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Biochemical and Biophysical Research... Jan 2011Nitrosative stress has recently been demonstrated as a causal in a select sporadic variant of Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's (AD) diseases. Specifically, elevated...
Nitrosative stress has recently been demonstrated as a causal in a select sporadic variant of Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's (AD) diseases. Specifically, elevated levels of NO disrupt the redox activity of protein-disulfide isomerase, a key endoplasmic reticulum-resident chaperone by S-nitroso modification of its redox-active cysteines. This leads to accumulation of misfolded AD- and PD-specific protein debris. We have recently demonstrated in vitro that polyphenolic phytochemicals, curcumin and masoprocol, can rescue S-nitroso-PDI formation by scavenging NOx. In this study, using dopaminergic SHSY-5Y cells, we have monitored the aggregation of green-fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged synphilin-1 (a known constituent of PD Lewy neurites) as a function of rotenone-induced nitrosative stress. Importantly, we demonstrate a marked decrease in synphilin-1 aggregation when the cell line is previously incubated with 3,5-bis(2-flurobenzylidene) piperidin-4-one (EF-24), a curcumin analogue, prior to rotenone insult. Furthermore, our data also reveal that rotenone attenuates PDI expression in the same cell line, a phenomenon that can be mitigated through EF-24 intervention. Together, these results suggest that EF-24 can exert neuroprotective effects by ameliorating nitrosative stress-linked damage to PDI and the associated onset of PD and AD. Essentially, EF-24 can serve as a scaffold for the design and development of PD and AD specific prophylactics.
Topics: Benzylidene Compounds; Carrier Proteins; Cell Line, Tumor; Curcumin; Flavonoids; Free Radical Scavengers; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Humans; Lewy Bodies; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Nitric Oxide; Parkinson Disease; Phenols; Piperidones; Polyphenols; Reactive Oxygen Species; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 21130735
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.11.117 -
Journal of Experimental Botany Jan 2019The common fig bears a unique closed inflorescence structure, the syconium, composed of small individual drupelets that develop from the ovaries, which are enclosed in a...
The common fig bears a unique closed inflorescence structure, the syconium, composed of small individual drupelets that develop from the ovaries, which are enclosed in a succulent receptacle of vegetative origin. The fig ripening process is traditionally classified as climacteric; however, recent studies have suggested that distinct mechanisms exist in its reproductive and non-reproductive parts. We analysed ABA and ethylene production, and expression of ABA-metabolism, ethylene-biosynthesis, MADS-box, NAC, and ethylene response-factor genes in inflorescences and receptacles of on-tree fruit treated with ABA, ethephon, fluridone, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). Exogenous ABA and ethephon accelerated fruit ripening and softening, whereas fluridone and NDGA had the opposite effect, delaying endogenous ABA and ethylene production compared to controls. Expression of the ABA-biosynthesis genes FcNCED2 and FcABA2, ethylene-biosynthesis genes FcACS4, FcACOL, and FcACO2, FcMADS8, 14, 15, FcNAC1, 2, 5, and FcERF9006 was up-regulated by exogenous ABA and ethephon. NDGA down-regulated FcNCED2 and FcABA2, whereas fluridone down-regulated FcABA2; both down-regulated the ethylene-related genes. These results demonstrate the key role of ABA in regulation of ripening by promoting ethylene production, as in the climacteric model plant tomato, especially in the inflorescence. However, increasing accumulation of endogenous ABA until full ripeness and significantly low expression of ethylene-biosynthesis genes in the receptacle suggests non-climacteric, ABA-dependent ripening in the vegetative-originated succulent receptacle part of the fruit.
Topics: Abscisic Acid; Ethylenes; Ficus; Fruit; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Inflorescence; Masoprocol; Organophosphorus Compounds; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Proteins; Pyridones
PubMed: 30239815
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery333 -
American Journal of Physiology. Heart... Mar 2011Arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites function as EDHFs in arteries of many species. They mediate cyclooxygenase (COX)- and nitric oxide (NO)-independent relaxations to...
Arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites function as EDHFs in arteries of many species. They mediate cyclooxygenase (COX)- and nitric oxide (NO)-independent relaxations to acetylcholine (ACh). However, the role of AA metabolites as relaxing factors in mouse arteries remains incompletely defined. ACh caused concentration-dependent relaxations of the mouse thoracic and abdominal aorta and carotid, femoral, and mesentery arteries (maximal relaxation: 57 ± 4%, 72 ± 4%, 82 ± 3%, 80 ± 3%, and 85 ± 3%, respectively). The NO synthase inhibitor nitro-L-arginine (L-NA; 30 μM) blocked relaxations in the thoracic aorta, and L-NA plus the COX inhibitor indomethacin (10 μM) inhibited relaxations in the abdominal aorta and carotid, femoral, and mesenteric arteries (maximal relaxation: 31 ± 10%, 33 ± 5%, 41 ± 8%, and 73 ± 3%, respectively). In mesenteric arteries, NO- and COX-independent relaxations to ACh were inhibited by the lipoxygenase (LO) inhibitors nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA; 10 μM) and BW-755C (200 μM), the K(+) channel inhibitor apamin (1 μM), and 60 mM KCl and eliminated by endothelium removal. They were not altered by the cytochrome P-450 inhibitor N-methylsulfonyl-6-(2-propargyloxyphenyl)hexanamide (20 μM) or the epoxyeicosatrienoic acid antagonist 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(Z)-enoic acid (10 μM). AA relaxations were attenuated by NDGA or apamin and eliminated by 60 mM KCl. Reverse-phase HPLC analysis revealed arterial [(14)C]AA metabolites that comigrated with prostaglandins, trihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (THETAs), hydroxyepoxyeicosatrienoic acids (HEETAs), and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs). Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids were not observed. Mass spectrometry confirmed the identity of 6-keto-PGF(1α), PGE(2), 12-HETE, 15-HETE, HEETAs, 11,12,15-THETA, and 11,14,15-THETA. AA metabolism was blocked by NDGA and endothelium removal. 11(R),12(S),15(S)-THETA relaxations (maximal relaxation: 73 ± 3%) were endothelium independent and blocked by 60 mM KCl. Western immunoblot analysis and RT-PCR of the aorta and mesenteric arteries demonstrated protein and mRNA expression of leukocyte-type 12/15-LO. Thus, in mouse resistance arteries, 12/15-LO AA metabolites mediate endothelium-dependent relaxations to ACh and AA.
Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Acetylcholine; Amides; Animals; Apamin; Arachidonate Lipoxygenases; Arteries; Female; Indomethacin; Male; Masoprocol; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred ICR; Nitroarginine; Vasodilation; Vasodilator Agents
PubMed: 21193584
DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00696.2009 -
The Journal of Pharmacology and... May 2018To determine the effects of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) on metabolic and molecular changes in response to feeding a typical American fast food or Western diet, mice...
To determine the effects of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) on metabolic and molecular changes in response to feeding a typical American fast food or Western diet, mice were fed an American lifestyle-induced obesity syndrome (ALIOS) diet and subjected to metabolic analysis. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to the ALIOS diet, the ALIOS diet supplemented with NDGA (NDGA+ALIOS), or a control diet and were maintained on the specific diet for 8 weeks. Mice fed the ALIOS diet showed increased body, liver, and epididymal fat pad weight as well as increased plasma alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (a measure of liver injury) and liver triglyceride content. Coadministration of NDGA normalized body and epididymal fat pad weight, ALT and AST levels, and liver triglycerides. NDGA treatment also improved insulin sensitivity but not glucose intolerance in mice fed the ALIOS diet. In mice fed the NDGA+ALIOS diet, NDGA supplementation induced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR; the master regulator of fatty acid oxidation) and mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferases and , key genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, compared with the ALIOS diet. NDGA significantly reduced liver endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response C/EBP homologous protein, compared with chow or the ALIOS diet, and also ameliorated ALIOS diet-induced elevation of apoptosis signaling protein, caspase 3. Likewise, NDGA downregulated the ALIOS diet-induced mRNA levels of , fatty acid synthase , and diacylglycerol acyltransferase NDGA treatment of ALIOS-fed mice upregulated the hepatic expression of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase 4, and peroxiredoxin 3 proteins. In conclusion, we provide evidence that NDGA improves metabolic dysregulation by simultaneously modulating the PPAR transcription factor and key genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, key antioxidant and lipogenic enzymes, and apoptosis and ER stress signaling pathways.
Topics: Adipogenesis; Animals; Apoptosis; Diet, Western; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Fatty Acids; Larrea; Life Style; Lipogenesis; Liver; Male; Masoprocol; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Obesity; Oxidation-Reduction; PPAR alpha; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Up-Regulation
PubMed: 29472517
DOI: 10.1124/jpet.117.243733 -
Aging Cell Aug 2017Aging leads to hypothalamic inflammation, but does so more slowly in mice whose lifespan has been extended by mutations that affect GH/IGF-1 signals. Early-life exposure...
Aging leads to hypothalamic inflammation, but does so more slowly in mice whose lifespan has been extended by mutations that affect GH/IGF-1 signals. Early-life exposure to GH by injection, or to nutrient restriction in the first 3 weeks of life, also modulate both lifespan and the pace of hypothalamic inflammation. Three drugs extend lifespan of UM-HET3 mice in a sex-specific way: acarbose (ACA), 17-α-estradiol (17αE2), and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), with more dramatic longevity increases in males in each case. In this study, we examined the effect of these anti-aging drugs on neuro-inflammation in hypothalamus and hippocampus. We found that age-associated hypothalamic inflammation is reduced in males but not in females at 12 months of age by ACA and 17αE2 and at 22 months of age in NDGA-treated mice. The three drugs blocked indices of hypothalamic reactive gliosis associated with aging, such as Iba-1-positive microglia and GFAP-positive astrocytes, as well as age-associated overproduction of TNF-α. This effect was not observed in drug-treated female mice or in the hippocampus of the drug-treated animals. On the other hand, caloric restriction (CR; an intervention that extends the lifespan in both sexes) significantly reduced hypothalamic microglia and TNF-α in both sexes at 12 months of age. Together, these results suggest that the extent of drug-induced changes in hypothalamic inflammatory processes is sexually dimorphic in a pattern that parallels the effects of these agents on mouse longevity and that mimics the changes seen, in both sexes, of long-lived nutrient restricted or mutant mice.
Topics: Acarbose; Animals; Astrocytes; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Caloric Restriction; Estradiol; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; Hippocampus; Hypothalamus; Inflammation; Longevity; Male; Masoprocol; Mice; Microfilament Proteins; Microglia; Sex Factors; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
PubMed: 28544365
DOI: 10.1111/acel.12590 -
Pharmacological Reports : PR 2012Oxidative stress is a component of many pathological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases and inflammation. An important source of reactive oxygen species...
BACKGROUND
Oxidative stress is a component of many pathological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases and inflammation. An important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are lipoxygenases (LOX) - enzymes responsible for the metabolism of arachidonic acid and other polyunsaturated fatty acids. LOX inhibitors have a protective effect in inflammatory diseases and in neurodegenerative disorders because of their anti-inflammatory activity. However, the molecular mechanism of the protective action of LOX inhibitors has not yet been fully elucidated.
METHODS
The aim of this study was to compare the antioxidative potential of widely used LOX inhibitors: BWB70C, AA-861, zileuton, baicalein and NDGA. The antioxidative properties were evaluated in cell-free systems. We measured the effect of the tested compounds on iron/ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation and on carbonyl group formation in the rat brain homogenate. Direct free radical scavenging was analyzed by using DPPH assay.
RESULTS
Our data showed that the inhibitor of all LOXs, i.e., NDGA, 5-LOX inhibitor BWB70C and the inhibitor of 12/15-LOX, baicalein, significantly decreased the level of lipid and protein oxidation. The free radical scavenging activity of these inhibitors was comparable to known ROS scavengers, i.e., resveratrol and trolox. Zileuton (the inhibitor of 5-LOX) slightly prevented lipid and protein oxidation, it also scavenged the DPPH radical. AA-861 (the inhibitor of 5 and 12/15-LOX) slightly protected lipids against Fe/asc-evoked lipid peroxidation at high concentrations, but had no effect on carbonyl group formation and DPPH scavenging.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that some LOX inhibitors demonstrate potent anti-oxidative, free radical scavenging properties. AA-861, whose antioxidative potential is very weak, may be a specific tool to be used in experimental and perhaps even clinical applications.
Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Benzoquinones; Flavanones; Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; Male; Masoprocol; Rats; Rats, Wistar
PubMed: 23238474
DOI: 10.1016/s1734-1140(12)70914-3 -
British Journal of Pharmacology Feb 2019Previous studies have shown that Creosote bush-derived nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) exerts beneficial actions on the key components of metabolic syndrome including...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Previous studies have shown that Creosote bush-derived nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) exerts beneficial actions on the key components of metabolic syndrome including dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance and hypertension in several relevant rodent models. Here, we synthesized and screened a total of 6 anti-hyperlipidaemic analogues of NDGA and tested their efficacy against hepatic lipid metabolism in a high-fructose diet (HFrD) fed dyslipidaemic rat model.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH
HFrD fed Sprague-Dawley rats treated with NDGA or one of the six analogues were used. Serum samples were analysed for blood metabolites, whereas liver samples were quantified for changes in various mRNA levels by real-time RT-PCR.
KEY RESULTS
Oral gavage of HFrD-fed rats for 4 days with NDGA analogues 1 and 2 (100 mg·kg ·day ) suppressed the hepatic triglyceride content, whereas the NDGA analogues 2, 3 and 4, like NDGA, decreased the plasma triglyceride levels by 70-75%. qRT-PCR measurements demonstrated that among NDGA analogues 1, 2, 4 and 5, analogue 4 was the most effective at inhibiting the mRNA levels of some key enzymes and transcription factors involved in lipogenesis. All four analogues almost equally inhibited the key genes involved in triglyceride synthesis and fatty acid elongation. Unlike NDGA, none of the analogues affected the genes of hepatic fatty acid oxidation or transport.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Our data suggest that NDGA analogues 1, 2, 4 and 5, particularly analogue 4, exert their anti-hyperlipidaemic actions by negatively targeting genes of key enzymes and transcription factors involved in lipogenesis, triglyceride synthesis and fatty acid elongation. These analogues have therapeutic potential.
Topics: Animals; Hyperlipidemias; Hypolipidemic Agents; Male; Masoprocol; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Structure; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
PubMed: 30374952
DOI: 10.1111/bph.14528 -
Viruses May 2023The coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has been spreading rapidly...
The coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has been spreading rapidly worldwide, creating a pandemic. This article describes the evaluation of the antiviral activity of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a molecule found in Creosote bush () leaves, against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. A 35 µM concentration of NDGA was not toxic to Vero cells and exhibited a remarkable inhibitory effect on the SARS-CoV-2 cytopathic effect, viral plaque formation, RNA replication, and expression of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. The 50% effective concentration for NDGA was as low as 16.97 µM. Our results show that NDGA could be a promising therapeutic candidate against SARS-CoV-2.
Topics: Animals; Chlorocebus aethiops; SARS-CoV-2; Masoprocol; Antiviral Agents; COVID-19; Vero Cells
PubMed: 37243241
DOI: 10.3390/v15051155 -
The Journal of Clinical Investigation May 2015There is large variation in lifespan among different species, and there is evidence that modulation of proteasome function may contribute to longevity determination.... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
There is large variation in lifespan among different species, and there is evidence that modulation of proteasome function may contribute to longevity determination. Comparative biology provides a powerful tool for identifying genes and pathways that control the rate of aging. Here, we evaluated skin-derived fibroblasts and demonstrate that among primate species, longevity correlated with an elevation in proteasomal activity as well as immunoproteasome expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. Immunoproteasome enhancement occurred with a concurrent increase in other elements involved in MHC class I antigen presentation, including β-2 microglobulin, (TAP1), and TAP2. Fibroblasts from long-lived primates also appeared more responsive to IFN-γ than cells from short-lived primate species, and this increase in IFN-γ responsiveness correlated with elevated expression of the IFN-γ receptor protein IFNGR2. Elevation of immunoproteasome and proteasome activity was also observed in the livers of long-lived Snell dwarf mice and in mice exposed to drugs that have been shown to extend lifespan, including rapamycin, 17-α-estradiol, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid. This work suggests that augmented immunoproteasome function may contribute to lifespan differences in mice and among primate species.
Topics: ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 2; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 3; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; Animals; Antigen Presentation; Cells, Cultured; Dwarfism; Estradiol; Female; Fibroblasts; Gene Expression Regulation; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; Interferon-gamma; Janus Kinases; Longevity; Male; Masoprocol; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Mutant Strains; Oxidative Stress; Primates; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; Protein Subunits; RNA, Messenger; Receptors, Interferon; STAT Transcription Factors; Signal Transduction; Sirolimus; Species Specificity; Up-Regulation; beta 2-Microglobulin; Interferon gamma Receptor
PubMed: 25866968
DOI: 10.1172/JCI80514 -
Nature Chemical Biology Jul 2020Leukotrienes (LT) are lipid mediators of the inflammatory response that are linked to asthma and atherosclerosis. LT biosynthesis is initiated by 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX)...
Leukotrienes (LT) are lipid mediators of the inflammatory response that are linked to asthma and atherosclerosis. LT biosynthesis is initiated by 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) with the assistance of the substrate-binding 5-LOX-activating protein at the nuclear membrane. Here, we contrast the structural and functional consequences of the binding of two natural product inhibitors of 5-LOX. The redox-type inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) is lodged in the 5-LOX active site, now fully exposed by disordering of the helix that caps it in the apo-enzyme. In contrast, the allosteric inhibitor 3-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) from frankincense wedges between the membrane-binding and catalytic domains of 5-LOX, some 30 Å from the catalytic iron. While enzyme inhibition by NDGA is robust, AKBA promotes a shift in the regiospecificity, evident in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and in primary immune cells expressing 5-LOX. Our results suggest a new approach to isoform-specific 5-LOX inhibitor development through exploitation of an allosteric site in 5-LOX.
Topics: Allosteric Site; Arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase; Biological Products; Catalytic Domain; Cloning, Molecular; Crystallography, X-Ray; Escherichia coli; Gene Expression; Genetic Vectors; Humans; Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acids; Leukotriene B4; Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; Masoprocol; Models, Molecular; Protein Binding; Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical; Protein Conformation, beta-Strand; Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; Protein Multimerization; Recombinant Proteins; Substrate Specificity; Triterpenes
PubMed: 32393899
DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-0544-7