Structural and Functional State of Erythrocyte Membranes in Mice at Different Stages of Experimental Parkinson's Disease Induced by Administration of 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine (MPTP).

We studied some structural and functional parameters of erythrocyte membranes in mice at the late presymptomatic and early symptomatic stages of experimental Parkinson's disease induced by administration of MPTP (hemolysis, microviscosity of different regions of the lipid bilayer, LPO intensity, activity of antioxidant enzymes, and kinetic properties of acetylcholinesterase). At the presymptomatic stage, significant deviations of the studied parameters from the normal were observed; they were similar in direction and magnitude to those in humans with Parkinson's disease. At the early symptomatic stage, most parameters tended to normal. Microviscosity of bulk lipids increased at the presymptomatic stage and decreased after appearance of clinical symptoms. This dynamics probably reflects activation of compensatory mechanisms aimed at inhibition of oxidative stress triggered by the development of the pathological process.

[Effect of melatonin on antioxidant enzyme activities in blood erythrocytes of rats during acute emotional stress].

The effect of the epiphyseal hormone melatonin on the activity of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) was studied in peripheral blood erythrocytes of behaviorally passive and active Wistar rats. Acute emotional stress was modeled by immobilization of animals for1 h with simultaneous electrocutaneous stimulation. Basal activity of antioxidant glutathione enzymes in erythrocytes of behaviorally passive rats was higher than that in active animals. Administration of melatonin (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was accompanied by a decrease in the activity of GPx and GR in erythrocytes from non-stressed passive animals. After experimental stress, passive rats demonstrated a significant increase in the activity of Cu/Zn-SOD and GPx in peripheral blood erythrocytes. The absence of stress-induced changes in functional activity of antioxidant defense enzymes in the blood of behaviorally active animals suggests a relatively constant oxidative status of tissues in these animals under stress conditions. Melatonin administration had little effect on stress-induced changes in functional activity of the erythrocyte antioxidant system in passive rats. Active specimens pretreated with melatonin before stress exposure were characterized by activation of study antioxidant enzymes. Quantitative parameters of the erythrocyte antioxidant defense enzymes did not differ in behaviorally active and passive rats subjected to experimental stress after melatonin injection. Thus, exogenous melatonin abolishes differences in the activity of study antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes of animals with different behavioral parameters under basal conditions and after experimental stress. In passive rats melatonin mainly reduced the initial tension of oxidative processes. By contrast, administration of this hormone to active specimens is followed by an increase in functional activity of the antioxidant enzyme system under conditions of acute stress.

[Effects of low doses of essential oil on the antioxidant state of the erythrocytes, liver, and the brains of mice].

We studied the effects of essential oil from oregano and clove and a mixture of lemon essential oil and a ginger extract on the antioxidant state of organs in intact and three experimental groups of Bulb mice. We found that the essential oil was an efficient in vivo bioantioxidant when mice were treated with it for 6 months even at very low doses, such as 300 ng/day. All essential oil studied inhibited lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the membranes of erythrocytes that resulted in increased membrane resistance to spontaneous hemolysis, decreased membrane microviscosity, maintenance of their structural integrity, and functional activity. The essential oil substantially decreased the LPO intensity in the liver and the brains of mice and increased the resistance of liver and brain lipids to oxidation and the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the liver. The most expressed bioantioxidant effect on erythrocytes was observed after clove oil treatment, whereas on the liver and brain, after treatment with a mixture of lemon essential oil and a ginger extract.

[Effect of oregano essential oil on the engraftment and development of Lewis carcinoma in F1 DBA C57 black hybrid mice].

The effect of a low uptake dose of oregano essential oil with drinking water for three months (Origanum vulgare L.) on the degree of Lewis carcinoma engraftment and some parameters of oxidative stress has been studied in vivo using F1 DBA C57 Black hybrid mice. Oregano essential oil has been established to possess an anticancer activity. The degree of tumor engraftment decreased by 1.8 times, its size decreased by 1.5 times, and the development of tumor was significantly suppressed in sick mice under the effect of oregano essential oil. It was found that the uptake of essential oil did not affect the intensity of lipid peroxidation in the brain of mice and resulted in a significantly (by 36%) decreased content of secondary lipid oxidation products in the liver as shown in a reaction with thiobarbituric acid as compared to control subjects. The activity of antioxidant enzymes was found to increase after three months of essential oil uptake (by 1.5-3 times) as compared to the control group. This effect of essential oil supports the presence of bioantioxidant properties in this essential oil.

[Effects of smoking and tumor process on the contents of key proteins of apoptosis and activity of antioxidant enzymes in blood].

The effects of smoking on the contents of the apoptosis markers Bcl-2 and p53 proteins in blood plasma; the activity of the antioxidant (AO) enzymes Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GP), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and catalase; and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in erythrocytes from healthy donors and cancer patients were studied. Two groups of donors were revealed among healthy smokers: one with high SOD and GP activities and high Bcl-2 protein levels and the other with lower Bcl-2 levels compared with those found in nonsmokers. In the group of cancer patients (both smokers and nonsmokers), significantly increased p53 protein levels and increased activity of GST were found. A negative correlation between MDA and GST in the group of smoking healthy donors and a positive correlation between MDA and p53 in cancer patients were found. The results suggest a relationship between the components of enzymatic defence and lipid peroxidation and the content of apoptosis regulator proteins in healthy smokers and cancer patients.

[Fluorometric method for determination of keratin SH-groups in human epidermis].

Simple and highly sensitive fluorometric method for determination of keratin SH-groups using fluorescein mercuric acetate has been developed. It allows to determine amount of SH-groups up to 0.1 nmole/mg of protein in extracts of corneal layer of human epidermis.

[Age-related peculiarities of effect of low dose ionizing radiation on blood antioxidant enzyme system status in Chernobyl's accident liquidation participant]. / Vozrastnye osobennosti vliiania malykh doz ionoziruiushchei radiatsii na sostoianie fermentnoi antioksidantnoi sistemy krovi uchastnikov likvidatsii Chernobylskoi avarii.

Age-dependency of activity of key blood antioxidant enzymes--superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase has been estimated in 104 men and women aged 25-60 years participated in the liquidation of the Chernobyl's accident since 6 years after irradiation. Control group includes 35 age-matched men and women. The results of study on 18 children aged 7-15 years and 5 children aged 2-6 years born by irradiated parents are given as well. Nineteen children were in the control group. Low-dose irradiation was found modify the pattern of age-related dependency of all enzymes studied. Most susceptible chain was enzymes of glutathione cycle both in liquidators and children. Study of late effects has shown that young people (<30 years) as well as children are most susceptible to low-level irradiation whereas most resistant were middle-aged people. This observation should be taken into consideration at selection of high-risk groups in an industry linked with chronic low-dose irradiation.

[Late consequences of action of low doses of ionizing radiation on human enzymatic antioxidant system]. / Otdalennye posledstviia vliianiia malykh doz ioniziruiushchei radiatsii na sostoianie fermentnoi antioksidantnoi sistemy liudei.

Age-related changes in the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the blood of participants of the Chernobyl accident liquidation were studied. According to our findings the people under 30 years old are the most sensitive to irratiation.

Rate of free-radical oxidation of C18 diene and triene fatty acids in aqueous micellar solutions and effectiveness of beta-carotene as an inhibitor of their oxidation.

The rate of accumulation of conjugated dienes of polyunsaturated fatty acids was measured during free-radical oxidation of linoleic acid (18:2n-6, LA), alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, alpha-LNA), and gamma-linolenic acid (18:3n-6, gamma-LNA) initiated by 2,2;-azo-bis-(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride in aqueous micellar solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium cholate. It was shown that, unlike homogeneous solutions, the oxidative stability of PUFAs in aqueous dispersions increased with an increase in the extent of unsaturation. The rate of LA oxidation was more than tenfold greater than that of alpha- and gamma-LNA. The antioxidant activity of beta-carotene, in contrast to homogeneous solutions, in both micellar systems studied depended on the degree of PUFA unsaturation. We found that 5 micro M beta-carotene effectively inhibited the LA oxidation (almost by 90%), whereas the oxidation of alpha-LNA and gamma-LNA was not inhibited by beta-carotene even at much greater concentration (30 micro M). The paradoxical discrepancy between the extent of unsaturation and the PUFA oxidation rate, as well as a decrease in the efficiency of beta-carotene-dependent inhibition of oxidation of more polyunsaturated fatty acids in reactions conducted in aqueous dispersions is consistent with the model according to which the peroxyl radicals of LA and fatty acids with the double-bond number greater than two exhibit different polarity.

Imbalance in the enzymatic system of production and consumption of active oxygen species in liver of AKR mice with spontaneous leucosis.

Activities of protective antioxidant enzymes, the rate of superoxide formation (v) in microsomal membranes and submitochondrial particles (SMP), and the concentrations of reduced and oxidized glutathione in cytosol were studied in the liver of AKR mice during the development of spontaneous leucosis. It was found that in the latent period of leucosis (mice of 3-6 months of age) the glutathione reductase (GR) activity in cytosol and mitochondria decreased and v in SMP increased. The increase in v in SMP did not result in the induction of Mn-SOD. In this stage of leucosis, the activities of Cu,Zn-SOD, GSH-Px, and G-6-PDH in cytosol were unchanged; at the same time, the GR activity and the concentration of reduced glutathione smoothly decreased. In the stage of developed leucosis (mice of 7-9 months of age), non-synchronous changes in the antioxidant system resulting in the shift of metabolism towards the prooxidant state were found. Comparison of our findings and the literature data demonstrates that the observed decrease in the SOD/GSH-Px ratio, the decrease in GR activity, and the increase in the v/Mn-SOD activity ratio are typical for pre-neoplastic changes in cell metabolism.

[The systemic response of antioxidant enzymes to the oxidative stress induced by irradiation at low doses]. / Sistemnyi otvet antioksidantnykh fermentov na okislitel'nyi stress, vyzvannyi oblucheniem v malykh dozakh.

As a result of total chronic gamma irradiation of mice (137Cs, 0.6 cGy/day, 9 days) the functioning of superoxide generation and utilisation systems in liver were disturbed. The regulatory links between the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase are found to be maintained. Postradiation effects were more expressed for a total dose of 1.2 cGy than for a dose of 5.4 cGy, providing support for the hypothesis of delayed reparation as a reason of harmful action of low-dose irradiation.

Changes in superoxide production rate and in superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in subcellular organelles in mouse liver under exposure to low doses of low-intensity radiation.

The functioning of the antioxidant system in mouse liver at increased stationary concentration of active oxygen species induced by whole-body chronic exposure of mice to gamma-irradiation (137Cs, 0.6 cGy/day, 9 days) was studied. Synchronous changes (growth with an extreme) in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) are found that may be considered as evidence in favor of maintenance of regulatory links in the antioxidant system of liver. The superoxide production rate in microsomes and nuclei also changed with an extreme with the rise in accumulated radiation dose. In microsomes the superoxide production rate reached a maximum at lower doses than the activity of Cu,Zn-SOD did. In nuclei the increase in superoxide production rate was not compensated by the rise in Cu,Zn-SOD activity within the studied dose range. The findings indicate some imbalance between production and consumption of superoxide radicals in microsomes and nuclei; in mitochondria these processes are balanced, leading to more resistance to low-dose irradiation.

Effect of ascorbate and alpha-tocopherol on resistance of beta-carotene to oxidation.

The efficiency of ascorbate and alpha-tocopherol as stabilizers of beta-carotene, which is widely used in complex therapy and prevention of some diseases accompanied by oxidative stress, was studied. The latency of induced beta-carotene oxidation linearly depends on ascorbate concentration, while steady-state rate nonlinearly depends on the concentration of alpha-tocopherol, which attests to involvement of antioxidants in various stages of chain oxidation of beta-carotene.

[The characteristics of the biological action of low doses of irradiation]. / Osobennosti biologicheskogo deistviia malykh doz oblucheniia.

Biochemical, biophysical and functional properties of the genetic and membrane apparatus of the cell were considered activity and regulatory properties of the membrane and cytosolic enzymes of organs and tissues of mice exposed to radiation in the wide range of doses of 6 to 1800 mGy with the radiation intensity of 4.1 x 10(-3) and 41 x 10(-3) mGy/min. It was shown that the dose-dependence of changes in the investigated properties is of non-linear polymodal (bimodal) nature. The value of the maximum and the dose at which the latter was observed depend on the object's nature, radiation intensity and time passed after irradiation. An essential factor is that sensitivity of molecules, cells, organs and animals exposed to low-dose radiation to other damaging effects changes. The explanation is given in terms of the changes in the relation between the quantity of damages and the activity of reparation systems induced by low-dose irradiation.

[Disorders in metabolism of superoxide radicals in tumor-bearing mice during development of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and their normalization under the effect of ruboxyl]. / Narusheniia v metabolizme superoksidnykh radikalov v pecheni myshei- opukholenositelei pri razvitii astsitnogo raka érlikha i ikh normalizatsiia pod vliianiem ruboksila.

Activity of the systems involved in generation and utilization of superoxide radicals was studied in microsomes, mitochondria and nuclei of liver tissue from intact mice, mice with developed Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and of the animals treated with antitumoral drug ruboxyl. The ratio between the rate of superoxide radicals formation and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) served as specific characteristic of the O2(-)-SOD system in the corresponding compartments. During tumoral development, the pattern studied was altered in all the subcellular organelles used, thus demonstrating an impairment of free radical oxidation status in liver tissue of tumor-bearing animals. Administration of ruboxyl into healthy animals led to distinct increase in this ratio in mitochondria, while the drug normalized patterns of the O-(-)-SOD system in all the cell compartments studied in tumor-bearing animals. Ruboxyl appears to exhibit regulating effect on free radical oxidation.

[Superoxide dismutase in liver ischemia]. / Superoksiddismutaza pri ishemii pecheni.

The properties of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) from rat liver after 2-hour total ischemia or after ischemia with subsequent 24-hour reperfusion were studied. Two hours after ischemia the specific activity of SOD decreases drastically (about 3-fold) - from 510 +/- 11 u./mg in normal tissue and 196 +/- 33 u./mg after ischemia showing a further increase after reperfusion (276 +/- 40 u./mg). Using competitive immunoenzymatic analysis, the relative contents of SOD in the cytosol were determined. After ischemia the SOD content in the cytosolic fraction decreased (approximately 3-fold) but returned to the initial level after reperfusion. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that in control samples active SOD is heterogeneous and produces 3-4 bands, similar to the purified SOD from rat liver. After the ischemia the intensity of minor fast band IV increased and a new band V of a still higher mobility appeared. After the reperfusion the electrophoretic patterns were similar to control. Two or three times more SOD antigen from ischemia liver cytosol was absorbed to the surface of polystyrol plate in a direct sorption enzyme immunoassay procedure as compared to that from intact liver cytosol. It is suggested that the decreases of amount and the activity as well as changes of properties of SOD could be due to its oxidative modification and degradation of the modified enzyme.