著者

Takato Hara Reina Kumagai Tohru Tanaka Tsuyoshi Nakano Tomoya Fujie Yasuyuki Fujiwara Chika Yamamoto Toshiyuki Kaji

出版者

The Japanese Society of Toxicology

雑誌

The Journal of Toxicological Sciences (ISSN:03881350)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.48, no.12, pp.655-663, 2023 (Released:2023-12-01)

参考文献数

39

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Vascular endothelial cell growth is essential for the repair of intimal injury. Perlecan, a large heparan sulfate proteoglycan, intensifies fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) signaling as a co-receptor for FGF-2 and its receptor, and promotes the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells. Previously, we reported that 2 µM of lead, a toxic heavy metal, downregulated perlecan core protein expression and then suppressed the growth of vascular endothelial cells. However, since the mechanisms involved in the repression of perlecan by lead remains unclear, we analyzed its detailed signaling pathway using cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. Our findings indicate that 2 µM of lead inhibited protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity and induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) via phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its downstream extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2). In addition, among the prostanoids regulated by COX-2, prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) specifically contributes to the downregulation of perlecan expression by lead. This study revealed an intracellular pathway—the EGFR-ERK1/2-COX-2-PGI2 pathway activated by inhibition of PTP by lead—as a pathway that downregulates endothelial perlecan synthesis. The pathway is suggested to serve as a mechanism for the repression of perlecan expression, which leads to a delay in cell proliferation by lead.

著者

Tomoya Fujie Ayumi Muraoka Keisuke Ito Yusuke Ozaki Chika Yamamoto Toshiyuki Kaji

出版者

The Japanese Society of Toxicology

雑誌

The Journal of Toxicological Sciences (ISSN:03881350)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.47, no.11, pp.493-501, 2022 (Released:2022-11-01)

参考文献数

35

被引用文献数

4

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Lead (Pb) is an environmental pollutant that adversely affects various organs in the human body and is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, caused by the dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells that cover the luminal surface of the blood vessels. The Zrt- and Irt-like related protein (ZIP) transporter ZIP8 is one of the primary importers of zinc, iron, manganese, and cadmium, and its expression appears to be important for the metabolism of these metals. In the present study, we investigated the influence of ZIP8 on Pb-induced cytotoxicity in vascular endothelial cells, induction of ZIP8 expression by Pb, and its mechanism of action in vascular endothelial cells. The study revealed the following: (1) Pb cytotoxicity in vascular endothelial cells was potentiated by the knockdown of ZIP8, but the intracellular accumulation of Pb in the cells remain unaffected; (2) Pb induced the expression of ZIP8; (3) the induction of ZIP8 expression by Pb was mediated by nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway; and (4) Pb activated p38, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), but the activation of these MAPKs was not involved in the induction of ZIP8 by Pb. Therefore, the study shows that Pb induces the expression of endothelial ZIP8 and this induction appears to be involved in the protection against Pb cytotoxicity by intracellular Pb accumulation independent mechanisms.

著者

Musubu Takahashi Ayaka Kubota Tomoya Fujie Yasuhiro Shinkai Yoshito Kumagai Tsuyoshi Nakano Takato Hara Chika Yamamoto Toshiyuki Kaji

出版者

The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan

雑誌

BPB Reports (ISSN:2434432X)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.4, no.6, pp.175-181, 2021 (Released:2021-11-12)

参考文献数

27

被引用文献数

2

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Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) regulates several vascular endothelial cell functions, including proliferation. It has been suggested that the regulation may be modulated by reactive sulfur species (RSS), which are hydrogen sulfide and biomolecules containing persulfide/polysulfide groups. Since RSS promote vascular endothelial cell proliferation, we hypothesized that FGF-2 regulates the levels of RSS-producing enzymes in the cells. Bovine aortic endothelial cells were cultured and treated with FGF-2, and intracellular RSS levels were determined. The expression of RSS-producing enzymes, cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), cystathionine β-synthase, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase, and cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase 2, was evaluated, and the intracellular signaling pathway that mediates FGF-2 regulation of RSS accumulation was investigated. We revealed that FGF-2 upregulates the expression of RSS by selectively inducing CSE via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway in vascular endothelial cells. The effect of FGF-2 on the function of vascular endothelial cells may be modulated by intracellular RSS, especially higher-molecular-mass RSS such as protein persulfide, the levels of which are increased by the growth factor.

著者

Musubu Takahashi Ruri Iwai Ryoko Takasawa Tsuyoshi Nakano Tomoya Fujie Takato Hara Yasushi Hara Chika Yamamoto Toshiyuki Kaji

出版者

The Japanese Society of Toxicology

雑誌

The Journal of Toxicological Sciences (ISSN:03881350)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.46, no.7, pp.341-344, 2021 (Released:2021-07-01)

参考文献数

11

被引用文献数

3

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Reactive sulfur species (RSS) include biological persulfide molecules that protect cells against oxidative stress and heavy metal toxicity. Vascular endothelial cells regulate blood coagulation and fibrinolytic activity, and prevent vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that RSS protect vascular endothelial cells not only from nonspecific cell damage but also from specific functional damage through regulation of specific cell functions. In the present study, cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells were treated with sodium trisulfide, a sulfane sulfur donor, and both [3H]thymidine incorporation and effects on cell cycle were analyzed. These results suggest that RSS stimulate vascular endothelial cell proliferation. RSS may reduce the functional cytotoxicity of antiproliferative agents.

著者

Yo Shinoda Yuta Yamada Eiko Yoshida Tsutomu Takahashi Yayoi Tsuneoka Komyo Eto Toshiyuki Kaji Yasuyuki Fujiwara

出版者

The Japanese Society of Toxicology

雑誌

The Journal of Toxicological Sciences (ISSN:03881350)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.46, no.6, pp.303-309, 2021 (Released:2021-06-01)

参考文献数

52

被引用文献数

1

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Methylmercury (MeHg), the causal substrate in Minamata disease, can lead to severe and chronic neurological disorders. The main symptom of Minamata disease is sensory impairment in the four extremities; however, the sensitivity of individual sensory modalities to MeHg has not been investigated extensively. In the present study, we performed stimulus-response behavioral experiments in MeHg-exposed rats to compare the sensitivities to pain, heat, cold, and mechanical sensations. MeHg (6.7 mg/kg/day) was orally administered to 9-week-old Wistar rats for 5 days and discontinued for 2 days, then administered daily for another 5 days. The four behavioral experiments were performed daily on each rat from the beginning of MeHg treatment for 68 days. The pain sensation decreased significantly from day 11 onwards, but recovered to control levels on day 48. Other sensory modalities were not affected by MeHg exposure. These findings suggest that the pain sensation is the sensory modality most susceptive to MeHg toxicity and that this sensitivity is reversible following discontinuation of the exposure.