title: Xanthine oxido-reductase activity in ischemic human and rat intestine.
abstract: We measured time course and extent of xanthine dehydrogenase (XD) to xanthine oxidase (XO) conversion in ischemic human and rat intestine. To model normothermic no-flow ischemia, we incubated fresh biopsies for 0, 2, 4, 8 and 16h. At t = 0h, XO was less in humans than in rats (P < 0.0004), while XD was essentially the same (P = NS). After 16h incubation at 37 degrees C, there was no appreciable XD-to-XO conversion and no change in neither XO nor XD activity in human intestine. In contrast, the rat intestine had XO/(XO + XD) ratio doubled in the first 2h and then maintained that value until t = 16 h. In conclusion, no XO-to-XD conversion was appreciable after 16 h no-flow normothermic ischemia in human intestine; in contrast, XO activity in rats increased sharply after the onset of ischemia. An immunohistochemical labelling study shows that, whereas XO + XD expression in liver tissue is localised in both hepatocytes and endothelial cells, in the intestine that expression is mostly localised in epithelial cells. We conclude that XO may be considered as a major source of reactive oxygen species in rats but not in humans.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia e Odontoiatria, University of Milan, San Paolo Hospital, via di Rudini' 8-20142 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bianciardi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scorza
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghilardi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samaja
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003106:Colon / Q000098:blood supply / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007511:Ischemia / Q000201:enzymology; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014968:Xanthine Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014968:Xanthine Dehydrogenase; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase