Contrasting effects of thiol-modulating agents on endothelial NO bioactivity

The bioactivity of endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) is an important component of vascular homeostasis that is sensitive to intracellular redox status. Because glutathione (GSH) is a major determinant of intracellular redox state, we sought to define its role in modulating endothelial NO bioactivity. In porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs), we depleted intracellular GSH (>70%) using 1) buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), which inhibits GSH synthesis; 2) diamide, which oxidizes thiols; or 3) 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), which putatively depletes GSH through glutathione S-transferase activity. Cellular GSH depletion with BSO had no effect on endothelial NO bioactivity measured as A-23187-induced cGMP accumulation. In contrast, oxidation of intracellular thiols with diamide inhibited both A-23187-induced cGMP accumulation and the cGMP response to exogenous NO. Diamide treatment of either PAECs, PAEC membrane fractions, or purified endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) resulted in significant inhibition (approximately 75%) of eNOS catalytic activity measured as L-[(3)H]arginine-to-L-[(3)H]citrulline conversion. This effect appeared related to oxidation of eNOS thiols as it was completely reversed by dithiothreitol. Glutathione depletion with CDNB inhibited A-23187-stimulated cGMP accumulation but not the cGMP response to exogenous NO. Rather, CDNB treatment impaired eNOS catalytic activity in intact PAECs, and this effect was reversed by excess NADPH in isolated purified eNOS assays. Consistent with these results, we found spectral evidence that CDNB reacts with NADPH and renders it inactive as a cofactor for either eNOS or glutathione reductase. Thus thiol-modulating agents exert pleiotropic effects on endothelial NO bioactivity, and these data may help to resolve a number of conflicting previous studies linking GSH status with endothelial cell NO bioactivity.