Silencing Apoe with divalent-siRNAs improves amyloid burden and activates immune response pathways in Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION: The most significant genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is APOE4, with evidence for gain- and loss-of-function mechanisms. A clinical need remains for therapeutically relevant tools that potently modulate APOE expression. METHODS: We optimized small interfering RNAs (di-siRNA, GalNAc) to potently silence brain or liver Apoe and evaluated the impact of each pool of Apoe on pathology. RESULTS: In adult 5xFAD mice, siRNAs targeting CNS Apoe efficiently silenced Apoe expression and reduced amyloid burden without affecting systemic cholesterol, confirming that potent silencing of brain Apoe is sufficient to slow disease progression. Mechanistically, silencing Apoe reduced APOE-rich amyloid cores and activated immune system responses. DISCUSSION: These results establish siRNA-based modulation of Apoe as a viable therapeutic approach, highlight immune activation as a key pathway affected by Apoe modulation, and provide the technology to further evaluate the impact of APOE silencing on neurodegeneration.

Characterizing microglial senescence: Tau as a key player.

The highest risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative diseases like tauopathies is aging. Many physiological decrements underlying aging are linked to cellular senescence. Senescent cells are characterized by an irreversible growth arrest and formation of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), a proinflammatory secretome that modifies the cellular microenvironment and contributes to tissue deterioration. Microglia, the innate immune cells in the brain, can enter a senescent state during aging. In addition, senescent microglia have been identified in the brains of tau-transgenic mice and patients suffering from tauopathies. While the contribution of senescent microglia to the development of tauopathies and other neurodegenerative diseases is a growing area of research, the effect of tau on microglial senescence remains elusive. Here, we exposed primary microglia to 5 and 15 nanomolar (nM) of monomeric tau for 18 h, followed by a recovery period of 48 h. Using multiple senescence markers, we found that exposure to 15 nM, but not 5 nM of tau increased levels of cell cycle arrest and a DNA damage marker, induced loss of the nuclear envelope protein lamin B1 and the histone marker H3K9me3, impaired tau clearance and migration, altered the cell morphology and resulted in formation of a SASP. Taken together, we show that exposure to tau can lead to microglial senescence. As senescent cells were shown to negatively impact tau pathologies, this suggests the presence of a vicious circle, which should be further investigated in the future.

Serum IL-6, sAXL, and YKL-40 as systemic correlates of reduced brain structure and function in Alzheimer's disease: results from the DELCODE study.

BACKGROUND: Neuroinflammation constitutes a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Still, it remains unresolved if peripheral inflammatory markers can be utilized for research purposes similar to blood-based beta-amyloid and neurodegeneration measures. We investigated experimental inflammation markers in serum and analyzed interrelations towards AD pathology features in a cohort with a focus on at-risk stages of AD. METHODS: Data of 74 healthy controls (HC), 99 subjective cognitive decline (SCD), 75 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 23 AD relatives, and 38 AD subjects were obtained from the DELCODE cohort. A panel of 20 serum biomarkers was determined using immunoassays. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, APOE status, and body mass index and included correlations between serum and CSF marker levels and AD biomarker levels. Group-wise comparisons were based on screening diagnosis and routine AD biomarker-based schematics. Structural imaging data were combined into composite scores representing Braak stage regions and related to serum biomarker levels. The Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite (PACC5) score was used to test for associations between the biomarkers and cognitive performance. RESULTS: Each experimental marker displayed an individual profile of interrelations to AD biomarkers, imaging, or cognition features. Serum-soluble AXL (sAXL), IL-6, and YKL-40 showed the most striking associations. Soluble AXL was significantly elevated in AD subjects with pathological CSF beta-amyloid/tau profile and negatively related to structural imaging and cognitive function. Serum IL-6 was negatively correlated to structural measures of Braak regions, without associations to corresponding IL-6 CSF levels or other AD features. Serum YKL-40 correlated most consistently to CSF AD biomarker profiles and showed the strongest negative relations to structure, but none to cognitive outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Serum sAXL, IL-6, and YKL-40 relate to different AD features, including the degree of neuropathology and cognitive functioning. This may suggest that peripheral blood signatures correspond to specific stages of the disease. As serum markers did not reflect the corresponding CSF protein levels, our data highlight the need to interpret serum inflammatory markers depending on the respective protein's specific biology and cellular origin. These marker-specific differences will have to be considered to further define and interpret blood-based inflammatory profiles for AD research.

Soluble TAM receptors sAXL and sTyro3 predict structural and functional protection in Alzheimer's disease.

There is an urgent need to improve the understanding of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We analyzed cerebrospinal fluid inflammatory biomarker correlations to brain structural volume and longitudinal cognitive outcomes in the DELCODE study and in a validation cohort of the F.ACE Alzheimer Center Barcelona. We investigated whether respective biomarker changes are evident before onset of cognitive impairment. YKL-40; sTREM2; sAXL; sTyro3; MIF; complement factors C1q, C4, and H; ferritin; and ApoE protein were elevated in pre-dementia subjects with pathological levels of tau or other neurodegeneration markers, demonstrating tight interactions between inflammation and accumulating neurodegeneration even before onset of symptoms. Intriguingly, higher levels of ApoE and soluble TAM receptors sAXL and sTyro3 were related to larger brain structure and stable cognitive outcome at follow-up. Our findings indicate a protective mechanism relevant for intervention strategies aiming to regulate neuroinflammation in subjects with no or subjective symptoms but underlying AD pathology profile.

Systemic inflammation induced the delayed reduction of excitatory synapses in the CA3 during ageing.

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) represents diverse cerebral dysfunctions in response to pathogen-induced systemic inflammation. Peripheral exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of the gram-negative bacterial cell wall, has been extensively used to model systemic inflammation. Our previous studies suggested that LPS led to hippocampal neuron death and synaptic destruction in vivo. However, the underlying roles of activated microglia in these neuronal changes remained unclear. Here, LPS from two different bacterial strains (Salmonella enterica or E. coli) were compared and injected in 14- to 16-month-old mice and evaluated for neuroinflammation and neuronal integrity in the hippocampus at 7 or 63 days post-injection (dpi). LPS injection resulted in persistent neuroinflammation lasting for seven days and a subsequent normalisation by 63 dpi. Of note, increases in proinflammatory cytokines, microglial morphology and microglial mean lysosome volume were more pronounced after E. coli LPS injection than Salmonella LPS at 7 dpi. While inhibitory synaptic puncta density remained normal, excitatory synaptic puncta were locally reduced in the CA3 region of the hippocampus at 63 dpi. Finally, we provide evidence that excitatory synapses coated with complement factor 3 (C3) decreased between 7 dpi and 63 dpi. Although we did not find an increase of synaptic pruning by microglia, it is plausible that microglia recognised and eliminated these C3-tagged synapses between the two time points of investigation. Since a region-specific decline of CA3 synapses has previously been reported during normal ageing, we postulate that systemic inflammation may have accelerated or worsened the CA3 synaptic changes in the ageing brain.

Interrelations of Alzheimer´s disease candidate biomarkers neurogranin, fatty acid-binding protein 3 and ferritin to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.

There is growing evidence that promising biomarkers of inflammation in Alzheimer´s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases correlate strongest to levels of tau or neurofilament, indicating an inflammatory response to neuronal damage or death. To test this hypothesis, we investigated three AD candidate markers (ferritin, fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP-3), and neurogranin) in interrelation to established AD and inflammatory protein markers. We further aimed to determine if such interrelations would be evident in pathological subjects only or also under non-pathological circumstances. Cerebrospinal fluid levels of the three proteins were quantified in samples from the University Clinic of Bonn (UKB) Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases & Geriatric Psychiatry, Germany. Data were analyzed based on clinical or biomarker-defined stratification of subjects with adjustment for covariates age, sex, and APOE status. Levels of ferritin, FABP-3 and neurogranin were elevated in subjects with pathological levels of t-tau independent of beta-amyloid status. The three markers correlated with each other, tau isoforms, age, and those inflammatory markers previously described as related to neurodegeneration, predominantly sTREM2, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), and C1q. These interrelations existed in subjects with pathological and sub-pathological tau levels, in particular for FABP-3 and neurogranin. Relations to ferritin were independent of absolute levels of tau, too, but showed differing trajectories between pathological and non-pathological subjects. A specific set of inflammatory markers is highly related to markers of neuronal damage such as tau, neurogranin, or FABP-3. These proteins could be used as readouts of the inflammatory response during the neurodegeneration phase of AD.

From short-term blood pressure variability to atherosclerosis: Relative roles of vascular stiffness and endothelial dysfunction.

Both arterial blood pressure (BP) average levels and short-term BP variability (BPV) relate to hypertension-mediated organ damage, in particular increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Endothelial dysfunction possibly mediates such damage. The authors aimed at further investigating such role in hypertensive patients. In 189 recently diagnosed, untreated hypertensive patients the authors evaluated, in a cross-sectional design, the relationships of BP average levels and short-term systolic (S) BPV (standard deviation of awake SBP or of 24-hour-weighted SBP) with IMT and PWV, and how much these relationships are explained by endothelial function parameters-brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and digital reactive hyperemia index (RHI). Multivariable models assessed the strength of these relationships to derive a plausible pathogenetic sequence. Both average SBP values and our measures of SBPV were significantly related to IMT (24-hour mean SBP: r = .156, P = .034; 24-hour-weighted SBPV: r = .157, P = .033) and to PWV (24-hour mean SBP: r = .179, P = .015; 24-hour-weighted SBPV: r = .175; P = .018), but only poorly related to FMD or RHI (P > .05 for all). At univariable regression analysis, FMD and RHI were both related to IMT, (P < .001), but not to PWV. When FMD and RHI were added to average SBP and SBPV parameters in a multivariable model, both significantly (P < .005) contributed to predict IMT, but not PWV. Thus, endothelial dysfunction relates to IMT independently of BP parameters, but appears to play a minor role in the association between BP variability-related variables and arterial stiffening.

Quantitative proteomics of synaptosome S-nitrosylation in Alzheimer's disease.

Increasing evidence suggests that both synaptic loss and neuroinflammation constitute early pathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. A downstream event during inflammatory activation of microglia and astrocytes is the induction of nitric oxide synthase type 2, resulting in an increased release of nitric oxide and the post-translational S-nitrosylation of protein cysteine residues. Both early events, inflammation and synaptic dysfunction, could be connected if this excess nitrosylation occurs on synaptic proteins. In the long term, such changes could provide new insight into patho-mechanisms as well as biomarker candidates from the early stages of disease progression. This study investigated S-nitrosylation in synaptosomal proteins isolated from APP/PS1 model mice in comparison to wild type and NOS2-/- mice, as well as human control, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease brain tissues. Proteomics data were obtained using an established protocol utilizing an isobaric mass tag method, followed by nanocapillary high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis identified the S-nitrosylation sites most likely derived from an increase in nitric oxide (NO) in dependence of presence of AD pathology, age and the key enzyme NOS2. The resulting list of candidate proteins is discussed considering function, previous findings in the context of neurodegeneration, and the potential for further validation studies.

Multicenter Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease immune biomarker verification study.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple immunity biomarkers have been suggested as tracers of neuroinflammation in neurodegeneration. This study aimed to verify findings in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) subjects from the network of the European, Innovative Medicines Initiative-funded project AETIONOMY. METHODS: A total of 227 samples from the studies/centres AETIONOMY, ICEBERG, and IDIBAPS were used to analyse 21 selected immunity biomarkers in CSF. Results were compared to data of an independent cohort of 399 subjects previously published. RESULTS: Immunity markers were predominantly and reproducibly associated with pathological levels of tau isoforms, but also with amyloid levels, aging, sex, APOE genotype, and center-specific factors. DISCUSSION: Immunity biomarker levels in CSF reflect molecular and cellular pathology rather than diagnosis in neurodegenerative disorders. Assay standardization and stratification for age and other covariates could improve the power of such markers in clinical applications or intervention studies targeting immune responses in neurodegeneration.

NLRP3 inflammasome activation drives tau pathology.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta in plaques, aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau in neurofibrillary tangles and neuroinflammation, together resulting in neurodegeneration and cognitive decline1. The NLRP3 inflammasome assembles inside of microglia on activation, leading to increased cleavage and activity of caspase-1 and downstream interleukin-1ß release2. Although the NLRP3 inflammasome has been shown to be essential for the development and progression of amyloid-beta pathology in mice3, the precise effect on tau pathology remains unknown. Here we show that loss of NLRP3 inflammasome function reduced tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation by regulating tau kinases and phosphatases. Tau activated the NLRP3 inflammasome and intracerebral injection of fibrillar amyloid-beta-containing brain homogenates induced tau pathology in an NLRP3-dependent manner. These data identify an important role of microglia and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the pathogenesis of tauopathies and support the amyloid-cascade hypothesis in Alzheimer's disease, demonstrating that neurofibrillary tangles develop downstream of amyloid-beta-induced microglial activation.

Dysregulation of TLR5 and TAM Ligands in the Alzheimer's Brain as Contributors to Disease Progression.

The hypothesis that accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aß) species in the brain represents a major event in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis still prevails; nevertheless, an array of additional pathological processes contributes to clinical presentation and disease progression. We sought to identify novel targets for AD within genes related to amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, innate immune responses, and the catecholamine system. Through a series of bioinformatics analyses, we identified TLR5 and other genes involved in toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling as potential AD targets. It is believed that Aß species induce activation of microglia and astrocytes in AD, with a negative impact on disease progression. The TAM (Tyro3, Axl, Mer) family of receptor tyrosine kinases plays pivotal roles in limiting inflammatory responses upon TLR stimulation, for which we further studied their implication in the TLR5 alterations observed in AD. We validated the up-regulation of TLR5 in the frontal cortex of moderate AD cases. In addition, we observed up-regulation of the TAM ligands protein S (PROS1), galectin-3 (LGALS3), and Tulp-1. Furthermore, we identified an association of the TAM ligand GAS6 with AD progression. In THP-1 cells, co-stimulation with Aß and flagellin for 24 h induced up-regulation of TYRO3 and GAS6, which could be prevented by neutralization of TLR5. Our results underscore the role of TLR dysregulations in AD, suggesting the presence of an immunosuppressive response during moderate disease stages, and implicate TAM signaling in AD immune dysregulation.

A Two-Step Process for the Synthesis of Hydroxytyrosol.

A new process for the synthesis of hydroxytyrosol (3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol), the most powerful natural antioxidant currently known, by means of a two-step approach is reported. Catechol is first reacted with 2,2-dimethoxyacetaldehyde in basic aqueous medium to produce the corresponding mandelic derivative with >90 % conversion of the limiting reactant and about 70 % selectivity to the desired para-hydroxyalkylated compound. Thereafter, the intermediate is hydrogenated to hydroxytyrosol by using a Pd/C catalyst, with total conversion of the mandelic derivative and 68 % selectivity. This two-step process is the first example of a synthetic pathway for hydroxytyrosol that does not involve the use of halogenated components or reduction methodologies that produce stoichiometric waste. It also avoids the complex procedure currently used for hydroxytyrosol purification when it is extracted from wastewater of olive oil production.

Characterization and clinical use of inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid protein markers in Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Neuroinflammation has gained increasing attention as a potential contributing factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. A clinical cerebrospinal fluid biomarker capable of monitoring this process during the course of the disease has yet to emerge, chiefly owing to contradictory research findings. In this study, we sought to clarify the utility of inflammatory biomarkers in diagnostic procedures of AD in three steps: (1) to screen for proteins that are robustly detectable in cerebrospinal fluid; (2) based on this analysis, to explore any associations between the analytically robust markers and salient pathological features of AD; and (3) to determine the discriminative power of these markers in the clinical diagnosis of AD. METHODS: From a total of 46 proteins, 15 that were robustly detectable in cerebrospinal fluid were identified. A subsequent analysis of these markers in a cohort of 399 patients (nondemented subjects, patients with mild cognitive impairment [MCI], and patients with AD, supplemented by smaller cohorts of other diseases) was conducted. Fluid biomarker data were related to AD pathology and neuropsychological markers and adjusted for confounders such as age, sex, apolipoprotein E genotype, and biobank storage time. RESULTS: Cerebrospinal fluid levels of C-reactive protein and soluble TREM2 differed between nondemented subjects, patients with MCI, or patients with AD and were associated with amyloid and tau pathology. Several markers were associated with tau pathology only or with other neurodegenerative diseases. Correlations between neuropsychological performance and inflammatory markers were weak, but they were most prominent in AD and for the most challenging cognitive tests. All investigated covariates had significant influence, with varying effects across the markers. Still, none of the markers achieved discriminative power of more than 70% to distinguish between patient groups defined by clinical or neuropathological categories. CONCLUSIONS: Basic analytical considerations proved indispensable for this type of study because only one-third of the tested markers were robustly detectable in cerebrospinal fluid. Detectable inflammatory protein markers were associated in multiple ways with AD pathology. Yet, even significantly associated markers were not powerful enough in terms of effect strength, sensitivity, and specificity, and hence they were not suited for direct use in clinical diagnostic practice. Targets other than those most commonly considered in this field of research might provide results with better clinical applicability.

Microglia-derived ASC specks cross-seed amyloid-ß in Alzheimer's disease.

The spreading of pathology within and between brain areas is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, deposition of amyloid-ß is accompanied by activation of the innate immune system and involves inflammasome-dependent formation of ASC specks in microglia. ASC specks released by microglia bind rapidly to amyloid-ß and increase the formation of amyloid-ß oligomers and aggregates, acting as an inflammation-driven cross-seed for amyloid-ß pathology. Here we show that intrahippocampal injection of ASC specks resulted in spreading of amyloid-ß pathology in transgenic double-mutant APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice. By contrast, homogenates from brains of APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice failed to induce seeding and spreading of amyloid-ß pathology in ASC-deficient APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice. Moreover, co-application of an anti-ASC antibody blocked the increase in amyloid-ß pathology in APPSwePSEN1dE9 mice. These findings support the concept that inflammasome activation is connected to seeding and spreading of amyloid-ß pathology in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Black tattoos entail substantial uptake of genotoxicpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in human skin and regional lymph nodes.

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide have tattoos, which predominantly contain black inks consisting of soot products like Carbon Black or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). We recently found up to 200 µg/g of PAH in commercial black inks. After skin tattooing, a substantial part of the ink and PAH should be transported to other anatomical sites like the regional lymph nodes. To allow a first estimation of health risk, we aimed to extract and quantify the amount of PAH in black tattooed skin and the regional lymph nodes of pre-existing tattoos. Firstly, we established an extraction method by using HPLC-DAD technology that enables the quantification of PAH concentrations in human tissue. After that, 16 specimens of human tattooed skin and corresponding regional lymph nodes were included in the study. All skin specimen and lymph nodes appeared deep black. The specimens were digested and tested for 20 different PAH at the same time.PAH were found in twelve of the 16 tattooed skin specimens and in eleven regional lymph nodes. The PAH concentration ranged from 0.1-0.6 µg/cm2 in the tattooed skin and 0.1-11.8 µg/g in the lymph nodes. Two major conclusions can be drawn from the present results. Firstly, PAH in black inks stay partially in skin or can be found in the regional lymph nodes. Secondly, the major part of tattooed PAH had disappeared from skin or might be found in other organs than skin and lymph nodes. Thus, beside inhalation and ingestion, tattooing has proven to be an additional, direct and effective route of PAH uptake into the human body.

Black tattoo inks are a source of problematic substances such as dibutyl phthalate.

BACKGROUND: Tattooing has recently become increasingly popular. Using tiny needles, tattooists place the tattoo ink in the dermis along with numerous unknown ingredients. Most tattoos consist of black inks, which are predominantly composed of soot products (carbon black with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). OBJECTIVES: Black tattoos cause skin problems, including allergic reactions, but the responsible substance frequently remains unknown. MATERIAL/METHODS: We applied gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry analysis to search for hazardous compounds in 14 different commercially available black tattoo ink samples. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that all inks contained the softener substance dibutyl phthalate (0.12-691.2 µg/g). Some of the inks contained hexachloro-1,3-butadiene (0.08-4.52 µg/g), metheneamine (0.08-21.64 µg/g), dibenzofuran (0.02-1.62 µg/g), benzophenone (0.26-556.66 µg/g), and 9-fluorenone (0.04-3.04 µg/g). CONCLUSION: The sensitizing agent dibutyl phthalate acts directly on keratinocytes and can drive Th2 responses following skin exposure via induction of thymic stromal lymphopoietin gene expression. Hexachloro-1,3-butadiene is genotoxic in vitro and 9-fluorenone is cytotoxic, generating reactive oxygen species under light exposure. The substances found in the inks might be partially responsible for adverse skin reactions to tattoos.

2D luminescence imaging of physiological wound oxygenation.

In cutaneous wound healing, the role of oxygen in vivo is poorly understood. We studied wound surface pO(2) during physiological wound healing in humans. Split-thickness skin graft donor sites (n=12) served as standardized wound models. Wound surface pO(2) was measured at 1, 6 and 14days after split-skin harvesting using two-dimensional luminescence lifetime imaging (2D-LLI) of palladium(II)-meso-tetraphenyl-tetrabenzoporphyrin (Pd-TPTBP) in polystyrene-co-acrylonitrile (PSAN) particles on transparent foils. In another experiment, we removed the stratum corneum (SC) on the volar forearm (n=10) by tape strippings to study the impact of the SC on the epidermal oxygen barrier. Split-skin donor site pO(2) significantly decreased during the time course of physiological healing. Regional differences in pO(2) within donor site wounds were visualized for the first time in literature. No difference was found in pO(2) before and after SC removal, showing that the SC is not a major constituent of the epidermal oxygen barrier.

Left ventricle relative wall thickness and plasma leptin levels: baseline relationships and effects of 4 months of walking training in healthy overweight postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: Whether leptin has positive or negative influences on cardiac structure and function in healthy sedentary overweight postmenopausal women is unknown. We investigated the role of leptin in cardiac health and whether aerobic fitness enhancement influences any relationships revealed between leptin and echocardiographic measurements. METHODS: Thirty-nine sedentary postmenopausal women were enrolled after an initial screening. The women underwent blood sampling for hormone levels, anthropometric and echocardiographic measurements, dietary habits investigation, and fitness testing, both before and after 4 months of walking training. RESULTS: After the intervention, the women who had an adherence to training of 75% or higher showed significantly reduced percentage fat mass (P = 0.006) and plasma leptin levels (P < 0.001), whereas their maximum oxygen consumption increased significantly (P < 0.001). The women showed a significant reduction in left ventricle relative wall thickness (P = 0.039) and significant increases in both left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (P = 0.040) and left ventricular mass index (P = 0.043). At baseline, a negative correlation was seen between plasma leptin levels and left ventricle relative wall thickness (r = -0.553; P = 0.009). Further negative correlations were seen for the changes in left ventricle relative wall thickness with leptin levels (r = -0.456; P = 0.038) and with tricipital skinfold (r = -0.436; P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In healthy overweight sedentary postmenopausal women with low fitness level, high plasma leptin levels seem to have a protective role against left ventricle relative wall thickness hypertrophy and to participate in its remodeling after 4 months of aerobic training.

Tattoo inks contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that additionally generate deleterious singlet oxygen.

In the past years, tattoos have become very popular worldwide, and millions of people have tattoos with mainly black colours. Black tattoo inks are usually based on soot, are not regulated and may contain hazardous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Part of PAHs possibly stay lifelong in skin, absorb UV radiation and generate singlet oxygen, which may affect skin integrity. Therefore, we analysed 19 commercially available tattoo inks using HPLC and mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of PAHs in the different inks ranged from 0.14 to 201 microg/g tattoo ink. Benz(a)pyrene was found in four ink samples at a mean concentration of 0.3 +/- 0.2 microg/g. We also found high concentrations of phenol ranging from 0.2 to 385 microg/g tattoo ink. PAHs partly show high quantum yields of singlet oxygen (Phi(Delta)) in the range from 0.18 to 0.85. We incubated keratinocytes with extracts of different inks. Subsequent UVA irradiation decreased the mitochondrial activity of cells when the extracts contained PAHs, which sufficiently absorb UVA and show simultaneously high Phi(Delta) value. Tattooing with black inks entails an injection of substantial amounts of phenol and PAHs into skin. Most of these PAHs are carcinogenic and may additionally generate deleterious singlet oxygen inside the dermis when skin is exposed to UVA (e.g. solar radiation).

A helpful technology--the luminescence detection of singlet oxygen to investigate photodynamic inactivation of bacteria (PDIB).

Photodynamic inactivation of bacteria (PDIB) is considered a new approach for the struggle against multiresistant bacteria. To achieve a sufficient level of bacteria killing, the photosensitizer must attach to and/or penetrate the bacteria and generate a sufficiently high amount of singlet oxygen. To optimize PDIB, the direct detection and quantification of singlet oxygen in bacteria is a helpful tool. Singlet-oxygen luminescence is a very weak signal, in particular in living bacteria. We first performed experiments in aqueous photosensitizer solution to optimize the luminescence system. We eliminated non-singlet-oxygen photons, which is important for the quantification of singlet oxygen and its rise and decay rates. This procedure is even more important when the laser excitation beam is scattered by bacteria (diameter 1 microm). In suspensions with both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria we then clearly detected singlet oxygen by its luminescence and determined the respective rise and decay times. The decay times should provide an indication of localization of singlet oxygen and hence of the photosensitizer even in small bacteria.