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Oxidized LDL up-regulates the ascorbic acid transporter SVCT2 in endothelial cells

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Abstract

Endothelial dysfunction is an early manifestation of atherosclerosis caused in part by oxidized LDL (oxLDL). Since vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, prevents several aspects of endothelial dysfunction, the effects of oxLDL on oxidative stress and regulation of the ascorbate transporter, SVCT2, were studied in cultured EA.hy926 endothelial cells. Cells cultured for 18 h with 0.2 mg/ml oxLDL showed increased lipid peroxidation that was prevented by a single addition of 0.25 mM ascorbate at the beginning of the incubation. This protection caused a decrease in intracellular ascorbate, but no change in the cell content of GSH. In the absence of ascorbate, oxLDL increased SVCT2 protein and function during 18 h in culture. Although culture of the cells with ascorbate did not affect SVCT2 protein expression, the oxLDL-induced increase in SVCT2 protein expression was prevented by ascorbate. These results suggest that up-regulation of endothelial cell SVCT2 expression and function may help to maintain intracellular ascorbate during oxLDL-induced oxidative stress, and that ascorbate in turn can prevent this effect.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIH Grant DK050435. Media for cell culture was prepared by the Cell Culture Core of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center (DK20593).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 7465 Medical Research Building IV, 2213 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN, 37232-0475, USA

    James M. May, Liying Li & Zhi-chao Qu

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  1. James M. May
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  2. Liying Li
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  3. Zhi-chao Qu
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Correspondence to James M. May.

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May, J.M., Li, L. & Qu, Zc. Oxidized LDL up-regulates the ascorbic acid transporter SVCT2 in endothelial cells. Mol Cell Biochem 343, 217–222 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-010-0516-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-010-0516-4

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