title: Altered arachidonic acid biosynthesis and antioxidant protection mechanisms in Schwann cells grown in elevated glucose.
abstract: In cultured Schwann cells, elevated glucose induces alterations in arachidonic acid metabolism that cause a decrease in the content of glycerophospholipid arachidonoyl-containing molecular species (ACMS). This could result from decreased de novo arachidonic acid biosynthesis, or increased arachidonic acid release from phospholipids. Incorporation of radioactive 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid into ACMS was lower for cells grown in 30 mm versus 5 mm glucose, consistent with a decrease in delta5 desaturase activity. However, neither basal arachidonic acid release from prelabeled cells nor stimulated generation of arachidonic acid in the presence of the reacylation inhibitor, thimerosal, the phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, bipyridyl peroxovanadium, or both together, were altered by varying the glucose concentrations, indicating that arachidonic acid turnover did not contribute to ACMS depletion. Free cytosolic NAD+ /NADH decreased, whereas NADP+ /NADPH remained unchanged for cells grown in elevated glucose, implying that decreased desaturase activity is a result of metabolic changes other than cofactor availability. Schwann cells in elevated glucose were susceptible to oxidative stress, as shown by increased malondialdehyde, depleted glutathione levels, and reduced cytosolic superoxide dismutase activity. Glutathione-altering compounds had no effect on ACMS levels, in contrast to N -acetylcysteine and alpha-lipoic acid, which partly corrected ACMS depletion in phosphatidylcholine. These findings suggest that in the Schwann cell cultures, a high glucose level elicits oxidative stress and weakens antioxidant protection mechanisms which could decrease arachidonic acid biosynthesis and that this deficit can be partly corrected by treatment with exogenous antioxidants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA.
authors.forename: Cristinel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mîinea
authors.forename: Rejji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuruvilla
authors.forename: Houra
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Merrikh
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eichberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D009243:NAD / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D011498:Protein Precursors; D009243:NAD; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D005978:Glutathione; D005947:Glucose