Evidence for a relationship between plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and gamma glutamyl transferase.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Delattre.
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Oxidation of low density lipoprotein is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Epidemiological studies suggest a negative correlation between the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases and blood concentrations of lipophilic antioxidants such as vitamins A and E and beta-carotene. Trace elements, such as selenium, zinc, and copper, are involved in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant and trace element status of patients with severe hypercholesterolemia who had been treated with dextran-sulphate low-density lipoprotein apheresis in comparison with two control populations, normocholesterolemic subjects and untreated hypercholesterolemic patients. Our results showed that, patients treated with LDL apheresis, compared with normocholesteromic subjects, were not deficient in vitamin E, beta-carotene, and copper, but had lower plasma levels of selenium, zinc, and vitamin A. The low selenium and vitamin A levels were due to the LDL-apheresis treatment, and the hypercholesterolemia might have provoked the low plasma levels of zinc. The study pointed out the potential benefits of supplemental selenium, zinc, and vitamin A in patients being treated with LDL apheresis.
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The aim was to automate the assay of plasma and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity using the Hitachi 911 (Boehringer Mannheim). There is a need for a reliable and rapid technique for the determination of GSH-Px activity to evaluate 'the oxidative stress'. The technique used was that proposed by the Randox laboratories (Randox Laboratories Ltd, Ransel test, reference: RS-505). The Hitachi 911 was programmed by adapting the manual Randox technique. Repeatability, reproducibility and linearity were satisfactory, and usual values for plasma and erythrocyte GSH-Px activity were determined. Automation of the Ransel test for determination of GSH-Px activity was very useful for serial assays. In addition, the technique is practical and has good interlaboratory reproducibility.
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We measured vitamin E and beta-carotene in the serum and in circulating lipoproteins in a large population of 15 patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia who were undergoing long-term treatment by low density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis. The technique used for apheresis was dextran sulphate cellulose adsorption. The results showed that before LDL apheresis, patients had high vitamin E and normal beta-carotene levels in the serum and in the VLDL+LDL fraction. There were no relationships between serum levels of vitamin E and beta-carotene and the duration of LDL-apheresis. Low vitamin E and beta-carotene levels in the HDL fraction could be related to the low HDL concentrations in these patients. Vitamin E/cholesterol ratios were similar to those of the normolipaemic controls whereas beta-carotene/cholesterol ratios were lower. After LDL-apheresis treatment, the ratios in the HDL fraction fell whereas the ratios in the serum and in the VLDL and LDL fraction did not change. This study shows that these patients exhibited no deficiency in either serum of VLDL-LDL of vitamin E or beta-carotene after long-term treatment by LDL-apheresis and that the status of these antioxidants in serum was independent of the duration of treatment.
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) has been submitted to oxidative modification induced by gamma radiolysis of water under conditions generating either hydroxyl radical (OH.) alone, or a mixture of superoxide anion and OH.. Treatment of LDL with hydroxyl radical alone did not lead to significant lipid peroxidation as assessed by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and hydroperoxide measurement and induced only very small change in the electrophoretic mobility of the particle. In contrast, superoxide and hydroxyl radical mixture induced a dose-dependent increase in lipid peroxidation, with a marked elevation of the negative net charge of the LDL. However, in both cases, a similar reduction of the uptake and degradation of modified LDL by the apo B/E receptor pathway of human fibroblasts was observed. This suggests that factors other than lipid peroxidation could play a role in LDL modification and influence their cellular metabolism.
This paper describes an oxidative process of human high-density lipoproteins (HDL) based upon the action of oxygenated free radicals produced by water radiolysis (OH. and OH./O2.- free radicals at pH 7), monitored by both biochemical and physical markers. Classical biochemical markers (vitamin E, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), conjugated dienes and differential fluorescence) were studied as a function of the radiation dose (from 0 to 800 Gy; dose rate = 2.7 x 10(-2) Gy.s(-1)). The fluorescence polarization anisotropy (r) was measured with 1,6-diphenylhexatriene (DPH). Vitamin E decrease and formation of lipid peroxidation products (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and conjugated dienes) were concomitant in the case of OH. free radicals alone, whereas these products appeared after a small threshold dose when OH. and O2.- free radicals were simultaneously produced in solution. At high radiation doses, TBARS concentrations have reached plateau values (approx. 2 or 7 nmol/mg lipid with OH. or OH./O2.- free radicals, respectively) which were much lower than those obtained after copper oxidation (approx. 15 or 29 nmol/mg lipid after 12 and 24 h incubation, respectively). The free radical-induced oxidative process has led to a rigidification of the HDL and was associated with low values of cholesterol effluxing capacities when these oxidized HDL were incubated with cholesterol-loaded human fibroblasts. Similar results were obtained with copper-oxidized HDL, under our experimental conditions. Consequently, these two kinds of oxidative modification of HDL resulted both in a loss of their capacity to remove cellular cholesterol, which could be explained by the fact that this ability was under the dependence of a HDL optimum fluidity.
The effect of co-incubating human spermatozoa with 8 mmol/L dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (PC12) liposomes containing 6 mmol/L adenosine 5'-triphosphate (LATP) was assessed by CASA and compared to that obtained with blank PC12 liposomes (LB). The aim of this study was to investigate if such treatments can improve sperm movement and sustain sperm motility over time. Significant and similar increases in straight-line velocity and linearity of sperm movement in B2 capacitating medium (both p < 0.01) were obtained with LB and LATP treatments (final concentration: 0.38 mmol/L PC12 and 0.5 mmol/L ATP) while in Tyrode's medium supplemented with 10 mg/mL BSA, these movement parameters were increased significantly only in sperm aliquots treated with LATP. Furthermore, after incubation for 0.5 h in Tyrode's, a bioluminescence assay of intracellular ATP indicated no significant change in ATP concentration for LATP-treated spermatozoa while the ATP content of control and LB-treated spermatozoa decreased significantly during the same period (both p < 0.05). The effect of liposomes on the acrosome reaction was also investigated jointly with CASA. These experiments were performed by fluorescence microscopy, using PSA-FITC and the supravital stain Hoechst 33258. After a precapacitation period of 3 h in BWW medium the spermatozoa were incubated for 1 h with LATP, LB, LB+free ATP and free ATP alone (final concentration 0.5 mmol/L ATP). Under these conditions the percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa was increased similarly after LATP and LB treatments compared to control (respectively from 4.9 to 12%, p < 0.01 and 4.9 to 11.3%, p < 0.05) but the percentage of true acrosome-reacted spermatozoa, and the values for all movement characteristics (except percentage motility) were increased significantly only with LATP treatment. The results indicate the potential of PC12 vesicles for introducing highly hydrophilic compounds into spermatozoa, as well as for modulating membrane structures and functions required for fertilization.
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Although low density lipoprotein receptors have been described on oligodendrocytes, apolipoprotein B was thought to be absent or present in only very small amounts in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Several immunoassays have been used for the measurement of apolipoprotein B in serum. However, the majority of methods cannot be used to measure small amounts of apolipoprotein B in CSF. In this study, we describe a highly sensitive time resolved immunofluorometric assay (TR-IFMA) using europium as label (detection limit: 0.3 microgram/l). The reliability of the TR-IFMA for the measurement of apolipoprotein B was first studied in serum. Serum and CSF apolipoprotein B concentrations were then determined in subjects free of neurological disorders and in patients with multiple sclerosis. Local intrathecal apolipoprotein B synthesis was calculated. Although the high sensitivity of the TR-IFMA allowed low amounts of apolipoprotein B in CSF to be detected (0.11 +/- 0.06; 0.12 +/- 0.06 mg/l in controls and multiple sclerosis patients, respectively), no apolipoprotein B could be detected in CSF by electroimmunodiffusion. As suggested by the blood/CSF apolipoprotein B ratio (about 6000), no apolipoprotein B synthesis was observed by both using apolipoprotein B index and formula. This indicates its probable serum origin. Moreover, there was no difference between controls and multiple sclerosis patients in CSF, serum, blood/CSF, index, and local intrathecal apoliprotein B synthesis. Finally, these results suggest that the role of apolipoprotein B in lipid transport in the central nervous system may be questionable.
Diseases involving glucose metabolism disorders are more and more prevalent. Therefore the question of glucose transporter gene expression is being addressed in experimental and clinical studies. Radioactive probes are generally used to assess glucose transporter mRNA levels, but these probes are short-lived, costly and harmful to the environment. Alternative methods that do not present these disadvantages, for example digoxigenin (DIG) labelled probes, might prove to be very interesting for the study of glucose transporter mRNA. The aim of the present work was to compare DIG-labelled cRNA probes to 32P-labelled cRNA probes in order to see whether or not the non-radioactive method can be used to assess glucose transporter gene expression. This work shows that DIG-labelled glucose transporter (GLUT1 and GLUT4) cRNAs are suitable probes for the assessment of these gene expressions. We have found that the DIG system offers a much higher sensitivity than the 32P system for both GLUT1 and GLUT4 mRNA detection. This represents a decisive advantage in human studies where tissue quantity is a limiting factor. In addition, stability, safety, time saving and cost reduction are other considerations that make DIG-labelled GLUT1 and GLUT4 cRNAs very attractive.
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We compared the lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels in 32 icteric sera determined both by an electroimmunodiffusion assay (EIA), using the Hydragel Lp(a) kit (Sebia, France) and by two immunonephelometric assays, one on a Behring Nephelometer Analyzer (BNA), using antiserum from immunofrance, and the other on a Beckman analyzer (Array), using antiserum from Dako (Denmark). With the EIA assay, the Lp(a) level was 0.09 +/- 0.09 (mean +/- SD in g/L), with the BNA assay, 1.01 +/- 1.51 and with the Array assay, 0.05 +/- 0.05. Sample blanks values (0.76 +/- 1.28 g/L) demonstrated that the high Lp(a) levels obtained in the BNA assay are caused by nonspecific precipitation. Analysis of the precipitate indicated the presence of Lipoprotein X, an abnormal lipoprotein that appears in the serum of patients with obstructive jaundice or with lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency. The precipitant seems to be polyethyleneglycol (PEG) that was added to the reaction medium in both the BNA and the Array assays to stabilize the Lp(a)-anti Lp(a) immune complex. In the Array assay, interference by this nonspecific precipitation is eliminated by preliminary centrifugation of the diluted sample. However, coprecipitation of Lp(a) could occur during this step. Consequently, the results of Lp(a) measurement in serum from patients with hepatobiliary diseases should be interpreted with caution when immunonephelometric assays are used with a medium containing PEG.
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Desensitization therapy for type I allergy is now current practice. Liposomes have been proposed as a support for allergens to improve safety and effectiveness. The aim of this work was to optimize liposomal formulations of three different standardized allergen extracts and to test their allergenicity in vitro and in a preclinical trial. Allergen extracts (Dactylis glomerata, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and cat hair and dander) were associated with multilamellar liposomes of varying compositions at different pH. Liposome-bound allergens were quantified by RAST inhibition after ultracentrifugation, and analyzed qualitatively by SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblotting. Their allergenicity was assessed by basophil degranulation in vitro, as compared with the allergenicity of an aqueous extract, and by skin tests in allergic subjects. The best association, about 50% of the added allergen, was obtained with negatively charged liposomes, when the pH of the allergen solution was adjusted so as to impart a net positive charge to the proteins. One-third of the liposome-associated allergens was located on the surface of the liposomes and was free to interact with antibody, as shown by RAST inhibition assays and the basophil degranulation test; the remaining two-thirds was encapsulated within the liposomes. All the major immunoreactive proteins in the extract were included. These liposomes could be readily freeze-dried and reconstituted without changing their properties. This study reveals the allergenic characteristics of liposomes and suggests their potential use in the treatment of allergic patients.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was proposed in various medical applications, as a possible bioenergetic substrate. Unfortunately, ATP is very difficult to use at a therapeutic level because of its high sensitivity to enzymatic hydrolysis making this molecule unstable in biological fluids. ATP is also a highly hydrophilic molecule that is unable to cross biological membranes. To try to develop a system able to protect ATP against degradation and to efficiently deliver this bioenergetic substrate, its liposomal encapsulation in multilamellar vesicles was carried out. One of the studies described in this paper deals with the efficiency of liposomal ATP in the treatment of cerebral ischemia. Our results show that encapsulation was able to protect ATP from its degradation by ectonucleotidases and that liposomal ATP was active against experimental brain ischemia. The other study deals with the effect of ATP on the motility and the acrosomal reaction of human spermatozoa. The results show that co-incubating ATP-loaded liposomes with sperm cells was able to induce the process of capacitation in vitro and might therefore be a useful tool in the procedure of in vitro fertilization.
Time-resolved fluorometric assay is based on lanthanide fluorescence. This time-resolved fluorescence has a narrow-band emission line whose wavelength differs from that of emission-pulsed light and has a long decay-time. These characteristics make it possible to avoid background interference from sample constituents (protein, light-scattering particles, etc). Europium and its chelates are the most commonly used lanthanides. The europium-labelling of antigens or antibodies is followed by immunoassay. In the final step, fluorescence is measured, after enhancement, as counts per second. This assay has several advantages, including a wide working range, high sensitivity and good practicability. The method has widespread applications in the field of immunoassays in both clinical and research laboratories. The use of non-radioactive europium-labelled probes and the development of simultaneous multiple tests are possible future orientations.