Antioxidant enzymes in the differentiated Caco-2 cell line

Injury to the gastrointestinal tract by oxygen dependent processes is important in ischemia, inflammatory bowel disease, and necrotizing enterocolitis. The Caco-2 cell line is an important tool in assessing various gastrointestinal functions and offers a unique opportunity to assess gastrointestinal oxidant metabolism on a cellular level. However, some Caco-2 cell functions change with time after confluence. To determine if antioxidant enzyme activity changes during differentiation, Caco-2 cells were grown to confluence, and superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and catalase activities and specific mRNA content were quantitated. With time after confluence the enzymes demonstrated a small, but statistically significant increase in activity. Neither superoxide dismutase nor glutathione peroxidase mRNA levels correlated with enzyme activity changes. Catalase mRNA levels increased as catalase activity increased. Thus, differentiated Caco-2 cells express superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and catalase activities and the superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase genes. Superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione peroxidase activity do not correlate with mRNA levels, and suggest that regulation may be at a level other than transcription. The correlation between catalase activity and catalase mRNA suggests differentiation may occur at transcription. If Caco-2 cells are used to elucidate oxidative metabolism, changes in activities of antioxidant enzymes as a function of cell differentiation should be considered.