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Biomedical subjects

Z Malik

Publications and source records attributed to Z Malik.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Electric depolarization of photosensitized cells: lipid vs. protein alterations.

We have monitored several photosensitized reactions in proteins, liposomes and cells under similar conditions. We found that the depolarization of K(+)-diffusion potential of liposomes or the leakage of an entrapped molecule, calcein, progress at a much slower rate than the photosensitized damage to proteins and the photosensitized killing of bacterial and leukemic cells. X-ray microanalysis revealed that upon light exposure of HP-treated leukemic cells and bacteria, they totally lost their cellular potassium. We deduce that the direct photosensitized oxidation of lipid components cannot cause the depolarization of cells, which in turn could be responsible for their death. A photosensitized damage to protein sites in the cell, probably in the membrane, is a more likely reason for the depolarization, the loss of potassium ions and cell death that is caused in light-activated photodynamic processes.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗

The antibacterial activity of haemin compared with cobalt, zinc and magnesium protoporphyrin and its effect on potassium loss and ultrastructure of Staphylococcus aureus.

The unique antibacterial properties of Fe-protoporphyrin (haemin) on Staphylococcus aureus, compared to Co-protoporphyrin (Co-PP), Mg-protoporphyrin (Mg-PP) and Zn-protoporphyrin (Zn-PP) are described. Only haemin (20 microM) exhibits a strong light-independent antibacterial effect on S. aureus; the other metalloporphyrins, Co-PP, Mg-PP or Zn-PP, have no antibacterial effect in the dark. Only light photosensitization of Mg-PP-treated cells resulted in the inhibition of the bacterial growth, while Co-PP or Zn-PP were photodynamically inactive. A notable effect of haemin on inactivation of S. aureus was the induction of immediate ion fluxes as determined by X-ray microanalysis (XRMA) of fast-frozen cells. A marked efflux of K (96%) and Cl (94%) was expressed immediately as determined by X-ray microanalysis of S. aureus cells treated with haemin for 5 min. Only 48% loss of Na was detected in the cells under these treatment conditions, while P content was increased by 150%. Electron microscopy analysis revealed the appearance of a mesosome-like structure connected to the new septa, filamentous chromosome and arrays of aggregated ribosomes in the cytoplasm. We propose that haemin has multiple cellular targets for its oxidative effect in S. aureus.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Collapse of K+ and ionic balance during photodynamic inactivation of leukemic cells, erythrocytes and Staphylococcus aureus.

1. The immediate and fast ionic fluxes in Friend erythroleukemic cells (FELC), erythrocytes and Staphylococcus aureus during short intervals of porphyrin mediated photosensitization were determined uniquely by X-ray microanalysis (XRMA) combined with electron microscopy. 2. Photodynamic inactivation of FELC was mediated by either endogenous protoporphyrin induced by 5-amino levulinic acid (5-ALA), or Photofrin-II. We describe the predominant phenomena of > 85% K-loss within 2-10 min of photoactivation. However the accompanied Na inflow and the collapse of the cellular balance of elemental-composition were inconsistent and acted as a function of cell damage. 3. Erythrocytes treated with hematoporphyrin (HP) lost most of their intracellular K yet instantly gained Na. Nevertheless the K/Na molar ratio of the control erythrocytes was nearly 12/1 while after photosensitization and K loss it changed to 1/1. 4. The S. aureus bacteria photosensitized with HP showed entire K-loss as well as marked Na efflux which increased with irradiation time; this was accompanied by the decline of other cell elements. 5. The prevailing K loss in FELC, erythrocytes and bacteria during the first minutes of photosensitization is deduced to be an immediate primary consequence of the photodynamic effect, while other ionic changes are joined in order with the development of cellular damage.

Adolescent↗

Phthalocyanine-induced photohemolysis: structure-activity relationship and the effect of fluoride.

Phthalocyanine (Pc) containing A1, Ga or Zn as central metal ligand and substituted with a varying number of sulfonic acid residues as well as additional benzene rings were synthesized and their photodynamic activity was assayed using photohemolysis of human erythrocytes as an endpoint. The Pc derivatives varied > 300-fold in their photodynamic activity. Activity correlated with binding of the dye to the cell, with the exception of some of the amphiphilic dyes where cell uptake was an order of magnitude higher than expected from the observed activity. Fluoride was shown to inhibit A1PcSn-induced photohemolysis. This effect occurred also with other A1Pc and GaPc derivatives, but the concentration of F- required to slow photohemolysis by a factor of two (Ki) varied between 4 microM and 10 mM. Fluorescence spectral studies indicated complex formation between F- and the dye, which was stronger for A1Pc than GaPc derivatives. Ultrastructural studies using scanning electron microscopy showed that the photosensitized cells were converted to spherocytes and that F- prevented this to a large extent.

Erythrocytes↗

The effect of EDTA and serum on endogenous porphyrin accumulation and photodynamic sensitization of human K562 leukemic cells.

The interrelationship between the effect of serum on the induction of porphyrin synthesis, intracellular porphyrin accumulation and photodynamic sensitization of human K562 cells is described. Endogenous porphyrins, synthesized from supplemented 5-amino levulinic acid (5-ALA), were shown to accumulate in the cells, while an addition of serum triggered porphyrin translocation from the cell to the serum. In order to enhance porphyrin accumulation in the cells themselves, they were further stimulated by EDTA, which in combination with 5-ALA reduces Fe++ cellular content. The higher porphyrin cellular content under EDTA and 5-ALA induction was exploited to photoinactivate the human leukemic cells by more then 3 orders of magnitude.

Aminolevulinic Acid↗

Ultrastructural damage in photosensitized endothelial cells: dependence on hematoporphyrin delivery pathways.

The subcellular photodamage to endothelial cells in culture, revealed by transmission electron microscopy, was correlated with discrete delivery pathways of hematoporphyrin (HP). Cell detachment from the extracellular matrix, prominent water influx starting at the outer membrane and formation of blebs followed by cell death were the result of photodynamic damage induced by aqueous HP. Serum-bound HP was internalized by endocytosis and accumulated in lysosomal compartments as located after photosensitization. Obstructed lysosomal membranes, degradation of chromatin and swelling of endoplasmic reticulum were revealed in these cells. Red blood cells (RBCs), preincubated with HP, delivered low amounts of the drug to endothelial cells. The photodamage was limited to the nucleus and nucleolus. The role of photosensitizer delivery pathways in cancer cell damage is discussed.

Animals↗

Inactivation of gram-negative bacteria by photosensitized porphyrins.

Photosensitization of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells by deuteroporphyrin (DP) is shown to be possible in the presence of the polycationic agent polymyxin nonapeptide (PMNP). Previous studies established complete resistance of Gram-negative bacteria to the photodynamic effects of porphyrins. The present results show that combined treatment of E. coli or P. aeruginosa cultures with DP and PMNP inhibit cell growth and viability. No antibacterial activity of PMNP alone could be demonstrated and cell viability remained unchanged. Spectroscopically, PMNP was found to bind DP, a mechanism which probably assists its penetration into the cell's membranes. Insertion of DP into the cells was monitored by the characteristic fluorescence band of bound DP at 622 nm. Binding times were 5-40 min and the extent of binding increased with decreasing the pH from 8.5 to 6.5. DP binding constants, as well as the concentrations of PMNP which were required for maximal effect on the various Gram-negative bacteria, were determined fluorometrically. By the treatment of DP, PMNP and light the growth of E. coli and P. aeruginosa cultures was stopped and the viability of the culture was dramatically reduced. Within 60 min of treatment the survival fraction of E. coli culture was 9 x 10(-6) and that of P. aeruginosa was 5.2 x 10(-4). Electron microscopy depicted ultrastructural alterations in the Gram-negative cells treated by DP and PMNP. The completion of cell division was inhibited and the chromosomal domain was altered markedly.

Cell Wall↗

In vivo effects of porphyrins on bacterial DNA.

The DNA damage in intact Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli cells induced by photosensitized deuteroporphyrin or hemin is described. Treatment of S. aureus cultures with hemin or photosensitized deuteroporphyrin (Dp) caused time-dependent changes in the plasmidial DNA profiles. The major observation was the disappearance of the plasmid supercoiled fraction. The chromosomal DNA was also affected by hemin and by photosensitized Dp, since its degradation products were detected after exposing the bacterial cells to the porphyrin drugs. Photosensitization of E. coli cells, pretreated with Dp and polymyxin B nonapeptide (PMBNP), also resulted in plasmidial damage. No such damage occurred when E. coli cultures were treated with hemin and PMBNP. The above results can be tightly correlated with the antimicrobial action of porphyrins. Their damage to the bacterial DNA seems to reflect one of the in vivo effects of these porphyrins.

DNA Damage↗

Molecular biology of Crohn's disease mycobacteria.

A Glasgow surgeon, T.K. Dalziel, published a detailed description of chronic enteritis in humans in 1913. He proposed that the disease was caused by the same organisms as those responsible for chronic enteritis, Johne's disease, in animals described a few years earlier (1895). Dalziel's dilemma was that he could see acid-fast bacilli in the diseased animal tissues but not in the diseased human tissues. Little real progress in the medical understanding of the causes of chronic enteritis in humans occurred over the next half a century or more. From 1978, a decade of research in many laboratories using improved methods for the culture of environmental mycobacteria showed that these could be grown in bacillary form from about one in five cases of Crohn's disease, from the same proportion of cases of ulcerative colitis, and from about one in ten control tissues. Spheroplasts were grown from two in five cases of Crohn's disease, one in five cases of ulcerative colitis, and rarely from control tissues. The nature of these agents was often uncertain. We describe work which began in 1985 and led rapidly to the identification of IS900, a DNA repetitive element in an uncharacterized Crohn's disease mycobacterial isolate. With other isolates, these were then shown by DNA fingerprinting to be indistinguishable from Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, Johne's bacillus. Similar techniques also demonstrated the wood-pigeon strain of M. avium in some Crohn's disease cultures. This bacillus can also cause chronic enteritis in calves. IS900 is the first of a family of unusual DNA insertion sequences which extend widely throughout environmental mycobacteria. Use of assays based on PCR amplification of highly specific DNA sequences from these insertional elements, and recombinant and synthetic peptides from their predicted proteins, will revolutionize the detection and characterization of these agents. These methods, applied to animal, human and environmental samples, will indicate new ways for the prevention and treatment of chronic enteritis, as well as other disorders associated with infections by environmental mycobacteria.

Actinomycetales↗

Bactericidal effects of photoactivated porphyrins--an alternative approach to antimicrobial drugs.

Photoactivated porphyrins display a potent cytotoxic activity towards a variety of Gram positive bacteria, mycoplasma and yeasts, but not Gram negative cells. The prerequisite for photosensitization of a microbial cell is the binding of porphyrin to the cytoplasmic membrane in a pH-dependent manner. On illumination, the membrane bound, and possibly, cytoplasmic porphyrin molecules generate singlet oxygen and radicals which sensitize biomolecules and lead to cell death. The immediate inhibition of cell growth on photodynamic treatment is accompanied by alterations in cell wall and membrane synthesis, leading to the formation of large mesosomes adjacent to the unaccomplished septa. Hemin bound to microbial cells exerts cytotoxic activity by peroxidative and oxidative reactions independent of light. Future research in the field may enhance the possibility of using porphyrin photosensitization for treatment of microbial infections. Such clinical use will be unrelated to the antibiotic resistance of the pathogen. Resistance of Gram negative bacteria to porphyrin photosensitization is the main impediment to its use as a broad spectrum antibacterial method.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

The bactericidal activity of a deuteroporphyrin-hemin mixture on gram-positive bacteria. A microbiological and spectroscopic study.

The combined antibacterial activity of various porphyrins with hemin on Gram-positive bacteria was studied. Protoporphyrin, hematoporphyrin derivative and deuteroporphyrin show only a marginal inhibitory effect in the dark. However, hemin has a strong cytotoxic effect which is independent of illumination and is equally strong in the dark. The disadvantage of hemin treatment is that it is temporary. In this study, we have demonstrated that a combination of deuteroporphyrin and hemin has a unique cytotoxic activity on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis and Bacillus cereus. The effect of the combined compound is stronger than that of the separate constituents, and is as strong in the dark as in the light. Only 0.005% of the initial S. aureus population survive after a 2 h treatment. Absorption and fluorescence spectra of hemin-deuteroporphyrin mixtures in water and liposomes suggest the formation of a species with spectroscopic properties which are different from those of the two constituents.

Bacillus cereus↗

Erythropoietic protoporphyria: photodynamic transfer of protoporphyrin from intact erythrocytes to other cells.

Erythrocytes in patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) contain large amounts of protoporphyrin and are regarded as the main source of protoporphyrin in this disease. Cells in the skin of EPP patients accumulate protoporphyrin released from the erythrocytes and upon sun exposure endothelial cells are photodamaged. In the present study a light-induced transfer of protoporphyrin directly from EPP erythrocytes to cultured cells is demonstrated. Erythrocytes were layered upon cultured cells and irradiated. The nearness of erythrocyte and cultured cell membranes potentiated the transfer of protoporphyrin between these cells. This transfer was rapid and preceded the release of protoporphyrin to proteins in the medium. Further irradiation of the protoporphyrin-enriched cultured cells, after removal of the erythrocytes, caused severe photodamage to the cells and survival was dependent on both the amount of protoporphyrin transferred and on the light fluence. Clinical observations and the results of this study indicate that light energy may be involved in two steps in the pathophysiology of EPP: (A) light-induced release of protoporphyrin from erythrocytes to endothelial cells and (B) photodynamic damage to protoporphyrin-enriched endothelial cells.

Cell Line↗

Intracellular localization of photosensitizers.

The intracellular localization of photosensitizers can be studied by different methods. One method involves homogenization of the cells followed by differential ultracentrifugation which leads to fractions enriched in nuclear, mitochondrial, and microsomal material as well as a supernatant fraction. More detailed information can be obtained by electron microscopy of cells exposed to light in the presence of photosensitizers. This method is based on the assumption that damage is primarily induced at intracellular sites where the concentration of photosensitizer is high. By irradiating the cells at 6 degrees C, where biochemical reactions are slow, and then incubating them for different times at 37 degrees C, it is possible to follow the development of damage. The amount of photosensitized damage to enzymes or cell functions whose localization in the cells is known gives information about the intracellular localization of the sensitizer. Fluorescence microscopy is the most direct method and is widely applicable because most photosensitizers fluoresce. Lipophilic dyes generally localize in membrane structures. In future more attention should be paid to the localization of dyes in lysosomes, as suggested by early reports. Mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear membrane are other important loci for intracellular localization of sensitizers.

Animals↗

Inactivation of erythrocytic, lymphocytic and myelocytic leukemic cells by photoexcitation of endogenous porphyrins.

The photodynamic sensitization of leukemic cells (erythrocytic, myelocytic and lymphocytic) via light activation of endogenous porphyrins is described. Human myelocytic-erythrocytic K562 cells and murine Friend erythroleukemia (FELC) and T-cell lymphoma Eb-Esb cells were stimulated to synthesize and accumulate porphyrins. K562 cells accumulated high amounts of protoporphyrin by stimulation with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) plus sodium butyrate or hemin. For Friend and Eb-Ebs cells ALA was an adequate stimulator. The high-metastatic Esb lymphoma cells accumulated comparatively more porphyrin than the low-metastatic Eb cell line. Maximal porphyrin accumulation produced mortality rates of more than 99% after 10 min of photoactivation of the three leukemic lines. Thymidine incorporation was inhibited by the photodynamic effect depending on porphyrin concentration. These results confirm the photodynamic ability of endogenous porphyrins to inactivate cancer cells of different origins.

Aminolevulinic Acid↗

The effect of transfusion of fresh whole blood versus platelet concentrates after cardiac operations. A scanning electron microscope study of platelet aggregation on extracellular matrix.

To evaluate the effect of fresh whole blood transfusion versus platelet concentrates transfusion on platelet aggregation after cardiac operations, 24 patients were randomized to receive either one unit of fresh whole blood (12 patients) or 10 platelet units (12 patients) after cardiopulmonary bypass. Platelet aggregation on extracellular matrix, platelet count, and mean platelet volume were studied preoperatively, at termination of cardiopulmonary bypass, after protamine administration, and after the transfusion of fresh whole blood or after transfusion of each two platelet units. Extracellular matrix produced by cultured bovine corneal cells closely resembles the vascular subendothelial basal lamina, and is an ideal in vitro model in the study of platelet interaction with the subendothelium. Platelet aggregation on extracellular matrix, studied by a scanning electron microscope, was graded from 1 to 4, wherein grade 1 represents nonactivated platelets and grade 4 a mature platelet aggregate. With this grading system, the two groups were similar in preoperative values (3.3 +/- 0.9 versus 3.7 +/- 0.4) and values after cardiopulmonary bypass (1.5 +/- 1.0 in both groups). One unit of fresh whole blood restored platelet aggregation on extracellular matrix to preoperative status (3.0 +/- 1.0), whereas eight platelet units were needed for the same result (3.2 +/- 0.8). One unit of fresh whole blood increased platelet count in a manner similar to that achieved by six platelet units and increased mean platelet volume to a level higher than that achieved by 10 platelet units. These results suggest that the effect of one unit of fresh whole blood on platelet aggregation after cardiopulmonary bypass is at least equal, if not superior, to the effect of 8 to 10 platelet units.

Adult↗

Photosensitization of differentiating Friend erythroleukemic cells by hematoporphyrin derivative and the cholesterol effect.

The Friend erythroleukemia cell line was used to study the binding and biological properties of the photosensitizer hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD) on a differentiating system. In addition, the effect of cholesterol hemisuccinate (CHS) enrichment of cell membranes on HPD activity was tested on the same cell system. Differentiation of Friend erythroleukemia cells (FLC) was induced with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and resulted in a decreased cell volume and an increased rate of hemoglobin synthesis as a function of the duration of DMSO treatment. Differentiated cells seem to bind less porphyrin than their undifferentiated counterparts. Thus, cells treated for 6 days with DMSO bound 30-40% less dye than an identical number of untreated FLC. In contrast, a similar inhibition of both DNA and protein synthesis by photoactivated HPD was evident in either DMSO-treated or untreated FLC. Enrichment of cell membranes with CHS led to the same degree of protection from the damaging activity of the photoactivated dye in both differentiated and undifferentiated FLC. The decreased binding of HPD to DMSO-treated FLC is most likely a result of a reduction in cell volume of differentiated cells and is not related to an intrinsic property of the differentiation process.

Animals↗