Disease relevance of z-vad-FMK

• The caspase inhibitor, Z-VAl-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (zVAD-FMK), blocked the toxicity of stainless steel, but not Elgiloy, suggesting that stainless steel induced apoptosis [1].

High impact information on z-vad-FMK

• In granzyme B-treated Jurkat cells, endogenous Bid cleavage and loss of mitochondrial membrane depolarization occurred despite caspase inactivation with z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone or Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone [2].
• This redistribution is not inhibited by the caspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (ZVADfmk) but is blocked by either of the neuronal survival agents 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (CPT-cAMP) or cycloheximide [3].
• Here we show that Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (zVAD-fmk), a cell-permeable, irreversible, tripeptide inhibitor of some of these proteases, suppresses STS-induced and (STS + CHX)-induced cell death in a wide variety of mammalian cell types, including anucleate cytoplasts, providing strong evidence that these are all bona fide examples of PCD [4].
• Dominant negative FADD, the caspase-8 inhibitor zIETD-fmk [Z-Ile-Glu(OMe)-Thr-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethylketone], and zVAD-fmk (Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone) partially abrogate TK/GCV-induced apoptosis [5].
• The general caspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (ZVAD.fmk) effectively blocked these apoptosis-related changes [6].

Biological context of z-vad-FMK

• Moreover, both EGF-induced apoptosis and IFN-gamma-induced apoptosis were effectively blocked by Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (ZVAD) in all the cells tested, and studies from ICE-deficient cells indicated that ICE gene expression was necessary for IFN-gamma-induced apoptosis [7].
• Moreover, a caspase inhibitor, z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone, blocked ibandronate-induced DNA fragmentation in MDA-231 cells, suggesting an involvement of caspase-3 in ibandronate-induced apoptosis [8].
• Caspase-specific inhibitor, z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone prevented Bay 11-7085-induced activation of caspase 3 but was not able to block Bay 11-7085-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase [9].
• CD3-triggered proliferation of mouse T cells was impaired in the presence of the pan-caspase-inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (Z-VAD-fmk) and the number of cells entering the cell cycle was reduced [10].

Anatomical context of z-vad-FMK

• Furthermore, the effect of the pancaspase inhibitor z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone was investigated in a panel of lung carcinoma cell lines [11].
• In contrast, caspase inhibition (Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone) profoundly changed the outcome of cell-to-cell contacts by reducing the number of single dead CD4 T cells and increasing the rate of syncytium formation [12].
• Zn(2+)-induced cell death in astrocytes was at least in part apoptotic, as caspase-3 was activated, and the caspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone partially attenuated Zn(2+)-induced death [13].
• TNF-alpha also triggered endothelial cell apoptosis beginning at 4 h, which was attenuated by the caspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone [14].
• The pancaspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone eliminated Gal/ET-induced apoptosis and neutrophil extravasation and injury but not CXC chemokine formation [15].

Associations of z-vad-FMK with other chemical compounds

• The caspase family of cysteine proteases is believed to encompass the execution machinery of mammalian apoptosis, and addition of the cell-permeable caspase inhibitor, Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone, afforded nearly total protection from protein kinase C-signaled apoptosis [16].
• A tripeptide inhibitor of ICE family cysteine proteases, Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (zVAD-fmk) inhibits ionomycin- and AgR-triggered CPP32 activation, PARP cleavage and apoptosis, but not growth arrest, in Ramos-BL B cells [17].
• Bcl-2 overexpression selectively inhibits apoptosis induced by ceramide and serum factor from AK-5 tumor regressing animals but not actinomycin D and curcumin, whereas the pancaspase inhibitor z-Val-Ala-Asp fluoromethylketone completely blocks apoptosis, irrespective of the inducer used [18].
• The DENSPM-induced cell death was dependent on the activation of the caspases as it was inhibited by the general caspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp fluoromethyl ketone [19].
• Pretreatment with acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde (Ac-DEVD-CHO) and Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl-ketone (Z-VAD-FMK) inhibited penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose-induced DNA fragmentation [20].

Gene context of z-vad-FMK

• The effect of annexin V was additive to that of z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone, a potent caspase inhibitor [21].
• However, filamin cleavage in response to granzyme B was not inhibited by the caspase inhibitor z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone at concentrations that abolished DNA fragmentation [22].
• In addition to CrmA, a tripeptide caspase-protease inhibitor, z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone could also suppress TGF-beta-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner [23].
• Annexin V significantly reduced the degree of proteolytic activation of caspase-3, and totally blocked the release of CD4+ and PrPc+ membrane particles. z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone was a more powerful antagonist of caspase-3 processing, but prevented the shedding of CD4+ vesicles only partially and had no effect on that of PrPc+ ones [21].
• However, the addition of Z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (a general caspase inhibitor) or Z-Leu-Glu(OMe)-His-Asp(OMe)-CH2F (a caspase 9 inhibitor) before CA4P treatment did not block cell death [24].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of z-vad-FMK

• Involvement of caspases was determined by immunoblot analysis and cell death detection assays after treatment with synthetic inhibitor z-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone, z-DEVD-fmk, or z-IETD-fmk [25].

References