Comparison of histamine and serotonin release from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by nerve growth factor and compound 48/80

Inflammation Research -     

8-isoprostane as Oxidative Stress Marker in Coal Mine Workers

正This study was to investigate whether working in conditions of elevated concentrations of mine gases(CO_2,CO,CH_4,DMS)and dust may result in oxidative stress.Coal miners(n=94)from the Velenje Coal mine who were arranged into control group and three groups according to a number of consecutive working days.8-isoprostane as a biological marker of oxidative stress was measured     

Combination of antimicrobial and endotoxin-neutralizing activities of novel oleoylamines

A combination of antimicrobial and endotoxin-neutralizing activities is desired in order to prevent progression from infection to sepsis due to the release of lipopolysaccharide from dying gram-negative bacteria. Lipopolyamines have emerged as a new type of endotoxin-neutralizing compound, but their antimicrobial activity has not been investigated. We synthesized a series of 10 oleoylamines differing in the polyamino head group, particularly in the number and separation between nitrogen atoms and the position of the oleoyl moiety. Compounds showed activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria in the micromolar range. Compounds were able to provide penetration of ethidium bromide into bacteria, indicating effects on the bacterial membrane. Oleoylamines neutralized endotoxin in Limulus amoebocyte lysate assays and by neutralization of tumor necrosis factor alpha release in human blood. Comparison of biological activities of compounds identified structural properties responsible for antimicrobial activity, and quantitative structure-property relationship analysis provided a quantitative model for prediction of activity of oleoylamines.     

The evaluation of some pharmaceutically acceptable excipients as permeation enhancers for amoxicillin

The aim of the present study was to evaluate different pharmaceutically acceptable excipients as permeation enhancers for a low permeability drug, amoxicillin. As a model for the intestinal epithelium excised rat jejunum, mounted in side-by-side diffusion cells, was used. Amoxicillin was actively transported across the intestine in the serosal-to-mucosal direction, but only if glucose was present at the mucosal side. This effect of glucose was abolished by a multridrug resistance associated protein (MRP) inhibitor benzbromarone (0.04 mM), but not by verapamil (0.2 mM). Among the tested pharmaceutically acceptable excipients only sodium lauryl sulfate (0.2 mg/ml) increased the permeability of amoxicillin in the mucosal-to-serosal direction, which was accompanying with the abolishment of the secretory oriented transport of amoxicillin. Other excipients (0.07 2mg/ml Pluronic F68, 0.2 mg/ml Lutrol F127, 0.2 mg/ml Cremophor EL or 0.2 mg/ml Carbopol 934) have no influence on the permeability of amoxicillin. The effect of sodium lauryl sulfate on the active secretion of amoxicillin was mainly attributed to the reversible cellular ATP depletion. We concluded that sodium lauryl sulfate can be considered as a relatively safe permeation enhancer for amoxicillin in drug delivery systems intended to improve oral bioavailability of this drug.     

Density of Demodex folliculorum in perioral dermatitis

The role of Demodex folliculorum in perioral dermatitis is not satisfactory explained. Our purpose was to assess the density of D. folliculorum in perioral dermatitis and evaluate the relationship of the mite count to previous therapy with topical steroids. A standardized skin surface biopsy of the chin was performed in 82 female patients with perioral dermatitis and in 70 control female subjects. Patients who received previous topical steroid therapy had a significantly higher mite density than the patients who had received no topical steroids (p<0.001). In the latter group of patients, the mite density did not differ significantly from that of the control group (p=0.629). Mite density increased significantly with the length of treatment with topical steroids (p<0.001). Our results suggest that increased density of D. folliculorum in perioral dermatitis is a secondary phenomenon, associated with topical steroid therapy.     

Comparison of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains isolated from specimens obtained simultaneously from two different sites of infection in individual patients

The aim of the present study was to analyze and compare Borrelia strains isolated from two different specimens obtained simultaneously from individual patients with Lyme borreliosis. Fifty such patients and 50 corresponding pairs of Borrelia isolates (100 low-propagated strains) were subjected to genotypic and phenotypic analysis, including pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for species identification and plasmid profile determination and protein profile electrophoresis for the assessment of the presence and molecular masses of separated proteins. The strains were isolated from two distinct skin lesions (12 patients), skin and blood (28 patients), skin and cerebrospinal fluid (8 patients), and blood and cerebrospinal fluid (2 patients). Out of 100 isolates, 63 were typed as B. afzelii and 37 as B. garinii. From each individual specimen only a single Borrelia species was cultured. Comparison of 50 Borrelia strain pairs isolated from two different specimens of an individual patient revealed that 12/50 (24%) patients were simultaneously infected with two different Borrelia strains; in 3/50 (6%) patients strains differed at the species level, in 4 out of the remaining 47 (9%) patients a strain difference in plasmid profile was established, while 5 out of the remaining 43 (11%) patient strain pairs differed in regard to the protein profiles of the two concurrently isolated strains. The results of the present study indicate that human patients with Lyme borreliosis may simultaneously harbor different B. burgdorferi sensu lato strains.     

The mechanism of histamine release induced by pilocarpine from different tissues: Studies on rat peritoneal mast cells

Pilocarpine releases histamine from mast cells of cat submandibular gland and rat liver. In the salivary gland, histamine is released into the saliva and venous outflow. Atropine blocks the salivation, but not histamine release from the submandibular gland into the blood. Histamine release from the gland could be due to a direct action of pilocarpine on tissue mast cells or to an indirect action of mediators (acetylcholine and peptides). These hypotheses were further investigated in our present studies on rat peritoneal mast cells. Our results show: (1) histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by pilocarpine (ED₅₀=1.7×10⁻² mol/l) occurs at 1000-fold higher concentrations than by substance P (ED₅₀=1.7×10⁻⁵ mol/l) and in 6.5-fold higher concentrations than by atropine (ED₅₀=2.6×10⁻³ mol/l), (2) pilocarpine injected directly into the rat peritoneal cavity causes histamine release from peritoneal mast cells in 1.8-fold higher concentrations than from isolated rat peritoneal mast cells. These results would support the hypothesis that histamine release from cat submandibular gland is caused by peptidergic co-transmission during the stimulation of the organ.