Se-(2-aminoalkyl)selenocysteines as biochemical redox agents. A tool to contrast cell injury induced by aflatoxin B1 in HepG2 cells

Abstract

Se-(2-aminoalkyl)selenocysteines were shown to have a chemoprotective activity towards HepG2 cells, contrasting the cell damage of aflatoxin B1. The results of this study suggest that our newly synthesized seleno-diamino acids are apparently endowed with a potent protective potential against cell damage caused by AFB1 similar to, or even higher than, that exerted by the reference compound Se-Me-SeCys. The protective effect does not seem to be absolute, i.e., merely determined by the presence of the chalcogen atom, but rather strictly related to the molecular structure of the new compounds tested. From this point of view, Se-(2-aminoalkyl)selenocysteines may represent a new class of biochemical redox agents fruitfully exploitable to contrast aflatoxin toxicity, at the same time a sound medical application and an economically relevant agricultural issue.

Effects of aflatoxin B1, fumonisin B1 and their mixture on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and cytochrome P450 1A induction

“…The treatments with the mycotoxins lasted up to 24 h, depending on the experiment. The range of mycotoxin concentrations were selected on the basis of literature data (maximum permissible levels and intestinal absorption in rats) and our previous studies performed on hepatic cell lines and splenocytes from rat (Abdel Nour et al, 2007;Chuturgoon et al, 2014;Ehrlich et al, 2002;Liu et al, 2012;Lv et al, 2014;Hanioka et al, 2012;Mary et al, 2012;Nucci et al, 2014;Theumer et al, 2010Theumer et al, , 2003Theumer et al, , 2002. The lower cytotoxicity observed in the CALUX cells allowed the application of higher concentrations in order to observe any possible effects, and as a consequence, the range of concentrations used for the CALUX and for the EROD assays were different.…”

NF-κB-Dependent Production of ROS and Restriction of HSV-1 Infection in U937 Monocytic Cells

“…To this purpose we utilized two members of a family of compounds characterized by the presence of selenium in their amino acidic aromatic rings. The biological properties of these compounds, whose anti-oxidant activities were already documented, have been previously described [27]. In particular, we utilized SeMC, as a reference commercial compound, and SeDA4, as a newly in-house synthesized compound.…”

“…Se-(Methyl)selenocysteine hydrochloride (SeMC, M6680), the oxidant-sensitive dye 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA, D6883), H 2 O 2 (H1009) and cycloheximide (CHX, 01810) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). A second selenium-based compound used in this study and identified as Seleno-Diamino Acid 4 (SeDA4), is a synthetic molecule obtained and characterized for its anti-oxidant and biological properties as previously described [27].…”

“…For this purpose, we used U937 monocytic cells in which NF-κB activation was functional or, in parallel, ablated by expression of a dominant-negative IκBα. Moreover, to inhibit ROS production, we used selenium-containing compounds whose anti-oxidant and biological properties have been previously described [27].…”

Modern Analytical Chemistry Methods for Chalcogen Materials Analysis and Characterization

“…This action reduces the symmetry and makes distortion on the metallic cluster as well as their isomers and of course changes the properties of the whole materials. Proton and ( 1 H) carbon ( 13 C) NMR of complex protein molecules were employed to investigate Se-(2-aminoalkyl)selenocysteines as biochemical redox agents [63]. In this case, chalcogen-biochemical substance was investigated through the behavior of its protons and carbons.…”