Antioxidants in cervical cancer: chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects of polyphenols.

Cervical cancer lesions are a major threat to the health of women, representing the second most common cancer worldwide. The unanimously recognized etiological factor in the causation of cervical cancer is the infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV infection, although necessary, is not per se sufficient to induce cancer. Other factors have to be involved in the progression of infected cells to the full neoplastic phenotype. Oxidative stress represents an interesting and under-explored candidate as a promoting factor in HPV-initiated carcinogenesis. Oxidative stress is known to perturb the cellular redox status thus leading to alteration of gene expression responses through the activation of several redox-sensitive transcription factors. This signaling cascade affects both cell growth and cell death. The ability of naturally occurring antioxidants to modulate cellular signal transduction pathways, through the activation/repression of multiple redox-sensitive transcription factors, has been claimed for their potential therapeutic use as chemopreventive agents. Among these compounds, polyphenols have been found to be promising agents toward cervical cancer. In addition to acting as antioxidants, polyphenols display a wide variety of biological function including induction of apoptosis, growth arrest, inhibition of DNA synthesis and modulation of signal transduction pathways. They can interfere with each stage of carcinogenesis initiation, promotion and progression to prevent cancer development. The present review discusses current knowledge of the major molecular pathways, which are involved in HPV-driven cancerogenesis, and the ability of polyphenols to modulate these pathways. By acting at specific steps of viral transformation cascade, polyphenols have been demonstrated to selectively inhibit tumor cell growth and may be a promising therapeutic tool for treatment of cervical cancer. In addition, recent results obtained in clinical trials using polyphenols are also discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antioxidants and Antioxidant Treatment in Disease.

Transamination of L-cystathionine and related compounds by a bovine liver enzyme. Possible identification with glutamine transaminase.

A transaminase which catalyses the monodeamination of L-cystathionine was purified 1100-fold with a yield of 15% from bovine liver. The monoketoderivative of cystathionine spontaneously produces the cyclic ketimine. Other sulfur-containing amino acids related to cystathionine such as cystine, lanthionine and aminoethylcysteine were also substrates for the enzyme. The relative molecular mass of the enzyme was determined to be 94 000 with a probable dimeric structure formed of identical subunits. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was at pH 5.0 and the maximal enzymatic activity was found at pH 9.0--9.2. Kinetic parameters for cystathionine and for the other sulfur amino acids as well as for some alpha-keto acids were also determined. Among the natural amino acids tested, glutamine, methionine and histidine were the best amino donors. The enzyme exhibited maximal activity toward phenylpyruvate and alpha-keto-gamma-methiolbutyrate as amino acceptors. The broad specificity of the enzyme leads us to infer that the cystathionine transaminase is very similar or identical to glutamine transaminase.

Interaction of enkephalin derivatives with reactive oxygen species.

The oxidation of opioid peptides by tyrosinase in the presence of an excess of a thiol gives rise to cysteinyldopa derivatives. The major products arising from the reaction between Leu-enkephalin and cysteine are represented by 5-S-cysteinyldopaenkephalin (5-CDenk) and 2-S-cysteinyldopaenkephalin (2-CDenk). The interaction of 5-CDenk and 2-CDenk with reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been studied. These compounds are able to scavenge superoxide anion, hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals as well as to reduce the lipid peroxidation rate induced by ABAP. The scavenging activities in all instances are dose-dependent. In some cases CDenks are more active than compounds recognized as strong radical scavengers, such as Trolox and mannitol. As a result of the action of the Fenton system, the CDenks (as well as the Enks) are oxidized into pigmented derivatives. The possible implications of the interaction of CDenks and Enks with ROS on melanization process in Parkinson's disease are discussed.

Catecholamines oxidation by xanthine oxidase.

Dopamine and structurally related catecholamines in the presence of hydrogen peroxide are oxidized in vitro by xanthine oxidase producing the corresponding melanin pigments. The kinetic parameters of the reaction, measured as aminochrome formation, have been calculated. The rate of peroxidation depends on enzyme and hydrogen peroxide concentration. The optimum pH for the peroxidative activity of the enzyme is around 8.5. Activation of the peroxidative reaction is also elicited by catechol compounds through a redox cycle mechanism. Implications about the possible biochemical relevance of xanthine oxidase activity on catecholamines oxidation are discussed.

Cysteinyldopaenkephalins: synthesis, characterization and binding to bovine brain opioid receptors.

The reaction of opioid peptides with mushroom tyrosinase in the presence of an excess of a thiol compound gives rise to cysteinyldopaenkephalins (CDEnks). The major product is represented by the 5-S-CDEnk (80%) and the minor one by the isomer 2-S-CDEnk (20%). The adducts between leucine-enkephalin (Leu-enk) and cysteine have been isolated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identified by amino acid analysis and electrospray ion mass spectrometry. 5-S-CDEnk is able to bind to opioid receptors in bovine brain membranes. Its binding affinity is higher for delta than for mu receptors and about 8-fold lesser than that exploited by Leu-enk. In the presence of the peroxidase/H(2)O(2) system, CDEnks can be converted into the corresponding pheo-opiomelanins.

Formation of homovanillic acid dimer by enzymatic or Fenton system - catalyzed oxidation.

Homovanillic acid is the most extensively employed reagent for the fluorometric detection of peroxidase. However, the assays based on the determination of the oxidation product of homovanillic acid do not allow a selective detection of the enzyme, because chemical or physical factors can interfere with the fluorometric determination. The aim of this work was to verify if other enzymatic or non-enzymatic systems might catalyze the homovanillic acid oxidation. The reaction was investigated by spectrophotometric and fluorometric assays; HPLC analysis was used to separate homovanillic acid from its oxidation product and to obtain information on the oxidation process. The results obtained showed that soybean lipoxygenase in the presence of hydrogen peroxide can oxidize homovanillic acid with the formation, by an o,o'-biphenyl linkage, of the corresponding dimer as the sole reaction product. The reaction followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, for both homovanillic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Other systems, such as cytochrome c/H(2)O(2) and Fenton reagents, were also able to oxidize homovanillic acid to its dimer. It can be affirmed that possible interference by other oxidative systems - that could be present in the biological materials tested - should be considered in assays of peroxidase activity based on the detection of the dimer of homovanillic acid.

Production of melanin pigments by cytochrome c/H2O2 system.

In the presence of hydrogen peroxide cytochrome c can perform the oxidation of catecholamines and their S-cysteinyl-derivatives yielding melanins as final products. The initial reaction rate is linearly dependent on cytochrome c and H2O2 concentration; the reaction follows the Michaelis and Menten kinetics both for H2O2 and hydrogen donors. Sulfhydryl compounds inhibit the formation of the pigment. The reported data indicate that a heme-containing protein belonging to the mitochondrial chain can accelerate the oxidation of catecholamines to eumelanins.

Melanins from tetrahydroisoquinolines: spectroscopic characteristics, scavenging activity and redox transfer properties.

Tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQs) are endogenous compounds deriving from the nonenzymatic Pictet-Spengler condensation of catecholamines (CA) with aldehydes. TIQs have been extensively studied in the last years not only because they have been found in the brain of postmortem specimens of Parkinson's patients, but also because they are able to induce parkinsonian symptoms if injected in animals. In the present article we demonstrate that TIQs bearing a catecholic moiety (tetrahydropapaveroline, salsolinol, laudanosoline, and apomorphine) are easily oxidized in the presence of hydrogen peroxide by various enzymes--i.e., peroxidase (POD), lipoxygenase (LOX), and xanthine oxidase (XO)--into the corresponding TIQ-melanins. The kinetic parameters of the above-mentioned reactions and some spectroscopic characteristics of the synthetized pigments are reported. In particular, UV-VIS and EPR spectra emerge as very similar to those exhibited by dopa-melanin. Furthermore, TIQ-melanins appear to be similar to dopa-melanin regarding some specific physico-chemical properties: NADH-oxidizing properties, oxy-radicals scavenging activity, and ability to form soluble mixed polymers with melanins from opioid peptides.

Lipoxygenase/H2O2-catalyzed oxidation of dihdroxyindoles: synthesis of melanin pigments and study of their antioxidant properties.

5,6-Dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA), which are important intermediates in melanogenesis, can be converted into the corresponding melanin pigments by the action of the lipoxygenase/H2O2 system. Kinetic and HPLC analyses indicate that both DHI and DHICA are good substrates for this enzymatic system. Enzyme activity on both substrates was measured in comparison with peroxidase and tyrosinase; the oxidizing behaviour of lipoxygenase is more similar to that of peroxidase rather than that of tyrosinase. The antioxidant properties of DHI- and DHICA-melanins have been investigated in comparison with other kinds of melanins. DHICA-melanin shows a more pronounced antioxidant effect than that of DHI-melanin and this behaviour can be ascribed to the different structure and solubility of the two pigments. The mixed polymer synthesized from DHI and DHICA is the most effective one. Some implications about the possible explanation of the above mentioned behaviour are discussed.

Left ventricular mass and function before and after antihypertensive treatment.

We have studied the effect of blood pressure control upon left ventricular mass and function. Twenty hypertensive patients without clinical or electrocardiographic signs of cardiac involvement were given sequentially: placebo for two weeks; captopril (250 mg/day) for eight weeks; and captopril (125 mg/day), alone or combined with chlorthalidone (25 mg/day), for eight weeks. M-mode echocardiography was performed at the end of placebo period, after eight and after 16 weeks active treatment. Blood pressure was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01) by therapy, the maximum decrease being observed at the end of the study. Similarly, interventricular septal thickness, posterior wall thickness and left ventricular mass index showed a significant reduction (P less than 0.01 at the eighth and P less than 0.001 at the 16th week), while no changes were detected in left ventricular function. Furthermore, both wall stress index at end-diastole and end-systolic stress were significantly lowered by treatment (at the 16th week P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.001, respectively). Baseline systolic blood pressure was inversely correlated with the ratio of the left ventricular radius to posterior wall thickness (r = -0.97, P less than 0.001) but no relation was found between post-treatment fall in either systolic or diastolic blood pressure and left ventricular mass index. After treatment more patients showed normal left ventricular wall thickness in relation to systolic blood pressure. We conclude that in uncomplicated hypertensive patients captopril, either alone or combined with chlorthalidone, can reverse left ventricular hypertrophy by decreasing both septal and posterior wall thickness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Isolation and properties of a thialysine-resistant clone of CHO cells.

A variant clone of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells resistant to thialysine has been isolated. It maintains the phenotypic properties even after 250 generations in medium without thialysine. Growth rate, cell viability and protein synthesis rate of the variant are much less affected by thialysine than the parental strain. In both the parental strain and the variant, thialysine acts in competition with lysine as indicated by the fact that all thialysine effects can be completely reversed by lysine.

Oxidative deamination of S-(1-carboxyethyl)-L-cysteine and S-(1-carboxypropyl)-L-cysteine by L-aminoacid oxidase.

S-(1-carboxyethyl)-L-cysteine (1-CEC) and S-(1-carboxypropyl)-L-cysteine (1-CPC) are oxidatively deaminated by L-aminoacid oxidase with consumption of half a mole of oxygen per mole of substrate in the presence of catalase. This reaction gives rise to the corresponding alpha-ketoacids, identified by some chemical and chromatographic tests and by comparison with synthetic compounds. It has been possible, therefore, to demonstrate that S-(1-carboxyethyl)-thiopvruvic acid (1-CETP) and S-(1-carboxypropyl)-thiopvruvic acid (1-CPTP) are the main products of oxidative deamination of 1-CEC and 1-CPC.

Synthesis and chromatographic properties of S-(1-carboxyethyl)-L-cysteine and S-(1-carboxypropyl)-L-cysteine.

Details are reported for the synthesis of S-(1-carboxyethyl)-L-cysteine (1-CEC) and S-(1-carboxypropyl)-L-cysteine (1-CPC) from cysteine and 2-bromopropionic acid or 2-bromobutyric acid, respectively. Some analytical data and the behaviour of these two compounds on paper and ion-exchange chromatography are also reported, which allow their identification.

Oxidation of D-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid by hog kidney D-aminoacid oxidase.

D-Thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid is a good substrate for hog kidney D-aminoacid oxidase. Data are presented showing that the only oxidation product is delta 3-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid, which does not undergo further spontaneous degradation. Thus, the oxidation of D-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid by D-aminoacid oxidase differs considerably from the oxidation of its L-isomer catalyzed by rat liver mitochondria which gives as final product N-formylcystine, possibly through the intermediate delta 2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid.

On the product of the reaction between cysteamine and 3-bromopyruvate.

Some properties of TZCA, the addition compounds of cysteamine and 3-bromopyruvate, have been investigated. From the behaviour of the UV absorption spectra in acidic and alkaline solutions in the presence or absence of oxygen, it was shown that the instability of TZCA was imputable to an oxidative degradation. It was further shown that TZCA undergoes in alkali spontaneous oxidative decarboxylation, and that the arising product may be hydrolyzed to cystamine and glyoxylic acid. Some chemical reactions and the paper chromatographic behaviour of TZCA are reported. It was shown that TZCA, despite its great instability, may be the reactions described, and thus differentiated from other adducts of bromopyruvate and different aminothiols.

Oxidative deamination of thialysine by snake venom L-aminoacid oxidase.

Thialysine is oxidatively deaminated by snake venom L-aminoacid oxidase at alkaline pH. The oxygen consumption curves show a characteristic diphasic course: the quick uptake of half a mole of oxygen per mole of substrate, in aggreement with a typical oxidative deamination, is followed by a slow extra oxygen consumption. The first product of the reaction is the corresponding alpha-oxo-epsilon-amino acid, which spontaneously cyclizes to the internal Schiff base 5-6-dihydro-delta 3,1,4-thiazin-3-carboxylic acid (TZCA). This latter has been identified by its UV absorption spectrum, by some chemical reactions, by paper chromatography, and by the production of cystamine and glyoxylic acid after prolonged oxidation of thialysine followed by acid hydrolysis. The possibility of an alpha-beta elimination reaction giving rise to cysteamine from thialysine, coupled to the oxidative deamination, has been excluded.

Oxidation of beta-DL-thiaproline, a possible natural substrate of D-aminoacid oxidase.

Beta-DL-Thiaproline (thiazolidine 2-carboxylic acid) is a good substrate for hog kidney D-aminoacid oxidase. Unlike other known substrates, beta-thiaproline is better oxidized at neutral than at alkaline pH. At neutral pH beta-thiaproline is a better substrate than D-proline. Beta-DL-thiaproline is fully oxidized to delta 2 thiazoline 2-carboxylic acid, which in acidic medium is hydrolyzed to N-oxalylcysteamine. These results may support the suggestion that beta-thiaproline, arising in vivo from cysteamine and glyoxylate, can be a possible physiological substrate for D-aminoacid oxidase.

Synthesis and chromatographic properties of 1,3-thiazane-2-carboxylic acid (beta-homothiaproline).

Details are reported for the synthesis of 1,3-thiazane-2-carboxylic acid, or beta-homothiaproline, 3-Bromopropylamine is allowed to react with sodium thiosulfate to give S-sulfo-homocysteamine, which is then split in acidic medium to homocystamine. Homocystamine is reduced by a slight excess of dithioerythritol and allowed to react with sodium glyoxylate. beta-Homothiaproline is then isolated by ion exchange on Dowex 50 and finally obtained in pure crystalline form, with a fairly good yield. Some chemical and chromatographic properties of beta-homothiaproline, in comparison with gamma-homothiaproline (1,3-thiazane-4-carboxylic acid), beta-thiaproline (thiazolidine-2-carboxylic acid) and gamma-thiaproline (thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid) are described.

Thialysine and selenalysine utilization for protein synthesis by E. coli in comparison with lysine.

Utilization of thialysine and selenalysine for protein synthesis by a lysine requiring E. coli mutant was studied. Incorporation into proteins of thialysine or selenalysine, added to culture medium together with lysine, becomes evident when the amount of available lysine in the medium is highly reduced, that is the mutant utilizes the isologs only after all the available natural aminoacid has been utilized. Compared to selenalysine, thialysine is better utilized; when both isologs are present in the medium at equal concentrations, up to 46% of protein lysine is substituted by thialysine and only 12% by selenalysine.

Studies on recognition of selenahomolysine by aminoacid transport systems and aminocyl-tRNA synthetase.

In E. coli, Se-3 aminopropylselenocysteine or selenahomolysine (SeHL) does not affect intracellular lysine transport, i.e. it cannot bind E. coli lysine transport systems. In CHO cells it inhibits cationic aminoacid transport system, but only in the presence of Na+, this indicating that it behaves like polar neutral aminoacids. On the other hand, it poorly affects leucine transport both in the presence and in the absence of Na+. SeHL is not activated by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase preparations from bacterial and mammalian sources, thus it cannot be utilized for protein synthesis.