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Biomedical subjects

N Enomoto

Publications and source records attributed to N Enomoto.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Cholesterol-lowering effect of Agemaki, a kind of shellfish, in mice.

Agemaki (Sinonovacula constricta) is an edible and popular shellfish in the western part of Japan. The present study demonstrated the effects of feeding Agemaki on cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in mice plasma and liver. Mice were fed a diet containing 0.1% cholesterol and 0.1% Na-cholate for 1 week, and then a cholesterol-free diet or a cholesterol-enriched one for 2 weeks. To both diets, freeze-dried Agemaki was added at a 5% level. There was no statistically significant effect on the body-weight gain, food intake, and liver weight by feeding Agemaki in both dietary regimens. However, Agemaki significantly lowered the concentrations of plasma and liver cholesterol and also of plasma triglyceride in mice feeding on the cholesterol-rich diet. A similar tendency was also observed for the mice feeding on the cholesterol-free diet. The analysis of freeze-dried Agemaki revealed a relatively larger proportion of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols, which may possibly decrease plasma lipids. So far as we know, this is the first report showing hypolipidemic effect of Agemaki.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Different types of chronic hepatitis in alcoholic patients: does chronic hepatitis induced by alcohol exist?

To verify the existence of chronic hepatitis induced by alcohol, the clinicopathological features of chronic hepatitis in heavy drinkers were studied using various viral markers. Histological features of chronic active hepatitis were seen in 27 heavy drinkers. These patients were divided into four groups. The AL group (seven cases) consisted of alcoholics who were negative for both hepatitis C antibody and HBsAg; the HB group (four cases) was positive for HBsAg; the HC1 group (seven cases) was positive for hepatitis C antibody but negative for hepatitis C virus-RNA genome; and the HC2 group (nine cases) was positive both for hepatitis C antibody and hepatitis C virus-RNA genome. Serum AST and ALT activity declined during 4 wk of abstinence in most patients in the AL group and in the HC1 group. The response of serum AST and ALT to abstinence was poor in most patients in the HB group and the HC2 group. Serum desialo-transferrin and alcohol liver membrane antibodies were detected more frequently in the sera of patients in the AL group and HC1 group. A trend toward increased frequency of centrilobular ballooning existed in the AL group, but this did not reach statistical significance. These results suggest that chronic active hepatitis in patients in the AL group, in whom markers of HBV and hepatitis C virus were absent, may be caused by alcohol. Patients in the HC1 group who had hepatitis C antibody but not hepatitis C virus-RNA may represent cases where both alcohol and hepatitis C virus are involved.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Alcoholic liver disease in heterozygotes of mutant and normal aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genes.

To clarify the pathogenetic role of acetaldehyde in the development of alcoholic liver disease, genotyping of aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genes was performed and the clinical features of the alcoholic liver disease patients with different genotypes were compared. Genotyping of aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 was performed in 47 patients with alcoholic liver disease using the polymerase chain reaction and slot-blot hybridization. Of the 47 patients with alcoholic liver disease, 40 were homozygous for the normal aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 gene and the remaining seven cases were heterozygous for the normal and mutant aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genes. No homozygote was found for the mutant aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genes. Daily alcohol intake was less than 100 gm in all heterozygotes without relation to the type of alcoholic liver disease. On the other hand, all but four patients homozygotic for the normal aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 gene drank more than 100 gm alcohol/day. The mean daily alcohol intake in the heterozygotes was significantly lower than that in the normal homozygotes. The incidence of alcoholic fibrosis tended to be lower in the heterozygotes than in the normal homozygotes (14.2% vs. 52.5%). On the other hand, the incidence of alcoholic hepatitis and/or cirrhosis tended to be higher in the heterozygotes than in the normal homozygotes. These results indicate that alcoholic liver disease develops even with moderate amounts of alcohol intake in heterozygotes of the aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genes, in which acetaldehyde metabolism in the liver is impaired and liver damage in the heterozygotes is more severe than that in the normal homozygotes, suggesting that habitual drinkers who are heterozygotes of the aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genes may be at high risk for alcoholic liver disease.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1990

There are two major types of hepatitis C virus in Japan.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect hepatitis C virus (HCV) in plasma from chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis patients. By choice of adequate primers, 19 of 24 samples (79%) were found positive. Sequence analysis of amplified 400 bp cDNA fragments encoding a portion of NS5 gene suggested that HCV can be classified into two types (named K1 and K2) in Japan. Slot blot hybridization of the fragments indicated that 13 were HCV-K1 and 6 were HCV-K2, which show 80% and 67% nucleotide sequence homology, respectively, with that of the prototype.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Formation of diastereoisomeric 3a-hydroxypyrroloindoles from a tryptophan residue analog mediated by iron (II)-EDTA and L-ascorbate.

Oxygenation of a tryptophan residue analog by ascorbate in the presence of catalytic amounts of iron(II) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) has been studied. Under physiological conditions, reaction of the tryptophan derivative (N-t-butoxycarbonyl-L-tryptophan) with Fe(II)-EDTA and ascorbate resulted mainly in the oxygenation of the indole moiety of the substrate. In this reaction, cis and trans diastereoisomeric alcohols 3a-hydroxy-1-t-butoxycarbonyl-1,2,3,3a,8,8a-hexahydropyrrolo[2,3- b]indoles have been successfully identified in the metal-catalyzed free radical oxidation of indole compounds. Hydroxylation at C-5 and C-6 and a ring opening reaction between C-2 and C-3 have also been confirmed. The reaction of Fe(II)-EDTA/ascorbate with the tryptophan derivative was apparently nonselective with regard to position and was significantly suppressed by the hydroxyl radical scavengers (mannitol and dimethylsulfoxide), suggesting the participation of the hydroxyl radical as the actual oxidizing species.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1990

Urinary polyamine excretion measured by a simple enzymatic method is clinically useful as an expression of hepatic regeneration in liver diseases.

Polyamines have been known to play an important role in hepatic regeneration. In the present study, we measured the amount of urinary polyamine excretion in various liver diseases using a simple enzymatic method. Urinary polyamine excretion was elevated above the normal range in 21 out of 47 cases with fulminant hepatic failure, acute hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. No change, however, was observed in 11 patients with chronic inactive hepatitis. In fulminant hepatic failure, two patients with urinary polyamine concentrations above 100 mumoles/g.cr. recovered, while two patients with concentrations of 56.2 and 26.7 mumoles/g.cr., died. In acute hepatitis, urinary polyamine excretion was significantly less in the recovery stage compared with the acute stage. When insulin and glucagon infusion therapy was performed in patients with liver cirrhosis without ascites, urinary polyamine excretion was significantly elevated after three days. These results suggest that measuring the amount of polyamine in urine is clinically useful for monitoring hepatic regeneration.

Biogenic Polyamines↗
PubMed1989

Influence of risk factors on long-term survival following acute myocardial infarction: a follow-up study in central Japan.

The long-term survival rate following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was studied in 358 patients in central Japan who were monitored for 8 to 20 years after discharge from hospital for AMI. Fifteen-year cardiac survival rates were 65% in males and 72% in females. In both sexes, the survival rate decreased with increasing age at the time of AMI. The survival rate was significantly lower in recurrent MI than in first MI patients. Those who had smoked cigarettes before AMI or had hyperlipidemia during hospitalization did not show any significant decrease in cardiac survival rate, which may be due to cessation of smoking or control of hyperlipidemia after AMI. The 15-year survival rate was significantly lower in patients with a past history of angina pectoris or hypertension. Patients with a large infarct had a lower survival rate, as did those with a large cardiothoracic ratio on chest x-ray, and those who received digitalis during hospitalization. On the other hand, patients who were administered anticoagulants during hospitalization had a higher survival rate. Multiple regression analysis gave similar results. In conclusion, factors that reduced long-term survival rate after AMI were older age at time of the first attack, reduced cardiac function, and a history of angina pectoris or hypertension. Anticoagulant therapy appeared to improve the long-term survival rate.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

Prediction of the in-vitro human skin permeability of nicorandil from animal data.

A method for estimating the in-vitro permeability of human skin to drugs, based on in-vitro permeation studies using animal skins, has been developed. The skins from hairless rats, guinea-pigs, dogs and pigs were used, with nicorandil and deionized water as model drug and solvent in a drug-donor compartment. Diffusion coefficients through the skin barrier, D, and partition coefficients from the drug-donor compartment to skin, K, of the drug, in each species, were calculated by curve-fitting the in-vitro permeation data to a diffusion equation describing the drug permeation through a homogeneous membrane, using a non-linear least squares method. Each barrier thickness, L, was measured microscopically from microtomed skin sections. A positive relationship was found between the skin permeability, Kp, and K value among the four species, but species differences in the D and L values were small in spite of the Kp values being different among the four species. A positive correlation was also observed between the calculated and experimental K values among the four species, and hence it was suggested that the main factor for the species difference in the skin permeability of nicorandil would be the difference in partitioning of the drug from vehicle to stratum corneum. As a result, it has become feasible to predict and estimate skin permeability of nicorandil in humans by substituting each parameter, extrapolated from the animal skin permeation data and partition experiments, in the diffusion equation.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

The effect of ulinastatin on reduced nerve conduction velocity and blood pressure.

Application of a pneumatic tourniquet in orthopedic surgery is sometimes followed by hypotension and paralysis. Seventy-five patients scheduled for knee joint surgery were examined to evaluate the effects of ulinastatin on changes in blood pressure, venous pH and motor nerve conduction by pneumatic tourniquet application above the knee joint. In fifty-five of the patients, the femoral vein of the operating side was cannulated with a catheter to obtain venous blood samples before and after tourniquet application. 300,000 Unit of ulinastatin (UST) was administered intravenously before inflation of the tourniquet in 10 patients. In the other sixteen patients, the motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) of the peroneal nerve was measured before inflation and after release of the tourniquet. In the UST-free group, the reduced blood pressure and pH persisted for more than 15 min, while in the UST-treated group, the reduced blood pressure returned to the normal leven in 15 min. In the control group, femoral venous P(O)(2) continued to increase after 10 min, but that in the UST-treated group returned to the normal range. Tourniquet application significantly reduced peroneal MNCV. Pre-and post-treatment with UST significantly lessened the reduction of MNCV induced by the tourniquet. It is concluded that UST may have protective and therapeutic effects on ischemic nerve injury, induced by the application of a turniquet.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate enhances hepatic phospholipid synthesis in rats.

The effects of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, a typical peroxisomal proliferator, on the activities of key enzymes in the glycerophospholipid synthetic pathway and the incorporation of lipid precursors into liver lipids in vitro were studied periodically in rats. When di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was fed at the 1% level to rats, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity increased 2-3-fold in liver homogenates and microsomes in 2-4 days. The specific activity of microsomal CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase increased by 1.5-fold, whereas the cytosolic activity was depressed. The microsomal CDPcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase specific activity decreased, whereas the activity in the homogenates increased, suggesting the proliferation of the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum in di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate-treated rats. The incorporation of [1(3)-3H]glycerol or [1-14C]acetate into liver phospholipids in vitro increased in 2 days and stayed at a high level up to 12 days. The present study confirmed that di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate induced an enhancement of phospholipid synthesis in the liver. The increase in hepatic phospholipid synthesis by this drug is presumably linked to the proliferation of peroxisomes and other intracellular membranes.

Acetates↗
PubMed1987

Alteration of hepatic phospholipids in rats and mice by feeding di-(2-ethylhexyl)adipate and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate.

Effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DOA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), plasticizers for polyvinylchloride products, on concentrations and compositions of hepatic phospholipids were studied in rats. When administered to rats at a 2% level for 2 wk, both DOA and DEHP caused a hepatomegaly, an increase in hepatic phospholipids and a decrease an increase in hepatic phospholipids and a decrease in the ratio of phosphatidylcholine (PC) to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). In the comparable study with mice, the alkyl moiety of DOA was found to be responsible for these alterations. DOA and DEHP specifically altered fatty acid compositions of PC and PE: there was an increase in oleic and palmitic acids and a decrease in stearic and docosahexaenoic acids in PC and an increase in arachidonic acid at the expense of docosahexaenoic acid in PE. In addition, DOA caused an increase in the trienoic and tetraenoic molecular species in PC and an increase in the 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonyl (16:0@20:4) species in PE. Thus, the effects of DOA on the lipid dynamics resembled those observed with DEHP, although the magnitude was slightly moderated.

Adipates↗
PubMed1987

Purification and characterization of alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase from skipjack liver.

By means of a simple procedure involving two gel filtrations and an ion-exchange chromatography, alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase was purified to an electrophoretically homogeneous form from skipjack liver, in which the enzyme is the dominant glycosidase. The final alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase preparation contained practically no other glycosidase activities except alpha-galactosidase activity, which amounted to 0.8% of the alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase activity and may be an intrinsic activity of the enzyme. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 80,000 at pH 4.2 and 40,000 at pH 7.2 by molecular sieve chromatography, and to be 35,000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was most active at pH 4 and was inactive above pH 7. These results suggest that skipjack alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase exists as an active dimer at acidic pH and as inactive monomer at neutral or alkaline pH. The enzyme efficiently liberated the N-acetylgalactosamine unit from ovine submaxillary glycoprotein which had been desialylated by neuraminidase. The Km value and maximum velocity were 4.28 mM and 409 mumol/min X mg for p-nitrophenyl alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminide, and 0.0543 mM and 1.19 mumol/min X mg for ovine submaxillary asialoglycoprotein.

Acetone↗