Role of the endogenous opioid system in the analgesic effect of α-tocopherol in dysmenorrhea

Laboratory of General Pathology of the Nervous System, Research Institute of General Pathology and Pathological Physiology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. No. 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Pathological Physiology, and Laboratory of Experimental Therapy, Institute of Experimental Cardiology, All-Union Cardiologic Scientific Center, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 105, No. 2, pp. 148–140, February, 1988.     

Control of metastatic properties of BL6 melanoma cells by H-2Kb gene: immunological and nonimmunological mechanisms

The effect of class I H-2 antigen expression on the metastatic properties of BL6 melanoma cells was investigated. The BL6-8 clone isolated from the highly metastatic BL6 melanoma did not express H-2K b gene. Following transfection with the H-2K^b gene, BL6-8 cells displayed a low metastatic potential in the immunocompetent as well as immunosuppressed (X-irradiated) or triple-immunodeficient mice with impaired T, B and natural killer (NK) cells function. The expression of H-2K^b gene and the low metastatic ability of transfected BL6 melanoma cells were associated with appearance of cell membrane soybean agglutinin (SBA) and Griffonia simplicifolia 1B₄ (GS1B₄) lectin-binding carbohydrataes. These alterations in cell surface carbohydrates were found to be a result of reduction in sialylation of SBA binding sites and upregulation of the 1.3 galactosyltransferase (1.3GT) gene. To assess the importance of H-2K^b-induced alterations in cell surface carbohydrates for metastasis formation, BL6-8 melanoma cells were transfected with H-2K^b gene without neo^r gene cotransfection and selected for adherence to SBA-lectin-conjugated agarose beads. The transfected clones that expressed SBA and GS1B₄ lectin-binding carbohydrates were low metastatic. Further analysis of these clones showed that presence of SBA and GS1B₄ lectin-binding carbohydrates rather than expression of H-2K^b molecules per se might be responsible for low metastatic potentials of H-2K^b-transfected cells in the immunocompromized mice. Studies of the possible mechanisms responsible for low metastatic ability of H-2K^b-transfected melanoma cells revealed that these cells displayed a reduced ability to adhere to murine pulmonary endothelial cells as well as to laminin and collagen IV. We hypothesized that the observed nonimmunological effects of H-2K^b gene in BL6 melanoma cells is a result of an interaction between the H-2K^b gene and B16 melanoma-specific ecotropic retrovirus. It results in inhibition of this retrovirus production with consecutive alteration in the expression of cellular genes controlling cell surface glycosylation and adhesion properties essential for the metastatic phenotype of BL6 melanoma.     

Role of adrenergic structures in functional control over the cerebral circulation

An investigation of the cerebral circulation by the thermoelectric method showed that stimulation of the cervical sympathetic nerve leads to considerable changes in the blood supply to the brain. The changes in blood flow are biphasic in character: An initial small increase is followed by a decrease below the original level. Pharmacological analysis with and adrenoblockers showed that the constrictor response of the cerebral vessels is due to excitation of -adrenergic structures and the dilator response to excitation of -adrenergic structures. A possible mechanism of these changes is postulated.Laboratory of Pathophysiology of Respiration, Institute of General Pathology and Pathological Physiology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. M. Chernukh). Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 9–12, January, 1976.     

Mechanism of the antioxidative action of carnosine

I. M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. All-Union Mental Health Research Center, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR S. E. Severin.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 111, No. 5, pp. 477–478, May, 1991.     

Potential roles for tumour necrosis factorα during embryonic development

This paper reviews the evidence indicating possible roles for tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) in development. It is proposed that TNF may have essentially three major roles during embryonic development, which may be analogous to its roles in the immune system and during inflammation: a role in programmed cell death; a role as a cellular growth and differentiation factor; and also a role in the remodelling of extracellular matrix, and the regulation of cell adhesion molecules and integrins. The concept of the existence of a cytokine array during embryogenesis, analogous to that occurring in inflammation, is discussed, as well as potential roles for TNF in the induction of ubiquitin; protective mechanisms embryonic cells may employ against TNF-mediated cytotoxicity; and a consideration of the role TNF may play in a free radical theory of development.     

Asymmetry of lipids and α-tocopherol distribution in the outer and inner monolayer of bilayer lipid membranes

I. M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR. I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Institute of Physiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR G. N. Kryzhanovskii.) Translated from Byulletin' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 105, No. 6, pp. 667–669, June, 1988.     

Alterations of the retina in chick embryos induced by systemic alpha-bungarotoxin application

Summary The application of -bungarotoxin onto the chorio-allantoic membrane of chick embryos between the 11th and 18th day of incubation leads to alterations of retinal development. The most significant qualitative change is the appearance of retinal rosettes formed by receptor cells. These rosettes are infoldings of the receptor cell layer. Quantitatively, an enlargement in volume of the receptor and outer nuclear layer can be found together with a simultaneous decrease of the other retinal layers. The toxin seems to suspend the naturally occurring nerve cell death in the receptor cell population.In honour of the 90th birthday of Prof. Dr.Dr. h.c. hermann Voss     

The effect of central retinal lesions on optokinetic nystagmus in the monkey

Summary In alert monkeys (Macaca mulatta and fascicularis) the effect of central retinal lesions on fast optokinetic responses was investigated during high velocity optokinetic and visual-vestibular conflict stimulation. The fast component of the optokinetic response manifests itself as a rapid rise in the slow-phase eye velocity after light-on, during high velocity optokinetic stimulation; and a sudden drop in eye velocity after light-off. In contrast, the velocity storage component leads only to gradual changes in eye velocity during continuous optokinetic stimulation and after light-off (optokinetic after-nystagmus).Retinal lesions were placed by laser coagulation in and around the fovea. Responses of the normal and lesioned eye were compared. It was found that central lesions up to 12 deg (fovea diameter 6 deg) had only a negligible effect on fast optokinetic responses. With lesions of more than 25–30 deg diameter centered on the fovea definite fast responses could still be obtained, on average reduced to about 50% of the responses of the normal eye. Some monkeys showed initially no fast optokinetic responses and had, therefore, to be excluded from lesion experiments.The results demonstrate that fast optokinetic responses also can be obtained from extrafoveal areas, i.e. areas which are not generally involved in smooth pursuit eye movements. These results are discussed in relation to reports that the smooth pursuit eye movement system is also used to generate fast optokinetic responses.Supported by Swiss National Foundation for Scientific Research 3.343-2.78 and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 200 A2These experiments were performed at the Dept. of Neurology, University of Zürich. A preliminary report of this work was presented at the workshop on Physiological and pathological aspects of eye movements in Habay-la-Neuve (Belgium) and at the 8th Extraordinary Meeting of the Barany Society in Basel (Switzerland)     

Antitumor effects of liposomal IL1α and TNFα against the pulmonary metastases of the B16F10 murine melanoma in syngeneic mice

Interleukin 1 alpha (IL1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) have been successfully incorporated into specific phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) multilamellar vesicle (MLV) liposomes by modifying the concentration of calcium ion and pH of the encapsulation buffer. Under these conditions, some of the cytokines may attach to the exterior surface of the MLV and therefore be readily accessible to target cells for receptor binding and signal transduction. These cytokine-associated liposomes are stable for up to 2 weeks in serum-free buffer, and leakage of cytokines into medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum was about 50% at the end of a 3-day incubation period at 37°C. The biological activities mediated by liposomal IL1 and TNF were specific: the stimulation of thymidine uptake in T-helper D10 lymphocytes and the cytolysis of TNF-sensitive L929 target cells could be blocked by specific neutralizing antibodies in a dose-dependent fashion. When administered intravenously into C57BL/6 mice bearing the syngeneic B16F10 murine melanoma cells, dual entrapment of liposomal IL1 and TNF significantly reduced the number of metastatic tumor nodules in the lungs and prolonged the life span of the animals. Thus, liposomal IL1 and TNF displayed significant in vivo antitumor activity against the IL1- and TNF-resistant B16F10 metastatic murine melanoma.     

Intermembrane transfer and antioxidative action of α-tocopherol in liposomes

Institute of Physiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113. I. M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad 194223. University of California, Berkeley 94720. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR S. E. Severin.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 109, No. 1, pp. 37–39, January, 1990.