scholarly journals Aging Aggravates Nitrate-Mediated ROS/RNS Changes

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Fan ◽  
Lifen Chen ◽  
Shujuan Cheng ◽  
Fang Li ◽  
Wayne Bond Lau ◽  
...  

Nitrates are the most frequently prescribed and utilized drugs worldwide. The elderly are a major population receiving nitrate therapy. Both nitrates and aging can increase in vivo reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). To date, the effects of aging upon nitrate-induced ROS/RNS alteration are unknown. The present study tested the effects of aging upon nitrate-induced ROS/RNS alteration in vivo. 32 adults and 43 elderly unstable angina (UA) patients were subjected to 48 hours of isosorbide dinitrate intravenous injection (50 μg/minutes) in this clinical study. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and conclusion. Outcome measures of oxidative stress included plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and reduced glutathione (GSH). Plasma concentrations of NOxand nitrotyrosine served as markers of RNS. Because of the significant differences in basic clinical characters between adults and the elderly, we designed an additional experiment determining ROS/RNS stress in rat cardiac tissue. Additionally, rat thoracic aortic NOS activity served as a marker indicating endothelial function. Our study demonstrated that nitrate therapy significantly increased in vivo ROS/RNS stress in the elderly compared to adult patients, confirmed by animal data. Decreased NOS activity was observed in old rats. Taken together, the present study’s data suggests a synergism between nitrate treatment and the aging process.

2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (2) ◽  
pp. E343-E350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D. Fowler ◽  
Stacy B. Krueth ◽  
David A. Bernlohr ◽  
Stephen A. Katz

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been implicated in a variety of adipose tissue functions, including tissue growth, differentiation, metabolism, and inflammation. Although expression of all components necessary for a locally derived adipose tissue RAS has been demonstrated within adipose tissue, independence of local adipose RAS component concentrations from corresponding plasma RAS fluctuations has not been addressed. To analyze this, we varied in vivo rat plasma concentrations of two RAS components, renin and angiotensinogen (AGT), to determine the influence of their plasma concentrations on adipose and cardiac tissue levels in both perfused (plasma removed) and nonperfused samples. Variation of plasma RAS components was accomplished by four treatment groups: normal, DOCA salt, bilateral nephrectomy, and losartan. Adipose and cardiac tissue AGT concentrations correlated positively with plasma values. Perfusion of adipose tissue decreased AGT concentrations by 11.1%, indicating that adipose tissue AGT was in equilibrium with plasma. Cardiac tissue renin levels positively correlated with plasma renin concentration for all treatments. In contrast, adipose tissue renin levels did not correlate with plasma renin, with the exception of extremely high plasma renin concentrations achieved in the losartan-treated group. These results suggest that adipose tissue may control its own local renin concentration independently of plasma renin as a potential mechanism for maintaining a functional local adipose RAS.


2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Moinard ◽  
J. Maccario ◽  
S. Walrand ◽  
V. Lasserre ◽  
J. Marc ◽  
...  

AbstractArginine (ARG) and its precursor citrulline (CIT) are popular dietary supplements, especially for the elderly. However, age-related reductions in lean body mass and alterations in organ functions could change their bioavailability. Pharmacokinetics and tolerance to amino acid (AA) loads are poorly documented in elderly subjects. The objective here was to characterise the plasma kinetics of CIT and ARG in a single-dosing study design. Eight fasting elderly men underwent two separate isomolar oral loading tests (10 g of CIT or 9·94 g of ARG). Blood was withdrawn over an 8-h period to measure plasma AA concentrations. Only CIT, ornithine and ARG plasma concentrations were changed. Volume of distribution was not dependent on AA administered. Conversely, parameters related to ARG kinetics were strongly dependent on AA administered: after ARG load, elimination was higher (ARG>CIT; P=0·041) and admission period+time at peak concentration was lower (ARG<CIT; P=0·033), and the combination of both phenomena results in a marked increase in ARG availability when CIT was administered (ARG<CIT; P=0·033) compared with ARG administration itself. In conclusion, a single CIT administration in the elderly is safe and well tolerated, and CIT proves to be a better in vivo ARG precursor than ARG itself in healthy elderly subjects.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 119 (24) ◽  
pp. 5715-5721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Berent-Maoz ◽  
Encarnacion Montecino-Rodriguez ◽  
Robert A. J. Signer ◽  
Kenneth Dorshkind

Abstract Involution of the thymus results in reduced production of naive T cells, and this in turn is thought to contribute to impaired immunity in the elderly. Early T-cell progenitors (ETPs), the most immature intrathymic T-cell precursors, harvested from the involuted thymus exhibit a diminished proliferative potential and increased rate of apoptosis and as a result their number is significantly reduced. In the present study, we show that these age-induced alterations result in part from increased expression of the Ink4a tumor-suppressor gene in ETPs. We also show that repression of Ink4a in aged ETPs results in their partial rejuvenation and that this can be accomplished by in vivo fibroblast growth factor 7 administration. These results define a genetic basis for thymocyte progenitor aging and demonstrate that the senescence-associated gene Ink4a can be pharmacologically repressed in ETPs to partially reverse the effects of aging.


1979 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl M. Pirke ◽  
Beate Krings ◽  
Hermann-J. Vogt

ABSTRACT The dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in old age was studied in 24-month old male Wistar rats which were compared with 3-month old animals. The hypothalamic LH-RH content and the pituitary LH were significantly lower in the old than in the young adult animals. The plasma concentrations of LH and testosterone were significantly higher in the young rats. The primary cause of these age-dependent changes probably is a hypothalamic dysfunction. When isolated Leydig cells of young and old rats were incubated in vitro, the testosterone secretion per cell was significantly smaller in old than in young cells with as well as without HCG stimulation. In vivo stimulation of rats by iv injection of biologically active iodinated hCG revealed that the intratesticular uptake of the gonadotrophin was not different in young and old rats. The testosterone response, however, was significantly reduced in old age. An in vitro "desensitisation" experiment in which the LH receptor capacity was artificially reduced demonstrated that the 40 % reduction of receptor capacity in old testes as described earlier will not impair the testicular uptake of gonadotrophin from blood. Repeated injection of hCG results in equally elevated testosterone concentrations in young and old rats.


2010 ◽  
Vol 80 (45) ◽  
pp. 330-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay Helen Allen

Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in people of all ages who consume a low intake of animal-source foods, including populations in developing countries. It is also prevalent among the elderly, even in wealthier countries, due to their malabsorption of B12 from food. Several methods have been applied to diagnose vitamin B12 malabsorption, including Schilling’s test, which is now used rarely, but these do not quantify percent bioavailability. Most of the information on B12 bioavailability from foods was collected 40 to 50 years ago, using radioactive isotopes of cobalt to label the corrinoid ring. The data are sparse, and the level of radioactivity required for in vivo labeling of animal tissues can be prohibitive. A newer method under development uses a low dose of radioactivity as 14C-labeled B12, with measurement of the isotope excreted in urine and feces by accelerator mass spectrometry. This test has revealed that the unabsorbed vitamin is degraded in the intestine. The percent bioavailability is inversely proportional to the dose consumed due to saturation of the active absorption process, even within the range of usual intake from foods. This has important implications for the assessment and interpretation of bioavailability values, setting dietary requirements, and interpreting relationships between intake and status of the vitamin.


1987 ◽  
Vol 58 (03) ◽  
pp. 921-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Seifried ◽  
P Tanswell

SummaryIn vitro, concentration-dependent effects of rt-PA on a range of coagulation and fibrinolytic assays in thawed plasma samples were investigated. In absence of a fibrinolytic inhibitor, 2 μg rt-PA/ml blood (3.4 μg/ml plasma) caused prolongation of clotting time assays and decreases of plasminogen (to 44% of the control value), fibrinogen (to 27%), α2-antiplasmin (to 5%), FV (to 67%), FVIII (to 41%) and FXIII (to 16%).Of three inhibitors tested, a specific polyclonal anti-rt-PA antibody prevented interferences in all fibrinolytic and most clotting assays. D-Phe-Pro-Arg-CH2Cl (PPACK) enabled correct assays of fibrinogen and fibrinolytic parameters but interfered with coagulometric assays dependent on endogenous thrombin generation. Aprotinin was suitable only for a restricted range of both assay types.Most in vitro effects were observed only with rt-PA plasma concentrations in excess of therapeutic values. Nevertheless it is concluded that for clinical application, collection of blood samples on either specific antibody or PPACK is essential for a correct assessment of in vivo effects of rt-PA on the haemostatic system in patients undergoing fibrinolytic therapy.


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (05) ◽  
pp. 441-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn L Orthner ◽  
Billy Kolen ◽  
William N Drohan

SummaryActivated protein C (APC) is a serine protease which plays an important role as a naturally occurring antithrombotic enzyme. APC, which is formed by thrombin-catalyzed limited proteolysis of the zymogen protein C, functions as an anticoagulant by proteolytic inactivation of the coagulation cofactors VIIIa and Va. APC is inhibited by several members of the serpin family as well a by α2-macroglobulin. APC is being developed as a therapeutic for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis. We have developed an assay to quantify circulating levels of enzymatically active APC during its administration to patients, in healthy individuals, and in various disease states. This assay utilizes an EDTA-dependent anti-protein C monoclonal antibody (Mab) 7D7B10 to capture both APC and protein C from plasma, prepared from blood collected in an anticoagulant supplemented with the reversible inhibitor p-aminobenzamidine. Mab 7D7B10-derivatized agarose beads are added to the wells of a 96-well filtration plate, equilibrated with Tris-buffered saline, and incubated for 10 min with 200 μl of plasma. After washing, APC and protein C are eluted from the immunosorbent beads with a calcium-containing buffer into the wells of a 96-well microtiter plate containing antithrombin III (ATIII) and heparin. The amidolytic activity of APC is then measured on a kinetic plate reader following the addition of L-pyroglutamyl-L-prolyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide (S-2366) substrate.The rate of substrate hydrolysis was proportional to APC concentration over a 200-fold concentration range (5.0 to 1,000 ng/ml) when measured continuously over a 15 to 30 min time period. The coefficient of variation was 5.9% at 35 ng/ml and 8.8% at 350 ng/ml APC. The sensitivity of the assay could be increased by measuring the amount of color produced after longer incubation times in the endpoint mode. The measured APC activity levels were little affected by varying protein C or prothrombin over the extremes of 0 to 150% of normal plasma concentrations. By constructing the standard curve in protein C-deficient plasma, the concentration of APC activity in normal pooled plasma was determined to be 2.8 ng/ml (45 pM), which represents 0.08% of the protein C concentration. The assay was approximately 50-fold more sensitive than the identical assay, but using Mab-coated microtiter wells rather than immunosorbent beads as the capture step.


1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (04) ◽  
pp. 1242-1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E Newby ◽  
Robert A Wright ◽  
Christopher A Ludlam ◽  
Keith A A Fox ◽  
Nicholas A Boon ◽  
...  

SummaryThe effects on blood flow and plasma fibrinolytic and coagulation parameters of intraarterial substance P, an endothelium dependent vasodilator, and sodium nitroprusside, a control endothelium independent vasodilator, were studied in the human forearm circulation. At subsystemic locally active doses, both substance P (2-8 pmol/min) and sodium nitroprusside (2-8 μg/min) caused dose-dependent vasodilatation (p <0.001 for both) without affecting plasma concentrations of PAI-1, von Willebrand factor antigen or factor VIII:C activity. Substance P caused local increases in t-PA antigen and activity (p <0.001) in the infused arm while sodium nitroprusside did not. At higher doses, substance P increased blood flow and t-PA concentrations in the noninfused arm. We conclude that brief, locally active and subsystemic infusions of intraarterial substance P cause a rapid and substantial local release of t-PA which appear to act via a flow and nitric oxide independent mechanism. This model should provide a useful and selective method of assessing the in vivo capacity of the forearm endothelium to release t-PA acutely.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi He ◽  
Wenjun Hu ◽  
Fanhua Meng ◽  
Xingzhou Li

Background: The broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug nitazoxanide (N) has been repositioned as a broad-spectrum antiviral drug. Nitazoxanide’s in vivo antiviral activities are mainly attributed to its metabolitetizoxanide, the deacetylation product of nitazoxanide. In reference to the pharmacokinetic profile of nitazoxanide, we proposed the hypotheses that the low plasma concentrations and the low system exposure of tizoxanide after dosing with nitazoxanide result from significant first pass effects in the liver. It was thought that this may be due to the unstable acyloxy bond of nitazoxanide. Objective: Tizoxanide prodrugs, with the more stable formamyl substituent attached to the hydroxyl group rather than the acetyl group of nitazoxanide, were designed with the thought that they might be more stable in plasma. It was anticipated that these prodrugs might be less affected by the first pass effect, which would improve plasma concentrations and system exposure of tizoxanide. Method: These O-carbamoyl tizoxanide prodrugs were synthesized and evaluated in a mouse model for pharmacokinetic (PK) properties and in an in vitro model for plasma stabilities. Results: The results indicated that the plasma concentration and the systemic exposure of tizoxanide (T) after oral administration of O-carbamoyl tizoxanide prodrugs were much greater than that produced by equimolar dosage of nitazoxanide. It was also found that the plasma concentration and the systemic exposure of tizoxanide glucuronide (TG) were much lower than that produced by nitazoxanide. Conclusion: Further analysis showed that the suitable plasma stability of O-carbamoyl tizoxanide prodrugs is the key factor in maximizing the plasma concentration and the systemic exposure of the active ingredient tizoxanide.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document