Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.11.13 (protein kinase C)
 49,245 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Reactive oxygen species-mediated cellular injury is involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including those affecting the cardiovascular system, such as myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, inflammation, and atheroscleosis. Raxofelast (IRFI-016; (+/-)-5-acetoxy-2, 3-dihydro-4, 6, 7-trimethyl-2-benzofuran-acetic acid) was designed with the aim of maximizing the antioxidant potency of phenols chemically related to vitamin E. The antioxidant activity of raxofelast has been convincingly demonstrated in several in vitro studies and in various models of ischemia-reperfusion injury. In this study, the antiproliferative effects of raxofelast were investigated to determine whether transduction signals and protooncogenes are affected in H(2)O(2)-stimulated rat aortic smooth muscle cells. In a tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay, the proliferation of rat aortic smooth muscle cells was increased by 3-fold in 0.1% fetal bovine serum/Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 500 microM H(2)O(2), indicating that exogenous 500 microM H(2)O(2) was a growth stimulator of rat aortic smooth muscle cells. Exogenous H(2)O(2) significantly activated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) activity within 30 min and raxofelast inhibited the ERKs activation dose dependently in 500 microM H(2)O(2)-stimulated rat aortic smooth muscle cells (IC(50): 200 microM). Raxofelast reduced the intracellular reactive oxygen species generated by exogenous H(2)O(2) in a dose-dependent manner. In 500 microM H(2)O(2)-stimulated rat aortic smooth muscle cells, raxofelast dramatically attenuated the activation of mitogen-activating protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK kinase 1, 2 (MEK1,2) and protein kinase C (PKC) without affecting Ras expression. Induction of c-myc mRNA was significantly reduced dose dependently up to 100 microM by raxofelast in concentrations. These data indicate that the antiproliferative effects of raxofelast in H(2)O(2)-stimulated rat aortic smooth muscle cells may involve the suppression of intracellular reactive oxygen species formation and the inhibition of ERKs by inactivation through PKC and MEK1,2 and down-regulation of c-myc expression, regardless of Ras activation.
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PMID:Antiproliferative mechanisms of raxofelast (IRFI-016) in H2O2-stimulated rat aortic smooth muscle cells. 1474 95

The development of atherosclerosis is a multifactorial process in which both elevated plasma cholesterol levels and proliferation of smooth muscle cells play a central role. Numerous studies have suggested the involvement of oxidative processes in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and especially of oxidized low density lipoprotein. Some epidemiological studies have shown an association between high dietary intake and high serum concentrations of vitamin E and lower rates of ischemic heart disease. Cell culture studies have shown that alpha-tocopherol brings about inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation. This takes place via inhibition of protein kinase C activity. alpha-Tocopherol also inhibits low density lipoprotein induced smooth muscle cell proliferation and protein kinase C activity. The following animal studies showed that vitamin E protects development of cholesterol induced atherosclerosis by inhibiting protein kinase C activity in smooth muscle cells in vivo. Elevated plasma levels of homocysteine have been identified as an important and independent risk factor for cerebral, coronary and peripheral atherosclerosis. However the mechanisms by which homocysteine promotes atherosclerotic plaque formation are not clearly defined. Earlier reports have been suggested that homocysteine exert its effect via H2O2 produced during its metabolism. To evaluate the contribution of homocysteine in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases, we examined whether the homocysteine effect on vascular smooth muscle cell growth is mediated by H2O2. We show that homocysteine induces DNA synthesis and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in the presence of peroxide scavenging enzyme, catalase. Our data suggest that homocysteine induces smooth muscle cell growth through the activation of an H2O2 independent pathway and accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis. The results indicate a cellular mechanism for the atherogenicity of cholesterol or homocysteine and protective role of vitamin E in the development of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Molecular mechanisms of cholesterol or homocysteine effect in the development of atherosclerosis: Role of vitamin E. 1475 78

A role of oxidative stress in atherosclerosis lies on experimental results carried out in vitro and in animal models. In humans, the supplementation with the antioxidant vitamin E has given in some cases supportive results and in others no effects. From in vitro studies, a large amount of data has shown that alpha-tocopherol (the major component of vitamin E) regulates key events in the cellular pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We first described the inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) activity by alpha-tocopherol to be at the basis of the vascular smooth muscle cell growth inhibition by this compound. Subsequently, PKC was recognized to be the target of alpha-tocopherol in different cell types, including monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, fibroblasts and mesangial cells. Inhibiting the activity of protein kinase C by alpha-tocopherol results in different events in different cell types: inhibition of platelet aggregation, of nitric oxide production in endothelial cells, of superoxide production in neutrophils and macrophages as well as impairment of smooth muscle cell proliferation. Adhesion molecule expression and inflammatory cell cytokine production are also influenced by alpha-tocopherol. Scavenger receptors, particularly important in the formation of atherosclerotic foam cells, are also modulated by alpha-tocopherol. The oxidized LDL scavenger receptors SR-A and CD36 are down regulated at the transcriptional level by alpha-tocopherol. The relevance of CD36 expression in the onset of atherosclerosis has been indicated by the protection against atherosclerosis by CD36 knockout mice. In conclusion, the effect of alpha-tocopherol against atherosclerosis is not due only to the prevention of LDL oxidation but also to the down regulation of the scavenger receptor CD36 and to the inhibition of PKC activity.
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PMID:The role of alpha-tocopherol in preventing disease. 1505 95

Atherosclerosis and its complications such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and stroke are the leading causes of death in the developed world. High blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and a diet high in cholesterol and lipids clearly increase the likelihood of premature atherosclerosis, albeit other factors, such as the individual genetic makeup, may play an additional role. Several epidemiological studies and intervention trials have been performed with vitamin E, and some of them showed that it prevents atherosclerosis. For a long time, vitamin E was assumed to act by decreasing the oxidation of LDL, a key step in atherosclerosis initiation. However, at the cellular level, vitamin E acts by inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation, platelet aggregation, monocyte adhesion, oxLDL uptake and cytokine production, all reactions implied in the progression of atherosclerosis. Recent research revealed that these effects are not the result of the antioxidant activity of vitamin E, but rather of precise molecular actions of this compound. It is assumed that specific interactions of vitamin E with enzymes and proteins are at the basis of its non-antioxidant effects. Vitamin E influences the activity of several enzymes (e.g. PKC, PP2A, COX-2, 5-lipooxygenase, nitric oxide synthase, NADPH-oxidase, superoxide dismutase, phopholipase A2) and modulates the expression of genes that are involved in atherosclerosis (e.g. scavenger receptors, integrins, selectins, cytokines, cyclins). These interactions promise to reveal the biological properties of vitamin E and allow designing better strategies for the protection against atherosclerosis progression.
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PMID:Anti-atherosclerotic effects of vitamin E--myth or reality? 1509 Feb 61

Mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam, previously mtTFA) is a key regulator of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcription and replication. We have reported that overexpression of nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) and high concentration (50 mM) of glucose increased the promoter activity of the rat Tfam in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of high glucose-induced Tfam transactivation. The addition of 50 mM glucose for 24 h increased Tfam promoter activity up to twofold. The glucose-induced Tfam expression was dose-dependent and cell-type specific. Glucose increased the Tfam promoter-driven transactivity in L6 (skeletal muscle), HIT (pancreatic beta-cell), and CHO (ovary) cells, but not in HepG2 (hepatoma), HeLa, and CV1 (kidney) cells. Among various monosaccharides, only glucose and fructose increased the Tfam promoter activity. Oxidative stress might not be involved in glucose-induced Tfam expression since treatment with antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, probucol, or alpha-lipoic acid did not suppress the induction. None of the inhibitors of protein kinase C, MAP kinase, and PI3 kinase altered the glucose-induced Tfam promoter activity, suggesting that general phosphorylation is involved in its signaling. However, a dominant negative mutant of NRF-1, in which 200 amino acids of C-terminus were truncated, completely suppressed the glucose-induced Tfam induction. It was concluded that high glucose-induced Tfam transcription in L6 cells might be mediated by NRF-1.
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PMID:Regulation of mitochondrial transcription factor A expression by high glucose. 1512 85

Molecules in biological systems often can perform more than one function. In particular, many molecules have the ability to chemically scavenge free radicals and thus act in the test tube as antioxidant, but their main biological function is by acting as hormones, ligands for transcription factors, modulators of enzymatic activities or as structural components. In fact, oxidation of these molecules may impair their biological function, and cellular defense systems exist which protect these molecules from oxidation. Vitamin E is present in plants in 8 different forms with more or less equal antioxidant potential (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-tocopherol/tocotrienols); nevertheless, in higher organisms only alpha-tocopherol is preferentially retained suggesting a specific mechanism for the uptake for this analogue. In the last 20 years, the route of tocopherol from the diet into the body has been clarified and the proteins involved in the uptake and selective retention of alpha-tocopherol discovered. Precise cellular functions of alpha-tocopherol that are independent of its antioxidant/radical scavenging ability have been characterized in recent years. At the posttranslational level, alpha-tocopherol inhibits protein kinase C, 5-lipoxygenase and phospholipase A2 and activates protein phosphatase 2A and diacylglycerol kinase. Some genes (e. g. scavenger receptors, alpha-TTP, alpha-tropomyosin, matrix metalloproteinase-19 and collagenase) are modulated by alpha-tocopherol at the transcriptional level. alpha-Tocopherol also inhibits cell proliferation, platelet aggregation and monocyte adhesion. These effects are unrelated to the antioxidant activity of vitamin E, and possibly reflect specific interactions of alpha-tocopherol with enzymes, structural proteins, lipids and transcription factors. Recently, several novel tocopherol binding proteins have been cloned, that may mediate the non-antioxidant signaling and cellular functions of vitamin E and its correct intracellular distribution. In the present review, it is suggested that the non-antioxidant activities of tocopherols represent the main biological reason for the selective retention of alpha-tocopherol in the body, or vice versa, for the metabolic conversion and consequent elimination of the other tocopherols.
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PMID:Non-antioxidant activities of vitamin E. 1513 10

The effects of four natural tocopherols on the proliferation and signaling pathways were examined in the human mastocytoma cell line (HMC-1). The four tocopherols inhibited HMC-1 cell proliferation with different potency (delta > alpha = gamma > beta). Growth inhibition correlated with the reduction of PKB (protein kinase B) phosphorylation by the different tocopherols. The reduction of PKB phosphorylation led to a decrease of its activity, as judged from a parallel reduction of GSKalpha/beta phosphorylation. The translocation of PKB to the membrane, as a response to receptor stimulation by NGFbeta, is also prevented by treatment with tocopherols. In the presence of PKC or PP2A inhibitors, the reduction of PKB phosphorylation by tocopherols was still observed, thus excluding the direct involvement of these enzymes. Other pathways, such as the Ras-stimulated ERK1/2 (extracellular signal responsive kinase) pathway, were not affected by tocopherol treatment. The tocopherols did not significantly change oxidative stress in HMC-1 cells, suggesting that the observed effects are not the result of a general reduction of oxidative stress. Thus, the tocopherols interfere with PKB phosphorylation and reduce proliferation of HMC-1 cells, possibly by modulating either phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, a kinase phosphorylating PKB (PDK1/2), or a phosphatase that dephosphorylates it. Inhibition of proliferation and PKB signaling in HMC-1 cells by vitamin E suggests a role in preventing diseases with mast cell involvement, such as allergies, atherosclerosis, and tumorigenesis.
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PMID:Inhibition of HMC-1 mast cell proliferation by vitamin E: involvement of the protein kinase B pathway. 1538 41

Inhibition of angiogenesis and telomerase activity with vitamin E compounds, especially for tocotrienol (T3), has been investigated. Nutrigenomic tools have been used for elucidating the bioactive mechanisms of T3. In the cell culture experiments, T3 reduced the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Among T3 isomers, delta-T3 appeared the highest activity. The T3 inhibited the new blood vessels formation on the growing chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM assay for an in vivo model of angiogenesis). In contrast, tocopherol did not. The findings suggested that the T3 has potential use for reducing angiogenic disorder. DNA chip analysis revealed that T3 specifically down-regulates the expression of VEGF receptor (VEGFR) in endothelial cells. It is well-known that VEGF regulates angiogenesis by binding to VEGFR. Therefore, T3 could block the intracellular signaling of VEGF via down-regulation of VEGFR, which resulted in the inhibition of angiogenesis. On the other hand, DNA chip analysis also revealed that T3 down-regulates the expression of protein kinase C (PKC) in the cultured HUVEC. Since PKC is involved with the control of telomerase activity, T3 has potential to act as anti-telomerase inhibitor via PKC inhibition. In this manner, DNA chip technology provides efficient access to genetic information regarding food function and its mechanism.
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PMID:DNA chip analysis of comprehensive food function: inhibition of angiogenesis and telomerase activity with unsaturated vitamin E, tocotrienol. 1563 Jan 61

Accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) induces alterations in the intracellular redox balance, leading cells to functional injury. Current literature reports that intracellular signaling triggered by the interaction of AGEs with their specific receptors RAGEs depends on the cell type and the state of activation/stress. In this work, NT2 human neurons were exposed for 48 h to glycated fetal serum containing 750-3000 pmol/ml pentosidine; the treatment induced an increase in apoptosis rate linear with AGE concentration up to 1500 pmol/ml, but necrotic death was elicited with the highest AGE amount employed (3000 pmol/ml pentosidine). Pentosidine at 1500 pmol/ml, which was the concentration responsible for the highest apoptotic effect (40% of apoptotic neurons), was able to determine early generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species and increase in RAGE levels. Under these conditions, protein kinase C (PKC) delta activity was increased approximately 2-fold, and DNA binding activity of redox-sensitive transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1) was enhanced 2.5-fold. A relationship among oxidative stress, PKCdelta activity, AP-1 activation, and apoptosis was demonstrated by pretreating neurons with 500 muM vitamin E, with 20 mug/ml Ginkgo biloba extract, or with 3 muM Rottlerin, inhibitor of PKCdelta; these pretreatments were able to protect neurons from the glycoxidation-dependent effects.
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PMID:Central role of PKCdelta in glycoxidation-dependent apoptosis of human neurons. 1574 80

We investigated the antiangiogenic property and mechanism of vitamin E compounds, with particular emphasis on tocotrienol (T3), a natural analogue of tocopherol (Toc). T3 inhibited both the proliferation and tube formation of bovine aortic endothelial cells, with delta-T3 appearing to have the highest activity. delta-T3 also reduced the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Moreover, delta-T3 inhibited the new blood vessel formation on the growing chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (assay for in vivo angiogenesis). Orally administered T3 suppressed the tumor cell-induced angiogenesis in the mouse dorsal air sac assay. In contrast with T3, Toc showed very weak inhibition. Based on DNA microarray analysis, antiangiogenic effect of T3 was attributable in part to regulation of intracellular VEGF signaling (phospholipase C-gamma and protein kinase C). Our findings suggest that T3 has potential as a therapeutic dietary supplement for preventing angiogenic disorders.
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PMID:Antiangiogenic potency of vitamin E. 1575 81


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