Effect of picrotoxin-induced seizures on lipid composition of cortical tissue homogenate and its nuclear fraction in rats

The content of lipids in rat cortical tissue homogenate and fraction of neuronal nuclei was determined under normal conditions and after picrotoxin-induced seizures. Changes in lipid composition of homogenate and nuclear fraction differed considerably. In homogenate, the content of sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine, and total phospholipids increased, while the content of free fatty acid remained unchanged; in the nuclear fraction the total phospholipid content decreased, while the concentration of free fatty acids increased. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 9, pp. 292–294, September 2000     

Phospholipid spectrum and lipid peroxidation in cell membranes of brain tissue in thymectomized rats

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) processes and the phospholipid (PL) content and composition in the homogenate and in the mitochondrial and supramitochondrial compartments of brain cells of adult male rats were studied 3 and 6 months after thymectomy. Thymectomy was found to markedly increase the rate of LPO and to reduce antiradical activity in all cellular compartments. A reliable increase of the level of total phospholipids in the homogenate and mitochondria was observed by the third month after thymectomy and a reduction of its control levels during the sixth month postoperation. On the other hand, a reduction of the content of total phospholipids was observed in the supramitochondrial fraction by the sixth month of the experiment. An increase of the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) contents was found to be mainly responsible for the changes in the level of total phospholipids. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 7, pp. 22–24, July, 1994 Presented by E. D. Gol'dberg, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

Effect of a long low-power γ-irradiation and β-carotene on lipid metabolism in the rat thymocyte nuclei

The effect of γ-irradiation in a dose of 1.5 Gy at a dose intensity of 3 sGy/day on the rat thymocyte nuclear lipids and of β-carotene diet on the metabolism of thymocyte nuclear lipids is studied in intact and γ-irradiated rats. The irradiation activated the incorporation of 2-¹⁴C-acetate in the total lipid fraction and in cholesterol and suppressed the label incorporation in sphyngomyelin. The β-carotene diet decreased the content of cholesterol and monoglycerides in the thymocyte nuclei of intact and irradiated rats. In irradiated rats β-carotene increased the label incorporation in the total phosphatidylserine+phosphatidylinositol fraction. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 126, No. 9, pp. 311–313, September, 1998     

Skin lipids in rats administered with melatonin

Effects of the pineal hormone melatonin on skin lipids in Wistar rats were studied by thinlayer chromatography. The reaction was shown to be delayed. Contents of total lipids and the majority of fractions increased over 24 h after administration of melatonin. Concentrations of triglycerides and phospholipids decreased, while the contents of cholesterol, cholesterol esters, and free fatty acids increased by the end of the second day. Our findings indicate that the blood and subcutaneous fat, as well as changed metabolic interrelations of skin lipids are involved in the skin response to increased melatonin concentration. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 127, No. 4, pp. 463–465, April, 1999     

Osteogenic sarcoma and androgens

Endocrinologic examination of 320 male patients with primary osteogenic sarcoma reveals predominance of hyperandrogenemia characterized by decreased levels of sex hormonebinding globulin, elevated testosterone concentration, and increased free androgen index. The occurrence of androgen receptors was similar in the cytosolic fraction of osteogenic sarcoma (56%), benign tumors and tumor-like bone lesions (50%), while their content was higher in osteogenic sarcoma, implying an unfavorable prognosis of metastasizing. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 122 No. 9, pp. 305–310, September, 1996     

Exchange of sialic acid-containing compounds in chronic osteomyelitis

Serum content of free, oligosaccharide and protein-bound sialic acids, seromucoid components, and activity of sialidase are measured in rabbits with osteomyelitis induced by intraosteal administration ofSt. aureus. During chronic stage of purulent osteomyelitis the content of oligosaccharide-bound sialic acids is increased, while the content of seromucoid hexosamines is decreased. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 123, No. 6, pp. 701–702, June, 1997     

Phospholipid metabolism in microsomes and cytosol of brain tissue of normal rats and rats with hypoxic hypoxia

The content and intensity of metabolism of phosphate groups of various phospholipids (phosphatidylcholines, monophophoinositides, aminophospholipids) were studied in homogenate, microsomes, and cytosol of the rat brain under normal conditions and in hypoxic hypoxia (240 mm Hg). The concentration of phospholipids per milligram protein was found to be highest in the microsomes and lowest in the cytosol, but the total phospholipids of the cytosol had the highest metabolic rate of their free phosphate groups. Hypoxia, while not affecting the phospholipid concentration, depressed the intensity of their metabolism; this depression of metabolism, moreover, was about equal in all the tissue preparations studied.Laboratory of Regulation of Brain Metabolism, I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. N. Chernigovskii.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 86, No. 11, pp. 533–535, November, 1978.     

Effects of blockers of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism on expression of mRNA of some hypothalamic neuropeptides

The effects of single injections of 2-deoxyglucose or 2-mercaptoacetate on the expression of mRNA of neuropeptide Y, pro-opiomelanocortin, and melanin-concentrating hormone in rat hypothalamus were studied byin situ hybridization in order to elucidate the role of these neuropeptides in the mechanisms of alimentary behavior caused by decreased levels of available fatty acids and glucose. The levels of neuropeptide Y mRNA in arcuate nuclei neurons are significantly increased under conditions of glucose deficiency, while the synthesis of melanin-concentrating hormone in the lateral hypothalamic neurons is increased in fatty acid deficiency. These data indicate that glyco-and lipodeprivation are different metabolic signals activating various neuropeptide systems responsible for alimentary behavior. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 8, pp. 180–183, August, 2000     

Free-radical oxidation during experimental pneumonia

Lipid peroxidation in the lungs and plasma of albino rats was studied under normal conditions and during experimental pneumonia. In intact rats the content of lipid peroxidation products and the rate of their accumulation in lung homogenate is lower than in homogenates of other organs. Bivalent iron ions added to blood plasma did not induce chemiluminescence characteristic of lipid peroxidation. Experimental pneumonia intensifies production of active oxygen forms by alveolar macrophages and blood neutrophils and increases the content of lipid peroxidation products in lung homogenate. Combined application of antibiotics and antioxidant (vitamin E) during experimental pneumonia promotes normalization of free-radical oxidation and diminishes morphological alterations in the lungs. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Medistiny, Vol. 129, No. 3, pp. 260–264, March, 2000     

Prostatic specific antigen in prostatic cancer and benign hyperplasia

Total and free prostatic specific antigens were measured using heterogeneous two-step streptavidin enzyme immunoassay. Serum concentrations of both antigens were significantly increased in patients with prostatic cancer in comparison with those with benign hyperplasia and controls. The levels of prostatic specific antigen in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia varied within the normal range (75%), while in 92.2% of patients with cancer these values were higher than the threshold value of 4.0 ng/ml. A statistically significant difference between the levels of total and free prostatic specific antigens reflects the difference in the expression of bound and free forms of the antigen in malignant and benign processes. Analysis of the concentrations of total antigen and the ratio of free to total prostatic specific antigen permits an accurate differentiation between cancer and benign hyperplasia of the prostate at total antigen concentrations of up to 10.0 ng/ml. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 124, No. 9, 327–330, September, 1997     

Sex steroids and their receptors in patients with tumors of the pancreas

A tendency toward an increase in serum content of sex steroid-binding globulin and a decrease in the total concentration of testosterone and its free and globulin-bound fractions and in the index of free androgens was observed in patients with pancreatic cancer. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline serum levels of hypophyseal hormones and prolactin in male patients and in the control. One or both types of steroid hormone receptors, the content of androgen receptors being higher than that of estrogen receptors, varying in a wide range were detected in 71% of the patients with malignant neoplasms. The occurrence of steroid hormone receptors was higher in adenocarcinomas, while their content was significantly higher in normal pancreatic tissues. The occurrence of androgen receptors was higher in male patients at the early stages of the disease, predominantly in highly differentiated adenocarcinomas located in the body of the pancreas. The content of androgen receptors was higher in male patients, in metastasizing tumors, in adenocarcinomas located in the body of the pancreas, and in patients without clinical and laboratory evidence of the mechanical jaundice syndrome. The content of androgen receptors positively correlated with the maximum size of the tumor. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii, I Meditsiny, Vol. 126, No. 8, pp. 197–200, August, 1998     

The development of free radical processes in experimental bronchospasm. Effect of the bronchodilator preparation troventol

The development of bronchospasm is shown to be accompanied by lipid peroxidation (LPO) activation; 3-fold and 8-fold rises of malondialdehyde concentration are found in homogenate of lung from sensitized animals and from animals provoked with egg albumin antigen, respectively. The use of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) reveals that in sensitized rats the production of oxygen free radicals is increased by alveolar macrophages activated with phorbol myristate acetate. Troventol at 10⁻³ mg/ml inhibits the CL response of phagocytes both in intact and in sensitized rats and lowers the level of Fe²⁺-induced LPO in lung tissue but not in the liver of intact animals. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 117, N ^o 6, pp. 619–621, June, 1994     

Effects of individual fractions of cerebrospinal fluid from drug addicts treated by liquor adsorption on behavior of recipient rats

Effects of individual fractions of the liquor preparation from drug addicts, eluted from filters after liquor adsorption session, on rat behavior in an elevated plus-maze was analyzed. Fraction I activated and fraction IV inhibited orientation and exploratory activity and increased anxiety of experimental animals. Effects of fraction IV coincided with the effect of total preparation on rat behavior in an elevated plus-maze, which indicates that this fraction contains substances actively accumulating in the liquor of drug addicts and partially responsible for functional changes observed during abstinence. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 129, No. 1, pp. 100–102, January, 2000     

Effects of age and ischemia on levels of lipoperoxides and lipid-soluble antioxidants in the human heart

Levels of lipoperoxides and hydrophobic scavengers of free radicals were estimated in n-hexane extracts of myocardial biopsy specimens taken from cardiac patients (children and adults) during surgical operations. Ultraviolet spectra of these extracts were found to contain four absorption bands with peaks at 214, 233, 258, and 298 nm that characterize the levels of diene and triene conjugates. A comparison of the data obtained for children and adults suggested that the total antiradical activity of the cardiac muscle decreases while its content of vitamin E remains virtually unchanged during ontogeny. Significantly reduced vitamin E levels were noted in specimens from patients with chronic ischemic heart disease. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 6, pp. 584–586, June, 1995.     

Changes in the lung surfactant of rabbits during endotracheal halothane anesthesia

Endotracheal halothane anesthesia without any attendant operation in rabbits for 3.5 h causes changes in the surface-active properties of the surfactant, with an increase in the surface tension of lung washings as measured on Wilhelmy scales. A study of phospholipid fractions in lung washings by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel showed a decrease in phosphatidylcholine, one of the principal structures of the surface-active lipoprotein, and a simultaneous increase in the lysolecithin fraction. Determination of the content of free fatty acids in lung washings after halothane anesthesia showed a significant increase over the control. The possible mechanism of the harmful action of halothane anesthesia on the lung surfactant is discussed.Central Research Laboratory, Department of Normal Physiology, Tadjik Medical Institute, Dushanbe. (Presented by Academician V. N. Chernigovskii.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 84, No. 10, pp. 423–425, October, 1977     

The content of tocopherol and lipid peroxidation products in the tissues of rats with genetically determined hyperproduction of free oxygen radicals

It is shown that at the age of 2–3 months S rats with genetically determined hyperproduction of free radicals have the same content of tocopherol in the heart, epididymal fat, adrenals, liver, and liver mitochondria as Wistar rats but a lower content of plasma tocopherol. At 10–12 months, the tocopherol content in all studied tissues and organs, except the liver, is higher than in young S rats and age-matched Wistar rats. This is regarded as a compensatory response facilitating the stabilization of LPO under conditions of increased free radical formation. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, N ^o 3, pp. 282–284, March, 1996     

Rat model of acute tetracycline hepatosis and its dynamic predictors

It is demonstrated that intraperitoneal administration of tetracycline hydrochloride in a dose of 125 mg/kg leads to the development of acute fatty hepatosis in rats within a 24-h period, by which time the maximum accumulation of lipids and triacylglycerides is observed in the liver. In addition, a direct dependence is established between the severity of fatty hepatosis and a decrease in the cytochrome P-450 content. The cytochrome P-450 content is a dynamic predictor of tetracycline fatty hepatosis. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 12, pp. 603–605, December, 1994     

Trimetazidine as indirect antioxidant

One-month therapy with trimetazidine sharply decreased the content of free radical oxidation products, lipid peroxides and malonic dialdehyde, in atherogenic low-density lipoproteins in patients with coronary heart disease. Activity of glutathione peroxidase utilizing lipid peroxides in the plasma markedly increased during trimetazidine therapy. The data suggest that trimetazidine not directly interacting with free radicals attenuates the adverse effects of intensive free radical oxidation in coronary heart disease. This effect is mediated via activation of antioxidant enzymes, which diminishes negative consequences of ischemia. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 10, pp. 395–398, October, 2000     

Antioxidant activity of parapharmaceutics containing natural inhibitors of free radical processes

The duration of lag phase of ascorbate-dependent free radical oxidation of endogenous polyenic lipids in rat liver and myocardium considerably increased after oral administration of lacrinat containing licoriceGlycyrrhiza glabra root powder for 1 month. Lacrinat markedly decreased the content of lipid peroxides in rat liver.Ex vivo antioxidant effects of lacrinat in rat liver were comparable with those of β-carotene-containing preparations carinat and carinat CD. Parapharmaceutics containing both licoriceGlycyrrhiza glabra root powder and β-carotene (carinat forte) markedly increased antioxidant activity of the liver. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 7, pp. 56–58, July, 2000     

Enhanced blood activity of selenic glutathione peroxidase in patients with coronary heart disease after treatment with selenium-containing antioxidant preparation adrusen zinco

This study analyzed the effects of nutriceutic Adrusen Zinco containing vitamin E and prosthetic groups of antioxidant enzymes (selenium, copper, zinc) on the parameters of free radical oxidation of blood lipids in patients with coronary heart disease and hypercholesterolemia. Adrusen Zinco considerably increased activity of erythrocyte and serum selenic glutathione peroxidase as soon as after 1-month treatment, while erythrocyte SOD activity significantly increased only after 2 months. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 129, No. 3, pp. 277–279, March, 2000