银杏内酯B对谷氨酸诱导脑皮质神经元凋亡及Ca2+超载的影响

目的：观察银杏内酯B对谷氨酸诱导培养脑皮质神经元凋亡的拮抗作用，并探讨这种作用与神经细胞内游离Ca2+浓度改变的关系。方法： 采用改良的方法原代培养胎小鼠脑皮质神经元，用噻唑兰（MTT）法检测神经元的存活情况；细胞凋亡采用形态学观察、DNA琼脂糖凝胶电泳法和Hoechst 33258核染色方法进行分析；用Fura-2/AM荧光指示剂法测定细胞内Ca2+浓度。结果： 谷氨酸（0.8 mmol/L）能诱导神经细胞凋亡和胞内Ca2+超载，银杏内酯B（10-250 μmol/L）能减轻谷氨酸所致的细胞损伤，表现为神经元存活率提高，细胞形态的恢复和DNA断裂减少。结论： 银杏内酯B可拮抗谷氨酸所致的神经细胞毒性作用，这可能与其能竞争PAF受体并降低神经细胞内［Ca2+］从而抑制谷氨酸诱导的神经元凋亡有关。     

Glycogen metabolism in cultured chick hepatocytes: A morphological study

Ultrastructural and autoradiographic observations of cultured chick hepatocytes under the following conditins are described: Induction of glycogen synthesis with glucose alone and glucose plus insulin, and glucagon-induced glucogen glucogen breakdown. Profiles of hepatocytes cultured in medium containig 10 mM glucose showed typical cellular organelles and occasionally a few glycogen granules. After incubation of hepatocytes with ³H-glucose, silver grains were found over these sparse glycogen granules, indicating a low level of glycogen synthesis by a few cells. After addition of 75 mM glucose for 1 hr about 3% of the profiles of cells showed glycogen, and by 24 hr half of the hepatocytes had glycogen. Addition ofinsulin plus glucose induced glycogen synthesis in 82% of the cells after 6 hr. and by 24 hr almost every cellular profile showed glyocgen particles. Morphologically, glycogen accumulation was similar whether the cells were stimulated by high glucose or by glucose plus insulin: glycogen granules appeared in restricted regions of the cytoplasm, which were rich in smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), and peroxisomes were found close to the newly deposited glycogen particles. At maximum glycogen accumulation the association of SER and peroxisomes with glycogen was less obvious. Glycogenolysis induced by incubation of glycogen-rich hepatocytes with glucagon resulted in proliferation of SER in the glycogen regions of the cells. These observations are compatible with the concept of regions in the hepatocyte cytoplasm specialized for glycogen metabolism. Possible roles for SER and peroxisomes found near glycogen particles and other organelles in hepatic glycogen metabolism are discussed.     

The effect of sulfated hyaluronan on the morphological transformation and activity of cultured human astrocytes

We demonstrated the effect of synthesized sulfated hyaluronan (SHya), which is composed of a sulfated group and hyaluronan, and basic fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) on normal human astrocytes (NHA) activity and its morphological transformation in vitro study. Astrocyte is a kind of glial cell and stellated astrocyte (activating astrocyte) supports axons network, neurons survival and synaptic plasticity. Treatment of SHya hardly affected NHA proliferation. However combination treatment of SHya and FGF-2 increased NHA proliferation. Treatment of SHya promoted transformation of normal astrocyte into a stella morphology (stellation) and combination treatment of SHya and FGF-2 promoted stellation than that of SHya only. Treatment of SHya increased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), nestin mRNA and GFAP protein expression in the stellated NHA. The cell-cell adhesion of NHA increased by treatment of SHya. Treatment of SHya increased heparin-binding trophic factors FGF-2, midkine, and some other trophic factors mRNA level in the NHA. These results suggested that the treatment of SHya promoted NHA activity due to enhancing neurotrophins production and the morphological transformation of NHA and the effect of SHya on astrocytes partly involved FGF-2 activity. These findings indicate that SHya may be involved in the astrocyte activity and support neurons survivals.     

A transgenic mouse model for the detailed morphological study of astrocytes

We have generated a transgenic mouse model in which astrocytes express an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the mouse glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter. EGFP, which is characteristically found throughout the cell, was expressed in these animals even in astrocytic fine processes, and EGFP expressing cells demonstrated morphological characters of protoplasmic, fibrous, or reactive astrocytes. In contrast, GFAP immunoreactivity was found only in the perinuclear region and in the main processes. The transgenic mouse model therefore provides a valuable tool for the detailed morphological investigation of astrocytes.     

Aluminum chloride stimulates the release of endogenous glutamate, taurine and adenosine from cultured rat cortical astrocytes.

Primary astrocyte cultures derived from neonatal rat cerebral cortex were treated for 5 min with 0.5 mM or 5.0 mM AlCl3, and the incubation medium was analyzed by HPLC for the content of released glutamate (Glu), taurine (Tau), serine (Ser) and the nucleoside adenosine (Ade). At 0.5 mM, AlCl3 stimulated Tau release to about 170% of basal levels, but did not affect the release of the other compounds. Treatment with 5.0 mM AlCl3 enhanced the release of Tau, Glu and Ade, to 800%, 1000% and 250%, respectively, but decreased the release of Ser to 70% compared to basal levels. The enhanced release of these neuroactive compounds from astrocytes may contribute to changes in neural transmission known to accompany exposure to aluminum.     

A prospective study of the morphological aspects of tumor involvement of the pulmonary vessels.

A prospective morphological study of tumor involvement of the pulmonary vessels (TIPV) was undertaken on 203 consecutive autopsy cases of malignancies. The lungs were removed as a block and 15 sections (3 from each lobe) were analyzed. Site of origin, histological type and staging of the tumor, topographic distribution of the tumor emboli in the lungs, right ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation, pulmonary infarct, pulmonary vascular sclerosis and lung metastases were recorded in each case. TIPV was detected in 84 (41.4%) cases, the highest frequency reported until now. In 28 cases, TIPV was considered to be the main cause of death. The breast, liver, and pancreas were primary sites in more than 50% of the cases in which TIPV was observed. TIPV was more prevalent in epithelial neoplasms and showed a strong correlation with advanced disease. There was no significant difference among topographic regions of the lungs. The cases with TIPV were correlated with a high frequency of right ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation, vascular sclerosis and pulmonary metastases but not with pulmonary infarcts.     

Amyloid-beta peptide decreases glutamate uptake in cultured astrocytes: involvement of oxidative stress and mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by excessive deposition of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides in the brain. One of the earliest neuropathological changes in AD is the presence of a high number of reactive astrocytes at sites of Abeta deposition. Disturbance of glutamatergic neurotransmission and consequent excitotoxicity is also believed as implicated in the progression of this dementia. Therefore, the study of astrocyte responses to Abeta, the main cellular type involved in the maintenance of synaptic glutamate concentrations, is crucial for understanding the pathogenesis of AD. This study aims to investigate the effect of Abeta on the astrocytic glutamate transporters, glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) and glutamate-aspartate transporter (GLAST), and their relative participation to glutamate clearance. In addition we have also investigated the involvement of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in the modulation of GLT-1 and GLAST levels and activity and the putative contribution of oxidative stress induced by Abeta to the astrocytic glutamate transport function. Therefore, we used primary cultures of rat brain astrocytes exposed to Abeta synthetic peptides. The data obtained show that Abeta(1-40) peptide decreased astroglial glutamate uptake capacity in a non-competitive mode of inhibition, assessed in terms of tritium radiolabeled d-aspartate (d-[(3)H]aspartate) transport. The activity of GLT-1 seemed to be more affected than that of GLAST, and the levels of both transporters were decreased in Abeta(1-40)-treated astrocytes. We demonstrated that MAP kinases, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, were activated in an early phase of Abeta(1-40) treatment and the whole pathways differentially modulated the glutamate transporters activity/levels. Moreover it was shown that oxidative stress induced by Abeta(1-40) may lead to the glutamate uptake impairment observed. Taken together, our results suggest that Abeta peptide downregulates the astrocytic glutamate uptake capacity and this effect may be in part mediated by oxidative stress and the differential activity and complex balance between the MAP kinase signaling pathways.     

Changes in ganglioside composition and morphological features during the development of cultured astrocytes from rat brain

Changes in ganglioside content over a period of days were examined in astrocytes obtained via cell passage from rat cerebral cortex. Thin-layer chromatography revealed that, in the astrocytes, ganglioside GM1 was absent, the predominant ganglioside being GM3. Also, an increased GD3 content in long-term astrocyte cultures was detected. The morphological features of astrocytes were also studied using immunoperoxidase staining. Astroglial features were characterized by high levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin, which are the major intermediate-filament proteins present in astrocytes at an early culture stage. In long-term-cultured (greater than 7 months) astrocytes, vimentin and GFAP were increased in process-bearing cells. Ganglioside GD3 recognized by R24 monoclonal antibody was also expressed in these cells. These results suggest that the increase of ganglioside GD3 in long-term-cultured astrocytes may be related to the appearance of multistellate cells showing strong reactivity against GFAP and vimentin during development over a specified period in culture.     

Neurotensin regulates intracellular calcium in ventral tegmental area astrocytes: evidence for the involvement of multiple receptors

Recent evidence suggests that some types of neurotensin receptors may be expressed by astrocytes. In order to explore the function of neurotensin receptors in astrocytes, the effect of a neurotensin receptor agonist, neurotensin(8-13), on intracellular Ca(2+) dynamics in mixed neuronal/glial cultures prepared from rat ventral tegmental area was examined. It was found that neurotensin(8-13) induces a long-lasting rise in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in a subset of glial fibrilary acidic protein-positive glial cells. This response displays extensive desensitization and appears to implicate both intracellular and extracellular Ca(2+) sources. In the absence of extracellular Ca(2+), neurotensin(8-13) evokes only a short-lasting rise in intracellular Ca(2+). The neurotensin-evoked intracellular Ca(2+) accumulation is blocked by the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 and by thapsigargin, suggesting that it is initiated by release of Ca(2+) from an inositol triphosphate-dependent store. The Ca(2+)-mobilizing action of neurotensin(8-13) in astrocytes is dependent on at least two receptors, because the response is blocked in part only by SR48692, a type 1 neurotensin receptor antagonist, and is blocked completely by SR142948A, a novel neurotensin receptor antagonist. The finding that the type 2 neurotensin receptor agonist levocabastine fails to mimic or alter the effects of neurotensin(8-13) on intracellular Ca(2+) makes it unlikely that the type 2 neurotensin receptor is involved.In summary, these results show that functional neurotensin receptors are present in cultured ventral tegmental area astrocytes and that their activation induces a highly desensitizing rise in intracellular Ca(2+). The pharmacological profile of this response suggests that a type 1 neurotensin receptor is involved but that another, possibly novel, non-type 2 neurotensin receptor is also implicated. If present in vivo, such signalling could be involved in some of the physiological actions of neurotensin.     

Meningiomas: histogenesis and classification. A comparative morphological study

80 meningiomas were analyzed with various morphological methods including smear preparations, frozen section conventional histology. In all, the establishment of short term in-vitro growth was attempted and led to rapid cell proliferation in all but few exceptions. Electron microscopy was equally performed in the cases. In 37 of these meningiomas, commercially available antibodies against a whole pattern of tissue markers including cytokeratin, fibronectin, vimentin, S-100 protein and others were applied and visualized with the PAP method. The same was done with 4 in-vitro grown meningiomas. The sample of tumors comprised the major subtypes; age and sex distribution were consistent with known data. Electron microscopy showed only quantitative differences between different types, exhibiting as main features folded membranes with desmosomes and intermediate filaments. Cell types occurring in-vitro were dependent on the stage of proliferation. The tissue marker distribution showed vimentin as common to almost all meningiomas and fibronectin to half of them. Both antigens were observed after short term in-vitro growth in the tumor cells. It is concluded, that the central group of meningiomas despite of many different particular features has a common and uniform cellular make up demonstrated in all methods reported. The bearing of the intermediate mesodermal(neuro) ectodermal position of those tumors for their proper classification at the time being can only be discussed.     

体外血小板活化因子对神经元和星形胶质细胞的作用

目的：研究血小板活化因子（PAF）对神经元活力及星形胶质细胞胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）表达的影响。 方法： 分别取BALB/c胎鼠和新生小鼠大脑皮层，纯化培养神经元和星形胶质细胞，设正常对照组和实验组，实验组中分别加入4、8和16 μmol/L的PAF并分别作用4 h、24 h和72 h,用MTT法和免疫组织化学方法测定神经元活力和星形胶质细胞表达GFAP的平均灰度值。 结果： PAF作用后，神经元活力降低；星形胶质细胞数量减少，但存活细胞GFAP表达增加。两者均呈浓度依赖关系。 结论： PAF不仅直接作用于神经元，且可通过作用于星形胶质细胞间接影响神经元的存活。     

Up-regulation of IL-2 induced lymphokine activated killer cell activity by cisplatin and FK-565: involvement of calcium ion.

As reported earlier, the IL-2 induced lymphokine activated killer (LAK) activity is significantly up-regulated in the presence of cisplatin/FK-565. Based on these observations, we have investigated whether calcium is involved in the generation of LAK activity by IL-2 alone or along with CP/FK-565. We have shown that treatment of PBMC with IL-2 for four days caused an increase in intracellular free calcium and in ATP levels, which were further significantly enhanced when LAK cells were generated in the presence of CP/FK-565. Depletion of calcium resulted in decreased cytotoxic activity. Addition of tumor cells to LAK cells, generated in the presence of IL-2 alone or along with CP/FK-565 caused an instant rise in intracellular free calcium which was significantly decreased when an increase in intracellular free calcium was observed in calcium-free, EGTA-containing buffer. These data suggest that calcium is required for the activation and manifestation of lytic activity by LAK cells. Further, we observed that the increase in intracellular free calcium is not associated with the blastogenic response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to treatment of IL-2 alone or together with CP/FK-565.     

A morphological study of the effects of indomethacin,flufenamate, salicylate and calcium ions on rabbit peritoneal neutrophil polymorphs.

Rabbit peritoneal neutrophil polymorphs have been examined by transmission electron microscopy to determine the effects of removing and replacing extracellular calcium. Degranulation, disruption of the cell membrane and vesiculation are all more marked in the presence of calcium than in its absence. Cooling the cells to 4 degrees has a protective effect. The addition of indomethacin, flufenamate or salicylate to a calcium-free incubating medium decreases degranulation, protects the membrane and reduces vesiculation, particularly at 4 degrees. When extracellular calcium is replaced at 37 degrees indomethacin and salicylate slightly reduce the amount of degranulation; flufenamate and salicylate significantly reduce the signs of damage. Higher concentrations of indomethacin and flufenamate cause considerable degranulation and damage. When extracellular calcium is present in the incubating medium throughout, the addition of indomethacin, flufenamate or salicylate shows varying effects. High concentrations of all these drugs, however, cause extensive degranulation and damage.     

Molecular mechanisms underlying lymphocyte recirculation. I. Functional, phenotypical and morphological characterization of high endothelial cells cultured in vitro

Large-scale extravasation of lymphocytes takes place in vivo under physiological conditions in lymph nodes at very specialized vascular segments called high endothelial venules (HEV). When circulating lymphocytes leave the blood, they first bind to endothelial cells of HEV (HE cells) and subsequently enter lymph nodes by crossing the endothelial lining of HEV. Although the lymphocyte-HEV interaction has recently been the subject of intense research by many laboratories, it has been studied almost exclusively by the use of the lymphocyte-binding assay in which lymphocyte binding is examined on nonviable HEV present on frozen sections and, hence, no dynamic interaction between HE cells and lymphocytes has been studied. We report herein that endothelial cells of rat HEV can be grown in vitro and that the lymphocyte-HEV interaction can be studied dynamically using viable cells in culture vessels. The identification of the cultured line, termed Ax, as HE cells was based on their phenotypic, morphological, cytochemical and biochemical characteristics, and most importantly on its in vitro behavior, particularly in terms of its specific ability to interact with mature lymphocytes. Phenotypic analysis demonstrated that not only did monoclonal antibodies, known to react with HE cells, recognize the Ax but also a monoclonal antibody raised against the Ax specifically recognized HE cells in vivo, as determined by an immunoperoxidase staining of frozen sections, supporting the notion that the cell strain, Ax, is derived from HEV. This Ax, even after long-term culture (greater than 50 passages), allowed mature, but not immature, lymphocytes to bind to the cell surface and subsequently transport bound cells underneath their cytoplasm. This phenomenon was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by various reagents known to inhibit lymphocyte recirculation in vivo. The cultured line derived from HE cells should provide a means to investigate the biochemical nature of lymphocyte-HEV interaction, and to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the large-scale lymphocyte traffic taking place in vivo.     

The gadolinium ion: a potent blocker of calcium channels and catecholamine release from cultured chromaffin cells

Gadolinium (Gd³⁺) is a trivalent ion of the lanthanide series which has a high charge density and a similar ionic radius to Ca²⁺. The effects of gadolinium ions on [³H]noradrenaline output and ⁴⁵Ca fluxes during resting conditions and stimulation were investigated in cultured bovine chromaffin cells. Chromaffin cells isolated from bovine adrenal medullae were plated on collagen-coated dishes (10⁶ cells/dish) in a medium containing 10% fetal calf serum. Seven-day-old cells were used in all studies.Exposure of chromaffin cells to 0.05mM Gd³⁺ produced 80 ± 5% and 81 ± 4% inhibition of the secretory responses to 10^?4M acetylcholine and 56 mM K⁺ respectively. Doubling of the extracellular concentration of Gd³⁺ produced an 87 ± 3% and 100 ± 2% inhibition of the acetylcholine-induced and K⁺-induced release of [ ³H]noradrenaline. Gd³⁺ (0.05 mM) also produced a parallel shift to the right in the dose-response relationship between extracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations and [ ³H]noradrenaline output during acetylcholine stimulation. This observation suggests a competitive antagonism between Ca²⁺ and Gd³⁺ in stimulus-secretion coupling.Gd³⁺ (0.05 mM) was an effective inhibitor (92.3 ± 0.7%) of the uptake of ⁴⁵Ca into chromaffin cells induced by a depolarizing concentration (56 mM) of K⁺. Furthermore, Gd³⁺ also inhibited the increase in both Ca²⁺ ? Ca²⁺ exchange mechanism and [ ³H]noradrenaline output observed in chromaffin cells upon the reintroduction of Ca²⁺ into a Ca²⁺]-free incubation medium.The results, which were obtained using low concentrations of Gd³⁺, indicate that gadolinium is a powerful inhibitor of the Ca²⁺ movements which are required for triggering amine release from chromaffin cells by different secretagogues. Moreover, the results also suggest that Gd³⁺ might be a useful tool for release and electrophysiological studies in other Ca²⁺-dependent systems.     

Dyshormonogenetic goiter: A morphological and immunohistochemical study

A retrospective morphological and immunohistochemical study of 21 cases of dyshormonogenetic goiter was carried out correlating patterns of hyperplasia and the atypias of the glandular tissues with specific defects in hormonal synthesis, including (1) thyroglobulin synthesis defect (Group I, n = 8); (2) defective organification of iodide (Group II, n = 11); and (3) iodide transport defect (Group III, n = 2). Microfollicular, trabecular, papillary, and oxyphilic cell patterns were more frequent in Group II compared with Group I (Group III was excluded because of the small number of cases). The combined microfollicular and trabecular patterns were more frequently seen in patients in Group II. Two cases of thyroglobulin synthesis defect demonstrated certain morphological specificity characterized by an alveolar pattern. Atypias were more frequent and severe in patients in Group II relative to patients in Group I, but features of malignancy were not found in any patients. Immunohistochemical study using thyroglobulin antiserum demonstrated correlation between morphology and positivity of follicular cells. Scarce C cells were verified in these cases by immunohistochemistry. Using two-paired samples, respectively, of 21 endemic and 21 dyshormonogenetic goiters, we distinguished 85.7% of the cases examined, presented in a double-blind fashion. Scarcity of colloid and prominent cellular atypia were highly suggestive of dyshormonogenetic goiter. Considering the relative rarity of dyshormonogenetic goiter, our studies point out the most common patterns of hyperplasia and atypias in this pathology to avoid misdiagnosis, principally when considering the possibility of malignancy.     

Morphology and functions of astrocytes cultured on water-repellent fractal tripalmitin surfaces

In the brain, astrocytes play an essential role with their multiple functions and sophisticated structure, as surrounded by a fractal environment which has not been available in our traditional cell culture. Water-repellent fractal tripalmitin (PPP) surfaces can imitate the fractal environment in vivo, so the morphology and biochemical characterization of astrocytes on these surfaces are examined. Water-repellent fractal PPP surface can induce astrocytes to display sophisticated morphology with smaller size of cell area, longer and finer filopodium-like processes, and higher morphological complexity. The super water-repellent fractal PPP surface with water contact angle of 150°∼160° produces the maximal effects compared with other surfaces at lower water contact angles. The trends of characteristic protein expression, including that of nestin, vimentin, GFAP and glutamine synthetase, for astrocytes cultured on super water-repellent fractal PPP surfaces approximate more to in vivo pattern. The super water-repellent PPP surface also render astrocytes to perform more pronounced promotion of neurogenesis by increasing the release of nerve growth factor in a co-culture system. Altogether, our results suggest that the super water-repellent fractal PPP surface facilitates the astrocytes to mimic their in vivo performance, thus provides a closer-to-natural culture environment for experimental assessment of glial structure and functions.