氯胺酮和硝苯吡啶对培养神经元谷氨酸兴奋毒性的保护作用

以体外培养的大鼠胚胎皮层神经元为对象,以培养上清液中乳酸脱氢酶活性为指标,研究了谷氨酸兴奋毒性及药物的保护作用。结果表明,培养10d的皮层神经元置于含10或50μmol·L^-1谷氨酸和低糖(1g·L^-1)的DMEM培养液中后,随着作用时间的延长,LDH漏出逐渐增加。在谷氨酸处理前,于培养液中加入氯胺酮或硝苯吡啶,则LDH漏出量明显低于对照组。氯胺酮和硝苯吡啶并用,LDH漏出量比单独使用氯胺酮或硝苯吡啶下降更加明显。结果表明,谷氨酸对培养的神经元可产生严重损伤。氯胺酮和硝苯吡啶单用或并用均有明显的保护作用。     

咪苯嗪酮对TXA2和HHT生成的选择性抑制作用

咪苯嗪酮(CI-914)能抑制大鼠血小板环氧酶和TXA₂合成酶产物HHT的生成,而对脂氧酶产物12-HETE的生成仅高浓度药物才有弱的抑制作用,提示CI-914主要影响花生四烯酸(AA)环氧酶途径,而对脂氧酶途径影响较少。在大鼠血小板和中性白细胞CI-914能抑制TXA₂的生成,同时CI-914还可使白细胞6-keto-PGF_1a和血小板PGE₂的产生量显著增加,提示CI-914在这两种细胞引起了AA的转向合成。上述结果基本证实,CI-914在大鼠中性白细胞和血小板对TXA₂合成酶具有选择性抑制作用。     

脑益嗪对实验性脑血栓形成及血小板聚集的抑制作用

本文报道脑益嗪对大鼠实验性脑血栓形成及兔血小板聚集的抑制作用。经大鼠颈动脉顺行注射复合血栓诱导剂造成脑血栓模型,测定伊文思兰通过血脑屏障渗入脑实质的量以反映脑血栓的严重程度。结果表明脑益嗪(67 mg/kg,灌胃)有抗脑血栓形成的作用。半体内实验表明脑益嗪(34 mg/kg,灌胃)可抑制兔血小板聚集。     

Mechanisms of cardiolipin oxidation by cytochrome c: relevance to pro- and antiapoptotic functions of etoposide

Execution of apoptotic program in mitochondria is associated with accumulation of cardiolipin peroxidation products required for the release of proapoptotic factors into the cytosol. This suggests that lipid antioxidants capable of inhibiting cardiolipin peroxidation may act as antiapoptotic agents. Etoposide, a widely used antitumor drug and a topoisomerase II inhibitor, is a prototypical inducer of apoptosis and, at the same time, an effective lipid radical scavenger and lipid antioxidant. Here, we demonstrate that cardiolipin oxidation during apoptosis is realized not via a random cardiolipin peroxidation mechanism but rather proceeds as a result of peroxidase reaction in a tight cytochrome c/cardiolipin complex that restrains interactions of etoposide with radical intermediates generated in the course of the reaction. Using low-temperature and ambient-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of H(2)O(2)-induced protein-derived (tyrosyl) radicals and etoposide phenoxyl radicals, respectively, we established that cardiolipin peroxidation and etoposide oxidation by cytochrome c/cardiolipin complex takes place predominantly on protein-derived radicals of cytochrome c. We further show that etoposide can inhibit cytochrome c-catalyzed oxidation of cardiolipin competing with it as a peroxidase substrate. Peroxidase reaction of cytochrome c/cardiolipin complexes causes cross-linking and oligomerization of cytochrome c. With nonoxidizable tetraoleoyl-cardiolipin, the cross-linking occurs via dityrosine formation, whereas bifunctional lipid oxidation products generated from tetralinoleoyl-cardiolipin participate in the production of high molecular weight protein aggregates. Protein aggregation is effectively inhibited by etoposide. The inhibition of cardiolipin peroxidation by etoposide, however, is realized at far higher concentrations than those at which it induces apoptotic cell death. Thus, oxidation of cardiolipin by the cytochrome c/cardiolipin peroxidase complex, which is essential for apoptosis, is not inhibited by proapoptotic concentrations of the drug.     

Direct and indirect effects of single walled carbon nanotubes on RAW 264.7 macrophages: role of iron

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), nano-cylinders with an extremely small diameter (1-2 nm) and high aspect ratio, have unique physico-chemical, electronic and mechanical properties and may exhibit unusual interactions with cells and tissues, thus necessitating studies of their toxicity and health effects. Manufactured SWCNT usually contain significant amounts of iron that may act as a catalyst of oxidative stress. Because macrophages are the primary responders to different particles that initiate and propagate inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress, we utilized two types of SWCNT: (1) iron-rich (non-purified) SWCNT (26 wt.% of iron) and (2) iron-stripped (purified) SWCNT (0.23 wt.% of iron) to study their interactions with RAW 264.7 macrophages. Ultrasonication resulted in predominantly well-dispersed and separated SWCNT strands as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy. Neither purified nor non-purified SWCNT were able to generate intracellular production of superoxide radicals or nitric oxide in RAW 264.7 macrophages as documented by flow-cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. SWCNT with different iron content displayed different redox activity in a cell-free model system as revealed by EPR-detectable formation of ascorbate radicals resulting from ascorbate oxidation. In the presence of zymosan-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, non-purified iron-rich SWCNT were more effective in generating hydroxyl radicals (documented by EPR spin-trapping with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide, DMPO) than purified SWCNT. Similarly, EPR spin-trapping experiments in the presence of zymosan-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages showed that non-purified SWCNT more effectively converted superoxide radicals generated by xanthine oxidase/xanthine into hydroxyl radicals as compared to purified SWCNT. Iron-rich SWCNT caused significant loss of intracellular low molecular weight thiols (GSH) and accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides in both zymosan-and PMA-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Catalase was able to partially protect macrophages against SWCNT induced elevation of biomarkers of oxidative stress (enhancement of lipid peroxidation and GSH depletion). Thus, the presence of iron in SWCNT may be important in determining redox-dependent responses of macrophages.     

铀促排药物研究:Ⅳ,N,N′-双-[N-羧甲基-(2,3-二羟基-5-甲氧羰基苄胺乙酰基]-α,ω-二胺的合成

随着核工业的迅速发展,核燃料铀对人类构成了一种潜在威脅。铀在人体脏器内的沉积不但引起损伤,并能诱发肿瘤。关于铀的促排解毒药物,虽有一些报道,但未见在临床应用。作者等曾合成了多个系列新的膦酸类和邻苯二酚类双取代或单取代胺羧酰胺螫合剂,动物试验结果表明其中的大多数排铀效果显著,尤其是邻苯二酚类单取代胺羧酰胺(Ⅰ)中,若干化合物排铀效果远远超过文献报道较多的钛铁试剂和Phosphicine,而且显示了     

Sequential exposure to carbon nanotubes and bacteria enhances pulmonary inflammation and infectivity

Carbon nanotubes (CNT), with their applications in industry and medicine, may lead to new risks to human health. CNT induce a robust pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress in rodents. Realistic exposures to CNT may occur in conjunction with other pathogenic impacts (microbial infections) and trigger enhanced responses. We evaluated interactions between pharyngeal aspiration of single-walled CNT (SWCNT) and bacterial pulmonary infection of C57BL/6 mice with Listeria monocytogenes (LM). Mice were given SWCNT (0, 10, and 40 mug/mouse) and 3 days later were exposed to LM (10(3) bacteria/mouse). Sequential exposure to SWCNT/LM amplified lung inflammation and collagen formation. Despite this robust inflammatory response, SWCNT pre-exposure significantly decreased the pulmonary clearance of LM-exposed mice measured 3 to 7 days after microbial infection versus PBS/LM-treated mice. Decreased bacterial clearance in SWCNT-pre-exposed mice was associated with decreased phagocytosis of bacteria by macrophages and a decrease in nitric oxide production by these phagocytes. Pre-incubation of na?ve alveolar macrophages with SWCNT in vitro also resulted in decreased nitric oxide generation and suppressed phagocytizing activity toward LM. Failure of SWCNT-exposed mice to clear LM led to a continued elevation in nearly all major chemokines and acute phase cytokines into the later course of infection. In SWCNT/LM-exposed mice, bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophils, alveolar macrophages, and lymphocytes, as well as lactate dehydrogenase level, were increased compared with mice exposed to SWCNT or LM alone. In conclusion, enhanced acute inflammation and pulmonary injury with delayed bacterial clearance after SWCNT exposure may lead to increased susceptibility to lung infection in exposed populations.     

Polymorphism of the thiopurine S-methyltransferase gene in African- Americans

The molecular basis for the genetic polymorphism of thiopurine S - methyltransferase (TPMT) has been estab-lished for Caucasians, but it remains to be elucidated in African populations. In the current study, we determined TPMT genotypes in a population of 248 African-Americans and compared it with allele frequencies in 282 Caucasian Americans. TPMT genotype was determined in all individuals with TPMT activity indicative of a heterozygous genotype (</=10.1 U/ml pRBC, n = 23African- Americans, n = 21 Caucasians) and a control group with TPMT activity indicative of a homozygous wild-type genotype (>10.2 U/ml pRBC, n = 23 African-Americans, n = 21 Caucasians). No mutant alleles were found in the high activity control groups. The overall mutant allele frequencies were similar in African-Americans and Caucasians (4.6 and 3.7% of alleles, respectively). However, while TPMT*3C was the most prevalent mutant allele in African-Americans (52.2% of mutant alleles), it represented only 4.8% of mutant alleles in Caucasians ( P < 0.001). In contrast, TPMT*3A and TPMT*2 were less common in African-Americans (17.4 and 8.7% of mutant alleles), whereas TPMT*3A was the most prevalent mutant allele in Caucasians (85.7% of mutant alleles). A novel allele ( TPMT*8 ), containing a single nucleotide transition (G644A), leading to an amino acid change at codon 215 (Arg-->His), was found in one African-American with intermediate activity. These data indicate that the same TPMT mutant alleles are found in American black and white populations, but that the predominant mutant alleles differ in these two ethnic groups.