The soluble curcumin derivative NDS27 inhibits superoxide anion production by neutrophils and acts as substrate and reversible inhibitor of myeloperoxidase.

A water-soluble curcumin lysinate incorporated into hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (NDS27) has been developed and shown anti-inflammatory properties but no comparative study has been made in parallel with its parent molecule, curcumin on polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) involved in inflammation. The effect of NDS27, its excipients (hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin and lysine), curcumin lysinate and curcumin were compared on the release of superoxide anion by PMNs using a chemiluminescence assay and on the enzymatic activity of MPO. It was shown that curcumin and NDS27 exhibit similar inhibition activities on superoxide anion release by stimulated PMNs but also on MPO peroxidase and halogenation activities. The action mechanism of curcumin and NDS27 on the MPO activity was refined by stopped-flow and docking analyses. We demonstrate that both curcumin and NDS27 are reversible inhibitors of MPO by acting as excellent electron donors for redox intermediate Compound I (∼107 M-1 s-1) but not for Compound II (∼103 M-1 s-1) in the peroxidase cycle of the enzyme, thereby trapping the enzyme in the Compound II state. Docking calculations show that curcumin is able to enter the enzymatic pocket of MPO and bind to the heme cavity by π-stacking and formation of hydrogen bonds involving substituents from both aromatic rings. Hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin is too bulky to enter MPO channel leading to the binding site suggesting a full release of curcumin from the cyclodextrin thereby allowing its full access to the active site of MPO. In conclusion, the hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin of NDS27 enhances curcumin solubilization without affecting its antioxidant capacity and inhibitory activity on MPO.

EquiNox2: A new method to measure NADPH oxidase activity and to study effect of inhibitors and their interactions with the enzyme.

Excessive neutrophil stimulation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production are involved in numerous human or horse pathologies. The modulation of the neutrophil NADPH oxidase (NOX) has a great therapeutic potential since this enzyme produces superoxide anion whose most of the other ROS derive. The measurement of NOX activity by cell-free systems is often used to test potential inhibitors of the enzyme. A major drawback of this technique is the possible interferences between inhibitors and the probe, ferricytochrome c, used to measure the activity. We designed the "EquiNox2", a new pharmacological tool, to determine the direct interaction of potential inhibitors with equine phagocytic NOX and their effect on the enzyme activity or assembly. This method consists in binding the membrane fractions of neutrophils containing flavocytochrome b558 or the entire complex, reconstituted in vitro from membrane and cytosolic fractions of PMNs, onto the wells of a microplate followed by incubation with potential inhibitors or drugs. After incubation, the excess of the drug is simply eliminated or washed prior measuring the activity of the reconstituted complex. This latter step avoid the risk of interference between the inhibitor and the revelation solution and can distinguish if inhibitors, strongly bound or not, could interfere with the assembly of the enzymatic complex or with its activity. The EquiNox2 was validated using diphenyliodonium chloride and Gp91ds-tat, two well-known inhibitors largely described for human NADPH oxidase. The present technique was used to study and understand better the effect of curcumin and its water-soluble derivative, NDS27, on the assembly and activity of NOX. We demonstrated that curcumin and NDS27 can strongly bind to the enzyme and prevents its assembly making these molecules good candidates for the treatment of horse or human pathologies implying an excessive activation of neutrophils.

Effect of inhaled hydrosoluble curcumin on inflammatory markers in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid of horses with LPS-induced lung neutrophilia.

BACKGROUND: Horses commonly suffer from chronic respiratory disease and are also used in large animal models of spontaneous or induced airway inflammation. The anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin are largely described but its low bioavailability precludes its clinical use. NDS27, a lysin salt of curcumin incorporated in beta-cyclodextrine, has high bioavailability and can be administered by inhalation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inhaled NDS27 on inflammatory cytokines and proteins in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid using a model of neutrophilic airway inflammation. METHODS: Airway neutrophilia was induced in eight horses by inhalation of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Horses were treated with either inhalation of NDS27 or with placebo in a randomized cross-over design. Broncho-alveolar lavages were performed 6 hours after stimulation with LPS. Percentage of neutrophils, concentrations of IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-6, Club cell secretory protein, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and elastase (ELT) concentrations were determined. RESULTS: LPS stimulation induced significant increases in neutrophil counts and concentrations of IL-6 (70.2 ± 66.0 pg/ml), TNF-α (43.9 ± 31.2 pg/ml), MPO (580.9 ± 327.0 ng/ml) and ELT (27.6 ± 16.7 ng/ml). Treatment with NDS27 significantly prevented the increase in active and total MPO (216.4 ± 118.1 ng/ml) and ELT (5.9 ± 3.2 ng/ml) while there was a trend towards reduced IL-6 concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that, although not reducing neutrophil recruitment, NDS27 largely abolishes LPS-induced neutrophil degranulation. Reduced levels of ELT and MPO, as well as reduced MPO activity may have beneficial effects via a reduced production of reactive oxygen species implicated in chronic inflammation and airway remodeling.

NDS27 combines the effect of curcumin lysinate and hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin to inhibit equine PKCδ and NADPH oxidase involved in the oxidative burst of neutrophils.

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are involved in host defence against infections by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but excessive PMN stimulation is associated with the development of inflammatory diseases. After appropriate stimuli, protein kinase C (PKC) triggers the assembly of NADPH oxidase (Nox2) which produces superoxide anion (O2 (•) (-)), from which ROS derive. The therapeutic use of polyphenols is proposed to lower ROS production by limiting Nox2 and PKC activities. The purpose of this study was to compare the antioxidant effect of NDS27 and NDS28, two water-soluble forms of curcumin lysinate respectively complexed with hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HPßCD) and γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD), on the activity of Nox2 and PKCδ, involved in the Nox2 activation pathway. Our results, showed that NDS27 is the best inhibitor for Nox2 and PKCδ. This was illustrated by the combined effect of HPßCD and curcumin lysinate: HPßCD, but not γ-CD, improved the release of curcumin lysinate and its exchange against lipid or cholesterol as demonstrated by the lipid colouration with Oil Red O, the extraction of radical lipophilic probes recorded by ESR and the HPLC measurements of curcumin. HPßCD not only solubilised and transported curcumin, but also indirectly enhanced its action on both PKC and Nox2 activities. The modulatory effect of NDS27 on the Nox2 activation pathway of neutrophils may open therapeutic perspectives for the control of pathologies with excessive inflammatory reactions.

Curcumin and resveratrol act by different ways on NADPH oxidase activity and reactive oxygen species produced by equine neutrophils.

In neutrophils (PMNs), superoxide anion (O2*-), the first reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced to kill pathogenic agents, is generated by NADPH oxidase, an enzymatic complex formed by the translocation of cytosolic subunits to the membrane flavocytochrome b558. In horses, excessive activation of PMNs is often associated with deadly pathologies and the modulation of their ROS production by acting on NADPH oxidase is a prime target to manage inflammation. We developed a cell-free assay to measure the activity of equine NADPH oxidase assembled in vitro, in order to test the effects of natural or synthetic compounds on the enzyme activity or assembly. The cell-free assay was validated with diphenyleneiodonium chloride and Gp91ds-tat, two inhibitors largely described for human NADPH oxidase. The anti-oxidant effects of curcumin and resveratrol at final concentration ranging from 10(-4) to 10(-6) M were studied on whole cells by chemiluminescence (CL) and by cell-free assay, in which the molecule was added before or after the enzyme assembly. The CL assay demonstrated that curcumin efficiently inhibited the O2(-) production and easily entered into PMNs or interacted with their membrane. Cell-free assay showed that curcumin acted on the reconstitution of NADPH oxidase even at 10(-5)M, while resveratrol appeared to be an O2*- scavenger rather than an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase activity, since it acted from outside the cell in CL and after the complex assembly in cell-free assay. By acting directly on NADPH oxidase, curcumin should be a good candidate for the treatment of acute or inflammatory diseases involving an excessive ROS production.

Differentiation between stoichiometric and anticatalytic antioxidant properties of benzoic acid analogues: a structure/redox potential relationship study.

We investigated the antioxidant activities of some phenolic acid derivatives on a cell free system and on cellular and enzymatic models involved in inflammation. The stoichiometric antioxidant activities of phenolic acid derivatives were studied by measuring their capacity to scavenge the radical cation 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS(+)) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by stimulated neutrophils. The anticatalytic antioxidant capacity of the molecules was evaluated on the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), an oxidant enzyme present in and released by the primary granules of neutrophils. The ROS produced by PMA-stimulated neutrophils were measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) and the potential interaction of the molecules with MPO was investigated without interferences due to medium by Specific Immuno-Extraction Followed by Enzyme Detection (SIEFED). The antioxidant activities of the phenolic compounds were correlated to their redox potentials measured by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and discussed in relation to their molecular structure. The ability of the phenolic molecules to scavenge ABTS radicals and ROS derived from neutrophils was inversely correlated to their increased redox potential. The number of hydroxyl groups (three) and their position (catechol) were essential for their efficacy as stoichiometric antioxidants or scavengers. On MPO activity, the inhibitory capacity of the molecules was not really correlated with their redox potential. Likewise, for the inhibition of MPO activity the number of OH groups and mainly the elongation of the carboxylic group were essential, probably by facilitating the interaction with the active site or the structure of the enzyme. The redox potential measurement, combined with ABTS and CL techniques, seems to be a good technique to select stoichiometric antioxidants but not anticatalytic ones, as seen for MPO, what rather involves a direct interaction with the enzyme.

Intra- and extracellular antioxidant capacities of the new water-soluble form of curcumin (NDS27) on stimulated neutrophils and HL-60 cells.

Phagocytic cells, especially neutrophils (PMNs) are specialized in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill pathogenic agents, but an excessive ROS production is associated with tissue damages and inflammatory diseases. Phagocytes are thus prime therapeutic targets to control inflammatory events associated to ROS production. Nowadays, there is a growing interest for the use of polyphenols to modulate the inflammatory response. The aim of this work was to study the antioxidant effect of NDS27, a highly water-soluble form of the polyphenolic molecule curcumin, on in vitro stimulated equine PMNs and human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). NDS27 was either pre-incubated with cells and eliminated before their activation (intracellular effect) or let in the medium (extracellular effect). Our results indicate that NDS27 significantly and dose-dependently (10(-6) M-10(-4) M) inhibited the ROS production in both cell types without affecting their viability. NDS27 was able to cross and interact with cell membrane, especially for HL-60 cells, while we observed a better intracellular antioxidant effect with PMNs. The activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) released by PMNs and HL-60 cells, was decreased by NDS27, but more efficiently for PMNs. These results suggested that the greater efficiency of NDS27 in PMNs is due to an inhibitory effect on cells which are more mature for ROS production, probably by targeting the enzymes implied in respiratory burst like MPO. The modulatory effect of NDS27 on the oxidant activity of cells involved in immune and inflammatory responses opens perspectives for a therapeutic control of pathologies with excessive inflammatory reactions.

Simple di- and trivanillates exhibit cytostatic properties toward cancer cells resistant to pro-apoptotic stimuli.

A series of 33 novel divanillates and trivanillates were synthesized and found to possess promising cytostatic rather than cytotoxic properties. Several compounds under study decreased by >50% the activity of Aurora A, B, and C, and WEE1 kinase activity at concentrations <10% of their IC(50) growth inhibitory ones, accounting, at least partly, for their cytostatic effects in cancer cells and to a lesser extent in normal cells. Compounds 6b and 13c represent interesting starting points for the development of cytostatic agents to combat cancers, which are naturally resistant to pro-apoptotic stimuli, including metastatic malignancies.