Increased oxidative stress plays an important role in heavy ion radiation-induced cell death. The mechanism involved in the generation of elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) is not fully illustrated. Here we show that NADPH oxidase activation is closely related to heavy ion radiation-induced cell death via excessive ROS generation. Cell death and cellular ROS can be greatly reduced in irradi...

Superoxide anion (O2-*) production is elevated in sympathetic ganglion neurons and in the vasculature of hypertensive animals; however, it is not known what enzymatic pathway(s) are responsible for O2-* production. To determine the pathway(s) of O2-* production in sympathetic neurons, we examined the presence of mRNA of NADPH oxidase subunits in sympathetic ganglionic neurons and differentiated...

Neutrophils play an essential role in the body's innate defense against pathogens and are one of the primary mediators of the inflammatory response. To defend the host, neutrophils use a wide range of microbicidal products, such as oxidants, microbicidal peptides, and lytic enzymes. The generation of microbicidal oxidants by neutrophils results from the activation of a multiprotein enzyme compl...

BACKGROUND We recently demonstrated that homocysteine (Hcys) increases superoxide (O2-) production via NADH/NADPH oxidase in renal mesangial cells. This O2- production contributes to increased expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) and consequent deposition of collagen in response to Hcys. However, the mechanism by which Hcys activates NADH/NADPH oxidase remains unknown. G...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We examined the importance of NADPH-oxidase in reactive oxygen species production in cerebral arteries and its effect on vascular tone in vivo. Furthermore, we investigated whether chronic hypertension affects function or expression of this enzyme in cerebral vessels. METHODS Superoxide generation was detected in isolated rat basilar arteries with the use of lucigenin-e...

An important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, which on activation induces superoxide production via oxidation in the mitochondria, inflammation and stress; such ROS are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, including neuropathy. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatments are applied various diseases in...

We have shown previously that electrically induced tachycardia effectively produces myocardial preconditioning. Among other effects, tachycardia increases calcium release rates in microsomal fractions enriched in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) isolated from dog cardiac ventricular muscle. Here, we report that preconditioning tachycardia increased twofold the NADPH oxidase activity of isolated SR-e...

Recent clinical studies found a strong association of colonic inflammation and Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-like phenotype with NonAlcoholic Fatty liver Disease (NAFLD) yet the mechanisms remain unknown. The present study identifies high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) as a key mediator of intestinal inflammation in NAFLD and outlines a detailed redox signaling mechanism for such a pathway. NA...

OBJECTIVE We assessed whether alpha1-adrenoreceptor (alpha1-AR) stimulation contributes to activation of myocardial NADPH oxidase in a rat model of cocaine-induced cardiac dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS After 7 days of cocaine injection (2 x 7.5 mg/kg/day, i.p., Coc), NADPH activity assessed by chemiluminescence increases as well as phosphorylation of p47phox, one of the cytosolic component...