Ponasterone A, when injected into silkworm larvae (Bombyx mori), was hydroxylated at C-25 and C-26 with the formation of ecdysterone and inokosterone, followed by fission at C-20:C-22 to form poststerone. The catabolism of ecdysterone to poststerone was also clarified. These conversions are thought to constitute part of the detoxication mechanism for exogenous ecdysones in the insect.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Sex-difference in the response to different kinds of dietary carbohydrates in rats.

Each twenty male and female young rats (Donryu) were divided into five groups. Four groups of each sex were fed fat-free diet with different carbohydrates; cornstarch, glucose, sucrose, or fructose. The remaining one group of each sex was fed a commercial diet. After rearing for one month, hemoglobin content, level of blood sugar, weight of organs, and content and composition of lipids in serum and liver were measured. (1) Among the female carbohydrate-groups, the variation in the weight of organs was significantly large only in carcass and adrenals. Contents of hepatic lipids were similar among the carbohydrate-groups. The lowest content of serum lipids was found in the glucose group. (2) In the male, significant variations were found in the weights of carcass, spleen and kidneys. The highest content of hepatic lipids was in the starch group, but the highest content of serum lipids was in the fructose group. (3) The present experimental conditions were particular in that fat and fatty acids were excluded from diet in comparison with similar experiments reported, and the sex-difference in the response of rats to different kinds of carbohydrates found in the present study was similar to that being already noted.

Adrenal Glands↗

PubMed1975

An unexpected incidence of convulsive attack in male mice after long-term isolated condition.

Unexpected convulsive attacks were observed in male dd-D mice which were reared for a long-term experiment. After three months from the onset of rearing, some of mice showed convulsive attacks when they were handled in such routine laboratory procedures as weighing, clearing of cage and feeding. The convulsive attack was observed only among the mice being reared individually in each of sections of cage and did not occur in the mice which had been reared as a colony. The incidence rate of convulsive attack increased as the rearing period was prolonged. Our finding was similar to King and coworkers' report (1955) in which convulsions were observed in the singly housed C3H mice. The one thing particular in our observation was the difference of incidence rate according to the extent of isolation, i.e., the higher rate was observed on the condition of mice without other mice in the neighbouring sections than those with neighbouring mate. The neighbouring mate acted some roles to change susceptibility to convulsive attack, even though separated by a sheet of wire-netting.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Inhibition of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase by carnosine.

Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase was partially purified from bovine adrenal medulla and the effect of carnosine on the dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity was investigated. Carnosine significantly inhibited the enzyme activity at the concentrations higher than 0.5 mM. According to the Lineweaver-Burk plots, the inhibition observed appeared to be a non-competitive type with the substrate, tyramine.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Inhibitory substance (substance I) in rat liver of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and its effect on the rat blood pressure.

In a series of experiments undertaken to investigate the naturally occurring inhibitors of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, we extracted some active substance from rat liver. This substance was named "substance I" because of its inhibitory effect on the dopamine-beta-hydroxylase. Substance I had some hypotensive effect on the rat blood pressure.

Animals↗

PubMed1975