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BTB and CNC homologue 1 (Bach1) is a transcriptional repressor of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). This study hypothesized that Bach1 plays an important role in the indomethacin-induced apoptosis in the case of small-intestinal mucosal injury. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 (wild-type) and homozygous Bach1-deficient C57BL/6 mice were included in this study. Mucosal injuries induced by subcutaneously administering indomethacin were evaluated macroscopically, histologically and biochemically. Indomethacin-induced injuries were improved in Bach1-deficient mice. Immunohistochemistry showed an increase in the number of HO-1-positive cells, which were mainly F4/80 positive macrophages, in Bach1-deficient mice. Indomethacin administration increased the expression of HO-1 mRNA and protein in the small intestine in Bach1-deficient mice. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining showed that the extent of apoptosis was suppressed in Bach1-deficent mice. In conclusion, deficiency of the Bach1 gene inhibited apoptosis and thus suppressed mucosal injury, indicating that Bach1 is a novel therapeutic target for indomethacin-induced intestinal injury.

It is reported that NF-kappaB is activated by chemotherapy in some cancer cell lines and NF-kappaB activation is one of the mechanisms by which tumors are induced to become resistant to chemotherapy. We reported that heat-treatment-induced heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) could inhibit I-kappa-B kinase, resulting in the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation. Therefore, we speculated that activated NF-kappaB in a pancreatic cell line might be inhibited by heat treatment, resulting in the enhancement of gemcitabine-induced cytotoxicity.We used the human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines AsPC-1 and MIAPaCa-2. Both cell lines were treated with various concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 microM) of gemcitabine for 24 h. Heat treatment (43 degrees C, 1 h) was performed at various times relative to gemcitabine treatment. The effect of gemcitabine and heat treatment on cell survival was determined by WST-8 assay. The status of NF-kappaB in carcinoma cells exposed to gemcitabine was investigated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and immunocytochemistry. We analyzed apoptosis and necrosis in AsPC-1 and MIAPaCa-2 cells by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the levels of Hsp70, cyclin D1, caspase-3, and vascular endothelial growth factor in each treatment group were detected by western blotting.(1) Significant cytotoxicity was observed with gemcitabine. (2) Gemcitabine activated NF-kappaB binding activity in both cell lines. (3) Heat treatment inhibited the gemcitabine-induced activation of NF-kappaB. (4) Heat treatment enhanced the cytotoxicity of gemcitabine, especially when heat treatment was performed 24 h before gemcitabine was given. (5) The levels of Hsp70 were increased by heat treatment. Gemcitabine did not affect the protein level of Hsp70. The levels of pro-caspase-3 were decreased by heat treatment combined with gemcitabine.Heat treatment inhibited gemcitabine-induced activation of NF-kappaB, resulting in the enhancement of the cytotoxicity of gemcitabine.

We examined whether hyperthermia attenuated the metastatic potential of colon cancer through the induction of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70).Colon26 cells were separated into four groups: (1) no pretreatment, (2) hyperthermia at 42 degrees C for 1 hour, (3) pretreatment with geranylgeranylacetone (GGA) 10(-6) M for 2 hours, and (4) hyperthermia after GGA treatment. We measured cell viabilities and the contents of Hsp70. We assessed nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-kappa-B) status with and without tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) stimulation. For in vivo study, colon26 cells were injected via the tail vein or into a subcutaneous area of mice and the numbers of lung metastatic nodules or the volumes of subcutaneous tumors were assessed. Untreated cells were incubated with PKH26. Experimental metastasis models were then generated and used to assess the fixed cancer cells.Tumor development in the subcutaneous tumor models and cell viabilities were similar among the four groups. However, the GGA plus hyperthermia group had fewer lung metastatic nodules in the experimental lung metastasis model and higher Hsp70 induction than the other cell groups. The GGA plus hyperthermia pretreatment group also showed a lower number of fixed cells in lungs and lower activation of NF-kappa-B by TNF-alpha than the other cell groups.It is suggested the metastatic potential but not the proliferation potency of cancer cells is inhibited by the transient induction of Hsp70.

The activation of NF-kappaB induces production of inflammatory cytokines and up regulation of endothelial cell adhesion molecules (ECAM). ECAM (e.g., E-selectin, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1) associates to the recruitment of leukocytes into tissue exposed to inflammatory situation. In this study, we investigated the effects of hyperthermia on the activation of NF-kappaB and the up regulation of E-selectin and VCAM-1 in human endothelial cells stimulated by TNF-alpha.Human arterial endothelial cells (HAEC) were pretreated with hyperthermia for 60 min at 42 degrees C, followed by incubation at 37 degrees C in a passively cooled incubator, before TNF-alpha stimulation. To assess the effects of hyperthermia on TNF-alpha-induced up regulation of ECAM and TNF-alpha-induced activation of NF-kappaB, we measured ECAM by ELISA, and evaluated the activation of NF-kappaB by Western blotting after TNF-alpha stimulation. The accumulation of HO-1, Hsp70 and IkappaBalpha in hyperthermia-treated HAEC was also assessed by Western blotting. To investigate the role of Hsp70, we treated HAEC with geranylgeranylacetone (GGA, Hsp70 inducer) 2 h before hyperthermia, and then measured ECAM in TNF-alpha-stimulated HAEC by ELISA.Pretreatment of hyperthermia reduced TNF-alpha-induced up regulation of E-selectin and VCAM-1. In addition, accumulation of Hsp70, HO-1 and IkappaBalpha protein were up-regulated after hyperthermia. Furthermore, Western blotting analysis revealed that pretreatment of hyperthermia attenuated TNF-alpha-induced translocation of p65 into the nuclei of HAEC. Moreover, GGA enhanced Hsp70 accumulation induced by hyperthermia. Hyperthermia pretreatment combined with GGA induced further inhibition of TNF-alpha-induced up regulation of ECAM when compared with hyperthermia alone.Pretreatment of hyperthermia blocks TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappaB activation, resulting in the inhibition of ECAM up regulation in HAEC.

Mast cell tryptase has been proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recently, it was reported that a low dose of nafamostat mesilate (NM), a serine protease inhibitor that is widely used to treat disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and acute pancreatitis, can selectively inhibit human tryptase activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of NM on experimental colitis in rats.Colitis was induced in male Wistar rats using an enema of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) dissolved in 50% ethanol. NM or 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), foundation therapy for mild-to-moderate IBD, was administered via the anus once a day on each of the 6 days after administration of TNBS. Colonic inflammation was assessed 1 week after TNBS administration.Intracolonic administration of TNBS resulted in the infiltration of numerous tryptase-positive cells in the colonic mucosa. The colonic mucosal injury induced by TNBS was significantly decreased by treatment with NM or 5-ASA. The increases in thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBA-RS), myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractants-1 (CINC-1) in the colonic mucosa were inhibited in the NM group and the 5-ASA group, without significant differences between them.These results indicate that a low dose of NM can inhibit the colonic mucosal inflammation induced by TNBS in rats, which suggests that anti-tryptase therapy using low doses of NM has excellent potential to become a new therapeutic strategy for IBD.

The aim of the present study was to explore whether heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is involved in the hyperthermia-provided protection of the small intestine from ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.Intestinal damage was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by clamping both the superior mesenteric artery and the celiac trunk for 30 min, followed by reperfusion. Whole-body hyperthermia was induced in anesthetized rats by placement in a temperature-controlled water bath. Whole-body hyperthermia to a core temperature of 42-43 degrees C for 15 min was followed by passive cooling. We started the hyperthermic treatment 6 h before the vascular clamping. The severity of the mucosal injury was evaluated by several biochemical markers and histological findings. Hyperthermia-induced heat-shock proteins were detected by Western blotting. We also investigated the effect of zinc protoporphyrin IX (an HO-1 inhibitor) on the protective effect of hyperthermia.The rats, which were killed after ischemia/reperfusion, had severe intestinal inflammation. Hyperthermia significantly induced the production of Hsp70 and HO-1 in intestinal mucosa and significantly reduced ischemia/reperfusion-induced mucosal injury. The combination of zinc protoporphyrin IX with hyperthermia extinguished the protective effects of hyperthermia on ischemia/reperfusion injury.Hyperthermia protects against ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat small intestine through the expression of heat-shock proteins, especially HO-1.

Hypoxia--reoxygenation (H/R) occurs in both inflammatory spots and tumor tissues, sites in which damage is amplified either acutely or chronically through the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a cytokine with chemotactic and angiogenic properties. This study was designed to investigate the effects of H/R on IL-8 production in the U937 human monocytic cell line. Two hours of hypoxia followed by 4 h of reoxygenation induced a significant increase in IL-8 protein production and IL-8 mRNA expression in U937 cells. Pretreatment with proteasome inhibitor (PSI), a peptide aldehyde known to inhibit the chymotrypsin-like activity of the 26S proteasome specifically, suppressed IL-8 protein production and IL-8 mRNA expression induced by H/R. The production of IL-8 protein induced by H/R was decreased by pioglitazone and 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-PGJ(2) (15d-PGJ(2)), which have been identified as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorgamma (PPAR-gamma) ligands. Moreover, transfection of U937 cells with a dominant negative IkappaBalphaexpression vector (IkappaBalphaM) decreased IL-8 protein production induced by H/R. These results suggest that NF-kappaB and PPAR-gamma regulate H/R-stimulated IL-8 production in U937 cells.

The inhibitory effects of tea against carcinogenesis have been attributed to the biological activity of the polyphenol fraction of tea. However, the molecular mechanisms of these effects are not completely understood. Chronic inflammation induced by Helicobacterpylori has been proposed to be a causative pathway in the carcinogenesis of stomach cancer. Therefore, an agent possessing anti-inflammatory properties may be chemopreventative against stomach cancer. In the present study, we have investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of tea catechins. After addition of IL-1beta to MKN45 cells, a gastric cancer cell line, or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), IL-8 production was detected in supernatants. This IL-8 production was inhibited by catechins. Incubation of HUVECs or polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) with IL-1beta or IL-8, respectively, resulted in an increased surface expression of adhesion molecules. Catechins also inhibited this expression of adhesion molecules on HUVECs and PMNs. Of these major effects, the strongest effect of catechins was to reduce expression of the adhesion molecules CD1lb and CD18 on PMNs. These results suggest that tea may inhibit carcinogenesis partly through the anti-inflammatory effects of tea catechins on PMN-dependent gastric mucosal inflammation.