Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P42574 (caspase-3)
 45,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Reperfusion injury can cause liver dysfunction after cold storage and warm ischemia. Recently it has been suggested that more than 50% of hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC) are undergoing apoptosis during the first 24 hours of reperfusion. The aim of our study was to quantify apoptotic and necrotic hepatocytes and apoptotic SEC after 60 or 120 minutes of warm, partial no-flow ischemia and 0 to 24 hours reperfusion in male SD rats. Apoptotic cells were identified by TUNEL assay in combination with morphological criteria. After 60 minutes of ischemia and 1 hour of reperfusion there was a significant increase of apoptotic hepatocytes (0.7 +/- 0.1% vs. 0.3 +/- 0.1% in controls) and SEC (1.5 +/- 0.6% vs. 0.3 +/- 0.1% in controls). The number of apoptotic SEC and hepatocytes was not different from controls at 6 hours or 24 hours of reperfusion. In contrast, the number of necrotic hepatocytes was quantified as 12 +/- 2% at 1 hour, 34 +/- 6% at 6 hours, and 57 +/- 11% at 24 hours. These results correlated with the increase in plasma ALT levels at these time points. Longer (120 min) ischemia times did not affect the number of apoptotic cells but increased hepatocellular necrosis to 58 +/- 4% at 6 hours reperfusion. No significant increase in caspase-3 activity and processing was detectable in any of these livers. Moreover, the caspase inhibitor Z-Asp-cmk (2 mg/kg IV) had no significant effect on reperfusion injury. Our results suggest that only a small minority of SEC and hepatocytes undergo apoptosis after 60 to 120 minutes of warm ischemia followed by 0 to 24 hours of reperfusion. Oncotic necrosis appears to be the principal mechanism of cell death for both cell types.
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PMID:Mechanism of cell death during warm hepatic ischemia-reperfusion in rats: apoptosis or necrosis? 1139 50

We describe a method that has allowed us to measure the synthesis, turnover and assembly of alpha- and beta-erythroid and nonerythroid spectrins in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. For these studies, rat hippocampal cultures containing 74.5-83.0% neurons were established. B-27 (Gibco) supplement has been used to obtain an excellent long-term viability (up to 5 weeks) of hippocampal neurons in culture. For the synthesis, turnover, and assembly experiments the neurons were labeled with [35S]methionine, and chased with 10-fold excess of cold methionine for the turnover experiments. The cells were then lysed and immunoprecipitated with alpha, beta-erythroid, alpha, and beta-nonerythroid spectrin antibodies. Immunoprecipitated [35S]methionine-labeled spectrins of hippocampal neurons grown in vitro produced bands in 5% polyacrylamide minigels strong enough to be detected by the high sensitivity screens of a phosphorimager to generate graphs from which the synthesis or half-lives of alpha, beta-erythroid, alpha, and beta-nonerythroid spectrins were calculated. This method can be used to study the role of calpain, caspase-3, and the ubiquitin-proteasome system on the synthesis and turnover of erythroid and nonerythroid spectrins in resting and depolarized rat hippocampal neurons in culture.
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PMID:Measurement of the synthesis, turnover, and assembly of alpha- and beta-erythroid and nonerythroid spectrins in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. 1122 13

A tumour suppressor gene product, p53, is well known to be activated by genotoxic stress such as radiation and DNA damaging agents. Recently, it has been found that non-genotoxic physiological stresses such as heat, cold and low pH also activate p53, which regulates the expression of downstream genes. p53 was found to contribute to heat sensitivity through Bax-mediated apoptosis via activation of caspase-3 in the human cancer cells. This study reviews heat-induced p53-dependent signal transduction and heat sensitivity via a p53-regulated pathway for apoptosis in human cancer cells with identical genetic backgrounds except for p53 status. Furthermore, based on recent reports, it is proposed that p53 status could be a useful indicator in predictive assays for hyperthermic cancer therapy. Hyperthermia treatment based on such predictive assays might improve the outcome and efficiency of cancer therapy in the future. It is further proposed that manipulation of mp53 by glycerol as a chemical chaperone may provide a new cancer therapy for patients with mp53-tumours.
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PMID:Heat-induced p53-dependent signal transduction and its role in hyperthermic cancer therapy. 1158 79

We examined whether brain damage after focal cortex trauma may be attenuated by adenoviral delivery of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) gene. For this reason, injections of vehicle, of an adenoviral vector deleted in the E1 region (Ad-dE1) or a vector expressing the GDNF gene from a CMV promoter (Ad-GDNF) were stereotactically placed in the rat sensorimotor cortex, and one day later cold lesions of the cerebral cortex were induced. Lesions were associated with pronounced brain swelling one day after injury. The degree of brain swelling was significantly attenuated by Ad-GDNF delivery (Ad-GDNF: 7.4 +/- 2.2%, Ad-dE1: 21.1 +/- 4.9%, vehicle: 20.9 +/- 5.0% of contralateral; mean +/- SEM, P < 0.05). Furthermore, Ad-GDNF treatment resulted in a significant reduction of the lesion volume seven days after lesioning (Ad-GDNF: 21.8 +/- 2.8 mm3, Ad-dE1: 44.1 +/- 1.6 mm3, vehicle 40.9 +/- 8.6 mm3, P < 0.05). The decrease in the lesion size was associated with a reduction in the number of inducible nitric oxide (iNOS)(+), activated caspase-3(+) and DNA fragmented cells in the perilesion rim, as revealed by immunocytochemistry and terminal transferase biotinylated-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). In Ad-GDNF-treated animals, the number of caspase-3(+) and TUNEL(+) cells was also reduced in the lesion-remote thalamus. The present study shows that adenoviral GDNF delivery is protective in focal cortex trauma.
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PMID:Adenovirus-mediated glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) expression protects against subsequent cortical cold injury in rats. 1174 92

Livers can be preserved only for a short period without jeopardizing the transplantation outcome. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) protect against ischemia and reperfusion injury. We studied whether their induction and, in particular, the induction of heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), improves transplantation survival after an extended time of cold storage. Rats were subjected to heat preconditioning (42 degrees C for 20 minutes). Livers were harvested 24 hours later, preserved in cold University of Wisconsin solution for 44 hours, and transplanted in isogeneic rats (arterialized transplantation). HO-1 was specifically induced and inhibited by cobalt protoporphyrin and tin protoporphyrin, respectively. All animals receiving a graft without preconditioning and subjected to 44 hours of cold preservation died within 3 days, whereas 89% of rats who received a graft exposed to heat survived for 3 weeks (P =.0004). Preconditioning reduced serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase activities after reperfusion, improved bile flow, and decreased the histologic lesions of reperfusion injury. These significant effects of heat preconditioning were prevented by administration of tin protoporphyrin and could be reproduced by administration of cobalt protoporphyrin. In grafts without preconditioning, only a small fraction (<5%) of hepatocytes were positive with the terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and even less expressed activated caspase 3. Preconditioning tended to reduce the number of positive cells and to stimulate the expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-X(L). In conclusion, heat preconditioning and, specifically, overexpression of HO-1 improve posttransplantation survival and graft function after prolonged cold ischemia preservation. The mechanism underlying these beneficial effects does not appear to be prevention of apoptosis.
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PMID:Extended preservation of rat liver graft by induction of heme oxygenase-1. 1198 58

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether xanthine and adenosine, substances modified proportionally to the duration of ischemia, can determine cell demise (apoptosis/necrosis) during intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and to determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) during this process. The following experimental groups were studied: I, cold ischemia; I+X, effect of xanthine; I+T, effect of adenosine (blocking its receptor by theophylline); I+A, effect of excess adenosine; I+T+X, effect of xanthine alone, and I+T+ spermine NONOate (NONOs), I+A+NONOs, I+X+NONOs, role of NO. DNA fragmentation, xanthine/adenosine levels, caspase-3 activity, NO generation, and histological analysis were measured in tissue samples. The rats treated with xanthine or adenosine showed increased levels of caspase-3 activity and DNA fragmentation. In contrast, theophylline-treated rats showed decreased levels of DNA fragmentation and tended to show lower mean values of caspase-3 activity. Administration of xanthine or NONOs to theophylline-treated rats reversed these effects. The results of histological evaluation were in agreement with these previous results. In conclusion, the present study indicates that xanthine and adenosine induced an apoptotic response during cold ischemic preservation of rat small intestine. In particular, the action of adenosine on apoptotic events was mediated by NO. We consider that identification of the role of these factors may help to define the best conditions of tissue preservation before intestinal transplantation.
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PMID:Role of changes in tissular nucleotides on the development of apoptosis during ischemia/reperfusion in rat small bowel. 1241 30

The cellular and molecular mechanisms of cold storage-ATN are not well characterized. In our earlier studies, cold storage caused necrosis of human proximal tubular epithelial (RPTE) cells, whereas apoptosis was prominent during rewarming. An intriguing finding was the pronounced swelling of the mitochondria in the cold, which promoted us to further characterize its role in rewarming-associated apoptosis. Human proximal tubular epithelial cells were cold stored in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution for 48 h followed by 24 h of rewarming in regular cell culture medium. During the cold storage, there was no significant change in the Bcl-2 to Bax protein ratio, mitochondrial location of cytochrome C or caspse-3 activity. However, during rewarming, the Bcl-2 to Bax ratio increased, cytochrome C was translocated to cytosol, and caspase-3 was activated: events and timing were consistent with the occurrence of apoptosis during rewarming. In a time-course experiment, mitochondrial swelling was discernable by electron microscopy as early as at 2 h. Cold storage of isolated-mitochondria for 2 h was attended by an increase in the opening of the permeability transition pores (PTP), suggesting PTP opening as an early mechanism for mitochondrial swelling. Addition of antioxidants (deferoxamine or 2-methyaminochroman) to the storage solution suppressed mitochondrial pore opening and swelling, Bcl-2 to Bax ratio increase, cytochrome C translocation, caspase-3 activation as well as rewarming-induced apoptosis. Our data demonstrate for the first time that apoptosis following cold storage and rewarming of human renal tubular cells is accompanied by specific mitochondrial events, and that these events and apoptosis can be suppressed by adding antioxidants to the cold storage solution.
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PMID:Involvement of the mitochondrial pathway in cold storage and rewarming-associated apoptosis of human renal proximal tubular cells. 1261 81

Cold ischemia (CI)-warm reperfusion (WR) liver injury remains a problem in liver transplantation. CI-WR initially causes sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) apoptosis through a caspase-dependent mechanism. We previously showed that the caspase inhibitor IDN-1965 prevents CI-WR-induced SEC apoptosis. However, this agent required to be administered to the donor, preservation solution, and recipient for efficacy. Here, we show that a second-generation caspase inhibitor, IDN-6556, effectively prevents CI-WR-induced SEC injury when added only to University of Wisconsin (UW) cold storage media. Rat livers were stored in UW solution for 24 hours at 4 degrees C and reperfused for 1 hour at 37 degrees C. Apoptosis was quantitated using terminal deoxynucleotide transferasemediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and caspase 3 activation determined by biochemical measurement and immunohistochemical analysis. Pan-caspase inhibitors (IDN-8066, IDN-7503, IDN-7436, IDN-1965, and IDN-6556) were applied at preischemic, cold preservation, or reperfusion periods. TUNEL-positive SEC and caspase 3-like activity in the liver was increased by CI-WR. Three caspase inhibitors (IDN-8066, IDN-1965, and IDN-6556) effectively attenuated SEC apoptosis and caspase 3 activation. The most potent inhibitor, IDN-6556, reduced SEC apoptosis and caspase 3 activity by 55% and 94%, respectively. Prevention of SEC apoptosis by IDN-6556 was not reduced when this agent was administered only during the cold preservation period. When added to the preservation solution, the caspase inhibitor IDN-6556 appears to be a feasible therapeutic agent against ischemia-reperfusion injury in liver transplantation.
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PMID:The caspase inhibitor IDN-6556 prevents caspase activation and apoptosis in sinusoidal endothelial cells during liver preservation injury. 1261 25

Hepatocyte-based therapy has been proposed as an alternative to organ transplantation in the treatment of liver disorders. In the clinical context, a major issue is the constant supply of quality assurance-controlled hepatocytes, thereby requiring their cold storage in good conditions. We have analyzed the protective effects of alginate entrapment of rat hepatocytes after either 24 or 48 h of hypothermic storage or cryopreservation on the cell viability, cell yield, both mitochondrial and other cytoplasmic functional activities, and apoptosis. Decrease in viability, as evaluated by the MTT inclusion test, was 4% and 13% (24 h at 4 degrees C), 15% and 33% (48 h at 4 degrees C), and 9% and 19% (liquid nitrogen) for entrapped and free suspended hepatocytes, respectively. Viable cell yields were 86 +/- 8% and 51 +/- 6% for cryopreserved entrapped and free suspended hepatocytes, respectively. The mitochondrial (MTS assay), 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were better preserved in entrapped than in free suspended hepatocytes. Both hypothermic storage and cryopreservation were found to induce early caspase-3-like activities, being always much lower in entrapped hepatocytes, particularly after cryopreservation (98.4 +/- 42.4 vs. 6.4 +/- 4.0 fluorescence arbitrary units/hours/microg protein). Thus, cold-induced apoptosis in hepatocytes can be significantly reduced following their entrapment within alginate gel beads and this is associated with an improvement of both their viability and function.
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PMID:Hypothermic storage and cryopreservation of hepatocytes: the protective effect of alginate gel against cell damages. 1457 26

Normal human hepatocytes are an ideal source of liver-targeted cell therapies, such as hepatocyte transplantation and bioartificial livers, but availability of human donor livers for liver cell isolation is severely limited. To effectively utilize scarce donor organs for cell therapies, it is of extreme importance to establish an efficient isolation technique and an effective cold preservation solution for transportation of isolated cells. A lateral segment of the liver was surgically resected from pigs weighing 10 kg and a four-step collagenase and dispase digestion was conducted. Isolated hepatocytes were subjected to 8-h cold storage on ice. The following preservation solutions were tested: 1) University of Wisconsin (UW) solution, 2) UW with 100 microg/ml of ascorbic acid-2 glucoside (AA2G), 3) 100% fetal bovine serum (FBS), and 4) Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) supplemented with 100% FBS. The mean viability of porcine hepatocytes was 95.5 +/- 2.5% when isolated in three independent experiments. Viability, plating efficiency, membrane stability, and ammonia metabolic capacity of cold-preserved hepatocytes were significantly better maintained by the use of UW solution. When AA2G (100 microg/ml) was combined with UW solution, such parameters were further improved. It was explained by inhibition of caspase-3 activation and retention of ATP at high levels of hepatocytes preserved with UW solution containing AA2G. The present work demonstrates that a combination of UW solution with AA2G (100 microg/ml) would be a useful cold preservation means for the development of cell therapies.
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PMID:Maintenance of cold-preserved porcine hepatocyte function with UW solution and ascorbic acid-2 glucoside. 1457 28


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