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Biomedical subjects

F J Suchy

Publications and source records attributed to F J Suchy.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Multicenter trial of d-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate for treatment of vitamin E deficiency in children with chronic cholestasis.

BACKGROUND: Malabsorption and deficiency of vitamin E causing neurological degeneration are common consequences of chronic childhood cholestatic liver disease. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of d-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) in correcting vitamin E deficiency in children with chronic cholestasis who were unresponsive to other forms of oral vitamin E. METHODS: Sixty vitamin E-deficient children with chronic cholestasis unresponsive to 70-212 IU.kg-1.day-1 of oral vitamin E were entered into a trial at eight centers in the United States. After initial evaluation, treatment was started with 25 IU.kg-1.day-1 of TPGS. Vitamin E status, neurological function quantitated by a specific scoring system, and clinical and biochemical parameters were monitored during therapy. RESULTS: All children responded to TPGS with normalization of vitamin E status. Neurological function, which had deteriorated before entry in the trial, improved in 25 patients, stabilized in 27, and worsened in only 2 after a mean of 2.5 years of therapy. No adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: TPGS (20-25 IU.kg-1.day-1) appears to be a safe and effective form of vitamin E for reversing or preventing vitamin E deficiency during chronic childhood cholestasis.

Adolescent↗

An anion exchanger mediates bile acid transport across the placental microvillous membrane.

Microvillous membrane vesicles from the term human placental syncytiotrophoblast were used to characterize further the properties of a transport mechanism for bile acids. Taurocholate (TC) uptake into an osmotically reactive intravesicular space was temperature dependent and independent of sodium. TC uptake (2 microM) was markedly inhibited by 250 microM taurine and glycine-conjugated cholate and chenodeoxycholate and unconjugated cholate but not by chenodeoxycholate, deoxycholate, etianic acid, bromosulfophthalein, pyruvate, lactate, alanine, or taurine. The initial rate of TC uptake was inhibited significantly by the anion transport inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS) but was not inhibited significantly by 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, amiloride, or furosemide. Preincubation of vesicles with DIDS in the presence of TC partially blocked the action of the inhibitor. Efflux of 5 microM TC from membrane vesicles was stimulated by the presence of 50 microM TC in the incubation media. Basal as well as transstimulated TC efflux was inhibited by DIDS. The initial rate of TC influx followed saturation kinetics with an apparent Michaelis constant of 112 +/- 23 microM and maximal velocity of 2.01 +/- 0.19 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1. When the transmembrane electrical potential difference across the brush-border membrane vesicles was altered by external anion replacement or by valinomycin-induced K+ diffusion potentials, TC uptake was not significantly affected. DIDS-sensitive TC uptake was stimulated two-to threefold by an outwardly directed hydroxyl gradient (pH 7.7in/5.5out) compared with TC influx under pH-equilibrated conditions (pH 7.7in/7.7out). These studies are consistent with an electroneutral anion-exchange mechanism that mediates transfer of conjugated bile acids across the microvillous membrane of the syncytiotrophoblast.

Anion Exchange Resins↗

The effects of bile acid feeding on the development of ileal bile acid transport.

Sodium-dependent bile acid uptake is developmentally regulated in the rat ileum. Transport activity is abruptly expressed on postnatal d 17, although the mechanisms controlling this expression are poorly understood. Changes in bile salt metabolism and hepatic transport result in a marked increase in bile flow before postnatal d 17, and thus this study examined the effects of bile salt feeding on the development of ileal bile acid transport. Twelve-d-old rat pups were gavage-fed saline, taurocholate, or mannitol on a daily basis for 3 d. Sodium-dependent bile acid transport was studied by rapid filtration using ileal brush-border membrane vesicles prepared from the various experimental groups. Taurocholate feeding resulted in precocious development of sodium-dependent bile acid transport and induction of sucrase activity. Mannitol feeding, used as a control for the effects of diarrhea-induced stress, resulted in similar sucrase activity, yet sodium-dependent bile acid transport was induced to only half the level observed in taurocholate-fed animals (3.2 +/- 1.6 versus 6.9 +/- 2.0 pmol/mg protein/45 s, p < 0.001). Serum corticosterone levels were similar in the mannitol- and taurocholate-fed animals (3.8 +/- 1.3 versus 4.6 +/- 1.8 micrograms/dL). Both feedings lead to histologic maturation of the ileum, with a more pronounced effect in the taurocholate-fed pups. Bile salt feeding induces precocious expression of ileal bile acid transport, apparently by both diarrhea-induced stress and a bile salt-specific effect.

Age Factors↗

Ontogeny of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase in rat liver.

The binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to its receptor and the activity of the receptor intrinsic protein-tyrosine kinase were studied during the ontogeny of rat liver. The number of EGF receptors during pre- and postnatal development was first compared in crude liver plasma membranes using 1) specific binding of 125I-labeled EGF and 2) immunoblot analysis using any antireceptor polyclonal rabbit antibody. Both methods detected the expression of the EGF receptor in fetal rat liver on day 17 of gestation, but in an amount markedly less than the adult. Within 24 h, there was a more than twofold increase in EGF binding to plasma membranes as well as a marked increase in receptor immunoreactivity. However, after birth, there was a precipitous drop in receptor number to less than 20% of the adult level by the end of the first postnatal day (P less than 0.001). Next, the presence of EGF-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity (autophosphorylation) was determined during the same stages of development. Electrophoresis of membranes phosphorylated in the presence or absence of EGF followed by autoradiography demonstrated autokinase activity stimulated by EGF in day 18 and 19 fetal liver plasma membranes, but not in membranes on day 17 of gestation. Similar to the pattern observed with EGF binding, there was a decrease in autokinase activity in early neonatal plasma membranes followed by an increase to near adult levels by 7 days postnatally. Quantitation of the amount of 32P radioactivity associated with the EGF receptor bands in each age group, correlated with the degree of autophosphorylation assessed by autoradiography.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗

Postnatal expression of the canalicular bile acid transport system of rat liver.

Canalicular plasma membrane (CPM) vesicles prepared by a Ca2+ precipitation method from developing (7 and 14 days old) and adult rat liver were used to directly examine the postnatal ontogenesis of taurocholate (TC) transport. The initial rate of 50 microM TC uptake by vesicles derived from 14-day-old and adult but not 7-day-old animals was markedly inhibited by the anion transport inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS). DIDS-sensitive TC uptake was 21.6 +/- 5.6 (SE) at 14 days compared with 58.1 +/- 8.1 pmol.mg protein-1.5 s-1 in adults (P less than or equal to 0.01). Kinetic studies were performed by preloading these predominantly "right-side out" vesicles with TC (25-800 microM) and measuring the initial rate (5 s) of efflux into bile salt-free medium. Computer analysis of the DIDS-sensitive portion of efflux revealed saturable kinetics with a similar Vmax (2.72 +/- 0.36 vs. 1.97 +/- 0.17 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1; P = NS) but a threefold higher Km (0.35 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.11 +/- 0.02 mM; P less than or equal to 0.05) in 14 day vs. adult CPM vesicles. In contrast, efflux from 7 day CPM vesicles increased linearly with increasing concentrations of TC and was not inhibited by DIDS. Immunoblots of canalicular membranes, probed with an antibody against the 100-kDa bile acid transport protein, showed that the amount of immunoreactive carrier protein in the membranes of 14-day-old and adult rats was similar but was only 37% of the adult level at 7 days of age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

An ontogenically regulated 48-kDa protein is a component of the Na(+)-bile acid cotransporter of rat liver.

Recent evidence suggests that the Na(+)-coupled carrier mechanism for bile acids on the hepatocyte basolateral plasma membrane is a polypeptide in the molecular weight range of 48,000-50,000. In this study we used a strategy for the identification and isolation of this transport protein based on the observation that Na(+)-dependent transport activity is abruptly expressed in fetal rat liver just before birth [Suchy et al. Am. J. Physiol. 251 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 14): G665-G673, 1986]. Analysis of basolateral plasma membranes by SDS-PAGE revealed that a protein of apparent molecular weight 48,000 was absent from fetal rat liver on day 19 of gestation, barely detectable on day 20, and thereafter increased progressively with postnatal development. Monospecific, polyclonal antibodies raised against the 48-kDa protein but not preimmune antibodies significantly inhibited the initial rate of Na(+)-dependent taurocholate uptake by isolated rat hepatocytes. In contrast, Na(+)-independent taurocholate transport and uptake of another anion, 35SO4(2-), were not affected by antibody treatment. When an extract containing the total complement of basolateral proteins was incorporated into asolectin liposomes, Na+ gradient-dependent uptake of taurocholate was observed, including a 2- to 2.5-fold accumulation of substrate above its equilibrium concentration (overshoot). However, if the membrane extract was first selectively depleted of the 48-kDa protein by immunoprecipitation with the anti-48-kDa antibody before reconstitution, Na(+)-dependent stimulation of taurocholate transport was completely abolished. These studies indicate that an ontogenically regulated 48-kDa protein is a component of the basolateral Na(+)-dependent transport system for bile acids.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of the canalicular membrane bile acid transport protein of rat liver.

The aim of this study was to isolate the Na(+)-independent bile acid transporter from rat canalicular plasma membranes by affinity chromatography. The affinity matrix used consisted of lysylcholic acid covalently linked to CH-Sepharose 4B, resulting in an anionic ligand essentially identical to glycocholic acid. The protein fraction, adsorbed and eluted from the affinity column, was markedly enriched in a 100-kDa band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) compared with the total membrane and membrane extract. The 100-kDa band, further purified by preparative SDS-PAGE, was electroeluted from excised gel fragments and used as an immunogen for antibody production in rabbits. The immune serum, but not preimmune serum, specifically recognized a single, 100-kDa polypeptide on one- and two-dimensional immunoblots of canalicular membranes. In contrast, no reactivity was observed with proteins in liver basolateral or ileal brush-border membranes. The 125I-labeled protein was immunoprecipitated from membrane extracts solubilized in NP-40 and was found to migrate with a pI of 5.3 on two-dimensional electrophoresis. The apparent molecular weight of the protein was reduced by 50% after deglycosylation with N-glycanase. The 100-kDa protein was localized specifically and exclusively by immunocytochemical methods to the bile canalicular domain of the hepatocyte plasma membrane. Moreover, the immunoglobin G fraction prepared from the antiserum significantly inhibited taurocholate transport by canalicular membrane vesicles and decreased the covalent labeling of the 100-kDa protein by the anion transport inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. Thus the isolation of a single 100-kDa protein by bile acid-affinity chromatography, as well as the inhibitory effects of antibodies directed against this polypeptide, provide further support for its role in the canalicular transport of bile acids.

Amino Acids↗

Na(+)-H+ exchange in basolateral plasma membrane vesicles from neonatal rat liver.

Basolateral plasma membrane vesicles (BLMV) were used to determine the activity of the Na(+)-H+ exchanger in neonatal compared with adult rat liver. Imposition of an outwardly directed H+ gradient (pH 5.5in/7.5out) markedly stimulated the uptake of 1 mM 22Na+ by adult and neonatal BLMV above rates observed under pH-equilibrated conditions (pH 7.5in/7.5out) and resulted in a transient uphill accumulation ("overshoot") of Na+ to levels 1.5- to 2-fold higher than at equilibrium. 22Na+ uptake via Na(+)-H+ exchange (identified as the amiloride-sensitive component of total Na+ flux) was greater in BLMV from neonatal compared with adult liver under both pH-gradient and -equilibrated conditions. These age-related differences in Na+ uptake could not be explained by membrane potential effects or by differences in membrane permeability to H+. Kinetic analysis revealed a saturable process with a similar Km for Na+ (8.6 +/- 1.6 vs. 8.1 +/- 1.5 mM) but with a 2.5-fold higher Vmax (8.06 +/- 0.67 vs. 3.20 +/- 0.40 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1; P less than 0.01) in neonatal vs. adult vesicles. We conclude from these studies that basolateral membrane vesicles from neonatal rat liver exhibit enhanced Na(+)-H+ exchange as a result of an increased number or translocation rate of carriers in the plasma membrane.

Aging↗

Taurocholate transport by basolateral plasma membrane vesicles isolated from human liver.

Transport of taurocholate into the hepatocyte against unfavorable chemical and electrical gradients occurs via a sodium-dependent, carrier-mediated transport system. Although this cotransporter has been characterized in the rodent, it has not been demonstrated in man. Therefore, we utilized human liver, obtained via multiorgan donation but not used for transplantation, to prepare basolateral (sinusoidal) liver plasma membrane vesicles by a Percoll gradient method. Na+,K+-ATPase, a marker enzyme for the basolateral domain, was enriched 28.9-fold in the final membrane fraction compared with homogenate, whereas the bile canalicular membrane enzymes Mg++-ATPase and alkaline phosphatase were enriched only 3.4- and 6.4-fold, respectively. Marker enzyme activities for endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes and mitochondria were not enriched compared with homogenate. Integrity of the membrane vesicles was confirmed by the demonstration of Na+-dependent concentrative uptake of the amino acid L-alanine (estimated intravesicular volume of 0.59 microliter per mg protein). An inwardly directed 100 mM Na+ gradient stimulated the initial rate of 2.5 microM taurocholate uptake and energized a transient 2-fold accumulation of the bile acid above equilibrium ("overshoot"). In contrast, uptake was slower and no overshoot occurred with a K+ gradient. A negative intravesicular potential, created by altering accompanying anions or by valinomycin-induced K+ diffusion potentials, did not enhance taurocholate uptake, suggesting an electroneutral cotransport mechanism. Chloride as the accompanying anion stimulated the initial rate of uptake compared with anions of lesser or greater lipid permeability. Na+-dependent taurocholate (4 microM) uptake was significantly inhibited by 250 microM cholate, taurocholate, glycocholate, taurochenodeoxycholate and bromsulfophthalein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Ontogenesis of intestinal taurine transport: evidence for a beta-carrier in developing rat jejunum.

Taurine, a sulfur-containing beta-amino acid, may be conditionally essential during development. However, the existence of a carrier system for beta-amino acids has not been demonstrated in brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from adult rat jejunum. We studied the uptake of [3H]taurine in BBMV prepared from the jejunum of developing and adult rats using a cation-precipitation technique. Uptake of 10 microM [3H]taurine by adult BBMV was slightly enhanced in the presence of an inwardly directed 100 mM Na+ gradient compared with a K+ gradient, and there was no intravesicular accumulation of isotope above the equilibrium concentration ("overshoot"). In contrast, taurine transport by BBMV from 10-day-old rat pups was markedly accelerated in the presence of a Na+ gradient compared with a K+ gradient and a twofold overshoot was observed. Na+-dependent taurine uptake was inhibited by the structural analogues hypotaurine and beta-alanine but not by alpha-alanine or glutamine, which are amino acids served by other transport systems. By computer analysis, Na+-dependent taurine uptake (2-1,000 microM) was saturable with an apparent Km of 74.80 +/- 11.87 microM and a Vmax of 53.55 +/- 2.76 pmol.mg protein-1.min-1. With increasing postnatal age, there was a marked decrease in the initial rate and peak intravesicular accumulation of taurine with disappearance of the overshoot by 21 days of age. We conclude 1) a Na+-dependent carrier mechanism for taurine transport is present in the brush-border membrane of suckling rat jejunum and 2) the activity of this carrier decreases after weaning.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗

Delta 4-3-oxosteroid 5 beta-reductase deficiency described in identical twins with neonatal hepatitis. A new inborn error in bile acid synthesis.

A new inborn error in bile acid synthesis, manifest in identical infant twins as severe intrahepatic cholestasis, is described involving the delta 4-3-oxosteroid 5 beta-reductase catalyzed conversion of the key intermediates, 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one and 7 alpha,12 alpha-dihydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one for chenodeoxycholic and cholic acid synthesis, to the respective 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 beta (H) products. This defect was detected by fast atom bombardment ionization-mass spectrometry from an elevated excretion and predominance of taurine conjugated unsaturated hydroxy-oxo-bile acids. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry confirmed these to be 7 alpha-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-cholenoic and 7 alpha,12 alpha-dihydroxy-3-oxo-4-cholenoic acids (75-92% of total). Fasting serum bile acid concentrations were greater than 37 mumol/liter; chenodeoxycholic acid was the major bile acid, but significant amounts of allo(5 alpha-H)-bile acids (approximately 30%) were present. Biliary bile acid concentration was less than 2 mumol/liter and consisted of chenodeoxycholic, allo-chenodeoxycholic, and allo-cholic acids. These biochemical findings, which were identical in both infants, indicate a defect in bile acid synthesis involving the conversion of the delta 4-3-oxo-C27 intermediates into the corresponding 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 beta(H)-structures, a reaction that is catalyzed by a delta 4-3-oxosteroid-5 beta reductase enzyme. This defect resulted in markedly reduced primary bile acid synthesis and concomitant accumulation of delta 4-3-oxo-and allo-bile acids. These findings indicate a pathway in bile acid synthesis whereby side chain oxidation can occur despite incomplete alterations to the steroid nucleus, and lend support for an active delta 4-3-oxosteroid 5 alpha-reductase catalyzing the conversion of the delta 4-3-oxosteroid intermediates to the respective 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha(H)-structures.

Bile Acids and Salts↗

Enhanced uptake of taurine by basolateral plasma membrane vesicles isolated from developing rat liver.

Inasmuch as taurine biosynthesis is decreased during early postnatal life, an efficient mechanism for taurine uptake by the liver must be present to maintain intracellular stores of this beta-amino acid. Therefore, basolateral liver plasma vesicles prepared from 14-day and adult rats were used to examine taurine transport during development. For both age groups, the presence of an inwardly directed Na+ gradient stimulated the initial rate of taurine uptake and caused a transient accumulation of taurine above equilibrium. For all time points before equilibrium, taurine uptake was significantly greater with membrane vesicles from 14-day compared to adult rat livers. In contrast, no age-related differences in Na+-independent uptake as measured with a K+ gradient were detected. With equal intravesicular and extravesicular Na+ concentrations, taurine uptake remained significantly greater in the younger age group. For both age groups, Na+-dependent taurine uptake was saturable but the apparent Km and Vmax for Na+-dependent taurine uptake were significantly greater in membrane vesicles from 14-day compared to adult rats. These findings suggest that an increased number of functional carriers for taurine are present in developing compared to adult basolateral plasma membrane perhaps reflecting the needs of the immature liver for this essential nutrient.

Aging↗

Bile acid efflux from suckling rat hepatocytes.

To further assess bile acid transport by the developing rat liver, we compared the rate of efflux of taurocholate from hepatocytes isolated from suckling and mature rat livers. Cell content of taurocholate (nmol/mg cell protein), after preloading with [14C]-radiolabeled plus cold bile acid (5-100 microM) was similar in both groups. Total taurocholate efflux, estimated by the decrease in cell taurocholate content, was unexpectedly greater from suckling rat hepatocytes. There was a higher bile acid efflux rate over time and a lower final cell content. Efflux from suckling rat hepatocytes was increased after preloading in incubation concentrations of taurocholate which were above the physiologic range of portal blood concentrations. Inasmuch as the bile acid binding protein content is known to be reduced in the cytoplasm of developing rat liver, intracellular taurocholate may exist largely as free ligand and thus be more readily diffusable. We speculate that the in vivo correlation of enhanced efflux is back diffusion of bile acid from the cell into the sinusoid. The effect could, in part, account for the known absence of a lobular gradient for bile acid uptake in suckling rats and, therefore, contribute to the inefficient hepatic transport of bile acid observed in developing rat liver.

Age Factors↗