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Biomedical subjects

L Kwock

Publications and source records attributed to L Kwock.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Ozone inhibits prostacyclin synthesis in pulmonary endothelium.

The effects of ozone on lung arachidonate metabolism in-vitro were studied in cultured bovine pulmonary endothelial cells exposed for 2 hours to ozone in concentrations up to 1.0 ppm. A concentration-dependent decrease in prostacyclin synthesis was found (90% decrease at the highest ozone level of 1.0 ppm). The inhibition of prostacyclin synthesis was not due to a decreased release of arachidonic acid from membrane lipids. We also examined the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictive response to 10% oxygen inhalation in anesthetized dogs in-vivo after exposure to 1.0 ppm ozone for 1 hour. Pulmonary vascular resistance was significantly increased after ozone exposure, similar to the findings in dogs given indomethacin (15 mg/kg). The percentage change in the hypoxic pulmonary pressor response was similar between the ozone exposure and indomethacin-treated groups, although due to the variance of the pulmonary vascular resistance values during hypoxia the results did not reach statistical significance. These results suggest that ozone inhalation affects pulmonary endothelial arachidonate metabolism in-vivo as well as in-vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

A comparison of the effects of hyperthermia on cell growth in human T and B lymphoid cells: relationship to alterations in plasma membrane transport properties.

Hyperthermic exposure (39-43 degrees C) for 1 or 2 hr impairs growth and Na+-dependent amino acid transport in both a radiosensitive human T (Molt-4) and a radioresistant B (RPMI 1788) lymphoid cell line. The heat damage to Na+-dependent amino acid transport in both cell lines is reversible under the conditions tested. Cell growth, as judged by increases in cell number, is decreased in both cell lines after hyperthermic treatment (43 degrees C, 1-hr exposure). This decrease in growth correlated with the damage to, and recovery of, the Na+-dependent amino acid transport system. However, the sensitivity to heat of both growth and Na+-dependent amino acid transport appears to differ in Molt-4 which is somewhat more sensitive to hyperthermia (T-cell line) vs RPMI-1788 (B-cell line). In the case of Molt-4, the rate of growth is decreased for about 60-80 hr after cells are exposed for 1 hr at 43 degrees C; whereas increases in cell number in the RPMI 1788 is observed within 40 hr after the heat treatment. The differences observed in cell growth and transport in these two lymphoid cell lines are attributed to the manner in which heat affects (i) the transport parameters in Molt-4 vs RPMI 1788 (i.e., the Michaelis-Menten constants Km and Vmax) and (ii) the putative plasma membrane sulfhydryl protein(s) which modulates Na+-dependent amino acid transport.

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗
PubMed1985

Renal medullary lymphatics: microradiographic, light, and electron microscopic studies in pigs.

Although renal cortical lymphatics have been extensively studied, the existence of renal medullary lymphatics has not been well documented. We studied renal microlymphatics in pig kidneys by retrograde ureteral injection of barium-sulfate-gelatin-saline mixture. Lymphatics filled as a result of forniceal rupture and interstitial extravasation. Microradiographs were correlated with histology and electron microscopy. We traced renal microlymphatic vessels from the arcuate level not only into the cortex but also into the pyramidal region, and therefore concluded that medullary lymphatics existed.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Radioiodinated bleomycin: stoichiometry of iodination and structural characterization by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance.

Bleomycin was iodinated by reaction with iodine monochloride (ICl). A direct relationship was found to exist between the average number of iodine atoms bound per molecule of bleomycin and the ICl: bleomycin molar ratio. Characterization by 1H-NMR analysis denoted that mono, di-, tri- and tetraiodobleomycin are formed when the reacting molar ratios, respectively, are 2:1, 4:1, 6.8:1 and 8.5:1 or greater. The sites of iodination of the bleomycin molecule have been identified to be the imidazole ring which iodinates first, followed by the bithiazole ring system which iodinates last.

Bleomycin↗
PubMed1983

Effects of iron, copper, cobalt, and their chelators on the cytotoxicity of bleomycin.

Bleomycin is widely used for treating several types of human tumors as well as a variety of experimental tumors. The ability of this antibiotic to bind and to damage DNA has been proposed to be responsible for its antitumor effect. Bleomycin is also a good chelator for several metals, e.g., iron, copper, and others. Bleomycin:metal complexes have been investigated in detail particularly for their action on isolated DNA. The conclusions from these studies indicate that metal-chelated bleomycin either is ineffective or more effective in damaging DNA. In this paper, we tested the effect of iron, copper, cobalt, and their chelators on bleomycin cytotoxicity. Our results suggest that chelating bleomycin with copper or adding an iron chelator (deferoxamine), diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, and a copper chelator (penicillamine) shows no effect on bleomycin cytotoxicity. On the other hand, iron dextran and a metal chelator, diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), with bleomycin show enhanced cytotoxicity. Cobalt-chelated bleomycin is not cytotoxic but is cytotoxic when combined with DDC. We suggest that different mechanisms are contributing to the enhanced toxicity of bleomycin with iron dextran and DDC. Bleomycin acts as a ferrous oxidase which promotes the iron toxicity. In the case of DDC, it can act as a reducing agent or it can help to maintain the bleomycin:metal complex in the reduced form which can generate radicals.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Endothelial cell damage after gamma-irradiation in vitro: impaired uptake of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid.

The effects of gamma-irradiation with a cesium-137 source were assessed on endothelial cells isolated from bovine pulmonary arteries and maintained in culture. The radiobiologic parameters that characterize the dose-response survival curve for these cells, expressed as mean +/- SD were found to be n = 1.6 +/- 0.2, Dq = 71 +/- 13 rads, and Do = 161 +/- 35 rads, indicating a relatively low capacity of these cells to accumulate or repair radiation damage. Increasing doses of radiation led to decreasing uptake by endothelial cells of [14C]2-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), a Na+-dependent and nonmetabolizable amino acid. A dose of 500 rads, which caused marked inhibition of cell survival, resulted in a 45% decrease in AIB uptake at 6 h and a 69% decrease in uptake at 24 h after irradiation. No morphologic abnormality was noted in these cells by light microscopy at 24 h after this dose of radiation. Bovine pulmonary artery fibroblasts, on the other hand, showed no significant impairment in uptake of AIB 24 h after exposure to doses of radiation as high as 5,000 rads. The uptake by endothelial cells of [14C]1-aminocyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid, an amino acid transported by a Na+-independent process, was not influenced by 5,000 rads of radiation. Our studies show that endothelial cells are sensitive to radiation and that impaired Na+-dependent uptake of AIB represents an early event in radiation damage to the endothelial cell.

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗
PubMed1981

Sulfhydryl group involvement in the modulation of neutral amino acid transport in thymocyte membrane vesicles.

Membrane vesicles from rat thymocytes accumulate 2-aminoisobutyric acid in the presence of 0. 1 M NaCl. Uptake is half maximal between 15 and 30 seconds after addition of the amino acid and reaches a plateau value after about 2 minutes. The uptake of 2-aminoisobutyric acid can be modulated by various sulfhydryl reagents. Reduced glutathione leads to an inhibition of uptake whereas oxidized glutathione increases uptake. Agents such as insulin and diamide which can induce disulfide formation lead to an activation of transport. These date indicate that uptake of the Na+-dependent amino acid, 2-aminoisobutyric acid, in thymocytes is modulated by a putative plasma membrane, sulfhydryl-containing protein.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1981

Protection of heat induced cytoxicity by glycerol.

Glycerol, at concentrations of 2-10% is a potent hyperthermic (43 degrees - 45 degrees C)protector of cultured Chinese hamster cells, V79. Furthermore, the sensitization effect of low pH on heat death is also drastically reduced by the addition of glycerol into the culture medium. Together with the known cellular effects of heat and the role of glycerol in various cellular structures and functions, the data suggest that microtubules and membranes may be involved in the expression of heat-induced cell death.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Effect of the superoxide anion (O2-) on Na+-dependent amino acid transport.

Superoxide anion (O2-) generated either by the autoxidation of dihydroxyfumaric acid (DHF) or enzymatically by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system inhibited the uptake of 2-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) in thymocytes. The transport of this non-metabolizable amino acid in thymocytes is mediated by a Na+-dependent mechanism. Inhibition of this transport system by O2- was similar to that observed when radiosensitive lymphocytes are subjected to ionizing radiation. As in irradiated thymocytes, O2- generation affected primarily the maximal rate of uptake of the amino acid (i.e. Vmax). No change was observed in the apparent affinity of the amino acid for its carrier (i.e. Km) or the efflux rate of the amino acid. The data suggests that the superoxide anion may be one of the major species responsible for the observed radiation damage to radiosensitive lymphoid cells.

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗
PubMed1980

Copper chelator enhancement of bleomycin cytotoxicity.

Bleomycin's effects on DNA strand scission are inhibited by low concentration of some metal ions (including copper), greatly stimulated by ferrous (Fe+2) ions, and increased and probably mediated by the production of superoxide radicals (O2-), hydroxyl radicals (OH), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). However, the role of these mechanisms in overall bleomycin cytotoxicity is not known. For this reason, we have treated the Chinese hamster cell line (V79) cells with a copper chelator, diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) and bleomycin in vitro DDC is known to inhibit superoxide dismutase (SOD), an enzyme responsible for the scavenging of O2-. The cytotoxicity is determined by the standard clonogenic survival method, which shows that DDC treated cells are more susceptible to bleomycin either as a function of bleomycin dose or as a function of bleomycin treatment time. These results support the notion that reducing Cu2+ levels and/or increasing O2- concentrations can modify the cytotoxicity of bleomycin.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Modification of rat thymocyte membrane properties by hyperthermia and ionizing radiation.

Thymocytes are one the most widely used cell models for the study of radiation-induced interphase death. This cell-type was chosen for the study of hyperthermic and radiation effects on two membrane-related processes implicated in the interphase death of cells: Na+-dependent 2-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) transport and cyclic 3'-5' adenosine monophsophate formation. The response of AIB transport to heat is dose-dependent, but the biphasic thermal response curve (AIB uptake versus time) differs fom the sigmoidal radiation response curve. Heating thymocytes for 20-30 min at 43 degrees C stimulates AIB uptake. Additional heating at 43 degrees C, however, markedly reduces AIB uptake. Despite the immediate stimulating effect of heat (30 min at 43 degrees C), the thymocyte has already developed irrepairable impairments, as demonstrated by the fractionated heating experiments. The heat-induced impairment of AIB uptake is mainly on the Na+-dependent component of neutral amino-acid transport, affecting primarily the maximal rate of uptake, i.e. Vmax. Additional evidence for heat-induced plasma membrane damage is the alteration in cAMP levels. Heating thymocytes for 30 min or longer at 43 degrees C causes a massive rise in cAMP level within the cell. This differs from thymocytes exposed to radiation where no rise in cAMP is observed.

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗
PubMed1978

Impairment of Na+-dependent amino acid transport in a cultured human T-cell line by hyperthermia and irradiation.

We have examined the effects of hyperthermia and radiation on the ability of a human T-leukemic lymphocyte line (Molt-4) to transport the Na+-dependent amino acid, 2-aminoisobutyrate (AIB). Heating Molt-4 at 43 degrees for 1 to 4 hr damages the ability of these cells to accumulate AIB. The damage to the transport system at 43 degrees impairs only the maximal rate of AIB uptake, i.e., Vmax. The thermal effect on AIB transport parallels the radiation effects observed for this system. Preliminary data indicate that heat and radiation may induce irreversible transitions in the tertiary or quaternary structure of a plasma membrane protein involved in regulating Na+-dependent amino acid transport. However, the mechanism by which heat and radiation damage this protein is different.

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗