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Biomedical subjects

M Camera

Publications and source records attributed to M Camera.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Vastatins inhibit tissue factor in cultured human macrophages. A novel mechanism of protection against atherothrombosis.

We examined the effect of fluvastatin, the first entirely synthetic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor that is structurally different from other vastatins, on tissue factor (TF) expression in human macrophages spontaneously differentiated in culture from blood monocytes. Fluvastatin decreased TF activity in a dose-dependent manner (1 to 5 mumol/L) in both unstimulated and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages, and this reduction paralleled the decrease in immunologically recognized TF protein. The same results were obtained with another lipophilic vastatin, simvastatin, but not with hydrophilic pravastatin. The reduction in TF expression was also observed in macrophages enriched in cholesterol after exposure to 50 micrograms/mL acetylated low density lipoprotein. The inhibitory effect of fluvastatin on TF activity and antigen was fully reversible by coincubation with 100 mumol/L mevalonate or 10 mumol/L all-trans-geranylgeraniol but not with dolichol, farnesol, or geraniol. Suppression of TF antigen and activity was accompanied by a diminution in TF mRNA levels, which was completely prevented by mevalonate. Furthermore, fluvastatin impaired bacterial lipopolysaccharide-induced binding of c-Rel/p65 heterodimers to a kappa B site in the TF promoter, indicating that this drug influences induction of the TF gene. We conclude that lipophilic vastatins inhibit TF expression in macrophages, and because this effect is prevented by mevalonate and geranylgeraniol, a geranylgeranylated protein plays a crucial role in the regulation of TF biosynthesis. The suppression of TF in macrophages by vastatins indicates a potential mechanism by which these drugs interfere with the formation and progression of atherosclerotic plaque as well as thrombotic events in hyperlipidemic patients.

Arteriosclerosis↗
PubMed1996

Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 synthesis and mRNA expression in HepG2 cells are regulated by VLDL.

The effect of VLDL on plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 biosynthesis in HepG2 cells was investigated. Exposure of HepG2 cells to VLDL (range, 10 to 100 micrograms protein per milliliter) for 16 hours resulted in an enhanced release of PAI-1 antigen and PAI activity into conditioned medium, accompanied by the accumulation of intracellular triglycerides. By using a monoclonal antibody (IgG C7) specific to the LDL receptor, we showed that the effect of VLDL is mediated by its interaction with the LDL receptor. Enhanced PAI-1 release was due to increased biosynthesis: PAI-1 mRNA was doubled, mainly because of the effect on the 2.2-kb PAI-1 mRNA rather than the 3.2-kb transcript. Addition of insulin with the VLDL further enhanced PAI-1 antigen release and PAI-1 mRNA accumulation. The effect of VLDL on steady state levels of PAI-1 mRNA was apparently not due to an increase of gene transcription but to stabilization of both PAI-1 mRNA transcripts. The enhancing effect of VLDL on PAI-1 biosynthesis in HepG2 cells may raise PAI-1 antigen levels not only in hypertriglyceridemic states but also in those conditions in which both insulin and VLDL are elevated.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed1993

Increased synthesis of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 by cultured human endothelial cells exposed to native and modified LDLs. An LDL receptor-independent phenomenon.

The effects of native and acetylated low density lipoproteins (LDLs and acetyl-LDLs, respectively) on the release of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) by cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECs) were evaluated. LDL and acetyl-LDL incubated with ECs for 16-18 hours increased the PAI-1 antigen levels in conditioned medium. At a concentration of 100 micrograms/mL, LDL and acetyl-LDL increased PAI-1 by 10.8 and 12.0 ng/mL, respectively (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01 versus control). The increases in PAI-1 antigen levels exerted by the lipoproteins paralleled the changes in PAI-1 activity. The effect of LDL and acetyl-LDL was concentration dependent and specific for PAI-1 because tissue-type plasminogen activator and expression of procoagulant activity were not affected by either lipoprotein. In addition, total protein synthesis evaluated in [35S] methionine-labeled ECs was not affected, and studies with cycloheximide showed that the effect of LDL and acetyl-LDL on PAI-1 release was due to de novo protein synthesis. Experiments using the C7 monoclonal antibody against the LDL receptor and binding-defective LDL indicated that the effect of LDL on the synthesis of PAI-1 was not dependent on the interaction of the LDLs with their specific receptors. Finally, extensive oxidation of LDL prevented and even reversed the effect of LDL on PAI-1 release by ECs. It is concluded that LDL specifically increases the synthesis of PAI-1 by ECs with mechanisms that are not receptor mediated.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1993

Functionally abnormal monocytes in hypercholesterolemia.

We investigated some functions of monocytes from 20 type IIa hypercholesterolemic (HC) and five homozygous familial hypercholesterolemic (FH) patients. Monocytes from the HC patients contained as much cholesterol and formed as much thromboxane B2 in response to N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or calcium ionophore A23187 as those from normal individuals. In contrast, the generation of prostaglandin E2 and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha in response to these agonists was 1.5-3 times normal, and that of leukotriene B4 was 40-60% of the normal value (p < 0.05 for all). Studies in which the combination of fMLP or A23187 with sodium arachidonate were employed suggested that these abnormalities were independent of the availability of the endogenous substrate for the lipoxygenase or cyclooxygenase enzymes. Quantitatively and qualitatively comparable abnormalities were found in monocytes from the five FH patients, and these were little affected when the patients' plasma cholesterol levels were almost normalized by low density lipoprotein apheresis. In keeping with the abnormalities in the eicosanoid metabolism, monocytes from HC patients exhibited a defective ability (p < 0.05) to generate O2-, the extent of which was correlated with the impaired formation of leukotriene B4. On the other hand, adhesion studies indicated that patients' cells exhibited an abnormally high ability to adhere to glass (p < 0.01). These data indicate the presence of functionally abnormal monocytes in hypercholesterolemia and suggest a direction to be followed to understand the importance of such cells in the premature atherosclerosis that occurs in these patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Effect of atherogenic lipoproteins on PAI-1 synthesis by endothelial cells.

Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC) exposed to native and acetylated low density lipoproteins (LDL and acetyl-LDL) show an increased synthesis of PAI-1. Confluent EC monolayers were incubated for 16-18 hours in medium 199 with or without different concentrations of LDL and acetyl-LDL and PAI-1 antigen levels were measured in conditioned medium. LDL and acetyl-LDL increased the release of PAI-1 by EC in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect was specific for PAI-1 because tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and expression of procoagulant activity were not affected by either lipoprotein. The observation that native and acetyl-LDL, which are known to interact with different receptors on EC, exert the same stimulatory effect on PAI-1 release rules out the possibility of an involvement of the LDL receptor in mediating this effect. Experiments carried out incubating native LDL in the presence of a monoclonal antibody against LDL receptor and using binding-defective LDL with a reduced affinity for the LDL receptor (approximately 50% with respect to normal LDL) further excluded an involvement of the classical LDL receptor in mediating the effect of the lipoproteins on PAI-1 synthesis by EC.

Arteriosclerosis↗
PubMed1992

Hypertriglyceridemia and regulation of fibrinolytic activity.

A relation between elevated triglyceride (TG) levels and alterations of the fibrinolytic system has been recognized in studies of patients with coronary heart disease. In this investigation, the total fibrinolytic activity and the levels of specific components of the fibrinolytic system were evaluated in plasma samples from a highly selected group of patients with type IV hyperlipoproteinemia before and after a dietary treatment aimed at reducing TG levels. The fibrinolytic response of type IV patients was comparable to that of normolipidemic subjects, whereas tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen levels before and after venous occlusion (p less than 0.01) and resting plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) antigen (p less than 0.01) and activity (p less than 0.01) were significantly higher in hypertriglyceridemic subjects compared with controls. After dietary treatment, a 22% reduction in TG levels was attained in type IV patients, with no appreciable modification of fibrinolytic parameters. The analysis of the single-patient data revealed a tendency toward normalization of PAI-1 levels only in those patients who showed a TG reduction greater than or equal to 20%. Very low density lipoproteins (VLDLs) from both normal and type IV patients concentration-dependently stimulated PAI-1 release by endothelial cells and HepG2 cells, with the effect of VLDL from type IV patients being more pronounced on HepG2 cells. The release of PAI-1 induced by VLDL in competent cells may thus account for the elevated levels of this antifibrinolytic protein that occur in hypertriglyceridemic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Profile of sequential determinants in tissue polypeptide antigen BrCN:B fragment.

A synthetic approach has been applied to determine the profile of sequential determinants of one immunodominant region of Tissue Polypeptide Antigen (TPA). Five overlapping peptides, covering 30 of the 32 amino acid residues of this fragment, were chemically synthesized, and their antibody-binding activities for rabbit anti-TPA antibodies determined by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbant assays. Anti-TPA reacted with two overlapping fragments at the COOH-terminal end of the fragment, but not with peptides that include Arg 15 considered as essential for the antigenicity of the whole fragment. This might suggest that this critical residue is involved in the formation of a complex conformational determinant.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

14C-labeling of synthetic peptides.

Two methods are described for the labeling of synthetic peptides using iodo[14C]acetic acid. The first procedure may be employed when the synthetic fragment contains a cysteine with a free sulfhydryl group. Alternatively, a commercial amino-protected cysteine may be carboxymethylated using radioactive iodoacetic acid. This derivative can be added to the growing peptide chain in the manual or automatic solid-phase synthesis of the fragment.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Restriction of anti-peptide antibody specificity by enzyme-modified Sepharose-peptide immunoadsorbents.

Sepharose-peptide immunoadsorbents, employed for the isolation of specific antibodies from the sera of rabbits immunized with carrier protein-peptide conjugates, were digested with suitable proteolytic enzymes, in order to obtain the splitting of a part of the peptide bound to the gel. This new modified immunoadsorbent can be advantageously used for the isolation of antibody subsets, that do not cross-react with related peptides exhibiting high sequence homology with the immunogens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Do monoclonal antibodies recognize linear sequential determinants?

A group of 19 anti-class II monoclonal antibodies produced in different laboratories were tested in ELISA for their ability to bind to a panel of synthetic peptides selected from HLA-DQ alpha and beta chains. No one of the antibodies tested was found to react with the synthetic fragments, thus confirming the common finding that MoAbs generally fail to recognize fragments of the native antigen. The possibility that this result might be partly due to the procedure used for screening hybridoma supernatants is discussed.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hypoglycorrhachia as an early sign of central nervous system infection caused by HIV].

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSP) glucose values were measured in 37 HIV-positive patients with neurologic symptoms and in 35 HIV-negative controls affected by bacterial or viral meningo-encephalitis (ME). Low CSF glucose values were found more frequently in HIV+ patients (49% of cases) than in ME patients (14%). CSF/serum ratios for glucose were also significantly lower in HIV +. Mean serum glucose did not differ between the two groups. Since HIV is a strongly neurotropic and infects early the endothelial cells of the brain capillaris, where glucose is actively carried from plasma to CSP, it is hypothesized that low CSF glucose in HIV-infected patients with neurological symptoms might be an early sign of CNS invasion by the virus.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗