0000000000327838
AUTHOR
A. Bongiorno
Binding of 11-cis retinaldehyde to the partially purified cellular retinaldehyde binding protein from bovine retinal pigment epithelium.
11-cis retinaldehyde binding analysis was performed on a bovine retinal pigment epithelium preparation of cellular retinaldehyde binding protein (CRALBP), whose purity degree was estimated as 75%. Equilibrium binding studies were carried out measuring the replacement of tritium-labeled with unlabeled 11-cis retinaldehyde at 25 degrees C. Analysis of the experimental data both by a direct curve-fitting procedure utilizing a non linear least square regression analysis and by a conventional Scatchard plot revealed a single non-interacting binding site with an apparent equilibrium constant of 0.9 X 10(-7) M. A binding stoichiometry of approximately 1 mol of 11-cis retinaldehyde/mol of binding p…
Antioxidant activities of sicilian prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) fruit extracts and reducing properties of its betalains: betanin and indicaxanthin.
Sicilian cultivars of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) produce yellow, red, and white fruits, due to the combination of two betalain pigments, the purple-red betanin and the yellow-orange indicaxanthin. The betalain distribution in the three cultivars and the antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts from edible pulp were investigated. In addition, the reducing capacity of purified betanin and indicaxanthin was measured. According to a spectrophotometric analysis, the yellow cultivar exhibited the highest amount of betalains, followed by the red and white ones. Indicaxanthin accounted for about 99% of betalains in the white fruit, while the ratio of betanin to indicaxanthin varied fr…
Oral supplements of vitamin E improve measures of oxidative stress in plasma and reduce oxidative damage to LDL and erythrocytes in β-thalassemia intermedia patients
Fifteen beta-thalassemia intermedia patients, not requiring chronic transfusional therapy, were monitored in order to check their antioxidant status, and the lipid oxidation products in plasma, LDL, and erythrocytes before and during a 9-month oral treatment with 600 mg/day vitamin E. The low level of vitamin E, and high level of malondialdehyde in plasma clearly tended to normalize after three months (P < .001), and were quite similar to control after six months. The abnormally low level of vitamin E in LDL and the four times higher than control basal level of conjugated dienes (LDL-CD), were not modified after three months of treatment. Significant changes of LDL-VE (P < .05) and of the b…
Oxidative stress after moderate to extensive burning in humans.
Lipid peroxidation products, lipid antioxidants, and hematologic and blood chemistry changes were evaluated in plasma of patients after acute burning injury involving 10% (n=8), 20% (n=8), and 40% (n=5) of total body surface area (TBSA), 24 h after burning (baseline) up to 30 days after. Markedly increased plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were observed at baseline in all patients, according to the extent of the injury, then the values declined progressively. However, levels of MDA remained above normal up to 30 days even in less injured patients. On the other hand, the plasma level of conjugated diene lipid hydroperoxides was only slightly higher than control at the baseline, then dro…
All-trans to 11-cis conversion of endogenous retinoids in nuclear membrane preparations from bovine retinal pigment epithelium
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Antioxidant Activity of All-trans-retinol in Homogeneous Solution and in Phosphatidylcholine Liposomes
A kinetic quantification of the lipoperoxyl radical-scavenging activity of all-trans-retinol has been carried out in homogeneous solution, when radicals were produced from the oxidation of methyl linoleate in methanol, initiated by the lipid-soluble 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethyl-valeronitrile) (AMVN) as well as in a soybean phosphatidylcholine membrane model, in which peroxidation was induced either by AMVN or the hydrophylic 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane)hydrochloride (AAPH). The physical microenvironment contributes to the determination of antioxidant efficiency of all-trans-retinol. In homogeneous solution the kinetic constant kinh is 3.5 × 105 M-1 s-1 and appears of the same order of magnitu…
Modulation by docosahexaenoic acid of the epinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity of the bovine retina.
This work shows that unsaturated fatty acids enhance the epinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in bovine retina. The modulating effect on the epinephrine-stimulated formation of cyclic AMP seems to be linked to the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid. Treatment of the intact retina with docosahexaenoic acid in the concentration range 0.5 X 10(-6)-1 X 10(-3) M does not affect the enzyme activity measured in the absence of the hormone but markedly increases the cyclase activity when the tissue is incubated in the presence of 0.1 mM epinephrine. Docosahexaenoic acid enhances the maximal response to epinephrine without affecting the apparent ED50 value for this effector. Docosa…
Vitamin A Inhibits Doxorubicin-Induced Membrane Lipid Peroxidation in Rat Tissues in Vivo
The antioxidant activity of vitamin A against lipid peroxidation induced by doxorubicin in rat tissues in vivo was investigated. A single ip injection of doxorubicin (30 mg/kg body wt) markedly raised the level of peroxidated lipids measured as TBARS and conjugated dienes in heart and brain membrane preparations. Other tissues, such as retina and liver, did not show any increase of lipid peroxides over control values. Pretreatment of rats with two daily subcutaneous injections of retinol palmitate (0.25 g/kg body wt), for 2 days, before injecting doxorubicin, inhibited peroxidation of heart and brain membrane lipids. The antioxidant action of vitamin A does not appear to be mediated by enha…
All-trans to 11-cis retinol isomerization in nuclear membrane fraction from bovine retinal pigment epithelium
Abstract Isomerization of all-trans to 11-cis retinol has been studied in a membrane preparation from the nuclear fraction of bovine retinal pigment epithelium. When the nuclear membrane preparation deprived of endogenous retinoids is incubated with 4·5 μ m all-trans-retinol, the mean value calculated for the isomerase activity is 1·32 nmol 11-cis retinol formed hr−1 mg protein−1. Simultaneous formation of all-trans and 11-cis retinyl esters is also observed in the nuclear preparation. When assayed under the same experimental condition, RPE 150 000 g post-nuclear sediment shows about 70% of the isomerase activity found in the nuclear membrane fraction. Treatment of the nuclear membrane frac…
Analysis of a soluble lipid-protein complex carrying endogenous 11-cis retinaldehyde from bovine retinal pigment epithelium.
A soluble lipid-protein complex in bovine retinal pigment epithelium is shown to carry endogenous 11-cis retinaldehyde, in the extent of 15% of the total 11-cis retinaldehyde found in this tissue. The complex, analyzed with respect to its chemical composition, exhibits a lipid composition close resembling the lipid composition of the rod outer segment membrane; the SDS-PAGE evidences the presence of a number of protein bands, two of which of 34 and 27 kDa appear glycoproteins. Finally, the lipid-protein complex exhibits a discrete level of a Cathepsin D-like protease activity. From the above, the possibility is discussed that the soluble lipid-protein complex could represent some phagolysos…
Oxidative stress and antioxidant status in beta-thalassemia major: iron overload and depletion of lipid-soluble antioxidants
Because of continuous blood transfusions, thalassemia patients are subjected to peroxidative tissue injury by the secondary iron overload. In accordance, analysis of serum from 42 beta-thalassemia patients, aged 4 to 40 years, showed that the mean concentrations of conjugated diene lipid hydroperoxides (CD), lipoperoxides evaluated as malondialdehyde/ thiobarbituric acid (MDA/TBA) adducts, and protein carbonyls increased about twofold with respect to control. Ferritin levels were positively correlated with the amount of MDA (r = .41; P = .007) and showed a positive trend with CD (r = .31; P = .07) and protein carbonyls (r = .35; P = .054), as further evidence of the deleterious effects of h…
Synergistic Interactions between Vitamin A and Vitamin E against Lipid Peroxidation in Phosphatidylcholine Liposomes
Interactions between alpha-tocopherol and all-trans retinol in suppressing lipid peroxidation were studied in a unilamellar liposomal system of phosphatidylcholine from either egg or soybean, in which peroxidation was initiated by the water-soluble azo initiator 2,2-azobis(2-amidino-propane)hydrochloride and peroxidation was measured as production of conjugated diene hydroperoxides. While all-trans retinol alone was poorly effective, the combination of all-trans retinol with alpha-tocopherol caused an inhibition period far beyond the sum of the inhibition periods observed with individual antioxidants, providing evidence of synergistic interactions. Furthermore, the inhibition rate calculate…
Contribution of vitamin A to the oxidation resistance of human low density lipoproteins.
This study investigated the antioxidant contribution of vitamin A in protecting human low density lipoprotein (LDL) against copper-stimulated oxidation. The presence of small amounts of retinol (0.033 ± 0.012 nmol/mol LDL) and retinyl palmitate (0.036 ± 0.021 nmol/mol LDL) was routinely ascertained in the LDL. A single oral supplementation with 20,000 IU vitamin A caused a two- to three-fold increase of retinol and retinyl palmitate in the LDL isolated 8 h after the supplementation. In comparison to autologous-control LDL, vitamin A-enriched LDL were more resistant to oxidation, as expressed both by a clear delay in the onset of lipid peroxidation and by a reduction of the rate of conjugate…