PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

J D Crapo

Publications and source records attributed to J D Crapo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Human Mn-superoxide dismutase in pulmonary epithelial cells of transgenic mice confers protection from oxygen injury.

To test directly whether mitochondrial Mn-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) protects the lung epithelium from oxygen-induced injury, transgenic mice were produced in which the expression of human Mn-SOD mRNA was directly by transcriptional elements from the human pulmonary surfactant protein C gene. Human Mn-SOD mRNA was expressed in a lung-specific manner, and increased Mn-SOD protein was detected within mitochondria of alveolar Type II and nonciliated bronchiolar cells of the distal respiratory epithelium of the transgenic mice. The activity of Mn-SOD, but not catalase, CuZn-SOD, or glutathione peroxidase, was increased in lungs of transgenic mice. Transgenic mice were highly protected from lung injury during exposure to 95% oxygen, surviving significantly longer than nontransgenic littermates. Pulmonary pathology demonstrated decreased hemorrhage, hyaline membrane formation, and alveolar and interstitial edema in transgenic animals. The finding that increased Mn-SOD in distal respiratory epithelial cells confers protection from oxygen injury provides a basis for novel therapies to protect lung from injury during oxygen therapy of acute and chronic lung diseases.

Animals

Copper,zinc superoxide dismutase is primarily a cytosolic protein in human cells.

The intracellular localization of human copper,zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD; superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1) was evaluated by using EM immunocytochemistry and both isolated human cell lines and human tissues. Eight monoclonal antibodies raised against either native or recombinant human Cu,Zn-SOD and two polyclonal antibodies raised against either native or recombinant human Cu,Zn-SOD were used. Fixation with 2% paraformaldehyde/0.2% glutaraldehyde was found necessary to preserve normal distribution of the protein. Monoclonal antibodies were less effective than polyclonal antibodies in recognizing the antigen after adequate fixation of tissue. Cu,Zn-SOD was found widely distributed in the cell cytosol and in the cell nucleus, consistent with it being a soluble cytosolic protein. Mitochondria and secretory compartments did not label for this protein. In human cells, peroxisomes showed a labeling density slightly less than that of cytoplasm.

Aged

Extracellular superoxide dismutase, nitric oxide, and central nervous system O2 toxicity.

Although reactive O2 species appear to participate in central nervous system (CNS) O2 toxicity, the exact roles of different reactive O2 species are undetermined. To study the contribution of extracellular superoxide anion (O2-) to CNS O2 toxicity we constructed transgenic mice overexpressing human extracellular superoxide dismutase (ECSOD; superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1) in the brain. Remarkably, when exposed to 6 atm (1 atm = 101.3 kPA) of hyperbaric oxygen for 25 min, transgenic mice demonstrated higher mortality (83%) than nontransgenic litter-mates (33%; P < 0.017). Pretreatment with diethyldithiocarbamate, which inhibits both ECSOD and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) activity, increased resistance to CNS O2 toxicity, in terms of both survival (100% in transgenics and 93% in nontransgenics) and resistance to seizures (4-fold increase in seizure latency in both transgenic and nontransgenic mice; P < 0.05). Thus, O2- apparently protects against CNS O2 toxicity. We hypothesized that O2- decreased toxicity by inactivating nitric oxide (NO.). To test this, we inhibited NO. synthase (EC 1.14.23) with N omega-nitro-L-arginine to determine whether NO. contributes to enhanced CNS O2 toxicity in transgenic mice. N omega-nitro-L-arginine protected both transgenic and nontransgenic mice against CNS O2 toxicity (100% survival and a 4-fold delay in time to first seizure; P < 0.05), as well as abolishing the difference in sensitivity to CNS O2 toxicity between transgenic and nontransgenic mice. These results implicate NO. as an important mediator in CNS O2 toxicity and suggest that ECSOD increases CNS O2 toxicity by inhibiting O2(-)-mediated inactivation of NO.

Animals

Epithelial injury and interstitial fibrosis in the proximal alveolar regions of rats chronically exposed to a simulated pattern of urban ambient ozone.

Electron microscopic morphometry was used to study the development of lung injury during and after chronic (78 weeks) exposure to a pattern of ozone (O3) designed to simulate high urban ambient concentrations that occur in some environments. The daily exposure regimen consisted of a 13-hr background of 0.06 ppm, an exposure peak that rose from 0.06 to 0.25 ppm, and returned to the background level over a 9-hr period, and 2-hr downtime for maintenance. Rats were exposed for 1, 3, 13, and 78 weeks. Additional groups of rats exposed for 13 or 78 weeks were allowed to recover in filtered clean air for 6 or 17 weeks, respectively. Rats exposed to filtered air for the same lengths of time were used as controls. Samples from proximal alveolar regions and terminal bronchioles were obtained by microdissection. Analysis of the proximal alveolar region revealed a biphasic response. Acute tissue reactions after 1 week of exposure included epithelial inflammation, interstitial edema, interstitial cell hypertrophy, and influx of macrophages. These responses subsided after 3 weeks of exposure. Progressive epithelial and interstitial tissue responses developed with prolonged exposure and included epithelial hyperplasia, fibroblast proliferation, and interstitial matrix accumulation. The epithelial responses involved both type I and type II epithelial cells. Alveolar type I cells increased in number, became thicker, and covered a smaller average surface area. These changes persisted throughout the entire exposure and did not change during the recovery period, indicating the sensitivity of these cells to injury. The main response of type II epithelial cells was cell proliferation. The accumulation of interstitial matrix after chronic exposure consisted of deposition of both increased amounts of basement membrane and collagen fibers. Interstitial matrix accumulation underwent partial recovery during follow-up periods in air; however, the thickening of the basement membrane did not resolve. Analysis of terminal bronchioles showed that short-term exposure to O3 caused a loss of ciliated cells and differentiation of preciliated and Clara cells. The bronchiolar cell population stabilized on continued exposure; however, chronic exposure resulted in structural changes, suggesting injury to both ciliated and Clara cells. We conclude that chronic exposure to low levels of O3 causes epithelial inflammation and interstitial fibrosis in the proximal alveolar region and bronchiolar epithelial cell injury.

Administration, Inhalation

Oxidants and antioxidants in alveolar epithelial type II cells: in situ, freshly isolated, and cultured cells.

Antioxidant enzyme activities, H2O2 clearance, and H2O2 generation by rat alveolar epithelial type II cells were compared between in situ, freshly isolated (6 h ex vivo), and cultured cells (48 h ex vivo). Immunocytochemical studies did not show changes in catalase, Mn superoxide dismutase, or CuZn superoxide dismutase labeling density in cytoplasm, peroxisomes, or mitochondria. Numbers of peroxisomes and mitochondria per cell decreased in cultured cells. Biochemical studies showed that cell culture resulted in a significant decrease in activities of catalase (49%), glutathione reductase (50%), glutathione peroxidase (74%), and in the capacity of the cells to scavenge extracellular H2O2. Addition of the specific catalase inhibitor, aminotriazole, decreased the rate of consumption of exogenously added H2O2 in freshly isolated cells but not in cultured cells. Neither aminotriazole nor 1,3-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, which inactivates glutathione reductase, altered H2O2 consumption by cultured cells. The rate of extracellular H2O2 release in both freshly isolated and cultured cells was 0.71 nmol.min-1.mg protein-1. It can be concluded that levels of some antioxidant enzymes fall in cultured alveolar epithelial type II cells, and that, although catalase likely plays a significant role in protection of freshly isolated cells against oxidant stress, this pathway may be less important after culture.

Amitrole

Release of reactive oxygen species by guinea pig tracheal epithelial cells in vitro.

Regulatory and stimulatory mechanisms of H2O2 release from guinea pig tracheal epithelial cells were investigated. Cells in primary culture maintained in a previously described air-liquid interface system released H2O2 to the extracellular space only from the apical side of the cells. The rate of release was 0.044 +/- 0.003 nmol.min-1.mg protein-1. H2O2 release could be stimulated significantly during a 30-min incubation period with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and platelet-activating factor (PAF). A stimulatory effect of PAF was achieved at concentrations greater than 100 nM and with PMA at concentrations greater than 10 ng (16 nM). When protein kinase C was inactivated with staurosporine, the responses to both PAF and PMA were abolished, whereas the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, did not affect H2O2 generation. When guinea pig tracheal epithelial cells were exposed to sublethal concentrations of extracellular H2O2 (30 microM), H2O2 was detoxified from both apical and basal sides, H2O2 removal being significantly more rapid from the apical side of the cells. These results suggest that tracheal epithelial cells can be stimulated to generate reactive oxygen species into the airway lumen and that this occurs in response to inflammatory mediators that act through protein kinase C. Luminal H2O2 release may have developed as a defense mechanism against microbes, and, similarly, luminal detoxification of H2O2 could represent an important mechanism of modulation of airway inflammation in response to oxidant stress.

Analysis of Variance

Structural changes in elastic fibers after pancreatic elastase administration in hamsters.

Ultrastructural changes in lung parenchymal elastic fibers were studied morphometrically 1, 4, and 12 wk after a single 12-unit dose of pancreatic elastase and in a saline-instilled control group. The mean linear intercept of the parenchymal air spaces was increased in the 1-, 4-, and 12-wk post-elastase instillation groups compared with age-matched controls. The volume of alveolar connective tissue fibers predominantly composed of elastin (elastic fibers) was decreased by 35% 1 wk after the instillation of elastase but returned to control levels by 4 wk. Although the total volume of elastic fibers was normal 12 wk after instillation of elastase, the volume of elastic fibers in alveolar entrance rings remained significantly reduced. In serial sections of elastic fibers, numerous gaps or separations in the normally continuous band of elastic fibers that encircle each alveolus were identified 1 wk after elastase instillation. There were 169 +/- 8 (SE), 62 +/- 32, and 12 +/- 6 gaps per millimeter of alveolar entrance ring circumference at 1, 4, and 12 wk, respectively, in the elastase-treated groups. The number of gaps at 12 wk was equivalent to two gaps or discontinuities in the elastic fibers of every alveolar entrance ring. No gaps or separations in elastic fibers were detected at 1, 4, or 12 wk in the control groups. These defects occur in concordance with the progression of air space enlargement and presumably contribute to the progression of air space enlargement that occurs after the elastin content of the tissue has returned to normal.

Animals

Distribution of injury and microdosimetry of ozone in the ventilatory unit of the rat.

The distribution of ozone-induced injury across ventilatory units of the lungs was determined and compared with the predicted distribution of ozone dose across the same units to evaluate dose-response relationships. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either 0.98 ppm ozone 8 h/day for 90 days or to filtered air only. En bloc microdissection was used to identify and isolate in longitudinal profile the bronchiole-alveolar duct junction, first pair of alveolar duct generations, and intervening bifurcation ridge. The first alveolar outpocketing along the bronchiolar wall of each isolation was used to identify the center of a series of concentric arcs radiating outward at 100-microns intervals across each ventilatory unit. The intercept lengths of each arc with the tissue of alveolar septal tips (edges) and alveolar walls were measured and expressed as a function of distance into the ventilatory unit. Relative ozone dose across the ventilatory unit was estimated using the geometry of the tracheobronchial tree and the volume and surface area distribution within individual ventilatory units. This mathematical model of ozone dose demonstrated a high degree of correlation to this measured tissue injury response. The findings of this study demonstrate that microdosimetry and microtoxicology can be used to determine dose-response relationships within the ventilatory unit and to assess questions of tissue sensitivity in ozone-induced lung injury.

Animals

Distribution of lung cell numbers and volumes between alveolar and nonalveolar tissue.

Although total cell number has been determined for the alveolar region of the lungs of many species, it has not been calculated for the nonalveolar lung tissues. The oriented structure of airways and vessels makes the numerical assessment of cells in nonalveolar tissues difficult. This has led many investigators to use the number of cells in the alveolar region as a direct estimate of total lung cell number. To determine the number of cells in the nonalveolar lung tissues, the lungs of eight rats weighing 230 to 380 g were inflation-fixed and embedded in araldite, and 1.5-microns serial sections of the entire left lobe were cut and stained with methylene blue for light microscopy. The sections were then uniformly point-counted using computer-controlled distances between the fields to determine the fraction of points falling on air, blood, cellular tissue, and noncellular tissue for both the alveolar and the nonalveolar regions. The total volume of cell nuclei in each compartment was determined, and the total number of cells was calculated by dividing the total nuclear volume by the mean cell nuclear volume. It was found that 87% of the lung volume was alveolar, of which 6% was tissue and contained 725 x 10(6) cells. The nonalveolar region constituted 13% of the lung volume, of which 23% was tissue and contained 250 x 10(6) cells. The average rat lung therefore contains 975,000,000 cells, of which 74% was in alveolar tissues and 26% in nonalveolar tissues. On the basis of assays of isolated lung cells, there is an average of 7 pg DNA/cell.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Regulation of hydrogen peroxide generation in cultured endothelial cells.

Endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) release from aortic endothelial cells was studied in the presence of antioxidant enzyme inhibitors, mitochondrial inhibitors, a microsomal cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, and after oxidative stress induced with H2O2 or menadione. Extracellular H2O2 generation was determined spectrofluorometrically using 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy phenylacetic acid, and intracellular H2O2 production (in or near peroxisomes) was measured indirectly using aminotriazole, which inactivates catalase in the presence of H2O2. Extracellular H2O2 release was 0.079 +/- 0.005 nmol/min/mg protein in Hanks' balanced salt solution, was constant during a 120-min incubation period, and was not affected by the cell passage number. The half-life for catalase inactivation with aminotriazole was 23 min. Inhibition of catalase, glutathione reductase, or gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase did not change the rate of extracellular release of H2O2. Furthermore, inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (rotenone, antimycin A) or microsomal cytochrome P-450 (8-methoxypsoralen) did not change extracellular H2O2 release or intracellular H2O2 production (at peroxisomes) by endothelial cells or cells in which glutathione reductase was inactivated. When the cells were exposed to exogenous H2O2 (30 microM), extracellular H2O2 was scavenged primarily by the glutathione redox pathway. Exogenously added H2O2 (100 microM) changed intracellular H2O2 production (in or near peroxisomes) only when the glutathione redox cycle was inactivated. Menadione (20 microM), which undergoes intracellular redox cycling, increased extracellular H2O2 release almost 4-fold to 0.3 nmol/min/mg protein. Furthermore, menadione increased peroxisomal H2O2 levels and decreased the half-life for catalase inactivation in the presence of aminotriazole to 13 min. Catalase inhibition increased extracellular H2O2 release during menadione treatment, indicating that H2O2 can diffuse across the plasma membrane during oxidant stress.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amitrole

Allometric relationships of cell numbers and size in the mammalian lung.

Allometric studies have shown that lung volume, alveolar surface area, and diffusing capacity increase proportionally with body weight across a broad range of mammalian species. Changes in the number of cells and in average cell size and surface areas with increasing body weight have not been defined. We speculated that cell size is determined more by cell function than by species and body weight. To test this hypothesis, nine species ranging in size from shrew (2 to 3 g) to horse (510 kg) were studied. Random sites from the distal alveolar region of each species were analyzed using morphometric techniques. Six to 10 nuclei from each of the major classes of parenchymal lung cells were three-dimensionally reconstructed to determine their average diameter, volume, and surface area. To calculate the cell density, nuclear profiles were counted using electron microscopy. The number of cells per lung increased with body mass and lung volume with a slope of 1.01 (r2 = 0.99). The lung is unique among organs in the diversity and function of individual cell types, such as mechanical, sensory, secretory, transporting, and circulating cells. Excluding the circulatory cells, the lung has greater than 60 different cell types, making it an ideal organ for examining the varieties in cell characteristics across different species. Up to 6-fold differences in size were found between different lung cell types within a single species; however, for cells having secretory functions, such as type II cells, there was no detectable change in cell size with increasing lung surface area or body mass.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Antioxidant defense mechanisms in cultured pleural mesothelial cells.

The role of different antioxidant pathways in cultured rat pleural mesothelial cells was studied by exposing the cells to various hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations and by measuring H2O2 cell cytotoxicity and the capacity of the cells to scavenge H2O2. The antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and catalase were analyzed biochemically. Catalase and CuZn superoxide dismutase were localized by immunocytochemistry. To enable investigation of the glutathione redox cycle and catalase pathways, glutathione reductase was inactivated with 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) and catalase was inactivated with aminotriazole. When the cells were exposed to a low, sublethal (0.030 mM) H2O2 concentration, glutathione reductase but not catalase inactivation resulted in a decreased capacity to remove H2O2 from the extracellular medium. When the cells were exposed to a high (0.25 mM) H2O2 concentration, H2O2-scavenging capacity decreased remarkably when catalase was inactivated. When the cells were exposed to 0.1 to 0.5 mM H2O2, cell cytotoxicity (lactate dehydrogenase release) increased significantly if glutathione reductase was inactivated; catalase inactivation resulted in a significant cytotoxicity only at high (greater than or equal to 0.25 mM) H2O2 concentrations. Immunocytochemical studies showed that the cells, both in situ and in vitro, contained low amounts of catalase. This suggests that the results of the catalase-inhibition studies are probably not due to a change in the characteristics of the cells in culture. 3-Aminobenzamide is a compound that is known to prevent NAD depletion through inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase during oxidant stress. When intact cells were treated with different antioxidants and exposed to 0.5 mM H2O2, both catalase and 3-aminobenzamide protected the cells completely.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Detection of catalase in rat heart mitochondria.

The presence of heme-containing catalase in rat heart mitochondria (20 +/- 5 units/mg) was demonstrated by biochemical and immunocytochemical analysis. Intact rat heart mitochondria efficiently consumed exogenously added H2O2. The rate of H2O2 consumption was not influenced by succinate, glutamate/malate, or N-ethylmaleimide but was significantly inhibited by cyanide. Hydrogen peroxide decomposition by mitochondria yielded molecular oxygen in a 2:1 stoichiometry, consistent with a catalytic mechanism. Mitochondrial fractionation studies and quantitative electron microscopic immunocytochemistry revealed that most catalase was matrix-associated. Electrophoretic analysis and Western blotting of the mitochondrial matrix fraction indicated the presence of a protein with similar electrophoretic mobility to bovine and rat liver catalase and immunoreactive to anti-catalase antibody. Myocardial tissue has a lower catalase-specific activity and a greater mitochondrial H2O2 production/g of tissue than most organs. Thus catalase, representing 0.025% of heart mitochondrial protein, is important for detoxifying mitochondrial derived H2O2 and represents a key antioxidant defense mechanism for myocardial tissue.

Animals

Alveolar epithelial cell injuries by subchronic exposure to low concentrations of ozone correlate with cumulative exposure.

Electron microscopy morphometry has been used to study the effects of cumulative exposure of low levels of inhaled O3 on lung proximal alveolar tissue. Six-week-old Fisher 344 rats were exposed to O3 in two different subchronic low-level exposure patterns. The first was a 12 hr/day exposure for 6 weeks and included two O3 concentrations, 0.12 and 0.25 ppm. The second consisted of an exposure profile having a background level of 0.06 ppm with an exposure peak 5 days each week that went from 0.12 to 0.25 ppm and back to 0.12 ppm over a 9-hr period. Rats given the second exposure pattern were exposed for either 3 or 13 weeks. Changes in the volumes of alveolar epithelium were found to be consistent and reproducible markers for cell injury and/or response. Results from the first study indicated that the relative volume of the type I epithelium increased 13 and 23% over the control value (p less than 0.05) following exposures for 6 weeks to 0.12 and 0.25 ppm, respectively. The magnitude of the increases were clearly concentration related. Similarly, when a fixed exposure concentration was employed the relative volume of type I epithelium was found to increase in proportion to the exposure time. In the second exposure, increases of 9 and 33% in relative volume of type I epithelium were found respectively after 3 and 13 weeks of exposure. If the total exposure determined by the product of O3 concentration (including background) and exposure time is plotted against the relative volume of type I epithelium from both the 0.12 ppm (60.5 ppm-hr) and 0.25 ppm (126 ppm-hr) exposures and the 3-week (45.3 ppm-hrs) and 13-week (196.2 ppm-hr) exposures, a linear relationship between increases in type I cell volume and the concentration X time product is observed. The coefficient of correlation (r2) for the linear regression of the animal means is 0.72. Changes in the volume of Type II epithelial cell also correlate with the concentration X time product (r2 = 0.66). This suggests that epithelial cell reactions to low-level subchronic exposure of O3 are directly related to the cumulative oxidant concentration. The pattern of exposure did not appear to affect the resulting degree of injury. Furthermore, a low level of background exposure may contribute to the epithelial cell injuries.

Animals

Radon dosimetry based on the depth distribution of nuclei in human and rat lungs.

Calculation of the absorbed dose by different lung cells is necessary for predicting the critical cells that are subject to injury from inhaled Rn and other alpha-particle sources. The absorbed dose was determined for cells in the airways of human and rat lungs, based on airway epithelial thickness and on cell cytoplasm and nuclear volume density as a function of depth from the luminal surface of the airway epithelium. The thickness of the stratified columnar epithelium of human airways varied from 57.8 micron in bronchi to 9.8 microns in bronchioles. The cell populations of all bronchi in human lungs were comparable. The cell populations of trachea and intrapulmonary airways in rats, however, were significantly different. Basal cell populations in rat trachea and human bronchi were similar and formed a nearly continuous layer. In rat bronchi, basal cells were not present in significant numbers. Measurements of epithelial thickness and volume density were used to estimate the absorbed dose for an alpha-particle source (214Po or 218Po) distributed uniformly in the mucus with an equivalent activity of 1 dpm per cm2 of epithelial surface. The following model predictions of dose to human bronchial epithelial cell nuclei for a 218Po alpha-particle source are provided in units of nanogray (nGy) for specific cell types: secretory 158, preciliated 114, ciliated 44, goblet 86, basal 78, and indeterminate cell nuclei 73. The absorbed dose to specific types of rat bronchial epithelial cell nuclei was also predicted: secretory 237, precillated 216, ciliated 203, goblet 204, basal 200, and indeterminate cell nuclei 166 nGy. These and other results indicate that human and rat airway dosimetry have significant differences that may contribute to the differences in cancer cell induction between the two species.

Alpha Particles

Lung transplantation in the rat. A morphometric analysis of the gas exchange region.

Single-lung transplantation in the rat provides a model that allows investigators to study immunologic, cellular, and morphologic changes associated with allograft rejection. We performed morphometric analysis of transplanted and nontransplanted lungs removed from recipients having received isografts, allografts, or hilus-stripping up to six months previously, and having received cyclosporine on the first postoperative day, the second postoperative day, the first five days, or not at all. When CsA was not administered, there was extensive and rapid destruction of the alveolar septa with consolidation and rejection of the transplanted lung within one week. In contrast, the allografts from rats treated with CsA were not obviously changed compared with the control lung. To evaluate whether or not these CsA-treated allografts had even subtle injury to alveolar septal cells, a morphometric analysis using transmission electron microscopy was used. There were no significant changes between control (nontransplanted or hilus-stripped) lungs and isografted or allografted lungs for most parameters measured. Exceptions included type I epithelial cell volume, which increased in rats treated with CsA on postoperative day 1 only, and the tissue component of diffusing capacity, which decreased in rats treated with CsA on postoperative day 2 only. We conclude that CsA treatment of rats given lung allografts effectively blocks the development of injury in the gas exchange region. The effect is achieved when the CsA is given during the first five days following transplantation in rats, and may be influenced by the timetable of administration and cumulative dosage.

Animals

Hydrogen peroxide production by alveolar type II cells, alveolar macrophages, and endothelial cells.

Extracellular H2O2 release and intracellular H2O2 production were determined in rat lung alveolar macrophages, rat alveolar type II cells, and cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. Isolated macrophages (5 h ex vivo) released 3.1 +/- 0.09 nmol H2O2.min-1.mg cell protein-1, freshly isolated (5 h ex vivo) type II cells released 0.7 +/- 0.07 nmol H2O2.min-1.mg protein-1, and cultured endothelial cells released 0.06 +/- 0.005 nmol H2O2.min-1.mg protein-1. The rate of extracellular H2O2 release decreased rapidly over time in both fresh macrophages and freshly isolated type II cells. When the measurements were repeated at different times ex vivo, the decrease was greater than 20%/h, and H2O2 release was almost undetectable 12 h ex vivo. The decrease occurred while lactate dehydrogenase release, catalase activity, and intracellular H2O2 production remained unchanged. Catalase activity was 59.3 +/- 4.9 nmol O2 produced.min-1.mg protein-1 in type II cells, 13.2 +/- 1.8 in macrophages, and 11.4 +/- 2.7 in endothelial cells. Aminotriazole is a compound that inhibits catalase in the presence of H2O2 at a rate that is proportional to the rate of intracellular H2O2 production in or near peroxisomes. Incubation of the cells with aminotriazole led to a rapid inhibition of catalase. In 15 min the reduction of catalase activity was 69% in type II cells, 53% in macrophages, and 37% in endothelial cells. When freshly isolated type II cells were exposed to hyperoxia (95% O2) for 30 min, no changes in the rate of either intracellular H2O2 production or extracellular H2O2 release were seen.

Animals