Bio-imaging of nitric oxide-producing neurones in slices of rat brain using 4,5-diaminofluorescein

4,5-Diaminofluorescein (DAF-2) was used to identify individual nitric oxide (NO)-producing neurones in brain slices in vitro. Coronal slices of midbrain or hippocampus, 300 microm thick from young adult rats, were incubated for 30 min in 1 microM DAF-2 diacetate (DAF-2 DA) and maintained in ACSF at 33 degrees C. Illumination at 450-490 nm revealed punctate fluorescence in neurones in the lateral tegmental nucleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, dorsolateral periaqueductal grey matter, deep collicular layers and cortical areas. Neurones in the hippocampal pyramidal cell layer, molecular layer of the dentate gyrus and the hilus fluoresced also. The fluorescence was abolished by pre-incubation of slices with L-NAME (100 microM-1 mM), the inhibitor of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS), but not by D-NAME (100 microM) or L-NIL (5-50 microM), an inhibitor of inducible NOS. In some superficially located arterioles, there were small regions of bright fluorescence close to the outer smooth muscle wall and diffuse fluorescence within the adjacent smooth muscle cells. A diffuse fluorescence was also seen in some superficially located capillaries. Basal production of NO was not seen within deeper blood vessels. DAF-2 DA offers a sensitive indicator for visualising basal production of NO with high spatial resolution and could provide a means of identifying NOS-containing neurones in brain slices in vitro prior to neurophysiological study.     

Characterization of the procoagulant chain derived from human high molecular weight kininogen (Fitzgerald factor) by human tissue kallikrein

Human high molecular weight kininogen (HMWK), a single-chain protein with mol wt 120,000, is cleaved by human urinary kallikrein (HUK) to release kinin from within a disulfide loop and form a two-chain protein that retains all the procoagulant activity of the native molecule. Cleavage of HMWK by HUK is associated with a reduction in size to mol wt 115,000, as assessed by SDS-PAGE of unreduced protein, whereas the two chains of the reduced protein present together as a single broad band with mol wt 64,000. The 64,000 chain with procoagulant activity was chromatographically separated from the nonfunctional chain of similar size. The homogeneous procoagulant chain had an amino acid composition similar to that of smaller procoagulant ("light") chains isolated by others upon cleavage of HMWK with plasma kallikrein and elicited an antiserum that was monospecific by Ouchterlony analysis and inhibited the procoagulant function of HMWK. Thus, the limited proteolysis of HMWK by HUK has permitted, for the first time, the isolation of a stable procoagulant chain that is equal in size to the nonfunctional chain. The common terminology of "heavy" and "light" chain for kinin-free kininogen obtained with plasma kallikrein reflects the continued degradation of the procoagulant carboxyterminal chain and is not appropriate for the initial two-chain product formed when kinin is released from HMWK. It is proposed that the initial cleavage products of HMWK be designated the A-chain, the B-fragment, and the C- chain, representing the amino-terminal chain, the released vasoactive peptide containing the bradykinin sequence, and the carboxy-terminal procoagulant chain, respectively. Thus, intact HMWK would contain, in sequence, A, B, and C regions.     

海洋生物柳珊瑚的化学成分及生物活性研究进展

柳珊瑚中含有许多结构新颖、生物活性多种多样的次生代谢产物，从而引起了人们对其化学成分及药理活性研究的极大兴趣。本文综述了1998年至2001年问有关柳珊瑚中化学成分及生物活性研究的最新进展，并在此基础上对这类海洋生物潜在的药用前景进行了展望。     

三种虫草抗氧化活性的化学发光法研究

为研究冬虫夏草、蛹虫草、蒙山虫草3种虫草的抗氧化活性，考察实验条件对结果的影响，采用化学发光法测定3种虫草清除超氧阴离子自由基的活性。结果显示，3种虫草的水提液中蛹虫草样品的抗氧化活性较高，蒙山虫草和冬虫夏草的抗氧化活性比较接近。提示：蛹虫草和蒙山虫草有着良好的应用前景，有望替代冬虫夏草应用于临床。     

nm23-H1基因对人肺癌细胞中细胞外信号调节激酶活性的影响

目的探讨肿瘤转移抑制基因nm23-H1对人高转移大细胞肺癌细胞株L9981中细胞外信号调节激酶ERK1/2活性的影响.方法应用特异性识别总ERK1/2(p44/42 MAP kinase)和双磷酸化ERK1/2(phospho-p44/42 MAP kinase)的抗体及蛋白印迹法(Western blot),检测L9981(缺失nm23-H1基因的原代肺癌细胞株)、L9981-nm23-H1(转染了nm23-H1基因的L9981细胞株)、L9981-PLXSN(转染了空载体的L9981细胞株)中总ERK1/2和磷酸化ERK1/2的水平.磷酸化ERK1/2活性应用非放射性免疫沉淀和Western blot法以及p44/42 MAP kinase分析试剂盒予以检测.结果 L9981-nm23-H1细胞株中磷酸化ERK1/2的水平,以及ERK1/2活性均显著低于L9981细胞株和L9981-PLXSN细胞株(P<0.01),L9981和L9981-PLXSN细胞株间磷酸化ERK1/2水平和ERK1/2活性比较均无显著性差异(P＞0.05).三个细胞株间总ERK1/2水平比较均无显著性差异(P>0.05).结论 nm23-H1基因可明显靶向地抑制人高转移肺癌细胞株L9981中ERK1/2的转录表达和ERK1/2的活性.推测nm23-H1基因的作用机制可能与其抑制了MAPK/ERK信号传导通路有关.     

全反式维甲酸诱导人卵巢癌细胞凋亡的实验研究

目的：观察全反式维甲酸(A11一trans retinoic acid，ATRA)诱导人卵巢癌细胞CAOV3产生凋亡。方法：应用扫描电镜、透射电镜、DNA断裂分析及流式细胞术观察ATRA诱导人卵巢癌细胞CAOV3凋亡。结果：ATRA作用后电镜下细胞逐渐变圆，细胞表面微绒毛消失，核染色质更加致密，浓缩分块，胞质中有空泡形成，细胞表面出泡，脱落形成膜包裹的凋亡小体。流式细胞术不同浓度ATRA对CAOV3细胞凋亡作用的结果显示在DNA直方图上均出现低于G1期二倍体DNA含量的亚二倍体峰，随药物浓度增加，亚二倍体细胞从10^-8mol／L ATRA时的18．7％增加到10^-6mol／L的37．4％；10^-6mol／LATRA作用24h即诱导CAOV3细胞产生典型的梯形DNA条带(DNAlallder)，大小约180bp的整数倍递增，随ATRA作用时间延长而逐渐加强；结论：ATRA可以诱导卵巢癌细胞产生细胞凋亡，呈时间和浓度依赖性。