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    Highly Oxygenated Organic Molecules (HOM) from Gas-Phase Autoxidation Involving Peroxy Radicals: A Key Contributor to Atmospheric Aerosol
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publ., 2019) Bianchi, Federico; Kurtén, Theo; Riva, Matthieu; Mohr, Claudia; Rissanen, Matti P.; Roldin, Pontus; Berndt, Torsten; Crounse, John D.; Wennberg, Paul O.; Mentel, Thomas F.; Wildt, Jürgen; Junninen, Heikki; Jokinen, Tuija; Kulmala, Markku; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Thornton, Joel A.; Donahue, Neil; Kjaergaard, Henrik G.; Ehn, Mikael
    Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOM) are formed in the atmosphere via autoxidation involving peroxy radicals arising from volatile organic compounds (VOC). HOM condense on pre-existing particles and can be involved in new particle formation. HOM thus contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), a significant and ubiquitous component of atmospheric aerosol known to affect the Earth's radiation balance. HOM were discovered only very recently, but the interest in these compounds has grown rapidly. In this Review, we define HOM and describe the currently available techniques for their identification/quantification, followed by a summary of the current knowledge on their formation mechanisms and physicochemical properties. A main aim is to provide a common frame for the currently quite fragmented literature on HOM studies. Finally, we highlight the existing gaps in our understanding and suggest directions for future HOM research. © 2019 American Chemical Society.
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    Redox Stimulation of Human THP-1 Monocytes in Response to Cold Physical Plasma
    (Austin, Tex. : Landes Bioscience, 2015) Bekeschus, Sander; Schmidt, Anke; Bethge, Lydia; Masur, Kai; von Woedtke, Thomas; Hasse, Sybille; Wende, Kristian
    In plasma medicine, cold physical plasma delivers a delicate mixture of reactive components to cells and tissues. Recent studies suggested a beneficial role of cold plasma in wound healing. Yet, the biological processes related to the redox modulation via plasma are not fully understood. We here used the monocytic cell line THP-1 as a model to test their response to cold plasma in vitro. Intriguingly, short term plasma treatment stimulated cell growth. Longer exposure only modestly compromised cell viability but apparently supported the growth of cells that were enlarged in size and that showed enhanced metabolic activity. A significantly increased mitochondrial content in plasma treated cells supported this notion. On THP-1 cell proteome level, we identified an increase of protein translation with key regulatory proteins being involved in redox regulation (hypoxia inducible factor 2α), differentiation (retinoic acid signaling and interferon inducible factors), and cell growth (Yin Yang 1). Regulation of inflammation is a key element in many chronic diseases, and we found a significantly increased expression of the anti-inflammatory heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) and of the neutrophil attractant chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8). Together, these results foster the view that cold physical plasma modulates the redox balance and inflammatory processes in wound related cells.
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    Oxidants and Redox Signaling: Perspectives in Cancer Therapy, Inflammation, and Plasma Medicine
    (Austin, Tex. : Landes Bioscience, 2017) Bekeschus, Sander; Bräutigam, Lars; Wende, Kristian; Hanschmann, Eva-Maria
    [No abstract available]
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    Non-thermal plasma activates human keratinocytes by stimulation of antioxidant and phase II pathways
    (San Francisco, Calif. : Lightbinders, 2015) Schmidt, Anke; Dietrich, Stephan; Steuer, Anna; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; von Woedtke, Thomas; Masur, Kai; Wende, Kristian
    Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma provides a novel therapeutic opportunity to control redox-based processes, e.g. wound healing, cancer, and inflammatory diseases. By spatial and time-resolved delivery of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, it allows stimulation or inhibition of cellular processes in biological systems. Our data show that both gene and protein expression is highly affected by non-thermal plasma. Nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 (NRF2) and phase II enzyme pathway components were found to act as key controllers orchestrating the cellular response in keratinocytes. Additionally, glutathione metabolism, which is a marker for NRF2-related signaling events, was affected. Among the most robustly increased genes and proteins, heme oxygenase 1, NADPH-quinone oxidoreductase 1, and growth factors were found. The roles of NRF2 targets, investigated by siRNA silencing, revealed that NRF2 acts as an important switch for sensing oxidative stress events. Moreover, the influence of non-thermal plasma on the NRF2 pathway prepares cells against exogenic noxae and increases their resilience against oxidative species. Via paracrine mechanisms, distant cells benefit from cell-cell communication. The finding that non-thermal plasma triggers hormesis-like processes in keratinocytes facilitates the understanding of plasma-tissue interaction and its clinical application.
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    Periodic Exposure of Keratinocytes to Cold Physical Plasma: An In Vitro Model for Redox-Related Diseases of the Skin
    (London: Hindawi, 2016) Schmidt, Anke; von Woedtke, Thomas; Bekeschus, Sander
    Oxidative stress illustrates an imbalance between radical formation and removal. Frequent redox stress is critically involved in many human pathologies including cancer, psoriasis, and chronic wounds. However, reactive species pursue a dual role being involved in signaling on the one hand and oxidative damage on the other. Using a HaCaT keratinocyte cell culture model, we investigated redox regulation and inflammation to periodic, low-dose oxidative stress after two, six, eight, ten, and twelve weeks. Chronic redox stress was generated by recurrent incubation with cold physical plasma-treated cell culture medium. Using transcriptome microarray technology, we identified both acute ROS-stress responses as well as numerous adaptions after several weeks of redox challenge. We determined a differential expression (2-fold, FDR < 0.01, p < 0.05) of 260 genes that function in inflammation and redox homeostasis, such as cytokines (e.g., IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10), growth factors (e.g., CSF2, FGF, and IGF-2), and antioxidant enzymes (e.g., HMOX, NQO1, GPX, and PRDX). Apoptotic signaling was affected rather modestly, especially in p53 downstream targets (e.g., BCL2, BBC3, and GADD45). Strikingly, the cell-protective heat shock protein HSP27 was strongly upregulated (p < 0.001). These results suggested cellular adaptions to frequent redox stress and may help to better understand the inflammatory responses in redox-related diseases.
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    Non-thermal plasma-treated solution demonstrates antitumor activity against pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2017) Liedtke, Kim Rouven; Bekeschus, Sander; Kaeding, André; Hackbarth, Christine; Kuehn, Jens-Peter; Heidecke, Claus-Dieter; von Bernstorff, Wolfram; von Woedtke, Thomas; Partecke, Lars Ivo
    Pancreatic cancer is associated with a high mortality rate. In advanced stage, patients often experience peritoneal carcinomatosis. Using a syngeneic murine pancreatic cancer cell tumor model, the effect of non-thermal plasma (NTP) on peritoneal metastatic lesions was studied. NTP generates reactive species of several kinds which have been proven to be of relevance in cancer. In vitro, exposure to both plasma and plasma-treated solution significantly decreased cell viability and proliferation of 6606PDA cancer cells, whereas mouse fibroblasts were less affected. Repeated intraperitoneal treatment of NTP-conditioned medium decreased tumor growth in vivo as determined by magnetic resonance imaging, leading to reduced tumor mass and improved median survival (61 vs 52 days; p < 0.024). Tumor nodes treated by NTP-conditioned medium demonstrated large areas of apoptosis with strongly inhibited cell proliferation. Contemporaneously, no systemic effects were found. Apoptosis was neither present in the liver nor in the gut. Also, the concentration of different cytokines in splenocytes or blood plasma as well as the distribution of various hematological parameters remained unchanged following treatment with NTP-conditioned medium. These results suggest an anticancer role of NTP-treated solutions with little to no systemic side effects being present, making NTP-treated solutions a potential complementary therapeutic option for advanced tumors.
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    A combination of electrochemistry and mass spectrometry to monitor the interaction of reactive species with supported lipid bilayers
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2020) Ravandeh, M.; Kahlert, H.; Jablonowski, H.; Lackmann, J.-W.; Striesow, J.; Agmo Hernández, V.; Wende, K.
    Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), e.g. generated by cold physical plasma (CPP) or photodynamic therapy, interfere with redox signaling pathways of mammalian cells, inducing downstream consequences spanning from migratory impairment to apoptotic cell death. However, the more austere impact of RONS on cancer cells remains yet to be clarified. In the present study, a combination of electrochemistry and high-resolution mass spectrometry was developed to investigate the resilience of solid-supported lipid bilayers towards plasma-derived reactive species in dependence of their composition. A 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) lipid bilayer was undisturbed by 200 µM H2O2 (control) but showed full permeability after CPP treatment and space-occupying oxidation products such as PoxnoPC, PAzePC, and POPC hydroperoxide were found. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anion/hydroperoxyl radicals during the treatment. In contrast, small amounts of the intramembrane antioxidant coenzyme Q10 protected the bilayer to 50% and LysoPC was the only POPC derivative found, confirming the membrane protective effect of Q10. Such, the lipid membrane composition including the presence of antioxidants determines the impact of pro-oxidant signals. Given the differences in membrane composition of cancer and healthy cells, this supports the application of cold physical plasma for cancer treatment. In addition, the developed model using the combination of electrochemistry and mass spectrometry could be a promising method to study the effect of reactive species or mixes thereof generated by chemical or physical sources.
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    Effect of head group and lipid tail oxidation in the cell membrane revealed through integrated simulations and experiments
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2017-7-18) Yusupov, M.; Wende, K.; Kupsch, S.; Neyts, E. C.; Reuter, S.; Bogaerts, A.
    We report on multi-level atomistic simulations for the interaction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the head groups of the phospholipid bilayer, and the subsequent effect of head group and lipid tail oxidation on the structural and dynamic properties of the cell membrane. Our simulations are validated by experiments using a cold atmospheric plasma as external ROS source. We found that plasma treatment leads to a slight initial rise in membrane rigidity, followed by a strong and persistent increase in fluidity, indicating a drop in lipid order. The latter is also revealed by our simulations. This study is important for cancer treatment by therapies producing (extracellular) ROS, such as plasma treatment. These ROS will interact with the cell membrane, first oxidizing the head groups, followed by the lipid tails. A drop in lipid order might allow them to penetrate into the cell interior (e.g., through pores created due to oxidation of the lipid tails) and cause intracellular oxidative damage, eventually leading to cell death. This work in general elucidates the underlying mechanisms of ROS interaction with the cell membrane at the atomic level.
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    Author Correction: A combination of electrochemistry and mass spectrometry to monitor the interaction of reactive species with supported lipid bilayers (Scientific Reports, (2020), 10, 1, (18683), 10.1038/s41598-020-75514-7)
    (London : Nature Publishing Group, 2021) Ravandeh, M.; Kahlert, H.; Jablonowski, H.; Lackmann, J.-W.; Striesow, J.; Agmo Hernández, V.; Wende, K.
    Correction to: Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75514-7, published online 29 October 2020
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    NERNST: a genetically-encoded ratiometric non-destructive sensing tool to estimate NADP(H) redox status in bacterial, plant and animal systems
    ([London] : Springer Nature, 2023) Molinari, Pamela E.; Krapp, Adriana R.; Weiner, Andrea; Beyer, Hannes M.; Kondadi, Arun Kumar; Blomeier, Tim; López, Melina; Bustos-Sanmamed, Pilar; Tevere, Evelyn; Weber, Wilfried; Reichert, Andreas S.; Calcaterra, Nora B.; Beller, Mathias; Carrillo, Nestor; Zurbriggen, Matias D.
    NADP(H) is a central metabolic hub providing reducing equivalents to multiple biosynthetic, regulatory and antioxidative pathways in all living organisms. While biosensors are available to determine NADP+ or NADPH levels in vivo, no probe exists to estimate the NADP(H) redox status, a determinant of the cell energy availability. We describe herein the design and characterization of a genetically-encoded ratiometric biosensor, termed NERNST, able to interact with NADP(H) and estimate E NADP(H). NERNST consists of a redox-sensitive green fluorescent protein (roGFP2) fused to an NADPH-thioredoxin reductase C module which selectively monitors NADP(H) redox states via oxido-reduction of the roGFP2 moiety. NERNST is functional in bacterial, plant and animal cells, and organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria. Using NERNST, we monitor NADP(H) dynamics during bacterial growth, environmental stresses in plants, metabolic challenges to mammalian cells, and wounding in zebrafish. NERNST estimates the NADP(H) redox poise in living organisms, with various potential applications in biochemical, biotechnological and biomedical research.