ascorbic-acid and Homocystinuria

Important insights have recently been derived from studies of inborn human defects of sulfur metabolism. Metabolic lesions responsible for homocystinuria have been elucidated, with possible implications for understanding atherogenesis in the general population. The cause of cystinosis remains enigmatic, but important information has been gained on the origin of some stored cystine from degraded protein. Cysteamine and ascorbic acid deplete the cystine content of cystinotic fibroblasts in vitro, and clinical trials with these agents have been undertaken. Studies of patients with glutathione synthetase deficiency have provided new understanding of the roles of glutathione as in antioxidant and as a modulator of microtubule-related processes. Studies of patients with this disorder and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, in which the capacity to maintain glutathione in the reduced state is compromised, indicate that pharmacologic doses of vitamin E can correct certain functional consequences of an inadequate supply of reduced glutathione both in erythrocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Much remains to be learned about the mechanisms of membrane damage in these states of enhanced oxidative susceptibility.

Topics: Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors; Amino Acids, Sulfur; Ascorbic Acid; Cysteamine; Cystinosis; Erythrocytes; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency; Glutathione; Glutathione Synthase; Homocystinuria; Humans; Leukocytes; Vitamin E

It is apparent that significant progress has been made in our understanding of the biosynthesis, modifications, and maturation of collagen and elastin. We now recognize and partially understand special reactions involved in hydroxylations within the cell and complex cross-linking processes occurring outside the cell. Recent experiments (191) have shown that in human diploid fibroblast cultures of limited doubling potential (191) the hydroxylation of collagen prolyl residues appears to be "age" or passage-level dependent. With increasing passage level of these cultures, both the ascorbate requirements and the extent of collagen hydroxylation decrease. "Young" cell cultures have a strong requirement for complete hydroxylation and without ascorbate there is only about 50% of the normal level. "Middle-aged" cultures show higher hydroxylation without and full hydroxylation with ascorbate, whereas "old" (or cultures close to "senescence") are incapable of full hydroxylation with or without ascorbic acid. Although the overall system may show some deterioration with increasing passage levels, it appears that with increasing passage levels other components in the cell replace the ascorbate dependence of the hydroxylase system to a greater exten. In some ways, aging WI-38 cultures begin to resemble some transformed cells in their biochemical reactions, although they continue to remain diploid and eventually lose the ability to replicate. It is not yet known whether old animals can produce collagen, which may now be underhydroxylated, perhaps contributing to certain senescent changes. Careful examination of the hydroxylation index of collagen produced in organoid cultures of tissue biopsies as a function of donor age might be informative, particularly if one looks at the quality of collagen by employing collagenase and other proteolytic digests with collagen (191). One could comare the levels of frequent and characteristic peptide triplet sequences such as Gly-Pro-Hyp to Gly-Pro-Pro, Gly-Ala-Hyp to Gly-Ala-Pro, or Gly-Pro-Hyl to Gly-Pro-Lys and others for evaluation of hydroxylation throughout the entire molecule or at selected sequences.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibody Specificity; Ascorbic Acid; Collagen; Connective Tissue; Copper; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; Elastin; Epitopes; Homocystinuria; Humans; Hydralazine; Lathyrism; Marfan Syndrome; Molecular Conformation; Platelet Aggregation; Procollagen-Proline Dioxygenase; Skin Diseases; Syndrome

In the present study we investigate the effect of homocysteine on glutamate uptake, Na+,K+-ATPase, enzymatic antioxidant defenses, as well as reactive species levels in hippocampus of rats. The influence of vitamin C, a classic antioxidant, on the effects elicited by homocysteine was also tested. Results showed that chronic hyperhomocysteinemia decreased glutamate uptake and the activities of Na+,K+-ATPase, catalase and superoxide dismutase in hippocampus of rats. Reactive species levels were increased by chronic homocysteine administration. Concomitant administration of vitamin C significantly prevented these alterations caused by homocysteine. According to our results, it seems possible to suggest that the reduction in glutamate uptake and Na+,K+-ATPase activity may be mediated by oxidative stress, since vitamin C prevented these effects. We suggest that the administration of antioxidants should be considered as an adjuvant therapy to specific diet in homocystinuria.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Catalase; Glutamic Acid; Hippocampus; Homocysteine; Homocystinuria; Hyperhomocysteinemia; Oxidative Stress; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reactive Oxygen Species; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; Superoxide Dismutase

Topics: Adolescent; Ascorbic Acid; Clinical Trials as Topic; Cystine; Female; History, 20th Century; Homocystinuria; Humans; Male; Methemoglobinemia; Siblings; United Kingdom

In the present study we investigate the effect of homocysteine (Hcy) administration, the main metabolite accumulating in homocystinuria, on butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity in serum of rats. For the acute treatment, 29-day-old Wistar rats received one subcutaneous injection of Hcy (0.6 micromol/g) or saline (control) and were killed 1 h later. For the chronic treatment, Hcy was administered subcutaneously to rats from the 6th to the 28th day of life. Control rats received saline. The rats were killed 12 h after the last injection. In another set of experiments, rats were pretreated for one week with vitamins E and C or saline and 12 h after the last injection received one single injection of Hcy or saline, being killed 1 h later. Serum was used to determine BuChE activity. Our results showed that acute and chronic administration of Hcy significantly decreased BuChE activity. Furthermore, vitamins E and C per se did not alter BuChE activity, but prevented the reduction of this enzyme activity caused by acute administration of Hcy. The data suggest that the inhibitory effect of Hcy on BuChE activity is probably mediated by free radicals, since vitamins E and C administration prevented such effect.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Arteriosclerosis; Ascorbic Acid; Butyrylcholinesterase; Disease Models, Animal; Down-Regulation; Enzyme Activation; Free Radicals; Homocysteine; Homocystinuria; Hyperhomocysteinemia; Lipid Metabolism; Oxidative Stress; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Vitamin E

We sought to investigate the effects of short- and long-term vitamin C therapy on endothelial dysfunction in patients with homocystinuria.. Untreated homocystinuria due to cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency is associated with premature atherothrombotic disease; 25% of untreated patients suffer a vascular event by the age of 16 years and 50% by 29 years. Treatment directed at reducing homocysteine accumulation significantly reduces this risk. However, despite 'optimal' treatment and compliance, hyperhomocysteinaemia usually persists and individuals exhibit endothelial dysfunction indicative of an adverse cardiovascular prognosis. Additional intervention is therefore required to further reduce cardiovascular risk.. We investigated the endothelial effects of acute (2 g single dose) and chronic (1 g/day for 6 months) administration of oral vitamin C in 5 patients with homocystinuria (mean age 26 years, 1 male) and 5 age- and sex-matched controls. Brachial artery endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and endothelium-independent responses to nitroglycerin (NTG) were measured using high-resolution ultrasonic vessel wall-tracking.. Baseline: Plasma total homocysteine was 100.8 +/- 61.6 and 9.2 +/- 1.9 micromol/L in the patient and control groups, respectively (p < 0.001). FMD responses were impaired in the patient group (20 +/- 40 microm) compared with the controls (116 +/- 30 microm) (p < 0.001). Vitamin C administration: FMD responses in the patient group improved both acutely, 160 +/- 65 microm at 4 h (p < 0.001), and chronically, 170 +/- 70 microm at 2 weeks (p < 0.001) and 170 +/- 40 microm at 6 months (p < 0.001). FMD responses in the control group were unaltered (p = 0.526). Within both groups, neither the vascular response to NTG nor plasma homocysteine was altered (p > 0.4).. Vitamin C ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in patients with homocystinuria, independent of changes in homocysteine concentration and should therefore be considered as an additional adjunct to therapy to reduce the potential long-term risk of atherothrombotic disease.

Topics: Adult; Ascorbic Acid; Blood Flow Velocity; Blood Pressure; Brachial Artery; Endothelium, Vascular; Female; Heart Rate; Homocystine; Homocystinuria; Humans; Male; Methionine; Nitric Oxide; Nitroglycerin; Tetrahydrofolates; Vasodilation

Topics: Animals; Arteriosclerosis; Ascorbic Acid; Disease Models, Animal; Endothelium, Vascular; Homocysteine; Homocystinuria; Humans; Male; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Perfusion; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Topics: Amino Acids, Sulfur; Ascorbic Acid; Aspirin; Cysteamine; Cystinosis; Dipyridamole; Glutathione; Glutathione Synthase; Homocystinuria; Humans; Metabolism, Inborn Errors; Pyridoxine; Vitamin E