Manganese superoxide dismutase and aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency increase mitochondrial oxidative stress and aggravate age-dependent vascular dysfunction

Aims Imbalance between pro- and antioxidant species (e.g. during aging) plays a crucial role for vascular function and is associated with oxidative gene regulation and modification. Vascular aging is associated with progressive deterioration of vascular homeostasis leading to reduced relaxation, hypertrophy, and a higher risk of thrombotic events. These effects can be explained by a reduction in free bioavailable nitric oxide that is inactivated by an age-dependent increase in superoxide formation. In the present study, mitochondria as a source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the contribution of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD, SOD-2) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2) were investigated. Methods and results Age-dependent effects on vascular function were determined in aortas of C57/Bl6 wild-type (WT), ALDH-2−/−, MnSOD+/+, and MnSOD+/− mice by isometric tension measurements in organ chambers. Mitochondrial ROS formation was measured by luminol (L-012)-enhanced chemiluminescence and 2-hydroxyethidium formation with an HPLC-based assay in isolated heart mitochondria. ROS-mediated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage was detected by a novel and modified version of the fluorescent-detection alkaline DNA unwinding (FADU) assay. Endothelial dysfunction was observed in aged C57/Bl6 WT mice in parallel to increased mitochondrial ROS formation and oxidative mtDNA damage. In contrast, middle-aged ALDH-2−/− mice showed a marked vascular dysfunction that was similar in old ALDH-2−/− mice suggesting that ALDH-2 exerts age-dependent vasoprotective effects. Aged MnSOD+/− mice showed the most pronounced phenotype such as severely impaired vasorelaxation, highest levels of mitochondrial ROS formation and mtDNA damage. Conclusion The correlation between mtROS formation and acetylcholine-dependent relaxation revealed that mitochondrial radical formation significantly contributes to age-dependent endothelial dysfunction.