Yuji Nagasaka

Microsomal glutathione-dependent protection against lipid peroxidation acts through a factor other than glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase in rat liver

Ascorbate-Fe3+-induced and NADPH-induced lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomes were inhibited by glutathione (GSH). This inhibition was due to microsomal GSH-dependent factor. This factor was heat labile, and storage of microsomes at 4 degrees C for 1 week diminished the activity. GSH could not be substituted by other sulfhydryl compounds tested. Deoxycholate (1 mM) and bromosulfophthalein (0.1 mM) inhibited GSH-dependent protection but did not inhibit microsomal GSH peroxidase activity. Iodoacetate (10 mM) inhibited GSH-dependent protection but did not inhibit microsomal GSH S-transferase. N-Ethylmaleimide (0.1 mM) and oxidized glutathione (10 mM) inhibited GSH-dependent protection but activated microsomal GSH S-transferase activity. These results indicate the existence of a heat-labile, microsomal GSH-dependent protective factor against lipid peroxidation that acts through a factor other than GSH-peroxidase and GSH S-transferase.

Long-term effects of insulin on the enzyme activity and messenger RNA of glycogen synthase in rat hepatoma H4 cells: an effect of insulin on glycogen synthase mRNA stability.

Insulin induced glycogen synthase activity and decreased glycogen synthase mRNA concentrations in rat hepatoma H4 cells. Total enzyme activity measured with glucose 6-phosphate gradually increased during a 24-h insulin incubation. The time course of glycogen synthase activation measured by the activity ratio (low G-6-P/high G-6-P) in response to insulin was biphasic with the first peak at 15 min and the second peak at 4 to 6 h. When cells were incubated with insulin and cycloheximide, the first peak persisted while the second peak was abolished. These data suggest that the first activation peak derives from the classic effect of insulin via dephosphorylation and the second peak from an insulin-induced protein synthesis of a glycogen synthase activator. Ribonuclease protection assays with a cloned rat liver glycogen synthase cDNA were used to quantitate glycogen synthase mRNA. Insulin unexpectedly decreased glycogen synthase mRNA in a time- and a dose-dependent manner. After incubation with the RNA synthesis inhibitor, 5, 6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl benzimidazole (DRB) without and with insulin, the half time of glycogen synthase mRNA decreased from 6.0 +/- 0.80 to 3.9 +/- 0.75 h, respectively. Nuclear run-off experiments with isolated nuclei showed no change of transcription of glycogen synthase mRNA. These data suggest that insulin in this system affects glycogen synthase mRNA stability rather than transcription.

Human erythrocyte sorbitol metabolism and the role of sorbitol dehydrogenase

SummaryRapid fluctuation of erythrocyte sorbitol in response to the changes in plasma glucose concentration has been reported from clinical evidence. We performed more extensive in vitro and in vivo studies focussing on how fast sorbitol was accumulated and how fast the accumulated sorbitol was oxidised in response to the changes in ambient glucose concentration. Incubation studies of intact erythrocytes from healthy subjects and diabetic patients showed that erythrocyte sorbitol increased rapidly in response to increased ambient glucose concentration and the accumulated sorbitol easily decreased according to the rapid reduction of ambient glucose concentration. In addition, the higher the glucose concentration in the medium, the more erythrocytes could accumulate sorbitol. The rapid response of sorbitol levels to ambient glucose concentration was further confirmed by the results of a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test in non-diabetic subjects and diabetic patients with gastrectomy, who showed marked early hyperglycaemia caused by rapid absorption of ingested glucose and subsequent rapid reduction of plasma glucose concentration (erythrocyte sorbitol levels changed concomitantly). These findings strongly indicate that the measurement of erythrocyte sorbitol is not useful as an index of medium or long term glycaemic control.

Oxidative Modification of Apolipoprotein E3 and Its Biological Significance

Apolipoprotein E (apoE), in very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), formed aggregates and lost its heparin-binding activity with lipid peroxidation by an oxidation system consisting of 101.μM ferrous sulfate in saline under aerobic conditions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and amino acid analysis of the aggregated apoE indicated the oxidation of basic amino acid residues and the intermolecular cross-linking of apoE may be caused by the formation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), which reacts with e-amino groups of lysyl residues on apoE molecules. The presence of 1% heparin inhibited the oxidative modification of apoE to restore its heparin-binding activity. These findings suggest that the oxidative modification of apoE in VLDL causes the accumulation of lipid peroxides by the decrease in the rate of VLDL uptake via binding to heparin on the surface of cells. This maybe a possible mechanism of the deposit of oxidized lipids in the vascular system and of oxidized apoE in senile plaques in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease.