Abrogation of hepatocyte apoptosis and early appearance of liver dysplasia in ethanol-fed p53-deficient mice.

Ethanol consumption represents a major risk factor for cancer development, and a significant fraction of hepatocarcinomas arises in alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Increasing evidence indicates that ethanol acts as a tumor promoter on genetically initiated cells, by increasing the intracellular concentration of reactive oxygen species and promoting tissue necrosis/regeneration and cell proliferation. The tumor suppressor p53 restrains the expansion of carcinogen-initiated cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis; accordingly, p53-deficient mice develop spontaneous and chemically induced neoplasms at a much higher frequency than normal mice.

Mitochondrial superoxide dismutase: a promising target for new anticancer therapies.

Compelling experimental and epidemiological evidence involves oxygen radicals in carcinogenesis, acting reactive oxygen species both as endogenous genotoxins during cell initiation and as messenger molecules in mitogenesis and in tumor promotion. Moreover, oxidants stimulate neoangiogenesis, which is a prerequisite for tumor growth. However, while several natural as well as synthetic antioxidant compounds appear to be chemopreventive in mutagenicity assays, antioxidant-based treatments for the prevention or cure of cancer have led to non-conclusive if not disappointing results.

Oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses in ethanol-induced cell injury.

Although in the past several mechanisms and factors have been proposed to be responsible for alcoholic liver disease (ALD), at present the involvement of oxygen free radicals and consequently of oxidative stress has acquired remarkable credit. In numerous experimental studies it has been shown the occurrence of alcohol-induced generation of oxygen- and ethanol-derived free radicals through different pathways and from different sources. Mitochondria appear to be both an important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and also a primary target of ethanol-induced damage.

Reactive oxygen species as essential mediators of cell adhesion: the oxidative inhibition of a FAK tyrosine phosphatase is required for cell adhesion.

Signal transduction by reactive oxygen species (ROS; "redox signaling") has recently come into focus in cellular biology studies. The signaling properties of ROS are largely due to the reversible oxidation of redox-sensitive target proteins, and especially of protein tyrosine phosphatases, whose activity is dependent on the redox state of a low pKa active site cysteine. A variety of mitogenic signals, including those released by receptor tyrosine kinase (RTKs) ligands and oncogenic H-Ras, involve as a critical downstream event the intracellular generation of ROS.

Redox regulation of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein and induction of manganous superoxide dismutase in nerve growth factor-dependent cell survival.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as both signaling molecules and mediators of cell damage in the nervous system and are implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Neurotrophic factors such as the nerve-derived growth factor (NGF) support neuronal survival during development and promote regeneration after neuronal injury through the activation of intracellular signals whose molecular effectors and downstream targets are still largely unknown. Here we present evidence that early oxidative signals initiated by NGF in PC12 cells, an NGF-responsive cell line, play a critical role in preventing apoptosis induced by serum deprivation.

Reactive oxygen species as downstream mediators of angiogenic signaling by vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2/KDR.

Recent evidence shows the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mitogenic cascade initiated by the tyrosine kinase receptors of several growth factor peptides. We have asked whether also the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) utilizes ROS as messenger intermediates downstream of the VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2)/KDR receptor given that the proliferation of endothelial cells during neoangiogenesis is physiologically regulated by oxygen and likely by its derivative species. In porcine aortic endothelial cells stably expressing human KDR, receptor activation by VEGF is followed by a rapid increase in the intracellular generation of hydrogen peroxide as revealed by the peroxide-sensitive probe dichlorofluorescein diacetate.