Publications by authors named "Takashi Ashino"

Polyethylene glycol-23 glyceryl distearate (GDS-23), a diacylglycerol polyethylene glycol adduct, forms niosomes with a liposome-like structure and functions as an active ingredient in drug delivery systems. In addition, it upregulates antioxidant proteins such as heme oxygenase 1 and NAD(P)H-quinone dehydrogenase 1 in cells. However, the activation of nuclear factor E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), which plays a role in inducing the expression of antioxidant proteins, and its protective effects induced by GDS-23 treatment against oxidative stress have not been elucidated.

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Olanzapine is widely used as a treatment for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Its metabolic side effects, including weight gain and hyperglycemia, are a clinical problem; however, their full mechanism is not yet clearly understood. Recently, it was reported that the accumulation of oxidative stress in the hypothalamus may cause obesity and diabetes mellitus.

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Sepsis is a pathological condition that affects the metabolism of administered drugs, leading to changes in the duration and intensity of their intended efficacies. Proinflammatory cytokines downregulate the expression of cytochrome P450s (P450s). The effects of P450 expression under inflammatory conditions have been studied using prophlogistic substances such as lipopolysaccharide; however, few studies have focused on clinical models of sepsis.

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Hepatic multidrug transporters expressed on the canalicular membrane play a role in the hepatobiliary excretion of xenobiotics and endogenous substrates. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the regulation of hepatic drug transporter expression after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), a valuable tool for studying polymicrobial sepsis, and to compare CLP with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. CLP reduced the expression of Mdr2/Abcb4, Mrp2/Abcc2, Bsep/Abcb11, Bcrp/Abcg2, and Mate1/Slc47a1 mRNAs in wild-type (WT) mouse livers in a time-dependent manner up to 48 h postoperation.

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Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration contributes to vascular remodeling after injury, whereas oxidative stress generated through dysfunctional redox homeostasis induces hypermigration, leading to arteriosclerosis. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) serve as intracellular signaling molecules in VSMCs. Reactive sulfur species (RSS) may serve as a biological defense system because of the antioxidative properties of highly nucleophilic sulfane sulfur.

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NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcriptional regulator of biologic defense proteins, such as antioxidant proteins and phase II detoxification enzymes. Cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes have been shown to regulate phase I metabolism of various drugs and are partially regulated by Nrf2; however, the influence of Nrf2 on drug pharmacokinetics is not known. Here, we showed that Nrf2 depletion prolonged the effect of pentobarbital, a sleep-promoting drug.

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Sepsis is an etiologically complex and often fatal inflammatory process involving a multitude of cytokine signaling pathways. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) acts as a central regulator of the acute-phase inflammatory response by recruiting immune cells, including circulating monocyte/macrophages, to sites of infection or tissue damage. Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a linear polymer of orthophosphate residues, has been found in almost all cells and tissues, but its functions in immunity remain largely unknown.

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Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration contributes to neointimal formation after vascular injury. We previously demonstrated that copper (Cu) transporter ATP7A is involved in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced VSMC migration in a Cu- and Rac1-dependent manner. The underlying mechanism is still unknown.

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Abnormal increases in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the intimal region after a vascular injury is a key event in developing neointimal hyperplasia. To maintain vascular function, proliferation and apoptosis of VSMCs is tightly controlled during vascular remodeling. NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) system, a key component of the oxidative stress response that acts in maintaining homeostasis, plays an important role in neointimal hyperplasia after a vascular injury; however, the role of Nrf2/Keap1 in VSMC apoptosis has not been clarified.

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A wide variety of drugs and chemicals have been shown to produce induction and inhibition of heme-metabolizing enzymes, and of drug-metabolizing enzymes, including cytochrome P450s (P450s, CYPs), which consist of many molecular species with lower substrate specificity. Such chemically induced enzyme alterations are coordinately or reciprocally regulated through the same and/or different signal transductions. From the toxicological point of view, these enzymatic changes sometimes exacerbate inherited diseases, such as precipitation of porphyrogenic attacks, although the induction of these enzymes is dependent on the animal species in response to the differences in the stimuli of the liver, where they are also metabolized by P450s.

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Synthetic cannabinoids developed by chemical modification are believed to bind to cannabinoid receptors and cause neurological effects similar to cannabis; however, their effects on drug metabolizing enzymes are unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of synthetic cannabinoids on cytochrome P450 1A activity. Naphthoylindole, a basic structure of the major synthetic cannabinoids, strongly inhibited CYP1A activity in a competitive manner; the apparent Ki value was 0.

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Cytochrome P450 gene expression is altered by various chemical compounds. In this study, we used nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-deficient (Nrf2(-⧸-)) mice to investigate the involvement of Nrf2 in Cyp2b10 and Cyp2a5 gene expression. Phorone, an Nrf2 activator, strongly increased Cyp2b10 and Cyp2a5 mRNA as well as Nrf2 target genes, including NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase-1 and heme oxygenase-1, in wild-type mouse livers 8 h after treatment.

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Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and neointimal formation in response to injury. We previously identified IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 (IQGAP1) as a novel VEGF receptor 2 binding scaffold protein involved in endothelial migration. However, its role in VSMC migration and neointimal formation in vivo is unknown.

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Objective: Reactive oxygen species are important mediators for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells, whereas excess reactive oxygen species-induced oxidative stress contributes to the development and progression of vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Activation of the redox-sensitive transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), is pivotal in cellular defense against oxidative stress by transcriptional upregulation of antioxidant proteins. This study aimed to elucidate the role of Nrf2 in PDGF-mediated vascular smooth muscle cell migration and neointimal hyperplasia.

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Objective: Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration is critically important for neointimal formation after vascular injury and atherosclerosis lesion formation. Copper (Cu) chelator inhibits neointimal formation, and we previously demonstrated that Cu transport protein antioxidant-1 (Atox1) is involved in Cu-induced cell growth. However, role of Atox1 in VSMC migration and neointimal formation after vascular injury is unknown.

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Hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1) are rate-limiting enzymes for cholesterol biosynthesis and catabolism, respectively. Involvement of inflammatory cytokines, particularly interleukin-1 (IL-1), in alterations of HMGR and Cyp7a1 gene expression during development of lead nitrate (LN)-induced hypercholesterolemia was examined in IL-1α/β-knockout (IL-1-KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. Lead nitrate treatment of WT mice led to not only a marked downregulation of the Cyp7a1 gene at 6-12 h, but also a significant upregulation of the HMGR gene at 12 h.

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Auranofin, a disease-modifying gold compound, has been empirically applying to the management of rheumatoid arthritis. We investigated a protective effect of auranofin against hepatic injury induced by cocaine. Cocaine (75 mg/kg) markedly increased serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) (4,130 IU/l) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) (1,730 IU/l) activities at 16 hr after treatment, and induced hepatic necrosis surrounding central veins in mice.

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Our previous study using interleukin-1α/β-knockout (IL-1-KO) and wild-type (WT) mice demonstrated that IL-1 acts as a positive factor for constitutive gene expression of hepatic cytochrome P4507a1 (Cyp7a1). In this study, to clarify the role of IL-1 in the expression of the hepatic Cyp7a1 gene, we focused on Cyp7a1 transcriptional regulators such as α-fetoprotein transcription factor (FTF), liver X receptor α (LXRα), hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) and small heterodimer partner (SHP) and examined the effects of IL-1 on their gene expression by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction using IL-1-KO and WT mice. We observed no significant differences between sex-matched IL-1-KO and WT mice with regard to gene expression levels of FTF, LXRα, and HNF4α, all of which are positive transcriptional regulators for the Cyp7a1 gene.

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Rationale: Copper, an essential nutrient, has been implicated in vascular remodeling and atherosclerosis with unknown mechanism. Bioavailability of intracellular copper is regulated not only by the copper importer CTR1 (copper transporter 1) but also by the copper exporter ATP7A (Menkes ATPase), whose function is achieved through copper-dependent translocation from trans-Golgi network (TGN). Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) promotes vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration, a key component of neointimal formation.

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We examined the role of hepatic interleukin (IL)-1alpha/beta in serum total cholesterol homeostasis using male and female IL-1-knockout (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) mice. Serum total cholesterol level was higher in males than in females in WT and KO mice. The difference between sexes was closely correlated with the difference in gene expression level of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1), a rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis.

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Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is induced under infectious diseases in macrophages. We performed experiments using various gene deficient mouse-derived macrophages to determine a detailed induction mechanism of HO-1 by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the functional role of HO-1 induction in macrophages. LPS (1 microg/mL) maximally induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and HO-1 mRNAs in wild-type (WT) macrophages at 6h and 12h after treatment, respectively, and liberated tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) from WT macrophages.

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Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by chronic inflammation of the synovial tissue. We examined the effect of interleukin (IL)-6 neutralization on the expression of cytochrome P450 or metallothionein-1/2 (metallothionein) during chronic phase inflammatory disease using rheumatoid arthritis model mice, human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) transgenic mice. Serum IL-6 concentrations of arthritis-developed HTLV-I transgenic mice were 129.

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Phenobarbital (PB) induction of CYP2B, a representative target gene of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), has been observed to be attenuated in preneoplastic lesions of rat liver; however, molecular basis for this attenuation is poorly understood. In this report, we provide evidence indicating that the CAR expressed in the hepatic preneoplastic lesions of rats and mice was resistant to nuclear translocation and transactivation of the PB-responsive enhancer module upon PB treatment. These observations suggest that the attenuation of the induction of CYP2B by PB in hepatic preneoplastic lesions is evidently a consequence of impaired nuclear translocation of CAR.

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Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are well known potent activators of the cell-mediated immune system and thus lead to the decreases in cytochrome P450 (P450). In this study we used interleukin (IL)-1alpha/beta, IL-6, or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) knockout (KO) mice to investigate how each cytokine is involved in P450 down-regulation, especially CYP3A11 and 2C29. BCG (40 mg/kg) was found to reduce both CYP3A11 and 2C29 mRNAs at 24 h after treatment in IL-1alpha/beta KO mice in a manner similar to that seen in wild-type mice.

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Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), a methylating agent, is known to be a genotoxicant in testis. The purpose of this study was to investigate roles of oxidative stress-responsive proteins, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and metallothionein-1/2 (MT-1/2), in genotoxicity of MMS. Cadmium, a potent genotoxicity inducer, induced HO-1 and MT-1/2 in rat livers and kidneys.

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