Biomedical subjects

N Komatsu

Publications and source records attributed to N Komatsu.

262 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Macrophage stimulation activity of antimicrobial N,N-dimethylaminoethyl paramylon.

Pretreatment with N,N-dimethylaminoethyl (DMAE) paramylon significantly protected mice from infection by various microorganisms. When mouse peritoneal macrophages were cultured with DMAE-paramylon, they showed morphological change (spreading) and elevated NBT-reducing activity. Macrophages prepared from DMAE-paramylon-treated mice had higher NBT-reducing activity than those from control mice. On the other hand, carboxymethyl paramylon and paramylon sulfate, which did not induce appreciable antimicrobial activity, failed to stimulate macrophage functions. The data suggest a significant role of macrophages in antimicrobial activity induction by cationized glucans.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Practical value of LDH-X determination for the detection of sperm traces].

The examination of 38 stains collected in sexual offences provided spermatozoa-positive, LDH-X-negative results in 4 samples and spermatozoa-negative, LDH-X-positive results in 6 samples. The results suggest that besides the microscopic detection of spermatozoa the demonstration of LDH-X should be performed in medicolegal identification of seminal stains.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lignified materials as potential medicinal resources. II. Prevention of pathogenic bacterial infections in mice.

Antibacterial activity was demonstrated when ddY mice were intraperitoneally infected with E. coli or P. aeruginosa two days after a single ip-injection of a hot-water or alkaline extract obtained from lignified materials, such as chips of slash pine, Douglas fir, tallow wood, and two shelf fungi. Lignified material is a promising medicinal resource for the prevention and/or treatment of pathogenic microbial infection.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Antimicrobial spectrum of lignin-related pine cone extracts of Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc.

Pine cones of Pinus parviflora Sieb., et Zucc, were extracted successively with 5% NaHCO3, 3% NH4OH, 1% NaOH and 4% NaOH, and the extracts were tested for ability to induce antimicrobial activity in mice infected with Staphylococcal aureus. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, or Salmonella enteritidis. These alkaline extracts were potent against the first 5 of these strains of microorganisms, and the activity was recovered mostly from their acid-precipitates at pH 5. After further fractionation on a Sephadex LH-60 column, the highest molecular weight fraction was most potent. Chemical structures in these bioactive fractions were assumed to be lignin-related structures, based on spectral data from UV, NMR and IR spectroscopy.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Chemical modification potentiates paramylon induction of antimicrobial activity.

Induction of antimicrobial activity by two water-insoluble polysaccharides, paramylon and TAK, was significantly potentiated by introduction of positively charged groups (such as N,N-dimethylaminoethyl; N,N-diethylaminoethyl; and 2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammoniopropyl), but not by introduction of negatively charged groups (such as carboxymethyl or sulfate). Cross-linking of these derivatives with epichlorohydrin did not increase their potentiating activity. The effects of these derivatives did not always correlate with their ability to accumulate polymorphonuclear cells and to stimulate the generation of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence by peritoneal exudate cells.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Induction of antimicrobial activity by antitumor substances from pine cone extract of Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc.

Pretreatment with two distinct antitumor substances extracted from pine cone of Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc. protected mice from the lethal effects of E. coli infection. Intraperitoneal administration of these fractions transiently induced differentiation-inducing factor (DIF) with a peak at 1-2hr. The rapid decay of DIF activity from the peritoneal cavity was followed by polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) accumulation and enhancement of superoxide generation (assayed with luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL] by peritoneal exudate cells. The superoxide generation by adherent cells was similarly enhanced by pretreatment, but was only 10-20% of that of the peritoneal exudate cells. Fractions that showed comparable antitumor/antimicrobial activity were also obtained from seed shells and cones of other pine trees of Japanese and foreign origin. On the other hand, a neutral polysaccharide fraction from Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc. that lacked any of these activities did not induce PMN accumulation, DIF activity or LDCL generation. The results suggest a significant role in PMN activation for the expression of antimicrobial activity induced by pine cone extracts.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[C7 typing of blood stains using isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting].

By means of isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting C7 types were clearly demonstrated from bloodstains which had been stored at 37 degrees C for up to three weeks, at room temperature for up to six weeks and at 4 degrees C for over ten weeks. The C7 typing is practically useful in medicolegal individualization of unknown bloodstains.

Alleles↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Antitumor activity of polysaccharide fractions from pine cone extract of Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc.

Hot water extract of pine cone (PCE) of Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc. dose-dependently suppressed both solid and ascites tumor cells transplanted into various mice. Acidic polysaccharides of PCE significantly increased the survival time of mice bearing ascites tumor cells, and activity increased with acidity. One of the four polysaccharide fractions obtained by NaOH extraction showed the most potent antitumor activity. This fraction significantly suppressed the growth of solid tumor cells, with occasional tumor regression and necrosis, and with little or no cytocidal effect on cultured tumor cells. All acidic polysaccharides were able to activate mouse macrophage-like cell line J774.1. There did not appear to be any correlation between the antitumor activity of these polysaccharides and their content of arabinose (or fucose), mannose, galactose, glucose, or uronic acid.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Induction of a protective immunity in mice against Escherichia coli by phenothiazines, 10-[n-(phthalimido)alkyl]-2-substituted-10H-phenothiazines and 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(2-substituted-10H-phenothiazines-10-yl)alkyl-1 -ureas .

Abilities of five phenothiazines, six 10-[n-(phthalimido)alkyl]-2-substituted-10H-phenothiazines and six 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(2-substituted-10H-phenothiazines-10-yl)alkyl-1- ureas to induce anti-Escherichia coli activity in mice were compared. Seventeen compounds tested in this study had no antibacterial effect in direct contact with Escherichia coli using the disk diffusion method except chlorpromazine (4) with low growth inhibitory action. The pretreatment of mice with several phenothiazines, 10-[n-(phthalimido)alkyl]-2-substituted-10H-phenothiazines or 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(2-substituted-10H-phenothiazines-10-yl)alkyl-1- ureas protected the animals from lethal infection of Escherichia coli to various extents. On the basis of these experiments, we assume that the protective effect against Escherichia coli infection might be due to the immunopotentiation or macrophage inducing activity by the compounds, or inactivation of lymphokines induced by the bacteria. Since the infection preventing effect of the tested phenothiazines depends on the chemical structures, the specificity of the biological process can be assumed.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Radical modulation activity of lignins from a mangrove plant, Ceriops decandra (Griff.) Ding Hou.

The radical modulation activity of hot water and alkaline extracts from leaf of Ceriops decandra, a mangrove plant, was investigated using ESR spectroscopy. IR and NMR analyses demonstrate that the leaf extracts have a lignin-like polyphenolic structure. All these extracts produced radical(s) under alkaline conditions. The radical intensity of sodium ascorbate was slightly reduced at lower concentrations of the extracts, but it was synergistically enhanced at higher concentrations. All the extracts effectively scavenged superoxide anion, produced by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction. Pretreatment of mice with the extracts significantly protected them from the lethal infection by E. coli. Similar activity was found in lignins from pine seed shell of Pinus parviflora Sieb. et Zucc. These data further support the medicinal efficacy of plant extracts.

Animals↗