Glutathione Peroxidase gpx1 to gpx8 Genes Expression in Experimental Brain Tumors Reveals Gender-Dependent Patterns.

Extensive research efforts in the field of brain tumor studies have led to the reclassification of tumors by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the identification of various molecular subtypes, aimed at enhancing diagnosis and treatment strategies. However, the quest for biomarkers that can provide a deeper understanding of tumor development mechanisms, particularly in the case of gliomas, remains imperative due to their persistently incurable nature. Oxidative stress has been widely recognized as a key mechanism contributing to the formation and progression of malignant tumors, with imbalances in antioxidant defense systems being one of the underlying causes for the excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) implicated in tumor initiation. In this study, we investigated the gene expression patterns of the eight known isoforms of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in brain tissue obtained from male and female control rats, as well as rats with transplacental ethyl nitrosourea (ENU)-induced brain tumors. Employing the delta-delta Ct method for RT-PCR, we observed minimal expression levels of gpx2, gpx5, gpx6, and gpx7 in the brain tissue from the healthy control animals, while gpx3 and gpx8 exhibited moderate expression levels. Notably, gpx1 and gpx4 displayed the highest expression levels. Gender differences were not observed in the expression profiles of these isoforms in the control animals. Conversely, the tumor tissue exhibited elevated relative expression levels in all isoforms, except for gpx4, which remained unchanged, and gpx5, which exhibited alterations solely in female animals. Moreover, except for gpx1, which displayed no gender differences, the relative expression values of gpx2, gpx3, gpx6, gpx7, and gpx8 were significantly higher in the male animals compared to their female counterparts. Hence, the analysis of glutathione peroxidase isoforms may serve as a valuable approach for discerning the behavior of brain tumors in clinical settings.

Obesity-associated insulin resistance is correlated to adipose tissue vascular endothelial growth factors and metalloproteinase levels.

BACKGROUND: The expansion of adipose tissue is linked to the development of its vasculature, which appears to have the potential to regulate the onset of obesity. However, at present, there are no studies highlighting the relationship between human adipose tissue angiogenesis and obesity-associated insulin resistance (IR). RESULTS: Our aim was to analyze and compare angiogenic factor expression levels in both subcutaneous (SC) and omentum (OM) adipose tissues from morbidly obese patients (n = 26) with low (OB/L-IR) (healthy obese) and high (OB/H-IR) degrees of IR, and lean controls (n = 17). Another objective was to examine angiogenic factor correlations with obesity and IR.Here we found that VEGF-A was the isoform with higher expression in both OM and SC adipose tissues, and was up-regulated 3-fold, together with MMP9 in OB/L-IR as compared to leans. This up-regulation decreased by 23% in OB/-H-IR compared to OB/L-IR. On the contrary, VEGF-B, VEGF-C and VEGF-D, together with MMP15 was down-regulated in both OB/H-IR and OB/L-IR compared to lean patients. Moreover, MMP9 correlated positively and VEGF-C, VEGF-D and MMP15 correlated negatively with HOMA-IR, in both SC and OM. CONCLUSION: We hereby propose that the alteration in MMP15, VEGF-B, VEGF-C and VEGF-D gene expression may be caused by one of the relevant adipose tissue processes related to the development of IR, and the up-regulation of VEGF-A in adipose tissue could have a relationship with the prevention of this pathology.

Hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis disruption in rats with breast cancer is related to an altered endogenous oxytocin/insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) system.

Associations of breast cancer with diseases of the thyroid have been repeatedly reported, but the mechanism underlying this association remains to be elucidated. It has been reported that oxytocin (OXT) attenuates the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) release in response to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) and decreased plasma levels of TSH as well as the thyroid hormones by an effect mediated by the central nervous system. Oxytocinase (IRAP) is the regulatory proteolytic enzyme reported to hydrolyze OXT. Changes in IRAP activity have been reported in both human breast cancer and N-methyl-nitrosourea (NMU)-induced rat mammary tumours. Here, we measure IRAP activity fluorometrically using cystyl-ß-naphthylamide as the substrate, in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis together with the circulating levels of OXT, and its relationship with circulating levels of TSH and free thyroxine (fT4), as markers of thyroid function in control rats and rats with breast cancer induced by NMU. We found decreased thyroid function in rats with breast cancer induced by NMU, supported by the existence of lower serum circulating levels of both TSH and fT4 than their corresponding controls. Concomitantly, we found a decrease of hypothalamic IRAP activity and an increase in circulating levels of OXT. We propose that breast cancer increases OXT pituitary release by decreasing its hypothalamic catabolism through IRAP activity, probably due to the alteration of the estrogenic endocrine status. Thus, high circulating levels of OXT decreased TSH release from the pituitary, and therefore, of thyroid hormones from the thyroid, supporting the association between breast cancer and thyroid function disruption.

The obese healthy paradox: is inflammation the answer?

A paradoxical but common finding in the obesity clinic is the identification of individuals who can be considered 'inappropriately' healthy for their degree of obesity. We think that studying these obese but metabolically healthy individuals and comparing them with equally obese but insulin-resistant individuals could provide important insights into the mechanistic link between adipose tissue expansion and associated metabolic alterations. In the present study, we investigated whether there are differences in inflammatory and insulin signalling pathways in VAT (visceral adipose tissue) that could account for the metabolic differences exhibited by morbidly obese individuals who are either insulin-resistant (IR-MO) or paradoxically insulin-sensitive (NIR-MO). Our results indicate that there are pathways common to obesity and unrelated to insulin resistance and others that are discriminative for insulin resistance for a similar degree of obesity. For instance, all morbidly obese patients, irrespective of their insulin resistance, showed increased expression of TNFalpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha) and activation of JNK1/2 (c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2). However, the IR-MO group showed significantly elevated expression levels of IL (interleukin)-1beta and IL-6 and increased macrophage infiltrates compared with non-obese individuals and NIR-MO. IkappaBalpha [inhibitor of NF-kappaB (nuclear factor kappaB) alpha], the activation of ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2) and NF-kappaB were discriminative of the state of insulin resistance and correlated with differential changes in IRS-1 (insulin receptor substrate 1) expression and Akt activation between IR-MO and NIR-MO individuals. Our results support the concept that NIR-MO individuals lack the inflammatory response that characterizes the IR-MO patient and that IL-6, IL-1beta, ERK and NF-kappaB are important effectors that mediate the inflammation effects promoting insulin resistance.

Mammary renin-angiotensin system-regulating aminopeptidase activities are modified in rats with breast cancer.

Angiotensin II in particular and/or the local renin-angiotensin system in general could have an important role in epithelial tissue growth and modelling; therefore, it is possible that it may be involved in breast cancer. In this sense, previous works of our group showed a predominating role of angiotensin II in tumoral tissue obtained from women with breast cancer. However, although classically angiotensin II has been considered the main effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system cascade, several of its catabolism products such as angiotensin III and angiotensin IV also possess biological functions. These peptides are formed through the activity of several proteolytic regulatory enzymes of the aminopeptidase type, also called angiotensinases. The aim of this work was to analyse several specific angiotensinase activities involved in the renin-angiotensin system cascade in mammary tissue from control rats and from rats with mammary tumours induced by N-methyl-nitrosourea (NMU), which may reflect the functional status of their target peptides under the specific conditions brought about by the tumoural process. The results show that soluble and membrane-bound specific aspartyl aminopeptidase activities and membrane-bound glutamyl aminopeptidase activity increased in mammary tissue from NMU-treated animals and soluble aminopeptidase N and aminopeptidase B activities significantly decreased in mammary tissue from NMU-treated rats. These changes support the existence of a local mammary renin-angiotensin system and that this system and its putative functions in breast tissue could be altered by the tumour process, in which we suggest a predominant role of angiotensin III. All described data about the renin-angiotensin system in mammary tissue support the idea that it must be involved in normal breast tissue functions, and its disruption could be involved in one or more steps of the carcinogenesis process.

Gender Differences in the Antioxidant Response to Oxidative Stress in Experimental Brain Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Brain tumorigenesis is related to oxidative stress and a decreased response of antioxidant defense systems. As it is well known that gender differences exist in the incidence and survival rates of brain tumors, it is important to recognize and understand the ways in which their biology can differ. OBJECTIVE: To analyze gender differences in redox status in animals with chemically-induced brain tumors. METHODS: Oxidative stress parameters, non-enzyme and enzyme antioxidant defense systems are assayed in animals with brain tumors induced by transplacental N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) administration. Both tissue and plasma were analyzed to know if key changes in redox imbalance involved in brain tumor development were reflected systemically and could be used as biomarkers of the disease. RESULTS: Several oxidative stress parameters were modified in tumor tissue of male and female animals, changes that were not reflected at plasma level. Regarding antioxidant defense system, only glutathione (GSH) levels were decreased in both brain tumor tissue and plasma. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were decreased in brain tumor tissue of male and female animals, but plasma levels were only altered in male animals. However, different protein and mRNA expression patterns were found for both enzymes. On the contrary, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity showed increased levels in brain tumor tissue without gender differences, being protein and gene expression also increased in both males and female animals. However, these changes in GPx were not reflected at plasma level. CONCLUSION: We conclude that brain tumorigenesis was related to oxidative stress and changes in brain enzyme and non-enzyme antioxidant defense systems with gender differences, whereas plasma did not reflect the main redox changes that occur at the brain level.

Chronic ethanol intake modifies pyrrolidon carboxypeptidase activity in mouse frontal cortex synaptosomes under resting and K+ -stimulated conditions: role of calcium.

Pyrrolidon carboxypeptidase (Pcp) is an omega peptidase that removes pyroglutamyl N-terminal residues of peptides such as thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH), which is one of the neuropeptides that has been localized into many areas of the brain and acts as an endogenous neuromodulator of several parameters related to ethanol (EtOH) consumption. In this study, we analysed the effects of chronic EtOH intake on Pcp activity on mouse frontal cortex synaptosomes and their corresponding supernatant under basal and K+ -stimulated conditions, in presence and absence of calcium (Ca2+) to know the regulation of Pcp on TRH. In basal conditions, chronic EtOH intake significantly decreased synaptosomes Pcp activity but only in absence of Ca2+. However, supernatant Pcp activity is also decreased in presence and absence of calcium. Under K+-stimulated conditions, chronic EtOH intake decreased synaptosomes Pcp activity but only in absence of Ca2+, whereas supernatant Pcp activity was significantly decreased only in presence of Ca2+. The general inhibitory effect of chronic EtOH intake on Pcp activity suggests an inhibition of TRH metabolism and an enhancement of TRH neurotransmitter/neuromodulator functions, which could be related to putative processes of tolerance to EtOH in which TRH has been involved. Our data may also indicate that active peptides and their degrading peptidases are released together to the synaptic cleft to regulate the neurotransmitter/neuromodulator functions of these peptides, through a Ca2+ -dependent mechanism.

Hormonal status modifies renin-angiotensin system-regulating aminopeptidases and vasopressin-degrading activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis of female mice.

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) participates in the maintenance of cardiovascular functions and in the control of blood pressure. By other hand, it is known that blood pressure regulation and HPA activity are affected by sex hormones. The aim of the present work is to analyze the influence of estradiol and progesterone on renin-angiotensin system (RAS)-regulating aminopeptidase A, aminopeptidase B and aminopeptidase N activities and vasopressin-degrading activity in the HPA axis of ovariectomized mice and ovariectomized mice treated subscutaneously with different doses of estradiol and progesterone. Our data suggest that in female mice, estradiol and progesterone influence RAS-regulating and vasopressin-degrading activities at different levels of the HPA axis.

Specific enkephalin-degrading aminopeptidase activity in the HPT and HPO axes of rats with breast cancer induced by N-methyl nitrosourea.

State and function of breast depend on an endocrinological balance, the upsetting of which can be a factor favorable to the development of cancer. Enkephalins (ENK) have been considered as a particular form of adaptation to defense to the organism against neoplastic processes. However, ENK may modify the endocrine functions of glands such as the ovary or the thyroid through the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, acting direct or indirectly as endocrine, paracrine or autocrine stimulatory growth factors. The present work analyses enkephalin-degrading tyrosyl aminopeptidase (EDA) activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) and hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axes in a rat model of breast cancer induced by N-methyl-nitrosourea (NMU) to state the relationship between ENK levels modification through EDA activity at different neuroendocrine levels and breast cancer. Results obtained show a decrease in EDA activity in hypothalamus, anterior and posterior pituitary, thyroid and ovary, suggesting increased levels of ENK in all these locations. These ENK may induce breast cancer cell growth and progression not only at breast level, but also acting at several neuroendocrine levels such as the HPT and HPO axes, inducing an unbalance of several other hormones, which could also facilitate the progression of cancer as an undesirable concomitant effect.

Serum enkephalin-degrading aminopeptidase activity in N-methyl nitrosourea-induced rat breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most frequent spontaneous malignancy diagnosed in women in the western world, although no specific etiological agent(s) or the mechanism responsible for the initiation of the disease has been identified as yet. Enkephalins (Leu5-enkephalin and Met5-enkephalin) (ENK) act in the breast in different ways such as modulating esteroid receptors and proteases secretion. ENK are hydrolyzed by specific enzymes, leading to their inactivation, such as the enkephalin-degrading tyrosyl aminopeptidase (EDA). Breast tumours induced in rats by administration of N-methyl-nitrosourea (NMU) constitute a useful tool for dissecting the multistep process of carcinogenesis, which involves initiation, promotion and progression. The aim of the present work was to analyse EDA activity (E.C: 3.4.11.-) in serum of rats with mammary tumours induced by NMU, to evaluate the potential value of this activity as a biological marker of the carcinogenesis process, and the putative role of ENK in the promotion and progression of the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumours were induced by intraperitoneal injection of three doses of NMU at 50, 80 and 110 days after birth. Serum EDA was measured fluorimetrically using tyrosyl-beta-naphthylamide as substrate. RESULTS: The increase found in EDA activity suggests the existence of decreased serum circulating levels of ENK in rat with mammary tumours induced by NMU. CONCLUSION: Although the exact role of ENK in breast cancer initiation, promotion and/or progression remains unknown, our results suggest that changes in EDA activity might play an important role in the origin and evolution of breast cancer.

Normolipidic dietary fat modifies circulating Renin-Angiotensin system-regulating aminopeptidase activities in rat with breast cancer.

HYPOTHESIS: Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been considered not only as a regulator of systemic volume and electrolyte balance but also has been recently involved in various pathological processes such as cancer. In the etiology of breast cancer, dietary factors have been analyzed and especially the influence of dietary fat has been studied, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed RAS-regulating enzymes in serum of rats with N-methyl nitrosourea (NMU)-induced breast cancer fed with different diets. STUDY DESIGN: Four groups of rats were injected intraperitoneally with 3 doses of 50 mg/kg body weight of NMU at different days after birth and were fed with an AIN-93 commercial diet or AIN-93 diets with 4% fat constituted respectively by extra virgin olive oil, refined sunflower oil, and refined sunflower oil enriched to 50% with oleic acid. METHOD: After sacrifice, blood and tumor samples were collected by spectrophotometric determinations of RAS-regulating enzymes in plasma and histopathology studies. RESULTS: We show that the type of dietary fat does not influence latency period, incidence of animals with tumors, incidence of mortality, or tumor yield per rat. However, changes were observed in tumor volume and the histopathology. The type of dietary fat also differently modified the enzymes involved in RAS regulation. CONCLUSIONS: It might suggest that one of the mechanisms by which dietary fat affects breast cancer is the modification of the RAS system, which may be consider as a new target for integrative therapies.

Ethanol modifies differently aspartyl- and glutamyl-aminopeptidase activities in mouse frontal cortex synaptosomes.

Aminopeptidase A activity (aspartyl aminopeptidase (AspAP) and glutamyl aminopeptidase (GluAP) exerts angiotensinase activity due to its relation to the metabolism of angiotensins in the regional brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS). This activity may also modify the free amino acid pool through the release of N-terminal acidic amino acids. Ethanol (EtOH) exerts profound effects on the brain, inducing important neurological damages. Our purpose is to study the influence of EtOH on AspAP and GluAP activities on basal and K(+)-stimulated conditions, at the synapse level. We used mouse frontal cortex synaptosomes and their incubation supernatant in a Ca(2+)-containing or Ca(2+)-free artificial cerebrospinal fluid. We evaluate the possible contribution of these enzymatic activities on brain blood pressure regulation through RAS and/or the free acidic amino acid pool. The results obtained are correlated with several parameters of oxidative stress, such as free radical generation, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation. Under basal conditions, in synaptosomes, EtOH inhibits AspAP and GluAP activities independently of Ca(2+). In the supernatant, however, EtOH differently modulates the two enzyme activities under the various concentrations. Under K(+)-stimulated conditions, EtOH inhibits the K(+)-stimulated increase on AspAP and GluAP differently depending on the presence or absence of Ca(2+) and the concentration of EtOH used. These results invalidate the idea that excess free acidic amino acids could be released by AspAP and GluAP to induce neurodegeneration. The changes in AspAP and GluAP activities as a consequence of EtOH administration and their role in the brain RAS are discussed.

Hormonal status modifies renin-angiotensin system-regulating aminopeptidases and vasopressin-degrading activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis of male mice.

Local renin-angiotensin systems (RAS) have been postulated in brain, pituitary and adrenal glands. These local RAS have been implicated, respectively, in the central regulation of the cardiovascular system and body water balance, the secretion of pituitary hormones and the secretion of aldosterone by adrenal glands. By other hand, it is known that the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is involved in blood pressure regulation, and is affected by sex hormones. The aim of the present work is to analyze the influence of testosterone on RAS-regulating aminopeptidase A, B and M activities and vasopressin-degrading activity in the HPA axis, measuring these activities in their soluble and membrane-bound forms in the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands of orchidectomized males and orchidectomized males treated subcutaneously with several doses of testosterone. The present data suggest that in male mice, testosterone influences the RAS- and vasopressin-degrading activities at all levels of the HPA axis.

Glutamyl- but not aspartyl-aminopeptidase activity is modified in serum of N-methyl nitrosourea-induced rat mammary tumours.

BACKGROUND: The rat model of breast cancer induced by the administration of N-methyl-nitrosourea (NMU) constitutes a useful tool for dissecting the initiation, promotion and progression process of carcinogenesis. Angiogenesis, the recruitment of new blood vessels, is an essential component of the metastatic pathway. Tumour vessels have an aberrant response to constrictor hormones, such as angiotensin II (Ang II). Ang II degradation to form angiotensin III (Ang III) begins with the action of glutamyl aminopeptidase (GluAP) and aspartyl aminopeptidase (AspAP), named together as aminopeptidase A activity (APA). The present work analyses GluAP and AspAP activities in serum of NMU-induced rat mammary tumours, to evaluate the putative value of these activities as biological markers of the initiation and promotion of the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum AspAP and GluAP activities were measured fluorimetrically using their corresponding aminoacyl-beta-naphthylamide. RESULTS: The increase found in GluAP but not in AspAP suggests an increase in Ang III and a decrease in Ang II serum circulating levels. CONCLUSION: The decrease in Ang III may be responsible for the overexpression of AT1 receptors described in breast cancer. However, increased levels of Ang III, which exhibit the same affinity for the AT1 receptor, would favour the development of the disease.

Circulating oxidative stress parameters in pre- and post-menopausal healthy women and in women suffering from breast cancer treated or not with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

We evaluate here the redox status in pre- and post-menopausal healthy women and in women with breast cancer in order to understand the consequences of the hormonal alterations of menopause for the oxidative stress status, its modifications with breast cancer and the influence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC). To that, serum oxidative stress parameters (total antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation), non-enzyme antioxidant defenses (total glutathione, uric acid and bilirubin) and enzyme antioxidant defenses (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities) were measured in healthy women and in women with breast cancer divided according to their menopausal status and that received or not NC. Circulating estradiol, progesterone, FSH and LH were also analyzed. We found that menopause itself modifies the redox status of healthy women, being most of these differences also reflected in women with breast cancer. However, several changes occur as a consequence of the disease. Furthermore, NC increases oxidative damage, decreases antioxidant defenses and eliminates the differences found in menopause. We conclude that the normal redox balance is disrupted by breast cancer but is also affected by the hormonal status promoted by menopause. In fact, NC nullifies the differences found between pre- and postmenopausal women in several antioxidant defense systems.

Thymus fat as an attractive source of angiogenic factors in elderly subjects with myocardial ischemia.

Aging negatively affects angiogenesis which is found to be linked to declined vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production. Adult human thymus degenerates into fat tissue (thymus adipose tissue (TAT)). Recently, we described that TAT from cardiomyopathy ischemic subjects has angiogenic properties. The goal of our study was to analyze whether aging could also impair angiogenic properties in TAT as in other adipose tissue such as subcutaneous (subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT)). SAT and TAT specimens were obtained from 35 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, making these tissues readily available as a prime source of adipose tissue. Patients were separated into two age-dependent groups; middle-aged (n = 18) and elderly (n = 17). Angiogenic, endothelial, and adipogenic expression markers were analyzed in both tissues from each group and correlations were examined between these parameters and also with age. There were no significant differences in subjects from either group in clinical or biological variables. Angiogenic markers VEGF-A, B, C, and D and adipogenic parameters, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARγ2), FABP4, and ADRP showed elevated expression levels in TAT from elderly patients compared to the middle-aged group, while in SAT, expression levels of these isoforms were significantly decreased in elderly patients. VEGF-R1, VEGF-R2, VEGF-R3, Thy1, CD31, CD29, and VLA1 showed increased levels in TAT from the elderly compared to the middle-aged, while in SAT these levels displayed a decline with aging. Also, in TAT, angiogenic and endothelial parameters exhibited strong positive correlations with age. TAT appears to be the most appropriate source of angiogenic and endothelial factors in elderly cardiomyopathy subjects compared to SAT.

Plasma renin-angiotensin system-regulating aminopeptidase activities are modified in early stage Alzheimer's disease and show gender differences but are not related to apolipoprotein E genotype.

Alterations in blood pressure and components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) contribute to the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), resulting in changes that can lead or contribute to cognitive decline. Aspartyl aminopeptidase (ASAP), aminopeptidase A (APA), aminopeptidase N (APN) and aminopeptidase B (APB) catabolise circulating angiotensins, whereas insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) has been described as the AT4 receptor. We have found in AD patients a significant decrease of APA activity in men but not in women, and of APN, APB and IRAP in both genders, when compared with control subjects. No changes were found in ASAP activity. Also, APN, APB and IRAP but not APA correlated with the Mini-Mental test, but no relationship with APOE genotype was found. We conclude that several components of the RAS are modified in AD patients, with gender differences. Furthermore, ROC analysis indicates that APN, APB and IRAP activities could be useful non-invasive biomarkers of AD from the earliest stages.

Influence of chronic ethanol intake on mouse synaptosomal aspartyl aminopeptidase and aminopeptidase A: relationship with oxidative stress indicators.

Aminopeptidase A (APA) and aspartyl aminopeptidase (ASAP) not only act as neuromodulators in the regional brain renin-angiotensin system, but also release N-terminal acidic amino acids (glutamate and aspartate). The hyperexcitability of amino acid neurotransmitters is responsible for several neurodegenerative processes affecting the central nervous system. The purpose of the present work was to study the influence of chronic ethanol intake, a well known neurotoxic compound, on APA and ASAP activity under resting and K(+)-stimulated conditions at the synapse level. APA and ASAP activity were determined against glutamate- and aspartate-ß-naphthylamide respectively in mouse frontal cortex synaptosomes and in their incubation supernatant in a Ca(2+)-containing or Ca(2+)-free artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The neurotoxic effects were analyzed by determining free radical generation, peroxidation of membrane lipids and the oxidation of synaptosomal proteins. In addition, the bioenergetic behavior of synaptosomes was analyzed under different experimental protocols. We obtained several modifications in oxidative stress parameters and a preferential inhibitor effect of chronic ethanol intake on APA and ASAP activities. Although previous in vitro studies failed to show signs of neurodegeneration, these in vivo modifications in oxidative stress parameters do not seem to be related to changes in APA and ASAP, invalidating the idea that an excess of free acidic amino acids released by APA and ASAP induces neurodegeneration.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy modifies serum angiotensinase activities in women with breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the putative changes in serum angiotensinase activities (aminopeptidase N, APN; aminopeptidase B, APB; aminopeptidase A, APA; aspartyl aminopeptidase, ASAP) involved in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in women with breast cancer treated or not with a neoadjuvant therapy of paclitaxel and anthracycline and in healthy women volunteers. METHODS: We fluorometrically analysed serum APN, APB, APA and ASAP activities using their corresponding aminoacyl-ß-naphthylamides as substrates in women with breast cancer treated with a neoadjuvant therapy of paclitaxel and anthracycline. RESULTS: When compared with healthy controls, women with breast cancer not treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, showed a decrease in angiotensinase activity, which support the putative increase of angiotensin II (Ang II) levels, indicating that the tumour process would favour the development of the disease. Also, an increase in APN and APB activities was observed, which support a role for angiotensin IV (Ang IV). In women treated with a neoadjuvant therapy, we described an increase in ASAP and APA activities, supporting the idea that this treatment increases Ang II catabolism. The resulting decrease in Ang II level could lead to an inhibition of the tumour growth. CONCLUSION: Present results show changes in serum angiotensinase activities in women with breast cancer and in women with breast cancer treated with a neoadjuvant therapy of paclitaxel and anthracycline. Therefore, considerable attention should be focused on the development of RAS blockade therapy as a new strategy for breast cancer treatment.

Putative relationship between hormonal status and serum pyrrolidone carboxypeptidase activity in pre- and post- menopausal women with breast cancer.

In breast cancer, hormonal changes are rather constant in post-menopausal women since they tend to vary only over long time spans. However, in pre-menopausal women, the development of breast cancer is associated with hormonal physiological variations. The aim of the present work was to analyse the changes in circulating levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in pre- and post-menopausal women that were healthy or with breast cancer, and their connection to serum pyrrolidone carboxypeptidase (Pcp) activity. We observed significant changes in the hormonal profile in post-menopausal women with breast cancer compared to the control group. In pre-menopausal women, we found significant changes in circulating GnRH levels with respect to the healthy group. Our present results support the existence of neuroendocrine misregulation that could be involved in tumour progression, with Pcp being a potentially new pharmacological target in breast cancer treatments.