Repository logo
 

Assessing Oxidative Stress in Tumors by Measuring the Rate of Hyperpolarized [1-$^{13}$C] Dehydroascorbic Acid Reduction Using $^{13}$C Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Change log

Authors

Timm, KN 
Hu, D-E 
Williams, M 
Wright, AJ 
Kettunen, MI 

Abstract

Rapid cancer cell proliferation promotes the production of reducing equivalents, which counteract the effects of relatively high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS levels increase in response to chemotherapy and cell death while an increase in antioxidant capacity can confer resistance to chemotherapy and is associated with an aggressive tumor phenotype. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a major site of NADPH production in the cell, which is used to maintain the main intracellular antioxidant, glutathione, in its reduced state. Previous studies have shown that the rate of hyperpolarized [1-13C]dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) reduction, which can be measured in vivo using non-invasive 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, is increased in tumors and that this is correlated with the levels of reduced glutathione. We show here that the rate of hyperpolarized [1-13C]DHA reduction is increased in tumors that have been oxidatively pre-stressed by depleting the glutathione pool by buthionine sulfoximine treatment. This increase was associated with a corresponding increase in PPP flux, assessed using 13C-labeled glucose, and an increase in glutaredoxin activity, which catalyzes the glutathione-dependent reduction of DHA. These results show that the rate of DHA reduction does not depend only on the level of reduced glutathione, but also on the rate of NADPH production, contradicting the conclusions of some previous studies. Hyperpolarized [1-13C]DHA can be used therefore to assess the capacity of tumor cells to resist oxidative stress in vivo. However, DHA administration resulted in transient respiratory arrest and cardiac depression, which may prevent translation to the clinic.

Description

Keywords

glutathione peroxidase, in vivo imaging, oxidative stress, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), tumor metabolism, 13C, dehydroascorbic acid, glutathione, hyperpolarization

Journal Title

The Journal of Biological Chemistry

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0021-9258
1083-351X

Volume Title

292

Publisher

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Sponsorship
Cancer Research Uk (None)
Cancer Research UK (CB4100)
Cancer Research UK (C14303/A17197)
European Commission (264780)
Work in K.M. Brindle’s laboratory is supported by a Cancer Research UK Programme grant (17242) and the CRUK-EPSRC Imaging Centre in Cambridge and Manchester (16465). K.N. Timm was in receipt of MRC and Cancer Research UK studentships, B.W.C. Kennedy and P. Dzien Cancer Research UK studentships and F. Bulat a CRUK -EPSRC Imaging Centre imaging center studentship. I. Marco -Rius acknowledges the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) for support under the M arie Curie Initial Training Network METAFLUX (project number 264780).