title: Ascorbate-dependent enhancement of nitric oxide formation in activated macrophages.
abstract: Macrophages activated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cytokines produce nitric oxide through the induction of iNOS gene expression. Ascorbate increased NOx (nitrite and nitrate) formation by approximately 40% in a mouse macrophage-like cell line, J774.1, activated with LPS and interferon-gamma. Ascorbate alone exhibited no inductive activity toward NO formation. N(G)-Monomethyl-L-arginine inhibited nitrite formation in cells activated in the presence or absence of ascorbate. Northern and Western blotting analyses showed that both iNOS mRNA and protein steady-state levels were increased approximately twofold in cells activated in the presence of ascorbate compared to in cells activated only with the inducers. These data suggest that ascorbate increased NO production by increasing the amount of iNOS in the activated macrophages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Nagoya University, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Torii
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hitomi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsukagoshi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005978:Glutathione / Q000494:pharmacology; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse; D005978:Glutathione; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D004229:Dithiothreitol; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide