Ceramides are known to play a major regulatory role in apoptosis by inducing cytochrome c release from mitochondria. We have previously reported that C(2)- and C(16)-ceramide, but not dihydroceramide, form large channels in planar membranes (Siskind, L. J., and Colombini, M. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 38640-38644). Here we show that ceramides do not trigger a cytochrome c secretion or release m...

Although the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality induced by cigarette smoking exceed those attributable to lung cancer, the molecular basis of smoking-induced vascular injury remains unclear. To test the link between cigarette smoke, oxidative stress, and vascular inflammation, rats were exposed to the smoke of five cigarettes per day (for 1 wk). Also, isolated arteries were exposed to cigar...

Cigarette smoke represents the major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) alter TLR4 expression and activation in bronchial epithelial cells. Carbocysteine, an anti-oxidant and mucolytic agent, is effective in reducing the severity and the rate of exacerbations in COPD patients. The effects of carbocysteine on TLR4 expression and on the TL...

Caspases, a family of specific proteases, have central roles in apoptosis [1]. Caspase activation in response to diverse apoptotic stimuli involves the relocalisation of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytoplasm where it stimulates the proteolytic processing of caspase precursors. Cytochrome c release is controlled by members of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulators [2] [3]. The anti-a...

To investigate the effects ofellagic acid (EA) on the cytotoxicity, B-lymphocytes isolated from CLL patients and healthy individuals. Flow cytometric assay was used to measure the percentage of apoptosis versus necrosis, intracellular active oxygen radicals (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the caspase-3 activity and then mitochondria were isolated from both groups B-lymphocytes...

Cytochrome c release from mitochondria has been described to be related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. With ROS generation being increased in fatty liver from sucrose-fed (SF) rats, we hypothesized that cytochrome c release might be positively associated with H2O2 generation from SF mitochondria. Surprisingly, cytochrome c release from mitochondria of SF liver was found to be sign...

Inflammation involves in many cigarette smoke (CS) related diseases including the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lung epithelial cell released IL-8 plays a crucial role in CS induced lung inflammation. CS and cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) both induce IL-8 secretion and subsequently, IL-8 recruits inflammatory cells into the lung parenchyma. However, the molecular and cellular me...

A direct kinetic analysis is presented of rapid proton-releasing reactions at the outer or C-side of the membrane, in ox heart and rat liver mitochondria, associated with aerobic oxidation of reduced terminal respiratory carriers in the presence of antimycin. Valinomycin plus K+ enhances the rate of cytochrome c oxidation and the rate and extent of H+ release. In the presence of valinomycin the...

Arsenic exposure mainly through food and water has been shown to be associated with increased incidence of numerous cancers and non-cancer harmful health. It is also used in cancer chemotherapy and treatment of several cancer types due to its apoptogenic effects in the various cancer and normal cell lines. We have already reported that liver is the storage site and important target organ in As ...

We investigated cytochrome c release kinetics in response to three apoptosis-inducing agents (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, staurosporine, and valinomycin) in MCF-7/Casp-3 cells stably transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged cytochrome c. All three agents induced significant caspase activation in the cultures determined by monitoring the cleavage of fluorigenic caspase ...