic inhibitor, which binds to MPO and inhibits its activity, and a steric inhibitor, which hinders the enzyme and prevents its immunodetection.

Effect of myeloperoxidase and anoxia/reoxygenation on mitochondrial respiratory function of cultured primary equine skeletal myoblasts

Horses are particularly sensitive to excessive inflammatory reaction where myeloperoxidase, a marker of inflammation, may contribute to mitochondrial dysfunctions. This study investigated the interaction between myeloperoxidase and cultured primary equine skeletal myoblasts, particularly its effect on mitochondrial respiration combined or not with anoxia followed by reoxygenation (AR). We showed that active myeloperoxidase entered into the cells, interacted with mitochondria and decreased routine and maximal respirations. When combined with AR, myeloperoxidase caused a further decrease of these respiratory parameters while the leak increased. Our results indicate that myeloperoxidase amplifies the mitochondrial damages initiated by AR phenomenon and alters the mitochondrial function.

NDS27 combines the effect of curcumin lysinate and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin to inhibit equine PKCδ and NADPH oxidase involved in the oxidative burst of neutrophils

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are involved in host defence against infections by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but excessive PMN stimulation is associated with the development of inflammatory diseases. After appropriate stimuli, protein kinase C (PKC) triggers the assembly of NADPH oxidase (Nox2) which produces superoxide anion (O2 −), from which ROS derive. The therapeutic use of polyphenols is proposed to lower ROS production by limiting Nox2 and PKC activities. The purpose of this study was to compare the antioxidant effect of NDS27 and NDS28, two water‐soluble forms of curcumin lysinate respectively complexed with hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HPβCD) and γ‐cyclodextrin (γ‐CD), on the activity of Nox2 and PKCδ, involved in the Nox2 activation pathway. Our results, showed that NDS27 is the best inhibitor for Nox2 and PKCδ. This was illustrated by the combined effect of HPβCD and curcumin lysinate: HPβCD, but not γ‐CD, improved the release of curcumin lysinate and its exchange against lipid or cholesterol as demonstrated by the lipid colouration with Oil Red O, the extraction of radical lipophilic probes recorded by ESR and the HPLC measurements of curcumin. HPβCD not only solubilised and transported curcumin, but also indirectly enhanced its action on both PKC and Nox2 activities. The modulatory effect of NDS27 on the Nox2 activation pathway of neutrophils may open therapeutic perspectives for the control of pathologies with excessive inflammatory reactions.

Effect of different kinds of anoxia/reoxygenation on the mitochondrial function and the free radicals production of cultured primary equine skeletal myoblasts.

Horses are outstanding athletes, performing in many different disciplines involving different kinds of efforts and metabolic responses. Depending on exercise intensity, their skeletal muscle oxygenation decreases, and the reperfusion at cessation of the exercise can cause excessive production of free radicals. This study on cultured primary equine myoblasts investigated the effect of different kinds of anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) on routine respiration, mitochondrial complex I specific activity and free radicals production. Our data revealed that short cycles of A/R caused a decrease of all the parameters, opposite to what a single long period of anoxia did. A preconditioning-like effect could explain our first pattern of results whereas mild uncoupling could be more appropriate for the second one. Anyway, it seems that mitochondrial complex I could play a major role in the regulation of the balance between metabolic and antioxidant protection of the muscular function of athletic horses.

Clinical significance of active myeloperoxidase in carotid atherosclerotic plaques.

Assessment of vulnerable carotid artery plaques is a majorunresolved issue. Patients presenting unstable angina have evidenceof unstable carotid artery plaque [1] suggesting systemic vascularvulnerability [2].Neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a powerful producer ofoxidant molecule [3]. MPO level is higher in patients with coronaryartery disease and in patients undergoing percutaneous coronaryintervention for unstable coronary syndrome compared to stablepatients [4,5], carrying predictive value of adverse outcome [6].MPO levels measured by immunological methods (ELISA or RIA)quantify the total concentration of the enzyme without providing itsenzymatic activity [7]. MPO activity is currently measured byspectrophotometry or fluorimetry [8,9]. However, these methodsare not applicable to complex biological samples such as humantissue. We recently developed a new technique, the SIEFED (SpecificImmunological Extraction Followed by Enzymatic Detection) tomeasure the activity of the enzyme in biological fluids and developedit for equine MPO and thereafter for human use [10,11]. The aims ofthis study were to assess the presence of the active form of MPO inhuman carotid atherosclerotic lesions, to compare active MPO withtotal MPO, and to assess the potential significance of total and/oractive MPO by comparing their levels in symptomatic and asymp-tomtic patients.We prospectively collected 90 carotid artery plaque specimensobtained by surgical thrombo-endarteriectomy according to theNASCET criteria [12].Carotid atherosclerotic plaques were surgically collected andrinsed with 0.9% NaCl solution before freezing at −20 °C. Methodol-ogy and validation of SIEFED technique as well as ELISA method havebeen previously described [7,10,11]. The activity of the total MPOexpressed in ng/mL was reported to the total protein concentration(mg/mL) measured in the supernatant of carotid extracts using the