Yoshichika Kawai

Macrophage as a Target of Quercetin Glucuronides in Human Atherosclerotic Arteries IMPLICATION IN THE ANTI-ATHEROSCLEROTIC MECHANISM OF DIETARY FLAVONOIDS

Epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of flavonoid-rich diets decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, the target sites of flavonoids underlying the protective mechanism in vivo are not known. Quercetin represents antioxidative/anti-inflammatory flavonoids widely distributed in the human diet. In this study, we raised a novel monoclonal antibody 14A2 targeting the quercetin-3-glucuronide (Q3GA), a major antioxidative quercetin metabolite in human plasma, and found that the activated macrophage might be a potential target of dietary flavonoids in the aorta. Immunohistochemical studies with monoclonal antibody 14A2 demonstrated that the positive staining specifically accumulates in human atherosclerotic lesions, but not in the normal aorta, and that the intense staining was primarily associated with the macrophage-derived foam cells. In vitro experiments with murine macrophage cell lines showed that the Q3GA was significantly taken up and deconjugated into the much more active aglycone, a part of which was further converted to the methylated form, in the activated macrophages. In addition, the mRNA expression of the class A scavenger receptor and CD36, which play an important role for the formation of foam cells, was suppressed by the treatment of Q3GA. These results suggest that injured/inflamed arteries with activated macrophages are the potential targets of the metabolites of dietary quercetin. Our data provide a new insight into the bioavailability of dietary flavonoids and the mechanism for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Atg7 modulates p53 activity to regulate cell cycle and survival during metabolic stress

Starvation and Autophagy Starvation stimulates withdrawal from the cell cycle, as well as stimulating autophagy. Are these two events connected? Lee et al. (p. 225) show a direct and nutrient-sensitive interaction between the tumor suppressor p53 and the essential autophagy gene Atg7. Further, in the absence of Atg7, the p53-dependent induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 is inhibited. This leads to Atg7-deficient cells being unable to properly withdraw from the cell cycle under starved conditions. While Atg7 deletion leads to an impairment of p53-mediated cell-cycle arrest, the Atg7-deficient cells hyperactivate p53-mediated cell-death pathways. The physiological importance of this hyperactivation is underscored by the observation that genetic blocking of p53-mediated cell death significantly extended neonatal survival of mice in which Atg7 had been deleted. When the autophagy protein tg7 is absent, nutrient withdrawal does not stop the cell cycle. Withdrawal of nutrients triggers an exit from the cell division cycle, the induction of autophagy, and eventually the activation of cell death pathways. The relation, if any, among these events is not well characterized. We found that starved mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking the essential autophagy gene product Atg7 failed to undergo cell cycle arrest. Independent of its E1-like enzymatic activity, Atg7 could bind to the tumor suppressor p53 to regulate the transcription of the gene encoding the cell cycle inhibitor p21CDKN1A. With prolonged metabolic stress, the absence of Atg7 resulted in augmented DNA damage with increased p53-dependent apoptosis. Inhibition of the DNA damage response by deletion of the protein kinase Chk2 partially rescued postnatal lethality in Atg7−/− mice. Thus, when nutrients are limited, Atg7 regulates p53-dependent cell cycle and cell death pathways.

Accumulation of orally administered quercetin in brain tissue and its antioxidative effects in rats

Quercetin is widely distributed in vegetables and herbs and has been suggested to act as a neuroprotective agent. Here, we demonstrate that quercetin can accumulate enough to exert biological activity in rat brain tissues. Homogenates of perfused rat brain without detectable hemoglobin contaminants were treated with β-glucuronidase/sulfatase and the released quercetin and its methylated form were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with three different detection methods. Both quercetin and the methylated form were detected in the brain of quercetin-administered rats using HPLC-UV and HPLC with electrochemical detection and were further identified using HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry. Oral administration of quercetin (50mg/kg body wt) attenuated the increased oxidative stress in the hippocampus and striatum of rats exposed to chronic forced swimming. The possible transport of quercetin derivatives into the brain tissue was reproduced in vitro by using a rat brain capillary endothelial cell line, a model of the blood-brain barrier. These results show that quercetin could be a potent nutrient that can access the brain and protect it from disorders associated with oxidative stress.

The hydrogen peroxide/copper ion system, but not other metal-catalyzed oxidation systems, produces protein-bound dityrosine

Dityrosine formation leads to the cross-linking of proteins intra- or intermolecularly. The formation of dityrosine in lens proteins oxidized by metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO) systems was estimated by chemical and immunochemical methods. Among the four MCO systems examined (H(2)O(2)/Cu, H(2)O(2)/Fe-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Fe-EDTA), ascorbate/Cu, ascorbate/Fe-EDTA), the treatment with H(2)O(2)/Cu preferentially caused dityrosine formation in the lens proteins. The success of oxidative protein modification with all the MCO systems was confirmed by carbonyl formation estimated using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. The loss of tyrosine by the MCO systems was partly due to the formation of protein-bound 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. The formation of dityrosine specific to H(2)O(2)/Cu was confirmed by using poly-(Glu, Ala, Tyr) and N-acetyl-tyrosine as a substrate. The dissolved oxygen concentration in the H(2)O(2)/Cu system hardly affected the amount of dityrosine formation, suggesting that dityrosine generation by the H(2)O(2)/Cu system is independent of oxygen concentration. Moreover, the combination of copper ion with H(2)O(2) is the most effective system for dityrosine formation among various metal ions examined. The addition of reducing agents, glutathione or ascorbic acid, into the H(2)O(2)/Cu system suppressed the generation of the dityrosine moiety, suggesting effective quench of tyrosyl radicals by the reducing agents.

Identification of a Lipid Peroxidation Product as a Potential Trigger of the p53 Pathway

The tumor suppressor and transcription factor p53 is a key modulator of cellular stress responses, and activation of p53 can trigger apoptosis in many cell types, including neurons. We found that this nuclear protein was significantly phosphorylated when human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to in vitro oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids. To identify an oxidized lipid that induces p53 phosphorylation, we conducted a screening of lipid peroxidation products in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and identified 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE), a recently identified aldehyde originating from the peroxidation of ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as a potential inducer of the p53 phosphorylation. We also found that ONE induced the phosphorylation of ataxia telangiectasia-mutated, which plays an essential role in transmitting DNA damage signals by the phosphorylation of p53. In addition, exposure of the cells to ONE resulted in an accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and in a significant inhibition of proteasome activities, suggesting that ONE acted on the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, a regulatory mechanism of p53 turnover. In addition, the observation that the ONE-induced p53 response was associated with the induction of apoptosis suggested that ONE activated the p53-dependent apoptosis mechanism via activation of the p53 signaling pathway and down-regulation of the p53 turnover. Finally, we observed that the ONE-2′-deoxyguanosine adduct, 7-(2-oxo-heptyl)-substituted 1,N2-etheno-2′-deoxyguanosine, was accumulated in the spinal cord motor neurons of patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These data may suggest the potential critical role for ONE in the induction of a neuronal apoptosis program during oxidative processes.

Formation of Acrolein-derived 2′-Deoxyadenosine Adduct in an Iron-induced Carcinogenesis Model

Acrolein is a representative carcinogenic aldehyde found ubiquitously in the environment and formed endogenously through oxidation reactions, such as lipid peroxidation and myeloperoxidase-catalyzed amino acid oxidation. It shows facile reactivity toward DNA to form an exocyclic DNA adduct. To verify the formation of acrolein-derived DNA adduct under oxidative stress in vivo, we raised a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb21) against the acrolein-modified DNA and found that the antibody most significantly recognized an acrolein-modified 2′ -deoxyadenosine. On the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence, the major antigenic product of mAb21 was the 1,N6-propano-2′ -deoxyadenosine adduct. The exposure of rat liver epithelial RL34 cells to acrolein resulted in a significant accumulation of the acrolein-2′ -deoxyadenosine adduct in the nuclei. Formation of this adduct under oxidative stress in vivo was immunohistochemically examined in rats exposed to ferric nitrilotriacetate, a carcinogenic iron chelate that specifically induces oxidative stress in the kidneys of rodents. It was observed that the acrolein-2′ -deoxyadenosine adduct was formed in the nuclei of the proximal tubular cells, the target cells of this carcinogenesis model. The same cells were stained with a monoclonal antibody 5F6 that recognizes an acrolein-lysine adduct, by which cytosolic accumulation of acrolein-modified proteins appeared. Similar results were also obtained from myeloperoxidase knockout mice exposed to the iron complex, suggesting that the myeloperoxidase-catalyzed oxidation system might not be essential for the generation of acrolein in this experimental animal carcinogenesis model. The data obtained in this study suggest that the formation of a carcinogenic aldehyde through lipid peroxidation may be causally involved in the pathophysiological effects associated with oxidative stress.

(−)-Epicatechin gallate accumulates in foamy macrophages in human atherosclerotic aorta: Implication in the anti-atherosclerotic actions of tea catechins

The localization and target sites of tea catechins underlying their biological activity including anti-atherosclerotic activity have not yet been fully understood. To identify the target sites of catechins in vivo, we have developed a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb5A3) specific for (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECg), one of the major tea catechins. The immunoreactive materials with mAb5A3 were detected in the human atherosclerotic lesions but not in the normal aorta, and were specifically localized in the macrophage-derived foam cells. In vitro experiments using macrophage-like cell lines also showed the significant accumulation of ECg in the cells. We also demonstrated that ECg could suppress the gene expression of a scavenger receptor CD36, a key molecule for foam cell formation, in macrophage cells. These results, for the first time, showed the target site of a tea component ECg in the aorta and might provide a mechanism for the anti-atherosclerotic actions of the catechins.

Effect of a conjugated quercetin metabolite, quercetin 3-glucuronide, on lipid hydroperoxide-dependent formation of reactive oxygen species in differentiated PC-12 cells

To assess the efficacy of conjugated quercetin metabolites as attenuators for oxidative stress in the central nervous system, we measured the 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HPODE)-dependent formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells in the presence of quercetin 3-O-β-glucuronide (Q3GA) and related compounds. A 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin (DCFH) assay showed that Q3GA significantly suppressed the formation of ROS, when it was coincubated with 13-HPODE (coincubation system). However, it was less effective than quercetin aglycon in the concentration range from 0.5 to 10 μM. In an experiment in which the cells were incubated with the test compounds for 24 h before being exposed to 13-HPODE, Q3GA was also effective in suppressing the formation of ROS in spite that little Q3GA was taken up into the cells. These results suggest that antioxidative metabolites of quercetin are capable of protecting nerve cells from attack of lipid hydroperoxides.

Endogenous Formation of Novel Halogenated 2′-Deoxycytidine HYPOHALOUS ACID-MEDIATED DNA MODIFICATION AT THE SITE OF INFLAMMATION

A potential role of DNA damage by leukocyte-derived reactive species in carcinogenesis has been suggested. Leukocyte-derived peroxidases, such as myeloperoxidase and eosinophil peroxidase, use hydrogen peroxide and halides (Cl- and Br-) to generate hypohalous acids (HOCl and HOBr), halogenating intermediates. It has been suggested that these oxidants lead to the formation of halogenated products upon reaction with nucleobases. To verify the consequences of phagocyte-mediated DNA damage at the site of inflammation, we developed a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb2D3) that recognizes the hypohalous acid-modified DNA and found that the antibody most significantly recognized HOCl/HOBr-modified 2′-deoxycytidine residues. The immunoreactivity of HOCl-treated oligonucleotide was attenuated by excess methionine, suggesting that chloramine-like species may be the plausible epitopes of the antibody. On the basis of further characterization combined with mass spectrometric analysis, the epitopes of mAb2D3 were determined to be novel N4,5-dihalogenated 2′-deoxycytidine residues. The formation of the dihalogenated 2′-deoxycytidine in vivo was immunohistochemically demonstrated in the lung and liver nuclei of mice treated with lipopolysaccharides, an experimental inflammatory model. These results strongly suggest that phagocyte-derived oxidants, hypohalous acids, endogenously generate the halogenated DNA bases such as a novel dihalogenated 2′-deoxycytidine in vivo. Halogenation (chlorination and/or bromination) of DNA therefore may constitute one mechanism for oxidative DNA damage at the site of inflammation.

Effect of quercetin and glucuronide metabolites on the monoamine oxidase-A reaction in mouse brain mitochondria.

OBJECTIVE Quercetin is a flavonoid found in plant foods and herbal medicines. It possesses antidepressant-like effects in forced swimming test-loaded rodents. We wanted to clarify the mechanism of action of dietary quercetin for exerting antidepressant-like effects. The effect of quercetin and its antioxidative metabolite quercetin 3-glucuronide (Q3GA) on the activity of mouse brain mitochondrial monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) was evaluated by measuring the deamination product of serotonin, 5-hydroxyindole acetaldehyde (5-HIAL). METHODS An ultraviolet high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis was applied to measure the 5-HIAL generated by the reaction of MAO-A with serotonin. The inhibitory effect of quercetin and Q3GA on mitochondrial MAO-A activity was estimated by the content of 5-HIAL and hydrogen peroxide accompanied by the MAO-A reaction. RESULTS Quercetin (but not Q3GA) decreased the production of 5-HIAL by MAO-A activity. Q3GA inhibited the generation of hydrogen peroxide from the MAO-A reaction with serotonin. A periodic forced swimming test in mice increased brain mitochondrial MAO-A activity. Brain mitochondrial MAO-A activity was decreased in mice administered quercetin for 7 d, but its effect was much weaker than that of the selective MAO-A inhibitor clorgyline. CONCLUSION Quercetin is effective in the modulation of serotonergic activity by attenuating mitochondrial MAO-A activity in the brain. Its antioxidative metabolite Q3GA attenuates oxidative stress by interrupting the generation of hydrogen peroxide accompanying the MAO-A reaction.