Effects of microbial metabolites on catalase activity and growth of Staphylococcus aureus 6538 P

The effects of cell extracts and supernatants ofLactobacillus spp. andCorynebacterium spp. on catalase activity and growth ofStaphylococcus aureus 6538 P were studied. Intra- and extracellular metabolites of lactobacilli and corynebacteria inhibited catalase activity ofS. aureus 6538 P. The growth ofS. aureus 6538 P decreased after incubation with lactobacillus metabolites. The inhibitory effect of intra- and extracellular metabolites of lactobacilli and corynebacteria on catalase activity ofS. aureus is a possible pathway of microbial interrelations responsible for the formation and/or development of microbial biocenoses. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 7, pp. 80–82, July, 2000     

Effect of helium-neon laser on activity and optical properties of catalase

The effects of laser (632.8 nm) on functional and spectral properties of catalase at pH 6.0–7.4 were studied. Laser irradiation led to photoactivation of the enzyme at pH 7.1–7.4. Changes in the spectral properties of photomodified hemoprotein were found in the absorption spectrum of the protein component: apoenzyme displayed protective effects in relation to ferroporphyrin. Structural modifications of catalase induced by helium-neon laser irradiation correlated with its functional properties. These results can be used in clinical practice to design the individual management program. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 129, No. 6, pp. 633–636, June, 2000     

The role of opsonization ofStaphylococcus aureus in the development of local inflammation and system response

Thein vitro neutrophil-stimulating activities of twoS. aureus strains are compared with theirin vivo cytotoxic activities, including the use of intact heterologous neutrophils. After opsonization with normal autologous serum, clinical isolates ofS. aureus differ in the ability to induce luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of guinea pig peritoneal neutrophils. After opsonization, the opsonin-dependent strain markedly stimulates chemiluminescence in comparison with the opsonin-independent strain. The local inflammation induced in guinea pig by intracutaneous administration of the opsonized opsonin-dependent strain is more intense than that induced by the opsonin-independent strain. Intramuscular administration of opsonin-dependentS. aureus strain increases mortality in mice from 10 to 46% while the addition of normal guinea pig neutrophils to the inoculate has no effect on this process. Opsonization of opsonin-independent strain decreased mortality from 78 to 40%, the effect being potentiated by the addition of neutrophils to inoculate (mortality 14%). Presumably, the opsonin dependence ofS. aureus manifestedin vitro is associated with its pathogenicityin vivo, which may be caused by intense stimulation of the respiratory burst in neutrophils. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 122, No. 9, pp. 298–300, September, 1996     

Lymphatic mast cell response and effect of compound 48/80 on popliteal lymph node reaction in rats following intracutaneous injection ofStaphylococcus aureus

To investigate the significance of mast cells in the popliteal lymph node during the development of an inflammatory response, rats were inoculated with 12×10⁷ colony-forming units ofStaphylococcus aureus in the hind foot pad. Numerical changes in mast cells were then measured in the corresponding popliteal lymph node. Six days after inoculation, despite the enlargement of the responding lymph node, a marked decrease in granulated mast cell number, relative to the contralateral node, was observed in the cortical and medullary compartments. Popliteal lymph nodes from rats treated with compound 48/80 and then inoculated withS. aureus showed a higher cortical and medullary hypertrophic response and a significant increase in degranulated/weakly basophilic mast cell number in the lymph node tissue. The findings suggest that (1)Staphylococcus aureus induces a reduction in granulated mast cell number in the cortical and medullary compartments of regional lymph nodes; (2) pretreatment with compound 48/80 appears to contribute to the lymphoid cell proliferation and the hypertrophic response of lymph nodes induced byS. aureus; and (3) granulated mast cells have a regulatory role on lymphoid cell proliferation.     

Effect of the catalase inhibitor 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole on oxidation-phosphorylation coupling and the state of the mitochondrial adenosine system in the liver of albino rats

Incubation of the specific catalase inhibitor 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole with liver mitochondria and administration of this drug to intact rats are shown to uncouple oxidation and phosphorylation and to inhibit adenosine nucleotide synthesis in the animal liver. These disturbances apparently results from catalase inhibition. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, No. 6, pp. 638–640, June, 1996     

Intracellular survival of Staphylococcus aureus: correlating production of catalase and superoxide dismutase with levels of inflammatory cytokines

BACKGROUND: Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase are anti-oxidant enzymes potentially used by the bacteria to neutralize macrophage microbicidal molecules such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). OBJECTIVE: To investigate contribution of bacterial anti-oxidant enzymes in intracellular survival of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) within macrophages. MATERIALS: Murine peritoneal macrophages and S. aureus (CMC-524, ICH-629 and ICH-757). TREATMENT: 10(6) colony forming units (CFU) of the 90 minutes (min) intracellularly viable S. aureus were administered (i.v.) per mouse through 0.1 ml saline. METHODS: Anti-oxidant enzyme assay, phagocytic activity, H(2)O(2) release, Zymography for catalase, serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) level were estimated. One-way Model I ANOVA and one tail Student's t-test were performed. RESULTS: Survival of S. aureus was least after 90 min of reincubation within macrophages. Maximum amount of bacterial anti-oxidant enzymes were released after 90 min of re-incubation. H(2)O(2) released after 90 min of re-incubation with S. aureus was maximum. Higher activity of catalase and SOD by S. aureus occurred in response to the gradual production of H(2)O(2). Serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha was also elevated 1h post infection. CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial catalase and SOD combat reactive oxygen species enabling S. aureus to persist within macrophages, inducing local inflammation, causing greater induction of serum TNF-alpha and IL-6.     

In vitro effect of bilirubin on antioxidant activity and lipid peroxidation in the plasma and erythrocytes of cord blood

Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 116, N ^o 7, pp. 50–52, July, 1993     

Biochemical and physiological activity of new peptide inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme

The physiological and biochemical activity of new angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors is studiedin vitro (in microsomal fractions from the pituitary gland and corpus striatum) andin vivo. Compound PP-09, an N-carboxyalkyl derivative of enalapril, displaying high inhibiting activity towards rat serum and tissue angiotensin converting enzyme and lowering arterial pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats, is selected. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 122, No, 9, pp. 279–281, September, 1996     

Effect of epidermal chalones on growth of transplantable tumors

An alcoholic extract obtained from rat skin contains epidermal g₁- and g₂-chalones, and when added to a suspension of cells of a transplantable squamous-cell keratinizing carcinoma of the mouse cervix uteri it inhibits its growth by 72.6% when injected into recipient mice. The extract had no inhibitory action on transplantable mouse tumors of other histogenesis (hepatoma 22a, leukemia L-1210, and sarcoma 180). Epidermal chalones had only weak action (inhibiting growth by 39.2%; P>0.05) on an anaplastic transplantable mouse skin carcinoma, which had lost its primary squamous-cell structure in the course of prolonged passage (more than 10 years).Laboratory of Experimental Tumors and Laboratory of Endocrinology, N. N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology, Minsitry of Health of the USSR, Leningrad. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. I. Serebrov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 84, No. 10, pp. 466–468, October, 1977.     

Staphylococcus aureus strain designation by agr and cap polymorphism typing and delineation of agr diversification by sequence analysis

The allelic variations of the regulatory operon agr (groups I-IV) and the cap polymorphism (capsular types 5 and 8) were used as a typing scheme for rapid strain designation in Staphylococcus aureus. In combining 10 agr subgroups resolved by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with the two cap polymorphisms 12 types could be defined. To assess whether this type designation is informative for the population structure of the species S. aureus, agr and cap types were determined in clonal lineages defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of a collection of 219 isolates. agr groups and cap types were both linked to certain clone complexes. However, little correlation was found between the two polymorphic loci. By PFGE cluster analysis 11 prevalent and 52 sporadic clones were defined. Most of the prevalent clones (9/11) could be discriminated by agr/cap typing. Thus, this technique allows a first subdivision of isolates and an inter-center comparable designation of S. aureus clones preceding a more detailed clonal analysis by PFGE or multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). To get insight into agr diversification, sequence analysis of the variable and conserved part of agr from selected S. aureus clones was performed. Strains of agr-I displayed the highest sequence divergence on the nucleotide and amino acid level, suggesting an early diversification of this group. When analyzing the relationship between the four agr interference groups we could show: (i) one intermediate between agr-I and agr-IV alleles; (ii) agr-IV sequences seem to bridge the agr-I and -III groups and (iii) two cases of horizontal transfer of the variable gene cassette from an agr-I strain to an agr-II strain. Thus, stepwise evolutionary progression and rare events of recombination were evident in the diversification of the agr locus.     

Implantation growth of nephrogenic tissue and tubular epithelium of the renal nephron culturedin vivo

Implantation growth of nephrogenic tissue of a 17-day rat embryo and of the epithelium from the nephron of animals aged 1 month was compared. Nephrogenic tissue in implantsin vivo showed appearances characteristic of its histogenesis. The tubular epithelium from the nephron of month-old animals showed manifestations of tissue growth and formed atypical kidney structures, reflecting its ability to undergo tissue and organotypical differentiation. It is concluded that the epithelium of the renal nephron has a wide range of reactive and plastic properties and is capable of organotypical determination.Department of Histology and Embryology, Tyumen' Medical Institute. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR I. V. Toroptsev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 84, No. 10, pp. 477–480, October, 1977.     

Effect of dioxydine and cyclophosphane on lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice

Twenty-four hours after intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphane (40 mg/kg) and dioxydine (300 mg/kg) to C57Bl/6 mice, liver catalase activity dropped by 29 and 23%, respectively. In BALB/c mice, dioxydine (but not cyclophosphane) reduced catalase activity by 24%. Superoxide dismutase activity was lowered by cyclophosphane (but not dioxydine) in BALB/c mice, and by both dioxydine and cyclophosphane in C57Bl/6 mice (by 24 and 86%, respectively). The level of 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive lipid peroxidation (LPO) products in the liver of BALB/c mice treated with cyclophosphane and dioxydine increased 1.4- and 2.1-fold, respectively, while in C57Bl/6 mice it did not differ from the control. The initial rate ofin vitro-induced LPO in BALB/c mice receiving cyclophosphane and dioxydine increased 1.5- and 4-fold, respectively. In C57Bl/6 mice both cyclophosphane and dioxydine inhibited the accumulation of TBA-reactive LPO products. On the whole, animals of the C57Bl/6 strain are more resistant to the LPO-inducing action of mutagens than BALB/c mice, despite the fact that the latter are characterized by a higher activity of antioxidant enzymes. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, No. 5, pp. 528–532, May, 1996     

Ribonucleotide reductase class III, an essential enzyme for the anaerobic growth of Staphylococcus aureus, is a virulence determinant in septic arthritis

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of joint infections. It also contributes to several other diseases such as pneumonia, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, and sepsis. Bearing in mind that S. aureus becomes rapidly resistant to new antibiotics, many studies survey the virulence factors, with the aim to find alternative prophylaxis/treatment regimens. One potential virulence factor is the bacterial ability to survive at different oxygen tensions. S. aureus expresses ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs), which help it to grow under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, by reducing ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. In this study, we investigated the role of RNR class III, which is required for anaerobic growth, as a virulence determinant in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal arthritis. The wild-type S. aureus strain and its isogenic mutant nrdDG mutant were inoculated intravenously into mice. Mice inoculated with the wild-type strain displayed significantly more severe arthritis, with significantly more synovitis and destruction of the bone and cartilage versus mutant strain inoculated mice. Further, the persistence of bacteria in the kidneys was significantly more pronounced in the group inoculated with the wild-type strain. Together these results indicate that RNR class III is an important virulence factor for the establishment of septic arthritis.     

Effects ofl-dopa-carrying liposomes on striatal concentration of dopamine and its metabolites and phospholipid metabolism in experimental parkinson's syndrome

Intraperitoneal injection of extremely low doses ofl-Dopa-containing liposomes increases the rate of dopamine metabolism and alters the metabolism of signal phospholipids in the striatum of C57B1/6 mice with experimental parkinsonism. Liposomal lipids affect the phospholipid metabolism in these mice. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 122, No. 12, pp. 614–617, December, 1996     

Role of insertion elements and yycFG in the development of decreased susceptibility to vancomycin in Staphylococcus aureus

The glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin acts by binding to the D-alanyl-D-alanine terminus of the cell wall precursor lipid II in the cytoplasmic membrane. The purpose of this study was the identification of genes that might be involved in the vancomycin resistance mechanism. To this end, the expression profiles of two vancomycin intermediately resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) strains, the clinical isolate S. aureus SA137/93A (Etest: 8 microg/ml) and its laboratory mutant S. aureus SA137/93G (Etest: 12 microg/ml) were analyzed using an S. aureus full-genome chip. The results indicated that an essential two-component regulatory system, yycF (vicR) and yycG (vicK) was drastically up-regulated in strain SA137/93A. Sequencing of the yycFG promoter region of strain SA137/93A revealed an insertion of IS256 in the predicted promoter region creating a potentially stronger hybrid promoter. In strain SA137/93G, IS256 was not integrated in the yycFG promoter region but, in previous studies, a copy of IS256 had been found to inactivate the tcaA gene (Maki et al. Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother. 48, 1953-1959 (2004)). Detailed population analyses showed that, in addition to the loss of SCCmec, the inactivation of tcaA seems to cause at least part of the increase in teicoplanin and vancomycin resistance in strain SA137/93G.     

Development and design of a novel in vivo chamber implant for the analysis of microbial virulence and assessment of antimicrobial therapy

An accurate reflection of the pathogenicity of microorganisms and the therapeutic effects of antimicrobial agents on their growth necessitates testing within an in vivo environment. We have developed a novel diffusion chamber, incorporating two 0.22 μm membrane filters, for the growth of in vivo organisms. The chamber, which is implanted intraperitoneally into the rat, has an external sampling portal. This portal allows multiple and sequential sampling of the microbial inoculum without killing the rat, thus significantly reducing the total number of animals used in such studies. In addition, the chamber is superior to other reported implants since it is well tolerated, reusable, easily constructed and can be used within two days of implantation. Staphylococcus epidermidis and a toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) producing strain of S. aureus have been successfully grown within in vivo chambers, with 10⁸–10⁹ organisms per millilitre being recovered within 48 h. Scanning electron microscopy revealed clusters of staphylococci and fibrous material adhering to the inner surface of the filters, with numerous phagocytic cells attached to the outer side. Western immunoblotting indicated that higher levels of TSST-1 were produced by S. aureus grown in vivo as opposed to cells grown in vitro.     

Characteristics of growth and hematopoiesis in early postnatal development of rats exposed periodically to cold

Erythropoiesis was observed to develop earlier in month-old rats which had developed during periodic exposure to cold than in control animals. This was reflected in a shorter period of physiological anemia. The circulating blood volume of the experimental animals was greater at all times of the investigation. As a result of the improvement to the blood supply of the organs and tissues, growth and development of the experimental rats were accelerated and the resting energy expenditure was more economic than in control rats of the same age.Laboratory of Age and Comparative Pathophysiology, 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. 3, pp. 269–271, March, 1976.     

Effects of low-density lipoproteins on blood coagulation and fibrinolytic activity

In vitro experiments showed that copper-oxidized low-density lipoproteins activate factors of the prothrombin complex in the whole blood and inhibit fibrin generation in both blood and plasma. Moreover, oxidized low-density lipoproteins inhibit fibrinolysis and impair the structure of fibrin clot, which results in hypercoagulation. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 129, No. 6, pp. 637–639, June, 2000