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Structural Influence of Isothiocyanates on the Antioxidant Response Element (ARE)-Mediated Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) Expression

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Abstract

Purpose

Isothiocyanates (ITCs), existing abundantly in cruciferous vegetables, is one class of promising dietary cancer chemopreventive agents that possess strong cancer protective effects by modulation of phase II detoxifying/antioxidant enzyme activities. However, limited studies regarding to the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of ITCs on the induction of phase II detoxifying/antioxidant enzymes are reported. In this study, the effects of ten structurally related isothiocyanates on the antioxidant response element (ARE)-mediated antioxidant enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction in human hepatoma HepG2-C8 cells were evaluated.

Materials and Methods

After exposure of HepG2-C8 cells to ITCs, cell viability, luciferase reporter assay, Western blot analysis and quantitative real-time PCR were conducted.

Results

Treatments with most ITCs significantly activated ARE-mediated luciferase activity with different maximal degree of ARE induction. In addition, ITCs caused a substantial induction of HO-1 protein, which was closely correlated with inductive level of Nrf2 protein. Real-time PCR revealed that the expression of HO-1 mRNA and protein was significantly increased after treatments with ITCs, although not directly correlated. HO-1 induction by ITCs was attenuated in HepG2-C8 cells transiently transfected with a dominant negative mutant of Nrf2 (Nrf2-M4), whereas it was totally absent in Nrf2 −/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts. In addition, ARE activation by ITCs was associated with the depletion of intracellular glutathione.

Conclusion

Collectively, our results demonstrate that the ITC class of compounds activates ARE-mediated HO-1 gene transcription through Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, however, their inductive effects are quite specific, depending on the chemical structure. These results suggest the possibility that some synthetic ITCs might have superior chemopreventive activity than natural ITCs.

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Abbreviations

ARE:

antioxidant response element

HO-1:

heme oxygenase-1

ITCs:

isothiocyanates

ITC-1:

2-methoxyethyl isothiocyanate

ITC-2:

3-methoxypropyl isothiocyanate

ITC-3:

furfuryl isothiocyanate

ITC-4:

tetrahydrofurfuryl isothiocyanate

ITC-5:

methyl-3-isothiocyanatopropionate

ITC-6:

3-(diethylamino)propyl-isothiocyanate

ITC-7:

2-(4-morpholino)ethyl isothiocyanate

ITC-8:

3-(4-morpholino)propyl isothiocyanate

ITC-9:

4-cyanophenyl isothiocyanate

ITC-10:

3,4-methyelenedioxybenzyl isothiocyanate

Keap1:

kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1

Nrf2:

Nuclear E2-factor related factor 2

SAR:

structure-activity relationship

SFN:

sulforaphane

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the members in Dr. Tony Kong’s lab for their help in the discussion and preparation of this manuscript. This work was supported by the National Institute of Health Grant R01-CA73674 and R01-CA94828 to A.-N. T. Kong and the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), Thailand (the post doctoral fellowship scholarship, to A. Prawan).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mittrapharb Road, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand

    Auemduan Prawan

  2. Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 160 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA

    Auemduan Prawan, Young-Sam Keum, Tin Oo Khor, Siwang Yu, Sujit Nair, Wenge Li & Ah-Ng Tony Kong

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 160 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, USA

    Longqin Hu

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  1. Auemduan Prawan
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Correspondence to Ah-Ng Tony Kong.

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Prawan, A., Keum, YS., Khor, T.O. et al. Structural Influence of Isothiocyanates on the Antioxidant Response Element (ARE)-Mediated Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) Expression. Pharm Res 25, 836–844 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-007-9370-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-007-9370-9

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