scholarly journals Deuterium Incorporation Protects Cells from Oxidative Damage

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Piero Sestili ◽  
Maurizio Brigotti ◽  
Cinzia Calcabrini ◽  
Eleonora Turrini ◽  
Valentina Arfilli ◽  
...  

In the cold environments of the interstellar medium, a variety of molecules in which a hydrogen (H) atom has been replaced by its heavier isotope deuterium (D) can be found. From its emergence, life had to counteract the toxic action of many agents, which posed a constant threat to its development and propagation. Oxygen-reactive species are archaic toxicants that lead to protein damage and genomic instability. Most of the oxidative lesions involve cleavage of C-H bonds and H abstraction. According to free radical chemistry principles, the substitution of D for H in oxidation-sensitive positions of cellular components should confer protection against the oxidative attack without compromising the chemical identity of the compounds. Here, we show that deuterated nucleosides and proteins protect from oxidative damage. Our data suggest a new, subtle but likely role of D in terrestrial life’s evolution in that its inclusion in critical biomolecules might have facilitated their resistance during the infinite generations of life entities, cells, and organisms.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Shinmura

The biology of aging has not been fully clarified, but the free radical theory of aging is one of the strongest aging theories proposed to date. The free radical theory has been expanded to the oxidative stress theory, in which mitochondria play a central role in the development of the aging process because of their critical roles in bioenergetics, oxidant production, and regulation of cell death. A decline in cardiac mitochondrial function associated with the accumulation of oxidative damage might be responsible, at least in part, for the decline in cardiac performance with age. In contrast, lifelong caloric restriction can attenuate functional decline with age, delay the onset of morbidity, and extend lifespan in various species. The effect of caloric restriction appears to be related to a reduction in cellular damage induced by reactive oxygen species. There is increasing evidence that sirtuins play an essential role in the reduction of mitochondrial oxidative stress during caloric restriction. We speculate that cardiac sirtuins attenuate the accumulation of oxidative damage associated with age by modifying specific mitochondrial proteins posttranscriptionally. Therefore, the distinct role of each sirtuin in the heart subjected to caloric restriction should be clarified to translate sirtuin biology into clinical practice.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 287-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Jia ◽  
Nadiha Uddin ◽  
John G. Gribben

Abstract Abstract 287 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a malignant disease occurring in the elderly and remains incurable. CLL is characterized by resistance to both spontaneous and induced apoptosis aided by changes induced by the tumor microenvironment. STAT3 is a signal responsive transcription factor that plays pivotal roles in tumorigensis in a number of malignancies including CLL. STAT3 resides in an inactive form in the cytoplasm of non-stimulated cells and in response to various cytokines and growth factors present in the microenvironment is activated through JAK-mediated phosphorylation of two residues, tyrosine 705 (Y705) and serine 727 (S727). Phosphorylation of this critical tyrosine residue (Y705) induces STAT3 dimerization through phosphotyrosine-SH2 domain interaction and. once dimerized, enters the nucleus and activates a broad array of target genes. The role of serine phosphorylation (S727) is less understood. It has been reported that STAT3 is constitutively phosphorylated on S727 and pS727-STAT3, not pY705-STAT3, binds DNA and activates transcription in CLL cells. However, it has also been reported that STAT3 is present in the mitochondria both in cell lines and primary liver and heart of mouse models, where it is one of the components of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) and plays an important role in mitochondrial respiration. The active form of mitochondrial STAT3 is pS727-STAT3 and it is crucial for Ras-dependent transformation by sustaining altered glycolytic and oxidative phosphorylation activities characteristic of cancer cells. It is unknown whether STAT3 regulates mitochondrial function in CLL. We therefore investigated whether activated STAT3 regulates mitochondrial respiration in CLL and whether it is important for CLL cell survival. Screening by Western blotting in untreated CLL patients' samples (n=16 )revealed that both pS727-STAT3 and pY705-STAT3 were constitutively expressed and we demonstrated correlation of the expression levels between these two active forms. Using fluorescent microscopy and cellular protein fractionation, both pS727-STAT3 and pY705-STAT3 showed mitochondrial localization in CLL cells. Stimulation of CLL cells with IL-10 induced STAT3 activation and both active forms of STAT3 exhibited mitochondrial translocation. The JAK inhibitor AG490 prevented STAT3 translocation to the mitochondria and led to reduction of mitochondrial mass and expression of cytochrome c oxidase IV (COX IV), one of the components of mETC. Knockdown of STAT3 RNA also decreased COX IV expression. Flow cytometry studies demonstrated that activation of STAT3 by IL-10 prevented depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and free radical generation by CLL cells, but inhibition of STAT3 induced mitochondrial oxidative damage and CLL cell death. The role of STAT3 activation by IL-10 on mitochondrial respiration was determined using a Seahorse XF Extracellular Flux Analyzer and demonstrated significantly increased coupled and uncoupled mitochondrial respiration and ATP turnover. Inhibition of STAT3 by AG490 reduced mitochondrial respiration and ATP turnover. However, decreased mitochondrial respiration did not provoke glycolytic capacity in CLL cells, indicating that CLL cells mainly rely on mitochondria for energetic needs. In summary, we demonstrate that activated STAT3 targets mitochondria and increases mitochondrial respiration and ATP turnover in CLL cells. This enables increased bioenergetic mitochondrial function and also prevents oxidative damage of CLL cells. Inhibition of STAT3 reduces mitochondrial mass and function but increases free radical generation and promotes CLL cell death. We therefore propose that mitochondrial STAT3 could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of CLL. Disclosures: Gribben: Roche: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; GSK: Honoraria; Mundipharma: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santanu Kar Mahapatra ◽  
Subhankari Prasad Chakraborty ◽  
Subhasis Das ◽  
Somenath Roy

In the present study, methanol extract ofOcimum gratissimumLinn (ME-Og) was tested against nicotine-induced murine peritoneal macrophage in vitro. Phytochemical analysis of ME-Og shown high amount of flavonoid and phenolic compound present in it. The cytotoxic effect of ME-Og was studied in murine peritoneal macrophages at different concentrations (0.1 to 100 µg/ml) using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. To establish the protective role of ME-Og against nicotine toxicity, peritoneal macrophages from mice were treated with nicotine (10 mM), nicotine + ME-Og (1 to 25 µg/ml) for 12 h in culture media. The significantly (p < 0.05) increased super oxide anion generation, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyls, oxidized glutathione levels were observed in nicotine-treated group as compared to control group; those were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in ME-Og supplemented groups in concentration dependent manner. More over, significantly (p < 0.05) reduced antioxidant status due to nicotine exposure was effectively ameliorated by ME-Og supplementation in murine peritoneal macrophages. Among the different concentration of ME-Og, maximum protective effect was observed by 25 µg/ml, which does not produce significant cell cytotoxicity in murine peritoneal macrophages. These findings suggest the potential use and beneficial role ofO. gratissimumas a modulator of nicotine-induced free radical generation, lipid-protein damage and antioxidant status in important immune cell, peritoneal macrophages.


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