Nitro-Oleic Acid Prevents Hypoxia- and Asymmetric Dimethylarginine-Induced Pulmonary Endothelial Dysfunction.

RATIONALE: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) represents a serious health complication accompanied with hypoxic conditions, elevated levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and overall dysfunction of pulmonary vascular endothelium. Since the prevention strategies for treatment of PH remain largely unknown, our study aimed to explore the effect of nitro-oleic acid (OA-NO2), an exemplary nitro-fatty acid (NO2-FA), in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAEC) under the influence of hypoxia or ADMA. METHODS: HPAEC were treated with OA-NO2 in the absence or presence of hypoxia and ADMA. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was monitored using the Griess method and ELISA, respectively. The expression or activation of different proteins (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, STAT3; hypoxia inducible factor 1α, HIF-1α; endothelial nitric oxide synthase, eNOS; intercellular adhesion molecule-1, ICAM-1) was assessed by the Western blot technique. RESULTS: We discovered that OA-NO2 prevents development of endothelial dysfunction induced by either hypoxia or ADMA. OA-NO2 preserves normal cellular functions in HPAEC by increasing NO production and eNOS expression. Additionally, OA-NO2 inhibits IL-6 production as well as ICAM-1 expression, elevated by hypoxia and ADMA. Importantly, the effect of OA-NO2 is accompanied by prevention of STAT3 activation and HIF-1α stabilization. CONCLUSION: In summary, OA-NO2 eliminates the manifestation of hypoxia- and ADMA-mediated endothelial dysfunction in HPAEC via the STAT3/HIF-1α cascade. Importantly, our study is bringing a new perspective on molecular mechanisms of NO2-FAs action in pulmonary endothelial dysfunction, which represents a causal link in progression of PH. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

New role for L-arginine in regulation of inducible nitric-oxide-synthase-derived superoxide anion production in raw 264.7 macrophages.

Dietary supplementation with L-arginine was shown to improve immune responses in various inflammatory models. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying L-arginine effects on immune cells remain unrecognized. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that a limitation of L-arginine could lead to the uncoupled state of murine macrophage inducible nitric oxide synthase and, therefore, increase inducible nitric-oxide-synthase-derived superoxide anion formation. Importantly, we demonstrated that L-arginine dose- and time dependently potentiated superoxide anion production in bacterial endotoxin-stimulated macrophages, although it did not influence NADPH oxidase expression and activity. Detailed analysis of macrophage activation showed the time dependence between LPS-induced iNOS expression and increased O(2)(∙-) formation. Moreover, downregulation of macrophage iNOS expression, as well as the inhibition of iNOS activity by NOS inhibitors, unveiled an important role of this enzyme in controlling O(2)(∙-) and peroxynitrite formation during macrophage stimulation. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that simultaneous induction of NADPH oxidase, together with the iNOS enzyme, can result in the uncoupled state of iNOS resulting in the production of functionally important levels of O(2)(∙-) soon after macrophage activation with LPS. Moreover, we demonstrated, for the first time that increased concentrations of L-arginine further potentiate iNOS-dependent O(2) (∙-) formation in inflammatory macrophages.

Design of a pressure sensor based on optical fiber Bragg grating lateral deformation.

This paper describes steps involved in the design and realization of a new type of pressure sensor based on the optical fiber Bragg grating. A traditional pressure sensor has very limited usage in heavy industrial environments, particularly in explosive or electromagnetically noisy environments. Utilization of optics in these environments eliminates all surrounding influences. An initial motivation for our development was the research, experimental validation, and realization of a complex smart pressure sensor based on the optical principle. The main benefit of this solution consists of increasing sensitivity, resistance to electromagnetic interference, dimensions, and potential increased accuracy.

Asymmetric dimethyl arginine induces pulmonary vascular dysfunction via activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH), associated with imbalance in vasoactive mediators and massive remodeling of pulmonary vasculature, represents a serious health complication. Despite the progress in treatment, PH patients typically have poor prognoses with severely affected quality of life. Asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA), endogenous inhibitor of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), also represents one of the critical regulators of pulmonary vascular functions. The present study describes a novel mechanism of ADMA-induced dysfunction in human pulmonary endothelial and smooth muscle cells. The effect of ADMA was compared with well-established model of hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular dysfunction. It was discovered for the first time that ADMA induced the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and stabilization of hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) in both types of cells, associated with drastic alternations in normal cellular functions (e.g., nitric oxide production, cell proliferation/Ca(2+) concentration, production of pro-inflammatory mediators, and expression of eNOS, DDAH1, and ICAM-1). Additionally, ADMA significantly enhanced the hypoxia-mediated increase in the signaling cascades. In summary, increased ADMA may lead to manifestation of PH phenotype in human endothelial and smooth muscle cells via the STAT3/HIF-1α cascade. Therefore this signaling pathway represents the potential pathway for future clinical interventions in PH.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine regulates the lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in macrophages by suppressing the activation of NF-kappaB and iNOS expression.

Two major effector systems are frequently implicated in the immune and endothelial cell alternations associated with inflammation. They include the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species and diminished bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). Importantly, these processes can be regulated by endogenously produced methylarginines, inhibitors for NO derived from macrophages and endothelial cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to show the potential pharmacological intervention of methylarginines (N(G)-methyl-L-arginine, L-NMMA; N(G), N(G)'-dimethyl-L-arginine-symmetric dimethylarginine, SDMA; and N(G), N(G)-dimethyl-L-arginine-asymmetric dimethylarginine, ADMA) in activation of murine peritoneal (RAW 264.7) and alveolar (MHS) macrophages with lipopolysaccharide from Gram-negative bacteria (LPS). The data presented in this study clearly declare that L-NMMA (1-50µM) and ADMA (10-50 µM) significantly inhibited the LPS-induced NO production from macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner. It was demonstrated, for the first time, that the ADMA- and L-NMMA-induced down regulation of NO production was accompanied by reduced expression of mRNA and protein for inducible NO synthase as well as decreased activation of nuclear factor-κB. Importantly, we found a negative correlation between the ADMA-dependent reduction of NO production and ADMA-increased superoxide formation, which indicates that ADMA can negatively affect the balance in LPS-induced macrophage-derived production of reactive mediators. The only effect of SDMA was observed for LPS-triggered superoxide production, which was significantly decreased in its highest concentration (50 µM). In summary, L-NMMA and ADMA can mediate their effects on macrophage activation via regulation of intracellular signaling pathways, which can affect critical functions in activated macrophages.