Uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) may be linked to the attenuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but it is unclear whether this phenomenon pertains to the pancreatic beta cell. In this study, a UCP2-deficient mouse model was used to assess the importance of UCP2 to beta cell viability. We investigated the effect of UCP2 absence in response to a beta cell cytotoxic model of diabetes induction. In vivo treatment by the cytotoxic agent streptozotocin led to overall beta cell loss, but severity was not exacerbated by UCP2 deficiency. We also examined ROS production and cell viability in islet cells exposed to various stressors associated with oxidative stress. In vitro measurements of ROS and cell death in islet cells demonstrated that the response was not influenced by UCP2 expression. In contrast with UCP2 overexpression studies showing cytoprotection, this study reveals that beta cell survival is not compromised by the absence of UCP2.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which utilizes the combination of light and a photosensitizing drug to cause tissue damages, has emerged as a novel clinical approach for the treatment of numerous cancers, as well as some other non-malignant conditions. Although a few photosensitizers have been approved for clinical uses, the mechanism of drug action, especially the initial photochemical reactions that lead to the formation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), is still not well understood. Moreover, the PDT efficiency of currently used drugs is limited due to the strong attenuation of light by tissues in the wavelength range of 630-690 nm, where these drugs are photo-activated. Photosensitizers which are sensitive to near infrared (NIR) light are believed to be able to overcome this limitation. In this thesis work, the molecular mechanism of action of indocyanine green (ICG), a potential NIR PDT drug, was investigated using our femtosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence decay profiles of ICG in water were obtained using the fluorescence up-conversion technique. The lifetime of ICG excited singlet state was determined to be about 150 ps, directly from the fluorescence decay kinetic traces. The excited triplet-state yield of ICG in water was found to be extremely low, according to the result of the ground-state bleaching recovery measurement. This observation is contrary to the conventional understanding that the ROS would be generated mainly from the excited triplet state of the photosensitizer and, therefore, suggests the existence of a new reaction pathway. Pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy was applied to study the reaction between ICG and oxygen in more details. The results reveal that the formation of ICG and oxygen ground-state complexes ([ICG]_m:[O₂]_n) is a key step in the generation of the ROS. Electron transfer from the excited singlet state of ICG to oxygen has been proposed to be a possible pathway for the generation of ROS.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which utilizes the combination of light and a photosensitizing drug to cause tissue damages, has emerged as a novel clinical approach for the treatment of numerous cancers, as well as some other non-malignant conditions. Although a few photosensitizers have been approved for clinical uses, the mechanism of drug action, especially the initial photochemical reactions that lead to the formation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), is still not well understood. Moreover, the PDT efficiency of currently used drugs is limited due to the strong attenuation of light by tissues in the wavelength range of 630-690 nm, where these drugs are photo-activated. Photosensitizers which are sensitive to near infrared (NIR) light are believed to be able to overcome this limitation. In this thesis work, the molecular mechanism of action of indocyanine green (ICG), a potential NIR PDT drug, was investigated using our femtosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence decay profiles of ICG in water were obtained using the fluorescence up-conversion technique. The lifetime of ICG excited singlet state was determined to be about 150 ps, directly from the fluorescence decay kinetic traces. The excited triplet-state yield of ICG in water was found to be extremely low, according to the result of the ground-state bleaching recovery measurement. This observation is contrary to the conventional understanding that the ROS would be generated mainly from the excited triplet state of the photosensitizer and, therefore, suggests the existence of a new reaction pathway. Pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy was applied to study the reaction between ICG and oxygen in more details. The results reveal that the formation of ICG and oxygen ground-state complexes ([ICG]_m:[O₂]_n) is a key step in the generation of the ROS. Electron transfer from the excited singlet state of ICG to oxygen has been proposed to be a possible pathway for the generation of ROS.

<p>Apoptotic dysregulation is a hallmark of cancer cells. The inability of cancer cells to undergo apoptosis may lead to therapeutic resistance. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer that is often characterized by ErbB2 overexpression and ErbB2 activation. ErbB-targeting is clinically relevant using trastuzumab (anti-ErbB2 antibody) and lapatinib (small molecule ErbB1/2 inhibitor). However, acquired resistance is a common outcome even in IBC patients who show an initial clinical response, which limits the efficacy of these agents. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in IBC cells. We hypothesized that apoptotic dysregulation leads to therapeutic resistance of IBC cells to therapeutic agents, including ErbB-targeting agents. To determine whether apoptotic dysregulation and changes in anti-apoptotic proteins leads to resistance of IBC cells to therapeutic agents, we performed a variety of in vitro-based studies using agents that are used in the clinic to treat IBC patients. The sensitivity of both ErbB2 overexpressing and ErbB1 activated IBC cells to various therapeutic agents was evaluated using various cell death and apoptosis assays, and anti-apoptotic protein expression post-treatment was determined using western blot analysis. The overarching theme observed was that x-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) expression inversely correlated with sensitivity of cells to therapeutic agents with various mechanisms of action, including TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), doxorubicin, cisplatin, paclitaxel, and two ErbB-targeting agents: trastuzumab and a lapatinib-analog (GW583340). Moreover, there was a specific and marked overexpression of XIAP in cells with de novo resistance to trastuzumab and with acquired resistance to GW583340. The observed overexpression was identified to be caused by IRES-mediated XIAP translation. Stable XIAP overexpression using a lentiviral system reversed sensitivity to therapeutic agents (TRAIL and GW583340) in parental IBC cells. Moreover, XIAP downregulation in cells resistant to therapeutic agents (TRAIL, trastuzumab, and GW583340) resulted in decreased viability and increased apoptosis, demonstrating that XIAP is required for survival of cells with resistance to these agents. A novel mechanism of GW583340 oxidative stress-induced mediated apoptosis was identified, and resistant cells had increased antioxidant expression and capability. Interesting, inhibition of XIAP function overcame this increase in antioxidant potential, demonstrating a new function for XIAP in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. These studies establish the feasibility of development of an XIAP inhibitor that potentiates apoptosis for use in IBC patients with resistance to therapeutic agents.</p> / Dissertation

<p>Imbalance between oxygen consumption and supply often makes tumors hypoxic (Bristow and Hill 2008). Tumor hypoxia is significantly correlated with aggressive tumor growth, ineffective response to radiation and chemotherapy, and as a result, poor patient prognosis. Hyperthermia (HT) is a strong adjuvant treatment to overcome these challenges of tumor hypoxia because it causes tumor reoxygenation at temperatures lower than 43ºC (Song, Park, and Griffin 2001). However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of how HT enhances tumor oxygenation have not been elucidated. Here we determine that 1 hour HT activates hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and its downstream targets, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) in tumors. Consistent with HIF-1 activation and upregulation of its downstream genes, HT also enhances tumor perfusion/vascularization and decreases oxygen consumption rates. As a result, tumor hypoxia is reduced after HT suggesting that these physiological changes contribute to HT-induced tumor reoxygenation. Since HIF-1 is a potent regulator of tumor vascularization and metabolism, our findings suggest that HIF-1 plays a role in HT-induced tumor reoxygenation by transactivating its downstream targets. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that NADPH oxidase-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production upregulates HIF-1 after HT. Further, we determine that this pathway is initiated by increased transcription of NADPH oxidase-1 (NOX1) through the ERK pathway.</p><p>A major research effort at Duke focuses on combinations of HT and doxorubicin in the treatment of locally advanced breast and other cancers. Thus, we investigated whether there are HIF-1 responses to doxorubicin treatment. We reveal that doxorubicin also activates HIF-1. Unlike HT, doxorubicin-induced HIF-1 promotes persistent tumor angiogenesis. We also reveal that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) pathway causes HIF-1&#945; accumulation in an oxygen-independent manner. We show that activated STAT1 upregulates iNOS expression and promotes nitric oxide (NO) production in tumor cells resulting in HIF-1&#945; stabilization. We further determine that both iNOS inhibitor, 1400W and STAT1 inhibitor, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) significantly decrease intracellular NO production and suppress doxorubicin-induced normoxic HIF-1&#945; accumulation.</p><p>HIF-1 is often considered a promising therapeutic target because of its role in tumor progression (Semenza 2003) and therapy resistance (Moeller et al. 2004). However, our findings suggest that HIF-1 plays a pleiotropic role in response to HT and chemotherapy. Therefore, to preferentially take advantage of HT-induced HIF-1 activation and also to suppress its deleterious effects induced by chemotherapy or as we have previously reported, by radiation (Moeller et al. 2004), HIF-1 inhibition needs to be carefully regulated in a time-sensitive manner to achieve optimal therapeutic effects.</p> / Dissertation

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and devastating malignant tumors in Taiwan. Due to an imbalanced between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and detoxification, oxidative stress, has been implicated in liver carcinogenesis. Superoxide dismutases (SODS) play a key role in the detoxification of superoxide radicals and thus protect cells from damage induced by free radicals. Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD or SOD2) is a member of the superoxide dismutase family located in mitochondria. SOD2 transforms toxic superoxide, a byproduct of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, into hydrogen peroxide and diatomic oxygen. Though reduced SOD2 protein level and activities have been reported in hepatoma tissues, it remains unclear how SOD2 expression affected the tumorigenic processes of hepatoma cells. Expression analysis of an array of human HCC cell lines revealed that SOD2 were down-regulated in poorly differentiated SK-Hep-1 hepatoma cells. Moreover, SOD2 is downregulated in 68.8% of resected HCC samples (97 out of 141 cases). Adenovirus-mediated SOD2 gene delivery increased the cellular SOD2 protein level and H2O2 production, but reduced the superoxide anion level in SK-Hep-1 cells. Furthermore, SOD2 restoration significantly reduced the proliferation, motility, and colony formation of SK-Hep-1 cells. In vivo animal model, the finding of SOD2 overexpression inhibited the proliferation of Sk-Hep-1 hepatoma cells while reduced the tumor growth in mice. Flow cytometry analysis showed that SOD2 gene transfer inhibited the growth of hepatoma cells through induction of cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. This was associated with declined cdc2/cdk1 and cyclin B1 expression and upregulation p21Cip1 by SOD2 gene delivery. However, SOD2 overexpression had no effect on the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9.In conclusion, SOD2 overexpression suppresses the tumorigenicity of hepatoma cells and may hold promise for HCC treatment.

Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important view point to evaluate heavy metal toxicity and resistance in plants. Arabidopsis thaliana is a fully sequenced model plant, and the characteristic between ecotypes due to adaptation towards varied environment can be used as a material for comparing physiological differences. In this experiments, two ecotypes of A. thaliana: Columbia (Col-0) and Landsberg erecta (Ler-0) is observed for the roots growth inhibition, plasma membrane integrity and lipid peroxidation after treated with different concentration of HgCl2 (0, 2, 4, 8 £gM), in attempt to compare the anti-oxidation defensive mechanism of two ecotypes and understand mercury-induced oxidative stress. ROS and Ca2+ generation is determined with CM-H2DCF-DA and Oregon Green 488 BAPTA-1 is under confocal microscopy. Some anti-oxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD EC 1.15.1.1), peroxidase (POD EC1.11.1.7) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX EC 1.11.1.11) are examined for the activity under protein gel electrophoresis. Experiment results showed that mercury-induced inhibition of root growth is more significant in Ler-0. ROS in roots of both ecotypes shows different trends under 8 £gM HgCl2 , however increment of ROS level below 4 £gM HgCl2 ; Ca2+ shows the similar result as ROS. Activity of SOD isoforms reached a peak at 2-4 £gM HgCl2. Expression of POD is correlated to the mercury concentration in both ecotypes. There are two types of APXs expression, one decreased as mercury concentration increased, another increased under 2 £gM HgCl2 and decreased as the concentration getting higher. According to the observation on expression of ROS generations and anti-oxidation system, we speculated that tolerance of Ler-0 towards mercury is weaker than Col-0. The results can be used as a basis for further discussion on influence of mercury towards different anti-oxidation enzymes and the signaling pathways.

Phenylarsine oxide (PAO) is a membrane-permeable trivalent arsenic compounds, which interfere the biochemical activity of intracellular enzymes or proteins through reacting specifically with sulfhydryl and vicinal dithiol groups in the protein structure. Although the deleterious effects of arsenic compounds in bioorganisms have been extensively studied, however its role in the synaptogenesis is still obscure. Here we test the role of PAO on the synaptic activity at developing Xenopus neuromuscular synapse by using whole-cell patch clamp recording. Bath application of PAO dose-dependently increases the frequency of spontaneous synaptic currents (SSC frequency) and reaches its maximal effect at 10 £gM. The SSC frequency is robustly facilitated in 10~15 minutes after PAO application and then the release of neurotransmitter were abruptly ceased due to the degenerative collapse of the presynaptic motoneuron. Pretreatment of the culture with Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM significantly blunted the SSC frequency facilitation induced by PAO, suggesting a rise in Ca2+ in presynaptic motoneuron is a prerequisite. The PAO-induced SSC frequency facilitation is unaffected even that Ca2+ is eliminated from culture medium or addition of pharmacological Ca2+ channel inhibitor cadmium, indicating the influx of extracellular Ca2+ is not needed for the rise of [Ca2+]i. Depletion of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pool with thapsigargin effectively hampered the PAO-induced SSC frequency facilitation. Pretreatment of ryanodine receptor inhibitor TMB-8 but not IP3 receptor inhibitor XeC significantly occluded the increase of SSC frequency elicited by PAO. Furthermore, bath application of the culture with either mitochondria oxidative phosphorylation uncoupler FCCP or mitochondrial permeability transition pore inhibitor cyclosporin A significantly abolished the SSC facilitating effect of PAO. Pretreatment the culture with TMB-8 and cyclosporin A have no addictive effects on the occlusion of PAO-induced SSC frequency facilitation, suggesting a consecutively released Ca2+ from internal store through ryanodine receptor and mitochondria is responsible for PAO-induced SSC frequency facilitation. The synaptic facilitating effect of PAO is eliminated while incubated with free radical scavenger n-acetylcysteine. Furthermore, treating cultures with complex III of electron transport chain (ETC) inhibitor antimycin A, but not complex I inhibitor rotenone, abolished PAO-induced facilitation of synaptic transmission. PAO elicited no facilitation effects on SSC frequency when pretreatment the culture with either thiol-modifying agent NEM or thiol-reducing agent DTT. Overall, results from our current study provide evidences that reactive oxygen species derived from PAO inhibition on complex III of ETC induce the open of MPT pore in mitochondria, the accompanied Ca2+ leak from mitochondria and Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum resulted in a robustly release of neurotransmitter and a destructive damage on the neuron.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) exerts diverse physiological actions in both peripheral and central nervous system. It has been demonstrated to implicate in central mechanisms leading to hypertension in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) of rats, and mediated by the type-1 receptors (AT1R). Our previous studies already suggested that inhibition of NO synthesis in the NTS causes sustained hypertension. It was reported that the activity of Ang II was higher in the NTS of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and AT1R are colocalized in the neurons of the NTS, providing the local reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by Ang II. However, the signaling mechanisms of Ang II that induce hypertension remain uncertain. In the present study, we investigated the possible signal pathways involved in the cardiovascular regulation of Ang II in the NTS. Male SHR was treated with AT1R blocker, losartan (30 mg/kg/day) or superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic, tempol (1 mM/kg/day) for two weeks, systolic blood pressure was decreased significantly in losartan- or tempol-treated SHR. The NTS was excised for dihydroethidium (DHE) staining, NO analysis, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrated that DHE staining revealed of ROS was much more in the NTS of SHR than in the NTS of wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat. The ROS in the NTS of SHR was reduced by losartan. The NO content in the NTS of SHR was lower than WKY, while losartan and tempol could increase NO in the NTS of SHR. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry studies demonstrated that Ang II-induced hypertension inhibited neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), ERK and RSK phosphorylation levels in the NTS of SHR. These results suggest that Ang II induces ROS production in the NTS of SHR. In addition, the cardiovascular modulatory effects of Ang II in the NTS are accomplished by downregulation of ERK1/2-RSK phosphorylation levels and then nNOS level.

Ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) have tremendous potential for in vivo molecular imaging because of their high sensitivity and great spatial resolution of ultrasound imaging. However, the diagnostic potential of UCAs has been difficult to exploit because current contrast agents are based on pre-formed microbubbles, which can only detect cell surface receptors. In this work, we demonstrated that chemical reactions that generate gas forming molecules can be used to perform molecular imaging by ultrasound in vivo. This new approach for generating ultrasound contrast agents was demonstrated by imaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vivo with allylhydrazine, a compound that is converted into nitrogen and propylene gas after reacting with radical oxidants. We demonstrated that allylhydrazine encapsulated within liposomes (termed APLs) can detect a 10 uM concentration of radical oxidants by ultrasound, and can image oxidative stress in mice, induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), using a clinical ultrasound machine. We showed that a 1-2% increase in gas concentration above saturation can be detected acoustically and suggest that numerous biological targets can be imaged via appropriately designed gas forming reactions. This work was the first demonstration of in vivo imaging of ROS using ultrasound, and this work presented a new strategy to generate gas bubbles from reactions involving radical oxidants. We anticipate numerous applications of chemically generated microbubbles, given the excellent spatial resolution of ultrasound imaging, its widespread clinical use and its high sensitivity to detect gas bubbles.