Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Yoshinori Kato

Publications and source records attributed to Yoshinori Kato.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

[Antibody engineering-based approach for hapten immunometric assays with high sensitivity].

The trace characterization of physiologically active substances with low molecular weight (e.g., steroids, catecholamines, prostaglandins, and oligopeptides), which are classified as "haptens", is an important subject in clinical analysis, and competitive immunoassays have conventionally been used for this purpose. However, the subfemtomole-range determination of haptens is very difficult, as the sensitivity of competitive immunoassays is essentially limited by the affinity of the anti-hapten antibodies that barely reaches the range of 10(11) (l/mol) as the affinity constant (K(a)). Although a noncompetitive "immunometric assay" format, the two-site immunometric assay (sandwich immunoassay), enables even subattomole-range measurements of macromolecules such as proteins, this principle can not be directly applied to haptens, as their low molecular mass prohibits simultaneous binding by two antibody molecules. To overcome such limitations, we are required either to create artificial antibodies showing ultrahigh affinity to haptens by protein engineering of antibody molecules ("antibody engineering") or establishment of novel immunometric assay formats applicable to haptens. This review surveys the background and recent approach for subfemtomole-range determination of haptens using novel immunometric assay methods. Our studies for the development of hapten immunometric assays are also described.

Antibodies↗
PubMed2006

Immunoenzymometric assay for a small molecule,11-deoxycortisol, with attomole-range sensitivity employing an scFv-enzyme fusion protein and anti-idiotype antibodies.

To overcome the sensitivity limit in immunoassays for small molecules (haptens), we established a noncompetitive immunoenzymometric assay (IEMA) format that can detect attomole-range hapten molecules. We selected 11-deoxycortisol (11-DC; Mr 346.5), a corticosteroid serving a diagnostic index for pituitary-adrenal function, as a model target hapten. A fusion of a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) specific for 11-DC and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was generated for use as an enzyme-labeled antibody, instead of the conventional chemically linked enzyme-antibody conjugates. After binding reaction of 11-DC and fixed amounts of the fusion protein (scFv-ALP), the unbound fusion protein was removed by incubation with a mouse beta-type anti-idiotype antibody recognizing the scFv paratope. These complexes were captured by magnetic separation using anti-mouse IgG antibody-coated magnetic beads. Following magnetic sedimentation of the beads, immune complexes of scFv-ALP and 11-DC remained in the supernatant were further purified by capture on microtiter plates with immobilized alpha-type anti-idiotype antibody. As measured fluorometrically, ALP activity from bound immune complexes on the plates increased with increasing 11-DC, which is characteristic of a noncompetitive relationship. This IEMA afforded an extremely low detection limit (20 amol/assay), a very wide measurable range, and practical specificity. The plasma 11-DC levels determined for healthy subjects were validated as reliable.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Half-metallic exchange bias ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interfaces in transition-metal chalcogenides.

To investigate half-metallic exchange bias interfaces, magnetic structures at ferromagnetic (FM)/antiferromagnetic (AFM) interfaces in the zinc blende transition-metal chalcogenides, and with compensated and uncompensated AFM interfaces, were determined by the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method. With the uncompensated AFM interface, an antiparallel alignment of the Cr and Mn moments induces an excellent half-metallicity. More striking still, in the compensated AFM interface the Cr moments in the FM layer lie perpendicular to the Mn moments in the AFM layer but the Mn moments strongly cant to induce a net moment so as to retain the half-metallicity. These findings may offer a key ingredient for exchange biased spintronic devices with 100% spin polarization, having a unidirectional anisotropy to control and manipulate spins at the nanoscale.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Noninvasive 1H/13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging of the intratumoral distribution of temozolomide.

Among the primary reasons for failure of anticancer chemotherapy are insufficient drug delivery to the tumor because of inadequate tumor vascularization and/or the antivascular effects of chemotherapy. Thus, determining the spatial intratumoral distribution of anticancer agents by noninvasive methods such as MRI/MRSI is important for monitoring cancer chemotherapy. We therefore studied the distribution of the 13C-labeled anticancer agent temozolomide ([13C]TMZ) in MCF-7 tumor-bearing mice using 1H/13C MRSI. In phantom studies inverse 13C detection with heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) provided a 2.3-fold gain in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over direct nuclear overhauser effect (NOE)-enhanced 13C-MRS. This enabled detection of [13C]TMZ in the micromolar range. Three-dimensional (3D) maps of drug distribution with a nominal 2.5-mm isotropic resolution were obtained following intraperitoneal administration of [13C]TMZ, for a total dose of 200 mg/kg. The status of the blood supply of tumors was assessed by gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced dynamic MRI. Nonuniform distributions of the drug and the contrast agent were detected in the tumors. Although carbon-13 MRSI has an inherently low sensitivity for detection, the novel technique described here demonstrates the feasibility of studying the delivery of 13C-labeled drugs and contrast uptake during the course of chemotherapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2005

Twist overexpression induces in vivo angiogenesis and correlates with chromosomal instability in breast cancer.

Aggressive cancer phenotypes are a manifestation of many different genetic alterations that promote rapid proliferation and metastasis. In this study, we show that stable overexpression of Twist in a breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, altered its morphology to a fibroblastic-like phenotype, which exhibited protein markers representative of a mesenchymal transformation. In addition, it was observed that MCF-7/Twist cells had increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) synthesis when compared with empty vector control cells. The functional changes induced by VEGF in vivo were analyzed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of MCF-7/Twist-xenografted tumors. MRI showed that MCF-7/Twist tumors exhibited higher vascular volume and vascular permeability in vivo than the MCF-7/vector control xenografts. Moreover, elevated expression of Twist in breast tumor samples obtained from patients correlated strongly with high-grade invasive carcinomas and with chromosome instability, particularly gains of chromosomes 1 and 7. Taken together, these results show that Twist overexpression in breast cancer cells can induce angiogenesis, correlates with chromosomal instability, and promotes an epithelial-mesenchymal-like transition that is pivotal for the transformation into an aggressive breast cancer phenotype.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Generation of a single-chain Fv fragment for the monitoring of deoxycholic acid residues anchored on endogenous proteins.

A subset of lipophillic bile acids, including deoxycholic acid (DCA) and lithocholic acid (LCA), are thought to be biologically transformed into reactive intermediates forming covalently modified, "tissue-bound" bile acids that can exert several toxic effects. We have generated a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) as a probe to monitor DCA residues anchored on proteins. DNA fragments encoding the variable heavy (V(H)) and light (V(L)) domains of a mouse antibody raised against a DCA hapten (Ab #88) were cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA 5'-ends. These sequences were combined via a common linker sequence coding (Gly(4)Ser)(3) to construct a single scFv gene with the gene segments in the following order: 5'-V(H)-linker-V(L)-3'. This construct was subcloned into an antibody-expression vector, pEXmide 5; soluble scFv protein was then expressed in the bacterial periplasm of the XLOLR Escherichia coli strain. In a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using DCA-coated microtiter plates, the scFv provided a dose-response curve for free DCA ranging between 2 and 5000 pg/assay. The scFv reacts similarly with the l-lysine adduct of DCA (cross-reactivity, 72%), while bile acids having a modified DCA steroid skeleton were well-discriminated (cross-reactivity, <1%). This scFv could also monitor trace amounts of DCA residues anchored on a protein through DCA acyl adenylate reactions, the likely reactive intermediate. The present scFv may be a useful tool for trace characterization of tissue-bound bile acids; this usefulness may be significantly enhanced by fusion with signal-generating proteins, such as alkaline phosphatase or green fluorescent protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Small molecule inhibitors of the CCR2b receptor. Part 1: Discovery and optimization of homopiperazine derivatives.

N,N'-Disubstituted homopiperazine derivatives have been discovered as CC-chemokine receptor 2b (CCR2b) inhibitors with submicromolar activity in the CCR2b binding assay. A 4-substituted benzyl group on one homopiperazine nitrogen was an important moiety for binding affinity to the CCR2b receptor. The SAR for CCR2b binding affinity correlated inversely with the sigma factor of the functional group on this benzyl moiety. Introduction of hydroxy groups to appropriate positions in the 3,3-diphenylpropyl group on the other homopiperazine nitrogen increased CCR2b binding activity. The synthesis of an informer library to search for alternative substructures is also described.

Cell Line↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of intraperitoneal continuous infusion of floxuridine and bolus administration in a peritoneal gastric cancer xenograft model.

PURPOSE: To identify the optimal schedule for intraperitoneal (i.p.) infusion of floxuridine (FUDR) against peritoneal micrometastases from gastric cancer. METHODS: The efficacy of continuous i.p. infusion of FUDR was compared with that of bolus i.p. administration in peritoneal gastric cancer (MKN45) xenografts. The FUDR continuous delivery system in this study was in the form of injectable poly(lactic-coglycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres intended for i.p. injection. Animals were treated by continuous i.p. infusion using FUDR-loaded microspheres or bolus i.p. administration of FUDR. RESULTS: In vitro testing demonstrated that FUDR was released slowly from the microspheres at a rate of approximately 5% of the total encapsulated drug per day. In in vivo studies, the peritoneal level was found to persist and was approximately 5- to 50-fold higher than that of plasma for more than 2 weeks following a single injection of the microspheres. An in vitro MTT assay showed that exposure time clearly influenced the cytotoxic potency of FUDR. In vivo, continuous infusion was more effective against peritoneal tumor than bolus administration at equivalent doses. However, compared with bolus administration, toxicity was increased, resulting in a reduced maximum tolerated dose (MTD) with continuous infusion. When the treatment was carried out at each MTD (continuous 1 mg/kg, bolus 600 mg/kg), continuous infusion had no advantage in inhibiting tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: Owing to the higher toxicity and the equal efficacy of continuous infusion compared with bolus administration, continuous infusion is not recommended in i.p. FUDR treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

N-succinyl-chitosan as a drug carrier: water-insoluble and water-soluble conjugates.

N-succinyl-chitosan (Suc-Chi) has favourable properties as a drug carrier such as biocompatibility, low toxicity and long-term retention in the body. It was long retained in the systemic circulation after intravenous administration, and the plasma half-lives of Suc-Chi (MW: 3.4 x 10(5); succinylation degree: 0.81 mol/sugar unit; deacetylation degree: 1.0 mol/sugar unit) were ca. 100.3h in normal mice and 43 h in Sarcoma 180-bearing mice. The biodistribution of Suc-Chi into other tissues was trace apart from the prostate and lymph nodes. The maximum tolerable dose for the intraperitoneal injection of Suc-Chi to mice was greater than 2 g/kg. The water-insoluble and water-soluble conjugates could be prepared using a water-soluble carbodiimide and mitomycin C (MMC) or using an activated ester of glutaric MMC. In vitro release characteristics of these conjugates showed similar patterns, i.e. a pH-dependent manner, except that water-insoluble conjugates showed a slightly slower release of MMC than water-soluble ones. The conjugates of MMC with Suc-Chi showed good antitumour activities against various tumours such as murine leukaemias (L1210 and P388), B16 melanoma, Sarcoma 180 solid tumour, a murine liver metastatic tumour (M5076) and a murine hepatic cell carcinoma (MH134). This review summarizes the utilization of Suc-Chi as a drug carrier for macromolecular conjugates of MMC and the therapeutic efficacy of the conjugates against various tumours.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

In vitro characteristics of liposomes and double liposomes prepared using a novel glass beads method.

A novel preparative method for liposomes and double liposomes (DL) using glass beads was superior to a glass-filter method developed previously. Lipid dissolved in chloroform was poured into a kjeldahl flask with glass beads (BZ-04, 0.350-0.500 mm phi; BZ-3, 2.794-3.962 mm phi; or BZ-6, 5.613-6.680 mm phi), and the organic solvent was evaporated. The lipid layer that formed on the glass beads was hydrated with 1.5 ml of the suspension of inner liposomes at a temperature above the phase transition temperature of the lipids employed, and was agitated vigorously. Erythrosine (ER) was used as a model drug. The size of liposomes prepared by the glass beads method depended on the size of the glass beads. The size of the liposomes became smaller as glass beads with a smaller size were used. A high encapsulation efficiency was observed when glass bead blends consisting of two different sizes were used. Large sizes (BZ-3/BZ-6) had a tendency to show high encapsulation efficiency and size also played an important role in the formation of liposomes. DL formation inhibited the release of ER and DL formative efficiency was markedly improved by means of the glass beads method. These findings suggested that the glass beads method developed in this study conferred a high drug loading and a high DL formation on liposomes compared with ordinary methods.

Erythrosine↗
PubMed2003

Potentiality of double liposomes containing salmon calcitonin as an oral dosage form.

The hypocalcemic effects of salmon calcitonin (SCT) after oral administration in rats by means of SCT-loading double liposomes (DL) which consist of liposomes containing small liposomes were investigated. SCT-loading DL consisted of four types of the inner liposomes such as neutral liposomes (NL) and cationic charged liposomes (CL) prepared using Coatsome, and neutral (VET) and cationic charged (c-VET) liposomes prepared using a mechanochemical method and sizing to 100 nm by the extrusion procedure were prepared. DL could be prepared by a combination of mechanochemical and glass-beads methods at a high efficiency. DL produced the increase in bioavailability in all groups treated with SCT-loading liposomes except for c-VET. The bioavailability of VET-DL was not significantly different but the greatest among the samples used in this study regardless of the similar size of NL-DL and CL-DL, and was approx. 6.8-fold higher than that of SCT solution when taken orally. The group treated with c-VET showed the strongest hypocalcemic effects among the inner liposomes examined (P>0.05). Therefore, it is speculated that not only the size of liposomes but also the cationic charge plays an important role in the intestinal absorption of DL. These findings suggested the utility of DL as an oral dosage form of SCT.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2003

Characterization of 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2 recombinant antibody obtained by phage display technology.

Recombinant monoclonal antibodies specific for 11-dehydro-thromboxane B(2) (11D-TX) were isolated from the combinatorial libraries on a pComb3 phage-display vector using a magnetic cell sorting (MACS) system. The libraries were constructed from repertories of light and heavy-chains derived from the total RNA of 11D-TX conjugated keyhole limpet haemocyanin-immunized mice. Biotinylation of 11D-TX conjugated bovine serum albumin (BSA) was performed through free thiol groups on BSA using 1-biotinamido-4-[4'-(maleimidomethyl) cyclohexanecarboxamido] butane (Biotin-BMCC). Affinity bio-panning was performed to enrich the phage display libraries against biotinylated 11D-TX conjugated BSA with the MACS system. Results indicated that the selected anti-11D-TX Fab fragments expressed by E. coli exhibited a five-fold higher affinity for BSA conjugated 11D-TX compared to BSA alone and little specificity to other related compounds as determined by the binding assay and inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This is the first report of an antibody against prostaglandin produced by phage display technology and also determination of the DNA sequence of this antibody. The MACS system was shown to be a simpler and more efficient method of panning than the conventional ELISA procedure. According to our results, we concluded that the phage display technique combined with the MACS system allowed the selection of the antibody with high affinity and some specificity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Double liposomes: hypoglycemic effects of liposomal insulin on normal rats.

The biopharmaceutical characteristics of double liposomes (DLs) containing insulin were examined, and the usefulness of DLs in combination with aprotinin is discussed. Encapsulation of insulin was influenced by lipid composition, and the highest efficiency was observed with positively charged liposomes. Insulin encapsulated in liposomes, especially in DLs, was protected from enzymatic proteolysis. A portion of insulin molecules was adsorbed on the surface of the membrane when liposomes were prepared using a lipid with a positive charge and was degraded by enzymes. Remarkable hypoglycemic effects were observed after intragastric administration of DLs containing insulin at a dose of 20 IU/kg to normal male Wistar rats. The highest mean relative efficacy to administration was obtained with insulin-loading DLs containing aprotinin as a protease inhibitor. These results suggest that DLs are applicable as an oral dosage form for peptide drugs such as insulin etc., especially in combination with protease inhibitors.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Application of chitin and chitosan derivatives in the pharmaceutical field.

Chitin and chitosan derivatives are used as excipients and drug carriers in the pharmaceutical field. Their derivatization contributed to expansion of application and decrease toxicity. Chitosan is used as an excipient in oral dosage form. Chitosan tablet can exhibit a sustained drug release compared to commercial products. Films prepared using chitin or chitosan have been developed as wound dressings, oral mucoadhesive and water-resisting adhesive by virtue of their release characteristics and adhesion. Intratumoral administration of gadopentetic acid-chitosan complex nanoparticles (approximately 430 nm in diameter) has been more effective for gadolinium neutron-capture therapy compared with a group treated with the solution. Compared to intragastrical feeding with diphtheria toxoid (DT) in PBS, a strong enhancement of the systemic (IgG) and local (IgA) immune responses against DT has been observed in mice fed with DT loaded chitosan microparticles (approximately 4.7 microm in size). When DNA-loaded chitosan microspheres (1.15 - 1.28 microm) were intramuscularly administrated into mice, high beta-galactosidase and luciferase productions were obtained even after a long post-transfection period (12 weeks). N-Succinyl-chitosan (Suc-Chi) has been studied for cancer chemotherapy as a drug carrier and the conjugates of mitomycin C with Suc-Chi exhibited good antitumor activities against various tumors. Furthermore, trimethyl-chitosan and monocarboxymethyl-chitosan has been shown to be effective as intestinal absorption enhancers due to their physiological properties. Chitosan-thioglycolic acid conjugates has been found to be a promising candidate as scaffold material in tissue engineering due to their physicochemical properties. This review summarizes the application of chitin and chitosan derivatives for hospital preparations and drug carriers.

Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic↗
PubMed2002

Enhancement of transdermal absorption by switching iontophoresis.

The enhancing effect of switching iontophoresis on transdermal absorption of phthalic acid (PA), benzoic acid (BA), salicylic acid (SA), p-phenylenediamine (PD), aniline (AN) and verapamil (VR) and its mechanism were examined. An electric current with pulsed waveform (4 kHz, 50% duty) was passed through the skin for 2 h at 10 V. Iontophoretic application was carried out with switching at intervals of 5, 10 and 20 min, or without switching. Each drug solution was injected into the donor side of the cell, and phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) was injected into the receiver side. Transport of PA, BA and VR was affected by switching the polarity of electrodes but no effect was observed on that of SA, PD and AN. Cumulative amount permeated and apparent permeability coefficients were apparently high at switching intervals with a short period. The partition coefficient suggested that there was no interrelation between the affinity for skin and the permeability of each drug. The resistance values of PA and glucose were low at intervals of 5 min suggesting the participation of enhanced hydration of the skin. These results suggested that enhancement of skin hydration plays an important role in the enhancing effect of switching iontophoresis on skin permeation.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2002

Preparation of novel double liposomes using the glass-filter method.

The glass-filter method, a newly developed preparative method for liposomes, was applied for preparation of novel double liposomes. Double liposomes were prepared by filtering a suspension of liposomes prepared using a G4 filter (pore size: 10-16 microm) into a G3 filter (pore size: 40-100 microm) coated with a similar lipid layer. The morphological structure of the double liposomes was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy by the freeze-fracture method to be multivesicular vesicles consisting of small liposomes enveloped in larger liposomes. The diameter of liposomes prepared using the G4 filter was 0.8-2 microm and that of liposomes prepared using the G3 filter or double liposomes was 5-10 microm. These results suggested that the particle size of liposomes is dependent on the pore size of the glass-filter. The encapsulation efficiencies of double liposomes for brilliant blue FCF (BB) and erythrosine (ER) were higher than those of liposomes prepared by the standard Bangham method. Double liposomes showed suppressed release of BB or ER compared with normal liposomes. In particular, no release of BB was observed from the double liposomes prepared with stearylamine. These findings implied that the outer lipid layer protects the inner liposomes. The glass-filter method is the only method that we can get the double liposomes in a short period, and double liposomes prepared by this novel method had adequate size and good stability in vitro.

Liposomes↗
PubMed2002

Depolymerization of N-succinyl-chitosan by hydrochloric acid.

N-Succinyl-chitosan (1) was depolymerized with 7.5 M aqueous HCl at room temperature or 3.3 M aqueous HCl at 40 degrees C and the molecular weights (MW) of the products were determined by size-exclusion chromatography-multi angle light scattering (SEC-MALS) and their viscometric features were investigated. The intrinsic viscosity ([eta]) obtained at the concentration of 0.1-0.3% (w/v) in saline showed a linear relationship between log[eta] and log MW, which provided the coefficients in the Mark-Houwink equation.

Biopolymers↗