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We studied hemolytic activity of gold nanoparticles added to the whole blood (ex vivo) and of nanoparticles coated and not coated with plasma components on erythrocytes in hypotonic medium (osmotic hemolysis) in vitro. Gold nanoparticles did not stimulate erythrocyte hemolysis after 4-h incubation with the whole blood ex vivo. Hemolysis tended to increase in the presence of small gold nanoparticles (5, 10, 20 nm) at the maximum concentration of 20 μM (by gold content) used in our study in comparison with the control. This tendency was detected during the 1st hour of the nanoparticles incubation with blood. Gold nanoparticles in the used concentrations (up to 20 μM of gold) coated with plasma components after preincubation with autologous plasma and nanoparticles without coating caused no osmotic hemolysis of erythrocytes in vitro.

We studied the effect of gold nanoparticles on ROS production by leukocytes. ROS production was detected by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL) of human peripheral blood leukocytes stimulated with opsonized zymosan. Nanoparticle size was 5, 10 and 30 nm. Simultaneous addition of nanoparticles and opsonized zymosan showed that 5-nm nanoparticles inhibited LDCL intensity in comparison with the control, when LDCL recording was conducted in the presence of opsonized zymosan. Increasing nanoparticle size from 5 up to 30 nm enhanced LDCL intensity. Preincubation of gold nanoparticles with autologous blood plasma increased LDCL intensity. In the control (without gold nanoparticles), blood plasma produced no activating effect on LDCL. We found that the effect of gold nanoparticles on leukocyte LDCL depended on nanoparticle size: 10- and 30-nm nanoparticles inhibited LDCL intensity in comparison with the control (incubation in the absence of nanoparticles) irrespective of the duration of incubation, while 5-nm gold nanoparticles had no effect on LDCL intensity. Incubation of gold nanoparticles with autologous plasma increased LDCL intensity if nanoparticle size was 30 and 10 nm.

We studied the effect of gold nanospheres coated with components of autologous blood plasma on ADP-induced platelet aggregation. Gold nanoparticles in the chosen concentration range (5-40 μM) and particle size (5-30 nm) with or without coating produced no activating effect on platelet aggregation caused by aggregation inductor ADP in all applied doses (1.6, 2.0, and 5.0 μM). Nanoparticles with a diameter of >60 nm inhibited platelet aggregation. These findings and published data confirm the biological safety of gold nanoparticles for targeted delivery of drugs and phototherapy.

The dynamics of albumin transport function was studied during metal-catalyzed oxidation of albumin in diluted blood plasma from healthy donors and in the solution of purified albumin using fluorescent probe K-35. The changes were compared with the dynamics of free radical oxidation markers. For oxidation, different concentrations of Cu(2+), Fe(2+), Fe(3+) ions as well as EDTA and H(2)O(2) were used. Oxidative modification of proteins was assessed by carbonyl and bityrosine fluorescent products. Oxidation of plasma lipids was assessed by the levels of TBA-reactive products. It was found that oxidation markedly decreased effective concentration of albumin characterizing albumin binding capacity, and leads to accumulation of carbonyl products of protein oxidation, bityrosine fluorescent products in proteins, and TBA-active products of lipid oxidation. It was hypothesized that reduced effective concentration of albumin is related to impairment of its binding sites and/or accumulation of free-radical oxidation products filling the binding sites of albumin.

The dynamics of changes in albumin transport function during hypochlorite-induced oxidation of isolated albumin in blood plasma and serum was studied with a fluorescent probe K-35. Binding of the probe K-35 to albumin was characterized by effective concentration of albumin. Oxidative modification of proteins was evaluated by the content of carbonyl products of protein oxidation and bityrosine fluorescent products. Oxidation with hypochlorite was accompanied by a decrease in the effective concentration of albumin in albumin, diluted plasma, and serum and accumulation of carbonyl products of protein oxidation and bityrosine fluorescent products. The decrease in the effective concentration of albumin during oxidation with hypochlorite can be explained by oxidative damage to albumin binding sites. Oxidative modification of probe K-35 binding sites with hypochlorite contributes to a decrease in effective concentration of albumin under pathological conditions.

Turbidimetry studies showed that after addition of thrombin to fresh donor plasma light scatter in the sample increases and slowly attains a plateau. The process of fibrin formation was less intensive in the presence of oxidized fibrinogen. The formation of fibrin clot in lyophilized plasma was characterized by a biphasic kinetic of light scatter, oxidized fibrinogen inhibited both phases of the process. In the presence of streptokinase, oxidized fibrinogen did not modify the kinetics of fibrin clot lysis. Addition of oxidized fibrinogen to plasma reduced optical density of fibrin clot the more intensely the higher was the degree of oxidative modification of fibrinogen.

The kinetics of thrombin inhibition by irons ions was studied in the thrombin time test with normal plasma. The kinetic and concentration characteristics for recovery of thrombin activity by desferal were evaluated at various periods of thrombin incubation with iron ions. The thrombin time test showed that incubation of thrombin with iron sulfate in a final concentration of 200 microM for 25-35 min is followed by the loss of thrombin activity. Pretreatment of iron-containing incubation system with desferal was shown to decelerate the process of thrombin inactivation. The kinetic characteristics for recovery of thrombin activity by 2 mM desferal were estimated at various periods after addition of iron sulfate in the inhibitory dose. The effect of reversibility was shown to depend on the time of thrombin preincubation with iron. Incomplete recovery of thrombin activity after increasing the time of incubation with iron (more than 30 min) was probably related to oxidative modification of thrombin.

The effect of oxidized fibrinogen on platelet-neutrophil complex formation was evaluated by studying the platelet aggregation (changes in light transmission and turbidimetric assay). Activation of cells by thrombin (0.015 U/ml) in the presence of oxidized fibrinogen was accompanied by the formation of larger intermolecular aggregates of platelets and leukocytes as compared to those detected in experiments with non-oxidized fibrinogen. Addition of thrombin (0.2 U/ml) in the presence of oxidized fibrinogen was followed by the formation of more stable complexes of platelets and leukocytes as compared to those revealed in experiments with non-oxidized fibrinogen. An increase in the width of aggregation curves was most pronounced in the system of 10(-4) M Fe(2+) and 10(-4) M H(2)O(2) with oxidized fibrinogen. Our results indicate that oxidized fibrinogen contributes to the "floating" or suspension of platelet-leukocyte complexes.

Changes in the capacity of fibrinogen subjected to oxidative modification to transform into fibrin under the effect of thrombin and to form a fibrin clot were studied. The effects of oxidized fibrinogen preparations on the clot formation by citrate-treated donor plasma were evaluated by the thrombin time test. Oxidation impaired the capacity of isolated fibrinogen to form a fibrin clot under the effect of thrombin. Addition of oxidized fibrinogen solutions to donor plasma led to prolongation of the plasma clotting time. Maximum addition (33% volume) of oxidized fibrinogen led to a 10-26% prolongation of clotting time in comparison with addition of the same volume of the same solution without fibrinogen.

The diagnostic and prognostic potentialities of the parameters of free-radical processes and high resolution ECG in coronary disease were evaluated. A relationship between oxidative resistance of the plasma (MDA concentration after 24-h copper-induced oxidation) and clinical characteristics of coronary disease (functional class of angina and high-resolution ECG parameters) was detected. Changes in ECG parameters directly correlated with MDA levels, the frequency of their registration reflects the severity of coronary disease. The absolute values of ECG, MDA, and their dynamics correlated with the severity of coronary disease and outcome of acute coronary syndrome, the prognosis was unfavorable for patients with MDA level >100 nmol/ml. The level of MDA increased by days 5-7 of observation in all patients with acute coronary syndrome, indicating exhaustion of the plasma antioxidant system during exacerbation of the coronary syndrome. Hence, evaluation of the plasma oxidative resistance and high resolution ECG can serve as a new diagnostic complex approach for detecting coronary patients with an unfavorable prognosis.

Oxidatively-modified fibrinogen induces platelet aggregation and potentiates ADP-induced platelet aggregation and production of active oxygen forms in zymosan-stimulated leukocytes. Fibrinogen induces IL-8 production in primary culture of endothelial cells from human umbilical vein; the oxidized form of fibrinogen is more active, similarly as during induction of the expression cell adhesion molecules (P-selectin and ICAM-1). Oxidized fibrinogen (10 and 20% oxidation degree) impairs microrheological properties of the blood, sharply reduces erythrocyte deformability, modifies blood viscosity, and reduces suspension stability of the blood. Oxidized fibrinogen modified blood clotting parameters and ADP-, ristocetin-, and collagen-induced platelet aggregation in whole blood. Oxidized fibrinogen disordered the formation of fibrin clot and blood clotting process. Platelet aggregation was activated in response to ADP, but not to ristocetin and collagen, the degree of activation increased in direct proportion to the degree of fibrinogen oxidation. This indicates the "dysregulatory" effect of oxidized fibrinogen on platelets. The formation of platelet complexes with polymorphonuclear leukocytes was intensified in the presence of oxidized fibrinogen; polymorphonuclear leukocyte luminol-dependent fluorescence intensity in the presence of platelets increased after incubation with oxidized fibrinogen in comparison with native fibrinogen. Hence, oxidized fibrinogen plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis and its complications (thromboses).

Autooxidation of low-density lipoproteins during incubation at 37 degrees C was accompanied by accumulation of LPO products, decrease in UV autofluorescence (FUV), and increase in autofluorescence in the visible band (FVIS). The degree of low-density lipoprotein modification was estimated by calculating the FVIS/FUV ratio. A positive correlation was revealed between this ratio and concentration of thiobarbituric acid-reactive LPO products (r=0.76, p<0.001). Autooxidation of low-density lipoproteins increased availability of tryptophanyls for fluorescence quenchers and inductive resonance energy transfer from tryptophanyls to adducts formed in the reaction of apoprotein and LPO products. These changes probably play a role in the decrease in FUV.

Oxidized forms of fibrinogen similarly to initial non-oxidized fibrinogen induced expression of P-selectin and ICAM-1 cell adhesion molecules in the cultured endothelial cells derived from human umbilical vein. The effect of oxidized fibrinogen on the expression of adhesion molecules was more pronounced. These data attest to more active participation of oxidized forms of fibrinogen into inflammation in the vascular wall, the first stage of atherogenesis.

A new approach for the evaluation of oxidizability of proteins and lipids in the same sample of blood plasma was proposed. We tested a method for evaluation of metal-catalyzed oxidation of fibrinogen by the formation of bityrosine cross-links during oxidation detected by the increase in fluorescence at 415 nm. A correlation was revealed between parameters of oxidizability estimated by this marker and carbonyl derivatives (dinitrophenylhydrazine method). Oxidizability of total proteins from whole plasma was compared with oxidizability of plasma lipids (marker malonic dialdehyde). Study of these parameters in patients with coronary heart disease showed that the proposed experimental approach allows us to divide the sample into several subgroups differing in the resistance to oxidative stress. These data can be used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.

We studied the effect of UV-oxidized fibrinogen with oxidation degrees of 10 and 20% on rheological parameters of the blood. The effect of fibrinogen with 10% oxidation degree was moderate and variable, which attests to its partial compensation with the pool of natural antioxidants. The effect of fibrinogen with 20% oxidation degree was more pronounced. It dramatically decreased deformability of erythrocytes, delayed formation of linear aggregates, accelerated formation of 3D-aggregates, enhanced the total hydrodynamic strength of aggregates, but decreased stability of the largest aggregates. It did not increase plasma viscosity, but enhanced viscosity of the blood at all shear rates. At both degrees of oxidation, suspension stability of the blood decreased, the Caisson viscosity did not change, and the difference between the values of Caisson and asymptotic viscosities markedly increased. On the whole, oxidative fibrinogen produces negative changes in blood rheological parameters, and its effect depends on the degree of oxidation.

We studied the effect of UV-irradiated fibrinogen on blood coagulation. Fibrinogen with oxidation degree of 10% moderately activated the intrinsic pathway, but inhibited the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation. Fibrinogen with oxidation degree of 20% inhibited both the extrinsic and intrinsic blood coagulation pathways. We revealed disturbances in the formation of fibrin clot with oxidized fibrinogen, suppression of platelet aggregation mediated by collagen receptors, and inhibition of aggregation associated with von Willebrand factor activity. ADP initiated platelet aggregation, which was in direct proportion to the degree of fibrinogen oxidation. Our results indicate that oxidized fibrinogen produces a dysregulatory effect on platelets.

Oxidized fibrinogen was more potent than native fibrinogen in inducing interleukin-8 production in primary culture of human endothelial cells. The optimal concentration of oxidized fibrinogen was 3 mg/ml. The optimal time of UV irradiation was 17 min. Secretion of interleukin-8 was maximum during culturing of endothelial cells in a serum-free medium.

For evaluation of the mechanisms underlying the effect of oxidized fibrinogen on platelet aggregation we studied ADP-induced platelet aggregation in the presence of UV-oxidized fibrinogen and inhibitors of major enzymes of platelet activation. Cyclooxygenase inhibitor acetylsalicylic acid, protein kinase C inhibitor H7, and to a lesser extent, protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein suppressed ADP-induced platelet aggregation. In the presence of oxidized fibrinogen the degree of suppression was lower than in the presence of nonoxidized fibrinogen. Phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 markedly suppressed platelet aggregation in the presence of oxidized and nonoxidized fibrinogen. It can be hypothesized that oxidized fibrinogen activates platelets by modulating activity of the key signal component phospholipase C.

In patients with coronary heart disease oxidizability of lipids during Cu(2+)-induced oxidation of blood plasma inversely correlated with fibrinogen content. A positive correlation was found between the amount of lipid peroxidation products in the plasma from these patients and fibrinogen content. The increase in fibrinogen content was associated with high levels of total lipids and triglycerides and low concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In vitro experiments demonstrated that fibrinogen reduces oxidizability of blood plasma. Our results suggest that the decrease in lipid oxidizability at high concentration of fibrinogen in patients with coronary heart disease is related to predominant oxidation of fibrinogen and its competition with plasma lipids during Cu(2+)-induced oxidation.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed structural modifications of human plasma lipoproteins during peroxidation induced by copper sulfate in vitro. Decreased molecular mobility of fatty acid chains in lipoprotein lipids was demonstrated.

Using the method of peroxide-induced chemiluminescence we showed that incubation of the whole blood with oxidized LDL or oxidized blood plasma increased plasma hemoglobin concentration, which linearly depended on the degree of LDL oxidation. Similar effects were observed in erythrocyte suspension. Hemolytic activity of oxidized plasma 3-4-fold surpassed that of LDL isolated by ultracentrifugation. LDL capacity to oxidation in the presence of Cu(2+)increased by 50% and osmotic hemolysis of erythrocytes increased by 53% in coronary patients in comparison with healthy donors. These results indicate that oxidized LDL induce erythrocyte hemolysis.

Fibrinogen intensified luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of blood leukocytes stimulated with opsonized zymosan. It is hypothesized that fibrinogen stimulates and prolongs functional activity of leukocytes during inflammation.

Oxidized UV-modified fibrinogen activates platelets in platelet-rich plasma. Kinetic turbidimetry showed that addition of oxidized fibrinogen to platelet-rich plasma led to platelet aggregation. Reversible aggregation is recorded starting from the 30th second and then constantly grows with the same rate. Nonoxidized fibrinogen produced no such effect. The relationship between aggregation intensity and rate and the degree of fibrinogen oxidation was described by a bell-shaped curve with a peak corresponding to 24% fibrinogen oxidation. The amplitude of aggregation increased with increasing the concentration of irradiated fibrinogen from 0.1 to 1.0 mg/ml and then plateaued. The rate of aggregation little depended on fibrinogen concentration.

The negative surface charge of low-density lipoproteins increased during their oxidative modification induced by autooxidation at 37 degrees C. The degree of changes depended on the time of autooxidation: the surface charge remained practically unchanged after short-term oxidation (6-h incubation), but then progressively increased and after 24-h oxidation it 2-fold surpassed the initial level. Long-term incubation of low-density lipoproteins in the presence of EDTA inhibiting lipid peroxidation did not change their surface charge. These changes probably contribute to atherogenic activity of oxidized low-density lipoproteins. The degree of oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins was precisely estimated using fluorescence probes.

We evaluated antioxidant state of 62 patients with coronary heart disease and 47 patients with obliterating atherosclerosis of lower extremities by peroxide-depend chemiluminescence and inhibition of azo-initiated chemiluminescence and hydrogen peroxide-hemoglobin-luminol chemiluminescence system. The flash amplitude of peroxide-dependent chemiluminescence in the plasma from patients was 32% below the control. Antioxidant activity of the plasma from patients was higher than in healthy individuals by 33 and 27% depending on the type of free radical-generating systems. The increase in antioxidant activity was most pronounced in patients with combined pathology: coronary heart disease complicated by obliterating atherosclerosis. These results explain the decrease in peroxide-dependent chemiluminescence of the plasma and whole blood in patients with atherosclerosis compared to that in healthy individuals.

In vitro experiments showed that copper-oxidized low-density lipoproteins activate factors of the prothrombin complex in the whole blood and inhibit fibrin generation in both blood and plasma. Moreover, oxidized low-density lipoproteins inhibit fibrinolysis and impair the structure of fibrin clot, which results in hypercoagulation.

Oxidized low density lipoproteins (oxLDL) bounded to specific receptors on the platelet surface are able to activate platelets. However, the exact mechanism of signal transduction from LDL receptors into the cell still requires investigation. In the present paper inhibitors of the main enzymes of known platelet activation pathways were used to investigate the mechanism of the LDL-induced platelet aggregation. Our experiments were performed with autoxidized LDL (2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances < 8 nmoles/mg). We demonstrated that the main enzymes of the arachidonate cycle do not play an important role in LDL-induced platelet aggregation, whereas inhibition of protein kinase C and phospholipase C--principal enzymes of the phosphoinositide cycle--resulted in the inhibition of LDL-induced platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. It was also shown that transmembrane calcium transport was necessary for LDL-induced platelet activation. Thus, we conclude that the phosphoinositide cycle is the main mechanism of cellular signal transduction during LDL-induced platelet activation.

At neutral pH values 1,10-phenanthroline forms a colored complex with Fe(II), but it does not form such a complex with Fe(III). On the contrary, only Fe(III) forms with desferal a yellow complex with a g = 4.3 electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal, but Fe(II) is rapidly oxidized by desferal to Fe(III), which gives then a yellow complex. On the basis of these facts, a method for simultaneous determination of both Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions was elaborated using a desferal-phenanthroline mixture. Two ways of detecting Fe(II) and Fe(III) have been suggested: (1) the spectrophotometric method for transparent water solutions, and (2) the EPR-spectrometric method for turbid solutions and tissue homogenates. The latter method was applied for determination of free and weakly bound iron in rat liver. The Fe(II) amount in intact liver was 22.2 +/- 7.6 nmol/g of wet tissue; free Fe(III) was not found.

Electron spin resonance spectroscopy was used for measurements of the surface potential and apoprotein structure of LDL and HDL in the presence of Ca2+ and dextran sulfate, heparin and chondroitin sulfate. A decrease in the absolute values of surface potential of LDL and HDL was observed after addition of Ca2+. In the presence of the negatively charged macromolecules the measured surface potential was less reduced. The spectral properties of a maleimide spin label covalently attached to the apoprotein were changed under conditions of aggregation of LDL induced by dextran sulfate, chondroitin sulfate or heparin in the presence of Ca2+. In the HDL system this effect was only observed for dextran sulfate. The influence of PEG on the spectral parameters of the spin label is dependent on the molecular weight of the polymer. PEG 400 decreased the mobility of the spin-labelled apoprotein region of LDL, whereas PEGs with higher molecular weight only slightly increased the maleimide mobility. On the other hand, the maleimide-labelled apoprotein region of HDL showed a higher sensibility to all PEGs used. Addition of PEG leads to immobilization of apoprotein A.

1. The addition of native cytochrome c to mitoplasts leads to a decrease of surface potential of the mitoplast membrane. However the surface potential is slightly decreased (approximately 3 mV) when PLP(Lys 86)-cytochrome c and PLP(Lys 79)-cytochrome c were added. 2. The native and PLP-modified cytochromes c do not influence the order parameters S and isotropic constant a when both spin probe I and probe II were used. It is shown that cytochrome c binding to the membrane does not affect the hydrophobic intermembrane area as well as the lipid arrangements of the mitoplast membrane. 3. At low ionic strength there was observed a significant difference in the membrane potential when PLP-cytochromes c were added to the mitoplasts. 4. At high ionic strength the addition of native or PLP-modified cytochromes c does not change the membrane potential.

Treatment of intact liver and liver homogenate with sodium nitrite, or desferal, brings about the appearance of g = 2.03 and g = 4.3 electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) signals, respectively. The g = 2.03 signal is conditioned by the formation of dinitrosyl complexes of Fe(II); the g = 4.3 signal is related to the appearance of paramagnetic desferal-Fe(III) complexes. Desferal and sodium nitrite were administered successively into liver homogenate, resulting in only a g = 4.3 EPR signal. And, vice versa, if desferal was administered after sodium nitrite, there appeared only the signal with g = 2.03. These data testify to the fact that one and the same endogenous free iron is included in both paramagnetic centers. The concentration of iron ions was measured in intact tissue according to the formation of dinitrosyl-iron complexes and desferal-iron complexes. It was 33.2 +/- 4.6 and 20.3 +/- 4.0 nmol/g of tissue weight, respectively. The data obtained testify to the fact that free endogenous iron is present in intact tissue. Possibilities of the EPR method for estimation of the content of intracellular free iron are discussed.

The activation of freshly isolated human blood monocytes and neutrophils monitored by oxidized human plasma lipoproteins (LP) was measured by detecting luminol-amplified chemiluminescence. The activation was accompanied by production of superoxide radicals. This finding was confirmed by measuring superoxide dismutase-sensitive reduction of cytochrome c. Incubation of monocytes or neutrophils with low-density lipoproteins (LDL) resulted in the accumulation of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products which were assayed by the 2-thiobarbituric acid test. Data from inhibitory analysis suggest that the hydroxyl radical scavenger, mannitol, had no appreciable effect on the accumulation of LPO products during the incubation of LDL with either cell type. However, catalase, superoxide dismutase, the metal ion chelators desferrioxamine and EDTA, as well as the free radical scavenger, butylated hydroxytoluene, markedly decreased the accumulation of LPO products in the medium--by 88%, 67%, 38%, 52%, and 47%, respectively, after incubation of LDL with monocytes, and by 65%, 47%, 41%, 65%, and 100% after incubation of LDL with neutrophils. These results indicate that activation of monocytes and neutrophils by oxidized LP intensifies LPO which proceeds via a free-radical mechanism that is superoxide-dependent and is catalyzed by transition metals.

An electron spin probe study was made of the effect of lipid peroxidation (LPO) on the structure of surface proteolipid layer of human serum low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The results obtained with a positively charged spin label and stearic acid spin probes with doxyl labels at positions 5, 12, and 16 revealed that LPO caused a decrease in phospholipid molecule mobility both in the region of polar heads and in the region of acyl chains till the depth of at least 1.7 mm from water-lipid interface. Under relatively high levels of oxidation (more than 6 mumol MDA/g LDL phospholipid) the polarity of lipid phase increased. The decrease in efficiency of tryptophan fluorescence quenching by nitroxide fragments incorporated in hydrophobic regions at the depth of approximately 2 nm from water-lipid interface indicated that lipid-protein interaction was disturbed as a result of oxidation of LDL lipids. In addition, the LPO-induced modification of apo-B, the main protein of LDL, was examined with maleimide spin label. LPO led to increase in mobility of strongly immobilized maleimide labels and in the number of weakly immobilized ones. Oxidized LDL revealed decreased ability to incorporate spin-labeled steroid (androstane) as compared to native ones. LPO-induced structural changes of LDL surface are supposed to be a reason of enhanced accumulation of cholesterol in human monocytes during their incubation with oxidized LDL. The cholesterol content in red cells was shown to be directly correlated to MDA content in apo-B containing lipoproteins but not in whole serum. Our findings suggest that free radical modification of serum lipoproteins but not solely an increased level of LPO products in blood is one important cause for cholesterol accumulation in cells and, apparently, for their transformation into foam cells during atherosclerosis.

A spin-labelled fatty acid with an epr spectrum that is sensitive to the localization of the probe was used to show that albumin binds free fatty acids present in solution and also free fatty acids present in low density lipoproteins (LDL). Furthermore, albumin binds the thiobarbituric acid-reactive (TBA-reactive) products formed during the oxidation of linolenic acid, whereas the TBA-reactive substances formed during the oxidation of LDL are not bound by albumin. Linolenic acid bound to albumin essentially does not undergo peroxidation in the presence of ferrous ions, in contrast to a suspension of linolenic acid and LDL in which peroxidation occurs quite readily in the presence of ferrous ions. The highest rate of oxidation was found for linolenic acid alone. Albumin-bound spin-labelled fatty acid was essentially not reduced by ferrous ions, whereas free fatty acid or fatty acid incorporated into LDL was reduced quite rapidly, the highest rate of reduction being for free fatty acids. Thus the ability of fatty acids to undergo oxidation correlates with their accessibility to ferrous ions. The data obtained indicate that serum albumin is a relatively effective antioxidant in the blood and its mode of action is based on the immobilization of free fatty acids.

In experiments on human platelets, inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange was caused either by equimolar substitution of external Na+ with choline or N-methyl-D-glucamine, by decreasing the pHo to 6.8, or by an inhibitor of the antiport 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride (EIPA). In all these cases a considerable inhibition of PAF-induced platelet aggregation and as a rule a more or less marked decrease in the cytoplasmic Ca2+ signal (quin-2-loaded platelets) occurred. Stimulation by 10(-7) M PAF caused biphasic pHi changes in human platelets loaded with the pH-sensitive fluorescent probe BCECF: a small transient decrease, followed by a sustained increase of 0.02 +/- 0.006 pH units, resulted from stimulation of the Na+/H+ exchange. Thrombin (0.1 U/ml) also caused biphasic pHi changes, but the alkalinization step was more pronounced (0.15 +/- 0.03 U). Every means of Na+/H+ exchange inhibition prevented a rise in pHi in stimulated platelets. Activation of the adenylate cyclase system by carbacyclin suppressed the agonist-induced pHi increase. The inhibition of neither cyclooxygenase by 10(-5) M indomethacin nor calmodulin-dependent enzymes by 10(-5) M calmidazolium affected the agonist-induced pHi signals. A decrease in temperature from 37 to 24 degrees C caused a considerable increase in the lag phase of the pHi signal induced by tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA), but did not affect the kinetics of the pHi signal induced by PAF. An inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), compound H-7 (60 microM), completely abolished the TPA-induced increase in pHi but caused only a partial inhibition of the pHi signal in about 50% of the experiments with PAF. On the basis of these results the conclusion is drawn that the activation of PKC is not the only pathway for the PAF-induced stimulation of Na+/H+ exchange. The PAF-induced pHi rise depended both on the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and on the [Ca2+]i increase. On the other hand, inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange decreased the magnitude of the Ca2+i signal in PAF-induced platelets loaded with quin-2, but did not influence the Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores as measured by quin-2 or chlortetracycline in experiments with thrombin-stimulated platelets. We conclude that in PAF-activated platelets some initial increase of [Ca2+]i is essential for Na+/H+ exchange activation while activated antiport potentiates a full-scale Ca2+ influx into the cells.

Human erythrocytes were incubated for 5 h at 37 degrees C with lipoproteins (LP), preliminary oxidized to different extent, as assessed by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test. Cholesterol content in the cells was increased by 12-14% after incubation with low-density lipoproteins (LDL) along with augmentation of order parameter and rotational correlation time of spin-labeled stearic acids incorporated into membranes. If erythrocytes were incubated with oxidized LDL, containing 2.5-4 times more TBA-reactive material than native ones, cellular content of cholesterol was increased by 24-28%. In contrast, high-density lipoproteins (HDL2 and HDL3) removed cholesterol from cell membranes, when incubated with erythrocytes. This was followed by increased fluidity of membrane lipid phase as detected by the spin probe method. Oxidation of HDL2 and HDL3 decreased their ability to accept cholesterol from cell membranes. No detectable accumulation of TBA-reactive material was observed in the samples during the incubation. The antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), in the concentration of 10(-5) M did not influence the cholesterol transfer between LP and erythrocytes. Hence, the effects of lipid peroxidation (LPO) on the cholesterol transfer seem to result from LP alterations by oxidation rather than from free radical reactions occurring during the incubation. By increasing cholesterol-donating ability of LDL and inhibition of cholesterol-accepting capacity of HDL lipid peroxidation in LP may activate cholesterol accumulation in blood vessel cells and thus contribute to atherosclerosis.

Stimulation of platelets results in the liberation of arachidonic acid (AA) which is further metabolized via the cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase (LPG) pathway. We have examined the effect of inhibition of LPG on (i) the ADP-induced increase of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration and (ii) platelet aggregation. Lipoxygenase inhibitors, nordigidroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and BW-755C, both suppressed ADP-induced Ca2+-signals and aggregation in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 value of 1 2 microM for NDGA. Qualitatively the same effect was obtained with 4-bromophenylacyl bromide, the inhibitor of phospholipases A2 and C. By contrast, cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin had only a negligible effect on Ca2+-signals and suppressed only the second phase of ADP-induced aggregation. It is concluded that the LPG pathway of AA metabolism in platelets might play a crucial role in ADP-induced Ca2+-signal generation and platelet aggregation.

For a charged and an uncharged long chain spin probe the partition between the aqueous phase and the lipoproteins LDL, HDL2 and HDL3 was measured by use of ESR spectroscopy. The partition coefficients were compared for lipoproteins from normal donors and lipoproteins from patients with ischemic heart disease. The partition coefficients of the uncharged spin probe are not different. However, the charged spin probe has a significantly different partition for LDL and HDL3. This difference results from changes in the surface charge. Patients with ischemic heart disease have LDL which is more electropositively charged and HDL3 is more electronegatively charged compared to the corresponding lipoproteins of normal subjects. The surface charge of HDL2 is not changed. The results are discussed in the light of current concepts of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

The effects of helium-neon laser (HNL) on activity, absorption spectra, and ESR signals of superoxide dismutase (SOD; E Cul.15.1.1) from bovine erythrocytes in acid medium were investigated. It was found that incubation during 2 hours at pH 5.9 led to inactivation of the enzyme. The subsequent illumination of SOD by HNL brought about the enzyme reactivation. Both absorption and ESR spectra were changed after incubation at pH 5.9 and restored after laser irradiation. In a model system, copper-histidine complex, absorption maximum was shifted from 632-633 nm at pH 5.8 to 639-640 nm at pH 8.5-9.0. The similar shift of the maximum was observed after illumination by HNL at pH 5.8. It may be postulated that the photoreactivation of SOD consists essentially in deprotonation of His-61 residue in the enzyme active site and subsequent recovery of imidasol bridge between copper and zinc which had been destroyed at low pH. Since many other enzymes possess similar histidine-copper structures in their active sites, one may expect diverse effects of red (laser) light on the enzyme activity. Heme-containing enzyme, catalase was also found to be photoreactivated by HNL after inactivation at pH 6.0.

A new assay for superoxide radicals is based on the interaction of hydroxylamine (1-oxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-oxopiperidine) with superoxide, giving rise to a stable nitroxide radical. Working concentration ranges of hydroxylamine and cells are determined. It was shown that the amount of superoxide generated was proportional to the concentration of nitroxide radicals. The sensitivity and specificity of the proposed assay were compared to chemiluminescence and cytochrome-c reduction.