Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Drago

Publications and source records attributed to F Drago.

245 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioral effects of deprenyl in aged rats.

The effects of an inhibitor of MAO-B, deprenyl, have been studied in aged male rats. Subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of deprenyl was followed by a facilitated acquisition of active avoidance behavior and a facilitated retention of passive avoidance response in a dose-dependent manner. Ambulation and rearing of aged rats in an open field were increased by deprenyl. No effect was found on grooming behavior. Apomorphine-induced stereotypies were potentiated and haloperidol-induced catalepsy was inhibited by deprenyl. Some elements of sexual behavior, i.e. latency to mounting and intromission and frequency of mounts and intromissions, were improved by deprenyl. Furthermore, deprenyl reduced the immobility of aged rats in a "despair" test, suggesting an antidepressant activity. Deprenyl seems to be effective in correcting some of the behavioral deficits of aged animals. Its behavioral effects can be related to the inhibition of cerebral MAO-B.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pyroglutamic acid improves learning and memory capacities in old rats.

The effects of the arginine salt of pyroglutamic acid (2-oxo-pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, PCA) on learning and memory capacities of old rats were studied in a subchronic treatment schedule (i.p. injection of 0.1 and 1 g/kg/day for 15 days). The acquisition and extinction of active avoidance behaviour were studied in a pole-jumping test situation. The retention of passive avoidance response was examined in a step-through passive avoidance task. PCA facilitated the rate of acquisition of pole-jumping response, and inhibited the extinction of the response. The dose of 1 g/kg was more potent than 0.1 g/kg in this respect. Also in the passive avoidance task, the treatment with PCA was followed by an improvement of avoidance retention. These results indicate that PCA is a behaviourally active compound in that it improves learning and memory capacities in old rat.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of flunarizine on experimentally-induced convulsions in animals.

D,L-allylglycine-induced seizures in rats were antagonized by flunarizine and other antiepileptic drugs. In this respect, the spectrum of flunarizine appears to be similar to that of diphenylhydantoin. A behavioral analysis of the effects of various drugs on amygdaloid kindled rats showed that flunarizine exerts anticonvulsive effects in this model with an ED50 of 42.8 mg/kg. Furthermore, flunarizine (1, 5, 25 and 50 mg/kg i.p.) reduced seizure parameters in rats injected with strychnine or pentetrazol. In this case, flunarizine reduced seizure intensity and increased the percentage of survival. In another study on genetically epileptic beagles, flunarizine significantly affected the REM and deep slow-wave sleep latencies.

Allylglycine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioral effects of perinatal administration of antidepressant drugs in the rat.

The monoamine reuptake blockers, imipramine, desipramine, and chlorimipramine, and the monoamine-oxidase inhibitors, iproniazid and isocarboxazid, were administered to pregnant rats (acutely at day 15 of pregnancy, or subchronically from day 10 of pregnancy to the delivery) or to newborn pups (from day 1 to day 5 of life). Prenatal acute injection of the antidepressant drugs failed to modify the development of neonatal reflexes of the rat pups and their adult behavior. Prenatal subchronic administration of the antidepressant drugs was followed by an increase in the number of pups showing neonatal reflexes, but also by an inhibition of the open field behavior and the acquisition of active avoidance responses tested in adulthood. In this respect, monoamine-oxidase inhibitors appeared to be more potent than monoamine reuptake blockers. Furthermore, neonatal administration of all the antidepressant drugs caused an inhibition of the acquisition of active avoidance responses tested in adulthood, but only the monoamine-oxidase inhibitor, isocarboxazid, significantly inhibited also the open field behavior of adult rats. Neither prenatal nor neonatal administration of the antidepressant drugs affected sexual activity of adult rats. The present results suggest that only a prolonged treatment with antidepressant drugs can affect neonatal or adult behavior of the rat, probably through an interference with central monoamine neurotransmission.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Neuroendocrine effects of bromperidol.

In the present study we have considered the influence of various antipsychotic drugs (mostly butyrophenones) on some neuroendocrine axes (hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal, hypothalamic-hypophyseal-thyroidal and hypothalamic-hypophyseal-prolactin axes). The antagonistic activity of bromperidol on DA receptors regulating the hypothalamic LH-RH release was compared in vitro to that of haloperidol. To support the possible inhibitory role of DA neurons on HHTA activity, we have evaluated the capacity of bromperidol to remove the apomorphine induced blockade of cold stress-stimulated TSH release. Finally, to evaluate the influence of the drug on prolactin release, bromperidol was compared with haloperidol and pimozide in adult male rats. The results obtained show that bromperidol is able to antagonize as well as haloperidol the DA-induced LH-RH release. The butyrophenone partially remove, in contrast to pimozide, the inhibitory effect of L-DOPA and apomorphine on TSH release. In in vivo and in vitro experiements the antidopaminergic action of bromperidol, evaluated by PRL release, can be considered intermediate between pimozide and haloperidol.

Apomorphine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

ABO genotyping in Italian blood donors.

BACKGROUND: Traditional ABO blood group serology is based on the immunoreactivity of antisera with the carbohydrate A, B and H antigens. Progress in the molecular biology of the ABO system has recognized the molecular basis of the red cell (RBC) antigens and has provided a genetic model for ABO polymorphism at the molecular level. Recently, this genetic model was tested in a large number of individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study we applied DNA analysis to determine the frequency of ABO genotypes in a group of blood donors for whom the ABO type was known. Two hundred and fifty healthy Italian blood donors were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify two different regions of genomic DNA, each of which contained a different nucleotide polymorphism. The amplified product was digested with 4 restriction enzymes that revealed differences among A, B and O individuals. To analyze the genes at polymorphic sites 261 and 703 we used the restriction enzymes BstE II and Kpn I, and Hpa II and Alu I and compared the PCR determined genotypes to serologically determined phenotypes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results were consistent for all unrelated individuals; however, 2 of 100 individuals with the 0 phenotype carried one allele that differed from the proposed genetic model. This novel O allele, termed 0(2) by Yamamoto et al., was found in our series with a frequency of 1%. The blood group AB0 genotype of 250 healthy Italian blood donors was: 13 AA/AO(2), 37 AO(1), 11 BB, 39 B0(1), 50 AB, 98 0(1)0(1) and 2 0(1)0(2). This method should be applicable not only in forensic medicine but also in immunohematology when serology fails.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A micro colorimetric assay using cryopreserved monocytes to evaluate antibody-mediated red cell-monocyte interaction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A number of in vitro assays based on the interaction of red cells with monocytes have been used to determine the clinical significance of red cell antibodies. When used in our laboratory, one of these assays (the monocyte-macrophage phagocytosis assay-MMPA), was very time consuming and showed great variability. METHODS: We set up a monocyte phagocytosis colorimetric assay (MPCA), using standard microtiter plate wells coated at 37 degrees C for 1 hour with monocytes from healthy donors. After washing the wells to remove non-adherent monocytes, test red cells are added to the wells. Sensitized red cells bind to the monocytes, which are lysed after incubation to measure red cell phagocytosis. This is done by hemoglobin detection in the lysate through reaction with o-phenylenediamine and absorbance evaluation with a colorimeter. The results are expressed as the phagocytosis index (PI), which is calculated with the following formula: PI = [1-(A450 unsensitized red cells/A450 sensitized red cells)] x 100. In this study we determined: the source of MPCA variability; the precision of MPCA results; the correlation between MMPA and MPCA results; the MPCA reference values and the MPCA and MMPA execution times. RESULTS: MPCA variability depended largely on the monocyte source. The smallest variation coefficient of the results of replicate assays (19-21%) was found using pooled, cryopreserved monocytes. When performed with a pool of cryopreserved monocytes from 10 subjects, the SD of PI values obtained in replicate assays showed little variation (11-13) over the range of anti-D concentrations tested (from 18.75 to 300 ng/mL). A linear correlation coefficient r of 0.96 was obtained when MPCA and MMPA were performed in parallel, and the 95th centile of PI reference values determined with red cells of 40 non-transfused surgical patients free of irregular red cell antibodies was 7. MPCA execution time was 56% of that needed to perform MMPA. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: These studies show that MPCA is an easy and reproducible assay which allows objective and automated evaluation of red cell phagocytosis.

Colorimetry↗