血管内皮細胞におけるメチルグリオキサールによるスーパーオキシドの産生  [in Japanese] Methylglyoxal-induced Superoxide Anion Production in Endothelial Cells  [in Japanese]

Methylglyoxal (MG), a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound, is a metabolic by-product of glycolysis. MG is often detected at high levels in the blood of diabetic patients. We examined whether MG was capable of inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs). The viability of BAECs decreased with time on treatment with 5mM MG, and was almost completely lost at 24h. In contrast, MG at 1mM had little influence on BAEC viability up to 24h, but induced the elevation of intracellular glutathione content at 24h. Exposure of BAECs to MG caused a dose-dependent increase in oxidized-hydroethidine fluorescence intensity, indicating ROS production. In addition, aconitase inactivation, which is an indicator of intracellular superoxide, was observed in MG-treated cells. Finally, we found that MG at 5mM increased the fluorescence intensity of BES-So, a specific probe for superoxide. Together, the results suggest that MG induces superoxide production in endothelial cells, and that the accumulation of ROS may be linked to cytotoxic effects.