AIMS In this study, we tested whether Egr-1 is a potential target of calcium channel blockers in cardioprotection with I/R injury. METHODS We treated rats in vivo I/R and rat cultured cardiomyocytes in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) models with three types of classical calcium channel blockers (verapamil, diltiazem and nifedipine). Activity of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (L...

The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in isoliquiritigenin (ISL)-induced monocytic differentiation in human acute promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells. Morphological changes, cell surface markers CD11b/CD14 and NBT-reducing ability were used to determine the differentiation of HL-60 cells, and 2,7-dichlorofl...

THIS STUDY WAS AIMED AT: (i) investigating the expression profiles of some antioxidant and epidermal growth factor receptor genes in cancerous and unaffected tissues of patients undergoing lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (cross-sectional phase), (ii) evaluating if gene expression levels at the time of surgery may be associated to patients' survival (prospective phase). Ant...

AIM To investigate the effects of exogenous antioxidant copper zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) on oxidative stress in the experimental model of diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS Twenty eight male Wistar rats divided in four groups were used: control (CO), controls treated with SOD (CO + SOD), diabetics (DM), and diabetics treated with SOD (DM + SOD). SOD (orgotein, 13 mg/Kg body weight wa...

Mutations in the Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) gene are responsible for a familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In humans and experimental models, death of motor neurons is preceded by formation of cytoplasmic aggregates containing mutant SOD-1 protein. In our previous studies, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) prolonged viability of cultured motor neurons expressing mutant human SOD...

Excess superoxide has been implicated in pulmonary hypertension (PH). We previously found lung overexpression of the antioxidant extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) attenuates PH and pulmonary artery (PA) remodeling. Although comprising a small fraction of total SOD activity in most tissues, EC-SOD is abundant in arteries. We hypothesize that the selective loss of vascular EC-SOD promot...

Mutations in CuZn-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) have been linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and motor neurone death is caused by the gain of a toxic property of the mutant protein. Here we determined amounts, activity and molecular forms of CuZn-SOD in CSF from ALS patients carrying the D90A and other CuZn-SOD mutations and patients without such mutations. There were no ...

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) catalyzes the dismutation of the biologically toxic superoxide anion into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide and is deployed by the immune system to kill invading microorganisms. Extracellular SOD (EC-SOD) is a copper- and zinc-containing glycoprotein found predominantly in the soluble extracellular compartment that consists of approximately 30-kDa subunits. Here, we purifi...

Genetic variability in 36 populations of Messor structor (Latreille, 1798) from Bulgaria was studied using analysis of two enzymic systems corresponding to four loci (Sod-1, Sod-2, Sod-3 and Me-1). Three of the studied loci were found to be polymorphic. One of them was found to be monomorphic (Sod-3). One to three alleles were detected for the different isozymic systems: one allele at Sod-3 loc...

Extracellular-superoxide dismutase [EC 1.15.1.1] (EC-SOD) is a secretory glycoprotein with high affinity for heparin. This enzyme locates in blood vessel walls at a high enough level to suppress oxidative stress under normal conditions. EC-SOD is the major SOD isozyme in plasma, anchored to heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the glycocalyx of endothelial cell surfaces. Plasma EC-SOD is heterogene...