Background— Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) by angiotensin II (Ang II) is involved in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases. NADPH oxidase is a major source of superoxide generated in vascular tissues. Although Nox1 has been identified in vascular smooth muscle cells as a new homolog of gp91phox (Nox2), a catalytic subunit of NADPH oxidase, the pathophysiological function of Nox1-derived ROSs has not been fully elucidated. To clarify the role of Nox1 in Ang II–mediated hypertension, we generated Nox1-deficient ( −/Y ) mice. Methods and Results— No difference in the baseline blood pressure was observed between Nox1 +/Y and Nox1 −/Y . Infusion of Ang II induced a significant increase in mean blood pressure, accompanied by augmented expression of Nox1 mRNA and superoxide production in the aorta of Nox1 +/Y , whereas the elevation in blood pressure and production of superoxide were significantly blunted in Nox1 −/Y . Conversely, the infusion of pressor as well as subpressor doses of Ang II did elicit marked hypertrophy in the thoracic aorta of Nox1 −/Y similar to Nox1 +/Y . Administration of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (L-NAME) to Nox1 +/Y did not affect the Ang II–mediated increase in blood pressure, but it abolished the suppressed pressor response to Ang II in Nox1 −/Y . Finally, endothelium-dependent relaxation and the level of cGMP in the isolated aorta were preserved in Nox1 −/Y infused with Ang II. Conclusions— A pivotal role for ROSs derived from Nox1/NADPH oxidase was suggested in the pressor response to Ang II by reducing the bioavailability of nitric oxide.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is implicated in stem cell self-renewal in several tissues but is thought to be detrimental for spermatogenesis as well as spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Using cultured SSCs, we show that ROS are generated via the AKT and MEK signaling pathways under conditions where the growth factors glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and fibroblast growth factor 2 drive SSC self-renewal and, instead, stimulate self-renewal at physiological levels. SSCs depleted of ROS stopped proliferating, but they showed enhanced self-renewal when ROS levels were increased by the addition of hydrogen peroxide, which induced the phosphorylation of stress kinases p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Moreover, ROS depletion in vivo decreased SSC number in the testis, and NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1)-deficient SSCs exhibited reduced self-renewal division upon serial transplantation. These results suggest that ROS generated by Nox1 play critical roles in SSC self-renewal via the activation of the p38 MAPK and JNK pathways.

Background & Aims Reactive oxidative species (ROS) are believed to be involved in the progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, little is known about the sources of ROS in hepatocytes or their role in disease progression. We studied the effects of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) in liver tissues from patients with NASH and mice with steatohepatitis. Methods Liver biopsy samples were obtained from 5 patients with NASH, as well as 4 patients with simple steatosis and 5 patients without steatosis (controls) from the University of California, Davis Cancer Center Biorepository. Mice with hepatocyte-specific deletion of NOX4 (NOX4hepKO) and NOX4floxp+/+ C57BL/6 mice (controls) were given fast food diets (supplemented with high-fructose corn syrup) or choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined to induce steatohepatitis, or control diets, for 20 weeks. A separate group of mice were given the NOX4 inhibitor (GKT137831). Liver tissues were collected and immunoblot analyses were performed determine levels of NOX4, markers of inflammation and fibrosis, double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR), and phospho-eIF-2alpha kinase (PERK)-mediated stress signaling pathways. We performed hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies and immunoprecipitation analyses to determine the oxidation and phosphatase activity of PP1C. Results Levels of NOX4 were increased in patients with NASH, compared with controls. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of NOX4 reduced oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and liver fibrosis in mice with diet-induced steatohepatitis. A small molecule inhibitor of NOX4 reduced liver inflammation and fibrosis and increased insulin sensitivity in mice with diet-induced steatohepatitis. In primary hepatocytes, NOX4 reduced the activity of the phosphatase PP1C, prolonging activation of PKR and PERK-mediated stress signaling. Mice with hepatocyte-specific deletion of NOX4 and mice given GKT137831had increased insulin sensitivity. Conclusion NOX4 regulates oxidative stress in the liver and its levels are increased in patients with NASH and mice with diet-induced steatohepatitis. Inhibitors of NOX4 reduce liver inflammation and fibrosis and increase insulin sensitivity, and might be developed for treatment of NASH.

The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in an augmented sensitivity to painful stimuli (hyperalgesia) during inflammation has been suggested, yet how and where ROS affect the pain signaling remain unknown. Here we report a novel role for the superoxidegenerating NADPH oxidase in the development of hyperalgesia. In mice lacking Nox1 (Nox1 Ϫ/Y ), a catalytic subunit of NADPH oxidase, thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia was significantly attenuated, whereas no change in nociceptive responses to heat or mechanical stimuli was observed.

The present study was designed to examine the effect of aldose reductase (AR) overexpression on the development of diabetic neuropathy by using mice transgenic for human AR. At 8 weeks of age, transgenic mice (Tg) and non-transgenic littermates (Lm) were made diabetic with streptozotocin. After 8 weeks of untreated diabetes, plasma glucose levels and the reduction in body weight were similar between the groups of diabetic animals. Despite the comparable levels of hyperglycaemia, levels of sorbitol and fructose were significantly greater in the peripheral nerve of diabetic Tg than in diabetic Lm (both P < 0.01). Ouabain sensitive Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity was similarly decreased in both diabetic Tg and Lm. Protein kinase C activity in the sciatic nerve membrane fraction was unaffected by diabetes in Lm, but was reduced by nearly 40% in the diabetic Tg. Although both groups of diabetic animals exhibited a significant decrease in tibial nerve motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), this decrease was significantly more severe (P < 0.01) in diabetic Tg than in diabetic Lm. Consistent with these findings, nerve fibre atrophy was significantly more severe in diabetic Tg than in diabetic Lm (P < 0.01). These findings implicate increased polyol pathway activity in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. In support of this hypothesis, treating diabetic Tg with an aldose reductase inhibitor (WAY121-509, 4 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks significantly prevented the accumulation of sorbitol, the decrease in MNCV and the increased myelinated fibre atrophy in diabetic Tg.