Post-conditioning (Post-C) induced cardioprotection involves activation of guanylyl-cyclase. In the ischemic preconditioning scenario, the downstream targets of cGMP include mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K(+) (mK(ATP)) channels and protein kinase C (PKC), which involve reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. This study tests the hypothesis that mK(ATP), PKC and ROS are also involved in the Post-C protection. Isolated rat hearts underwent 30 min global ischemia (I) and 120 min reperfusion (R) with or without Post-C (i.e., 5 cycles of 10 s R/I immediately after the 30 min ischemia). In 6 groups (3 with and 3 without Post-C) either mK(ATP) channel blocker, 5- hydroxydecanoate (5-HD), or PKC inhibitor, chelerythrine (CHE) or ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), were given during the entire reperfusion (120 min). In other 6 groups (3 with and 3 without Post-C), 5-HD, CHE or NAC were infused for 117 min only starting after 3 min of reperfusion not to interfere with the early effects of Post-C and/or reperfusion. In an additional group NAC was given during Post-C maneuvers (i.e., 3 min only). Myocardial damage was evaluated using nitro-blue tetrazolium staining and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Post-C attenuated myocardial infarct size (21 +/- 3% vs. 64 +/- 5% in control; p < 0.01). Such an effect was abolished by 5-HD or CHE given during either the 120 or 117 min of reperfusion as well as by NAC given during the 120 min or the initial 3 min of reperfusion. However, delayed NAC (i.e., 117 min infusion) did not alter the protective effect of Post- C (infarct size 32 +/- 5%; p < 0.01 vs. control, NS vs. Post-C). CHE, 5-HD or NAC given in the absence of Post-C did not alter the effects of I/R. Similar results were obtained in terms of LDH release. Our data show that Post-C induced protection involves an early redox-sensitive mechanism as well as a persistent activation of mK(ATP) and PKC, suggesting that the mK(ATP)/ROS/PKC pathway is involved in post-conditioning.

NO produced in tumors can either positively or negatively regulate growth. To examine this dichotomy, effects of NO concentration and duration on the posttranslational regulation of several key proteins were examined in human breast MCF7 cells under aerobic conditions. We found that different concentration thresholds of NO appear to elicit a discrete set of signal transduction pathways. At low steady-state concentrations of NO (<50 nM), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation was induced via a guanylate cyclase-dependent mechanism. Hypoxic inducible factor 1␣ (HIF-1␣) accumulation was associated with an intermediate amount of NO (>100 nM), whereas p53 serine 15 phosphorylation occurred at considerably higher levels (>300 nM). ERK phosphorylation was transient during NO exposure. HIF-1␣ stabilization paralleled the presence of NO, whereas p53 serine 15 phosphorylation was detected during, and persisted after, NO exposure. The dose-dependent effects of synthetic NO donors were mimicked by activated macrophages cocultured with MCF7 cells at varying ratios. ERK and HIF-1␣ activation was similar in breast cancer cell lines either mutant (MB231) or null (MB157) in p53. The stabilization of HIF-1␣ by NO was not observed with increased MCF7 cell density, demonstrating the interrelationship between NO and O 2 consumption. The findings show that concentration and duration of NO exposure are critical determinants in the regulation of tumor-related proteins.cancer ͉ hypoxia ͉ macrophage ͉ inducible NO synthase N itric oxide (NO) has been shown to participate in numerous physiological functions important to tumor survival and propagation. Over the last decade, many reports have presented both positive and negative aspects of NO in tumor biology. Whereas NO was found to be either cytostatic or cytotoxic (1-5), other reports provide evidence that NO promotes cancer propagation by increasing tumor growth angiogenesis and metastasis (6-16). NO appears to be two-sided: beneficial or deleterious. In vivo transfection models have demonstrated inducible NO synthase (iNOS) can slow the growth in murine melanoma cells (17), whereas human colon DLD-1 cells showed a more aggressive phenotype (18). It was found that the relative iNOS activities from these melanoma cells were considerably higher than those reported for the DLD-1 cell line. Because of the complex chemistry of NO, its concentration and the cellular redox environment can dictate the biological outcome (19,20). These factors suggest that perhaps the rate of NO production is a critical determinant. Most of the current data has focused on whether NO can regulate specific signal transduction pathways. Little is known regarding NO dose and concentration effects on these mechanisms. Because in vivo NO concentrations can vary considerably depending on the location and conditions of its production, we felt that it was of great importance to investigate this aspect on the regulation of key proteins. In this study, we have examined the concentration and temporal ef...

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Intermittent targeting of specific cellular sites (i.e. BK B2 receptors and mK(ATP) channels) during early reperfusion triggers PostC protection via ROS signaling. Since neither intermittent oxygenation nor exogenous ROS generators can trigger protection, it is likely that intermittent autacoid accumulation and ROS compartmentalization may play a pivotal role in PostC-triggering.

This review addresses many of the chemical aspects of nitrosative stress mediated by N2O3. From a cellular perspective, N2O3 and the resulting reactive nitrogen oxide species target specific motifs such as thiols, lysine active sites, and zinc fingers and is dependant upon both the rates of production as well as consumption of NO and must be taken into account in order to access the nitrosative environment. Since production and consumption are integral parts of N2O3 generation, we predict that nitrosative stress occurs under specific conditions, such as chronic inflammation. In contrast to conditions of stress, nitrosative chemistry may also provide cellular protection through the regulation of critical signaling pathways. Therefore, a careful evaluation of the chemistry of nitrosation based upon specific experimental conditions may provide a better understanding of how the subtle balance between oxidative and nitrosative stress may be involved in the etiology and control of various disease processes.

We aimed to assess the role of the nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP pathway in cardioprotection by brief intermittent ischemias at the onset of reperfusion (i.e., post-conditioning (Post-con)). We also evaluated the role of coronary flow and pressure in Post-con. Rat isolated hearts perfused at constant- flow or -pressure underwent 30 min global ischemia and 120 min reperfusion. Post-con obtained with brief ischemias of different duration (modified, MPost-con) was compared with Post-con obtained with ischemias of identical duration (classical, C-Post-con) and with ischemic preconditioning (IP). Infarct size was evaluated using nitro-blue tetrazolium staining and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. In the groups, NO synthase (NOS) or guanylyl-cyclase (GC) was inhibited with LNAME and ODQ, respectively. In the subgroups, the enzyme immunoassay technique was used to quantify cGMP release. In the constant-flow model, M-Post-con and C-Post-con were equally effective, but more effective than IP in reducing infarct size. The cardioprotection by M-Post-con was only blunted by the NOS-inhibitor, but was abolished by the GC-antagonist. Post-ischemic cGMP release was enhanced by MPost-con. In the constant-pressure model IP, M-Post-con and C-Post-con were equally effective in reducing infarct size. Post-con protocols were more effective in the constant-flow than in the constant-pressure model. In all groups, LDH release during reperfusion was proportional to infarct size. In conclusion, Post-con depends upon GC activation, which can be achieved by NOS-dependent and NOS-independent pathways. The benefits of M- and CPost-con are similar. However, protection by Post-con is greater in the constant-flow than in the constant-pressure model.

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Diazeniumdiolates, more commonly referred to as NONOates, have been extremely useful in the investigation of the biological effects of nitric oxide (NO) and related nitrogen oxides. The NONOate Angeli's salt (Na(2)N(2)O(3)) releases nitroxyl (HNO) under physiological conditions and exhibits unique cardiovascular features (i.e., positive inotropy/lusitropy) that may have relevance for pharmacological treatment of heart failure. In the search for new, organic-based compounds that release HNO, we examined isopropylamine NONOate (IPA/NO; Na[(CH(3))(2)CHNH(N(O)NO]), which is an adduct of NO and a primary amine. The chemical and pharmacological properties of IPA/NO were compared to those of Angeli's salt and a NO-producing NONOate, DEA/NO (Na[Et(2)NN(O)NO]), which is a secondary amine adduct. Under physiological conditions IPA/NO exhibited all the markers of HNO production (e.g., reductive nitrosylation, thiol reactivity, positive inotropy). These data suggest that primary amine NONOates may be useful as HNO donors in complement to the existing series of secondary amine NONOates, which are well-characterized NO donors.