Primary Human Lung Alveolus-on-a-chip Model of Intravascular Thrombosis for Assessment of Therapeutics.

Pulmonary thrombosis is a significant cause of patient mortality; however, there are no effective in vitro models of thrombi formation in human lung microvessels that could also assess therapeutics and toxicology of antithrombotic drugs. Here, we show that a microfluidic lung alveolus-on-a-chip lined by human primary alveolar epithelium interfaced with endothelium and cultured under flowing whole blood can be used to perform quantitative analysis of organ-level contributions to inflammation-induced thrombosis. This microfluidic chip recapitulates in vivo responses, including platelet-endothelial dynamics and revealed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin indirectly stimulates intravascular thrombosis by activating the alveolar epithelium, rather than acting directly on endothelium. This model is also used to analyze inhibition of endothelial activation and thrombosis due to a protease activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) antagonist, demonstrating its ability to dissect complex responses and identify antithrombotic therapeutics. Thus, this methodology offers a new approach to study human pathophysiology of pulmonary thrombosis and advance drug development.

A role for protein kinase C-delta in the regulation of ornithine decarboxylase expression by oxidative stress.

The expression of genes that regulate cell growth, such as ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), can be modulated by oxidant tumor promoters. Treatment of murine papilloma PE cells with H2O2 led to a transient induction of ODC enzyme activity, which could be blocked by calphostin, a nonspecific inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC). Peak activity (11-fold) occurred 5-6 h after treatment, followed by a rapid decline. The increase in ODC activity was associated with an elevation of both ODC mRNA (3-fold) and protein (7-fold). Direct involvement of PKC in the regulation of ODC by oxidants was determined by stable transfection of PE cells with a dominant-negative PKC-delta mutant. PKC-delta activity was completely inhibited in response to H2O2 in cells overexpressing mutant PKC-delta compared with cells transfected with a blank plasmid. Induction of ODC mRNA, protein, and activity was also completely inhibited in cells expressing the PKC-delta mutant after H2O2 treatment. Activation of an ODC promoter-luciferase reporter construct by H2O2 was attenuated in mutant cells compared with control cells, further confirming that ODC is regulated transcriptionally by PKC-delta. However, fold-increases in ODC mRNA and protein were much less than the increase in activity, suggesting that ODC may also undergo posttranscriptional regulation in the presence of oxidants. Taken together, these studies provide new insight into the regulation of ODC by oxidants and suggest that PKC-delta may play a critical role in this regulation.

Chemoprotective 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione induces antioxidant genes in vivo.

Several 1,2-dithiole-3-thiones are potent inhibitors of chemical-induced tumors in multiple tissues. Chemoprotection by 1, 2-dithiole-3-thiones has been associated with induction of detoxication enzymes, although several studies suggest that additional mechanisms may be involved. In this study, we examined the induction of hepatic antioxidant genes in rats treated with 3H-1, 2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T). After a 24 h D3T treatment, a 2.4-fold increase in catalase mRNA was observed, which was accompanied by a 1. 5-fold increase in catalase protein expression and a 2.3-fold increase in catalase activity. D3T also mediated 2.9-, 5.9-, and 3. 7-fold increases in the 1.0, 3.0, and 4.0 kb mRNA species of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), respectively. The induction of MnSOD mRNA by D3T was coincident with 1.7-fold and 4.6-fold increases in MnSOD protein and enzyme activity, respectively. Induction of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase mRNA by D3T was accompanied by an increase in glutathione levels. Nuclear run-on assays provided evidence that D3T enhances the transcription rate from MnSOD, catalase, and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase. In support of this view, D3T also activated an MnSOD promoter-reporter construct in transiently transfected HepG2 cells. In light of observations that antioxidant enzyme regulation may be altered during carcinogenesis, induction of these genes could provide a potentially important mechanism of action of chemoprotective 1, 2-dithiole-3-thiones.

Cysteine S-conjugates activate transcription factor NF-kappa B in cultured renal epithelial cells.

Activation of NF-kappa B by the nephrotoxic and cytotoxic cysteine S-conjugate S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (DCVC) was investigated in porcine kidney-derived LLC-PK1 cells. DCVC induced binding of nuclear proteins to an NF-kappa B consensus oligonucleotide from the immunoglobulin kappa-light chain enhancer region, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and the activated proteins were identified as the p50/RelA heterodimeric complex of NF-kappa B. Transient transfection experiments with a kappa B-controlled luciferase reporter construct showed that the NF-kappa B complex activated by DCVC was transcriptionally active. NF-kappa B transactivation was blocked by inhibition of DCVC bioactivation with the cysteine conjugate beta-lyase inhibitor (aminooxy)acetic acid, by the antioxidants N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine and N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and by the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine. The cysteine S-conjugates S-(2-bromo-2-chloro-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine and S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine also activated NF-kappa B in LLC-PK1 cells. These results demonstrate that the NF-kappa B pathway is present in LLC-PK1 cells and is induced by cysteine S-conjugates. Inhibition of DCVC-induced transactivation of NF-kappa B by staurosporine and by antioxidants indicate roles for protein kinases and oxidative stress in the NF-kappa B pathway.

Stable transfection of LLC-PK1 cells with human microsomal glutathione S-transferase gene increases haloalkene glutathione S-conjugate formation and cytotoxicity.

Nephrotoxic haloalkenes undergo glutathione- and cysteine conjugate beta-lyase-dependent bioactivation, and glutathione S-conjugate formation with haloalkenes as substrates is preferentially catalyzed by the hepatic microsomal glutathione S-transferase (mGST). Porcine kidney-derived LLC-PK1 cells, which are competent to bioactivate glutathione and cysteine S-conjugates of haloalkenes, show low mGST activity. Stable transfection of LLC-PK1 cells with the gene encoding mGST would be expected to increase glutathione S-conjugate formation and, therefore, to increase haloalkene cytotoxicity. Transfection of LLC-PK1 cells with human mGST genes resulted in increased expression of mGST protein in microsomal fractions, in increased glutathione S-conjugate formation with hexachloro-1,3-butadiene and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as the substrates, and in increased cytotoxicity of hexachloro-1,3-butadiene. In addition, transfection with mGST gene also increased the activity of cytosolic glutathione S-transferases.

Immunolocalization of microsomal glutathione S-transferase in rat tissues.

Distribution of microsomal glutathione transferase (mGST) protein in rat tissues was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Studies on the localization of mGST are of interest because of its involvement in the detoxication and bioactivation of xenobiotics. mGST antigen was detected in the cytoplasm of some hepatocytes and in bile ducts. In kidney, focal staining of mGST was observed in distal tubules and collecting ducts. Cerebral cortical and cerebellar Purkinje neurons showed good immunoreactivity, and nuclear staining was observed in the choroid plexus. The antigen was detected in epithelial cells of respiratory bronchioles and in the crypt cells of the duodenum. Exocrine cells of the pancreas stained for mGST. Nuclear immunostaining for this protein was observed in primary spermatocytes. mGST antigen was detected in the cytoplasm of the adrenal medulla as a granular stain. Leydig and Sertoli cells in testis also stained for the antigen. Distribution of mGST protein differs from that observed with cytosolic transferases and may be important in determining cell-selective susceptibility to xenobiotics.