Adaptive response induced by lipid peroxidation products in cell cultures

The adaptive response induced by the lipid peroxidation products, such as phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide, lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC), 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, 7-hydroxycholesterol, and cholesterol 5β,6β-epoxide, was investigated in this study. Although these products have been implicated in oxidative stress-related diseases, pretreatment with such compounds at sublethal concentrations significantly protected PC12 cells against subsequent oxidative stress induced by 6-hydroxydopamine. Moreover, 4-HNE and LysoPC also exhibited adaptive protection in human arterial endothelial cells. These findings suggest a general hormetic effect of such compounds in cell cultures and may lead to a reappraisal of the eventual role of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation in organisms.