Biomedical subjects

Stephen H Reaney

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen H Reaney.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effect of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal modification on alpha-synuclein aggregation.

Several observations have implicated oxidative stress and aggregation of the presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease. alpha-Synuclein has been shown to have affinity for unsaturated fatty acids and membranes enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are especially sensitive to oxidation under conditions of oxidative stress. One of the most important products of lipid oxidation is 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease. Consequently, we investigated the effects of the interaction of HNE with alpha-synuclein. Incubation of HNE with alpha-synuclein at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C resulted in covalent modification of the protein, with up to six HNE molecules incorporated as Michael addition products. Fourier transform infrared and CD spectra indicated that HNE modification of alpha-synuclein resulted in a major conformational change involving increased beta-sheet. HNE modification of alpha-synuclein led to inhibition of fibrillation in an HNE concentration-dependent manner. This inhibition of fibrillation was shown to be due to the formation of soluble oligomers based on size exclusion high pressure liquid chromatography and atomic force microscope data. Small angle x-ray scattering analysis indicated that the HNE-induced oligomers were compact and tightly packed. Treatment with guanidinium chloride demonstrated that the HNE-induced oligomers were very stable with an extremely slow rate of dissociation. Addition of 5 mum HNE-modified oligomers to primary mesencephalic cultures caused marked neurotoxicity because the integrity of dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons was reduced by 95 and 85%, respectively. Our observations indicate that HNE modification of alpha-synuclein prevents fibrillation but may result in toxic oligomers, which could therefore contribute to the demise of neurons subjected to oxidative damage.

Aldehydes↗

PubMed2006

Comparison of the neurotoxic effects of proteasomal inhibitors in primary mesencephalic cultures.

Impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Because the neurodegenerative process of PD results in a severe loss of dopaminergic cells, previous in vitro studies have investigated the possibility that these neurons may be particularly vulnerable to proteasomal inhibition. Results of this earlier work are difficult to compare, however, since they were obtained using different proteasomal inhibitors at various concentrations and under diverse culture conditions. Here, four UPS inhibitors, i.e., lactacystin, PSI, epoxomicin and MG-132, were directly evaluated in terms of their ability to damage dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons in primary rat mesencephalic cultures. Using a broad range of concentrations and different incubation lengths, we found that proteasomal inhibitors consistently killed both dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons. The degree of toxicity was slightly different, however, between the two neuronal populations. When measurements of neurotransmitter uptake were used as indicators of neuronal cell viability, the extent of reduction of dopamine uptake caused by proteasomal inhibitors was slightly greater than the decrease in GABA uptake. With PSI the difference in reduction of dopamine vs. GABA uptake was less than 10% and did not reach statistical significance. With the other three inhibitors, dopaminergic cells were up to 20% more affected than GABAergic neurons; this difference reached statistical significance only at specific concentrations and time points. Preincubation of cultures with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, an inhibitor of dopamine synthesis, reduced dopamine concentration by 65% but failed to significantly change lactacystin- and MG-132-induced damage to dopaminergic neurons. Data indicate a modest preferential toxicity of proteasomal inhibitors toward dopaminergic cells and thus only in part support the hypothesis that a selective vulnerability to UPS dysfunction underlies the pathogenesis of nigrostriatal degeneration in PD.

Acetylcysteine↗

PubMed2006

Brain accumulation and toxicity of Mn(II) and Mn(III) exposures.

Concern over the neurotoxic effects of chronic moderate exposures to manganese has arisen due to increased awareness of occupational exposures and to the use of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl, a manganese-containing gasoline antiknock additive. Little data exist on how the oxidation state of manganese exposure affects toxicity. The objective of this study was to better understand how the oxidation state of manganese exposure affects accumulation and subsequent toxicity of manganese. This study utilized a rat model of manganese neurotoxicity to investigate how ip exposure to Mn(II)-chloride or Mn(III)-pyrophosphate at total cumulative doses of 0, 30, or 90 mg Mn/kg body weight affected the brain region distribution and neurotoxicity of manganese. Results indicate that Mn(III) exposures produced significantly higher blood manganese levels than equimolar exposures to Mn(II). Brain manganese concentrations increased in a dose-dependent manner, with Mn(III) exposures producing significantly higher (> 25%) levels than exposures to Mn(II) but with no measurable differences in the accumulation of manganese across different brain regions. Gamma amino butyric acid concentrations were increased in the globus pallidus (GP) with manganese exposure. Dopamine (DA) levels were altered in the GP, with the highest Mn(II) and Mn(III) exposures producing significantly different DA levels. In addition, transferrin receptor and H-ferritin protein expression increased in the GP with manganese exposure. These data substantiate the heightened susceptibility of the GP to manganese, and they indicate that the oxidation state of manganese exposure may be an important determinant of tissue toxicodynamics and subsequent neurotoxicity.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Lack of nigrostriatal pathology in a rat model of proteasome inhibition.

Systemic administration of ubiquitin-proteasome system inhibitors to rodents has been reported to induce certain behavioral and neuropathological features of Parkinson's disease. The goal of this study was to replicate these observations by administering a proteasome inhibitor (PSI) to rats using McNaught and colleagues' protocol. No alterations in locomotor activity or striatal dopamine and its metabolites were observed. Differences in nigral dopaminergic cell number between proteasome inhibitor- and vehicle-treated rats and inclusion bodies were not found. Extending the time of survival after administration and using different solvents failed to alter results, indicating this proteasome inhibitor does not consistently produce the selective toxicity and pathological hallmarks characterizing Parkinson's disease.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Redox cycling of the herbicide paraquat in microglial cultures.

Mechanisms involved in paraquat neurotoxicity that selectively target nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons remain relatively unknown. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that paraquat exposure leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through a process of redox cycling and that microglia represent an important site for the initiation of redox cycling reactions. Addition of paraquat to N9 microglial cultures resulted in a dose- and time-dependent release of superoxide radicals. Other agents that share with paraquat the property of redox cycling, i.e., benzyl viologen and diquat, also induced a marked production of superoxide radicals by microglia. The ability of paraquat, benzyl viologen, and diquat to induce superoxide release was correlated to their one-electron reduction potentials and thus their tendency to redox cycle. Nitric oxide synthase and NADPH oxidase were identified as enzymatic sources of electrons that triggered paraquat redox cycling by microglia. Taken together, these data provide evidence in favor of a new mechanism by which microglia could play a role in oxidative injury during neurodegenerative processes. Microglial NOS and NADPH oxidase could promote the generation of ROS via the redox cycling of paraquat-like toxicants.

Acetophenones↗

PubMed2002

Manganese oxidation state and its implications for toxicity.

Manganese (Mn) is ubiquitous in mammalian systems and is essential for proper development and function, though it can also be toxic at elevated exposures. While essential biologic functions of Mn depend on its oxidation state [e.g., Mn(II), Mn(III)], little is known about how the oxidation state of elevated Mn exposures affect cellular uptake, and function/toxicity. Here we report the dynamics of EPR measurable Mn(II) in fresh human plasma and cultured PC12 cell lysates as a function of exposure to either manganese(II) chloride or manganese(III) pyrophosphate, and the effects of exposure to Mn(II) versus Mn(III) on total cellular aconitase activity and cellular Mn uptake. The results indicate that Mn(II) or Mn(III) added in vitro to fresh human plasma or cell lysates yielded similar amounts of EPR measurable Mn(II). In contrast, Mn added as Mn(III) was significantly more effective in inhibiting total cellular aconitase activity, and intact PC12 cells accumulated significantly more Mn when exposures occurred as Mn(III). Collectively, these data reflect the dynamic nature of Mn speciation in simple biological systems, and the importance of Mn oxidation/speciation state in mediating potential cellular toxicity. This study supports concern over increased environmental exposures to Mn in different oxidation states [Mn(II), Mn(III), and Mn(IV)] that may arise from combustion products of the gasoline antiknock additive methycyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).

Aconitate Hydratase↗