title: The role of intracellular oxidation in death induction (apoptosis and necrosis) in human promonocytic cells treated with stress inducers (cadmium, heat, X-rays).
abstract: Treatment of U-937 human promonocytic cells with the stress inducers cadmium chloride (2 h at 200 microM), heat (2 h at 42.5 C) or X-rays (20 Gy), followed by recovery, caused death by apoptosis and stimulated caspase-3 activity. In addition, all stress agents caused intracellular oxidation, as measured by peroxide and/or anion superoxide accumulation. However, while pre-incubation with antioxidants (N-acetyl-L-cysteine or butylated hydroxyanisole) inhibited the induction of apoptosis by cadmium and X-rays, it did not affect the induction by heat-shock. Pre-incubation for 24 h with the GSH-depleting agent L-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine (BSO) switched the mode of death from apoptosis to necrosis in cadmium-treated cells. By contrast, BSO only caused minor modifacions in the rate of apoptosis without affecting the mode of death in heat- and X-rays-treated cells. BSO potentiated peroxide accumulation in cells treated with both cadmium and X-rays. However, while the accumulation of peroxides was stable in the case of cadmium, it was transient in the case of X-rays. Moreover, the administration of antioxidants during the recovery period sufficed to prevent necrosis and restore apoptosis in BSO plus cadmium-treated cells. Cadmium and X-rays caused a decrease in intracellular ATP levels, but the decrease was similar in both apoptotic and necrotic cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that (i) stress inducers cause intracellular oxidation, but oxidation is not a general requirement for apoptosis; and (ii) the duration of the oxidant state seems to be critical in determining the mode of death.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galán
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García-Bermejo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Troyano
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Vilaboa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Blas
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aller
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000963:Antimetabolites / Q000494:pharmacology; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D019328:Buthionine Sulfoximine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D005452:Fluoresceins; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D009336:Necrosis; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D020298:U937 Cells; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D000963:Antimetabolites; D000975:Antioxidants; D005452:Fluoresceins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C029569:diacetyldichlorofluorescein; D019328:Buthionine Sulfoximine; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D020169:Caspases; D019256:Cadmium Chloride