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Biomedical subjects

N Nishi

Publications and source records attributed to N Nishi.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Stabilization of fibroblast growth factors by a non-cytotoxic zwitterionic detergent, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate (CHAPS).

The potential usefulness of a zwitterionic detergent, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate (CHPAS), in the stabilization of acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) was examined. Among several detergents, CHAPS was found to be not only non-cytotoxic but also most useful in handling the diluted preparations of FGFs. The advantages are as follows: 1) at lower concentrations than 0.01% CHAPS did not affect growth factor activity of calf serum (CS) and the growth rate of BALB/c 3T3 cells. The primary culture of rat prostate epithelium and colony formation of NRK-49F cells were hardly influenced by CHAPS lower than 0.003%; 2) the loss of FGFs that usually occurs due to their adherence to the surface of storage containers was effectively prevented by inclusion of 0.1% CHAPS; 3) the recovery of FGFs after storage or dialysis was significantly enhanced by inclusion of 0.1% CHAPS; 4) CHAPS at lower concentrations than 0.1% does not interfere with amino acid analysis, except that Thr may be misled only when the ratio of protein/CHAPS is low; 5) amino acid sequence analysis was hardly disturbed by CHAPS up to 0.5%. These results indicate that CHAPS is useful as a stabilizing agent for various kinds of polypeptides capable of showing biological activity at a low concentration.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1988

[Combined therapy with bromocriptine, clomiphene and gonadotropin for polycystic ovary syndrome patients failing to respond to clomiphene alone].

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ovulatory effect of the combined therapy with bromocriptine (Brc), clomiphene (Cl) and HMG. We investigated 25 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who had anovulatory normoprolactinemia and failed to respond to Cl therapy alone. The results were as follows: 1) The ovulation rate with Method I(Brc/Cl) was 64.0% (16/25) in 25 cases, and 59.8% in 122 cycles. 2) Resting levels of serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in the effective group with Method I were significantly lower than those in the non-effective group. 3) With Method I, serum prolactin (PRL), LH and testosterone were significantly decreased, while estradiol and progesterone concentrations were significantly increased in the effective group. However, there were no significant changes in the hormone levels except PRL in the non-effective group. 4) Out of the 9 nonrespondent Method I cases, 5 additional cases ovulated with both Method II(Brc/Cl+ a small dose of HMG) and Method III(Brc/Cl+ an increased dose of HMG-HCG). The total ovulatory rate was 84.0% (21/25) in 25 cases and 59.4% (85/143) in 143 cycles. 5) The total pregnancy rate was 43.8% (7/16). Six cases were normal pregnancies, one case was a twin pregnancy and there was no case of abortion. Our results suggested that the combined therapy with Brc, Cl and HMG had almost the same therapeutic effect as the HMG-HCG therapy in severe cases of PCOS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

F-actin-binding synthetic heptapeptide having the amino acid sequence around the SH1 cysteinyl residue of myosin.

The heptapeptide Ile-Arg-Ile-Cys-Arg-Lys-Gly-ethyl ester, having the amino acid sequence around the SH1 of myosin heavy chain, was coprecipitated with F-actin after ultracentrifugation. The heptapeptide inhibited the formation of acto-S-1 rigor complex by competing with S-1 for actin. Assuming a simple competitive inhibition, the dissociation constant of acto-heptapeptide complex was evaluated as 0.23 mM. An N-terminal tripeptide derivative from the heptapeptide Ile-Arg-Ile-methyl ester also formed a complex with F-actin with a dissociation constant of 1.1 mM. However, the other piece, Cys-Arg-Lys-Gly-ethyl ester, and a tetrapeptide, Val-Leu-Glu-Gly-ethyl ester, having the sequence adjacent to the N-terminal of the heptapeptide, scarcely bound with F-actin. These results suggest that part of the actin-binding site of myosin heavy chain around SH1 (Katoh, T., Katoh, H., and Morita, F. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 6723-6727) has the sequence of Ile-Arg-Ile and it is located adjacent to SH1 on its N-terminal side.

Actins↗
PubMed1987

Induction of methamphetamine-specific antibody using biodegradable carboxymethyl-chitin.

Induction of a specific antibody for methamphetamine, an antihypnotic drug, has been studied using carboxymethyl-chitin (CM-chitin) as a hapten carrier. The hapten-specific antiserum was induced by only a couple of hypodermal injections every 2 weeks. Inhibition of antigen-antibody complex formation was linearly related to methamphetamine concentration in the range 0.5 to 50 ng/50 microliter when an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed using an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex. Little antibody directed against CM-chitin and CM-chitin oligomer was detected. Thus it seems to be advantageous in the hapten-bovine serum albumin system. The specificity of the antibody was high as shown by the use of various methamphetamine analogs.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Heparin binding affinity of rat prostatic growth factor in normal and cancerous prostates: partial purification and characterization of rat prostatic growth factor in the Dunning tumor.

The rat prostate contains two types of growth factors capable of stimulating DNA synthesis in BALB/3T3 cells. These rat prostatic growth factors (RPGF) were separable by a different affinity for heparin: low affinity type RPGF and high affinity (HiA) type RPGF. About 80% of the RPGF in the cytosol from normal prostates was low affinity type, whereas more than 80% in the cytosol from the Dunning tumors was HiA type. Elution profile of HiA-RPGF showed two peaks of activity eluted from the heparin-Sepharose column, one at 1.3-1.4 M NaCl (HiA1-RPGF) and the other at 1.6-1.7 M NaCl (HiA2-RPGF). HiA2-RPGF could be purified 1100-fold from the Dunning tumor (AT-3 subline) in about 20% recovery by heparin-Sepharose chromatography. The partially purified HiA2-RPGF in the Dunning tumor has a molecular weight of about 19,000 and isoelectric point of about 3.8, and stimulated DNA synthesis at a concentration of about 0.25 nM. The activity was lost by heat treatment at 70 degrees C for 5 min and by acid treatment, whereas it was stimulated by incubating with dithiothreitol. The HiA2-RPGF did not have transforming growth factor activity at a concentration of 250 ng/ml or lower in the presence of epidermal growth factor.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Isolation of a 41 kilodalton cytosol protein from the Dunning rat prostatic adenocarcinoma: characterization as depolymerized actin isomers.

Except for albumin, a 41,000-dalton protein (41K) in the cytosol of the Dunning R-3327 rat prostatic adenocarcinoma was found to be the most abundant soluble protein. This protein was purified in nearly homogeneous state by conventional chromatographies. After the first chromatography, because of the adhesive nature of the protein, 0.5% SDS and 2 M urea were necessary for subsequent steps of purification. The amino acid composition of the purified 41K was similar to that of actin isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle. Alternatively, 41K could be extracted from the Dunning tumor in the presence of ATP and dithiothreitol, under conditions in which actin molecules are depolymerized, and could be purified by the same method as cytoskeletal actin. The purified protein showed properties similar to rat skeletal muscle actin in amino acid composition and antigenicity. Both 41K proteins were found to be composed of four components having different isoelectric points. These results indicate that most actin exists in a depolymerized form as a cytosol protein of 41,000 daltons in the Dunning tumor and is composed of at least four isomers.

Actins↗
PubMed1987

Effect of multiporous microspheres derived from chitin and partially deacetylated chitin on the activation of mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Multiporous microspheres were prepared from 80% deacetylated chitin (DAC-80) and chitin, and their effects on the activation of murine peritoneal macrophages in vivo and on the production of monokines such as colony-stimulating factor (CSF) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) were examined. Multiporous DAC-80 microspheres of mean diameter 2.5 microns [MS-DAC-80(2.5)] enhanced the cytolytic activity of peritoneal macrophages and the production of CSF in vitro by macrophages, spleen cells and bone marrow cells, and in vivo. MS-DAC-80(2.5) also stimulated the production of IL-1 by both resident and thioglycolate-induced peritoneal macrophages. Multiporous chitin microspheres [MS-chitin(2.5)] showed no effect on the activation of peritoneal macrophages in vivo and on the production of IL-1 in vitro, but slightly enhanced the production of CSF in serum in vivo.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1987

Effects of pantoyl-GABA on GABAA and GABAB receptors in the rat brain.

The interactions of the "antidementia drug" pantoyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid (pantoyl-GABA) with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors were investigated by studies on bindings of radiolabelled ligands in rat brain. Pantoyl-GABA inhibited the binding of [3H]GABA to GABAA receptors and those of [3H]baclofen and [3H]GABA to GABAB receptors in the rat cerebral cortex. These data suggest that pantoyl-GABA interacts with both types of GABA-receptors in the rat brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Protein profiles of benign hypertrophic prostate: stroma-abundant distribution of BPH-associated nonhistone proteins.

Mechanically isolated epithelium and stroma from benign hypertrophic prostates were highly pure on the basis of histochemical and biochemical criteria. By electrophoretic analyses, whole cellular and nuclear proteins were compared among whole tissues, epithelium, and stroma. The characteristic protein profiles of benign hypertrophic prostates were reflected in the electrophoretic patterns of the stroma. Two-dimensional gel electrophoretic patterns of the epithelium were different from those of the stroma with exception of about 18 major spots that were common to both fractions. Of the protein species separated, 35K/6.7 (molecular weight/pI) and 36K, which was composed of two species with pI of 4.4 and 4.6, were abundant in the epithelium and stroma, respectively. Nuclei prepared from whole tissues of benign hypertrophic prostates contained three kinds of nonhistone proteins (NHP) closely associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH); 42 K-NHP, 55 K-NHP and 190 K-NHP. Electrophoretic analysis of the nuclear proteins revealed that all the BPH-associated nonhistone proteins were abundantly distributed in the nuclei of the stroma.

DNA↗
PubMed1987

Growth factors in the prostate.

Certain local tissue factors, such as growth factor, in addition to androgens, are involved in the prostate growth. The prostate contains two types of growth factors capable of stimulating DNA synthesis in BALB/3T3 cells. They were divided into low affinity (LoA) type and high affinity (HiA) type by a different affinity for heparin-Sepharose. HiA-type growth factor is further classified into acidic HiA and basic HiA types. Acidic HiA type could be purified from the Dunning tumor (R 3327), a rat prostatic adenocarcinoma, and has a molecular weight of about 19,000 and a pI of about 3.8. Basic HiA type could be isolated from the tissues of human benign prostatic hypertrophy and has a molecular weight of about 12,000 and a pI of about 10.5. They are inactivated by heat and acid treatments. Acidic HiA type appears to be involved in growth of the rat prostate epithelium, and LoA type growth factor is possibly relevant to reproductive physiology because of its coexistence with "probasin," a major secretory protein in the dorsolateral prostate having a strong affinity for spermatozoa.

Aging↗
PubMed1987

[Combined therapy of bromocriptine, clomiphene citrate and HMG in normoprolactinemic amenorrhea patients who fail to respond to bromocriptine-clomiphene citrate therapy].

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ovulatory effect of the following three methods on 40 patients with normoprolactinemic amenorrhea patients who failed to respond to clomiphene citrate (Cl) alone. Method I is the combined therapy with bromocriptine and Cl (Brc/Cl). Method II is the combined therapy with Brc/Cl and an additional small amount of HMG (less than or equal to 300 IU). Method III is the combined therapy with Brc/Cl and an increased amount of HMG (less than or equal to 1,200 IU) and HCG. The ovulation rate of method I was 57.5% (23/40) in 40 cases, and 55.6% (99/178) in 178 cycles. The pregnancy rate for this method was 23.8% (5/21). Out of the 12 nonrespondent method I cases, 5 additional cases were ovulated by method II and 3 cases were ovulated by method III. The total pregnancy rate was 42.9% (9/21) with these three methods. Seven cases were normal pregnancies, one case was a twin pregnancy and 1 case was an abortion. No other side effects were found in this study. From these results, the combined therapy with Brc/Cl or Brc/Cl + HMG had almost the same ovulatory rate as the HMG-HCG therapy, and fewer side effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Bioactive chitin derivatives. Activation of mouse-peritoneal macrophages by O-(carboxymethyl)chitins.

The effect of O-(carboxymethyl)chitins (CM-chitins) on the activation of mouse-peritoneal macrophages in vivo and their mitogenic activity on mouse spleen-cells were investigated. The induction of cytotoxic macrophages is enhanced by an increase of negative charge at O-6 and decreased by further modification at O-3 of the GlcNAc residue. CM-Chitins had a minor effect on mitogenic activity that was independent of the site of modification; partially N-deacetylated chitins had little activity. Although there was remarkable enhancement of accessibility to lysozyme upon modification at O-6 of the GlcNAc residue, the accessibility was decreased by further substitution at O-3.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Lobe-specific distribution of a 20,000-dalton nonhistone protein in the dorsolateral prostate of rats.

Distribution of an androgen-dependent, 20,000-dalton nonhistone protein with a pI of about 11.5 (20K-NHP) was examined by electrophoretic techniques. Nuclei of the brain, liver, spleen, skeletal muscle, lung, and thymus of rats contained a negligible amount of 20K-NHP, whereas 20K-NHP was distinctly detectable, in different relative amounts, in the nuclei of the male accessory sex organs, with the dorsolateral prostate having the highest relative content (100%), followed by the coagulating gland (approximately equal to 16%), the ventral prostate (approximately equal to 6%), and the seminal vesicle (approximately equal to 2%). There were heterogeneous distributions of cytosol components, acid phosphatase isozymes, and nonhistone proteins in the dorsolateral prostate. Zinc was localized in the lateral lobe, and fructose and glucose were in the dorsal lobe. Cytosol proteins with pI 7.5, 8.2, and 8.5 were abundant in the dorsal lobe, and proteins with pI 7.4 and 8.0 in the lateral lobe. Acid phosphatase isozymes with pI 7.1, 7.4, 7.7, and 8.0 were abundantly distributed in the lateral lobe. Of the nonhistone proteins, 20K-NHP showed the highest content both in the lateral lobe and in the dorsal lobe. It was found that 20K-NHP was more abundantly distributed in the lateral lobe (maximally four times higher) than in the dorsal lobe. The heterogeneous distribution of 20K-NHP in the dorsolateral prostate was strikingly similar to that of zinc. It appears, therefore, that 20K-NHP is closely related to dorsolateral prostate zinc content.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1986

[Study of the correlation between gonadotropin- and prolactin-releasing systems in women in the luteal phase and early pregnancy].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between gonadotropin (Gn) and prolactin (PRL) releasing activities on the hypothalamo-pituitary axis in the luteal phase of the normal menstrual cycle and in the early gestational period. The plasma levels of LH-beta subunit (LH-beta) following an intravenous bolus of 100 micrograms LHRH did not change significantly in early pregnancy. The plasma PRL levels, as well as the Gn levels, were significantly elevated (p less than 0.05) after the administration of 100 micrograms LHRH in the luteal phase, but did not rise in early pregnancy. The intravenous bolus of 10mg metoclopramide (MCP) had no effect on plasma LH-beta, LH, FSH, estradiol or progesterone in the luteal phase or early pregnancy. The plasma PRL levels remained significantly (p less than 0.001) elevated after the administration of MCP. However, there was no significant difference between PRL response to MCP in the early pregnant and luteal phase groups. In the luteal phase, we could show the correlation between Gn and PRL releasing mechanisms on hypothalamo-pituitary axis, which could not be found in early pregnancy.

Estradiol↗