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Neurotrophins promote neurite outgrowth of auditory neurons and may help closing the gap to cochlear implant (CI) electrodes to enhance electrical hearing. The best concentrations and mix of neurotrophins for this nerve regrowth are unknown. Whether electrical stimulation (ES) during outgrowth is beneficial or may direct axons is another open question. Auditory neuron explant cultures of distinct cochlear turns of 6–7 days old mice were cultured for four days. We tested different concentrations and combinations of BDNF and NT-3 and quantified the numbers and lengths of neurites with an advanced automated analysis. A custom-made 24-well electrical stimulator based on two bulk CIs served to test different ES strategies. Quantification of receptors trkB, trkC, p75NTR, and histological analysis helped to analyze effects. We found 25 ng/mL BDNF to perform best, especially in basal neurons, a negative influence of NT-3 in combined BDNF/NT-3 scenarios, and tonotopic changes in trk and p75NTR receptor stainings. ES largely impeded neurite outgrowth and glia ensheathment in an amplitude-dependent way. Apical neurons showed slight benefits in neurite numbers and length with ES at 10 and 500 µA. We recommend BDNF as a potent drug to enhance the man-machine interface, but CIs should be better activated after nerve regrowth.

The reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating enzyme NOX3 has recently been implicated in the pathophysiology of several acquired forms of sensorineural hearing loss, including cisplatin-, noise- and age-related hearing loss. NOX3 is highly and specifically expressed in the inner ear and therefore represents an attractive target for specific intervention aiming at otoprotection. Despite the strong rationale to inhibit NOX3, there is currently no specific pharmacological inhibitor available. Molecular therapy may represent a powerful alternative. In this study, we developed and tested a collection of small interfering (si) RNA constructs to establish a proof of concept of NOX3 inhibition through local delivery in the mouse inner ear. The inhibitory potential of 10 different siRNA constructs was first assessed in three different cells lines expressing the NOX3 complex. Efficacy of the most promising siRNA construct to knock-down NOX3 was then further assessed

Objective Robust epidemiological and audiological data are needed to prepare for future clinical trials aiming at preventing cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in this suffering cancer population. We precisely assessed the incidence, severity and potential risk factors of symptomatic cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in a large cohort of adults. Methods Retrospective cohort study at a tertiary care university hospital. Study group included 401 consecutive patients over 18 years old treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy, without concomitant inner ear radiotherapy nor other ototoxic medication. Every participant underwent baseline pre-treatment audiometry and were asked for otological symptoms (tinnitus, hearing loss). If symptomatic, comparative audiometry was performed. Ototoxicity was defined by a threshold shift ≥ 15 dB HL in at least one of the tested frequencies. Results A total of n = 401 cancer patients (59% males) with a mean age of 56 years (range 18–80 years). N = 81 patients (20%) developed symptomatic ototoxicity, affecting predominantly the high frequencies from 4 to 8 kHz. Among the patients with cisplatin-induced hearing loss, n = 49 (60%) experienced simultaneous tinnitus, occurring in over half of them after the first cycle of chemotherapy. None of the analyzed potential risk factors age, gender, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, vasculopathy, dyslipidemia, chemotherapeutic regimen and cumulative cisplatin dose was statistically correlated with the occurrence or severity of cisplatin-induced hearing loss. Conclusion One out of five adult cancer patients treated with cisplatin chemotherapy developed a symptomatic and predominant high-frequency hearing loss, with simultaneous occurrence of tinnitus in over half of them. Standardized audiological monitoring before and during cisplatin chemotherapy allows to quantitatively assess early and objective signs of ototoxicity and offers to optimize anticancer therapy while minimizing morbidity in a multidisciplinary setting.

The reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating NADPH oxidase NOX3 isoform is highly and specifically expressed in the inner ear. NOX3 is needed for normal vestibular development but NOX-derived ROS have also been implicated in the pathophysiology of sensorineural hearing loss. The role of NOX-derived ROS in noise-induced hearing loss, however, remains unclear and was addressed with the present study. Two different mouse strains, deficient in NOX3 or its critical subunit p22

Synthetic microRNA (miRNA) minigenes (SMIGs) have a major potential for molecular therapy; however, their optimal architecture still needs to be determined. We have previously optimized the stem structure of miRNA hairpins for efficient gene knockdown. Here, we investigate the overall architecture of SMIGs driven by polymerase II-dependent promoters. When miRNA hairpins were placed directly behind the promoter, gene knockdown was inefficient as compared with constructs containing an intercalated sequence (“spacer”). Spacer sequence was relevant for knockdown efficiency and concatenation potential: GFP-based sequences (even when truncated or including stop codons) were particularly efficient. In contrast, a spacer of similar length based on a CD4 intronic sequence was entirely inefficient. Spacer sequences influenced miRNA steady-state levels without affecting transcript stability. We demonstrate that with an optimized spacer, up to five concatenated hairpins targeting two different genes are efficiently expressed and able to knock down their respective targets. Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells containing a CCR5 knockdown SMIG demonstrated a sustained in vivo efficacy of our approach. In summary, we have defined features that optimize SMIG efficiency. Based on these results, optimized knockdown of genes of interest, such as the HIV co-receptor CCR5 and the NADPH oxidase subunit p22phox, was achieved. Keywords: siRNA, miRNA, synthetic miRNA minigene, miRNA hairpins concatenation, multi-target gene knockdown, CCR5, NOX3, hematopoietic stem cells, cochlea, lentivector transduction

Auditory neurons connect the sensory hair cells from the inner ear to the brainstem. These bipolar neurons are relevant targets for pharmacological intervention aiming at protecting or improving the hearing function in various forms of sensorineural hearing loss. In the research laboratory, neurotrophic compounds are commonly used to improve survival and to promote regeneration of auditory neurons. One important roadblock delaying eventual clinical applications of these strategies in humans is the lack of powerful in vitro models allowing high throughput screening of otoprotective and regenerative compounds. The recently discovered auditory neuroprogenitors (ANPGs) derived from the A/J mouse with an unprecedented capacity to self-renew and to provide mature auditory neurons offer the possibility to overcome this bottleneck. In the present study, we further characterized the new phoenix ANPGs model and compared it to the current gold-standard spiral ganglion organotypic explant (SGE) model to assay neurite outgrowth, neurite length and glutamate-induced Ca2+ response in response to neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) treatment. Whereas both, SGEs and phoenix ANPGs exhibited a robust and sensitive response to neurotrophins, the phoenix ANPGs offer a considerable range of advantages including high throughput suitability, lower experimental variability, single cell resolution and an important reduction of animal numbers. The phoenix ANPGs in vitro model therefore provides a robust high-throughput platform to screen for otoprotective and regenerative neurotrophic compounds in line with 3R principles and is of interest for the field of auditory neuroscience.

Background: Neuronal outgrowth assays using organotypic explant cultures are commonly utilized to study neuroregenerative and -protective effects of drugs such as neurotrophins. While this approach offers higher organized tissue compared to single cell cultures and less experimental effort than in-vivo studies, quantitative evaluation of the neuronal network is often time consuming. Thus, we developed ExplantAnlayzer, a time-saving high-throughput evaluation method, yielding numerous metrics to objectively describe neuronal outgrowth.New method: Spiral ganglion explants were cultured in 24-well plates, mechanically fixed in a collagen matrix and immunolabeled against beta-III-tubulin. The explants were imaged using a fluorescent tile-scan microscope and resulting images were stitched. The evaluation was developed as an open-source MATLAB routine and involves several image processing steps, including adaptive thresholding. The neurite network was eventually converted to a graph to track neurites from their terminals back to the explant body.Comparison with existing method(s): We compared ExplantAnlayzer quantitatively and qualitatively to common existing methods, such as Sholl analyses and manual fiber tracing, using representative explant images. ExplantAnlayzer is able to achieve similar and as detailed results as manual tracing while decreasing manual interaction and required time dramatically.Results: After an initial setup phase, the explant images could be batch-processed altogether. Bright bundles as well as faint fibers were reliably detected. Several metrics describing the outgrowth morphology, including total outgrowth, neurite numbers and length estimations, as well as their growth directions, were computed.Conclusions: ExplantAnalyzer is a time-saving and objective method for an in-depth evaluation of organotypic explant outgrowth.

The NADPH oxidase Nox4 is a multi-pass membrane protein responsible for the generation of reactive oxygen species that are implicated in cellular signaling but may also cause pathological situations when dysregulated. Although topological organization of integral membrane protein dictates its function, only limited experimental data describing Nox4's topology are available. To provide deeper insight on Nox4 structural organization, we developed a novel method to determinate membrane protein topology in their cellular environment, named Topological Determination by Ubiquitin Fusion Assay (ToDUFA). It is based on the proteolytic capacity of the deubiquitinase enzymes to process ubiquitin fusion proteins. This straightforward method, validated on two well-known protein's topologies (IL1RI and Nox2), allowed us to discriminate rapidly the topological orientation of protein's domains facing either the nucleocytosolic or the exterior/luminal compartments. Using this method, we were able for the first time to determine experimentally the topology of Nox4 which consists of 6 transmembrane domains with its N- and C-terminus moieties facing the cytosol. While the first, third and fifth loops of Nox4 protein are extracellular; the second and fourth loops are located in the cytosolic side. This approach can be easily extended to characterize the topology of all others members of the NADPH oxidase family or any multi-pass membrane proteins. Considering the importance of protein topology knowledge in cell biology research and pharmacological development, we believe that this novel method will represent a widely useful technique to easily uncover complex membrane protein's topology.

The clinical treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss currently relies on the administration of steroids, either systemically or via intratympanic injections. Intratympanic injections bypass the hemato-cochlear barrier, reducing its systemic side effects. The efficacy of the injections is limited through rapid drug clearance via the Eustachian tube, and through nonoptimal properties of slow-release drug carriers. A new slow-release drug delivery vehicle based on hexyl-substituted-poly-lactic-acid (HexPLA), with the highest possible safety profile and complete bio-degradability, has been evaluated for safety and efficacy in a standardized guinea pig model of intratympanic injection.A total of 83 animals received through retrobullar injection either empty Nile-red-colored HexPLA vehicle, 5%-dexamethasone-HexPLA, 5%-dexamethasone suspension, or a sham operation. Long-term residence time of vehicle, biocompatibility, click- and pure-tone hearing thresholds, and dexamethasone levels in the perilymph were prospectively assessed.At 1 week after injection, HexPLA vehicle was morphologically present in the middle ear and perilymph levels in the 5%-dexamethasone-HexPLA were on average 2 to 3 μg/ml and one order of magnitude higher compared with those of the 5%-dexamethasone suspension group. No significant postoperative morphological or functional changes were observed up to 3 months postdelivery.HexPLA is safe, fully biocompatible, and efficient for sustained high-dose, intratympanic delivery of dexamethasone at least for 1 week and therefore of high interest for the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss and other acute inner ear diseases. Due to the favorable chemical properties, a wide range of other drugs can be loaded into the vehicle further increasing its potential value for otological applications.

The NADPH oxidases, Nox, are transmembrane hemoproteins, whose exclusive function is to reduce molecular oxygen to produce superoxide anion O2°- and consequently highly reactive oxidant and toxic oxygen species, ROS. Among the 7 NADPH oxidases expressed in humans, Nox4 is the sole Nox isoform present in human primary chondrocytes. Nox4 was suggested as one of the main actors involved in cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis. The stimulation of chondrocytes, the only cell present in cartilage, by IL-1β results in the activation of Nox4. This leads to an increase of ROS production which in turn could regulate signaling pathways sensitive to oxidative stress such as gene-encoding matrix metalloproteases MMP1, MMP13 and Adamalysin ADAMTS4. A deep understanding of Nox4 structure/function and mechanisms of regulation could lead both to the identification of new therapeutic targets and to the development of innovative strategies for appropriate osteoarthritis treatment.

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) provides an ideal framework to establish multi-disciplinary research networks. COST Action BM1203 (EU-ROS) represents a consortium of researchers from different disciplines who are dedicated to providing new insights and tools for better understanding redox biology and medicine and, in the long run, to finding new therapeutic strategies to target dysregulated redox processes in various diseases. This report highlights the major achievements of EU-ROS as well as research updates and new perspectives arising from its members. The EU-ROS consortium comprised more than 140 active members who worked together for four years on the topics briefly described below. The formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) is an established hallmark of our aerobic environment and metabolism but RONS also act as messengers via redox regulation of essential cellular processes. The fact that many diseases have been found to be associated with oxidative stress established the theory of oxidative stress as a trigger of diseases that can be corrected by antioxidant therapy. However, while experimental studies support this thesis, clinical studies still generate controversial results, due to complex pathophysiology of oxidative stress in humans. For future improvement of antioxidant therapy and better understanding of redox-associated disease progression detailed knowledge on the sources and targets of RONS formation and discrimination of their detrimental or beneficial roles is required. In order to advance this important area of biology and medicine, highly synergistic approaches combining a variety of diverse and contrasting disciplines are needed., Graphical abstract fx1, Highlights • RONS are chemical mediators and a communication tool. • RONS and disturbed redox balance play a role in a broad range of diseases and aging. • Bacteria and toxins are important stimulators of cellular RONS formation. • Drugs should preserve beneficial redox signaling and inhibit detrimental RONS sources. • Redox drugs may target the origin, identity, location and time of RONS formation.

NADPH oxidases, Nox, are a family of isoenzymes, composed of seven members, whose sole function is to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although Nox catalyze the same enzymatic reaction, they acquired from a common ancestor during evolution, specificities related to their tissue expression, subcellular localization, activation mechanisms and regulation. Their functions could vary depending on the pathophysiological state of the tissues. Indeed, ROS are not only bactericidal weapons in phagocytes but also essential cellular signaling molecules and their overproduction is involved in chronic diseases and diseases of aging. The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the function of Nox and the emergence of Nox inhibitors, require a thorough knowledge of their nature and structure. The objectives of this review are to highlight, in a structure/function approach, the main similar and differentiated properties shared by the human Nox isoenzymes.

The NADPH oxidases, Nox, are transmembrane hemoproteins, whose exclusive function is to reduce molecular oxygen to produce superoxide anion O2°- and consequently highly reactive oxidant and toxic oxygen species, ROS. Among the 7 NADPH oxidases expressed in humans, Nox4 is the sole Nox isoform present in human primary chondrocytes. Nox4 was suggested as one of the main actors involved in cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis. The stimulation of chondrocytes, the only cell present in cartilage, by IL-1β results in the activation of Nox4. This leads to an increase of ROS production which in turn could regulate signaling pathways sensitive to oxidative stress such as gene-encoding matrix metalloproteases MMP1, MMP13 and Adamalysin ADAMTS4. A deep understanding of Nox4 structure/function and mechanisms of regulation could lead both to the identification of new therapeutic targets and to the development of innovative strategies for appropriate osteoarthritis treatment.

International audience; Early onset torsion dystonia are rare movement disorders. Molecular defect is known for only a subgroup, consisting of a unique and recurrent mutation in the TOR1A gene. We undertook a nationwide census of French TOR1A-mutation carriers and the assessment of clinical associated signs. Overall, 53 index cases and 104 relatives were studied and haplotypes linked to the mutation constructed. The previously reported Ashkenazi-Jewish haplotype was found in 11 families with the remainder carrying distinct haplotypes suggesting independent mutation events. This study demonstrates the scarcity of this disease in France with estimated disease frequency of 0.13:100,000 and mutation frequency of 0.17:100,000.

Inner ear pathologies are associated with major morbidity and loss of life quality in affected patients. In many of these conditions, production of reactive oxygen-species (ROS) is thought to be a key pathological mechanism. While the sources of ROS are complex (including for example mitochondria), there is increasing evidence that activation of NOX enzymes, in particular NOX3, plays a key role. NOX3 is a multi-subunit NADPH oxidase, functionally and structurally closely related to NOX1 and NOX2. In both the vestibular and the cochlear compartments of the inner ear, high levels of NOX3 mRNA are expressed. In NOX3 mutant mice, the vestibular function is perturbed due to a lack of otoconia, while only minor alterations of hearing have been documented. However, there is increasing evidence that activation of NOX3 through drugs, noise and probably also aging, leads to hearing loss. Thus, NOX3 is an interesting target to treat and prevent inner ear pathologies and a few first animal models based on drug - or molecular therapy have been reported. So far however, there are no specific NOX3 inhibitors with a documented penetration into the inner ear. Nevertheless, certain antioxidants and non-specific NOX inhibitors diminish hearing loss in animal models. Development of small molecules inhibitors or molecular strategies against NOX3 could improve specificity and efficiency of redox-targeted treatments. In this review, we will discuss arguments for the involvement of NOX3 in inner ear pathologies and therapeutic approaches to target NOX3 activity.

NADPH oxidases, Nox, are a family of isoenzymes, composed of seven members, whose sole function is to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although Nox catalyze the same enzymatic reaction, they acquired from a common ancestor during evolution, specificities related to their tissue expression, subcellular localization, activation mechanisms and regulation. Their functions could vary depending on the pathophysiological state of the tissues. Indeed, ROS are not only bactericidal weapons in phagocytes but also essential cellular signaling molecules and their overproduction is involved in chronic diseases and diseases of aging. The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the function of Nox and the emergence of Nox inhibitors, require a thorough knowledge of their nature and structure. The objectives of this review are to highlight, in a structure/function approach, the main similar and differentiated properties shared by the human Nox isoenzymes.

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by a progressive alteration of the biochemical properties of the articular cartilage. Inflammation plays a major role in OA, particularly through the cytokine Interleukine-1β, promoting reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) synthesis by the chondrocytes, orchestrating matrix proteolysis. NADPH oxidases (NOX) are membrane enzymes dedicated to the production of ROS. Role of oxidative stress is well established in OA; however, contribution of NOX in this process is still poorly documented. In this study, we addressed the role of NOX in primary human articular chondrocytes (HAC) upon inflammatory conditions - namely IL-1β and OA. Design: HAC were collected from patients undergoing hip surgery. Chondrocytes were treated with IL-1β and NOX inhibitors Diphenylene Iodonium, GKT136901, Tiron and Heme oxygenase-1 before MMP expression and NOX activity assessment. Finally, NOX4 expression was compared between OA and non OA parts of hip cartilage (n = 14). Results: This study establishes for the first time in human that NOX4 is the main NOX isoform expressed in chondrocytes. We found a significant upregulation of NOX4 mRNA in OA chondrocytes. Expression of NOX4/p22phox as well as ROS production is enhanced by IL-1β. On the other hand, the use of NOX4 inhibitors decreased IL-1β-induced collagenase synthesis by chondrocytes. Moreover, our study support the existence of a redox dependant loop sustaining pro-catabolic pathways induced by IL-1β. Conclusions: This study points out NOX4 as a new putative target in OA and suggests that NOX-targeted therapies could be of interest for the causal treatment of the pathology. © 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International.

Genetic engineering of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) by lentiviral-based vectors suffers from their low transduction rate with ~20% when aiming a single integration event. This amount of modified cells may not be sufficient for the correction of a number of diseases and therefore enrichment of transduced cells would be needed. We propose a novel in vitro/in vivo selection/suicide system based on the expression of the human reduced folate carrier 1 (hRFC1) and the human ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase subunit M2 (RRM2). These genes are encoding for proteins which are responsible for drug resistances/sensitivities.The vector design is based on a bicistronic self-inactivating vector, meaning that the vector comprises the ubiquitin promoter (UBI) which drives the expression of EGFP in order to track transduced cells. The PGK promoter drives the expression of hRFC1 and the RRM2, which are connected through the cleavage peptide T2A.The hRFC1 is the main transport protein for the uptake of folates which are indispensable for purine synthesis and therefore for DNA synthesis. A greater expression level of hRFC1 should render cells more sensitive to the antifolate Methotrexate (suicide), which mainly enters the cells via the hRFC1. In contrast, it is possible to enrich for the transduced cells with Trimetrexate, which is an analog of Methotrexate. Its very lipophilic nature allows Trimetrexate to passively diffuse through cell membranes. As a result, transduced cells can escape the toxic effects from Trimetrexate due to their augmented transport of folic acid trough the overexpressed hRFC.In contrast, non-transduced cells are expected to show the opposite effects with higher resistance to Methotrexate but lower threshold killing to Trimetrexate.The second resistance gene RRM2 catalyzes the reduction of ribonucleotides into desoxyribonucleotides and its overexpression should lead to resistance to the drug hydroxyurea. When applying both selection drugs (Trimetrexate and Hydroxyurea) we expect an additive or even synergistic toxic effect on non-transduced cells while the transduced cells experience lower side effects.We are currently examining the concept proposed in vitro using various cell lines. Providing promising results, we would like to use the vector on CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. In addition, we would like to transplant immunocompromised NSG mice with a mixture of transduced and non-transduced CD34+ cells and then apply the Trimetrexate/Hydroxyurea in vivo to select and then Methotrexate in order to remove the transduced cell from the circulation.

NADPH oxidase Nox4 is expressed in a wide range of tissues and plays a role in cellular signaling by providing reactive oxygen species (ROS) as intracellular messengers. Nox4 oxidase activity is thought to be constitutive and regulated at the transcriptional level; however, we challenge this point of view and suggest that specific quinone derivatives could modulate this activity. In fact, we demonstrated a significant stimulation of Nox4 activity by 4 quinone derivatives (AA-861, tBuBHQ, tBuBQ, and duroquinone) observed in 3 different cellular models, HEK293E, T-REx™, and chondrocyte cell lines. Our results indicate that the effect is specific toward Nox4 versus Nox2. Furthermore, we showed that NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) may participate in this stimulation. Interestingly, Nox4 activity is also stimulated by reducing agents that possibly act by reducing the disulfide bridge (Cys226, Cys270) located in the extracellular E-loop of Nox4. Such model of Nox4 activity regulation could provide new insight into the understanding of the molecular mechanism of the electron transfer through the enzyme, i.e., its potential redox regulation, and could also define new therapeutic targets in diseases in which quinones and Nox4 are implicated. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) activates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and secretion of MMPs as well as chondrocyte apoptosis. Those events lead to matrix breakdown and are key features of osteoarthritis (OA). We confirmed that in human C-20/A4 chondrocytes the NADPH oxidase Nox4 is the main source of ROS upon IL-1β stimulation. Since heme molecules are essential for the NADPH oxidase maturation and activity, we therefore investigated the consequences of the modulation of Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), the limiting enzyme in heme catabolism, on the IL-1β signaling pathway and more specifically on Nox4 activity. Induction of HO-1 expression decreased dramatically Nox4 activity in C-20/A4 and HEK293 T-REx™ Nox4 cell lines. Unexpectedly, this decrease was not accompanied by any change in the expression, the subcellular localization or the maturation of Nox4. In fact, the inhibition of the heme synthesis by succinylacetone rather than heme catabolism by HO-1, led to a confinement of the Nox4/p22phox heterodimer in the endoplasmic reticulum with an absence of redox differential spectrum highlighting an incomplete maturation. Therefore, the downregulation of Nox4 activity by HO-1 induction appeared to be mediated by carbon monoxide (CO) generated from the heme degradation process. Interestingly, either HO-1 or CO caused a significant decrease in the expression of MMP-1 and DNA fragmentation of chondrocytes stimulated by IL-1β. These results all together suggest that a modulation of Nox4 activity via heme oxygenase-1 may represent a promising therapeutic tool in osteoarthritis. © 2013 Rousset et al.

Nox4, a member of Nox family of NADPH oxidase expressed in nonphagocytic cells, is a major source of reactive oxygen species in many cell types. But understanding of the role of Nox4 in the production of ROS and of regulation mechanism of oxidase activity is largely unknown. This study reports for the first time the generation and characterization of 5 mAbs against a recombinant Nox4 protein (AA: 206-578). Among 5 novel mAbs, 3 mAbs (8E9, 5F9, 6B11) specifically recognized Nox4 protein in HEK293 transfected cells or human kidney cortex by western blot analysis; mAb 8E9 reacted with intact tet-induced T-REx™ Nox4 cells in FACS studies. The other 2 mAbs 10B4 and 7C9 were shown to have a very weak reactivity after purification. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed that Nox4 localized not only in the perinuclear and endoplasmic reticulum regions but also at the plasma membrane of the cells which was further confirmed by TIRF-microscopy. Epitope determination showed that mAb 8E9 recognizes a region on the last extracellular loop of Nox4, while mAbs 6B11 and 5F9 are directed to its cytosolic tail. Contrary to mAb 6B11, mAb 5F9 failed to detect Nox4 at the plasma membrane. Cell-free oxidase assays demonstrated a moderate but significant inhibition of constitutive Nox4 activity by mAbs 5F9 and 6B11. In conclusion, 5 mAbs raised against Nox4 were generated for the first time. 3 of them will provide powerful tools for a structure/function relationship of Nox4 and for physiopathological investigations in humans.

Background The pathogenesis of primary osteoarthritis involves an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic pathways in chondrocytes where the reactive oxygen species (ROS) could play a central role. The expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), chondrocyte hypertrophy and apoptosis are the main features of the pathology. NADPH oxidase Nox4 is one of the 7 ROS generating Nox members expressed in human. It was shown to be expressed in human primary chondrocytes. Nox4 displays a constitutive NADPH oxidase activity that was previously reported to modulate proMMP1 expression and apoptosis of the C-20/A4 cell line. This pathway is down regulated by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Glucosamine sulfate (GS), a basic structural element that composes cartilage proteoglycans is also a dietary supplement approved as a symptomatic slow-acting drug for osteoarthritis (SYSADOA). However, impact of GS on structural features of OA is relatively modest. To go further, Cuivramine (CA), a new dietary supplement containing GS (78.9%), copper sulfate (0.105%) and ginger root extract (5.26%) has been developed. Objectives To compare in vitro the effects of CA and GS on IL-1β stimulated C-20/A4 chondrocytes. Impact on ROS production (1), related MMPs expression (2), chondrocyte apoptosis (3) and mechanisms of action (4) has been investigated. Methods The antioxidant effects of GS and CA were investigated on HEK 293 TRex cells, a reproducible and reliable cell model to study Nox4. MMP expression and apoptosis were assessed on the human C-20/A4 chondrocyte cell line. The cells were pre-treated with 100 or 500μg/ml CA or GS during 96h. Then, they were stimulated by 2ng/ml IL-1β for 24h to assess the secretion of ADAMTS5, proMMP1 and proMMP13 or 96h to evaluate caspase 3 activation and viability. The expression of the antioxidant protein HO-1 was assessed by Western Blot. Results No direct antioxidant effects of CA and GS have been reported on the HEK 293 TRex cell line. However, the ROS production was significantly decreased (30%) after 96h pre-incubation with 500μg/ml CA. The proMMP1 expression was shown to be modulated by Nox4 derived ROS in C-20/A4 chondrocytes. The results have shown a significant decrease in proMMP1 expression (40%) in CA treated chondrocytes but not after GS treatment. This effect was dependant on ginger root and copper sulfate. Furthermore, ADAMTS5 expression was markedly decreased by GS and CA but not by ginger root and copper sulfate. On the other hand, there was no effect on proMMP13 expression. Moreover, results reported a significant decrease in the IL-1β induced caspase 3 activation in presence of GS and CA. Our data suggest that molecular mechanisms could involve HO-1. Conclusions In this study we provided experimental evidence in vitro that glucosamine sulfate decreases ADAMTS5 expression and apoptosis in the IL-1β stimulated C-20/A4 chondrocytes. In addition, ginger root and copper sulfate decrease the Nox4 regulated proMMP1 expression. These findings emphasize in vitro the potential beneficial effects of Cuivramine in osteoarthritis. References Grange L, Nguyen MV, Lardy B, Derouazi M, Campion Y, Trocme C, Paclet MH, Gaudin P, Morel F (2006). NAD(P)H oxidase activity of Nox4 in chondrocytes is both inducible and involved in collagenase expression. Antioxid. Redox Signal 8: 1485-1496. Disclosure of Interest None Declared