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)

Recent clinical trials indicate that the severity of diabetic neuropathy is correlated with the level of patient glycemic control. In the current study, hyperglycemia induces apoptotic changes in dorsal root ganglion neurons and Schwann cells in vivo both in streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats and in rats made acutely hyperglycemic with infused glucose. Typical apoptotic nuclear and cytoplasmic changes are observed. In addition mitochondrial changes recently reported to occur as part of the apoptotic cascade, such as ballooning of mitochondria and disruption of the internal cristae, are seen in diabetic dorsal root ganglion neurons and Schwann cells. Similar changes have been reported in neurons in the presence of oxidative stress. In order to study the neurotoxic effects of high glucose we developed an in vitro model using rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. In dorsal root ganglion cultured in defined medium, addition of moderate glucose levels results in neurite degeneration and apoptosis. These changes are coupled with activation of caspase-3, dependent on the concentration of glucose. The apoptotic changes observed in vitro are similar to those observed in vivo. In contrast, addition of IGF-I, even at physiological concentrations, prevents activation of caspase-3 and neuronal apoptosis in vitro. We suggest that oxidative stress may promote the mitochondrial changes in diabetic animals and lead to activation of programmed cell death caspase pathways. These results imply a new pathogenetic mechanism for diabetic sensory neuropathy.
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PMID:Neurons undergo apoptosis in animal and cell culture models of diabetes. 1052 3

The mechanisms underlying the aggravating effect of hyperglycemia on brain damage are still elusive. The present study was designed to test our hypothesis that hyperglycemia-mediated damage is caused by mitochondrial dysfunction with mitochondrial release of cytochrome c (cyt c) to the cytoplasm, which leads to activation of caspase-3, the executioner of cell death. We induced 15 min of forebrain ischemia, followed by 0.5, 1, and 3 h of recirculation in sham, normoglycemic and hyperglycemic rats. Release of cyt c was observed in the neocortex and CA3 in hyperglycemic rats after only 0.5 h of reperfusion, when no obvious neuronal damage was observed. The release of cyt c persisted after 1 and 3 h of reperfusion. Activation of caspase-3 was observed after 1 and 3 h of recovery in hyperglycemic animals. No cyt c release or caspase-3 activation was observed in sham-operated controls while a mild increase of cyt c was observed in normoglycemic ischemic animals after 1 and 3 h of reperfusion. The findings that there is caspase activation and cyt c relocation support a notion that the biochemical changes that constitute programmed cell death occur after ischemia and contribute, at least in part, to hyperglycemia-aggravated ischemic neuronal death.
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PMID:Early release of cytochrome C and activation of caspase-3 in hyperglycemic rats subjected to transient forebrain ischemia. 1127 75

Previous histopathologic results have suggested that one mechanism whereby hyperglycemia (HG) leads to exaggerated ischemic damage involves fragmentation of DNA. DNA fragmentation in normoglycemia (NG) and HG rats subjected to 30 minutes of forebrain ischemia was studied by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated DNA nick-labeling (TUNEL) staining, by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and by ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LM-PCR). High molecular weight DNA fragments were detected by PFGE, whereas low molecular weight DNA fragments were detected using LM-PCR techniques. The LM-PCR procedure was performed on DNA from test samples with blunt (without Klenow polymerase) and 3'-recessed ends (with Klenow polymerase). In addition, cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation were studied by immunocytochemistry. Results show that HG causes cytochrome c release, activates caspase-3, and exacerbates DNA fragments induced by ischemia. Thus, in HG rats, but not in control or NGs, TUNEL-stained cells were found in the cingulate cortex, neocortex, thalamus, and dorsolateral crest of the striatum, where neuronal death was observed by conventional histopathology, and where both cytosolic cytochrome c and active caspase-3 were detected by confocal microscopy. In the neocortex, both blunt-ended and stagger-ended fragments were detected in HG, but not in NG rats. Electron microscopy (EM) analysis was performed in the cingulate cortex, where numerous TUNEL-positive neurons were observed. Although DNA fragmentation was detected by TUNEL staining and electrophoresis techniques, EM analysis failed to indicate apoptotic cell death. It is concluded that HG triggers a cell death pathway and exacerbates DNA fragmentation induced by ischemia.
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PMID:Hyperglycemia enhances DNA fragmentation after transient cerebral ischemia. 1133 67

Apoptosis has been observed in vascular cells, nerve, and myocardium of diabetic humans and experimental animals, although whether it contributes to or is a marker of complications in these tissues is unclear. Previous studies have shown that incubation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with 30 vs. 5 mmol/l glucose for 72 h causes a significant increase in apoptosis, possibly related to an increase in oxidative stress. We report here that this increase in apoptosis (assessed morphologically by TdT-mediated dUTP nick- end labeling staining) is preceded (24 h of incubation) by inhibition of fatty acid oxidation, by increases in diacylglycerol synthesis, the concentration of malonyl CoA, and caspase-3 activity, and by decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential and cellular ATP content. In addition, the phosphorylation of Akt in the presence of 150 microU/ml insulin was impaired. No increases in ceramide content or its de novo synthesis were observed. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity was not diminished; however, incubation with the AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-riboside increased AMPK activity twofold and completely prevented all of these changes. Likewise, expression of a constitutively active AMPK in HUVEC prevented the increase in caspase-3 activity. The results indicate that alterations in fatty-acid metabolism, impaired Akt activation by insulin, and increased caspase-3 activity precede visible evidence of apoptosis in HUVEC incubated in a hyperglycemic medium. They also suggest that AMPK could play an important role in protecting the endothelial cell against the adverse effects of sustained hyperglycemia.
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PMID:Hyperglycemia-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells: inhibition by the AMP-activated protein kinase activation. 1175 36

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is related directly to hyperglycemia. Cell death such as apoptosis plays a critical role in cardiac pathogenesis. Whether hyperglycemia induces myocardial apoptosis, leading to diabetic cardiomyopathy, remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that apoptotic cell death occurs in the diabetic myocardium through mitochondrial cytochrome c-mediated caspase-3 activation pathway. Diabetic mice produced by streptozotocin and H9c2 cardiac myoblast cells exposed to high levels of glucose were used. In the hearts of diabetic mice, apoptotic cell death occurred as detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Correspondingly, caspase-3 activation as determined by enzymatic assay and mitochondrial cytochrome c release detected by Western blotting analysis were observed. Supplementation of insulin inhibited diabetes-induced myocardial apoptosis as well as suppressed hyperglycemia. To explore whether apoptosis in diabetic hearts is related directly to hyperglycemia, we exposed cardiac myoblast H9c2 cells to high levels of glucose (22 and 33 mmol/l) in cultures. Apoptotic cell death was detected by TUNEL assay and DAPI nuclear staining. Caspase-3 activation with a concomitant mitochondrial cytochrome c release was also observed. Apoptosis or activation of caspase-3 was not observed in the cultures exposed to the same concentrations of mannitol. Inhibition of caspase-3 with a specific inhibitor, Ac-DEVD-cmk, suppressed apoptosis induced by high levels of glucose. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was detected in the cells exposed to high levels of glucose. These results suggest that hyperglycemia directly induces apoptotic cell death in the myocardium in vivo. Hyperglycemia-induced myocardial apoptosis is mediated, at least in part, by activation of the cytochrome c-activated caspase-3 pathway, which may be triggered by ROS derived from high levels of glucose.
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PMID:Hyperglycemia-induced apoptosis in mouse myocardium: mitochondrial cytochrome C-mediated caspase-3 activation pathway. 1203 84

Primary human cells enter senescence after a characteristic number of population doublings (PDs). In the current study, human skin fibroblasts were propagated in culture under 5.5mM glucose (normoglycemia); addition of 16.5mM D-glucose to a concentration of 22 mM (hyperglycemia); and addition of 16.5mM L-glucose (osmotic control). Hyperglycemia induced premature replicative senescence after 44.42+/-1.5 PDs compared to 57.9+/-3.83 PDs under normoglycemia (p<0.0001). L-Glucose had no effect, suggesting that the effect of hyperglycemia was not attributed to hyperosmolarity. Activated caspase-3 measurement showed a significantly higher percentage of apoptotic cells in high glucose medium. Telomerase overexpression circumvented the effects of hyperglycemia on replicative capacity and apoptosis. The "point of no return," beyond which hyperglycemia resulted in irreversible progression to premature replicative senescence, occurred after exposure to hyperglycemia for as few as 20 PDs. These results may provide a biochemical basis for the relationship between hyperglycemia and those complications of diabetes, which are reminiscent of accelerated senescence.
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PMID:High glucose-induced replicative senescence: point of no return and effect of telomerase. 1214 32

Reactive oxygen species are recognized as important mediators of biological responses. Hyperglycemia promotes the intracellular generation of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide. In several cell lines, oxidant stress has been linked to the activation of death programs. Here, we report for the first time that high ambient glucose concentration induces apoptosis in murine and human mesangial cells by an oxidant-dependent mechanism. The signaling cascade activated by glucose-induced oxidant stress included the heterodimeric redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-kappaB, which exhibited an upregulation in p65/c-Rel binding activity and suppressed binding activity of the p50 dimer. Recruitment of NF-kappaB and mesangial cell apoptosis were both inhibited by antioxidants, implicating oxidant-induced activation of NF-kappaB in the transmission of the death signal. The genetic program for glucose-induced mesangial cell apoptosis was characterized by an upregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. In addition, phosphorylation of the proapoptotic protein Bad was attenuated in mesangial cells maintained at high-glucose concentration, favoring progression of the apoptotic process. These perturbations in the expression and phosphorylation of the Bcl-2 family were coupled with the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and caspase activation. Our findings indicate that in mesangial cells exposed to high ambient glucose concentration, oxidant stress is a proximate event in the activation of the death program, which culminates in mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase-3 activation, as the terminal event.
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PMID:High glucose promotes mesangial cell apoptosis by oxidant-dependent mechanism. 1241 73

Chronic hyperglycemia and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) cause oxidative stress leading to dysregulated cell growth or apoptosis that contributes to the development of inflammation and secondary complications of diabetes. However, the mechanisms regulating hyperglycemic or cytokine injury are not well understood. Herein we report that inhibition of the polyol pathway enzyme aldose reductase (AR) by two structurally unrelated inhibitors--sorbinil and tolrestat--prevents, in the human lens epithelial cell line B-3, the apoptosis and activation of caspase-3 caused by exposure to high glucose levels or TNF-alpha. Inhibition of AR attenuated TNF-alpha and hyperglycemia-induced activation of protein kinase C (PKC), phosphorylation of the inhibitory subunit of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), and stimulation of NF-kappaB, but it did not prevent the activation of NF-kappaB and PKC by phorbol ester. Inhibition of AR also attenuated the increase in p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase phosphorylation. These signaling pathways were also inhibited in cells in which the expression of AR was reduced by antisense ablation. Collectively, these results identify a new participant in apoptotic signaling and suggest that AR is an obligatory mediator of the apoptotic events upstream of PKC. These observations could provide new insights into the pathophysiology of diabetes and the role of aberrant glucose metabolism in apoptotic cell death.
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PMID:Aldose reductase mediates cytotoxic signals of hyperglycemia and TNF-alpha in human lens epithelial cells. 1249 May 36

We evaluated the effects of chronic hyperglycemia on L5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons using immunohistochemical and electrophysiologic techniques for evidence of oxidative injury. Experimental diabetic neuropathy was induced by streptozotocin. To evaluate the pathogenesis of the neuropathy, we studied peripheral nerve after 1, 3, and 12 months of diabetes. Electrophysiologic abnormalities were present from the first month and persisted over 12 months. 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine labeling was significantly increased at all time points in DRG neurons, indicating oxidative injury. Caspase-3 labeling was significantly increased at all three time points, indicating commitment to the efferent limb of the apoptotic pathway. Apoptosis was confirmed by a significant increase in the percentage of neurons undergoing apoptosis at 1 month (8%), 3 months (7%), and 12 months (11%). These findings support the concept that oxidative stress leads to oxidative injury of DRG neurons, with mitochondrium as a specific target, leading to impaired mitochondrial function and apoptosis, manifested clinically as a predominantly sensory neuropathy.
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PMID:Oxidative injury and apoptosis of dorsal root ganglion neurons in chronic experimental diabetic neuropathy. 1250 8

The important problem of the fate of glycogen-accumulating clear cells in glycogen nephrosis is still unsettled. In this study, we examine whether apoptosis plays a relevant role in the development of diabetic glycogen nephrosis and explore the involvement of the Fas/Fas-L system and the activation of the caspase cascade. Diabetes was induced in rats by streptozotocin injection. Glycogen-accumulating clear cells were identified in renal tissues of hyperglycemic rats. They were found to be concentrated in the thick ascending limbs and distal tubules. Large cellular glycogen accumulations were confirmed by biochemical assays and enzyme-gold cytochemistry. Clear cells displayed apoptotic features such as Annexin V binding, nuclear TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling), and the simultaneous occurrence of Fas, Annexin V, and TUNEL positivity. Western blot analysis demonstrated enhanced expression of Fas receptor/ligand and the activation of the caspase cascade in these cells because cleaved forms of the caspase-3, -8, and -9 were detected. Furthermore, active caspase-3 was located in nuclei by immunoelectron microscopy. Our results indicate that epithelial cells in thick ascending limbs and distal tubules that develop glycogen nephrosis in response to hyperglycemia undergo Fas/Fas-L mediated cell death. Thus, apoptosis could be playing a significant role in renal epithelial cell deletion during diabetes.
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PMID:Apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells in glycogen nephrosis during diabetes. 1286 Oct 46


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