8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine suppresses NO production and COX-2 activity via Rac1/STATs signaling in LPS-induced brain microglia

Free 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (oh(8)dG), a nucleoside of 8-hydroxyguanine (oh(8)Gua), present in cytosol is not incorporated into DNA. However, nothing is known about its biological function when it presents in cytosol as a free form. We demonstrate here for the first time that oh(8)dG inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity, and both gene transcriptions in microglia. Furthermore, oh(8)dG reduced mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine, such as IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, in activated BV2 cells. We also found that oh(8)dG suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production through reduction of NADPH oxidase activity and blocked Rac1/STATs signal cascade. Finally, oh(8)dG suppressed recruitment of STATs and p300 to the iNOS and COX-2 promoters, and inhibited H3 histone acetylation. Taken together, these results provide new aspects of oh(8)dG as an anti-inflammatory agent.