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(The FASEB Journal. 1999;13:1157-1168.)
© 1999 FASEB

New developments in the isoprostane pathway: identification of novel highly reactive {gamma}-ketoaldehydes (isolevuglandins) and characterization of their protein adducts

L. JACKSON ROBERTS, II*1, ROBERT G. SALOMON{dagger}, JASON D. MORROW* and CYNTHIA J. BRAME*

* Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232-6602, USA; and
{dagger} Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA

1Correspondence: Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-6602, USA. E-mail: jack.roberts{at}mcmail.vanderbilt.edu


   ABSTRACT
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ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
RECENT RESULTS
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS/DIRECTIONS...
REFERENCES
 
The bicyclic endoperoxide prostaglandin (PG) H2 undergoes nonenzymatic rearrangement not only to PGE2 and PGD2, but also to levuglandins (LG) E2 and D2, which are highly reactive {gamma}-ketoaldehydes. Isoprostanes (IsoPs) are PG-like compounds that are produced by nonenzymatic peroxidation of arachidonic acid. PGH2-like endoperoxides are intermediates in this pathway. Therefore, we explored whether the IsoP endoperoxides also undergo rearrangement to form IsoLGs. Oxidation of arachidonic acid in vitro resulted in the formation of abundant quantities of compounds that were established to be IsoLGs by using mass spectrometric analyses. However, the formation of IsoLGs could not be detected in biological systems subjected to an oxidant stress. We hypothesized that this was due to extremely rapid adduction of IsoLGs to proteins. This notion was supported by the finding that LGE2 adducted to albumin at a rate that exceeded that of 4-hydroxynonenal by several orders of magnitude: >50% of LGE2 had adducted within 20 s. We therefore undertook to characterize the nature of LG adducts. Using liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, we established that LGs form oxidized pyrrole adducts (lactams and hydroxylactams) with the {varepsilon}-amino group of lysine. Oxidation of low density lipoprotein resulted in readily detectable IsoLG adducts on apolipoprotein B after enzymatic digestion of the protein to individual amino acids. These studies identify a novel class of ketoaldehydes produced by the IsoP pathway that form covalent protein adducts at a rate that greatly exceeds that of other known aldehyde products of lipid peroxidation. Elucidation of the nature of the adducts formed by IsoLGs provides the basis to explore the formation of IsoLGs in vivo and investigate the potential biological ramifications of their formation in settings of oxidant injury.—Roberts, L. J., II, Salomon, R. G., Morrow, J. D., Brame, C. J. New developments in the isoprostane pathway: identification of novel highly reactive {gamma}-ketoaldehydes (isolevuglandins) and characterization of their protein adducts.


Key Words: free radical • oxidant injury • lipid peroxidation • aldehyde


   BACKGROUND
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ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
RECENT RESULTS
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS/DIRECTIONS...
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IN 1990, WE REPORTED the discovery of prostaglandin (PG)2 (1) F2-like compounds, now termed F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs), which are produced in vivo by nonenzymatic free radical-induced peroxidation of arachidonic acid (1) . We subsequently demonstrated that F2-IsoPs are initially formed in situ esterified to phospholipids and subsequently released in free form by a phospholipase(s) (2) . F2-IsoPs are present in readily detectable levels in all normal animal and human biological fluids and tissues. This indicates a level of ongoing lipid peroxidation in the normal state that is incompletely suppressed by the elaborate system of antioxidant defenses that have evolved to prevent oxidative damage.

Although the archetypical compounds discovered to be formed by this mechanism contained an F-type prostane ring, subsequent studies have greatly expanded the number of different types of compounds that can be formed as products of the IsoP pathway. Central to the formation of IsoPs are intermediate PGH2-like bicyclic endoperoxides. F2-IsoPs are formed by reduction of the endoperoxides. Recently we reported that glutathione is an important effector of this reduction (3) . However, endoperoxides are unstable in aqueous solution, and if not efficiently reduced will undergo rearrangement. In this regard, we have reported that PGE2-like and PGD2-like compounds (E2/D2-IsoPs) and thromboxane-like compounds (isothromboxanes) are formed in vivo as rearrangement products of the IsoP endoperoxides (Fig. 1 ) (4 , 5) .



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Figure 1. IsoP pathway leading to the formation of F-ring IsoPs by reduction of IsoP endoperoxides and formation of E-ring, D-ring, and thromboxane-ring compounds by rearrangement of IsoP endoperoxides.

The importance of the discovery of IsoPs encompasses two areas. One is the use of measurements of F2-IsoPs to assess oxidative stress status in vivo. The second relates to the biological actions exerted by IsoPs that may be relevant in mediating some of the effects of oxidant injury. Measuring F2-IsoPs has emerged as one of the most valuable and reliable approaches to assess lipid peroxidation in vivo. Using measurements of F2-IsoPs has implicated a role for free radicals in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of disease processes. As this report will focus on recent developments related to the IsoPs, readers are referred to recent reviews that discuss in some detail various diseases in which a role for oxidant injury has been suggested by a finding of overproduction of F2-IsoPs and the currently known biological actions of IsoPs (6 7 8 9) .

As mentioned above, central in the pathway of formation of IsoPs are the IsoP endoperoxides, which are reduced to form F2-IsoPs but also undergo rearrangement in vivo. It had been shown in the 1970s that PGH2 undergoes rearrangement in aqueous buffers to form PGE2 and PGD2 with a t1/2 of ~5 min (10) . In 1984, Salomon also discovered that PGH2 rearranges to form acyclic {gamma}-ketoaldehydes at about a 20% yield (11) . These compounds have been termed levuglandin (LG) E2 and D2 because of their structural similarity to levulinaldehyde. Interest in LGs stems from the fact that they have been found to be remarkably reactive molecules that rapidly adduct to proteins and also undergo further reaction to form extensive protein/protein and protein/DNA cross-links (12 13 14 15) . In light of the fact that IsoP endoperoxides undergo rearrangement in vivo, we explored whether LG-like compounds are formed as products of the IsoP pathway, which we propose to term IsoLGs. In the IsoP pathway, four endoperoxide regioisomers are formed, each comprised of eight racemic diastereomers for a total of 64 compounds (Fig. 1) . We hypothesized that the endoperoxides could undergo rearrangement to form IsoLGs as outlined in Fig. 2 . As noted, four IsoLGD2 and four IsoLGE2 regioisomers are formed, each of which is theoretically comprised of four racemic diastereomers. According to the nomenclature system for IsoPs approved by the Eicosanoid Nomenclature Committee, sanctioned by JCBN of IUPAC, the four regioisomers shown are designated by the carbon number on which the side chain hydroxyl is located (16) .



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Figure 2. Predicted pathway of formation of IsoLGD2 and IsoLGE2 compounds. Four IsoLGE2 and IsoLGD2 regioisomers are formed, each theoretically comprised of four racemic diastereomers.


   RECENT RESULTS
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ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
RECENT RESULTS
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REFERENCES
 
Initially we explored whether we could detect the formation of IsoLGs during oxidation of arachidonic acid in vitro. Arachidonic acid (5 mg) was oxidized using a mixture of FeCl3 (1 mM)/ADP (200 mM)/ascorbate (100 mM) in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at 37°C for 6 h. Compounds were then converted to O-methyloxime derivatives by addition of 3% methoxamine and incubated for 45 min at room temperature. The sample was acidified to pH 3, loaded onto a C-18 SepPak cartridge, and washed sequentially with 10 ml pH 3 water, 10 ml heptane/ethyl acetate (99:1,v/v); compounds were eluted with 10 ml of heptane/ethyl acetate (1:1,v/v). The compounds were then converted to a pentafluorobenzyl (PFB) ester derivative by treatment with 40 µl of 10% pentafluorobenzyl bromide in acetonitrile and 20 µl of 10% diisopropylethylamine in acetonitrile for 20 min at 37°C. Synthetic LGE2 was converted to a bis [2H3] O-methyloxime, PFB ester derivative and 1–4 ng was added to the sample as an internal standard. Compounds were then subjected to thin-layer chromatography using a solvent system of heptane/ethyl acetate (60:40, v/v). Compounds migrating 2 cm above and 0.5 cm below the bis O-methyloxime, PFB ester derivative of LGE2 were then converted to a trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether derivative by treatment with 10 µl dimethylformamide and 10 µl of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) negative ion chemical ionization (NICI) mass spectrometry (MS). The M-·CH2C6F5 (M-181) ions m/z 481 and 487 were monitored for IsoLGs and the [2H6] LGE2 internal standard, respectively. The results obtained are shown in Fig. 3 . In the lower m/z 487 ion current chromatogram are seen the incompletely resolved 4 syn and ante O-methyloxime isomers of the internal standard. In the top m/z 481 ion current chromatogram are seen a series of unresolved peaks with a similar retention time as the internal standard, consistent with the presence of IsoLGs.



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Figure 3. Selected ion current chromatograms obtained from GC/NICI/MS analysis for IsoLGs formed during oxidation of arachidonic acid in vitro. The compounds were analyzed as a PFB ester, O-methyloxime, TMS ether derivative. The [M-·CH2C6F5]- ion m/z 481was monitored for IsoLGs and the corresponding ion at m/z 487 was monitored for the bis [2H3] O-methyloxime derivative of synthetic LGE2, which was added as an internal standard.

Additional experiments were then carried out to further confirm that the m/z 481 peaks detected during oxidation of arachidonic acid represented IsoLGs. First, all of the m/z 481 peaks disappeared and shifted upward 6 Da when analyzed as a [2H3] O-methyloxmine derivative, indicating the presence of two carbonyl groups (not shown). Further, all of the m/z 481 peaks disappeared and shifted upward 9 Da when analyzed as a [2H9] TMS ether derivative, indicating the presence of a single hydroxyl group (not shown). Finally, the compounds were then analyzed by GC/electron impact ionization (EI)/MS after partial purification by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The mixture of compounds was converted to O-methyloxime derivatives and then subjected to HPLC using a solvent system of 45% acetonitrile in water with 0.1% acetic acid run at 1 ml/min, 1 ml fractions. Aliquots of fractions collected were analyzed by GC/NICI/MS to detect where the putative IsoLGs eluted. IsoLGs were detected eluting over ~30 fractions. Eight fractions that eluted with a retention volume of ~30 ml contained a high concentration of IsoLGs and were pooled and converted to a PFB ester, TMS ether derivative for analysis by EI/MS.

A mass spectrum obtained from this analysis is shown in Fig. 4 B. Shown in Fig. 4A is a mass spectrum of synthetic LGE2. Notable are the striking similarities in the high mass ions present and their relative abundance in the two mass spectra. Intense high mass ions are present at m/z 662 (M+); m/z 631 (M-31), loss of ·OCH3 from a methoxamine group; m/z 591 (M-71), loss of ·CH2(CH2)3CH3 from the lower side chain; m/z 559 (M-71–32), loss of 71 + HOCH3; m/z 541 (M-90–31), loss of Me3SiOH + 31; m/z 501 (M-90–71); m/z 489 (M-173), loss of ·CH2(OSiMe3)(CH2)4CH3 from the lower side chain. The origin of the ion at m/z 418 is unclear but is present in both mass spectra. Key fragment ions are present in the mass spectrum of synthetic LGE2 at m/z 392 and 270, arising from fragmentation between C8 and C12, representing the upper and lower side chains, respectively. The material obtained for this mass spectral analysis was only partially purified. Less abundant ions are present at both m/z 270 and m/z 392 in the IsoLG mass spectrum, which would be consistent with the presence of a 15 series IsoLGE2 compound as a minor component. The base ion in the IsoLG mass spectrum is m/z 284. This ion would be consistent with the lower portion of an IsoLGD2 compound. An ion representing the upper portion of the molecule, as is seen in the mass spectrum of synthetic LGE2, is not present in this mass spectrum. Possible reasons for the absence of this ion include different relative abundances of these two ions in different IsoLG isomers or in IsoLGD2 compared with IsoLGE2 compounds. The ions resulting from fragmentation adjacent to the lower chain TMS ether carbon indicate that the IsoLGD2 compound is a 15-series regioisomer.



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Figure 4. El mass spectra obtained from the analysis of synthetic LGE2 (A) and partially purified IsoLGs (B) as a PFB, O-methyloxime, TMS ether derivative. See text for details of the interpretation of specific ions.

To explore the quantitative potential importance of the formation of IsoLGs, we compared the amount of IsoLGs formed during oxidation of arachidonic acid with that of F2-IsoPs and D2/E2-IsoPs (Fig. 5 ). The IsoPs were measured by GC/NICI/MS, as described, except that integration of all peaks was used for quantification (4 , 17) . Of interest was that the amount of IsoLGs formed was only slightly less than the amount of D2/E2-IsoPs formed and slightly exceeded the amount of F2-IsoPs formed. This suggests that IsoLGs can be formed in quantities that may have biological relevance.



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Figure 5. Comparison of the relative amounts of IsoLGs, D2/E2-IsoPs, and F2-IsoPs formed after oxidation of 5 mg of arachidonic acid in vitro for 4 h with iron/ADP/ascorbate.

We then sought to assess the formation of IsoLGs in biological systems in vitro and in vivo in plasma and urine, during oxidation of liver microsomes and low density lipoproteins (LD)L, and in liver after administration of CCl4 to rats. However, in none of these were we able to detect the formation of IsoLGs, even though there was a dramatic increase in the formation of IsoPs during oxidation of microsomes and low density lipoproteins (LDL) and in CCl4-treated rats, as previously reported (1 , 18 , 19) . Given the abundant amounts of IsoLGs formed during oxidation of arachidonic acid in vitro, this was unexpected. However, there was one fundamental difference between the conditions present in these experiments and those in which arachidonic acid was oxidized in vitro, namely, the presence of proteins. Therefore, we hypothesized that the failure to detect free IsoLGs in the biological systems may be explained if, once formed, they adduct to proteins with extraordinary rapidity.

To gain support for this hypothesis, we assessed the time course of adduction of LGE2 to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein and compared this with the rate of adduction of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). We thought that comparing the rates of adduction of LGE2 with 4-HNE would be informative since 4-HNE is considered one of the most reactive products of lipid peroxidation that has been identified, yet free 4-HNE can be detected in biological fluids and tissues containing protein (20) . In these experiments, 0.1 mM LGE2 and 0.1 mM 4-HNE were incubated in 5 ml of HBSS containing 20 mg/ml of BSA. Adduction of LGE2 and 4-HNE was assessed by monitoring the fall in free levels over time in aliquots removed from the incubation. Free LGE2 was measured by GC/NICI/MS as described previously and free 4-HNE was measured by colorimetric assay (Oxis International, Portland, Oreg.). The results obtained were revealing (Fig. 6 ). Levels of free LGE2 fell precipitously during the initial 60 s; more than 50% had adducted within the first 20 s. In striking contrast, ~50% of 4-HNE still remained unadducted after 1 h. The rate of adduction of 4-HNE observed in these experiments agrees closely with that reported previously (21) . This indicated that the rate of adduction of LGE2 to proteins exceeds that of 4-HNE by several orders of magnitude. It should be pointed out that a small amount of free LGE2 remained detectable even at the later time points. This can likely be explained by the presence of a small amount of LGE2 in which the lower side chain double bond had migrated from the {Delta}13 position to the {Delta}12 position. This double bond migration decreases the reactivity of the compound and can be catalyzed by ions in the incubation buffer (22) , but analysis by GC/MS cannot distinguish between these two species.



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Figure 6. Comparison of the relative rates of covalent adduction of LGE2 and 4-HNE to BSA. The formation of adducts was assessed by monitoring the disappearance of free compounds (closed circles for 4-HNE and open circles for LGE2) over time and expressed as the amount of free compound present prior to the addition of BSA. The proposed explanation for why the levels of LGE2 do not fall to undetectable levels but plateau between 5 and 10% of the amount of LGE2 present at time zero is discussed in the text.

Given the remarkable rapidity with which LGs adduct to proteins, we undertook studies to identify the nature of LG adducts by using liquid chromatography (LC)/electrospray ionization (ESI)/MS. Salomon and colleagues had shown that LGE2 formed a pyrrole adduct with the {varepsilon}-amine of lysine (23) . Adduction to the {varepsilon}-amino group rather than the {alpha}-amino group is highly favored because the {epsilon}-amine is much more reactive (24) and is the most abundant amine available on proteins. After incubation of approximately a 1:1 mixture of LGE2 with lysine for up to 4 h at 37°C in phosphate-buffered saline, adducts were loaded onto a C-18 SepPak cartridge, washed sequentially with 10 ml of water, 10 ml of heptane, and then eluted with 10 ml of heptane:ethyl acetate (1:1). Compounds were analyzed by LC/ESI/MS in the positive ion mode using a 2.1 x 150 mm C18 column (Waters Associates, Milford, Mass.) and a solvent system consisting of a gradient of water:acetonitrile gradient (3%/min; hold 5 min) at 0.2 ml/min. Full scanning analysis did not reveal the predicted [MH]+ ion for the lysyl LGE2 pyrrole (m/z 463), but did reveal intense ions 16 and 32 Da higher at m/z 479 and m/z 495. Shown in Fig. 7 are selected ion current chromatograms of m/z 479 and m/z 495 obtained from an analysis of an incubation of LGE2 with lysine. Of potential relevance to this finding is that pyrroles have been shown to undergo autoxidation to form lactams and hydroxylactams with molecular masses 16 and 32 Da higher than the corresponding pyrrole (25) . The mechanism of autoxidation of pyrroles is depicted in Fig. 8 . More than a single m/z 479 and m/z 495 peak is seen in Fig. 7 , consistent with the fact that autoxidation of the pyrrole would not be stereoselective and that the C-15 hydroxyl group in synthetic LGE2 is racemic. Consistent with a facile autoxidation of the LGE2 pyrrole is that Salomon and colleagues found the pyrrole to highly unstable unless it was derivatized or oxygen was rigorously excluded (23) . To support the notion that the m/z 479 and m/z 495 peaks represented lactam and hydroxylactam adducts derived from oxidation of the pyrrole, we carried out incubations under argon to exclude air, and upon analysis did see an intense signal at the predicted [MH]+ for the pyrrole at m/z 463. Although this likely represented the pyrrole adduct, collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the m/z 463 ion did not yield informative daughter fragment ions that would allow a conclusive assignment of the structure of the molecule as the LGE2 pyrrole.



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Figure 7. Selected ion current chromatograms of m/z 479 and m/z 495 obtained from LC/ESI/MS analysis of adducts formed during an incubation of LGE2 with lysine.



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Figure 8. Proposed mechanism for the formation of lactams and hydroxylactams by autoxidation of pyrroles (adapted from ref 25 ).

To further structurally characterize the putative lysyl LGE2 lactam and hydroxylactam adducts, CID analyses of the respective [MH]+ ions were performed. The CID mass spectra for the lactam and hydroxylactam adducts are shown in Fig. 9 A, B, respectively. Ions were present in the CID spectrum of the lactam at m/z 461 and the hydroxylactam at m/z 477, representing the loss of one molecule of H2O, and at m/z 459 in the hydroxylactam spectrum, representing the loss of two molecules of H2O. Other prominent ions present and their proposed structures are listed in Figs. 10 and 11. Although the precise molecular mechanism involved in the formation of these ions remains speculative, the structures depicted were supported by the ion shifts noted on analysis of the corresponding adducts formed with the lysine analogs [13C6] lysine and N-{alpha}-acetyl-lysine methyl ester, as indicated in Figs. 10 and 11 .



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Figure 9. LC/ESI/MS/MS analysis of lysyl LGE2 adducts. The [MH]+ ions of the putative lactam (A) and hydroxylactam (B) adducts, m/z 479 and m/z 495, respectively, were subjected to CID and daughter ions were detected by scanning between m/z 50 and m/z 500. Interpretations of the ion structures are detailed in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 .



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Figure 10. Proposed structures for the daughter ions formed by CID of the [MH]+ ion, m/z 479, of the LGE2-lysine lactam adduct. The proposed structures of these ions were supported by the ion shifts noted on analysis of the lactam adducts formed with the lysine analogs, [13C6]-lysine and N-{alpha}-acetyl-lysine methyl ester.



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Figure 11. Proposed structures for the daughter ions formed by CID of the [MH]+ ion, m/z 495, of the LGE2 hydroxylactam adduct. The proposed structures of these ions were supported by the ion shifts noted on analysis of the hydroxylactam adducts formed with the lysine analogs, [13C6]-lysine and N-{alpha}-acetyl-lysine methyl ester.

During the course of these experiments, an additional observation highlights further the remarkable reactivity of these compounds. After incubation of LGE2 with a molar excess of [3H] lysine and subsequent analysis by HPLC, it was ascertained that the lactam and hydroxylactam adducts do not even account for the majority of adducts formed by reaction of LGE2 with lysine. In this regard, a broad slur of unresolved radioactivity was seen that eluted from the HPLC over many more fractions than the lactam and hydroxylactam adducts and was widely separated from unreacted lysine. Although this material is not amenable to analysis by the conventional approaches used in these studies, we speculate that this material represents cross-linked species.

We then used this information to assess the formation of IsoLG lysine adducts. Five milligrams of arachidonic acid was oxidized as described previously, but in the presence of 5 mg of lysine, and then analyzed by LC/ESI/MS/MS. The analysis revealed the presence of compounds with the [MH]+ ions and characteristic LC elution volumes for lysyl IsoLG lactam and hydroxylactam adducts. When the [MH]+ ions of the IsoLG lactam and hydroxylactam adducts were subjected to CID analysis (Fig. 12 ), the same daughter ions were detected as seen in CID analysis of the LGE2 lactam and hydroxylactam adducts. There is one notable difference from the analysis seen after incubation of LGE2 with lysine: the presence of additional peaks. This is consistent with the generation of multiple IsoLGE2 and IsoLGD2 isomers, which formed multiple lactam and hydroxylactam adducts upon reaction with lysine.



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Figure 12. LC/ESI/MS/MS analysis of IsoLG adducts formed during oxidation of arachidonic acid in the presence of lysine. Selected reaction monitoring of the transitions of m/z 479 (lactam adducts) and m/z 495 (hydroxylactam adducts) to the daughter ions indicated was performed. See Figs. 9 and 10 for structures of the daughter ions.

One of the major interests in reactive aldehyde products of lipid peroxidation stems from the fact that the formation of aldehydes (e.g., 4-HNE and malondialdehyde) during oxidation of LDL and their subsequent adduction to apolipoprotein B (Apo-B) are thought to be responsible for the conversion of LDL to an atherogenic form that is taken up by macrophages, resulting in the formation of foam cells (26 , 27) . As might be expected in light of the results reported here, Salomon and colleagues have demonstrated in vitro that LG adducts to LDL and converts it to an atherogenic form with an efficiency that greatly exceeds that of 4-HNE and malondialdehyde (28) . Therefore, we explored whether we could detect IsoLGE2 lactam and hydroxylactam adducts on Apo-B after oxidation of LDL in vitro. This was regarded as an informative experiment because, as mentioned previously, we were unable to detect the presence of free IsoLGs during oxidation of LDL. LDL was isolated from 10 ml of plasma from normal volunteers using a low temperature ethanol precipitation procedure (29) and oxidized with the azo initiator 2,2'-azobis(2-aminopropane) HCL (AAPH) for 4 h. The LDL was reprecipitated and delipidated (29) . The recovered apolipoprotein B protein was then treated with 0.2N NaOH for 2 h at room temperature to hydrolyze any IsoLG protein adducts that may have formed with IsoLG esterified to LDL lipids. The protein was then subjected to complete enzymatic hydrolysis to individual amino acids by sequential treatment with Pronase and leucine aminopeptidase (24) . Native LDL was treated in an identical fashion, but not subjected to oxidation. The amino acid hydrolysate from oxidized LDL and native LDL was then analyzed by LC/ESI/MS/MS. Before analysis, [13C6] lysyl IsoLG lactam and hydroxylactam adducts were added as internal standards. These were formed by oxidation of arachidonic acid in the presence of [3H]-, [13C6] lysine, purified by HPLC, and quantitated using the specific activity of the [3H] lysine. Lysyl IsoLG lactam and hydroxylactam adducts were not detected in native LDL. However, intense signals indicative of these adducts on Apo-B were present in the oxidized LDL preparation (Fig. 13 ). Approximately 1 nmol of IsoLG adduct was formed per 500 nmol Apo-B.



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Figure 13. LC/ESI/MS/MS analysis of IsoLG lysyl adducts on apolipoprotein B after oxidation of LDL. After copper-induced oxidation of LDL, the apolipoprotein B protein was enzymatically digested to individual amino acids and the hydrolysate was analyzed for lysyl-IsoLG lactam and hydroxylacatm adducts. Internal standards used were [13C6]-lactam and -hydroxylactam adducts, which were formed by oxidation of arachidonic acid in the presence of [13C6]-lysine. The hydrolysate was analyzed by selected reaction monitoring of the following transitions: m/z 495.4 to m/z 84.1(hydroxylactam adducts from oxidized LDL); m/z 501.4 to m/z 89.1 (internal standard [13C6] hydroxylactam adducts); m/z 479.4 to m/z 84.1(lactam adducts from oxidized LDL); m/z 485.4 to m/z 84.1 (internal standard [13C6] lactam adducts).


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ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
RECENT RESULTS
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS/DIRECTIONS...
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These studies were performed to determine whether IsoLGs are formed as products of the IsoP pathway and to characterize the nature of the adducts formed with proteins. With this goal in mind, we have demonstrated that IsoLGs are formed as products of the IsoP pathway in vitro and elucidated that IsoLGs form oxidized pyrrole adducts in the form of lactams and hydroxylactams. These findings are an essential first step that provides the key information necessary to begin to explore many of the unknowns related to the formation of IsoLGs in vivo and the biological consequences that ensue.

What is intriguing and fascinating about these molecules is their remarkable reactivity. As demonstrated, LGs adduct to proteins at a rate that exceeds that of 4-HNE by several orders of magnitude. This was a dramatic finding since 4-HNE had been considered to be one of the most reactive products of lipid peroxidation that has been identified (20) . 4-HNE has been thought to be responsible, at least in part, for many of the deleterious effects of oxidant injury (20) . However, the discovery that IsoLGs are formed as products of lipid peroxidation via the IsoP pathway opens numerous avenues for new scientific inquiry related to biological import of the formation of these reactive molecules in settings of oxidant injury.

The next goal is to demonstrate that IsoLGs are formed in vivo in settings of oxidant injury and determine the amounts produced. Results from preliminary experiments recently performed have suggested that large quantities of IsoLG adducts are formed in the liver of rats treated with CCl4 to induce a severe hepatocellular injury. There are interesting questions to consider regarding the formation of IsoLGs related to their remarkable reactivity that may have relevance to the potential biological alterations they may cause. As mentioned, IsoPs are initially formed in situ on phospholipids and then released in free form, presumably by phospholipases (2) . As might be expected, we have found that oxidation of 1-palmitoyl, 2-arachidonoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine results in the formation of IsoLGs esterified to the phospholipid. However, nothing is known as to whether esterified IsoLGs are substrates for mammalian phospholipases. If they are not released in free form from membrane phospholipids, the biological consequences of their formation may primarily involve functional and biophysical alterations of cellular membranes due to adduction to membrane proteins while esterified to phospholipids. Modification of key membrane proteins by IsoLG adduction, such as receptor proteins, ion channel proteins, etc., may lead to deleterious effects on cellular function. However, because of their remarkable reactivity, even if hydrolyzed from phospholipids, diffusion from the bilayer may be limited by rapid adduction to membrane proteins. Thus, in addition to assessing the formation of IsoLGs in vivo, the cellular localization of adduct formation may provide a basis for hypotheses as to what biological consequences may ensue as a result of their formation.

Salomon and colleagues have shown that LGs can form protein–DNA cross-links when incubated with cultured cells (15) . Therefore, it is also important to assess whether IsoLG DNA adducts are formed during oxidant injury. If they are, this opens up another important area for future investigation. At present, virtually nothing is known regarding the consequences of the formation of LG-DNA adducts. 1) Do they cause mutations, and if so, what types of mutations do they induce? 2) Are IsoLG DNA adducts repaired, and if so, how rapidly does this occur?

Another area of inquiry relates to our recent finding that IsoP-like compounds are formed in vivo from free radical-induced oxidation of docosohexaenoic acid (DHA) (C22,n6,{omega}3) (30) . Our interest in the formation of IsoP-like compounds from oxidized DHA stems from the fact that it is uniquely enriched in the brain, comprising 25–35% of total fatty acids in aminophospholipids (31 , 32) . Thus, these compounds may be a unique marker of oxidative neuronal injury. As a result, we have termed these compounds `neuroprostanes' (NPs). As with IsoPs, intermediates in the pathway of formation of NPs are bicyclic endoperoxides. The endoperoxides are reduced to form F4-NPs, but may also undergo rearrangement to form IsoLG-like compounds. Thus, if formed, IsoLG-like compounds formed via the NP pathway may be important mediators of oxidative neuronal injury. Pertinent to this possibility are data obtained from effects of the hexane metabolite 2,5-hexanedione on neurons. 2,5-Hexanedione, like LGs, is a {gamma}-dicarbonyl that shares similar reaction chemistry with amines. 2,5-Hexanedione has been shown to cause axonal degeneration through formation of pyrrole adducts and subsequent cross-linking of neuronal filaments (33) . Potentially very relevant in this regard is our recent discovery that levels of F4-NPs and F2-IsoPs are significantly increased in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease (34 , 35) ; free radicals are thought to play an important role in the neuronal damage that characterizes these disorders (36 , 37) . Of interest is that Alzheimer's disease is also characterized by neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques that involve protein cross-links. The cause of the cross-linking has not been clearly established, but is thought to involve oxidation (38 39 40) . It would be of great interest to explore whether there is evidence that IsoLGs or IsoLG-like compounds formed from DHA participate in the protein cross-linking in neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease.

In summary, we describe the formation of extremely reactive {gamma}-ketoaldehydes (IsoLGs) as products of the IsoP pathway and have characterized the nature of the adducts formed with protein. Previously, LGs were considered to be formed only as by-products of the cyclooxygenase pathway, and there was little, if any, evidence that they were formed in vivo. Our new discovery that LG-like compounds are also formed as products of the IsoP pathway broadens considerably the potential importance of these molecules in pathobiology, specifically oxidant injury. Previous work related to LGs and the work reported here have focused on understanding the chemistry of these compounds and the reactions they undergo. Essential information now obtained is the characterization of the nature of the IsoLG adducts formed with proteins and the development of specific analytical tools for their detection and quantification. This will allow us to begin to explore their formation under various conditions in vivo and the cellular location of the adducts formed. This information will then form a basis for hypotheses to set into motion studies into the relatively uncharted area related to the biological effects exerted by these interesting molecules.


   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants GM 42056, DK 48831, GM 15431, CA 77839, DK 26657, Ca 68485, and a PhRMA Foundation Fellowship to C.J.B. The authors wish to thank Dr. Kamaljit Kaur for her expert assistance in the synthesis of LGE2.


   FOOTNOTES
 
2 Abbreviations: IsoPs, isoprostanes; TMS, trimethylsilyl; PFB, pentafluorobenzyl; MS, mass spectrometry; EI, electron impact ionization; NICI, negative ion chemical ionization; CID, collision-induced dissociation; ESI, electrospray ionization; LC, liquid chromatography; GC, gas chromatography; BSA, bovine serum albumin; Apo-B, apolipoprotein B; 4-HNE, 4-hydroxynonenal; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography; LDL, low density lipoproteins; LG, levuglandins; NPs, neuroprostanes; PG, prostaglandin.


   REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
RECENT RESULTS
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS/DIRECTIONS...
REFERENCES
 

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