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A Baoutina

Publications and source records attributed to A Baoutina.

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Antioxidant properties of macrophages toward low-density lipoprotein.

Oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been implicated in atherosclerosis. Intensive scientific efforts over the last two decades have focused on the elucidation of the mechanisms by which LDL is oxidized in vivo. A wealth of in vitro studies has demonstrated that the cell types present in atherosclerotic lesions, including monocyte/macrophages, quantitatively one of the most important cell types in plaque development, promote LDL oxidation. The mechanisms of cellular prooxidant activities have been extensively investigated. Fewer studies have addressed possible protective properties of the cells in LDL oxidation. This review summarizes recent observations of antioxidant, and potentially antiatherogenic, activities of macrophages toward LDL, including macrophage-mediated detoxification of lipid and protein hydroperoxides, metal sequestration and the generation of compounds with antioxidant properties. These activities could contribute to the net effect of macrophages on deleterious LDL oxidation and to the complex role of these cells in lesion development.

Animals↗

Macrophages can decrease the level of cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides in low density lipoprotein.

Murine and human macrophages rapidly decreased the level of cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides in low density lipoprotein (LDL) when cultured in media non-permissive for LDL oxidation. This process was proportional to cell number but could not be attributed to the net lipoprotein uptake. Macrophage-mediated loss of lipid hydroperoxides in LDL appears to be metal ion-independent. Degradation of cholesteryl linoleate hydroperoxides was accompanied by accumulation of the corresponding hydroxide as the major product and cholesteryl keto-octadecadienoate as a minor product, although taken together these products could not completely account for the hydroperoxide consumption. Cell-conditioned medium possessed a similar capacity to remove lipid hydroperoxides as seen with cellular monolayers, suggesting that the activity is not an integral component of the cell but is secreted from it. The activity of cell-conditioned medium to lower the level of LDL lipid hydroperoxides is associated with its high molecular weight fraction and is modulated by the availability of free thiol groups. Cell-mediated loss of LDL cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides is facilitated by the presence of alpha-tocopherol in the lipoprotein. Together with our earlier reports on the ability of macrophages to remove peroxides rapidly from oxidized amino acids, peptides, and proteins as well as to clear selectively cholesterol 7-beta-hydroperoxide, results presented in this paper provide evidence of a potential protective activity of the cell against further LDL oxidation by removing reactive peroxide groups in the lipoprotein.

Animals↗

Alpha-tocopherol supplementation of macrophages does not influence their ability to oxidize LDL.

We have investigated the effect of alpha-tocopherol-loading of mouse peritoneal macrophages and human monocytes on their ability to oxidize human low density lipoprotein (LDL). Mouse peritoneal macrophages incorporated alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH) from culture medium supplemented with the vitamin in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Subcellular fractionation by density gradient ultracentrifugation showed that the distribution of incorporated alpha-TOH within the cell was similar to that of free cholesterol. Most (approximately 88%) of alpha-TOH partitioned into the membrane fractions (plasma membrane approximately 41%, mitochondria and lysosomes approximately 26%, and endosomes plus endoplasmic reticulum approximately 21%). Cellular alpha-TOH was stable for at least 24 h in serum- or LDL-free media whether permissive (Ham's F-10) or non-permissive (Dulbecco's minimum essential medium, DMEM) for LDL oxidation. When incubated with LDL in DMEM, alpha-TOH-preloaded cells transferred small amounts of alpha-TOH (approximately 1 nmol/mg LDL protein after 9 h) to the lipoprotein. However, enrichment of the cells with alpha-TOH did not change the kinetics of oxidation of either normal or TOH-depleted LDL in Ham's F-10 medium compared with non-loaded cells, as assessed by alpha-TOH consumption, cholesteryl ester degradation, and cholesteryl ester hydroperoxide and 7-ketocholesterol accumulation. Nor did it alter superoxide release by the cells or their ability to reduce extracellular copper(II). Similar to mouse macrophages, enrichment of human monocytes with alpha-TOH did not change the kinetics of cell-mediated LDL oxidation. We conclude that elevated cellular levels of alpha-TOH in mouse peritoneal macrophages and in human monocytes do not affect their ability to oxidize LDL lipids in vitro. This suggests that either cell-mediated oxidation of LDL under the conditions of this study is not dependent on cell-derived radical species or that cellular alpha-TOH is unable to affect their formation.

Animals↗

Regulation of serum-induced lipid accumulation in human monocyte-derived macrophages by interferon-gamma. Correlations with apolipoprotein E production, lipoprotein lipase activity and LDL receptor-related protein expression.

The demonstration of lipid loaded macrophages in atherosclerotic tissue has led to the development of in vitro systems to elucidate the mechanisms involved in lipid accumulation. Here we have characterised the changes which occur in human monocyte-derived macrophage (MDM) lipids during culture in either human serum (HS) or foetal calf serum (FCS). MDM cultured in HS were rapidly converted to lipid filled foam cells, as assessed using HPLC analysis and oil red-O staining and compared with the same cells grown in FCS. However, the lipids which accumulated were predominantly triglycerides with smaller amounts of unesterified cholesterol (UC) and only traces of cholesteryl esters (CE). alpha-Tocopherol (alpha-TocH) was present at higher levels in MDM cultured in HS compared to the same cells grown in FCS. MDM lipid accumulation was dependent on the triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TGRL) fraction of human serum; accordingly, supplementation of FCS with human TGRL also induced MDM lipid accumulation. The relationships between cellular lipid accumulation and secretion of apolipoprotein E (apo E) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) as well as expression of the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) were also examined. MDM lipid accumulation was associated with increased apo E secretion but did not alter extracellular LPL activity. The lipid accumulation which was induced by HS was potently inhibited (but not reserved) by the inflammatory cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN gamma), and this was associated with decreased apo E production, LPL secretion and expression of LRP. These studies reveal striking differences in the lipid composition of MDM cultured in either HS or FCS, and indicate that oil red-O staining is not necessarily associated with cholesteryl ester accumulation in human macrophages. Furthermore, the effect that serum-induced lipid accumulation has on the specific MDM functions studied should be appreciated when developing in vitro macrophage models.

Apolipoproteins E↗

The limitations of an iodometric aerobic assay for peroxides.

A technique recommended for the assay of lipid and other organic peroxides based on the use of a commercial color reagent (El-Saadani et al., J. Lipid Res. 30, 627-630, 1989) has the advantage over other iodometric methods of being insensitive to oxygen. Although tested so far with a limited range of peroxides, this aerobic method has found popular use with complex biological systems, such as plasma. We have examined the ability of this assay to provide accurate estimates of peroxides in H2O2, tert-butanol, and cumene hydroperoxides, and in oxidized linoleate, low-density lipoprotein, and human blood plasma. The results were compared with values obtained with an anaerobic iodometric peroxide method taken as the standard peroxide assay. We found that the published protocol gave correct peroxide values for H2O2 solutions. Correct values could also be obtained for oxidized low-density lipoprotein, provided that the incubation period was extended from 30 to 60 min. All the other peroxides tested gave much lower values than those of the standard iodometric method. Incubation at 50 degrees C to increase the velocity of the reaction for some of the slowly reacting peroxides did not improve the accuracy of the aerobic method. We recommend that the color reagent should be used as originally specified only for the assay of H2O2, or for oxidized lipoprotein with the incubation extended to 60 min.

Humans↗