Doxorubicin induces ceramide and diacylglycerol accumulation in rat hepatocytes through independent routes

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent anticancer drug, whose clinical use is limited due to its toxicity. This toxicity has been associated with free radicals generated during the drug metabolism. We previously found that DOX increased the intracellular diacylglycerol (DAG) levels at 1 h in isolated rat hepatocytes, probably by mobilizing choline-enriched phospholipids. In this work, we studied the effects of DOX on oxidative stress markers, and the possible contribution of ceramide metabolism to DAG accumulation. Other possible routes of DAG production, such as impairment of triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis, and their connection with oxidative stress were also investigated. Time-course experiments revealed that DOX decreased intracellular GSH at 2 h, but did not affect cell viability, ATP or malondialdehyde (MDA) levels at any time. DOX did not modify the intracellular levels of [³H]-ceramide during the first 90 min of exposure, but increased it significantly at 2 h. [³H]-Sphingomyelin remained unchanged during the whole period. These results indicate that ceramide metabolism is not involved in the early DAG response to DOX. The drug markedly increased the incorporation of [³H]-oleate into intracellular DAG from 60 min. In contrast, DOX reduced the incorporation of [³H]-oleate into intracellular phospholipids and TAG. DOX inhibited TAG synthesis at the DAG acyltransferase step. These results suggest that DOX increases the intracellular levels of the lipid messengers, ceramide and DAG, by independent mechanisms. Activation of the de novo synthesis of ceramide is probably involved in the sphingolipid accumulation, while inhibition of TAG synthesis contributes to DAG accumulation, this response being independent of oxidative damage.     

Long-term food restriction prevents aging-associated sphingolipid turnover dysregulation in the brain

Abnormalities of sphingolipid turnover in the brain during normal aging and age-related neurological disorders were associated with the neurons loss and cognitive malfunction. Calorie restriction (CR) prevented age-related deficits in hippocampal long-term potentiation and improved cognitive function at old age. In the paper we investigated the ceramide and sphingomyelin (SM) levels in the brain regions, which are critical for learning and memory of 3- and 24-month-old rats, as well as the correction of sphingolipid turnover in the brain of old rats, by means of the CR diet and modulators of SM turnover. Using the [methyl-¹⁴C-choline]SM, the neutral, but not the acid SMase activity has been observed to increase in both the hippocampus and brain cortex of 24-month-old rats with respect to 3-month-old animals. Age-dependent changes of neutral SMase activities were associated with ceramide accumulation and SM level drop in the brain structures studied. Treatment of the rats with the CR diet or N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or α-tocopherol acetate, but not an inhibitor of acid SMase imipramine, reduced the ceramide content and neutral SMase activity in the hippocampus of 24-month-old animals with respect to control rats of the same age. These results suggest that redox-sensitive neutral SMase plays important role in SM turnover dysregulation in both the hippocampus and neocortex at old age and that the CR diet can prevent the age-dependent accumulation of ceramide mainly via neutral SMase targeting.     

长期酒精暴露对SMS_2~(-/-)小鼠肝脑的损伤及机制

目的观察长期酒精暴露引起的肝脑损伤与氧化应激的关系,探讨酒精引起多系统损伤的机制,神经酰胺在酒精暴露诱导海马应激损伤中的调节作用。方法建立C57BL6J野生小鼠和神经鞘磷脂合成酶2基因敲除(SMS-/-2)小鼠酒精暴露模型,利用HE和Masson染色观察肝脏细胞和结构变化,透射电子显微镜观察肝脏超微结构变化,免疫荧光染色法观察对照组与模型组小鼠海马CA1区氧化应激引起的阳性细胞数量变化,免疫印迹技术检测海马组织c-Fos、核因子-κB(NF-κB)激活蛋白的相对表达量。结果酒精暴露导致野生型和SMS-/-2小鼠肝细胞脂肪变性和肝纤维化,并有Mallory小体形成和炎症细胞浸润。免疫组织化学染色显示,酒精暴露后野生型和SMS-/-2小鼠海马c-Fos、NF-κB阳性细胞表达增多(P0.01)且具有剂量依赖性;与相同处理条件的野生型小鼠相比,SMS-/-2小鼠海马c-Fos、NF-κB阳性细胞表达较多(P0.05)。免疫印迹技术检测各组间小鼠海马组织cFos、NF-κB蛋白相对表达量与上述结果一致。结论长期酒精暴露引起肝脏和神经系统损伤的病理基础是氧化应激和炎症反应;神经酰胺参与酒精暴露诱导与促进肝脑细胞损伤的过程;酒精、胰岛素抵抗和神经酰胺相互作用造成肝脑损伤。     

Impact of buttermilk consumption on plasma lipids and surrogate markers of cholesterol homeostasis in men and women

Background and aimsSphingolipids (SL) are important components of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) found in buttermilk. While studies in animal models suggest that dietary SL may have cholesterol-lowering properties, data in human are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of buttermilk consumption on plasma lipids and surrogate markers of cholesterol (C) homeostasis in humans.Methods and resultsMen and women (n = 34) with serum LDL-C <5.0 mmol/L at screening (mean LDL-C = 3.8 mmol/L) were recruited in this double-blinded randomized crossover placebo controlled study. Their diets were supplemented with 45 g/d of buttermilk and with 45 g/d of a macro/micronutrient matched placebo (4 weeks each in random order). Serum lipid concentrations and surrogate markers of cholesterol homeostasis were measured post diet and compared using mixed models for repeated measures. Consumption of buttermilk led to reduction in serum cholesterol (?3.1%, P = 0.019), LDL-C (?3.1%, P = 0.057) and triacylglycerol (?10.7%, P = 0.007). Buttermilk consumption increased plasma lathosterol concentrations (+12.1%, P = 0.001), but multiple regression analysis indicated that variations in β-sitosterol concentrations (P = 0.002) were the only significant predictor of the LDL-C response to buttermilk consumption.ConclusionButtermilk consumption may be associated with reduced cholesterol concentrations in men and women, primarily through inhibition of intestinal absorption of cholesterol.Registration numberThis trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01248026.     

The role of sphingolipids in meibomian gland dysfunction and ocular surface inflammation

Inflammation occurs in response to tissue injury and invasion of microorganisms and is carried out by the innate and adaptive immune systems, which are regulated by numerous chemokines, cytokines, and lipid mediators. There are four major families of bioactive lipid mediators that play an integral role in inflammation – eicosanoids, sphingolipids (SPL), specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM), and endocannabinoids. SPL have been historically recognized as important structural components of cellular membranes; their roles as bioactive lipids and inflammatory mediators are recent additions. Major SPL metabolites, including sphingomyelin, ceramide, ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P), sphingosine, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), and their respective enzymes have been studied extensively, primarily in cell-culture and animal models, for their roles in cellular signaling and regulating inflammation and apoptosis. Less focus has been given to the involvement of SPL in eye diseases. As such, the aim of this review was to examine relationships between the SPL family and ocular surface diseases, focusing on their role in disease pathophysiology and discussing the potential of therapeutics that disrupt SPL pathways.     

Analysis of sphingolipid composition in human vitreous from control and diabetic individuals

Objective

Sphingolipids have a fundamental role in many cellular processes, and they have been implicated in insulin resistance and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and its complications, including diabetic retinopathy (DR). Little is known about how bioactive sphingolipids relate to retinopathies in human DM. In this study, we analyzed the sphingolipid composition of type 2 diabetic (T2DM) and non-diabetic human vitreous samples.

Niemann–Pick disease type C1 presenting with psychosis in an adolescent male

Niemann–Pick disease, a neurovisceral lysosomal lipid storage disorder, is a rare disorder that is unknown to many clinicians. The disease, that often has its onset during childhood or adolescence, shows a polymorphic clinical picture, including psychiatric symptoms. Because of its infrequence, Niemann–Pick disease is diagnosed with an average delay of 6 years. This report presents a case of an adolescent male whose symptoms had led to various hospitalisations and psychiatric diagnoses. When he presented with psychotic symptoms in our department, thorough diagnosis revealed Niemann–Pick disease type C1 as the underlying disease.     

Lipid rafts of purified mouse brain synaptosomes prepared with or without detergent reveal different lipid and protein domains

Lipid rafts have been proposed to be important in a variety of functions including lipid transport, signal transduction and cell growth. There is increasing evidence that lipid rafts may play a role in cell functions in brain. Lipid rafts are typically isolated using a detergent such as Triton X-100. There has been, however, data from non-brain tissue indicating that preparation of lipid rafts using a detergent may represent different raft domains as compared with non-detergent preparation. The purpose of the present study was to compare protein and lipid markers of lipid rafts using a highly purified mouse synaptosomal fraction and non-detergent and detergent methods. The lipid raft marker proteins, alkaline phosphatase and flotillin, and the lipid markers, cholesterol and sphingomyelin, were highly enriched in lipid rafts prepared with detergent as compared with the non-detergent fraction. Enrichment of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase was greater in the non-detergent lipid raft fraction as compared with lipid rafts prepared with detergent. Lipid rafts from the nerve terminal of neurons prepared with or without detergents may represent different membrane domains each with unique specialized functions.     

The effect of sphingomyelin synthase 2 (SMS2) deficiency on the expression of drug transporters in mouse brain

Sphingomyelin synthase (SMS), the last enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of sphingomyelin (SM), plays a critical role in the constitution of cell membrane and has impact on the expression of membrane proteins. SMS2, one of two SMS enzymes, is predominantly located in the plasma membrane, and is mainly expressed in the brain. Therefore, it is conceivable that SMS2 deficiency may have impact on expression of some membrane proteins, such as membrane-bound drug transporters. Using SMS2 gene deficient mouse brain tissues, we studied the gene and protein expression profiles of drug transporters, ERM proteins (ezrin/radixin/moesin) and the cytoskeleton protein, β-actin, in mouse brain by RT-PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis. We found that the mRNA expression of Mdr1 rather than the other drug transporters was significantly decreased in the SMS2 deficient brain. Accordingly, the expression and the function of Pgp (Mdr1/P-glycoprotein) were significantly downregulated in brain. In addition, the substantially downregulated expression of ezrin and β-actin was also observed in the SMS2 deficient brain. The immunohistochemistry analysis further revealed the suppressed expression of Pgp, ezrin and β-actin in both cortex and paraventricular areas of SMS2 knockout mice. Furthermore, both Pgp and β-actin were found to be co-immunoprecipitated with ezrin from the total brain lysate, suggesting the association between Pgp, ezrin and β-actin in the brain. These results indicate that SMS2 participates in the expression regulation of drug transporters, particularly Pgp, and suggest that SMS2 may be a potential target for enhancing drug access to the brain.     

孕期酒精暴露诱导神经鞘磷脂合成酶2基因敲除小鼠海马苔藓细胞凋亡

目的 探讨神经酰胺对孕期酒精暴露所诱导的小鼠神经细胞凋亡的影响.方法 建立神经鞘磷脂合成酶2基因敲除(SMS-/-2)小鼠和野生型(WT)小鼠的孕期酒精暴露模型,将出生后的不同基因型仔鼠(共360只)分为对照组和酒精组.用酶学法检测生后0 d(P0)仔鼠血清神经鞘磷脂(SM)含量,利用免疫荧光染色法观察对照组与模型组各年龄点仔鼠齿状回苔藓细胞凋亡数量的变化,免疫印迹法检测P7、P14仔鼠海马组织Caspase-8、Caspase-3激活蛋白的相对表达量.结果 酒精暴露后仔鼠血清SM水平降低,且具有剂量依赖性(F=41.08,P<0.05);SMS-/-2仔鼠血清SM水平低于同组WT仔鼠(F=53.34,P<0.01).酒精诱导WT和SMS-/-2仔鼠苔藓细胞凋亡(F=15.61,P<0.05),有剂量依赖性和长时程效应,与同年龄、相同处理条件的WT仔鼠相比,SMS-/-2仔鼠苔藓细胞凋亡数量较多(F=11.72,P<0.05).Western blotting检测结果 与免疫荧光结果 一致.结论 SMS2基因缺失使血清SM水平降低,可引起神经酰胺在体内蓄积;神经酰胺促进酒精暴露诱导神经细胞凋亡的过程;孕期酒精暴露主要通过死亡受体途径诱导神经细胞凋亡的发生.