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)

The neuroprotective effects of verbascoside, one of phenylpropanoid glucoside isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine Buddleja officinalis Maxim, on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)) induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in PC12 neuronal cells were investigated. Treatment of PC12 cells with MPP(+) for 48 h induced apoptotic death as determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, the activation of caspase-3 measured by the caspase-3 activity assay kit, the reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential with laser scanning confocal microscopy and the increase in the extracellular hydrogen peroxide level. Simultaneous treatment with verbascoside markedly attenuated MPP(+)-induced apoptotic death, increased extracellular hydrogen peroxide level, the activation of caspase-3 and the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential. These results strongly indicate that verbascoside may provide a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of oxidative stress-induced neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's disease.
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PMID:Protective effect of verbascoside on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells. 1223 80

Oxidative stress and excitotoxicity have been implicated as triggering factors in various neurodegenerative diseases or acute neurological insults. Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), a potent free radical scavenging factor, may prevent the progression of such diseases. In the present study, we show that SOD1 overexpression promoted the survival of cortical neuronal cultures originating from mice carrying the human SOD1 transgene. SOD1 overexpression significantly protected against the deleterious effect of reactive oxygen species, ceramide, or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). It also preserved cortical neurons against apoptosis induced by NMDA or ceramide, as revealed by a smaller increase in caspase 3 activity. SOD1 overexpression was correlated with higher SOD1 activity, and neurotoxins induced an increase in SOD1 activity in cultures from both mice. Moreover, the ratio of increase of SOD1 in cultures from nontransgenic vs. transgenic mice was similar in control cultures or following neurotoxins administration. The highest amount of neurotoxin-induced SOD1 activity was generated by NMDA. Moreover, following exposure to hydrogen peroxide, the cytoskeletal organization was altered, as evidenced by modifications of beta-tubulin or MAP2 labelling. The fact that increased superoxide dismutase activity protected neurons suggests that appropriate control of SOD1 activity is required for neuronal survival under stressful conditions.
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PMID:Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase overexpression promotes survival of cortical neurons exposed to neurotoxins in vitro. 1227 67

Resolution of inflammation requires clearance of activated neutrophils by phagocytes in a manner that protects adjacent tissues from injury. Mechanisms governing apoptosis and clearance of activated neutrophils from inflamed areas are still poorly understood. We used dimethylsulfoxide-differentiated HL-60 cells showing inducible oxidase activity to study NADPH oxidase-induced apoptosis pathways typical of neutrophils. Activation of the NADPH oxidase by phorbol myristate acetate caused oxidative stress as shown by production of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, depletion of intracellular glutathione, and peroxidation of all three major classes of membrane phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine. In addition, phorbol myristate acetate stimulation of the NADPH oxidase caused apoptosis, as evidenced by apoptosis-specific phosphatidylserine externalization, increased caspase-3 activity, chromatin condensation, and nuclear fragmentation. Furthermore, phorbol myristate acetate stimulation of the NADPH oxidase caused recognition and ingestion of dimethylsulfoxide-differentiated HL-60 cells by J774A.1 macrophages. To reveal the apoptosis-related component of oxidative stress in the phorbol myristate acetate-induced response, we pretreated cells with a pancaspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone (z-VAD-fmk), and found that it caused partial inhibition of hydrogen peroxide formation as well as selective protection of only phosphatidylserine, whereas more abundant phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, were oxidized to the same extent in the absence or presence of z-VAD-fmk. In contrast, inhibitors of NADPH oxidase activity, diphenylene iodonium and staurosporine, as well as antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase/catalase, completely protected all phospholipids against peroxidation, inhibited expression of apoptotic biomarkers and externalization of phosphatidylserine, and reduced phagocytosis of differentiated HL-60 cells by J774A.1 macrophages. Similarly, zymosan-induced activation of the NADPH oxidase resulted in the production of superoxide and oxidation of different classes of phospholipids of which only phosphatidylserine was protected by z-VAD-fmk. Accordingly, zymosan caused apoptosis in differentiated HL-60 cells, as evidenced by caspase-3 activation and phosphatidylserine externalization. Finally, zymosan triggered caspase-3 activation and extensive SOD/catalase-inhibitable phosphatidylserine exposure in human neutrophils. Overall, our results indicate that NADPH oxidase-induced oxidative stress in neutrophil-like cells triggers apoptosis and subsequent recognition and removal of these cells through pathways dependent on oxidation and externalization of phosphatidylserine.
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PMID:NADPH oxidase-dependent oxidation and externalization of phosphatidylserine during apoptosis in Me2SO-differentiated HL-60 cells. Role in phagocytic clearance. 1237 50

The Abeta deposition in the neuritic plaques is one of the major neuropathological hallmarks of the Alzheimer disease (AD). Studies in vitro have demonstrated that the Abeta[25-35] fragment, which contains the cytotoxic functional sequence of the amyloid peptide, induces neurotoxicity and cell death by apoptosis. Despite intense investigations, a complete picture of the precise molecular cascade leading to cell death in a single cellular model is still lacking. In this study, we provide evidence that Abeta[25-35] induce apoptosis either alone or in presence of iron in peripheral blood lymphocytes cells (PBL) in a concentration-dependent fashion by an oxidative stress mechanism involving: (1) the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), reflected by rhodamine-positive fluorescent cells, (2) activation and/or translocation of NF-kappaB, p53 and c-Jun transcription factors showed by immunocytochemical diaminobenzidine positive nuclei, (3) activation of NF-kappaB complex by electrophoretic mobility shift assay/immuno-blotting/and ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) inhibition, (4) caspase-3 activation, reflected by caspase Ac-DEVD-cho inhibition, (5) mRNA synthesis de novo according to actinomycin D cell death inhibition. These results are consistent with the notion that the Abeta[25-35]/H2O2 generation precede the apoptotic process and that once H2O2 is generated, it is able to trigger a specific cell death signalisation. Thus, taken together these results, we present a well-ordered cascade of the major molecular events leading PBL to apoptosis. These results may contribute to explain the importance of Abeta alone or in the presence of redox-available iron in association with Abeta plaques (and neurofibrillary tangles) in AD brains and the significant role played by H2O2 as a second messenger of death signal in some degenerative diseases linked to oxidative stress stimuli.
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PMID:Abeta[25-35] peptide and iron promote apoptosis in lymphocytes by an oxidative stress mechanism: involvement of H2O2, caspase-3, NF-kappaB, p53 and c-Jun. 1238 62

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

Astrocytic apoptosis may play a role in the central nervous system injury. We previously showed that reperfusion of cultured astrocytes with normal medium after exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-containing medium causes apoptosis. This study examines the involvement of the lysosomal enzymes cathepsins B and D in the astrocytic apoptosis. Reperfusion after exposure to H(2)O(2) caused a marked increase in caspase-3 and cathepsin D activities and a marked decrease in cathepsin B activity. Pepstatin A, an inhibitor of cathepsin D, and acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-methionyl-L-glutaminyl-L-aspart-1-aldehyde (Ac-DMQD-CHO), a specific inhibitor of caspase-3, blocked the H(2)O(2)-induced decrease in cell viability and DNA ladder formation in cultured rat astrocytes. The (L-3-trans-(propylcarbamoyl)oxirane-2-carbonyl)-L-isoleucyl-L-proline methyl ester (CA074 Me), a specific inhibitor of cathepsin B, did not affect the H(2)O(2)-induced cell injury. On the other hand, CA074 Me decreased cell viability with DNA ladder formation when cultured in the presence of Ac-DMQD-CHO. This caspase-independent apoptosis was attenuated by the addition of the cathepsin D inhibitor pepstatin A. Caspase-3 like activity was markedly inhibited by Ac-DMQD-CHO and partially by pepstatin A. Pepstatin A and CA074 Me inhibited cathepsin B and cathepsin D activities, respectively, in the presence and absence of Ac-DMQD-CHO. These results suggest that cathepsins B and D are involved in astrocytic apoptosis: cathepsin D acts as a death-inducing factor upstream of caspase-3 and the caspase-independent apoptosis is regulated antagonistically by cathepsins B and D.
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PMID:Roles of cathepsins in reperfusion-induced apoptosis in cultured astrocytes. 1242 95

Nitric oxide (NO) generated by either endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) or inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) may be involved in prostate tumorigenesis through the inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced apoptosis. Multicellular DU-145 prostate tumor spheroids endogenously generated NO that paralleled the production of ROS. With increasing spheroid size, eNOS expression was downregulated, whereas an upregulation of iNOS expression was observed. In parallel, NO generation declined, as evaluated by the NO indicator diaminofluorescein-2 diacetate (DAF-2DA), suggesting that NO generation in DU-145 tumor spheroids is mainly mediated by eNOS. Elevation of ROS by treatment of tumor spheroids with either buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) or hydrogen peroxide resulted in upregulation of eNOS, whereas iNOS was downregulated. Furthermore, eNOS expression was increased by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in a redox-sensitive manner. Upregulation of eNOS after treatment with hydrogen peroxide was apparently transduced through receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways since it was abolished by the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide-1 (BIM-1), the p21(ras) inhibitor S-trans-trans-farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS), the c-Raf inhibitor ZM 336372 and PD98059, which inhibits ERK1/2 activation. Endogenous NO may serve to escape from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis since treatment of tumor spheroids with the NO scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl imidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (carboxy-PTIO) as well as the NO synthase inhibitor N-omega-amino-L-arginine (L-NAA) increased cleaved caspase-3. Consequently, lowering intracellular NO levels with either L-NAA or PTIO significantly raised ROS levels, indicating that endogenously generated NO may play a role as a ROS scavenger, thereby protecting exponentially growing tumor spheroids from ROS-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:Reactive oxygen species-mediated regulation of eNOS and iNOS expression in multicellular prostate tumor spheroids. 1256 50

Ceramide, the basic structural unit of sphingolipids, controls the balance between cell growth and death by inducing apoptosis. We have previously shown that accumulation of ceramide, triggered by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or by short-chain ceramide analogs, induces apoptosis of lung epithelial cells. Here we elucidate the link between caspase-3 activation, at the execution phase, and ceramide accumulation, at the commitment phase of apoptosis in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. The induction of ceramide accumulation by various triggers of ceramide generation, such as H(2)O(2), C(6)-ceramide, or UDP-glucose-ceramide glucosyltransferase inhibitor dl-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol, triggered the activation of caspase-3. This ceramide elevation also induced the cleavage of the death substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and was followed by apoptotic cell death. Ceramide-mediated apoptosis was blocked by a general caspase inhibitor, Boc-d-fluoromethylketone, and by overexpression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Notably, overexpression of Bcl-2 reduced the basal cellular levels of ceramide and prevented the induction of ceramide generation by C(6)-ceramide, which implies ceramide generation as a possible target for the antiapoptotic effects of Bcl-2.
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PMID:Ceramide accumulation precedes caspase-3 activation during apoptosis of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. 1257 96

Thymocytes undergo negative and positive selection during development in the thymus. During this selection process, the majority of thymocytes are eliminated by apoptosis through signaling via TCR or die by neglect, possibly mediated through glucocorticoids. In this study, we report that thymocytes require molecular oxygen to undergo apoptosis induced by dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic glucocorticoid, and treatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a thiol antioxidant, inhibits thymocyte apoptosis in vivo as well as ex vivo. We detected elevated intracellular levels of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) during DEX-induced apoptosis, which is reduced by NAC treatment, indicating that the elevated levels of intracellular H(2)O(2) are proapoptotic. We also show that loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, as well as caspase-3 activation induced by DEX are attenuated by NAC treatment. We identified the production site for H(2)O(2) as the ubiquinone cycle at complex III of mitochondria by using various inhibitors of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, and we show that the cell death events mediated by mitochondria are also significantly reduced when the inhibitors were used. Through inhibition of the proteasome, we also show that the production of H(2)O(2) and the cell death events mediated by mitochondria are regulated by proteosomal activities in DEX-induced thymocyte apoptosis. We conclude that in DEX-treated thymocytes, the increased production of H(2)O(2) originates from mitochondria and is proapoptotic for cell death mediated by mitochondria. We also conclude that all the apoptotic events mediated by mitochondria are regulated by proteasomes.
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PMID:Glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis of thymocytes: requirement of proteasome-dependent mitochondrial activity. 1259 72

The effects of ladasten (0.1-10 microM) on the proliferative activity, apoptosis, and expression of the apoptosis protein regulators (bcl-2 and p53) was studied in 72-h cultures of T-lymphocytes of human peripheral blood activated by anti-CD3MCA. In the concentration interval from 0.01 to 1 microM, ladasten produced a comitogenic effect. The drug changed neither the activity of caspase 3 and the proportion of cells in the late apoptosis stage (Hoechst 33342 stain test), nor the bcl-2 expression, but increased the p53 expression in the activated cells. Irrespective of the concentration, ladasten protected activated lymphocytes in the cell culture from apoptosis induced by the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin or by hydrogen peroxide (provided that the drug was added to the culture simultaneously with the apoptosis inductor). At the same time, lymphocytes cultivated in the presence of ladasten acquired resistance with respect to apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide, but not by camptothecin. It is suggested that the immunomodulant activity of ladasten are related to the comitogenic effect and the increase in resistance of the activated T-lymphocytes with respect to non-receptor-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:[Effect of ladasten on proliferative activity and apoptosis in peripheral blood T-lymphocytes ]. 1259 34


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