Harmaline and harmalol inhibit the carcinogen-activating enzyme CYP1A1 via transcriptional and posttranslational mechanisms

Dioxins are known to cause several human cancers through activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Harmaline and harmalol are dihydro-β-carboline compounds present in several medicinal plants such as Peganum harmala. We have previously demonstrated the ability of P. harmala extract to inhibit TCDD-mediated induction of Cyp1a1 in murine hepatoma Hepa 1c1c7 cells. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of harmaline and its main metabolite, harmalol, on dioxin-mediated induction of CYP1A1 in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Our results showed that harmaline and harmalol at concentrations of (0.5-12.5μM) significantly inhibited the dioxin-induced CYP1A1 at mRNA, protein and activity levels in a concentration-dependent manner. The role of AhR was determined by the inhibition of the TCDD-mediated induction of AhR-dependent luciferase activity and the AhR/ARNT/XRE formation by both harmaline and harmalol. In addition, harmaline significantly displaced [(3)H]TCDD in the competitive ligand binding assay. At posttranslational level, both harmaline and harmalol decreased the protein stability of CYP1A1, suggesting that posttranslational modifications are involved. Moreover, the posttranslational modifications of harmaline and harmalol involve ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway and direct inhibitory effects of both compounds on CYP1A1 enzyme. These data suggest that harmaline and harmalol are promising agents for preventing dioxin-mediated effects.     

Post-session injections of a protein synthesis inhibitor,cycloheximide do not alter saccharin self-administration

A large body of evidence indicates that reactivation of aversive memories leads to protein synthesis-dependent memory reconsolidation which can be disrupted by cycloheximide (CHX) and other protein synthesis inhibitors. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether CHX would alter maintenance of well-trained instrumental responding for 0.1% saccharin. Male Wistar rats were trained to lever press for saccharin. When lever pressing stabilized, experimental self-administration sessions with CHX (3 mg/kg, s.c.) started. The animals received four experimental sessions, with each session separated by 5 days. The protein synthesis inhibitor was injected immediately after the experimental sessions 1–3. Repeated post-session injections of CHX did not alter saccharin self-administration. A two-bottle choice test conducted after the last experimental session revealed that CHX had not induced any conditioned taste aversion to 0.1% saccharin. The present results suggest that well-consolidated long-term memory of an appetitive instrumental task does not depend on de novo protein synthesis.     

Heat shock preconditioning modulates proliferation and apoptosis after superficial injury in isolated guinea pig gastric mucosa via an eicosanoid and protein synthesis-dependent mechanism

AIM: In restitution after superficial injury of the gastric mucosa, the epithelial continuity is restored by cellular migration. We have shown that heat shock preconditioning inhibits restitution after superficial injury. This study investigates the effect of heat shock preconditioning on tissue proliferation and apoptosis. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Paired guinea pig gastric mucosae were mounted and perfused in Ussing chambers (37 degrees C). After heat shock preconditioning (42 degrees C) (30 min) and normothermic recovery (37 degrees C) (150 min) or normothermic perfusion, a superficial injury was induced by luminal exposure to 1.25 mol/L NaCl (5 min) followed by a 3 h restitution. During perfusion, the mucosa was exposed to 30 micromol/L arachidonic acid (AA) to enhance heat shock response, to 50 micromol/L quercetin (Q) to inhibit the metabolism of arachidonic acid via lipoxygenases, to 50 micromol/L indomethacin (In) to inhibit the metabolism of arachidonic acid via cyclo-oxygenases, or to 150 micromol/L cycloheximide (CHX) to inhibit de novo protein synthesis. After the experiment the mucosa was prepared for immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of Mib-1 proliferation antigen and pro-apoptotic protein Bax. RESULTS: Heat shock decreased Mib-1/Bax ratio and this effect was maintained after superficial injury and exposure to Q, to AA+CHX or to In+CHX. Exposure to CHX, to AA, to In+Q, to In+AA, In+AA+Q or to In+AA+CHX, however, blocked the effect of heat shock preconditioning. The decreasing effect of heat shock preconditioning on Mib-1/Bax ratio could be reversed by exposure to AA+Q or to In. CONCLUSION: The heat-preconditioning-induced effects on the mucosa are reversible and sensitive to exogenous pharmacological modulation. Heat shock preconditioning inhibits proliferation of superficially injured isolated gastric mucosa by a mechanism involving eicosanoid pathways and de novo protein synthesis.     

Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in cultured smooth muscle cells from rat mesenteric lymphatic vessels

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to devise a method for establishing cultures of rat mesenteric lymphatic vessel smooth muscle cells (LSMC) and to investigate if inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression could be activated in LSMC treated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: LSMC were successfully grown from explanted rat lymphatic microvessels and maintained by subculture. Treatment of LSMC for 24 h with LPS (1-100 microg/mL) activated iNOS protein induction, associated with (1) assay of increased nitrite concentrations in the medium representing cellular nitric oxide synthesis, and (2) demonstration of iNOS in cell extracts by Western blotting. RESULTS: The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (10 microM) blocked both LPS-induced nitrite formation and iNOS protein expression in LSMC. 1400 W (1 microM), a selective iNOS inhibitor, prevented LPS-induced nitrite formation but not iNOS expression. As well as induction of iNOS by LPS, "constitutive" iNOS was present in some cultures, producing nitrite in amounts that were also subsequently reduced after cell treatment with 1400 W. CONCLUSION: Rat mesenteric LSMC produce nitrite and express iNOS in response to bacterial LPS. Cultured LSMC may provide a useful model for studying mechanisms of iNOS induction in relation to possible influences of iNOS upon lymphatic vessel function.     

The effect of cycloheximide on rubidium fluxes in the cultured bovine lens

Background : Changes in lens electrolyte balance and hydration are considered to play a significant role in the aetiology of cataract. However, the reasons for these changes are not understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the requirement of protein synthesis for maintenance of electrolyte balance in the lens. Methods : Whole adult bovine lenses were incubated for up to five days in the presence and absence of 0.4 mM cycloheximide. The uptake and subsequent efflux of [86]Rb was measured before and after exposure of the lenses to ouabain. Results : Incubation with cycloheximide for 23 hours did not affect [86] Rb uptake in the cultured bovine lens. However, exposure to cycloheximide for five days reduced the ability of the lens to accumulate [86] Rb by 69 per cent. This is similar to the 65 to 75 per cent reduction, which was obtained when lenses maintained in culture for zero or five days were incubated with ouabain. Ouabain and cycloheximide did not affect efflux rates for the [86] Rb after 23 hours. Exposure to cycloheximide for five days resulted in a three-fold increase in efflux rate relative to the control lenses. Subsequent exposure of the five-day control lenses to ouabain produced a similar increase. Conclusions : The data are consistent with the notion that continued protein synthesis is required for the maintenance of normal electrolyte balance in the lens.     

Interferon-alpha and gamma mediated gene responses in a human breast carcinoma cell line

Interferons (IFNs) have been known to possess an antiproliferative effect on tumor cells besides their well characterized antiviral effect in cell cultures. The mechanism of action of the different IFNs is not fully understood, but in recent years a number of IFN-inducible genes, the presumed mediators of IFN action, have been identified. In the present study we examined the antiproliferative effect of IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) using (i) the MTT dye formation assay and (ii) anchorage-independent (AI) growth in soft agar. Both IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma were found to have an antiproliferative effect on the growth of MCF-7 cells. In addition, the kinetics of induction of a number of IFN-inducible genes was also examined. The expression of these genes was measured by mRNA analyses using specific [alpha-³²P]-labeled cDNAs as probes. The induction of these genes by IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma is a primary effect of IFN, asde novo protein synthesis is not required for their induction. Our results on the kinetics of induction of these genes by IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma suggests a complex mechanism of ligand-dependent gene activation in this cell line with some similar and dissimilar pathways.     

Involvement of CPP32/Yama-like protease in CPT-11-induced death signal transduction pathway

CPT-11, a derivative of camptothecin (CPT) that interacts with type-I DNA topoisomerase, induced apoptosis in HL60 and Daudi cells in vitro. This cytotoxic activity was time and dose dependent, and was prevented by cycloheximide (CHX), a protein synthesis inhibitor, indicating the requirement of new protein synthesis for CPT-11-induced apoptotic cell death. Ac-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-aldehyde (YVAD) and Ac-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde (DEVD), synthesized tetrapeptide inhibitors of interleukin_1β-converting enzyme (ICE)- and CPP32/Yama-like proteases, were used to examine the CPT-11-induced death signal transduction. These inhibitors blocked CPT-11-induced cytotoxicity in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cytotoxic activity of SN-38, an active metabolite of CPT-11, was about 1000-fold that of CPT-11 and was also prevented by CHX, YVAD and DEVD. The doses of YVAD, however, were a little too high; the prevention by YVAD is then thought to be non-specific. In addition, lymphocytes obtained from normal and lpr^cg mutant mice showed similar susceptibility to CPT-11 cytotoxicity. These results indicate the direct involvement of CPP32/Yama-like protease in the CPT-11-induced death signal transduction pathway, and no involvement of Fas antigen in the pathway.     

Diverse response of cycloheximide-treated rats to liver injury elicited by dimethylnitrosamine,thioacetamide, bromobenzene,allyl alcohol or aflatoxin B1

Cycloheximide (1.5 $\text{mg}\text{kg}$, i.p. 30 min before hepatotoxins) inhibits d,l-[¹⁴C]leucine incorporation in liver microsomal proteins and prevents liver necrosis induced by allyl alcohol or bromobenzene but not that elicited by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), thioacetamide (TAC) or aflatoxin B₁ (AFT). The hypothesis that protein synthesis plays an active role in the production of cellular damage may not have general validity.