Efficacy of CS-834 against Experimental Pneumonia Caused by Penicillin-Susceptible and -Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Mice

The efficacy of CS-834, a novel oral carbapenem, was assessed by using a murine model of pneumonia caused by penicillin-susceptible and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and was compared with those of oral cephems, i.e., cefteram pivoxil, cefpodoxime proxetil, cefdinir, and cefditoren pivoxil. Intranasal inoculation of 10⁶ CFU of penicillin-susceptible or penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae in the exponential growth phase induced pneumonia and bacteremia in ddY mice within 48 h. For the treatment of infections caused by the penicillin-susceptible strain the antibiotics were administered orally at 0.4, 2, and 10 mg/kg of body weight twice daily for 2 days beginning at 24 h after bacterial inoculation, and for the treatment of infections caused by a penicillin-resistant strain the antibiotics were administered at 2, 10, and 50 mg/kg twice daily for 2 days beginning at 24 h after bacterial inoculation. Among the antibiotics tested, CS-834 exhibited the most potent efficacy against both types of strains. Against infections caused by penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae, CS-834 at all doses significantly reduced the numbers of viable cells in both the lungs and blood. Cefpodoxime proxetil at all doses and cefteram pivoxil and cefditoren pivoxil at doses of 2 and 10 mg/kg showed comparable efficacies. Against infections caused by penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae, CS-834 at doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg showed the most potent efficacy among the antibiotics tested, resulting in the maximum decrease in the numbers of viable cells in the lungs. Comparable efficacies were observed with cefteram pivoxil and cefpodoxime proxetil at doses of 50 mg/kg each. The concentration of CS-834 in the lungs and blood was higher than that of cefdinir and was lower than those of the other antibiotics tested, suggesting that the potent therapeutic efficacy of CS-834 reflects its strong activity against S. pneumoniae.     

5-Hydroxytryptamine modulation of electrically induced twitch responses of mouse vas deferens: involvement of multiple 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors

The actions of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on the electrically induced twitch responses of mouse vas deferens were studied. 5-HT at the concentration range of 10(-8) to 10(-4) M produced a "bell-shaped" concentration-response curve on the field-stimulated twitch contractions; the enhancement of the contractions was maximum at 10(-5) M and progressively reduced at the concentrations of more than 10(-5) M. In the presence of ketanserin, whereas the stimulatory response to low concentrations of 5-HT (less than or equal to 10(-6) M) was not changed, that to high concentrations was reversed. The stimulation by 5-HT (less than or equal to 10(-5) M) was principally antagonized by MDL 72222. In the presence of both MDL 72222 and ketanserin, 5-HT inhibited the twitch contractions in a dose-dependent manner. 8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) and BP-554 (1-[3-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenoxy)propyl]-4-phenyl piperazine), selective 5-HT1A agonists, only inhibited the twitch contractions. Downward slope of the contraction-response curve of 5-HT (greater than or equal to 10(-5) 5 M) was shifted to right in the presence of 8-OH-DPAT. 5-HT and 8-OH-DPAT had no effect on the tension of unstimulated organs. Contractions elicited by ATP were potentiated by 5-HT, which was antagonized by ketanserin. 8-OH-DAPT did not affect ATP-elicited contractions. These results suggest the presence of presynaptic 5-HT1, maybe 5-HT1A and 5-HT3 receptors mediating inhibition and potentiation, respectively, of neurotransmitter release and of postsynaptic responsible for enhancing neurogenic contractions in mouse vas deferens.     

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β opens mitochondrial permeability transition pore through mitochondrial hexokinase II dissociation

Accumulating evidence has revealed pivotal roles of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) inactivation on cardiac protection. Because the precise mechanisms of cardiac protection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by GSK3β-inactivation remain elusive, we investigated the relationship between GSK3β-mediated mitochondrial hexokinase II (mitoHK-II; a downstream target of GSK3β) dissociation and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening. In Langendorff-perfused hearts, GSK3β inactivation by SB216763 improved the left ventricular-developed pressure and retained mitoHK-II binding after I/R. In permeabilized myocytes, GSK3β depolarized mitochondrial membrane potential with accelerated mitochondrial calcein release (suggesting GSK3β-mediated mPTP opening) and decreased mitoHK-II bindings. GSK3β-mediated mPTP opening depended on mitoHK-II binding, i.e., it was accelerated by dissociation of mitoHK-II (dicyclohexylcarbodiimide) and attenuated by enhancement of mitoHK-II binding (dextran). However, inactivation of mitoHK-II by glucose-depletion or glucose-6-phosphate inhibited the GSK3β-mediated mPTP opening. We conclude that GSK3β-mediated mPTP opening may be involved in I/R injury and regulated by mitoHK-II binding and activity.     

One-step sandwich enzyme immunoassay for human laminin using monoclonal antibodies

A one-step sandwich enzyme immunoassay (one step sandwich EIA) for human serum immunoreactive laminin was set up with a pair of monoclonal antibodies prepared against human placental laminin P1 fragment. The assay was characterized by carrying out two immunoreactions simultaneously, laminin P1 fragment reacting with both a monoclonal antibody as a solid phase and a horseradish peroxidase-labeled monoclonal antibody (Fab') against human laminin P1 fragment as conjugate. Sensitivity of the immunoassay was 0.01 ng/well (0.5 microgram/l), and linearity was obtained between 0.01-20 ng/well (0.5-1,000 micrograms/l). The levels of laminin in sera from normal individuals and patients with liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and primary biliary cirrhosis were 103 +/- 15 micrograms/l, 228 +/- 70 micrograms/l, 341 +/- 163 micrograms/l and 232 +/- 93 micrograms/l, respectively. Protein immunoblotting showed that the serum immunoreactive laminin measured by the assay was a fragment with rel mol mass of 200 kDa.