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P R Sinclair

Publications and source records attributed to P R Sinclair.

108 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Iron and the liver. Acute and long-term effects of iron-loading on hepatic haem metabolism.

We have determined the dose-response curves (100-900 mg of Fe/kg body wt.) and the time course over 84 days for the effects of a single injection of iron-dextran on rat hepatic 5-aminolaevulinate synthetase, cytochrome P-450, iron content, and GSH (reduced glutathione). Porphyrins in liver and urine have also been measured. (1) At 2 days after treatment, a dose of 500 mg of Fe/kg produced a 20-fold increase in iron concentration, which was maintained for 14 days. Total hepatic iron remained constant over 63 days, falling slightly by 84 days. (2) The activity of 5-aminolaevulinate synthetase was maximally increased (6-fold) 12-24 h after iron treatment. By 48 h the activity fell to less than twice the control value and thereafter remained slightly above the control value (1.1-1.5-fold) until 84 days after iron treatment. Liver GSH concentrations were unaffected by iron. Porphyrins in liver and urine were either unchanged or decreased. (3) Hepatic cytochrome P-450 decreased after iron treatment to a minimum (63% of control) at 48 h after iron administration and gradually returned to the control value by 28 days. (4) Iron-dextran potentiated 2 allyl-2-isopropyl-acetamide-induced synthesis of hepatic 5-aminolaevulinate. Potentiation occurred if the drug was given at the same time or 36 h after iron administration, but did not occur if the drug was given 14 or 64 days after iron administration. (5) The results are discussed in relation to proposed mechanisms for the effects of iron on hepatic haem metabolism.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗
PubMed1981

Iron increases collagenase production by rabbit synovial fibroblasts.

Ionic iron, as the chelate FeNTA, was taken up by rabbit synovial fibroblasts in monolayer culture. Uptake was accompanied by increased production of latent collagenase and PGE2. Concomitant addition of desferrioxamine, a specific chelator of Fe+++, prevented iron uptake and induction of collagenase and PGE2. Collagenase induced by iron may have a role in the pathogenesis of certain disease states associated with abnormal iron deposition.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Complementary use of amperometric and spectrophotometric detection for concurrent monitoring of serum tryptophan metabolites by reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

We describe an improved reversed-phase liquid-chromatographic method for concurrent measurement of tryptophan and eight of its metabolites in serum. These were separated by gradient elution and detected both by ultraviolet absorption at 254 nm and amperometrically at an oxidation potential of +0.700 V vs Ag/Cl. Detection limits for the electrochemically-detected compounds were between 100 pg and 1.0 ng, and approximately 1-5 ng for the ultraviolet-absorbing compounds. Analytical recovery of the compounds after deproteinization (by ultrafiltration) varied between 65 and 95%. As little as 500 microL of serum is required. No interference(s) from other naturally occurring serum constituents were encountered. This highly sensitive method is relatively fast and offers a useful tool for diagnosis and treatment of diseases involving derangement in tryptophan metabolism.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1980

Metabolism of hepatic haem and 'green pigments' in rats given 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide and ferric citrate. A new model for hepatic haem turnover.

We have studied effects of single doses of 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide and ferric citrate on hepatic haem turnover in rats. Haem was pre-labelled by intraperitoneal administration of 5-amino-[4-(14)C]laevulinate 4h before other treatments. Computer-assisted analysis of the haem decay curve showed that at least two exponential components were involved implying two haem pools. In control rats the size of the rapidly-turning-over pool was 38% of the total. Treatment with 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide alone resulted in a 2.3-fold increase in the fractional size of this pool. Treatment with ferric citrate alone increased the size of this pool 1.8-fold; treatment with both agents together had no measurable effect beyond that produced by 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide. The apparent rate constant for disappearance of labelled haem from the first pool was not affected by treatment with 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide or ferric citrate, indicating that these treatments affect hepatic haem turnover primarily by altering the distribution of haem synthesized in the liver. The increased haem degradation after treatment with 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide alone was associated with the accumulation of ;green pigments' in the liver. These pigments were detectable 1.5h after drug treatment; their total amount increased steadily for 28h and then declined. Despite this increase in amount, radioactivity of the ;green pigment' fraction fell rapidly in a biphasic fashion. Some of the radioactivity that initially was found in the ;green pigment' fraction was later found in an aqueous fraction, not extractable by acidic ethyl acetate. Rats given ferric citrate together with 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide accumulated less ;green pigments'.

Acetamides↗
PubMed1980

Seizure management in acute hepatic porphyria: risks of valproate and clonazepam.

Seizures may occur in acute intermittent porphyria or other hepatic porphyrias. Management is difficult, because barbiturates and hydantoins exacerbate the porphyric state. We studied one patient with major motor seizures and acute intermittent porphyria. The seizure disorder was exacerbated by phenytoin and did not respond to a high-carbohydrate diet or to intravenous hematin. Clonazepam was ineffective in treating the seizures and, in high doses, seemed to exacerbate the porphyria. Both clonazepam and valproate were porphyrinogenic in experimental test systems. Because both drugs may exacerbate the acute hepatic porphyrias, bromide remains the drug of choice to treat these seizures.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗
PubMed1976

Oxidation and reduction of membrane-bound cytochrome c in Hemophilus parainfluenzae. Reaction with oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and nitrate.

Cytochromes of the a-, b-, c- and d-type become reduced when intact cells of Hemophilus parainfluenzae have become anaerobic following respiration with substrates such as formate or succinate, as shown previously (J. Biol. Chem. (1970) 254, 5096-5100). In the presence of formate after depletion of O2, there is an unusual two-step time course of reduction of the membrane-bound cytochrome c. The proportion of the cytochrome c which is reduced during the second stage is oxidizable by either nitrate or H2O2 and is reduced again when the nitrate or H2O2 have been depleted. We conclude that the observed two-stage reduction of cytochrome c results from the presence of an oxidant, probably H2O2, produced by reaction of formate dehydrogenase with O2. This was shown by the effects of cyanide, catalase and O2. In addition, no evidence for the production of the oxidant is seen when succinate is the substrate oxidized. Although measurements of absorption spectra indicated only one species of cytochrome c, kinetic evidence is presented for some separation of the cytochrome c into more than one electron transport pathway.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1976

The transport of hemin and protoporphyrin across the plasma membrane of chick embryo liver cells in culture.

Primary monolayer cultures of chick embryo hepatocytes can be cultured in a chemically defined medium (Ham F-12) containing insulin. The absence of serum from the medium permitted a study of the effects of added serum proteins on the transport of hemin and protoporphyrin across the plasma membrane of the hepatocyte. As the criterion of hemin uptake we used its unique and selective activity in repressing the induced synthesis of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase by various chemicals. Movement of hemin into the cells is rapid and does not require added serum proteins. Hemin represses the induced synthesis. The repression by hemin is decreased 50% when the molar ratio of hemin to human serum albumin (6.5 muM) is 1 :2, i.e., where the calculated concentration of dissociated hemin is 10(-8) M. Apparently serum albumin does not enter the cells; it decreases entry of hemin into the cells by virtue of its high affinity for hemin. Compared to human serum albumin, bovine serum albumin and chicken serum albumin, under the same conditions, have a much lower affinity for hemin and scarcely influence the repression effect by hemin. Protoporphyrin can be specifically caused to accumulate in the cytosol, and uroporphyrin in the nucleus of the hepatocytes by the use of different inducers of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase. Protoporphyrin, but not uroporphyrin, is released rapidly from the cells when the moles of human serum albumin added to the medium are 5 times that of porphyrin. This culture system may provide a useful model for studying the mechanism of transport of organic anions across the hepatocyte plasma membrane.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗
PubMed1970

Effect of nitrate, fumarate, and oxygen on the formation of the membrane-bound electron transport system of Haemophilus parainfluenzae.

The composition of the membrane-bound electron transport system of Haemophilus parainfluenzae underwent modification in response to the terminal electron acceptor in the growth medium. H. parainfluenzae was able to grow with O(2), nitrate, fumarate, pyruvate, and substrate amounts of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) as electron acceptors. When O(2) served as the electron acceptor and its concentration was lowered below 20 mum, the bacteria formed more cytochromes b, c, a(1), a(2), and o than were present in the cells grown at 150 to 200 mum O(2). Nitrate and nitrite reductase activities also appeared during growth at the low O(2) concentrations in the absence of added nitrate. Cytochrome levels in cells grown anaerobically with fumarate, pyruvate, or NAD as terminal acceptors were similar to those formed in cells grown at low O(2) concentrations. Cells grown with nitrate had higher levels of cytochromes c, b, and o, and of nitrate and nitrite reductases, than did cells grown with the other acceptors. The formation of cytochrome oxidase a(2) was repressed by the presence of nitrate in the growth medium. The critical O(2) concentration (the O(2) concentration at which the rate of O(2) uptake becomes demonstrably dependent on the O(2) concentration) was about 100 mum in cells grown with nitrate and about 15 mum in cells grown with the other acceptors. A mutant of H. parainfluenzae was found to make about 10% as much cytochrome c as the wild type, and its formation of cytochrome a(2) was not repressed by nitrate. The critical O(2) concentration of the mutant was high when it was grown with nitrate, suggesting that the high levels of cytochrome c and the absence of cytochrome a(2) from the wild type are not responsible for the high critical O(2) concentration. The modifications of the respiratory system induced by changing the terminal electron acceptor were inhibited by the presence of chloramphenicol, which suggests that protein synthesis is involved.

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed1968

Electron transport system of the protoheme-requiring anaerobe Bacteroides melaninogenicus.

Protoheme is essential for the growth of some strains of Bacteroides melaninogenicus. At low concentrations in the growth medium, protoheme determines the doubling time, total cell yield, and amount of cytochrome per bacterium. At high protoheme concentrations, the doubling time, total cell yield, and amount of enzymatically reducible cytochrome appear to remain nearly constant, and protoheme is accumulated by the cell. The accumulated protoheme can support the growth of the bacterium for at least eight generations in a protoheme-free medium. When growth and cytochrome content are proportional during growth at low protoheme concentrations, the bacteria incorporate 10 to 20% of the total available protoheme into a membrane-bound respiratory system. This respiratory system includes cytochrome c, a carbon monoxide-binding pigment, and possibly flavoproteins. The pigments can be reversibly reduced by reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or endogenous metabolism and can be oxidized anaerobically by fumarate or by shaking in air. Electron transport is inhibited by 2-n-nonyl-4-hydroxy-quinoline-N-oxide.

Bacteroides↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmacodynamics of cytochrome P450 2B induction by phenobarbital, 5-ethyl-5-phenylhydantoin, and 5-ethyl-5-phenyloxazolidinedione in the male rat liver or in cultured rat hepatocytes.

The pharmacodynamics of rat hepatic cytochrome P450 2B (P450 2B) induction by phenobarbital (PB) and two structural congeners, dl-5-ethyl-5-phenylhydantoin (EPH) and dl-5-ethyl-5-phenyloxazolidinedione (EPO), were investigated. The in vivo induction of P450 2B was probed in F344/NCr rats by measuring immunoreactive hepatic P450 2B1 protein and by assaying the hepatic 16 beta-hydroxylation of testosterone and O-dealkylation of (benzyloxy)- and pentoxyresorufin. The induction of (benzyloxy)resorufin O-dealkylation activity was also measured in adult rat hepatocyte cultures exposed to the three xenobiotics. The concentration of xenobiotic at the putative active site in the in vivo studies was approximated by measuring serum total xenobiotic levels, while in the hepatocyte culture studies, the nominal xenobiotic concentration in the culture medium was used. Concentration-dependent induction of P450 2B activities was observed in the in vivo and hepatocyte culture studies. The in vivo ED50 values for P450 2B induction were approximately 110, approximately 100, and approximately 3000 dietary ppm (14 days administration) for PB, EPH, and EPO, respectively. The in vivo EC50 values for P450 2B induction were approximately 9, approximately 6, and approximately 130 microM (total serum) for PB, EPH, and EPO, respectively. In cultured rat hepatocytes, the ED50 values for induction of (benzyloxy)resorufin O-dealkylation activity were 14.5, 14.2, and 108 microM for PB, EPH, and EPO, respectively. These data indicate that pharmacodynamic results obtained with cultured hepatocytes represent a good qualitative and quantitative approximation of the in vivo hepatic responses in male rats caused by PB-type inducers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hepatic heme metabolism and its control.

This review summarizes heme metabolism and focuses especially upon the control of hepatic heme biosynthesis. Activity of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase, the first enzyme of heme biosynthesis, is of primary importance in controlling the overall activity of this biosynthetic pathway. Δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase is subject to inhibition and repression by heme, and numerous basic and clinical studies support the concept that there exists within hepatocytes a "regulatory" heme pool which controls activity of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase. In addition, activity of this enzyme is repressed by feeding, especially by ingestion of carbohydrates (the so-called "glucose effect"). Studies pertaining to the mechanisms underlying this effect are also reviewed. The "glucose effect" appears to be mediated by glucose or perhaps by glucose-6-phosphate or uridine diphosphate glucose, rather than by metabolites further removed from glucose itself. Unlike the situation in E. coli, the "glucose effect" in liver of higher organisms is not mediated by alterations in intracellular concentrations of cyclic AMP. Effects of heavy metals, especially iron, on hepatic heme metabolism are also considered. Iron has been found to inhibit formation and utilization of uroporphyrinogen III and to lead to decreased concentrations of microsomal heme and cytochrome P-450. Administration of large amounts of iron is also associated with an increase in activity of heme oxygenase, a property shared by several other metal ions, most notably cobalt. This effect of iron or cobalt administration is similar to the effect of heme administration in increasing heme oxygenase activity; however, we believe it is unlikely that iron, rather than heme itself, is a physiologic regulator of hepatic heme metabolism, although this hypothesis has lately been proposed.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Protection of ethanol-mediated acetaminophen hepatotoxicity by triacetyloleandomycin, a specific inhibitor of CYP3A.

Cytochrome P450 2E (CYP2E) is considered responsible for ethanol-mediated increases in acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity. However, it has been shown in cultured human and rat hepatocytes and intact rats that ethanol induces CYP3A in addition to CYP2E. Therefore, an investigation was made in rats to see whether or not an inhibitor of CYP3A, triacetyloleandomycin (TAO), would protect against ethanol-mediated increases in APAP hepatotoxicity. Rats, treated with 6.3 percent ethanol in the Lieber-DeCarli diet for 7 days, were administered APAP (lg/kg, i.g.) 11 hrs after removal of the diet. Triacetyloleandomycin (500 mg/kg, saline solution) was injected i.p. 2 hrs before the administration of APAP. In rats pretreated with ethanol, treatment with APAP for 7 hrs resulted in focal centrilobular congestion and steatosis. Triacetyloleandomycin completely prevented the histological liver damage in all 8 animals. These results suggest that, in ethanol-treated rats, CYP3A plays a major role in increasing APAP hepatotoxicity.

Acetaminophen↗