Modulation by polyamines of apoptotic pathways triggered by procyanidins in human metastatic SW620 cells.

We showed previously that inhibition of polyamine catabolism with the polyamine oxidase inhibitor MDL 72527 (MDL) potentiates the apoptotic effects of apple procyanidins (Pcy) in SW620 cells. Here we report that Pcy caused an activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway through enhanced polyamine catabolism and mitochondrial membrane depolarization. MDL in the presence of Pcy caused a profound intracellular depletion of polyamines and exerted a protective effect on mitochondrial functions. MDL potentiation of Pcy-triggered apoptosis was reversed by addition of exogenous polyamines. In addition, MDL in combination with Pcy activated the extrinsic apoptotic pathway through enhanced TRAIL-death receptor (DR4/DR5) expression. Potentiation of Pcy-triggered apoptosis by MDL was inhibited when cells were exposed to specific inhibitors of DR4/DR5. These data indicate that the depletion of intracellular polyamines by MDL in the presence of Pcy caused a switch from intrinsic to extrinsic apoptotic pathways in human colon cancer-derived metastatic cells.

Effects of fasting and refeeding on jejunal morphology and cellular activity in rats in relation to depletion of body stores.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal mucosa atrophy following a period of starvation characterized by the mobilization of fat stores for energy expenditure (phase II) worsen after a long fast marked by an increase in protein catabolism (phase III). However, the morphology of the jejunum is completely restored after 3 days of refeeding. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms involved in the rapid jejunal restoration following the critical phase III. METHODS: Jejunal structure was observed through conventional and environmental scanning electron microscopy, whilst cellular dynamics were studied using classical optic microscopy tools and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Mucosal structural atrophy during fasting proved to worsen over the two phases. During phase II, apoptosis is still present at the tip of the villi, the number of mitosis in crypts showed a 30% decrease and a transient drop in cell migration is observed. During phase III, however, an 85% rise in mitosis was noticed along with an increase in cell migration and the disappearance of apoptotic cells at the villus tips. This increased cell renewal continues after food ingestion. CONCLUSIONS: Starved rats appeared to be in a phase of energy sparing in phase II, with depressed cellular events in the intestinal mucosa. In phase III, however, the preservation of functional cells and the early increase in crypt cell proliferation should prepare the mucosa to refeeding and could explain why jejunal repairs are complete after 3 days of refeeding following either phase II or phase III.

The phosphodiesterase inhibitor, pentoxifylline, alters rat intestinal epithelial cell proliferation via changes in the expression of transforming growth factors.

BACKGROUND: Phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, among which pentoxifylline (PTX), are candidate molecules for the treatment of TNF-alpha-dependent inflammatory diseases. Based on the controversial effects of PTX observed in experimentally-induced colitis, the aim of this work was to analyse its influence on intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and growth factor expression using the well-established IEC18 cell line. METHODS: The effects of PTX, and of an activation (addition of dibutyryl-cAMP, db-cAMP) or inhibition (by a specific cAMP-protein kinase inhibitor, PKI) of the cAMP pathway, were examined after 3 days of culture. The IEC18 cell proliferation and [3H] thymidine incorporation, as well as the expression of TGF-alpha, TGF-beta1 and -beta2 mRNAs, were analysed in basal culture conditions and in the presence of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-alpha. RESULTS: PTX, like exogenous db-cAMP, inhibited in a dose-dependent manner the basal and TNF-alpha-modulated IEC18 cell proliferation; this effect was partly prevented by PKI. We confirmed that PTX induced a dose-related increase in intracellular cAMP. Concomitantly, the expression of TGF-alpha mRNA dropped and that of TGF-beta2 increased. Addition of db-cAMP instead of PTX also decreased TGF-alpha mRNA, but did not change TGF-beta2 transcripts. The decrease in the expression of TGF-alpha mRNA caused by PTX and db-cAMP was completely abolished by PKI; in contrast, TGF-beta2 remained unaltered. Yet, anti-TGF-beta2 antibodies partially restored the PTX-inhibited cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: The phosphodiesterase inhibitor, PTX, inhibits IEC18 cell proliferation via a differential modulation of TGF-alpha and TGF-beta2 expression. The drop in TGF-alpha mRNA is related to increasing intracellular cAMP, whereas the effect upon TGF-beta2 appears cAMP-independent.

Cytokine gene expression during postnatal small intestinal development: regulation by glucocorticoids.

BACKGROUND: In the intestinal mucosa, numerous cytokines produced by the epithelium, fibroblasts, and immune cells were shown to affect epithelial differentiation and proliferation through epithelial-mesenchymal and epithelial-immune cell interactions. To date, the importance of cytokines in postnatal development of the rat small intestine has not been established. AIM: To investigate the developmental changes in expression of mucosal cytokines in the postnatal maturation of the rat small intestinal epithelium and their regulation by glucocorticoids (GC). METHODS: Mucosal maturation was assessed by the onset of sucrase-isomaltase (SI) mRNA, analysed by in situ hybridisation. The amount of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), beta2 (TGF-beta2), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), and TGF-alpha was analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in mucosal extracts from weaning (14-21 days old) and adult rats, or one day after an injection of hydrocortisone (HC) in 11 day old rats. Similarly, expression of cytokines and the regulatory effect of GC were studied on cultured subepithelial myofibroblasts cloned from postnatal jejunum and ileum cultured in the absence or presence of dexamethasone (DX). RESULTS: TGF-beta1, TGF-beta2, and IL-1beta decreased during the third week of life while levels of TNF-alpha increased and TGF-alpha remained constant. In parallel, SI transcripts increased and showed a progressive accumulation in the apical part of the enterocytes first localised at the base of the villi from 18 days onwards. Interestingly, precocious induction of SI mRNA by HC paralleled the decrease in expression of TGF-beta isoforms and of IL-1beta. All cytokines were expressed in the myofibroblast cell lines. In addition, the results showed that TNF-alpha was differentially expressed in basal culture conditions and after DX stimulation in jejunal and ileal myofibroblasts. DX decreased IL-1beta but not the TGF-beta isoforms, similar to that in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that mucosal cytokines are developmentally regulated and that GC are potentially involved in this regulation in parallel with maturation of the gut mucosa at weaning.

Subepithelial fibroblast cell lines from different levels of gut axis display regional characteristics.

The intestine is characterized by morphofunctional differences along the proximodistal axis. The aim of this study was to derive mesenchymal cell lines representative of the gut axis. We isolated and cloned rat intestinal subepithelial myofibroblasts raised from 8-day proximal jejunum, distal ileum, and proximal colon lamina propria. Two clonal cell lines from each level of the gut were characterized. They 1) express the specific markers vimentin, smooth muscle alpha-actin, and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, revealed by immunofluorescence microscopy and 2) distinctly support endodermal cell growth in a coculture model, depending on their regional origin, and 3) the clones raised from the various proximodistal regions maintain the same pattern of morphogenetic and growth and/or differentiation factor gene expression as in vivo: hepatocyte growth and/or scatter factor and transforming growth factor-beta 1 mRNAs analyzed by RT-PCR were more abundant, in the colon and ileal clones and mucosal connective tissue, respectively. In addition, epimorphin mRNA studied by Northern blot was also the highest in one ileal clone, in which it was selectively upregulated by all-trans retinoic acid (RA) treatment. Epimorphin expression in isolated 8-day intestinal lamina propria was higher in the distal small intestine and proximal colon than in the proximal small intestine. In conclusion, we isolated and characterized homogeneous cell subtypes that can now be used to approach the molecular regulation of the epithelium-mesenchyme-dependent regional specificity along the gut.

Sucrase-isomaltase gene expression in suckling rat intestine: hormonal, dietary, and growth factor control.

The effect of hydrocortisone, sucrose, and epidermal growth factor (EGF), alone or in combination, was investigated on the precocious expression of sucrase activity and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) mRNA in normal and adrenalectomized (ADX) suckling rats. In normal rats, each regulatory factor administered separately from 12 to 13 days of age induced a parallel expression of sucrase activity and SI mRNA. A potentiation of both sucrase activity and SI mRNA was observed after administration of hydrocortisone plus sucrose. Only SI mRNA was potentiated after EGF-sucrose administration or EGF-hydrocortisone administration. However, the potentiation of the activity was obtained after a prolonged treatment period of 4 days. In adrenalectomized rats, sucrose and EGF were still able to induce precocious induction of SI mRNA and sucrase activity, but sucrase activity was lowered by 75% by sucrose and by 30% by EGF. The combined treatments gave results similar to those obtained in normal rats. The results obtained in ADX rats indicate that the effects of sucrose and EGF on the precocious expression of sucrase and the potentiation of SI mRNA are independent of endogenous glucocorticoids. The rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation into mucosal DNA of normal sucklings was similar after single or combined treatments. From this study, we conclude that the precocious induction of intestinal sucrase by various regulatory factors, alone or in combination, is primarily regulated at the level of mRNA and is independent of increases in cellular proliferation and circulating glucocorticoids.

Premature expression of sucrase-isomaltase triggered by corticoid-dependent changes in polyamine metabolism.

A possible link between the corticoid-elicited premature expression of intestinal sucrase-isomaltase (SI) and endogenous changes in polyamine metabolism was investigated in preweaned rats. Starvation at postnatal day 12 caused a precocious expression of SI mRNA and activity. A rapid upsurge of serum corticosterone was observed during the first hour of isolation, occurring in parallel with a transient enhancement of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) expression and followed by an increase in mucosal polyamine content. Administration of the antiglucocorticoid RU-38486 completely prevented the starvation-evoked stimulation of ODC. The treatment of the sucklings with RU-38486 or with alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), a specific inhibitor of ODC, dramatically reduced the amount of SI mRNA. When exogenous hydrocortisone (HC) was administered to 12-day-old sucklings nourished by their dam, an important accumulation of ODC mRNA was observed in the intestinal mucosa 4 h after treatment. Sucklings receiving HC and treated concomitantly with either RU-38486 or DFMO exhibited a reduced amount of ODC mRNA and a dramatic decline in both SI mRNA and activity. Altogether these data support the view that the premature induction of SI expression is dependent on changes in ODC expression and polyamine metabolism that can be elicited either by endogenous changes or by exogenously administered glucocorticoids.

Precocious and reversible expression of sucrase-isomaltase unrelated to intestinal cell turnover.

The effect of starvation and refeeding on the developmental pattern of intestinal sucrase-isomaltase (SI) was analyzed in preweaned rats. Starvation at postnatal day 12 caused a precocious expression of SI activity and mRNA. Alkaline phosphatase activity was slightly reduced, and no significant change was observed for aminopeptidase and lactase activities. Immunostaining showed that SI molecules appear in cells at the base of the villus. Sucrase expression was further increased by prolonged food deprivation, whereas enzyme activity as well as the amount of SI mRNA dropped to reach the low level found in control sucklings when 48 h-starved pups were refed by returning them to their dams. During the refeeding period, the enterocytes that were committed to produce SI by starvation continued to express the enzyme while migrating up the villi. However, the new epithelial cells arising from the crypts no longer synthesized the disaccharidase. The starvation-evoked appearance of SI was preceded by a transient burst of expression of the protooncogene c-fos, an event that may be correlated to the ontogenic rise of c-fos mRNA observed before weaning. However, in contrast to the normal weaning condition, SI induction by starvation occurred without obvious increase of epithelial cell proliferation and turnover. During the starvation and refeeding period, patterns of sucrase activity and SI mRNA paralleled the serum level of glucocorticoids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Epidermal growth factor and the maturation of intestinal sucrase in suckling rats.

The regulatory effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the postnatal maturation of sucrase was investigated in the small intestine of suckling and weanling rats. Administration of EGF (0.5 micrograms.g body wt-1.day-1) to suckling rats caused a slight precocious induction of sucrase expression. In weanling rats EGF markedly stimulated sucrase activity; however, at both ages, the effect of hydrocortisone was more potent. When the glucocorticoid antagonist RU-38486 was administered to sucklings, the precocious induction of sucrase activity by hydrocortisone was inhibited by 80%. However, RU-38486 or adrenalectomy did not prevent the inductive effect of EGF, indicating that EGF acts in a glucocorticoid-independent manner. EGF also potentiated the effect of hydrocortisone and dietary sucrose on the precocious induction of sucrase activity in the sucklings. At weaning, administration of an antiserum specific to rat EGF significantly decreased sucrase activity. This study shows the involvement of EGF in the postnatal maturation of intestinal sucrase in the rat.

Rat lactase activity and mRNA expression in relation to the thyroid and corticoid status.

The effect of glucocorticoids and thyroid hormones on lactase expression was investigated along the small intestine of rats. In sucklings thyroxine injections promoted a precocious drop of enzyme activity but not of mRNA. Hydrocortisone did neither modify lactase activity nor its mRNA expression. In adults decreasing the amount of thyroid hormones led to a slight and reversible increase of the lactase mRNA content whereas lactase activity rised more dramatically. Thus, thyroid hormones in contrast to corticoids, are involved in the posttranscriptional control of lactase during the suckling period. Yet, none of these hormones might induced the modification of the longitudinal distribution of the lactase mRNA that occurred at weaning.

Effect of epidermal growth factor on the expression of digestive hydrolases in the jejunum and colon of newborn rats.

The regulatory effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the developmental pattern of brush border hydrolases was studied in the proximal jejunum and colon of the newborn rat. In the proximal colon, daily administration of EGF for 1, 3, or 5 days postpartum inhibited the postnatal increase in lactase, maltase, and aminopeptidase specific activities. In contrast, in the jejunum EGF did not influence lactase activity, inconsistently increased maltase activity, and partly prevented the early postnatal decrease in aminopeptidase activity. In the proximal colon, EGF showed additive effects with T4 and hydrocortisone on the inhibition of lactase activity. In the jejunum, EGF potentiated the effect of hydrocortisone and T4 on the expression of sucrase activity and had only a slight effect when injected alone. The incorporation rate of [3H]thymidine in the proximal colon and jejunum was not different in control and treated rats, indicating the absence of an effect of EGF on DNA synthesis. These results show that EGF may play an important physiological role in the enzymatic differentiation of the developing intestine during early postnatal development. Alone or acting with T4 or glucocorticoids, EGF may induce the decline of digestive hydrolases in the proximal colon. In the small intestine EGF may play a major role in the triggering of sucrase expression.

Specific expression of lactase in the jejunum and colon during postnatal development and hormone treatments in the rat.

The expression of lactase was compared in the jejunum and colon of the rat at the levels of enzyme activity and protein and RNA content. We found that the enzyme proteins and the corresponding mRNAs share common features and are encoded by a single gene in both intestinal segments. In the jejunum, large amounts of lactase mRNA and proteins were detected during postnatal development as well as in adult rats, despite the 10-fold decline in lactase specific activity which occurs at weaning. In contrast, in the colon the expression of lactase was restricted to early postnatal development. In the colon, the enzymic activity of lactase and the amounts of protein and mRNA followed parallel development profiles with a peak at day 4 after birth. Injections of thryoxine or epidermal growth factor into neonates led to small modifications in the expression of lactase in the jejunum. On the other hand, these treatments caused a large decline in lactase activity in the colon that paralleled a decrease in the amount of lactase protein and mRNA. These data indicate that the expression of lactase is mainly regulated at the post-transcriptional level in the jejunum, whereas it is controlled at the pretranslational level in the colon.

Comparative expression of the mRNA for three intestinal hydrolases during postnatal development in the rat.

The distribution of the mRNA for intestinal aminopeptidase-N, lactase-phlorizin hydrolase and sucrase-isomaltase was compared during rat postnatal development as well as along the longitudinal axis of the intestinal tract including small-intestine and colon. We found out that each mRNA exhibited a specific pattern of accumulation, suggesting proper regulation steps for the expression of the corresponding digestive enzymes.

Perinatal expression of brush-border hydrolases in rat colon: hormonal and tissue regulations.

The evolution pattern of brush-border digestive hydrolases and their hormonal regulation were studied in the proximal colon of newborn rats. The potentiality of the colon to express a small intestinal enzymatic pattern was also examined in associations made up of colonic endoderm and small intestinal mesenchyme, developed as either intracelomic grafts in 3-day-old chick embryos or as intrarenal grafts in adult rats. A transient increase of lactase- and aminopeptidase-specific activities occurred in the colon from the 19th day of gestation to 14 days after birth, but sucrase activity could never be detected. Immunocytochemical studies with antibodies specific for rat lactase, aminopeptidase, and sucrase confirmed these results. However, the levels of hydrolase activities were lower in the colon than in the jejunum at the same age. Thyroxine or hydrocortisone treatment during the first 4 days postpartum decreased lactase activity by 70 and 30%, respectively, but did not affect aminopeptidase activity. A slight but significant induction of sucrase activity was obtained with both hormones. In contrast, in the jejunum, only thyroxine decreased lactase activity with a lesser effect (30%), but both hormones increased aminopeptidase activity and induced the marked well-known appearance of sucrase activity. The fetal small intestinal mesenchyme was not able to induce the colonic endoderm to achieve a small intestinal-like differentiation. But the exposure of the developed hybrid intestines to glucocorticoids in organ culture allowed expression of sucrase in one-third of the cases. These results demonstrate the presence of brush-border hydrolases in the proximal colon of newborn rats, normally expressed in the small intestine, but never in the adult colon.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In-vitro control of growth hormone secretion by synthetic releasing factors in young and adult ducks (Anas platyrhynchos).

Release of GH from perifused duckling hemipituitaries was stimulated, in a biphasic manner, by synthetic TRH and human pancreatic GH-releasing factor (GRF). At all effective concentrations, the level of GH release was increased within 5 min of TRH or GRF perifusion and was maximal after 10 min of TRH perifusion and after 20 min of GRF perifusion. Although TRH was perifused for 20 min the level of GH release declined during the last 10 min. The most effective dose of TRH (1.0 micrograms/ml; 2.7 mumol/l) and GRF (0.5 micrograms/ml; 110 nmol/l) provoked similar (250-300%) increases in the level of GH release. However, since the effect of TRH was only of short duration, the total release of GH induced by GRF was higher than that elicited by TRH, especially with the low dose. The increase in release of GH induced by TRH or GRF was blunted when pituitaries from adult ducks were used. As in young ducks, the GH response to GRF was higher, whereas the response to TRH was very low. The GH response of perifused adult pituitaries to GRF was, however, potentiated when TRH was perifused simultaneously. The basal release of GH from both young and adult pituitary glands was unaffected by perifusion with somatostatin-14 (SRIF-14) at doses of 1 and 2 micrograms/ml. The perifusion of hemipituitary glands with similar doses of SRIF-14 was also unable to suppress the stimulation of GH release induced by prior perifusion with GRF, although when SRIF-14 and TRH were simultaneously perifused TRH-induced GH release was markedly suppressed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Thyrotrophin-releasing hormone-induced growth hormone secretion in ducks: independence of peripheral plasma somatostatin, insulin, and glucagon.

In young, but not old, ducks the iv infusion of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) markedly increased peripheral plasma growth hormone (GH) concentrations, which remained elevated throughout the 30-min period of infusion. This GH response to TRH was suppressed by the simultaneous infusion of somatostatin, which increased the level of circulating somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) to supraphysiological levels. Basal concentrations of plasma SLI in both young and old birds were suppressed by TRH infusion. Concentrations of glucagon-like immunoreactivity (GLI) were increased by the infusion of TRH in young birds but not in adults, whereas plasma immunoreactive insulin (IRI) was decreased in young birds and increased in adults following TRH infusion. These results indicate that TRH-induced GH secretion in ducks is unrelated to changes in peripheral plasma SLI, GLI, or IRI induced by TRH infusion.

Plasma growth hormone, somatostatin, insulin and glucagon inter-relationships during infusion of human pancreatic growth hormone-releasing factor in young and adult ducks (Anas platyrhynchos).

Human pancreatic GH-releasing factor (hpGRF) increased the concentrations of plasma GH when infused i.v. into immature ducks. A dose-dependent increase in plasma GH was observed within 10 min of the start of infusion and was maintained during the 30-min infusion period. Simultaneous infusion of somatostatin S-14 prevented the increase in plasma GH induced by hpGRF, but when the infusion had finished there was a rebound increase in plasma GH. Infusion of the highest dose of hpGRF (800 ng/kg per min) in adult ducks had no significant effect on plasma GH. Plasma somatostatin concentrations were reduced during the infusion of hpGRF in young but not in adult ducks. This observation suggests that the stimulatory effect of hpGRF on GH secretion may be partly due to its inhibitory effect on somatostatin secretion. Infusion of hpGRF in ducklings also increased the concentrations of glucagon and decreased levels of insulin in the plasma. Peripheral plasma glucagon and insulin levels in adult ducks were unaffected by hpGRF infusion. These results indicate that in ducklings, hpGRF increases plasma GH and glucagon concentrations and lowers plasma somatostatin and insulin levels. In the adult, these hormonal responses to hpGRF are not maintained. The highly stimulatory effect of hpGRF on GH secretion in ducklings may explain why plasma GH concentrations are high in these birds.