Title: Carnosine prevents necrotic and apoptotic death of rat thymocytes via ouabain-sensitive Na/K-ATPase.

Authors: Smolyaninova, Larisa V; Dergalev, Alexander A; Kulebyakin, Konstantin Y; Carpenter, David O; Boldyrev, Alexander A

Published In Cell Biochem Funct, (2013 Jan)

Abstract: It is known that ouabain, a selective inhibitor of Na/K-ATPase, not only can cause the activation of signal cascades, which regulate the cell viability, but also can cause the accumulation of free radicals, which can evoke the oxidative stress. We have shown that the nanomolar concentrations of ouabain result in the temporary increase in the level of intracellular free radicals, but the millimolar concentration of ouabain induces a stable intracellular accumulation of free radicals in rat thymocytes. The increasing level of free radicals resulting from both low and high concentrations of ouabain can be attenuated by the antioxidant, carnosine. Moreover, the long-term incubation with ouabain leads to the cell death by necrosis and apoptosis. Ouabain-mediated apoptosis and necrosis were also abolished by carnosine.

PubMed ID: 22763713

MeSH Terms: Animals; Apoptosis/drug effects; Calcium Signaling/drug effects; Carnosine/pharmacology*; Culture Media/pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Activation/drug effects; Free Radicals/metabolism; Necrosis; Nitric Oxide Synthase/metabolism; Nitroarginine/pharmacology; Ouabain/antagonists & inhibitors*; Ouabain/pharmacology; Protein Isoforms/drug effects; Rats; Rats, Inbred WKY; Signal Transduction/drug effects; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase/drug effects*; Thymocytes/cytology; Thymocytes/drug effects*; Thymocytes/enzymology