Gymnemic acid, a mixture of triterpene glycosides extracted from the leaves of Gymnema sylvestre, is known to inhibit the intestinal absorption of glucose in human and rats. This work examined the effect of gymnemic acid on oleic acid absorption by the method of intestinal perfusion in rats. The results showed the following. (i) Gymnemic acid potently inhibited the absorption of oleic acid in intestine. (ii) This inhibition was dose dependent and reversible. (iii) The extent of inhibition and the recovery progress were extremely similar to that of glucose absorption. (iv) Taurocholate did not affect the inhibitory effect of gymnemic acid on oleic acid absorption, but lowering its concentration facilitated the recovery from the inhibition. (v) The absorption of oleic acid was not affected by other glycosides such as phloridzin, stevioside, and glycyrrhizin. These new findings are important for understanding the roles of gymnemic acid in therapy of diabetes mellitus and obesity.

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Genetic heterogeneity and molecular epidemiology of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus in China.

OBJECTIVE: The inter- and intrapatient genetic variation of GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) was investigated to characterize the molecular epidemiologic profile of GBV-C/ HGV infection in China, an area endemic for viral hepatitis. The intrapatient variation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) from the same patients was compared to that of GBV-C/HGV. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: GB virus C/HGV RNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction in 88 patients with hepatitis C, hepatitis B or presumed non-A-E hepatitis from three cities in China. Five clones of the GBV-C/HGV NS3 region were sequenced from each GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive patient. The corresponding region of HCV was also sequenced from patients co-infected with HCV. Representative sequences of the GBV-C/HGV NS3 region from each patient and those of isolates from other continents were subjected to phylogenetic analyses. RESULTS: GB virus C/HGV was detected in 22 (25.25%) of 88 patients: 9 (21.4%) of 42 patients with presumed non-A-E hepatitis, 10 (27.7%) of 36 patients with hepatitis C, 3 (30.0%) in 10 patients with hepatitis B and C, and in none of 60 volunteer blood donors. The extent of nucleotide variation was less between Chinese isolates (2.4-17%; median, 10.4%) than between Chinese isolates and seven isolates from outside China (10.5-19.5%; median, 15.3%). Intrapatient sequence variation ranged from 0 to 1.75%, with a mean of 0.57 +/- 0.51%. Phylogenetic analysis grouped most Chinese isolates into four geographically specific clusters with a divergence of 10% to 16% from each other. The ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions of GBV-C/HGV (Ka/Ks 0.019) was much lower than for HCV (0.071) in the same patients. CONCLUSION: Chinese isolates of GBV-C/HGV are genetically distinct. There are local strains as well as shared strains between different locales. The extent of amino acid sequence conservation suggests strong selection against nonsynonymous substitutions in the GBV-C/HGV genome.

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The quaternary ammonium-linked glucuronide of doxepin: a major metabolite in depressed patients treated with doxepin.

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Chromium (IV)-mediated fenton-like reaction causes DNA damage: implication to genotoxicity of chromate.

This paper describes our deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage and Fenton activity studies on Cr(IV) that were undertaken to examine a role of Cr(IV) in the biochemical mechanism of genotoxicity of Cr(VI) compounds. A Cr(IV)-containing compound, a Cr(IV)-ester, was synthesized and used as the first model compound for Cr(IV) studies. Electron spin resonance measurements demonstrated that in the presence of H2O2, this Cr(IV) compound acts as a potent Fenton-like reagent, i.e., it generates OH radical and a Cr(V) species (g = 1.9787) via: Cr(IV) + H2O2-->Cr(V) + OH + OH-. Measurements of OH yield as a function of H2O2 concentration showed that Cr(IV) is more potent than Cr(V) in generating OH. DNA damage assays demonstrate that Cr(IV) and the Cr(IV)/H2O2-generated OH radical can cause DNA strand breaks. The DNA damage caused by OH radical can be effectively blocked by OH radical scavengers. These results thus constitute the first direct evidence for DNA damage by Cr(IV) and Cr(IV)-mediated Fenton-like reaction and support the conjecture that Cr(IV) plays a significant role in the biochemical mechanism of the genotoxic reactions of Cr(VI) compounds and that this effect can be modulated by suitable antiradical agents.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Radiolabeled ligands for imaging the muscarinic-cholinergic receptors of the heart and brain.

Interest in the potential use of cerebral SPECT and PET imaging for determination of the density and activity of muscarinic-cholinergic receptors (mAChR) has been stimulated by the changes in these receptors which occur in many neurological diseases. In addition, the important involvement of mAChR in modulating negative inotropic cardiac activity suggests that such receptor ligands may have important applications in evaluation of changes which may occur in cardiac disease. In this paper, the properties of several key muscarinic receptor ligands being developed or which have been used for clinical SPECT and PET are discussed. In addition, the ORNL development of the new iodinated IQNP ligand based on IQNB and the results of in vivo biodistribution studies in rats, in vitro competitive binding studies and ex vivo autoradiographic experiments are described. The use of radioiodinated IQNP may offer several advantages in comparison to IQNB because of its easy and high yield preparation and high brain uptake and the potential usefulness of the "partial" subtype selective IQNP isomers. We also describe the development of new IQNP-type analogues which offer the opportunity for radiolabeling with positron-emitting radioisotopes (carbon-11, fluorine-18 and bromine-76) for potential use with PET.

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