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Biomedical subjects

K Saeki

Publications and source records attributed to K Saeki.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Lack of evidence for the involvement of catecholaminergic mechanisms in the behavioral anti-methamphetamine effect of L-histidine in the mouse.

The effects of L-histidine (HIS) on the hypermotility and the changes in brain monoamine dynamics induced by methamphetamine (MAMP) were examined in mice. HIS (1000 mg/kg) completely inhibited the hypermotility induced by MAMP (1 mg/kg). MAMP (1 mg/kg) significantly increased the dopamine level and decreased the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid level. MAMP (5 and 10 mg/kg) also produced changes in the levels of noradrenaline, serotonin and their metabolites. HIS administered alone caused no significant changes in the levels of these amines and metabolites, nor did it affect MAMP-induced alterations in monoamine dynamics. These results suggest that catecholaminergic mechanisms are not involved in the behavioral anti-MAMP action of HIS.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A novel FAD-protein that allows effective reduction of methyl viologen by NADH (NADH-methyl viologen reductase) from photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodospirillum rubrum: purification and characterization.

It was found that the cytoplasm of light-grown cells of Rhodospirillum rubrum could catalyze the reduction of methyl viologen (MV) (Em, 7 = -0.44 V) by NADH and NADPH. In the present study, the enzyme capable of catalyzing MV reduction by NADH (NADH-MV reductase) was purified 1,500-fold from an extract of cells with a yield of 4.4%. The purification procedure comprised (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, and chromatographies on Sepharose CL-6B, DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B, Blue-Cellulofine, and TSK-Gel G3000SW. Two NADPH-MV reductases were separated during the purification. The NADH-MV reductase obtained was nearly homogeneous, as judged on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis both in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 220,000 and an isoelectric point of 4.8; it is composed of four subunits with a molecular weight of 57,000, and is bound with about 1 mol FAD/mol subunit. The activity is optimum at pH 8. The Km values for NADH and MV are 115 microM and 1.3 mM, respectively, with a molecular activity of 13,000 min-1. The activity was stimulated 2.4-fold in the presence of 20-100 mM ammonium ions. The enzyme also catalyzed the reduction of benzyl viologen, methylene blue and 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol (Em, 7 = -0.36, +0.011, and +0.217 V, respectively) at comparable rates. The ratios of the activity with NADH to that with NADPH were 80, 133, 41, and 5.5 with MV, benzyl viologen, methylene blue and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, respectively. The enzyme was significantly stable in the presence of both 5mM 2-mercaptoethanol and 20% (w/v) glycerol. The activity was not appreciably influenced by the presence of 2 M urea, although the reagent caused dissociation to the subunits.

Chromatography↗
PubMed1986

Barley leaf peroxidase: purification and characterization.

Peroxidase was prepared from extracts of barley leaves and separated into seven components, different in pI. The purification procedure comprised two parts. The first part was based on the fact that all the components had practically the same molecular weights. It consisted of fractionations with acetone and ammonium sulfate, ion-exchange chromatographies on CM-cellulose and DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, and molecular-sieve chromatography on Ultrogel AcA44; the components were all purified together to near homogeneity on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the procedure resulted in 1,200-fold purification with a yield of 39%. The ion-exchange chromatographies were carried out under conditions such that the components would not be adsorbed. In the second part, the enzyme preparation was separated into the seven components by repeating isoelectric electrophoresis. Their isoelectric points (pI) were 6.3, 6.8, 7.4, 8.3, 8.5, 8.7, and 9.3. The components other than the pI 6.3 and 6.8 components were each purified to homogeneity in the electrophoresis. The seven components thus prepared were the same in molecular weight on SDS-gel electrophoresis (44,000) and showed absorption maxima at the same wave-lengths (403, 496, and 534 nm), RZ (A403/A275) ranging from 2.09 to 2.81. Their protoheme IX contents were 0.81-1.07 mol/mol, and their true sugar contents 15-26% (g/g). The amino acid compositions suggest that the five components described above are not real isoenzymes, but exhibit different pI values due to differences in glycosyl residue. The pI 9.3 component was crystallized in spite of its high sugar content.

Crystallization↗
PubMed1986

Glucose modulates the release of histamine from the mouse hypothalamus in vitro.

The effect of glucose concentration on the in vitro release of histamine (HA) was examined, using two different preparations of the mouse hypothalamus. The HA and tele-methylhistamine released from whole blocks of the hypothalamus into the medium linearly increased during 2-h incubation in normal Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution in the absence of external depolarizing stimuli. The release of HA from this preparation depended on the temperature and Ca2+ in the medium and was progressively increased with decrease in the glucose concentration from 11.5 to 1 mM. The rate of the HA release was dependent on the absolute concentration of glucose and not on an abrupt change in the concentration. When slices of the hypothalamus were incubated in high K+ medium, a temperature- and Ca2+-dependent HA release was observed. At low concentrations of glucose, the K+ (20 mM)-induced HA release from the hypothalamic slices was also enhanced. Tetrodotoxin (10 microM) inhibited the enhancing effect of a low glucose concentration (2 mM) on the HA release by 60%, in both preparations of the hypothalamus. The possibility that the release of HA from the mouse hypothalamus is regulated by glucose concentration and that activation of neuronal Na+ channels is involved in the enhancement of the HA release by low glucose concentrations warrants further attention.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A primary extranodal lymphoma associated with IgM-kappa paraproteinaemia: different secretory capacities of cutaneous and circulating lymphoma cells.

We report a patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of small lymphocytic type with IgM-kappa monoclonal gammopathy who developed extranodal involvement with orbital and nasal manifestations, followed by generalized subcutaneous nodules. Immunological study disclosed that the peripheral blood and the subcutaneous nodule were both involved in a common monoclonal proliferation of B cells at various stages of differentiation, including secretory cells which accounted for the serum paraprotein. The secretory capacity was far greater in the peripheral blood than in the subcutaneous tissue. These clinical and immunological manifestations might reflect the physiological behaviour of a particular B cell subset which shows a preference for mucocutaneous sites to secrete IgM in the peripheral blood.

Female↗
PubMed1986

Drug-induced changes in histamine and tele-methylhistamine levels in mouse peripheral tissues.

To clarify the histamine (HA) dynamics in peripheral tissues, effects of drugs on the tissue HA and tele-methylhistamine (t-MH) levels were studied in mice. alpha-Fluoromethylhistidine (50 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly decreased the HA level in the stomach, but not in the liver, heart, ileum, submandibular gland and skin of mice. This compound had no significant effect on the t-MH level in any tissue examined. In non-fasted and 24-hr fasted animals, the t-MH level in the liver, heart and ileum was significantly increased by treatment with aminoguanidine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) plus pargyline (65 mg/kg, i.p.). However, in mice fasted for 48 hr, this treatment was ineffective in increasing the t-MH level in the heart and ileum, suggesting that the t-MH level in some peripheral tissues is under the influence of the food intake. Even if HA is synthetized and then metabolized in the peripheral tissues, the size of the HA pool with a rapid turnover in each tissue except for the gastric tissue seems to be very small.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Effects of GABA-mimetic drugs on turnover of histamine in the mouse brain.

The effect of GABA-mimetics on histaminergic activity in the mouse brain was investigated. Systemic administration of muscimol (2 and 5 mg/kg), THIP (5-15 mg/kg) and aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA) (25 mg/kg) but not baclofen (2.5-15 mg/kg) inhibited the pargyline (65 mg/kg)-induced accumulation of tele-methylhistamine (t-MH). There was no regional difference in the inhibitory effect of muscimol on the t-MH accumulation by pargyline treatment. Muscimol and AOAA also inhibited decrease in the histamine (HA) level induced by alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (50 mg/kg), a specific inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase. These results suggest that these GABA-mimetics reduce the HA turnover in the mouse brain.

Aminooxyacetic Acid↗
PubMed1985

Decrease in histamine turnover in the brain of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Histamine (HA) turnover rate in the brain of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was determined by the accumulation of telemethylhistamine after pargyline treatment. The values in these SHR were lower than in the Wistar Kyoto rats, particularly in the hypothalamus and brainstem. However, chronic treatment with L-histidine had no effect on the development of hypertension in the SHR. The functional significance of the decreased HA turnover in SHR is discussed in relation to the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1985

Morphine-induced changes in histamine dynamics in mouse brain.

The effect of the acute morphine treatment on histamine (HA) pools in the brain and the spinal cord was examined in mice. Morphine (1-50 mg/kg, s.c.) administered alone caused no significant change in the steady-state levels of HA and its major metabolite, tele-methylhistamine (t-MH), in the brain. However, depending on the doses tested, morphine significantly enhanced the pargyline (65 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced accumulation of t-MH and this effect was antagonized by naloxone. A specific inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase, alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (alpha-FMH) (50 mg/kg, i.p.), decreased the brain HA level in consequence of the almost complete depletion of the HA pool with a rapid turnover. Morphine further decreased the brain HA level in alpha-FMH-pretreated mice. Morphine administered alone significantly reduced the HA level in the spinal cord, an area where the turnover of HA is very slow. These results suggest that the acute morphine treatment increases the turnover of neuronal HA via opioid receptors, and this opiate also releases HA from a slowly turning over pool(s).

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Changes in histamine metabolism in the mouse hypothalamus induced by acute administration of ethanol.

The effect of acute ethanol administration on histamine (HA) dynamics was examined in the mouse hypothalamus. The steady-state level of HA did not change after intraperitoneal administration of ethanol (0.5-5 g/kg), whereas the level of tele-methylhistamine (t-MH), a predominant metabolite of brain HA, increased when 3 and 5 g/kg of ethanol was given. Pargyline hydrochloride (80 mg/kg, i.p.) increased the level of t-MH by 72.2% 90 min after the treatment. Ethanol at any dose given did not significantly affect the t-MH level in the pargyline-pretreated mice. Decrease in the t-MH level induced by metoprine (10 mg/kg, i.p.), an inhibitor of HA-N-methyltransferase, was suppressed by ethanol (5 g/kg), thereby suggesting inhibition of the elimination of brain t-MH. Ethanol (5 g/kg) significantly delayed the depletion of HA induced by (S)-alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (50 mg/kg, i.v.), a specific inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase. Therefore, a large dose of ethanol apparently decreases HA turnover in the mouse hypothalamus.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Performance of Japanese and Japanese-American children on the Motor Accuracy-Revised and Design Copying Tests of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests.

This study investigates whether cultural differences affect childrens' performances on the Design Copying (DC) and Motor Accuracy-Revised (MAC-R) Tests of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests. The DC and the MAC-R were administered to 98 children who were born in Japan and lived there at least during the first year of life and to 82 children who were of Japanese descent but who were born in America. Average test scores of the Japanese and Japanese-American children were compared with those of the American children, on whom the tests were standardized. Results of the tests requiring right-hand performance revealed that both groups of Japanese-descent children performed better than the standardization group of American children; the Japan-born children performed the best. We base these findings on the influence that culture has on the development of a child.

Asian↗
PubMed1985

delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol decreases turnover of brain histamine.

Histamine (HA) is a neurotransmitter present in the brain. As there is little information on the effect of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC) on brain histaminergic activity, the possible delta 9-THC-induced changes in brain HA turnover were studied in rats and mice. Whereas various doses of delta 9-THC had no influence on the brain HA levels in these species, high doses of delta 9-THC reduced the content of tele-methylhistamine (t-MH), a predominant HA metabolite in the brain, in mice. A moderate dose of delta 9-THC was effective in decreasing the brain t-MH content in the rats. Pargyline (65 mg/kg i.p.) caused a 101 ng/g accumulation of t-MH in mice and an 80 ng/g accumulation of t-MH in rats 105 min after the injection. delta 9-THC significantly suppressed the pargyline-induced t-MH accumulation at 50 mg/kg in mice whereas only 2 mg/kg of this compound was effective in rats, when administered i.v. 15 min after pargyline treatment. delta 9-THC (50 mg/kg i.v.) delayed the depletion of neuronal HA in the mouse brain, as induced by treatment with a specific histidine decarboxylase inhibitor alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (50 mg/kg i.p.). delta 9-THC (30 and 100 microM) significantly inhibited the K+-induced release of endogenous HA from guinea-pig hypothalamic slices. These results suggest that delta 9-THC decreases HA turnover in the brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Phencyclidine and the dynamics of mouse brain histamine.

The effects of phencyclidine (PCP) on the dynamics of brain histamine (HA) were examined in the mouse brain. PCP (2-10 mg/kg i.p.) dose-dependently elevated the level of tele-methylhistamine (t-MH), a predominant metabolite of brain HA, without altering the HA level. PCP also enhanced the accumulation of t-MH after administration of pargyline hydrochloride (80 mg/kg i.p.). PCP at 5 mg/kg facilitated the HA depletion produced by (S)-alpha-fluoromethylhistidine markedly (50 mg/kg i.v.), a specific inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase. Metoprine (10 mg/kg i.p.), an inhibitor of HA-N-methyltransferase, decreased the t-MH level and increased the HA level. In the metoprine-treated mice, PCP at 10 mg/kg had no significant effect on the t-MH level, whereas it significantly increased the HA level. The increase in the t-MH level after administration of PCP (5 mg/kg) was observed in various brain regions except the pons-medulla oblongata. These results suggest that, in mice, PCP increases the brain HA turn-over possibly by facilitating the release of HA.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Neuronal histamine inhibits methamphetamine-induced locomotor hyperactivity in mice.

Whether central histaminergic (HAergic) neurons mediate the regulation of methamphetamine (MAMP)-induced hyperactivity was clarified. L-histidine (HIS; 500 and 1000 mg/kg i.p.) reduced the locomotor hyperactivity induced by MAMP (1 mg/kg i.p.) in mice, and the effect was significant only at 1000 mg/kg. HIS significantly elevated brain histamine (HA) levels, in both doses, whereas telemethylhistamine (t-MH) levels were elevated only at 1000 mg/kg. Pretreatment with alpha-fluoromethylhistidine, a histidine decarboxylase inhibitor, suppressed both behavioral and biochemical effects of HIS. Metoprine, a HA-N-methyltransferase inhibitor, increased brain HA levels, decreased t-MH levels and suppressed the MAMP-induced locomotor hyperactivity. It is concluded that central HAergic systems may play an inhibitory role on the MAMP-induced locomotor hyperactivity.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Regional differences in the turnover of neuronal histamine in the rat brain.

The turnover rate of histamine (HA) and the half-life of neuronal HA were estimated in 9 regions of the rat brain following pargyline-induced accumulation of tele-methylhistamine (t-MH). The turnover rate was the highest in the hypothalamus (108.7 ng/g/hr). The striatum also showed a high turnover rate (80.2 ng/g/hr) despite much lower levels of HA and t-MH, as compared with the levels in the hypothalamus. The turnover rate was relatively high in the thalamus, cerebral cortex, amygdala and midbrain, but it was very low in the cerebellum. t-MH accumulation in the spinal cord was nil. The HA levels were reduced to various degrees (from nil to less than 40% of the control) by (S)-alpha-fluoromethylhistidine, depending on the regions studied. The neuronal HA content of each brain region was subsequently estimated, and the half-life of neuronal HA in each region was calculated. The half-life of neuronal HA was the shortest (7.7 min) in the striatum, while it was long (about 50 min) in the hypothalamus and thalamus. Half-life values of about 20 min were obtained in other regions. These results show the high levels of histaminergic activity in some parts of the telencephalon, thalamus and midbrain as well as the hypothalamus.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Histamine turnover in the brain of different mammalian species: implications for neuronal histamine half-life.

The turnover of neuronal histamine (HA) in nine brain regions and the spinal cord of the guinea pig and the mouse was estimated and the values obtained were compared with data previously obtained in rats. The size of the neuronal HA pool was determined from the decrease in HA content, as induced by (S)-alpha-fluoro-methylhistidine (alpha-FMH), a suicide inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase. The ratios of neuronal HA to the total differed with the brain region. Pargyline hydrochloride increased the tele-methylhistamine (t-MH) levels linearly up to 2 h after administration in both the guinea pig and the mouse whole brain. Regional differences in the turnover rate of neuronal HA, calculated from the pargyline-induced accumulation of t-MH, as well as in the size of the neuronal HA pool, were more marked in the mouse than in the guinea pig brain. The hypothalamus showed the highest rate in both species. There was a good correlation between the steady-state t-MH levels and the turnover rate in different brain regions. Neither the elevation of the t-MH levels by pargyline nor the reduction of HA by alpha-FMH was observed in the spinal cord, thereby suggesting that the HA present in this region is of mast cell origin. The half-life of neuronal HA in different brain regions was in the range of 13-38 min for the mouse and 24-37 min for the guinea pig, except for HA from the guinea pig hypothalamus, which had an extraordinarily long value of 87 min. These results suggest that there are species differences in the function of the brain histaminergic system.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The inhibition of substance P-induced histamine release from mast cells by 6, 7-dihydro-6, 8, 8, 10-tetramethyl-8H-pyrano-[3, 2-g] chromone-2-carboxylic acid (EAA).

In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, 6,7-dihydro-6,8,8, 10-tetramethyl-8H-pyrano [3, 2-g] chromone-2-carboxylic acid (EAA) had an inhibitory effect on the substance P-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. Not only Ca2+ but also Mg2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ were effective in enhancing the activity of EAA. Marked tachyphylaxis to EAA developed irrespective of the presence or absence of extracellular Ca2+. Cross-tachyphylaxis was observed between EAA and disodium cromoglycate (DSCG). These results indicate that the mode of action of EAA is similar, but not identical, with that of DSCG.

Animals↗