Presenter: Cutler Cowdin
Authors: Cutler Cowdin, Jase Jensen, Nele Hebbeler, Oceane Massamba, Spencer Thatcher, Jennifer Meyer
Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Meyer
Institution: Dixie State University
The pentose phosphate pathway or HMP shunt is the primary metabolic path for producing the essential antioxidants needed to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells. The accumulation of ROS overtime will lead to oxidative stress, resulting in damage to cells such as human erythrocytes (RBCs)2. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is the primary enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway that assists in producing NADPH and reduced glutathione, which are needed to eliminate ROS from the bloodstream. A decrease in G6PD activity has been observed in cells that are exposed to hyperglycemic conditions such as in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This results in inadequate amounts of antioxidants that are needed to combat ROS. Lipid peroxides are also produced from ROS and have been seen at elevated levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes3-4. It’s hypothesized that the addition of pterostilbene, a potent antioxidant1, will improve the efficiency of the HMP shunt and reduce the number of lipid peroxides in RBCs subjected to hyperglycemic conditions. References 1. Richins, M., & Meyer, J. (2018). Pterostilbene Ameliorates Lipid Peroxidation and Increases Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Activity in Erythrocytes Subjected to High Glucose Conditions. American Heart Association Journals, 138. 2. Zang, Z., Apse, K., Pang, J., & Stanton, R. C. (2000). High glucose inhibits glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase via cAMP in aortic endothelial cells. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 275(51), 40042-40047. Doi: 10.1074/jbc.M007505200 3. Leinonen, J., Lehtimaki, T., Toyokuni, S., Okada, K., Tanaka, T., Hiai, H., Ochi, H., Laippala, P., Rantalaiho, V., Wirta, O., Pasternack, A., Alho, H. (1997) New biomarker evidence of oxidative DNA damage in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. FEBS Lett417: 150–152 4. Barrera G. (2012). Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation products in cancer progression and therapy. ISRN oncology, 2012, 137289. Doi:10.5402/2012/137289