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Biomedical subjects

Junichi Goto

Publications and source records attributed to Junichi Goto.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Vectorial transport of bile acids in immortalized mouse bile duct cells.

In ileal epithelial cells, apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) is responsible for the uptake of bile acids from the lumen. Furthermore, ASBT is expressed in the apical plasma membrane of intrahepatic bile duct cells (BECs). Using cultured immortalized mouse intrahepatic BECs that form monolayers or cysts, vectorial transport of bile acids was studied. [3H]-taurocholic acid ([3H]-TCA) was transported through monolayers transcellularly almost exclusively from the apical to the basolateral side in a Na(+)- and a temperature-dependent manner. Transport of [3H]-TCA was inhibited by 59.3+/-18.6% in the presence of taurochenodeoxycholic acid. Uptake of lysyl fluorescein-conjugated bile acid, Cholyl-[Nepsilon-NBD]-lysine, was seen in a Na(+)- and a temperature-dependent manner from the apical side of BECs that form monolayer or cysts. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for mRNAs in the cells showed presence of mRNAs for ASBT and farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a nuclear bile acid receptor. In conclusion, intrahepatic BECs transport bile acids mainly from the apical to the basolateral side in concert with ASBT and maybe FXR in the cells.

Journal Article↗

Brain and heart specific alteration of methamphetamine (MAP) distribution in MAP-sensitized rat.

The repeated administration of methamphetamine (MAP) causes behavioral sensitization in animals. We previously reported that the high accumulation of MAP was observed in the MAP-sensitized animal brain, which suggested that this phenomenon is an important factor in the development or expression of behavioral sensitization. The purpose of the present study is to elucidate the MAP distribution in the MAP-sensitized rat using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). As a result, the MAP distribution in the heart at 10 min when showing a high accumulation of MAP in the MAP-sensitized rat brain was significantly higher than that of the control rat, whereas no significant differences in the liver, kidney, abdominal muscle, femoral muscle and blood were observed. In the brain and heart, there was no different distribution at 1 min, reflecting only the influx process from blood to brain and heart. On the contrary, there was the significant difference at 10 min, reflecting both the influx and efflux process, suggesting that the efflux process of MAP from brain or heart to blood may be slow due to MAP sensitization. In conclusion, it was clear that the brain and heart specific alteration of the MAP distribution occurred in the MAP sensitization. It was considered that the high accumulation of MAP in the MAP-sensitized rat brain may be related to the expression of behavioral sensitization and that the delayed efflux of MAP in the MAP-sensitized rat heart may be connected with the cardiac toxicity.

Animals↗

An improved method for the capillary gas chromatographic derivatization of polyhydroxylated steroids having tert-hydroxyl groups.

An improved method for a suitable derivatization of polyhydroxylated steroids having one or two tert-hydroxyl groups at the 5beta-, 14alpha-, 17alpha-, 24-, and/or 25-positions by capillary gas chromatography (CGC) is described. By using trimethylsilyl triflate as a silylating reagent and 2,6-lutidine as a catalyst, each of 5beta-cholane and 5alpha-cholestane series of steroids was successfully transformed into trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether derivatives to give a single CGC peak under mild conditions. More bulky triethylsilyl (TES) etherification of 14alpha- and 17alpha-hydroxy compounds provided multiple CGC peaks arising from completely- and/or incompletely-derivatized TES ethers accompanied by their thermal elimination products.

Flame Ionization↗

Exopeptidase degradation for the analysis of phosphorylation site in a mono-phosphorylated peptide with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

The utility of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) coupled with a peptide ladder sequencing method employing exopeptidase degradation for the analysis of phosphorylation site in a mono-phosphorylated peptide is investigated. MALDI-TOFMS analysis of time-dependent exopeptidase digestion using carboxypeptidase W and aminopeptidase M of the mono-phosphorylated 33-48 fragment isolated from a beta-casein tryptic digestion mixture allowed for the sequencing analysis from both the C-terminus and N-terminus. Negative ion detection MALDI-TOFMS made it possible to clearly measure the peptide ladder of mono-phosphorylated peptide by the strong negative charge localized at the phosphoric acid group. Since exopeptidase activity was suppressed by the existence of a phosphorylated amino acid residue, the termination exopeptidase degradation therefore suggested the existence of a phosphorylated amino acid residue at that site. This peptide ladder sequencing method using exopeptidases was effective for the identification of the site of a phosphorylated amino acid residue by a simple MALDI-TOFMS analysis in the negative ion detection mode.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Biomedical and biological mass spectrometry.

This review focuses on biological and biomedical mass spectrometry, and covers a selection of publications in this area included in the MEDLINE database for the period 1987-2001. Over the last 15 years, biological and biomedical mass spectrometry has progressed out of all recognition. The development of soft ionization methods, such as electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, has mainly contributed to the remarkable progress, because they can easily produce gas-phase ions of large, polar, and thermally labile biomolecules, such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and others. The innovations of ionization methods have led to remarkable progress in mass spectrometric technology and in biochemistry, biotechnology and molecular biology research. In addition, mass spectrometry is one of the powerful and effective technologies for drug discovery and development. It is applicable to studies on structural determination, drug metabolism, including pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics, and de novo drug discovery by applying post-genomic approarches. In the present review, the innovative soft ionization methods are first discussed along with their features. Also, the characteristics of the mass spectrometers which are active in the biological and biomedical research fields are also described. In addition, examples of the applications of biological and biomedical mass spectrometry are provided.

Mass Spectrometry↗

Rapid and simple quantitative assay method for diastereomeric flurbiprofen glucuronides in the incubation mixture.

Acyl glucuronides of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs having a chiral center are known to be chemically very active and form covalently bound adducts with proteins, such as human serum albumin, which may be the cause of hypersensitive reactions. Hepatic acyl glucuronosyltransferase catalyzes the transformation of alpha-aryl propionates into these diastereoisomeric acyl glucuronides, and, hence, its activity needs to be characterized. From this point of view, we developed a rapid, accurate and reproducible analytical method for the separation and determination of diastereoisomeric glucuronides of flurbiprofen, one of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in the incubation mixture of the hepatic microsomal preparation by high-performance liquid chromatography with a simple column-switching technique for deproteinization. The glucuronides were separated on a TSKgel ODS-80Ts column with 20 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 5.6)-ethanol-acetonitrile as the mobile phase and monitored with a UV detector at 246 nm. The detection limit of the proposed method was 600 fmol/injection at a signal-to-noise ratio of 10. The validation results indicated that this method would be very useful for the determination of diastereomeric acyl glucuronides formed from flurbiprofen in an incubation mixture.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

Enantioseparation of chiral aromatic amino acids by capillary electrophoresis in neutral and charged cyclodextrin selector modes.

Simultaneous enantioseparations of 15 racemic aromatic amino acids and L-mimosine for their chiral discrimination were achieved by neutral selector-modified capillary electrophoresis (CE) and by charged selector-modified CE. Among the diverse cyclodextrins (CDs) examined, hydroxypropyl (HP)-alpha-CD as the neutral selector and highly sulfated (HS)-gamma-CD as the charged selector provided best chiral environments of different enantioselectivities. Fairly good enantiomeric resolutions were achieved with the HP-alpha-CD mode except for racemic 6-hydroxy-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine and homophenylalanine while high-resolution separations of all the enantiomeric pairs were achieved in the HS-gamma-CD mode except that L-mimosine was not detected and a partial resolution (0.6) for threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine enantiomers. Relative migration times to that of internal standard under the respective optimum conditions were characteristic of each enantiomer with good precision (% RSD: 0.7-3.8), thereby enabling to cross-check the chemical identification of aromatic amino acids and also their chiralities. The method linearity was found to be adequate (r> 0.99) for the chiral assay of the aromatic amino acids investigated. When applied to extracts of three plant seeds, nonprotein amino acids such as L-mimosine (42 nug/g) from Mimosa pudica Linné, and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (268 nug/g) from Vicia faba were positively detected along with L-tryptophan, L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine.

Amino Acids, Aromatic↗

Potential bile acid metabolites. 24. An efficient synthesis of carboxyl-linked glucosides and their chemical properties.

A facile and efficient synthesis of the carboxyl-linked glucosides of bile acids is described. Direct esterification of unprotected bile acids with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-D-glucopyranose in pyridine in the presence of 2-chloro-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene as a coupling agent afforded a mixture of the alpha- and beta-anomers (ca. 1:3) of the 1-O-acyl-D-glucoside benzyl ethers of bile acids, which was separated effectively on a C18 reversed-phase chromatography column (isolated yields of alpha- and beta-anomers are 4-9% and 12-19%, respectively). Subsequent hydrogenolysis of the alpha- and beta-acyl glucoside benzyl ethers on a 10% Pd-C catalyst in acetic acid/methanol/EtOAc (1:2:2, by vol) at 35 degrees C under atmospheric pressure gave the corresponding free esters in good yields (79-89%). Chemical specificities such as facile hydrolysis and transesterification of the acyl glucosides in various solvents were also discussed.

Bile Acids and Salts↗

Characterization of rat liver bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase.

Recent studies have suggested that bile acid acyl glucuronides form covalently bound protein adducts which may cause hypersensitivity reactions and increased morbidity in patients. Although the preferential biosynthesis of the acyl glucuronides has been known, the characterization of hepatic bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase has not yet been clearly elucidated. We have investigated the substrate specificity of the hepatic bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase using five common bile acids as substrates. The glucuronidation rate was dependent on the number of the hydroxy group on the steroid nucleus and mono-hydroxylated lithocholic acid, the more lipophilic common bile acid, was most effectively metabolized into its acyl glucuronide. The tri-hydroxylated cholic acid, the more water-soluble common bile acid, barely transformed into its glucuronide. Results showed decreasing of the initial velocity of the acyl glucuronidation with increasing of the concentration of substrate, lithocholic acid, owing to the substrate inhibition of the hepatic bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase. The substrate analogues, glycine and taurine conjugated bile acids, which exist in the body fluids in high concentrations, also inhibited the enzyme's activity. In addition, enzymatic reaction products, bile acid acyl glucuronides, also inhibited the activity. These inhibitory mechanisms may be responsible for the low concentration of bile acid acyl glucuronides in urine and may be an important detoxification system in the body.

Animals↗

Single-chain Fv fragments derived from an anti-11-deoxycortisol antibody. Affinity, specificity, and idiotype analysis.

Single-chain Fv fragments (scFvs) against a corticosteroid, 11-deoxycortisol (11-DC), have been generated as a template antibody fragment from which a comprehensive mutated antibody library containing various anti-steroid antibodies could be constructed. The cDNAs encoding variable heavy (V(H)) and light (V(L)) domains of a mouse anti-11-DC antibody (CET-M8), were amplified by RT-PCR, combined via a common linker to construct the sequence of 5'-V(H)-(Gly(4)Ser)(3)-V(L)-3', and cloned into a phagemid vector, pEXmide 5. The phage clones exhibiting binding activity to 11-DC were isolated after single panning against a hapten-immobilizing immunotube. The scFv gene in one of these clones was reamplified to introduce the ochre codons, and then expressed in the bacterial periplasm as the soluble antibody fragment. Two different scFvs (#6 and #12) were cloned, whose binding characteristics were examined by a radioimmunoassay using a tritium-labeled 11-DC. Both of them showed high affinity (K(a)=1.3x10(10)M(-1)) and practical specificity (cross-reactivity: cortisol, <0.2%; cortisone, <0.3%) to 11-DC, and furthermore, strong reactivity with an anti-idiotype antibody which recognizes the paratope of CET-M8. These results suggest that the present scFvs retain the three-dimensional structure of the paratope of the original monoclonal antibody.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of glycolithocholic acid sulfate in human urine for liver function test.

Urinary levels of sulfated metabolites of lithocholic acid (LCA) are expected to be a useful index of liver function. Thus, a sensitive, specific, and feasible enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of these sulfated LCA metabolites (LCA-Suls) should be established. A newly generated monoclonal antibody specific to glycolithocholic acid sulfate (glycine-amidated LCA-Sul (GLCA-Sul)) was immobilized on microtiter plates via a second antibody. A urine specimen and an alkaline phosphatase-labeled antigen were added to the plate, which was then incubated at room temperature for 3h. After this competitive reaction, bound enzyme activity was measured colorimetrically using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as a substrate. The detection limit for GLCA-Sul was 0.4 pg/assay. Nonamidated LCA-Sul and taurine-conjugated LCA-Sul showed 40 and 11% cross-reactivities, respectively, while 3-sulfates of cholic acid (CA; 0.02%), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA; 0.63%), and deoxycholic acid (DCA; 2.2%) exhibited very low cross-reactivities. Applicability of the ELISA system to clinical samples was well validated by parallelism, recovery test, and intra/inter-assay variance. Enzymatic deconjugation with bile acids sulfatase resulted in dramatically decreased urinary levels, supporting the specificity of the ELISA toward GLCA-Sul. The mean GLCA-Sul levels in early morning urine from healthy volunteers were 314 ng/mg Ucre (males: n=16) and 507 ng/mg Ucre (females: n=9). Patients with liver diseases, including chronic hepatitis (CH) and liver cirrhosis (LC) exhibited significantly higher values (mean 5222 ng/mg Ucre: n=21). The present 'monoclonal ELISA' is predicted to be useful as a novel noninvasive diagnostic tool for liver function and hepatobiliary diseases.

Animals↗

Potential bile acid metabolites. 25. Synthesis and chemical properties of stereoisomeric 3alpha,7alpha,16- and 3alpha,7alpha,15-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acids.

Epimeric 3alpha,7alpha,16- and 3alpha,7alpha,15-trihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acids and some related compounds were synthesized from chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), respectively. The key reaction involved one-step remote oxyfunctionalization of unactivated methine carbons at C-17 of CDCA and at C-14 of UDCA as their methyl ester-peracetate derivatives with dimethyldioxirane (DMDO). After dehydration of the resulting 17alpha- and 14alpha-hydroxy derivatives with POCl(3) or conc. H(2)SO(4), the respective Delta(16)- and Delta(14)-unsaturated products were subjected to hydration via hydroboration followed by oxidation to yield the 3,7,16- and 3,7,15-triketones, respectively. Stereoselective reduction of the respective triketones with tert-butylamine-borane complex afforded the epimeric 3alpha,7alpha,16- or 3alpha,7alpha,15-trihydroxy derivatives exclusively. A facile formation of the corresponding epsilon-lactones between the side chain carboxyl group at C-24 and the 16alpha- (or 16beta-) hydroxyl group in bile acids is also clarified.

Bile Acids and Salts↗

Generation of a novel monoclonal antibody against cortisol-[C-4]-bovine serum albumin conjugate: application to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for urinary and serum cortisol.

Measurement of cortisol levels in body fluids is important for monitoring pituitary gland and adrenal functions. To develop a specific and standardized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a novel monoclonal anti-cortisol antibody has been generated using a reasonably designed haptenic derivative. Spleen cells were prepared from the BALB/c or A/J mouse, which had repeatedly been immunized with a conjugate of 4-(2-carboxyethylthio)cortisol (CET) and bovine serum albumin, to be fused with P3/NS1/1-Ag4-1 myeloma cells. After four fusion experiments, one hybridoma clone secreting a practical antibody has been established. The resulting monoclonal antibody CS#38 (isotype gamma1, kappa) showed an affinity constant (K(a)) for cortisol of 1 x 10(9) M(-1) and provided a practical calibration curve (detection limit, 0.26 ng per assay) in a homologous ELISA system employing horseradish peroxidase-labeled CET as a labeled antigen. Cross-reactivities with related C-21 steroids were acceptably low: 11-deoxycortisol (4.3%), cortisone (4.0%), corticosterone (1.9%), progesterone (1.6%), 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (12%), 6beta-hydroxycortisol (8.4%), and tetrahydrocortisol (< 0.1%). Urinary and serum cortisol levels of healthy volunteers were determined by this method after methylene chloride extraction to be 39.0 +/- 17.0 microg/day (n = 7) and 80.8 +/- 38.9 ng/mL (n = 10), respectively, both of which are in the reference range.

Adult↗

Separation and determination of diastereomeric flurbiprofen acyl glucuronides in human urine by LC/ESI-MS with a simple column-switching technique.

Endogenous and exogenous compounds having a carboxyl group, such as alpha-arylpropionic acid derivatives, undergo a phase II metabolic reaction to produce an amino acid conjugate through the acyl CoA thioester as well as the acyl glucuronide. It was previously shown that flurbiprofen, one of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is not subjected to activation of the carboxyl group by the CoA thioester ligase, suggesting that acyl glucuronidation is the main phase II metabolic pathway. Recent observations, however, have demonstrated that the nonenzymatic formation of a covalently protein-bound drug, which is produced by the action of the acyl glucuronide, may cause hypersensitive reactions. Accordingly, a reliable method to measure diastereomeric flurbiprofen glucuronides in human biological fluids is required. In this study, we describe a liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric method with a simple column switching technique to determine diastereomeric flurbiprofen acyl glucuronides in human urine specimens. The optimal conditions for the electrospray ionization were established based on the effects of orifice and ring lens voltages as well as mobile phase additives. The proposed method applied to urine specimens demonstrates high accuracy and reproducibility for the determination of flurbiprofen glucuronides in a quantitative range from 0.74 to 146.5 microg/mL, with a detection limit of 7.4 pg (17.6 fmol)/injection of S-flurbiprofen glucuronide, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 under the selected ion-monitoring mode. The urinary concentration of R-flurbiprofen glucuronides in healthy subjects determined by the proposed method were 6.8-29.4 microg/mL, and those values were slightly higher than that of S-flurbiprofen glucuronides (3.9-18.0 microg/mL).

Journal Article↗

Genotyping of the N-acetyltransferase2 polymorphism in the prediction of adverse drug reactions to isoniazid in Japanese patients.

To investigate the association between NAT2 genotypes and the incidence of isoniazid (INH)-induced adverse reactions, in the hope of identifying a pharmacogenetic approach that could be useful in the prediction and prevention of adverse reactions in Japanese patients, we retrospectively studied the genotypes of NAT2 in 102 Japanese patients treated with INH (without rifampicin co-administration). The subjects were classified into three groups according to their genotypes: rapid-type, intermediate-type, and slow-type. The clinical conditions of the patients were followed-up in order to evaluate the development of any adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and correlate them with patient genotypes. Six out of the 102 patients (5.9%) developed various ADRs following INH treatment. These reactions included nausea/vomiting, fever, visual impairment, and peripheral neuritis. We found a statistically significant difference between the incidence of ADRs and NAT2 genotype. The incidence of ADRs was significantly higher in the slow type than in the other two types, as 5 out of the 6 ADR patients were of the slow-type, and the other one was of the intermediate-type, while no patients of the rapid-type developed any ADRs. The results indicated that the genes coding for slow acetylation were associated with the incidence of serious ADRs following INH treatment. Our findings suggest that determination of NAT2 genotype might be clinically useful in the evaluation of patients at high risk of developing ADRs induced by INH.

Journal Article↗