Cooperativity of α-naphthoflavone in cytochrome P450 3A-dependent drug oxidation activities in hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human

1. The effects of several CYP3A substrates (α-naphthoflavone (αNF), terfenadine, midazolam, erythromycin) on nifedipine oxidation and testosterone 6-β-hydroxylation activities were investigated in hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human. 2. αNF (10 μM) and terfenadine (100 μM) inhibited nifedipine oxidation activities (at substrate concentration of 100 μM) in mouse hepatic microsomes to ～50%, but not in mouse intestinal microsomes. αNF (30 μM) stimulated nifedipine oxidation activities in mouse and human intestinal microsomes and in human hepatic microsomes to ～1.3-1.8-fold. Inhibitory potencies (50% inhibition concentration, IC₅₀) of midazolam and erythromycin for nifedipine oxidations were calculated to be ～90 μM in human intestinal microsomes. In contrast, testosterone (100 μM) stimulated the nifedipine oxidation activities ～1.5-fold in hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human. 3. αNF showed different effects on the kinetic parameters including the Hill coefficients of nifedipine oxidation and testosterone 6-β-hydroxylation catalysed by hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human. Cooperativity in nifedipine oxidation was increased by the addition of αNF to pooled human hepatic microsomes, but little effects of αNF could be observed in individual human intestinal microsomes. 4. These results suggest that CYP3A enzymes in liver and intestine might have different characteristics and that observations from hepatic microsomes should not be directly applicable to intestine metabolism in some cases. Studies of drug-drug interactions of CYP3A substrates are recommended to be performed using intestinal samples.     

A mixture of Salacia oblonga extract and IP-PA1 reduces fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels

At present, lifestyle-related diseases are one of the most critical health issues worldwide. It has been reported that lipopolysaccharide derived from a Gram-negative bacteria (IP-PA1) symbiotic with wheat exhibited several advantageous biological effects, such as the reduction of plasma glucose levels in NOD mice and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in WHHL rabbits. In this study, the beneficial effects on plasma glucose and lipids of a tea (SI tea) consisting of IP-PA1 and Salacia (which contains an inhibitor of α-glucosidase) were investigated in the KK-Ay/TaJcl type 2 diabetic model mice and in human subjects with premetabolic syndrome in a double-blind, randomized study. SI tea significantly decreased plasma glucose levels in KK-Ay/TaJcl mice. A clinical trial of SI tea was performed with 41 subjects between the ages of 40 and 69, who belonged either to a high plasma glucose group (HG: FPG 100-125 mg/dl) or to a hyperlipidemia group (HL: TG ≥ 150 mg/dl, or LDL ≥ 120 mg/dl, or HDL < 40 mg/dl). These subjects ingested either Salacia without IP-PA1 (the control) or SI tea. Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, and 60 days after initiating SI tea treatment, and were measured for FPG, HbA1c, TG, LDL, and HDL. These results showed that SI tea reduced FPG and HbA1c more rapidly than the control in the HL group, and also significantly improved LDL and HDL levels in the HG group. Thus, SI tea may be helpful in preventing lifestyle-related diseases.     

Involvement of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics in cytoprotective action by amino acids and cytotoxicity by sodium laurate, an absorption enhancer

In our previous studies, taurine (Tau) and L-glutamine protected intestinal epithelial cells from local toxicity caused by sodium laurate (C12), an absorption enhancer, while maintaining sufficient absorption-enhancing effect of C12, and it was suggested that one of the mechanisms behind cytoprotection by amino acids was to prevent intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) from increasing. In the present study, we focused on the elucidation of mechanisms by which C12 increases [Ca2+]i and by which amino acids suppress [Ca2+]i by utilizing Caco-2 cells. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ remarkably suppressed the increase of [Ca2+]i by C12. Compound 48/80, an inhibitor of phospholipase C, and verapamil, a Ca2+ channel inhibitor, also significantly prevented [Ca2+]i elevation. These results indicate that C12 augmented [Ca2+]i due to (a) influx of extracellular Ca2+ through Ca2+ channel, (b) release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum. Cytoprotective action by amino acids was significantly attenuated by orthovanadate, an inhibitor of plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA), suggesting that amino acids activate PMCA to enhance the efflux of intracellular Ca2+. Furthermore, Tau enhanced the mitochondrial uptake of Ca2+, which could contribute to the decrease in [Ca2+]i. These results clearly show that amino acids protect intestinal epithelial cells from being damaged by modulating intracellular Ca2+ dynamics.     

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-D and its receptor, VEGF receptor 3, as a prognostic factor in endometrial carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-D and VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-3 in endometrial carcinoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We assessed the levels of immunoreactivity for VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 in 71 endometrial carcinomas, 14 complex atypical endometrial hyperplasias, and 16 normal endometria by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: VEGF-D was stained in both tumor cells and adjacent stromal cells. VEGFR-3 was stained in both tumor cells and adjacent endothelial cells. Immunoreactivity for VEGF-D in tumor cells and adjacent stromal cells became significantly stronger as lesions progressed from normal endometrium to advanced carcinoma. Similarly, immunoreactivity for VEGFR-3 in tumor cells and adjacent endothelial cells was significantly greater as lesions progressed from normal endometrium to advanced carcinoma. A strong correlation was found between high levels of VEGF-D immunoreactivity in carcinoma cells and VEGFR-3 in both carcinoma cells and adjacent endothelial cells. Similarly, high levels of VEGF-D immunoreactivity in stromal cells were significantly correlated with those of VEGFR-3 in both carcinoma cells and endothelial cells. High levels of VEGF-D in carcinoma cells and stromal cells, as well as those of VEGFR-3 in carcinoma cells and endothelial cells, were significantly related to myometrial invasion and lymph node metastasis. A strong correlation was found between poor survival and high levels of VEGF-D in both carcinoma cells and stromal cells and between poor survival and high levels of VEGFR-3 in carcinoma cells. Moreover, the high levels of VEGF-D in stromal cells and VEGFR-3 in carcinoma cells were independent prognostic factors in endometrial carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 in endometrial carcinoma may predict myometrial invasion and lymph node metastasis and may prospectively identify patients who are at increased risk for poor outcome. In addition, VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 may be promising targets for new therapeutic strategies in endometrial carcinoma.     

Antisense epidermal growth factor receptor delivered by adenoviral vector blocks tumor growth in human gastric cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein overexpression is commonly found in human gastric cancer, and its gene amplification is known to correlate with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients. With regard to therapy trials targeting EGFR, it has been reported that stable transfection of EGFR antisense or treatment with antibody against EGFR results in growth suppression of human cancer cells that express high levels of EGFR. We have designed an adenovirus-expressing antisense EGFR and have investigated its effect on the growth of gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo. Following infection with EGFR antisense RNA-expressing adenovirus (Ad-EAS), the cell surface EGFR protein levels of infected cancer cells were markedly reduced, and the in vitro growth of Ad-EAS-infected cells was significantly inhibited relative to control-infected cells in all three gastric cancer cell lines (AGS, KKLS, and MKN28) studied here (P < .0002). In a nude mouse subcutaneous tumor system, in vivo tumor growth of MKN28 was significantly inhibited after Ad-EAS treatment, and inhibition on day 48 was 93% by volume compared with that of untreated controls. These results suggest that an adenoviral vector system targeting the down-regulation of EGFR could be a good candidate for the therapy of gastric cancers that overexpress EGFR.     

Abnormal copper accumulation in non-cancerous and cancerous liver tissues of LEC rats developing hereditary hepatitis and spontaneous hepatoma

We studied the copper concentrations in the non-cancerous and cancerous liver tissues of LEC rats with hereditary hepatitis and spontaneous hepatoma by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Copper concentration in the non-cancerous livers of 29-month-old male LEC rats was comparable to that in the livers of LEC rats aged 2, 3 and 8 months whose hepatic copper concentrations were more than 40 times those of normal LEA rats. Copper concentration in spontaneously developed hepatocellular carcinomas of the 29-month-old male LEC rats was lower than that in the surrounding non-cancerous liver tissues, but was still more than 39 times that of 8-month-old male LEA rats. These findings suggest that in LEC rats an abnormal copper metabolism may be maintained during the process of hepatic carcinogenesis.