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Biomedical subjects

S R Bloom

Publications and source records attributed to S R Bloom.

At least 757 records · Page 42Linked to original sources

PHI-like immunoreactivity in the gallbladder and in vitro effect of porcine PHI on smooth muscle of the gallbladder.

The occurrence and distribution of PHI-like immunoreactivity in the guinea pig gallbladder has been analysed by radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemistry. Chromatography of gallbladder extracts by gel permeation and high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that guinea pig PHI-like immunoreactivity is of a similar size to that of porcine PHI but may differ in its amino acid sequence. Immunocytochemistry showed PHI-immunoreactivity to be localised to nerves found predominantly in the ganglionated plexus and the mucosal plexus of the gallbladder. Pure natural porcine PHI induced a dose-dependent relaxation of the isolated guinea pig gallbladder muscle which was not blocked by antagonists to acetylcholine, catecholamines, histamine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine. PHI may thus be one of the local factors involved in controlling gallbladder function.

Animals↗

A pancreatic-polypeptide-producing tumor of the stomach.

A gastric tumor was found in a 64-year-old woman who later developed flushing, tachycardia, headache, and lacrymation. The plasma pancreatic polypeptide (PP) level was 700 times normal values, and the majority of the tumor cells were immunoreactive to PP antiserum. Symptoms were alleviated, and PP levels fell after embolization of the hepatic artery for liver metastases. This is the first reported case of gastric PP-producing endocrine tumor.

Apudoma↗

Presence of neuropeptide Y in human circle of Willis and its possible role in cerebral vasospasm.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been demonstrated in the human circle of Willis by specific radioimmunoassay. Concentrations were similar in cadaver and peroperative specimens. NPY concentrations were highest around the basilar bifurcation (2.9 +/- 1.0 pmol/g), anterior cerebral artery (2.7 +/- 0.5 pmol/g), and carotid trifurcation (2.4 +/- 0.6 pmol/g). Concentrations were lowest in the basilar artery (1.0 +/- 0.4 pmol/g). Intracarotid administration of NPY (50 pmol to 2 nmol) to rats reduced mean cerebral cortical blood flow by 40-98%. This vasoconstriction lasted for at least 2 h. These findings suggest that NPY may be involved in the cerebral vasospasm which follows subarachnoid haemorrhage and in the maintenance of normal vascular tone.

Animals↗

The regulatory peptide system of the large bowel in equine grass sickness.

In recent years, distinct changes in regulatory peptides have been found in a number of gastrointestinal diseases. Grass sickness is a fatal disease of horses for which the etiology has yet to be fully ascertained. In this study, the peptide-containing nerves and ganglionic and mucosal endocrine cells of the ileum, colon and rectum were investigated in horses with sub-acute or chronic grass sickness and compared with normal controls using immunocytochemistry, at both the light and electron microscopical levels, and radioimmunoassay. A substantial loss of both peptide-containing cells and nerves was found in all of the sick horses, particularly in the ileum. Electron microscopy revealed marked degeneration of nerves in the gut wall. Fibers containing granules immunostained for substance P or VIP, using the immunogold staining technique, underwent extensive degranulation in grass sickness, with the formation of multiple vacuoles. Radioimmunoassay of peptide content also showed that the most drastic changes occurred in the ileum. For example, VIP content was significantly reduced from 109 +/- 19.8 (mean +/- SEM) pmoles/g in controls to 6.8 +/- 1.4 pmoles/g in grass sickness (p less than 0.001) and substance P from 65.9 +/- 8.1 to 31.3 +/- 9.5 (p less than 0.02). These results may have applications in the diagnosis and treatment of grass sickness.

Animals↗

Bombesin-like immunoreactivity in the pancreas of man and other mammalian species.

Bombesin-like immunoreactivity has been measured in pancreatic tissues of man (12.4 +/- 1.2 pmol/g), pig (15.8 +/- 3.2), calf (4.3 +/- 0.9), rat (8.5 +/- 1.2) and guinea-pig (2.8 +/- 0.6) by a specific radioimmunoassay. Gel filtration of the pancreatic extracts revealed 2 major immunoreactive peaks: the earlier peak was eluted in the position of porcine gastrin-releasing peptide, and the later peak was eluted just after the amphibian bombesin standard. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated the presence of bombesin-like immunoreactivity in nerves in the rat pancreas, particularly in the exocrine pancreas, and occasionally in the peri-insular spaces. Isolated rat pancreatic islets were found to contain small quantities of bombesin-like immunoreactivity (0.037 +/- 0.003 fmol/islet) suggesting that mammalian bombesin-like peptides may be involved in the regulation of endocrine as well as exocrine pancreatic secretion.

Animals↗

Decrease of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the penises from impotent men.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-containing nerves were depleted in the penises of 28 impotent men. The extent of the decrease in VIP-containing nerves broadly reflected the severity of erectile dysfunction. VIP-immunoreactive nerves were most depleted in those men with complete erectile impotence, irrespective of the aetiology of the dysfunction, whereas in those men in whom some erectile function persisted, loss of VIP-immunoreactive nerves was more variable and less complete. Conventional histology demonstrated only mild changes (muscle atrophy and occasional thickening of blood vessel walls). VIP levels, measured by radioimmunoassay of tissue extracts, were depleted by more than 80% in penises from impotent diabetics (43.4 +/- 9.9 pmol/g wet weight [mean +/- SEM]), when compared with 6 controls (189.9 +/- 45.9 pmol/g). These findings not only support the contention that VIP may be the principal neurotransmitter involved in penile erection, but also suggest that depletion of this powerful vasodilatory peptide may play a key role in the development of penile impotence.

Adult↗

Neuropeptide Y in human spinal cord.

The distribution of a newly described peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY) within the human spinal cord has been determined using radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemistry. Higher concentrations were found in the lumbar (49.9 +/- 6.8 pmol/g) and sacral (47.0 +/- 10.6 pmol/g) regions than in the cervical (27.6 +/- 2.7 pmol/g) and thoracic spinal cord (33.8 +/- 5.3 pmol/g). Immunocytochemistry revealed numerous nerve fibers containing NPY in the spinal cord; these were particularly concentrated in the substantia gelatinosa of the dorsal horn. In the ventral spinal cord NPY-containing nerves were sparse becoming more abundant in lumbosacral segments.

Adult↗

The distribution and origin of a novel brain peptide, neuropeptide Y, in the spinal cord of several mammals.

The distribution of neuropeptide Y [NPY]-immunoreactive material was examined in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of rat, guinea-pig, cat, marmoset, and horse. Considerable concentrations of NPY and similar distribution patterns of immunoreactive nerve fibres were found in the spinal cord of all species investigated. The dorsal root ganglia of the cat and the horse contained numerous immunoreactive nerve fibres, but in these species, as in the other three studied [rat, guinea-pig, marmoset], no positively stained cell bodies were found. Neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive nerves were observed at all levels of the spinal cord, being most concentrated in the dorsal horn. In the rat, guinea-pig, and marmoset, there was a marked increase of NPY-immunoreactive fibres in the lumbosacral regions of the spinal cord, and this was reflected by a considerable increase of extractable NPY. Estimations of NPY-immunoreactive material in the various regions of the rat spinal cord were as follows: cervical, 13.8 +/- 1.0; thoracic, 21.1 +/- 2.5; lumbar, 16.3 +/- 2.9; sacral, 92.4 +/- 8.5 pmol/gm wet weight of tissue +/- SEM. In the ventral portion of the guinea-pig spinal cord they were as follows: cervical, 7.1 +/- 1.2; thoracic, 8.2 +/- 3.6; lumbar, 22.6 +/- 7.0; sacral, 36.7 +/- 9.5 pmol/gm wet weight of tissue +/- SEM. Analysis of spinal cord extracts by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography [HPLC] demonstrated that NPY-immunoreactive material elutes in the position of pure NPY standard. No changes in the concentration and distribution of the NPY-like material in the rat spinal cord were observed following a variety of surgical and pharmacological manipulations, including cervical rhizotomy, sciatic nerve section and ligation, and local application of capsaicin [50 mM] to one sciatic nerve. It is therefore suggested that most of the NPY-immunoreactive material in the spinal cord is derived either from intrinsic nerve cell bodies or from supraspinal tracts.

Animals↗

Neuropeptide Y in the guinea-pig biliary tract.

High concentrations of neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been demonstrated in the gall bladder (16.7 +/- 5.4 pmol/g), cystic duct (25.4 +/- 9.2 pmol/g) and common bile duct (54.7 +/- 11.5 pmol/g) of the guinea-pig using a recently developed radioimmunoassay. Immunoreactive NPY containing nerves were demonstrated in all layers of the biliary tree using immunocytochemistry, being particularly dense in the myenteric and mucosal plexuses.

Animals↗

Ontogeny of a novel peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY) in rat brain.

Changes in the concentration of a newly discovered peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been determined in the developing rat brain using a recently developed radioimmunoassay and chromatographic analysis. NPY was present in the brain stem (14.8 +/- 5.6 pmol/g) and diencephalon (12.1 +/- 12.1 pmol/g) in the earliest embryos studied (14 days postconception), but appeared only on the 19th day postconception in the cerebral cortex. The concentrations of NPY showed a rapid postnatal rise in all regions examined. The finding of NPY early in the development of the embryonic rat brain and particularly in caudal regions has some similarities to the pattern of development of the catecholaminergic system.

Age Factors↗

A novel substance P pathway linking the dorsal and ventral horn in the upper lumbar segments of the rat spinal cord.

We report here the presence of a novel substance P pathway existing at a segmental level in the upper lumbar region (L1/L2) of the rat spinal cord. Substance P-containing fibres were seen directly linking a number of discrete areas of the rat spinal cord, including dorsal and ventral regions. These fibers were found closely associated with a specific group of motoneurones, the mediolateral motor nucleus in the ventral horn. This motoneurone group appeared as a 'focusing' nucleus around which substance P-containing tracts appeared to congregate. An intrinsic spinal cord origin of substance P-containing neurones in these interconnecting pathways is suggested as deafferentation achieved either by section of appropriate dorsal roots, or pharmacologically by neonatal treatment with capsaicin, had no effect on the appearance of the nucleus in the ventral spinal cord or of the associated substance P-containing tracts. Likewise, mid-thoracic lesions of the spinal cord (to determine supraspinal contributions) including hemisection, dorsolateral funiculus lesions and lesions of the region around the central canal, induced no change. The significance of these interconnecting substance P-immunoreactive fibre tracts is not known. However, the intimate association of substance P-containing fibres with a specific group of motoneurons indicates that they may modulate motor function.

Afferent Pathways↗

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) in PC12 phaeochromocytoma cultures: responses to dexamethasone and nerve growth factor.

High concentrations of a novel regulatory peptide, neuropeptide Y, have been identified within the PC12 rat phaeochromocytoma cell line by radioimmunoassay and chromatographic analysis. The cellular concentration of this peptide has been demonstrated to be predominantly influenced by the presence of nerve growth factor. After 14 days in culture in the presence of dexamethasone, NPY concentrations were 0.19 +/- 0.03 pmol/mg protein, whereas following similar exposure to nerve growth factor, concentrations were 3.44 +/- 0.19 pmol/mg protein. Addition of nerve growth factor to the dexamethasone-treated cells resulted in a rise in NPY concentration to 0.90 +/- 0.08 pmol/mg over 7 days, whereas addition of dexamethasone to the cells treated with nerve growth factor resulted in no further rise in NPY concentration. The concentrations of NPY far exceed those previously reported for neurotensin in PC12 cells, under the same culture conditions. These two peptides appear also to be regulated by different mechanisms.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

Comparative distribution of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), substance P and PHI in the enteric sphincters of the cat.

In the feline gastrointestinal tract, the neuropeptides, substance P, VIP and PHI were investigated by specific radioimmunoassays and immunocytochemistry. The concentrations of all 3 peptides and the level of peptidergic innervation were significantly less in the anal sphincter than elsewhere, whereas no significant differences were seen between other sphincter and non-sphincter regions.

Anal Canal↗

PHI-like immunoreactivity co-locates with the VIP-containing system in human lumbosacral spinal cord.

Using a specific radioimmunoassay and immunocytochemistry, the quantitative regional distribution and localization of PHI-like immunoreactivity was studied in normal postmortem human spinal cord. The levels of PHI-like immunoreactivity were low in the cervical and thoracic region whereas the lumbar and especially sacral regions showed higher levels, with dorsal sacral concentrations exceeding ventral concentrations. Chromatographic analysis by high pressure liquid chromatography revealed that the PHI-like immunoreactivity in human spinal cord elutes slightly earlier than pure porcine PHI, and may correspond to PHM-27, a PHI-27-like peptide found in human preprovasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Immunocytochemical studies show a distinctive distribution of PHI-like immunoreactive fibres and terminals at the lumbosacral segments. The distribution of PHI-like immunoreactivity is thus similar to that of VIP, and unlike a number of other neuropeptides; with VIP, it may mark a system which has a role in the spinal control of urogenital function in man.

Aged↗