Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P43026 (lipopolysaccharide)
 62,215 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effects of nitric oxide (NO) on human neutrophil chemotactic responses and release of interleukin (IL)-8 was studied. Neutrophils exposed to chemoattractants (IL-8, FMLP, leukotriene B4, and C5a) failed to show increases in intracellular guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), an indicator of NO production. Although NO increased cGMP in neutrophils, neither of two NO donors (sodium nitroprusside and 3-morpholino-sydonimine) nor a NO synthase inhibitor (N omega-nitro-L-arginine) altered FMLP- or IL-8-elicited neutrophil chemotaxis (P > .25 for all). However, lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-8 production was increased in a dose-dependent manner by a combination of sodium nitroprusside and N-acetylcysteine (P = .03) or by S-nitrosoglutathione (P = .004). NO-augmented IL-8 release was not reproduced by treating neutrophils with dibutyryl-cGMP. Up-regulation of IL-8 release by NO was associated with increased IL-8 mRNA levels (P = .009). These data suggest that NO does not directly affect neutrophil chemotaxis but may indirectly alter chemotactic responses by increasing IL-8 production via a cGMP-independent pathway.
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PMID:Effects of nitric oxide on chemotaxis and endotoxin-induced interleukin-8 production in human neutrophils. 941 78

The sphingomyelin signal transduction pathway is known to play a role in mediating the action of various cytokines. Here we examined the possible role of the sphingomyelin signaling pathway on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and cytokine-mediated production of NO and the expression of inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS). Sphingomyelinase (SMase) treatment of astrocytes increased the cellular levels of ceramide without the induction of NO production. However, incubation of LPS or cytokine-stimulated astrocytes with SMase or by increasing intracellular ceramide by cell-permeable ceramide analogs (C2- or C6-ceramide) or inhibitor of ceramidase (N-oleoyl ethanolamine) led to a time- and dose-dependent increase in the production of NO. This increase in NO production was accompanied by an increase in iNOS activity, iNOS protein, and iNOS mRNA. Similar to astrocytes, SMase or ceramide analogs also stimulated the LPS- and cytokine-mediated expression of iNOS in the C6 glial cell line. Since activation of NF-kappaB is necessary for the induction of iNOS, we examined the effect of SMase and C2-ceramide on the activation of NF-kappaB. Although SMase or C2-ceramide alone was ineffective in activating NF-kappaB, both stimulated the LPS-mediated activation of NF-kappaB in LPS-activated astrocytes. Inhibition of ceramide and LPS-mediated induction of iNOS by antioxidant inhibitors of NF-kappaB (N-acetylcysteine and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate) suggest that the stimulatory effect of ceramide on the induction of iNOS is due to the stimulation of NF-kappaB activation and that cellular redox plays a role in the activation of NF-kappaB and induction of iNOS. Inhibition of LPS-mediated as well as LPS and ceramide-mediated induction of iNOS and activation of NF-kappaB by PD98059, a specific inhibitor of activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase (MEK), and FPT inhibitor II, a selective inhibitor of Ras farnesyl protein transferase, indicate that the Ras-MAP kinase pathway is involved in LPS-ceramide induced activation of NF-kappaB and induction of iNOS, and that ceramide-mediated signaling events probably converge into the LPS-modulated MAP kinase signaling pathway resulting in greater activation of NF-kappaB and iNOS induction. This study illustrates a novel role of the sphingomyelin-ceramide signaling pathway in stimulating the expression of iNOS via LPS- or cytokine-mediated activation of NF-kappaB in astrocytes.
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PMID:Sphingomyelinase and ceramide stimulate the expression of inducible nitric-oxide synthase in rat primary astrocytes. 944 61

Activation of Kupffer cells, the resident macrophage population of the liver, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several types of liver injury. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and alpha-tocopherol succinate (alpha-TOC) suppress lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of rat Kupffer cells. LPS activated NF-kappaB in Kupffer cells, and this response was inhibited by NAC and alpha-TOC. NAC and alpha-TOC also markedly suppressed LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA levels and secretion. We further show that LPS was unable to increase TNF-alpha mRNA in drug-treated cells even when stimulation occurred after NAC or alpha-TOC were removed. These results indicate that antioxidants persistently suppress LPS activation in Kupffer cells, and suggest that the mechanism responsible for this involves more than mere quenching of free radical production. The demonstration that NAC and alpha-TOC have inhibitory effects on LPS-mediated Kupffer cell activation suggests that these compounds may have a beneficial effect in liver injury involving oxidative stress and endotoxemia.
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PMID:Modulation of lipopolysaccharide-mediated activation in rat Kupffer cells by antioxidants. 945 25

Chemokines are important inflammatory mediators that function by activating and recruiting leukocytes to an inflamed tissue. We have recently cDNA cloned the rat chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) (1). In the present study, we characterize the biological function of recombinant MIP-1 alpha protein and describe expression of its mRNA both in vitro and in a rat model of lung inflammation. In vitro rat rMIP-1 alpha protein was chemotactic for both polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and macrophages with maximal activity at 50 nM for both cell types. In in vivo studies, we found that intratracheal instillation of 1 and 5 micrograms of rMIP-1 alpha resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) influx of cells, primarily monocytes/macrophages, into the airspace of the lungs after 6 h. Mean numbers of lavagable PMNs were not elevated significantly (P < 0.05) for either dose of MIP-1 alpha. As a model of inflammation, rats were intratracheally instilled with 0.1 mg/kg bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed 3 h later. Instillation of LPS resulted in an acute neutrophilia, but no significant change in lavagable macrophages. BAL cells from control animals (saline instilled) displayed no basal mRNA expression of either MIP-1 alpha or MIP-2 (positive control). In contrast, both MIP-1 alpha and MIP-2 mRNA levels increased markedly in BAL cells from rats instilled with LPS. The rat alveolar macrophage cell line (NR8383) also showed increased MIP-1 alpha mRNA levels in response to LPS (10 micrograms/ml) with a maximal increase after 6-8 h. The induction of MIP-1 alpha mRNA expression by LPS in NR8383 cells was attenuated by cotreatment with the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and dimethylsulfoxide, suggesting that the induction of MIP-1 alpha mRNA by LPS is mediated via the generation of reactive oxygen species. We conclude that MIP-1 alpha is a potent chemoattractant for macrophages in vivo, and its mRNA expression in macrophages and BAL cells in response to inflammatory stimuli suggests a fundamental role in acute pulmonary inflammation.
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PMID:Functional characterization of recombinant rat macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha and mRNA expression in pulmonary inflammation. 948 48

1. We have recently demonstrated the formation of protein-bound dinitrosyl-iron complexes (DNIC) in rat aortic rings exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and shown that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can promote vasorelaxation in these arteries, possibly via the release of nitric oxide (NO) as low molecular weight DNIC from these storage sites. The aim of the present study was to investigate further the mechanism of the relaxation induced by NAC in LPS-treated vessels. 2. In rings incubated with LPS (10 microg ml(-1) for 18 h) and precontracted with noradrenaline (NA, 3 microM) plus N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME, 3 mM), the relaxation evoked by NAC (0.1 to 10 mM) was abolished by 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, 1 microM, a selective inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase) but not affected by Rp-8-bromoguanosine 3'5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate (Rp-8BrcGMPS, 60 microM a selective inhibitor of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase). Tetrabutylammonium (TBA, 3 mM, as a non selective K+ channels blocker) or elevated concentration of external KCl (25 or 50 mM) significantly attenuated the NAC-induced relaxation. Selective K+ channels blockers (10 microM glibenclamide, 0.1 microM charybdotoxin, 0.5 microM apamin or 3 mM 4-aminopyridine) did not affect the NAC-induced relaxation. The relaxing effect of NAC (10 mM) was not associated with an elevation of guanosine 3':5' cyclic monophosphate (cyclic GMP) in LPS-treated rings. 3. In aortic rings precontracted with NA (0.1 microM), low molecular weight DNIC (with thiosulphate as ligand, 1 nM to 10 microM) evoked a concentration-dependent relaxation which was antagonized by ODQ (1 microM) and Rp-8BrcGMPS (150 microM) but not significantly affected by TBA (3 mM) or by the use of KCl (50 mM) as preconstricting agent. The relaxation produced by DNIC (0.1 microM) was associated with an 11 fold increase in aortic cyclic GMP content, which was completely abolished by ODQ (1 microM). 4. Taken together with our previous data, the main finding of the present study is that the vascular relaxation induced by NAC in LPS-treated aorta, although probably related to NO through an interaction via preformed NO stores, was not mediated by activation of the cyclic GMP pathway. It may involve the activation of TBA-sensitive K+ channels. The differences in the mechanism of relaxation induced by NAC and by exogenous DNIC suggest that the generation of low molecular weight DNIC from protein-bound species does not play a major role in the NAC-induced relaxation observed in LPS-treated rat aorta. In addition, it is suggested that ODQ may display other properties than the inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase.
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PMID:Nitric oxide-related cyclic GMP-independent relaxing effect of N-acetylcysteine in lipopolysaccharide-treated rat aorta. 955 8

We evaluated the effect of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on oxidative stress, lung damage, and mortality induced by an endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, or LPS) in the rat. Continuous intravenous infusion of 275 mg NAC/kg in 48 h, starting 24 h before LPS challenge, decreased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations in whole blood (p < 0.01). This decrease was accompanied by fewer histologic abnormalities of the lung and decreased mortality (p < 0.025), compared with rats receiving LPS alone. N-Acetylserine, which has no sulfhydryl group, did not protect rats against LPS toxicity. Improved survival was not associated with an increase in pulmonary reduced glutathione, nor with inhibition of serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity. In vitro, TNF production and DNA binding of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) in human Mono Mac 6 cells was only inhibited at concentrations of NAC above 20 mM. High-dose NAC treatment (550 and 950 mg/kg in 48 h) decreased lung GSH (p < 0.05) and resulted in a significantly smaller number of surviving animals when compared with the low-dose NAC group (p < 0.025). In vitro, NAC increased hydroxyl radical generation in a system with Fe(III)-citrate and H2O2 by reducing ferric iron to its catalytic, active Fe2+ form. We conclude that low-dose NAC protects against LPS toxicity by scavenging H2O2, while higher doses may have the opposite effect.
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PMID:Low-dose N-acetylcysteine protects rats against endotoxin-mediated oxidative stress, but high-dose increases mortality. 956 52

Effects of antioxidants, resveratrol, quercetin, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the functions of cultured rat hepatic stellate cells and Kupffer cells were studied. These compounds dose-dependently suppressed serum-dependent proliferation of stellate cells as determined by [3H]thymidine and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine uptake. Expression of smooth muscle alpha-actin was suppressed by a high dose of resveratrol and quercetin. These phenolic compounds also suppressed inositol phosphate metabolism, tyrosine phosphorylation, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation in platelet-derived growth factor/BB-stimulated stellate cells. Moreover, the phenolic compounds selectively reduced the level of cell cycle protein cyclin D1 in stellate cells. Thus, resveratrol and quercetin might inhibit stellate cell activation by perturbing signal transduction pathway and cell cycle protein expression, whereas mechanism of potent antiproliferative effect of NAC remains to be elucidated. On the other hand, kinetic analysis showed that production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Kupffer cells was strongly inhibited by resveratrol and quercetin but not by NAC. Although expression of messenger RNAs for inducible NO synthase and TNF-alpha was not affected by the phenolic compounds, cellular levels of inducible NO synthase and TNF-alpha secretion were suppressed significantly, indicating the posttranscriptional process of generating these proteins might be affected predominantly by these phenolic compounds. Thus, NAC and these phenolic compounds may have therapeutic potential against liver injury by regulating functions of hepatic stellate cells and Kupffer cells.
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PMID:Effect of antioxidants, resveratrol, quercetin, and N-acetylcysteine, on the functions of cultured rat hepatic stellate cells and Kupffer cells. 958 80

X-Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is an inherited metabolic disorder of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) with subsequent manifestation of neuroinflammatory disease. To investigate the possible role of proinflammatory cytokines in the X-ALD disease process, we examined the effect of cytokines on the metabolism of VLCFA in C6 glial cells expressing oligodendrocyte-like properties. C6 glial cells under serum-free conditions were treated with different combinations of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, interferon-gamma) or cytokine with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cytokine-treated C6 cells had higher concentrations of VLCFA, measured as percent weight and also as C26:0/C22:0 ratio, which were 300-400% as compared with the controls. We also found increased levels of C26:1 in cytokine-treated cells. The accumulation of VLCFA paralleled the decrease (35-55%) in peroxisomal beta-oxidation activity and a 12- to 14-fold increase in the production of nitric oxide (NO). Individual cytokines were unable either to produce NO or to increase the levels of VLCFA in C6 cells. Inhibition of cytokine-induced NO production by L-N-methylarginine, an inhibitor of NO synthase (NOS), and N-acetylcysteine, an inhibitor of cytokine-mediated induction of inducible NOS, normalized the peroxisomal beta-oxidation activity and the levels of VLCFA, suggesting a role for the proinflammatory cytokines and NO toxicity in the neuropathological changes associated with abnormal VLCFA metabolism (e.g., X-ALD). X-ALD is a peroxisomal disease having deficient oxidation of VLCFA, resulting in the excessive accumulation of VLCFA in all tissues but especially in brain. We observed greater increase in levels of VLCFA in the inflammatory region of ALD brain (in the demyelinating plaque and the area around the plaque) than in the normal-looking area away from the plaque; this also indicates that cytokines in the proinflammatory region may augment the VLCFA defect caused by the inherited abnormality in X-ALD brain. Although C6 glial cultured cells do not reflect the X-ALD model precisely, the observed relationship between the cytokine-induced inhibition of the oxidation of VLCFA, excessive accumulation of VLCFA, and excessive production of NO and their normalization by inhibitors of NOS in C6 glial cells suggests that NO-mediated toxicity may play a role in VLCFA-associated neuroinflammatory diseases (e.g., X-ALD).
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PMID:Cytokine-induced accumulation of very long-chain fatty acids in rat C6 glial cells: implication for X-adrenoleukodystrophy. 964 53

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contained in fossil fuel combustion particles enhance the allergic response to common environmental Ags. A key question is: what are molecular pathways in the immune system by which PAH and conversion products drive allergic inflammation? Circumstantial evidence suggests that macrophages are involved in PAH-induced responses. We demonstrate that a representative PAH, beta-napthoflavone (BNF), and a representative quinone metabolite, tert-butylhydroxyquinone (tBHQ), induce Jun kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activities in parallel with the generation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) mobility shift complexes in THP-1 and RAW264.7 macrophage cell lines. Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases was dependent on generation of oxidative stress, and could be inhibited by N-acetylcysteine. Another genetic response pathway linked to PAH is the antioxidant response element (ARE), which regulates expression of detoxifying enzymes. BNF and tBHQ activated a human ARE (hARE) reporter gene in RAW264.7 cells. Interestingly, bacterial lipopolysaccharide also induced hARE/chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity. While the hARE core, GTGACTCAGC, contains a consensus AP-1 sequence (underlined), AP-1 was not required for hARE activation. This suggests that PAH and their conversion products operate via ARE-specific transcription factors in the immune system. BNF and tBHQ did, however, induce AP-1 binding to the hARE, while constitutively active Jun kinase interfered in hARE/chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activation. This suggests that AP-1 proteins negatively regulate the hARE. These data establish important activation pathways for PAH in the immune system and provide us with targets to modulate the effect of environmental pollutants on allergic inflammation.
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PMID:Macrophage activation by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: evidence for the involvement of stress-activated protein kinases, activator protein-1, and antioxidant response elements. 967 Sep 73

N-acetylcysteine and pentoxifylline, free radical scavengers and inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production, inhibit the development of peripheral neuropathy in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. This study was designed to elucidate the effect of gliclazide, an oral hypoglycemic sulfonylurea, on diabetic neuropathy, because it has been indicated to be a free radical scavenger and TNF-alpha inhibitor. Rats were fed with powder chow mixed with gliclazide or glibenclamide as a control ad libitum. Blood glucose levels and body weight were remarkably higher and lower in diabetic than in nondiabetic rats, respectively, while gliclazide and glibenclamide had no effect on these in both diabetic and nondiabetic rats throughout a 24-week experiment. Serum lipoperoxide levels and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced serum TNF-alpha activities were significantly increased in diabetic rats, whereas these were significantly inhibited in gliclazide-treated rats. Motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) of the tibial nerve significantly slowed in diabetic rats compared with nondiabetic rats. On the other hand, the slowed MNCV was significantly inhibited in gliclazide-treated diabetic rats after 16 experimental weeks. Morphometric analysis showed that gliclazide prevented decreased myelinated fiber area (P < .05), increased fiber density (P < .001), and decreased axon/myelin ratio (P < .05) in diabetic rats. Glibenclamide treatment did not affect serum lipoperoxide, TNF-alpha, MNCV, or nerve morphology in this experiment. These results indicate that gliclazide has a beneficial effect on peripheral neuropathy in STZ-induced diabetic rats, irrespective of blood glucose levels.
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PMID:Gliclazide inhibits diabetic neuropathy irrespective of blood glucose levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. 971 95


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