Studies of Human Erythrocyte Catalase by Fluorescent Antibody Technic The Distribution of Catalase in Acatalasia and Hypocatalasia

In order to investigate the cellular distribution of catalase in normal,hypocatalasic and acatalasic red blood cells, the fluorescent antibody labellingtechnic was employed. Sensitive anticatalase sera were produced in rabbitsby immunization with purified catalase extracted from human erythrocytes.Specificity against human erythrocyte catalase was confirmed by Ouchterlony’sdouble diffusion method.

The distribution of catalase is fairly homogeneous in normal and hypocatalasic red cells, but in acatalasic cells fluorescence due to the presence ofcatalase was not observed.

By this method the amount of catalase in hypocatalasic red cells was judgedto be between that of normal and acatalasic red cells.

Submitted on October 1, 1968 Accepted on February 13, 1969     

Effects of thromboxane synthetase inhibitors on aggregation of rabbit platelets

Thromboxane (TX) synthetase activity was selectively inhibited by (E)-3-[4-(1-imidazolylmethyl)phenyl]-2-propenoic acid hydrochloride monohydrate (OKY-046) and sodium (E)-3-[4-(3-pyridylmethyl)phenyl]-2-methyl-propenoate (OKY-1581) (OKYs). Their IC₅₀ for the rabbit platelet enzyme were found to be 11nM and 3nM respectively. Arachidonic acid (AA) or collagen induced platelet aggregation, and generated TXA₂ and prostaglandins (PGs) in rabbit platelets. OKYs inhibited platelet aggregation and TXA₂ generation without affecting PGs generation, while aspirin inhibited platelet aggregation, and TXA₂ and PGs generation. There was a parallel relation between the degree of inhibition of platelet aggregation and TXA₂ generation by OKYs, but the inhibitory effects of aspirin on platelet aggregation was related to that on both TXA₂ and PGs generation. However, OKYs and aspirin did not inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation which did not involve the generation of TXA₂ and PGs. These results suggested that TXA₂ generation is related to platelet aggregation induced by AA or collagen, and that the inhibitory effect of OKYs on platelet aggregation is due to the inhibition of TX synthetase.     

Preliminary Phase II Study of Adriamycin (ADM) in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

A phase II study of adriamycin (ADM) (60 mg/m² was performedin 22 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Therewere no responders in the 19 evaluable patients (16 with adenocarcinoma,two with squamous cell carcinoma and one with large cell carcinoma).The major side effects were alopecia (89%), leukocytopenia (73%),thrombocytopenia (58%) and upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Although ADM at 60 mg/m² did not appear to have sufficient antitumoractivity against NSCLC in this study, it is necessary to evaluatefurther the efficacy of ADM against NSCLC with another treatmentschedule.