Loading...
4 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- Monomeric versus decameric vanadate in the elucidation of muscle contraction regulation: a kinetic, spectroscopic and structural overviewPublication . Tiago, Teresa; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.Vanadium (V) was rediscovered for biology as a “muscle inhibitor factor” when it was found in commercial ATP prepared from equine muscle almost thirty years ago. Since then it has been used as a molecular probe of the mechanisms of several enzyme reactions involving hydrolysis of phosphate ester bonds. Besides acting as a phosphate analogue, vanadate has also the potential to exhibit biological activities through oligomeric vanadate species. Among the vanadate oligomers, decavanadate is one of the most potent inhibitors and has revealed an excellent kinetic and spectroscopic probe. This is particularly relevant for myosin, the major muscle ATPase which along with actin is able to convert the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis into mechanical work. Apparently, vanadate is able to populate different conformational states of the myosin ATPase cycle depending on its oligomerization state. While monomeric vanadate (VO4 3-) mimics the transition state for the g-phosphate hydrolysis blocking myosin in a pre-power stroke state, decameric vanadate (V10O28 6-) induces the formation of the intermediate myosin·MgATP·V10 complex blocking the actomyosin cycle in a pre-hydrolysis state. These recent findings, that are now reviewed, point out to the importance of taking into account vanadate species variety in studies describing the interaction of vanadate with biological systems and incite the use of decavanadate as a biochemical tool to the elucidation of muscle contraction regulation.
- Decavanadate toxicity effects following in vivo administrationPublication . S. Soares, Sandra; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.Very few in vivo animal studies involving vanadium consider the contribution of decavanadate (V10) to vanadium biological effects. Recently, it is been suggested that decameric vanadate may not completely fall apart into other vanadate oligomers before induces changes in cell homeostasis, namely in several stress markers. An acute exposure of different fish species (Halobactrachus didactilus, Lusitanian toadfish, and Sparus aurata, gilthead seabream) to decavanadate, but not to other vanadate oligomers, induced different effects than vanadate in catalase activity, glutathione content, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial superoxide anion production and vanadium accumulation, whereas both solutions seem to equally depress reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as total intracellular reducing power. Vanadium is accumulated in Sparus aurata mitochondria in particular when decavanadate is administrated. Moreover, exposure to different vanadate oligomers induced morphological changes in fish cardiac, hepatic and renal tissues causing tissues lesions in the liver and kidney, but not cardiac tissue. Nevertheless, the results highlight that different vanadate oligomers seem to follow, not only in vitro but also in vivo, different pathways, with different targets and effects. These recent findings, that are now summarized, point out the decameric vanadate species contributions to in vivo effects induced by vanadium in biological systems.
- Vanadate oligomers: in vivo effects in hepatic vanadium accumulation and stress markersPublication . Gândara, Ricardo M. C.; S. Soares, Sandra; Martins, H.; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.The formation of vanadate oligomeric species is often disregarded in studies on vanadate effects in biological systems, particularly in vivo, even though they may interact with high affinity with many proteins. We report the effects in fish hepatic tissue of an acute intravenous exposure (12, 24 h and 7 days) to two vanadium(V) solutions, metavanadate and decavanadate, containing different vanadate oligomers administered at sub-lethal concentration (5 mM; 1 mg/kg). Decavanadate solution promotes a 5-fold increase (0.135 ± 0.053 lg V 1 dry tissues) in the vanadium content of the mitochondrial fraction 7 days after exposition, whereas no effects were observed after metavanadate solution administration. Reduced glutathione (GSH) levels did not change and the overall reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was decreased by 30% 24 h after decavanadate administration, while for metavanadate, GSH levels increased 35%, the overall ROS production was depressed by 40% and mitochondrial superoxide anion production decreased 45%. Decavanadate intoxication did not induce changes in the rate of lipid peroxidation till 12 h, but later increased 80%, which is similar to the increase observed for metavanadate after 24 h. Decameric vanadate administration clearly induces different effects than the other vanadate oligomeric species, pointing out the importance of taking into account the different vanadate oligomers in the evaluation of vanadium(V) effects in biological systems.
- Vanadium and cadmium in vivo effects in cardiac muscle: metal accumulation and oxidative stress markersPublication . S. Soares, Sandra; Martins, H.; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.Several biological studies associate vanadium and cadmium with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes alterations. The present study aims to analyse and compare the oxidative stress responses induced by an acute intravenous exposure (1 and 7 days) to a sub-lethal concentration (5 mM) of two vanadium solutions, containing different vanadate noligomers (n=1–5 or n=10), and a cadmium solution on the cardiac muscle of the marine teleost Halobatrachus didactylus (Lusitanian toadfish). It was observed that vanadium is mainly accumulated in mitochondria (1.33±0.26 μM), primarily when this element was administrated as decameric vanadate, than when administrated as metavanadate (432±294 nM), while the highest content of cadmium was found in cytosol (365±231 nM). Indeed, decavanadate solution promotes stronger increases in mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes activities (catalase: +120%; superoxide dismutase: +140%) than metavanadate solution. On contrary, cadmium increases cytosolic catalase (+111%) and glutathione peroxidases (+50%) activities. It is also observed that vanadate oligomers induce in vitro prooxidant effects in toadfish heart, with stronger effects induced by metavanadate solution. In summary, vanadate and cadmium are differently accumulated in blood and cardiac subcellular fractions and induced different responses in enzymatic antioxidant defence mechanisms. In the present study, it is described for the first time the effects of equal doses of two different metals intravenously injected in the same fish species and upon the same exposure period allowing to understand the mechanisms of vanadate and cadmium toxicity in fish cardiac muscle.