Molecular species of phospholipids with very long chain fatty acids in skin fibroblasts of Zellweger syndrome.

The ratio of C 26:0/C 22:0 fatty acids in patient lipids is widely accepted as a critical clinical criterion of peroxisomal diseases, such as Zellweger syndrome and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD). However, phospholipid molecular species with very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) have not been precisely characterized. In the present study, the structures of such molecules in fibroblasts of Zellweger syndrome and X-ALD were examined using LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis.

Pyrrolidinium-type fullerene derivative-induced apoptosis by the generation of reactive oxygen species in HL-60 cells.

The biological activities of C(60)-bis(N,N-dimethylpyrrolidinium iodide), a water-soluble cationic fullerene derivative, on human promyeloleukaemia (HL-60) cells were investigated. The pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative showed cytotoxicity in HL-60 cells. The characteristics of apoptosis, such as DNA fragmentation and condensation of chromatin in HL-60 cells, were observed by exposure to the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative.

Licochalcone A is a potent inhibitor of TEL-Jak2-mediated transformation through the specific inhibition of Stat3 activation.

Aberrant activation of Jak/Stat signaling causes a number of hematopoietic disorders and oncogenesis, and therefore the effective inhibitors of the Jak/Stat signaling pathway may be therapeutically useful. TEL-Jak2 gene fusion, which has been identified in human leukemia, encodes a chimeric protein endowed with constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. Expression of TEL-Jak2 protects Ba/F3 cells from IL-3 withdrawal-induced apoptotic cell death and leads to IL-3-independent growth.

2,2'-Pyridoin derivatives protect HL-60 cells against oxidative stress.

Focusing on 2,2'-pyridoin (1, 1,2-di(2-pyridyl)-1,2-ethenediol) and its synthetic derivatives as the lead compound of the potent antioxidative enediol, their protective effect against oxidative stress was evaluated on the HL-60 cell system. 2,2'-Pyridoins showed no remarkable cytotoxic effect on HL-60 cells. The derivatives 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 inhibited H(2)O(2)-induced cell death and intracellular oxidative stress more significantly than ascorbic acid.

Reaction of para-hydroxybenzoic acid esters with singlet oxygen in the presence of glutathione produces glutathione conjugates of hydroquinone, potent inducers of oxidative stress.

The determination and toxicological characterization of products of the reaction between p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters (parabens) and singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) are very important because of the frequent use of parabens in cosmetics and possible generation of (1)O(2) in the skin. We observed (1)O(2)-dependent production of mono-, di-, and tri-substituted glutathione (GSH) conjugates of hydroquinone (HQ) during visible light-irradiation of a mixture of methyl or ethyl paraben and GSH in the presence of rose bengal (RB). 1,4-Benzoquinone (BQ) and HQ were produced during the irradiation in the absence of GSH.

Hydroxyl radical generation via photoreduction of a simple pyridine N-oxide by an NADH analogue.

Photoreduction of pyridine N-oxide, which has a key structure of antitumor agents for hypoxic solid tumors, by 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide in deaerated aprotic media resulted in generation of hydroxyl radical, leading to the oxidation of salicylic acid to 2,3- and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acids, and catechol.

Hydroxyl radical generation caused by the reaction of singlet oxygen with a spin trap, DMPO, increases significantly in the presence of biological reductants.

Photosensitizers newly developed for photodynamic therapy of cancer need to be assessed using accurate methods of measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS). Little is known about the characteristics of the reaction of singlet oxygen (1O2) with spin traps, although this knowledge is necessary in electron spin resonance (ESR)/spin trapping. In the present study, we examined the effect of various reductants usually present in biological samples on the reaction of 1O2 with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO).