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Biomedical subjects

F Marcucci

Publications and source records attributed to F Marcucci.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Induction of interferon gamma in leucocyte cultures of the peripheral blood of mice.

The present report summarizes a number of approaches to elicit the production of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in leucocytes derived from the peripheral blood of mice. Only moderate titers were observed when the blood cells were obtained from untreated mice. Significantly higher IFN production in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or Concanavalin A (Con A) was observed when mice were tested after pretreatment with B. pertussis organisms, which caused a marked lymphocytosis. Additionally, two restimulation approaches are presented which are based on preactivation of peripheral leucocytes with Con A (plus in one case with T cell growth factor) and subsequent restimulation with different mitogens. These techniques allow to obtain high yields of IFN-gamma in lymphocyte cultures derived from the peripheral blood of mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Respiratory excretion of hydrogen and methane in Italian subjects after ingestion of lactose and milk.

Lactose malabsorption, by the breath hydrogen test, and lactose intolerance (presence of symptoms) were studied in twenty healthy Italian subjects after intake of 12.5, 25 and 50 g lactose, whole milk and low-lactose milk. A rise in respiratory concentration of hydrogen (greater than 20 ppm) (malabsorption) was found in fifteen subjects after 50 g lactose, in thirteen after 25 g and in seven after 12.5 g. Symptoms generally occurred in subjects presenting a rise in respiratory hydrogen excretion, but such a rise was often observed without symptoms. Thirteen subjects presented symptoms after 50 g lactose, but only three after 25 g and one after 12.5 g. Whole milk (500 ml) gave a lower incidence of lactose malabsorption than 25 g lactose (7/20 versus 13/20, P less than 0.05) and more subjects developed symptoms (7/20 versus 3/20, NS). Low-lactose milk produced no malabsorbers and one intolerant. Breath methane was detected constantly in seven subjects and in three on some of the days of observation. Respiratory methane excretion generally appeared to be unrelated to lactose ingestion.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Abnormal urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans in Albers-Schönberg disease.

Abnormal urinary excretion of acid mucopolysaccharides in two children affected with Albers-Schönberg disease is described. The urine specimens were first checked for their acid glycosaminoglycan (AGAG) content by a screening test. The AGAGs were then evaluated by uronic acid determination using the carbazole method, and the ratio between high molecular mass and low molecular mass AGAGs was determined. Qualitative characterization, before and after enzymatic digestion with chondroitinases AC (ChAC) and ABC (ChABC), of the total AGAGs contained in the specimen and of each AGAG separated with Dowex 1X2 was also performed by electrophoresis. The pattern of the urinary mucopolysaccharides in the two patients showed an abnormal quantity of heparan sulphate (HS) and a smaller quantity of dermatan sulphate (DS). Such abnormal urinary AGAGs excretion should confirm the assumption of some authors that malignant infantile osteopetrosis may be caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzymatic activity, or by some anomaly in the cell membrane function.

Child↗
PubMed1982

[Ear-acupuncture and endocrine secretion].

We have investigated the possible influence of auricolar puncture over hormonal secretion. We have studied in 5 subjects the course of hormonal incretion determinable by only auricolar puncture and the second time making the same methodology united with the test of hypophyseal stimulation by "LH-RH-insulina-TRH". The results show that it is not get any changes of the plasmatic rates of hypophiseal hormones, while we have observed a decrease of the plasmatic hydrocortisone rate when it was practised the only auricolar puncture.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1982

Heterogeneity of soluble T cell products. I. Precursor frequency and correlation analysis of cytotoxic and immune interferon (IFN-gamma)-producing spleen cells in the mouse.

In this study, the precursor frequency, relationship and activity of murine splenic cytotoxic and immune interferon (IFN-gamma)-producing cells has been determined. C57BL/6 spleen cells were activated by concanavalin A (Con A) and subsequently grown in microcultures under limiting dilution conditions. The progeny of cells plated in microcultures was divided and tested for (a) total cytotoxic activity on EL4 (H-2b) tumor target cells in the presence of Con A to nonspecifically attach the killer to the target cells, and (b) the quantity of IFN-gamma released by Con A stimulation. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and IFN-gamma-producing cells were present in Con A-activated C57BL/6 spleen cells at a high frequency of approximately 1 out of 3 and 1 out of 2 cells, respectively. IFN-gamma could be released from both noncytotoxic and a large fraction of cytotoxic T cells and the cytotoxic activity was not necessarily associated with IFN-gamma release. In a few selected cultures with a progeny of cells plated at a low cell number (up to 10/well) very high IFN-gamma titers (greater than 10 000 U/ml) could be found. These results provide the first frequency estimate of IFN-producing cells and are discussed with respect to the physiological role of IFN-gamma release from T cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Production of high titers of interferon-gamma by prestimulated murine spleen cells.

Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by murine spleen cells prestimulated with Con A for different periods of time has been studied. Highest titers of antiviral activity were obtained by restimulation of cells that had been prestimulated with Con A for 3 days. These cells produced up to 30 times more IFN than freshly isolated spleen cells stimulated under the same conditions. In an effort to explain this rise in the capacity to produce IFN-gamma, the possibility that it was due to the inactivation of a suppressor cell was excluded. The addition of freshly isolated spleen cells at different concentrations to prestimulated cells did not affect subsequent Con A-induced IFN-gamma production. Separation of freshly isolated or prestimulated spleen cells by velocity sedimentation at unit gravity showed that in the latter case most of the IFN-gamma was produced by a population of large-sized cells not present in the former population. It was concluded from these experiments that prestimulation of spleen cells with Con A gives rise to a population of large-sized cells that produce, upon restimulation with the same mitogen, much higher titers of IFN-gamma than those obtained upon primary stimulation of small resting lymphocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Induction of interferon by mycoplasmas in mouse spleen cell cultures.

Interferon production in cocultures between lymphoma cells and lymphocytes was previously found to be caused by mycoplasma contamination of the tumor cells. Here we have shown that M. arginini caused interferon production in spleen cells of C57BL/6 mice. The producer cell in spleen cell cultures was insensitive to treatment with anti-theta serum plus complement and it was present in spleen cell cultures of homozygous nude mice. Macrophage depletion did not adversely affect interferon production whereas interferon production was abolished in cultures of cells obtained after passage through nylon wool columns. Collectively, these data suggest, but cannot definitively prove that interferon is produced by B cells. By the use of specific antisera it was found that by all probability the interferon produced represented interferon alpha.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Production of high titres of interferon-gamma by cells derived from short-term cultures of murine spleen leukocytes in T-cell growth factor-conditioned medium.

Short-term culture of activated murine spleen cells in T-cell growth factor-conditioned medium resulted in a cell population that produced high titres of interferon-gamma in response to the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A. Compared to interferon-gamma production by freshly isolated spleen cells in response to the same mitogen, titres were 10 to 20 times higher at all cell densities tested. Furthermore, the minimal cell density at which interferon-gamma production could be detected was significantly lower. The mitogen dose required for optimal interferon induction in this system was higher than in conventional spleen cell cultures.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Production of immune interferon by murine T-cell clones from long-term cultures.

Production of leukocyte interferon (IFN-alpha) and fibroblast interferon (IFN-beta) can be induced by a variety of agents but immune interferon, IFN-gamma, is only obtained when lymphoid cells are stimulated by specific antigens, allo-antigens or T-cell mitogens. Moreover, in bulk cultures, only small quantities of IFN-gamma are produced. The type of cell producing IFN-gamma has not been unambiguously defined and so we set out to determine whether a pure T-cell population could produce it, exploiting the knowledge that T cells can be maintained indefinitely in tissue culture by the addition of T-cell growth factors. Although not all T cells can found long-term cultures of this kind, cultures of antigen-specific helper, suppressor and killer T cells have been obtained in this way. We now describe the production of substantial amounts of INF-gamma when some (but not all) murine T-cell clones derived from such cultures are stimulated by either concanavalin A (Con A) or phytohaemagglutinin (PHA).

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Metabolism of pinazepam by rat liver microsomes.

The pathways by which pinazepam and diazepam are metabolized by rat microsomes in vitro were studied in detail. Using a gas chromatographic technique to measure either the two parent compounds or their metabolites, it was demonstrated that pinazepam and diazepam were metabolized through the same pathways, but at different rates. Pinazepam was mainly N-dealkylated, while the C3-hydroxylation was a minor metabolic pathway. Diazepam was mostly C3-hydroxylated, with very little being N-demethylated. The different rats for the two metabolic pathways could be of importance in differentiating the action of the two drugs in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Pharmacokinetic studies of ethylediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in rats.

A gas chromatographic assay of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in rat serum and urine has been developed. The procedure involves benzene extraction of the sample, and uses the internal standard technique for determining EDTA concentrations in biological samples. The pharmacokinetics of EDTA was investigated in rats after i.v. injection of 5 and 50 mg/kg or oral administration of 50 and 250 mg/kg. No significant dose-related differences were between the mean biological half-lives (ranging between 21.6 and 22.9 min). EDTA was extracted in rat urine within 24 h of either i.v. dose, and within 80 min of the 50 mg/kg and 3 h of the 250 mg/kg or oral doses. In the applications described the analytical limit of sensitivity is 0.5 microgram/ml of rat serum of urine.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1981

Characteristics of alloantigens and cellular mechanisms responsible for gamma-interferon production in primary murine MLC.

We have investigated in primary murine MLC alloantigen differences and characteristics of responding cells responsible for gamma-IFN production. Differences at K, D, or I-S-G regions stimulate gamma-IFN release, though higher levels of production have been observed with differences at I-S-G regions. On the other hand, when mice differing in their minor histocompatibility antigens, notably at the MIs locus, were tested, gamma-IFN production took place even between strain combinations not displaying lymphocyte proliferation. Lastly, using different cell depletion techniques, we demonstrate that T-lymphocytes are the cells producing gamma-IFN upon stimulation with alloantigens. These findings show that T lymphocytes can recognize alloantigens by releasing gamma-IFN even without displaying proliferation.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Experimental infection of inbred mice with herpes simplex virus type 1. I. Investigation of humoral and cellular immunity and of interferon induction.

Considerable differences exist in the lethality of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) after intraperitoneal (i.p.) infection in different inbred strains of mice. In this study humoral and cellular immunity and interferon production were compared in resistant and susceptible mice. The serum IgG response, as determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was the same in different strains of mice. There was also no difference in neutralizing antibodies between resistant C57BL/6 and susceptible DBA/2 mice. The production of macrophage migration inhibitory factor, obtained from spleen cells of mice 7 days after infection with different doses of HSV-1, was the same in resistant and susceptible mice. Serum interferon could be detected 8 h after i.p. injection of 10(7) p.f.u. of HSV-1, but not at lower virus doses. At 8 h, high interferon titres [less than 1000 reference research units (iu)/ml] were observed in the serum of C57BL/6 mice but low titres (about 100 iu/ml) were found in the serum of DBA/2 mice. At 24 h, the titres were low in both strains of mice. Interferon production was also measured in vitro in spleen cell cultures exposed to inactivated HSV-1. These studies also showed high interferon production in spleen cell cultures of resistant mice, whereas low titres were produced by spleen cells of susceptible mice. Thus, our study has failed to reveal any differences in humoral or cellular immunity in mice resistant or susceptible to HSV but a difference in HSV-induced interferon production.

Animals↗