Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019204 (hepatocellular carcinoma)
 71,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Microcystins are cyclic heptapeptides produced by different freshwater cyanobacterial species such as Microcystis aeruginosa. They have been shown to induce DNA damage in vitro and in vivo, however, the mechanisms of their genotoxic activity remain unclear. With the comet assay we demonstrate that, in human hepatoma HepG2 cells, microcystin-LR (MCLR) induced DNA strand breaks which were transiently present and probably produced during the cellular repair of MCLR-induced DNA damage. Digestion of DNA from MCLR-treated HepG2 cells with purified formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg), which recognizes specific oxidized purines, displayed a greater extent of DNA strand breaks than non-digested DNA, providing evidence that MCLR induced oxidation of purines. The number of DNA strand breaks detected after digestion with Fpg increased with time of exposure of the cells to MCLR, indicating that oxidized purines were not repaired. Using the 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) fluoroprobe we showed that MCLR, at non-cytotoxic concentrations, induced a time and dose dependent increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in HepG2 cells. The role of ROS in MCLR-induced DNA damage was further confirmed by exposing the cells to MCLR in the presence of different ROS scavengers. The formation of DNA strand breaks and oxidized purines was completely prevented by a superoxide dismutase mimic, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPOL), an iron chelator, deferoxamine (DFO), a precursor of glutathione (GSH) and intracellular ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and partly by hydroxyl radical scavengers dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) and 1,3-dimethyl-2-thiourea (DMTU). The results provide evidence that the genotoxicity of MCLR is mediated by ROS.
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PMID:The role of reactive oxygen species in microcystin-LR-induced DNA damage. 1515 64

Choline deficiency (CD) is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma and CD-induced apoptosis may be implicated in cellular malignant transformation. In this report, we studied the effects of choline deficiency on generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using the fluorescent probe dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate and the possible role of ROS on CD-induced apoptosis in cultured CWSV-1 cells, an immortalized rat hepatocyte. This cell line is reported to become tumorigenic by step-wise culturing in lower levels of choline. Our data demonstrate that CD induces a time- and dose-dependent increase in ROS in CWSV-1 cells. The increase in ROS production may be related to dysfunction of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Our data also demonstrated that ROS generation occurred before CD-induced apoptosis, suggesting ROS may play a key role in signaling CD-induced apoptosis in CWSV-1 cells.
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PMID:Reactive oxygen species in choline deficiency-induced apoptosis in rat hepatocytes. 1533 24

New developments in the epidemiology, treatment and prognosis of thalassemia have dramatically altered the approach to the care of affected patients, and these developments are likely to have an even greater impact in the next few years. Demographic changes have required an awareness and understanding of the unique features of thalassemia disorders that were previously uncommon in North America but are now seen more frequently in children and recognized more consistently in adults. New methods for measuring tissue iron accumulation and new drugs to remove excessive iron are advancing two of the most challenging areas in the management of thalassemia as well as other transfusion-dependent disorders. Improved survival of patients with thalassemia has given new importance to adult complications such as endocrinopathies and hepatitis that have a major impact on the quality of life. This chapter describes how these changes are redefining the clinical management of thalassemia. In Section I, Dr. Renzo Galanello describes recent advances in iron chelation therapy. Several new chelators are either licensed in some countries, are in clinical trials or are in the late stages of preclinical development. Some of these iron chelators, such as deferiprone (DFP) and ICL670, are orally active. Others, such as hydroxybenzyl-ethylenediamine-diacetic acid (HBED) and starch deferoxamine, require parenteral administration but may be effective with less frequent administration than is currently required for deferoxamine. Chelation therapy employing two chelators offers the possibility of more effective removal of iron without compromising safety or compliance. Other strategies for chelation therapy may take advantage of the ability of particular chelators to remove iron from specific target organs such as the heart and the liver. In Section II, Dr. Dudley Pennell addresses cardiac iron overload, the most frequent cause of death from chronic transfusion therapy. The cardiac complications related to excessive iron may result from long-term iron deposition in vulnerable areas or may be due to the more immediate effects of nontransferrin-bound iron. Cardiac disease is reversible in some patients with intensive iron chelation therapy, but identification of cardiac problems prior to the onset of serious arrhythmias or congestive heart failure has proven difficult. New methods using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have recently been developed to assess cardiac iron loading, and studies suggest a clinically useful relationship between the results using these techniques and critical measures of cardiac function. Measurements such as T2* may help guide chelation therapy in individual patients and may also enhance the assessment of new chelators in clinical trials. The use of MRI-based technology also holds promise for wider application of non-invasive assessment of cardiac iron in the management of patients with thalassemia. In Section III, Dr. Melody Cunningham describes some of the important complications of thalassemia that are emerging as patients survive into adulthood. Hepatitis C infection is present in the majority of patients older than 25 years. However, antiviral therapy in patients with thalassemia has been held back by the absence of large clinical trials and concern about ribavirin-induced hemolysis. More aggressive approaches to the treatment of hepatitis C may be particularly valuable because of the additive risks for cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma that are posed by infection and iron overload. Thrombosis is recognized with increasing frequency as a significant complication of thalassemia major and thalassemia intermedia, and pulmonary hypertension is now the focus of intense study. Risk factors for thrombosis such as splenectomy are being identified and new approaches to anticoagulation are being initiated. Pregnancies in women with thalassemia are increasingly common with and without hormonal therapy, and require a better understanding of the risks of iron overload and cardiac disease in the mother and exposure of the fetus to iron chelators. In Section IV, Dr. Elliott Vichinsky describes the dramatic changes in the epidemiology of thalassemia in North America. Hemoglobin E-beta thalassemia is seen with increasing frequency and poses a particular challenge because of the wide variability in clinical severity. Some affected patients may require little or no intervention, while others need chronic transfusion therapy and may be appropriate candidates for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Enhancers of fetal hemoglobin production may have a unique role in Hb E-beta thalassemia since a modest increase in hemoglobin level may confer substantial clinical benefits. Alpha thalassemia is also being recognized with increasing frequency in North America, and newborn screening for Hemoglobin Barts in some states is leading to early detection of Hb H disease and Hb H Constant Spring. New data clarify the importance of distinguishing these two disorders because of the increased severity associated with Hb H Constant Spring. The use of intrauterine transfusions to sustain the viability of fetuses with homozygous alpha thalassemia has created a new population of patients with severe thalassemia and has raised new and complex issues in genetic counseling for parents with alpha thalassemia trait.
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PMID:Thalassemia. 1556 74

Cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) in mammals are involved in the biotransformation and homeostasis of various endogenous and xenobiotic compounds. The current study aimed to examine the sulfation of contraceptive compounds by various human cytosolic SULTs and to investigate the inhibitory effects and mode of action of these compounds on the sulfation of 17beta-estradiol, a major endogenous estrogen. A systematic study using all eleven known human cytosolic SULTs revealed the differential substrate specificity of these enzymes for the eight representative contraceptive compounds and two endogenous estrogens (estrone and 17beta-estradiol) tested as substrates. Activity data showed that SULT1A1 displayed the strongest activity toward 17alpha-ethynylestradiol. Kinetic studies revealed that the V (max) value of the sulfation of 17alpha-ethynylestradiol by SULT1A1 was 1.64 times that of the sulfation of 17beta-estradiol, while the K (m) values were almost equal for the two compounds. The inhibitory effects of three contraceptive compounds on the sulfation of 17beta-estradiol by SULT1A1 were examined. IC(50) values determined were 0.193, 1.84, and 2.98 mM, respectively, for 19-norethindrone acetate, ethynodiol diacetate and mifepristone. Kinetic analyses indicated that the mechanism underlying the inhibition by these contraceptives is of a mixed noncompetitive type. Metabolic labeling experiments confirmed the sulfation of contraceptive compounds and the release of their sulfated derivatives by HepG2 human hepatoma cells. Collectively, the results obtained suggest a role of sulfation in the metabolism of contraceptive compounds in vivo. Moreover, in view of their inhibitory effects on the sulfation of 17beta-estradiol, these compounds may potentially act to disrupt the homeostasis of endogenous estrogens.
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PMID:Oral contraceptives as substrates and inhibitors for human cytosolic SULTs. 1580 43

The protective effect of panduratin A, isolated from Kaempferia pandurata ROXB. (Zingiberaceae), against tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced cytotoxicity was investigated in a human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. The tetrazolium dye colorimetric test (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay) was used to monitor cytotoxicity. Lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA) formation] and intracellular glutathione level were estimated by fluorometric methods. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was measured using a fluorescent probe 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). Panduratin A significantly reduced the cell growth inhibition caused by t-BHP. Furthermore, panduratin A ameliorated lipid peroxidation as demonstrated by a reduction in MDA formation, and attenuated glutathione (GSH) depletion in a dose-dependent manner. It was also found that panduratin A reduced intracellular ROS formation caused by t-BHP. These results strongly suggest that panduratin A has significant protective ability against oxidative damage caused by reactive intermediates.
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PMID:Protective effects of panduratin A against oxidative damage of tert-butylhydroperoxide in human HepG2 cells. 1593 Jul 50

Methylglyoxal (MG) is a reactive dicarbonyl compound endogenously produced mainly from glycolytic intermediates. Elevated MG levels in diabetes patients are believed to contribute to diabetic complications. MG is cytotoxic through induction of apoptosis. Curcumin, the yellow pigment of Curcuma longa, is known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, we investigated the effect of curcumin on MG-induced apoptotic events in human hepatoma G2 cells. We report that curcumin prevented MG-induced cell death and apoptotic biochemical changes such as mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, caspase-3 activation, and cleavage of PARP (poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase). Using the cell permeable dye 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) as an indicator of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, we found that curcumin abolished MG-stimulated intracellular oxidative stress. The results demonstrate that curcumin significantly attenuates MG-induced ROS formation, and suggest that ROS triggers cytochrome c release, caspase activation, and subsequent apoptotic biochemical changes.
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PMID:Curcumin inhibits ROS formation and apoptosis in methylglyoxal-treated human hepatoma G2 cells. 1596 83

Perfluorooctanoic acid (C8HF15O2, PFOA) is widely used in various industrial fields for decades and it is environmentally bioaccumulative. PFOA is known as a potent hepatocarcinogen in rodents. But it is not yet clear whether it is also carcinogenic in humans, and the genotoxic effects of PFOA on human cells have not yet been examined. In this study, the genotoxic potential of PFOA was investigated in human hepatoma HepG2 cells in culture using single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay and micronucleus (MN) assay. In order to clarify the underlying mechanism(s) we measured the intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using dichlorofluorescein diacetate as a fluorochrome. The level of oxidative DNA damage was evaluated by immunocytochemical analysis of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in PFOA-treated HepG2 cells. PFOA at 50-400 microM caused DNA strand breaks and at 100-400 microM MN in HepG2 cells both in a dose-dependent manner. Significantly increased levels of ROS and 8-OHdG were observed in these cells. We conclude that PFOA exerts genotoxic effects on HepG2 cells, probably through oxidative DNA damage induced by intracellular ROS.
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PMID:Genotoxic risk and oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid. 1621 84

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogen in humans. It acts through an aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated mechanism, inducing the transcription of numerous genes, including various cytochrome P450s (CYPs - CYP1A1, 1A2, 1B1). Induction of CYPs may lead to genotoxicity by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage DNA directly and/or via the generation of reactive metabolites. We determined ROS formation with the 2',7'-dihydrodichlorofluorescein diacetate fluorescence assay after incubation of HepG2 hepatoma cells or primary rat hepatocytes with TCDD. The amount of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) in DNA was measured using HPLC-MS/MS, the amount of CYP1A1 protein by Western blotting. The catalytic activity of CYP1A enzymes was determined as 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity. Incubation of cells with TCDD for 48 h caused increased levels of ROS in primary rat hepatocytes as well as increased levels of 8-oxo-dG in DNA compared to untreated cells. In the HepG2 cell line no significant effects were observed for both ROS formation and 8-oxo-dG levels. Both effects were in good agreement with the extent of induction of CYP1A1 protein and EROD activity, suggesting that CYP1 induction is a major source of ROS formation in TCDD-treated hepatocytes.
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PMID:2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induced cytochrome P450s alter the formation of reactive oxygen species in liver cells. 1653 50

Sudan I, a synthetic lipid soluble azo pigment, is widely used in various industrial fields. However, Sudan I has not been approved at any level of food production, since there are many inconclusive reports relating to its genotoxicity and carcinogenicity in humans. The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxic effects of Sudan I and to identify and clarify the reaction mechanisms by use of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. To study the genotoxic effects of Sudan I, the comet assay and micronucleus test (MNT) were used. In the comet assay and MNT, we found increase of DNA migration and of the micronuclei frequencies at all tested concentrations (25-100 microM) of Sudan I in a dose-dependent manner. The data suggest that Sudan I caused DNA strand breaks and chromosome breaks. To elucidate the underlying mechanism of this difference, we monitored the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production with the 2,7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay. The level of the oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation was evaluated using immunoperoxidase staining for 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and by measuring levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). Significantly increased levels of ROS, 8-OHdG and TBARS were observed in HepG2 cells at higher concentrations, the doses being 100, 50-100 and 50-100 microM, respectively. We conclude that Sudan I causes genotoxic effects, probably via ROS-induced oxidative DNA damage at the higher doses.
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PMID:Sudan I induces genotoxic effects and oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells. 1718 58

In the light of the steady increase of infections related to vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the medicinal plant Magnolia officinalis was subjected to bioassay-directed fractionation, which led to the isolation of the known neolignans piperitylmagnolol (1), magnolol (2), and honokiol (3) from the MeOH extract. In broth-microdilution assays, 1-3 exhibited antibacterial activities against VRE and MRSA at minimum-inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in the range of 6.25-25 microg/ml, compound 1 being the most-potent antibiotic. The ratio of MBC/MIC (MBC = minimum bactericidal concentration) was < or = 2 for all compounds. The kinetics of the antibacterial action of 1 and 3 were studied by means of time-kill assays; both compounds were bactericidal against VRE and MRSA, their actions being time dependent, or both time and concentration dependent. Magnolol (2) was acetylated to magnolol monoacetate (4) and magnolol diacetate (5) (partial or full masking of the phenolic OH functions). The cytotoxic properties of 1-5 against human OVCAR-3 (ovarian adenocarcinoma), HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), and HeLa (cervical epitheloid carcinoma) cell lines were evaluated. The CD50 values for compounds 1-3 were in the range of 3.3-13.3 microg/ml, derivatives 4 and 5 being much less potent. This study indicates that piperitylmagnolol (= 3-[(1S,6S)-6-isopropyl-3-methylcyclohex-2-enyl]-5,5'-di(prop-2-enyl)[1,1'-biphenyl]-2,2'-diol; 1) possesses both significant anti-VRE activity and moderate cytotoxicity against the above cancer cell lines.
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PMID:Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of neolignans from Magnolia officinalis. 1719 67


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