Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are major contributors to radiation therapy-induced side effects in cancer patients. A fusion antioxidant enzyme comprising glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), and a transmembrane peptide has been shown to effectively mitigate ROS-induced damage. To enhance its targeting capability, the fusion protein was further modified by incorporating a matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 substrate peptide (X) and the transmembrane peptide R9, yielding the antioxidant enzyme GST-SOD1-X-R9 (GS1XR). This modification reduced its transmembrane ability in tumor cells, thereby selectively protecting normal cells from oxidative stress. However, the use of non-human GST poses potential immunogenicity risks. In this study, we employed seamless cloning technology to construct an expression vector containing the human GST gene to replace the non-human GST gene, and then expressed and purified novel fusion antioxidant enzymes GS1R and GS1XR. The protective effects of newly constructed GS1R and GS1XR against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative damage in L-02 cells were then evaluated using GS1 as a control. Enzymatic activity assays revealed that the specific activity of GST in GS1XR remained unchanged compared to the unmodified protein, while SOD activity was enhanced. Exposure to 200 μmol/L H₂O₂ transiently activated the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway; however, this activation diminished after 24 h, reducing cell viability to 48.4%. Both GS1R and GS1XR effectively scavenged intracellular ROS, directly counteracting oxidative stress and promoting Nrf2 nuclear translocation, thereby activating antioxidant pathways and restoring cell viability to normal levels. The two enzymes showed comparable efficacy. In contrast, GS1, lacking transmembrane capability, was restricted to scavenging extracellular ROS and provided only limited protection. In conclusion, both novel fusion antioxidant enzymes demonstrated significant potential in safeguarding normal cells from ROS-mediated oxidative damage. The findings provide a foundation for further investigation in related field.
Humans ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Antioxidants/metabolism* ; Glutathione Transferase/metabolism* ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins/pharmacology* ; Superoxide Dismutase-1 ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Superoxide Dismutase/biosynthesis*

Bucillamine is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This study investigated the protective effects of bucillamine against cisplatin-induced damage in auditory cells, the organ of Corti from postnatal rats (P2) and adult Balb/C mice. Cisplatin increases the catalytic activity of caspase-3 and caspase-8 proteases and the production of free radicals, which were significantly suppressed by pretreatment with bucillamine. Bucillamine induces the intranuclear translocation of Nrf2 and thereby increases the expression of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) and glutathione synthetase (GSS), which further induces intracellular antioxidant glutathione (GSH), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2). However, knockdown studies of HO-1 and SOD2 suggest that the protective effect of bucillamine against cisplatin is independent of the enzymatic activity of HO-1 and SOD. Furthermore, pretreatment with bucillamine protects sensory hair cells on organ of Corti explants from cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity concomitantly with inhibition of caspase-3 activation. The auditory-brainstem-evoked response of cisplatin-injected mice shows marked increases in hearing threshold shifts, which was markedly suppressed by pretreatment with bucillamine in vivo. Taken together, bucillamine protects sensory hair cells from cisplatin through a scavenging effect on itself, as well as the induction of intracellular GSH.
Animals ; Antioxidants/*metabolism/*pharmacology ; Apoptosis/drug effects ; Caspase 3/metabolism ; Caspase 8/metabolism ; Cell Line ; Cisplatin/*toxicity ; Cysteine/*analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Gene Expression Regulation/*drug effects ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Glutathione/*metabolism ; Heme Oxygenase-1/genetics ; Intracellular Space/metabolism ; Male ; Metabolic Detoxication, Phase II/genetics ; Mice ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics ; Nitric Oxide/biosynthesis ; Organ of Corti/*drug effects/*metabolism ; RNA Interference ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase/genetics

The polysaccharides from pumpkin fruit (PP) were obtained and purified by hot-water extraction, anion-exchange chromatography, and gel column chromatography. The physicochemical properties of PP were determined by gel filtration chromatography, gas chromatography, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Results indicated that the molecular weight of PP was about 23 kDa and PP was composed of D-Arabinose, D-Mannose, D-Glucose, and D-Galactose with a molar ratio of 1 : 7.79 : 70.32 : 7.05. FTIR and NMR spectra indicated that PP was the polysaccharide containing pyranose ring. Additionally, PP protected islets cells from streptozotocin (STZ) injury in vitro via increasing the levels of super-oxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and reducing the production of NO. The experiment of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction further proved that PP inhibited apoptosis via modulating the expression of Bax/Bcl-2 in STZ-damaged islet cells. In conclusion, PP could be explored as a novel agent for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Chromatography, Gas ; Chromatography, Gel ; Cucurbita ; chemistry ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; Islets of Langerhans ; drug effects ; injuries ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Malondialdehyde ; analysis ; Molecular Weight ; Monosaccharides ; analysis ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Polysaccharides ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Superoxide Dismutase ; drug effects ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; drug effects

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induce tissue damage and oxidative stress in animal models of stomach damage. In the present study, the protective effects of wheat peptides were evaluated in a NSAID-induced stomach damage model in rats. Different doses of wheat peptides or distilled water were administered daily by gavage for 30 days before the rat stomach damage model was established by administration of NSAIDs (aspirin and indomethacin) into the digestive tract twice. The treatment of wheat peptides decreased the NSAID-induced gastric epithelial cell degeneration and oxidative stress and NO levels in the rats. Wheat peptides significantly increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and decreased iNOS activity in stomach. The mRNA expression level of μ-opioid receptor was significantly decreased in wheat peptides-treated rats than that in in the control rats. The results suggest that NSAID drugs induced stomach damage in rats, wchih can be prevented by wheat peptides. The mechanisms for the protective effects were most likely through reducing NSAID-induced oxidative stress.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; adverse effects ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Aspirin ; adverse effects ; Gastric Mucosa ; drug effects ; Gene Expression ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; drug effects ; Indomethacin ; adverse effects ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; chemical synthesis ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Plant Proteins ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Opioid, mu ; drug effects ; Stomach ; drug effects ; Superoxide Dismutase ; drug effects ; Triticum ; chemistry

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Cu/Zn SOD on reduction of hindlimb muscular atrophy induced by cisplatin in rats. METHODS: Forty-two rats were assigned to three groups; control group, Cisplatin (CDDP) group and cisplatin with Cu/Zn SOD (CDDP-SOD) group. At day 35 hindlimb muscles were dissected. Food intake, activity, withdrawal threshold, muscle weight, and Type I, II fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) of dissected muscles were measured. Relative SOD activity and expression of MHC and phosphorylated Akt, ERK were measured after dissection. RESULTS: Muscle weight and Type I, II fiber CSA of hindlimb muscles in the CDDP group were significantly less than the control group. Muscle weight and Type I, II fiber CSA of hindlimb muscles, food intake, activity, and withdrawal thresholds of the CDDP-SOD group were significantly greater than the CDDP group. There were no significant differences in relative SOD activities of hindlimb muscles between the CDDP-SOD and CDDP groups. MHC expression and phosphorylated Akt, ERK of hindlimb muscles in the CDDP-SOD group were significantly greater than the CDDP group. CONCLUSION: Cu/Zn SOD attenuates hindlimb muscular atrophy induced by cisplatin through increased food intake and activity. Increment of phosphorylated Akt, ERK may relate to attenuation of hindlimb muscular atrophy.
Animals ; Body Weight/drug effects ; Cisplatin/*toxicity ; Disease Models, Animal ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism ; Hindlimb ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal/*drug effects/enzymology/metabolism ; Muscular Atrophy/*chemically induced/metabolism/pathology ; Phosphorylation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis/genetics/pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase/genetics/metabolism/pharmacology ; Superoxides/metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effects and mechanism of Buzhong Yiqi decoction on adriamycin-induced acute myocardial injury in rats.

METHOD50 rats were randomly divided to five groups: control group, heart failure group, low dose Buzhong Yiqi decoction, high dose Buzhong Yiqi decoction and captopril group. Adriamycin was injected into the latter four groups to built a model of heart failure. Then, the effects of different doses of Buzhong Yiqi decoction on hemodynamics, cardiac tissue histological changes, antioxidant capacity and apoptosis of the damaged hearts were studied.

RESULTAdriamycin led to myocardial fiber swelling and fracture, Buzhong Yiqi decoction could reduce myocardial lesions. Buzhong Yiqi decoction could also improve heart antioxidant capacity and inhibit adriamycin-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONBuzhong Yiqi decoction could significantly ease adriamycin induced heart failure in rats, and the mechanism is related to anti-oxidation and inhibiting apoptosis.

Animals ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; toxicity ; Doxorubicin ; toxicity ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Ventricular Function, Left ; drug effects

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) of stria marginal cells (MCs) of the rat cochlea by the recombinant adeno-associated viruses of the serotypes 2 (AAV2) mediated gene-delivery for hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in vitro. METHOD: Primary cultures of MCs were infected using rAAV2-MnSOD-EGFP at dosage of multiplicity of infection (MOI) 10(1)v x /cell and using rAAV2-EGFP as control. The expression of MnSOD in MCs was examined using western blot and the activity of MnSOD was determinated by colorimetric assays. Oxidative stress was induced in MCs by exposing them to H2O2 (400 micromol/L) for 2 hour and preculturing them in normal medium. After 24 h the amount of the lipid peroxidation production malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry by Propidium oidium staining. The expression of the cleaved Caspase-3 was assessed by Western blot. RESULT: (1) EGFP expression in MCs could not be detected until 4 days after rAAV2- MnSOD-EGFP infection and reached fastigium after 10 days and lasted over a month. The MnSOD level in the rAAV2- MnSOD-EGFP group was higher than that in the control group. (2) After being exposed to H2O2, the amounts of MDA in rAAV2-MnSOD-EGFP group, control group and normal group were 0.464 +/- 0.049, 1.103 +/- 0.033 and 0.185 +/- 0.005 (nmol/mg prot), respectively. The expression of the cleaved-caspase-3 in rAAV2-MnSOD-EGFP group was lower than that in control group and the number of apoptotic cells decreased significantly. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate that the rAAV2-MnSOD-EGFP can effectively transfect cultured MCs, and the transgenic cells show a high expression of MnSOD which can protect the MCs against oxidative challenge. The role of overexpression MnSOD in MCs apoptosis induced by oxidative injury may be associated with suppressing the activation of caspase-3.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Cochlea ; metabolism ; Dependovirus ; genetics ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Stria Vascularis ; cytology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; biosynthesis ; Transfection

To solve the problem of low growth rate and metabolism level in suspension cultures of protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Dendrobium huoshanense. The effects of germanium on PLB proliferation and accumulation of polysaccharides together with nutrient utilization were investigated and the contents of reducing sugars, soluble proteins, the activities of antioxidant enzymes and redox status of the cells of PLB were analyzed. The results indicated that the optimum concentration of germanium dioxide (4.0 mg/L) significantly enhanced the cell growth and accumulation of polysaccharides, greatly improved contents of reducing sugars and soluble proteins, increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) but decreased the activity of peroxidase(POD). The cell dry weight and production of polysaccharides were 32.6 g/L and 3.78 g/L, respectively. The analysis of cellular redox status showed that the ratio of reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in cells and the activity of glutathione reductase were significantly increased by the addition of germanium dioxide. The suitable concentration of germanium dioxide was beneficial to the cell growth and the accumulation of polysaccharides.
Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Culture Techniques ; methods ; Dendrobium ; cytology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Germanium ; pharmacology ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Polysaccharides ; biosynthesis ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

Cytoplasmic transduction peptide (CTP) is a newly designed transduction peptide, by which special molecules can be carried out and localized into cytoplasmic compartment. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a protein that is difficult to go into cytoplasm. In this study, CTP-SOD fusion gene was amplified from human cDNA by PCR, and the active recombinant protein was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. HeLa cells pretreated with CTP-SOD showed a significantly improved survival against the pyrogallol-induced oxidative stress, suggesting CTP-SOD could cross the cell membrane more efficiently and protect cells from oxidative stress.
Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Cytoplasm ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Pichia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; physiology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of esophageal mucosa injury in children with reflux esophagitis (RE).

METHODSEsophageal mucosal samples from 36 children with RE (7 months to 16 years of age) were obtained by gastroscopy. The parameters of oxidative stress, including the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and nitric oxide (NO) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity in the esophageal mucosa as well as the protein content of the esophageal mucosa, were measured. Twenty children (3 to 16 years of age) without esophageal mucosal injury by gastroscopy served as controls.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference in the protein content of the esophageal mucosa between the RE and the control groups. The content of MDA in the RE group (15.36+/- 16.67 nmol/mg) was significantly higher than that in the control group (7.51+/- 6.17 nmol/mg) (P<0.01). The activity of T-SOD in the RE group (30.43+/- 35.09 U/mg) was statistically lower than that in the control group (56.34+/- 51.73 U/mg) (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed in GSH and NO contents between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSThe MDA content increases and the SOD content decreases in the esophageal mucosa in children with RE. This suggests that oxidative stress seems to be an important mediator in generation of esophageal mucosal injury.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; complications ; metabolism ; Esophagus ; metabolism ; Female ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; analysis ; Mucous Membrane ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Oxidative Stress ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism