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PubMed2006

Atractyloside and 5-hydroxydecanoate block the protective effect of puerarin in isolated rat heart.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether the clinically effective cardioprotection conferred by puerarin (Pue) against ischemia and reperfusion is mediated by mitochondrial transmembrane pores and/or channels. Hearts isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused on a Langendorff apparatus and subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion. The production of formazan, which provides an index of myocardial viability, was measured by absorbance at 550 nm, and the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the coronary effluent was determined. In this model, Pue (0.0024-2.4 mmol/l) had a dose-dependent, negatively inotropic effect. Pretreatment with Pue at 0.24 mmol/l for 5 min before ischemia increased myocardial formazan content, reduced LDH release, improved recovery of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and rate-pressure product (left ventricular developed pressure multiplied by heart rate) during reperfusion. Administration of atractyloside (20 micromol/l), an opener of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, for the first 20 min of reperfusion, and 5-hydroxydecanoate (100 micromol/l), the mitochondrial-specific ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker, for 20 min before ischemia, attenuated the protective effects of Pue. In mitochondria isolated from hearts pretreated with 0.24 mmol/l Pue for 5 min, a significant inhibition of Ca(2+)-induced swelling was observed, and this inhibition was attenuated by 5-hydroxydecanoate. In isolated ventricular myocytes, pretreatment with Pue prevented ischemia-induced cell death and depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, and atractyloside and 5-hydroxydecanoate attenuated the effects of Pue. These findings indicate that puerarin protects the myocardium against ischemia and reperfusion injury via inhibiting mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening and activating the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Timing of hyperthermic preconditioning affects islet resistance against inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Heat exposure of isolated islets enhances resistance against inflammation but decreases islet graft function. In contrast, donor preconditioning by whole-body hyperthermia increases islet ischemic tolerance and improves viability of pancreatic isografts. This study aimed to compare yield, viability, and inflammatory resistance of rat islets subjected to heat shock prior to (pre-HS) or after isolation (post-HS). METHODS: Islets were isolated as previously described. HS (42 degrees C/45 min) was induced 12 hours before islet isolation (pre-HS, n = 31) or in freshly isolated islets prior to 12 hours of recovery at 37 degrees C (post-HS, n = 12). Islets continuously incubated at 37 degrees C served as controls (n = 33). Proinflammatory treatment included incubation with 0.05 mmol/L H(2)O(2), 1.0 mmol/L DETA-NO or cytokines (interleukin-1beta + tumor necrosis factoralpha + interferongamma). RESULTS: Purified islet yield was 1200 +/- 80 IEQ in unconditioned donors (n = 45) and 980 +/- 80 IEQ after pre-HS (ns). Islet viability was not affected by post-HS, but the glucose stimulation index (P < 0.001, P < 0.01) and formazan production (P < 0.05) were significantly lower compared to pre-HS or sham treatment. The expression of heat shock protein HSP70 in pre-HS islets was slightly higher compared to controls (ns) but lower compared to post-HS islets (P < 0.05), correlating with the resistance against H(2)O(2) and DETA-NO compared to post-HS islets (P < 0.05) or controls (ns). Cytokines did not affect mitochondrial formazan production. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that hyperthermic islet treatment is less harmful if performed in the native pancreatic environment. This beneficial effect is associated with a decreased HSP70 expression resulting in a reduced resistance against inflammatory mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Reduction-oxidation (redox) state regulation of matrix metalloproteinase activity in human fetal membranes.

OBJECTIVE: The mechanisms underlying membrane rupture at term and preterm are obscure. Collagenolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases in amniochorionic membranes increases during spontaneous term and preterm labor associated with intra-amniotic infection. We sought to test the hypothesis that reduction-oxidation homeostasis, which is altered in inflammatory states, directly regulates amniochorionic matrix metalloproteinases. STUDY DESIGN: Membranes were collected from 7 patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery at term, rinsed thoroughly, and immediately incubated in phosphate-buffered sodium chloride solution at 37 degrees C for 24 hours. Matrix metalloproteinase activity in the culture medium was assayed by substrate-gel electrophoresis and normalized against the dry weight of the tissue incubated. Superoxide anions were generated in the presence of membranes by a xanthine (2 mmol/L) and xanthine oxidase (20 mU/mL) mixture and monitored by reduction of ferri-cytochrome c to ferro-cytochrome c. Incubations were performed in the presence of xanthine alone, a xanthine-xanthine oxidase mixture, superoxide dismutase (500 U/mL), a xanthine-xanthine oxidase-superoxide dismutase mixture, nitro-L-arginine (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 1 mmol/L), xanthine-xanthine oxidase-nitro-L-arginine, S-nitroso-N -acetylpenicillamine (a nitric oxide donor, 10 mmol/L), xanthine-xanthine oxidase-S-nitroso-N -acetylpenicillamine, N -acetylcysteine (a thiol-containing antioxidant, 0.1, 1, or 10 mmol/L), lipopolysaccharide (100 ng/mL), or lipopolysaccharide-N -acetylcysteine. Intracellular generation of superoxide anions was monitored by the reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium to formazan. RESULTS: Basal matrix metalloproteinase 9 and matrix metalloproteinase 2 levels were detected in all samples. Superoxide anions significantly increased matrix metalloproteinase 9 activity but did not increase matrix metalloproteinase 2 activity, which effect was reversed by the addition of superoxide dismutase. N-acetylcysteine reduced basal activity of both matrix metalloproteinase 9 and matrix metalloproteinase 2 to 20%. Importantly, N-acetylcysteine completely inhibited intracellular formazan formation in cultured membranes both in the absence and in the presence of lipopolysaccharide. Neither nitric oxide synthase inhibition nor the nitric oxide donor S-nitroso-N -acetylpenicillamine had any effect on fetal membrane matrix metalloproteinase activity. CONCLUSION: Matrix metalloproteinase activity in human fetal membranes is reduction-oxidation (redox)-regulated. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 activity in human fetal membranes is directly increased by superoxide anion, a byproduct of macrophages and neutrophils. Neither nitric oxide donors nor nitric oxide synthase inhibitors significantly affect matrix metalloproteinase activity in human fetal membranes. The glutathione precursor N-acetylcysteine dramatically inhibits amniochorionic matrix metalloproteinase activity in addition to inhibiting intrinsic superoxide generation within the tissue. Thus thiol-reducing agents, such as N-acetylcysteine, may be beneficial in preventing preterm premature rupture of the membranes.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1995

Nitric oxide inhibition of human sperm motility.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of nitric oxide (NO) on sperm motility in vitro. DESIGN: Normal human sperm separated by centrifugation through a discontinuous Percoll gradient and subsequent swim-up were incubated for up to 24 hours with NO donors, with and without the known NO quencher hemoglobin, as well as with agents that raise intracellular cyclic 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Sperm respiration was determined by a tetrazolium-formazan spectrophotometric assay. SETTING: Andrology laboratory. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Absolute sperm motility and respiration. RESULTS: Sperm incubated with the NO donors 1 mM nitroprusside, 100 to 125 microM 3-morpholinosydnonimine, and 25 to 125 microM pure nitric oxide gas dissolved in buffer were inhibited in motility in a dose-dependent fashion. The inhibition could be reversed by the NO quencher hemoglobin. Agents that raise cellular cGMP (dibutyryl cGMP or 8-bromo-cGMP) did not inhibit motility. Nitric oxide inhibited sperm respiration, as measured by the tetrazolium-formazan assay. CONCLUSIONS: Nitric oxide reduces sperm motility, possibly by a mechanism involving inhibition of cellular respiration independent of an elevation of intracellular cGMP. Nitric oxide elaborated in the female or male genital tract in vivo could adversely influence sperm function and fertility.

Cyclic GMP↗
PubMed1999

In vitro superoxide activity in the haemolymph of the West Indian leaf cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis.

The respiratory burst is an NADPH oxidase-driven reduction of molecular oxygen to superoxide, which can occur in phagocytic cells as part of an antimicrobial defence, and is well documented among the vertebrates. This paper describes a process resembling the respiratory burst, which occurs in the haemolymph and haemocytes of the cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis. The in vitro reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium by superoxide to formazan was measured spectrophotometrically in B. discoidalis haemolymph in response to various immune elicitors. Nitroblue tetrazolium reduction was partly impeded in the presence of superoxide dismutase, a specific antioxidant which converts superoxide to hydrogen peroxide, as well as by chemicals known to inhibit the respiratory burst in vertebrates (trifluoperazine, diphenylene iodonium, and N-ethylmaleimide). This suggests the generation of superoxide anions by haemolymph as part of an immune response. Furthermore, formazan staining of elicitor-treated haemocytes was observed microscopically, with less intense staining in the presence of superoxide dismutase. Finally, respiratory burst inhibitors and superoxide dismutase enhanced the growth of E. coli incubated in whole haemolymph, implying a role for haemolymph-derived superoxide in antibacterial defence.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

The use of intermediate electron acceptors to enhance MTT bioreduction in a microculture tetrazolium assay for human growth hormone.

We contrast the effects of three intermediate electron acceptors (IEAs) on the highly quantitative ESTA bioassay for human growth hormone. This is a microculture tetrazolium assay based upon the in vitro reduction of the tetrazolium salt MTT, by Nb2 cells which have been activated with hGH. Each of the IEAs influenced MTT-formazan production in a distinctive manner. The two quinonoids, namely menadione and co-enzyme Q0 markedly increased the MTT-formazan produced by hormone activated Nb2 cells and thereby amplified the response of our bioassay for human growth hormone (hGH). The exceptionally low bioassay baseline which is characteristic of the unstimulated Nb2 cells when only MTT is added was retained in the presence of CoQ0, but was greatly increased by menadione. Phenazine methosulphate, which is the most widely used redox intermediary in microculture tetrazolium assays, also increased the baseline, but had only a minimal additional effect on MTT reduction by activated Nb2 cells. We conclude that CoQ0 is the preferred IEA for this ESTA bioassay for hGH.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Failure to detect delta 5-3 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase activity in the preimplantation rabbit embryo.

Preimplantation rabbit embryos were incubated with pregnenolone and dehydroisoandrosterone under conditions which gave formazan precipitation by the histochemical technique. The metabolic fate of the labeled steroids was assessed simultaneously. There was no concomitant transformation of pregnenolone to progesterone and dehydroisoandrosterone was not transformed to androstenedione. It is concluded that the formazan precipitation is coupled with an "activity" other than delta 5-3 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗
PubMed2003

A tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay for metabolic activity of stored blood platelets.

INTRODUCTION: Much work has been carried out in an attempt to establish the optimum cryopreservation of platelets. To estimate the surviving numbers of stored platelets, the metabolic redox activity of resting platelets was measured and compared with the aggregation response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The activity was determined using a simple colorimetric assay based on reduction of a tetrazolium salt, WST-8 (4-[3-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-2-[4-nitrophenyl]-2H-5-tetrazolio]-1,3-benzene disulfonate sodium salt), to water-soluble formazan and its quantification with a spectrophotometer. The aggregation response of the platelets was measured at 37 degrees C with an aggregometer. RESULTS: Colored WST-8 formazan was produced in proportion to the number of intact fresh platelets, but only a little or none was produced by dead platelets lysed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), by platelets in which glycolysis had been blocked by the inhibitor monoiodoacetic acid (MIA), and by frozen platelets. The assay in conjunction with platelet aggregometry could distinguish between platelets which had lost only the aggregation response and those which had lost both aggregation response and redox activity. Freezing platelets in the presence of cryoprotectant Banbanker resulted in approximately 70% fresh platelets with redox activity and aggregation response. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the WST-8 assay can be useful for identifying viable platelets independent of the aggregation response and may contribute to clarifying the mechanism of the loss of function of stored platelets.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2003

Applicability of tetrazolium salts for the measurement of respiratory activity and viability of groundwater bacteria.

A study was undertaken to measure aerobic respiration by indigenous bacteria in a sand and gravel aquifer on western Cape Cod, MA using tetrazolium salts and by direct oxygen consumption using gas chromatography (GC). In groundwater and aquifer slurries, the rate of aerobic respiration calculated from the direct GC assay was more than 600 times greater than that using the tetrazolium salt 2-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride (INT). To explain this discrepancy, the toxicity of INT and two additional tetrazolium salts, sodium 3'-[1-(phenylamino)-carbonyl]-3,4-tetrazolium]-bis(4-methoxy-6-nitro) benzenesulfonic acid hydrate (XTT) and 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC), to bacterial isolates from the aquifer was investigated. Each of the three tetrazolium salts was observed to be toxic to some of the groundwater isolates at concentrations normally used in electron transport system (ETS) and viability assays. For example, incubation of cells with XTT (3 mM) caused the density of four of the five groundwater strains tested to decline by more than four orders of magnitude. A reasonable percentage (>57%) of cells killed by CTC and INT contained visible formazan crystals (the insoluble, reduced form of the salts) after 4 h of incubation. Thus, many of the cells reduced enough CTC or INT prior to dying to be considered viable by microscopic evaluation. However, one bacterium (Pseudomonas fluorescens) that remained viable and culturable in the presence of INT and CTC, did not incorporate formazan crystals into more than a few percent of cells, even after 24 h of incubation. This strain would be considered nonviable based on traditional tetrazolium salt reduction assays. The data show that tetrazolium salt assays are likely to dramatically underestimate total ETS activity in groundwater and, although they may provide a reasonable overall estimate of viable cell numbers in a community of groundwater bacteria, some specific strains may be falsely considered nonviable by this assay due to poor uptake or reduction of the salts.

Bacteria, Aerobic↗
PubMed2003

5-Cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) reduction in a mesophilic anaerobic digester: measuring redox behavior, differentiating abiotic reduction, and comparing FISH response as an activity indicator.

The tetrazolium salt 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) has been widely applied to assess microbiological activity in environmental samples. CTC reduction has previously been quantified in a variety of anaerobic systems (i.e., fermentative, nitrate reducing, sulfate reducing) using direct microscopy, solvent extraction, and flow cytometry. In this work, extracellular CTC reduction was observed and distinguished from its intercellular counterparts by the amorphous character and near uniform fluorescence of the resulting formazan precipitates (CTF). Fluorescence yielded by non-cellular-associated formazan precipitates bleached much more rapidly than CTF formed within cells under identical UV exposure (<2 min). Dehydrogenase activity assays and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) were simultaneously carried out in microcosms containing active anaerobic digester biomass, propylene glycol, and settled sewage centrate for direct comparison. In substrate limited microcosms, quantitative FISH measurements remained well above their detection limit indicating sustained intercellular ribosomal RNA concentrations over a 5-day period, while dehydrogenase assays (CTC) decreased to background levels within 14 h of substrate limitation. Results from this work suggest that CTC reduction in cell-free samples may impede accurate enzyme activity measurements, particularly when quantification involves solvent extraction, flow cytometry, or software-aided counting. In addition, activity assessment in anaerobic digesters using FISH and CTC reduction assays may be comparable until substrate becomes limited.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
PubMed2003

Effect of beta-amyloid on endothelial cells: lack of direct toxicity, enhancement of MTT-induced cell death and intracellular accumulation.

Several cerebrovascular alterations have been described in Alzheimer's disease (AD) including an accumulation of beta-amyloid (betaA) on the vascular walls in the brain. To investigate the potential toxic activity of betaA on endothelial cells (EC), two endothelial murine cell lines derived from heart and brain were exposed to betaA1-42 and the biologically active fragment betaA25-35 in the range from 5nM to 50 microM. In a low concentration range (50 nM to 2.5 microM) both peptides significantly reduced the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2y1)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) signal in the endothelial cell lines exposed for 24h. However, microscopic examination, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release determination and Neutral Red assay did not confirm any toxic effect associated with inhibition of MTT formazan reduction. The effect on MTT was not susceptible to anti-oxidant treatment and did not increase the sensitivity to oxidative stress. However, when the EC were exposed to betaA and MTT for 1h, cell viability, determined by LDH release, was strongly reduced, while in normal conditions MTT-induced cell death only after 2h. An inhibitor of lysosomal ATPase activity, bafilomycin A1, completely antagonized this effect. The morphological examination showed that the functional activation by betaA in EC enhanced the production of MTT formazan crystals. To verify the accumulation of betaA in the lysosomal compartment we analyzed the subcellular distribution of betaA1-42 at different exposure times of EC to the peptide. The peptide was found in several organelles and was absent in the cytoplasmic compartment; co-treatment with bafilomycin A1 did not reduce the intracellular presence of betaA1-42. In our condition, the exposure of EC to betaA induced an intracellular accumulation of the peptide and a vasoactive effect that did not appear associated with direct toxic activity.

Amyloid beta-Peptides↗
PubMed1999

Ultrastructural localization of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus of wild-type and knockout mice.

The cellular and subcellular distribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and its related reduced beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase activity was compared in wild-type and homozygous knockout mice, in which the gene for neuronal nitric oxide synthase has been disrupted, resulting in a lack of the predominant splice isoform alpha. In the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, used as a model structure, the cholinergic principal neurons also exhibited an intensive neuronal nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. Using the tetrazolium salt 2-(2-benzothiazolyl)-5-styryl-3-(4'-phthalhydrazidyl)-tetrazo++ +-lium chloride (BSPT), these neurons were filled with NADPH-diaphorase reaction product, whereas the equivalent neurons of knockout mice showed, if at all, only traces of neuronal nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity in parallel to a diminished NADPH-diaphorase labelling. Subcellularly, the neuronal nitric oxide synthase-related diaminobenzidine product was, apparently owing to diffusion artifact, more or less evenly distributed in the cytosol of the neuronal perikarya and dendrites of wild-type mice. In contrast, the BSPT reaction product formazan was closely and discretely attached to endocellular membranes. In the intensely NADPH-diaphorase stained neurons of wild-type mice, 85% of the mitochondria were, at least partly, labelled for BSPT-formazan, whilst in the equivalent neurons of mutant mice, only 13% of mitochondria were NADPH-diaphorase positive. Related to the NADPH-diaphorase activity in the principal neurons of wild-type mice, only 10% of membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, 27% of mitochondrial membranes and 26% of the nuclear envelope exhibited NADPH-diaphorase activity in the mutant mice. Our findings with the BSPT histochemistry suggest that residues of NADPH-diaphorase positivity in mutant mice are attributed to the alternative splice isoforms beta and/or gamma of neuronal nitric oxide synthase. The splice isoform a is located predominantly at the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Role of distinct subpopulations of peritoneal macrophages in the regulation of reactive oxygen species release.

It has been reported in vitro that during the respiratory burst of phagocytic cells the superoxide anion production per cell shows a negative relation with the cell density. This process has been described as autoregulation. The aim of this work was to analyze the superoxide anion production in thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophage exudates to evaluate the importance of the peritoneal cavity environment in the autoregulation process. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (PMA) was used to stimulate the respiratory burst and superoxide anion production was measured evaluating the intracellular formazan deposits that precipitate as a result of nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction. We have demonstrated a negative correlation between superoxide anion production and cell density in the peritoneal cavity in macrophages challenged with PMA. The response of individual cells was analyzed by means of an image analyzer, measuring the amount of formazan per cell and cell-size changes during the process of activation. The results revealed that the decrease in individual cell response as a function of higher cell densities were due to a significant increase in the amount of basal reaction macrophages. Concomitantly, the number of reactive cells remained unchanged irrespective of the cell density of the population. A direct correlation between cell size and superoxide anion production was observed. This phenomenon was demonstrated in SENCAR and Balb/c strains. However, macrophages from SENCAR mice showed greater superoxide anion production than those from Balb/c. The differences between strains could be associated to the increased sensitivity to PMA tumor promotion of SENCAR mice. Based on this property, macrophages from SENCAR mice were stimulated with opsonized zymosan, a particulate stimulus that reflects the interaction macrophage-microorganism during the phagocytic process. This data will contribute to the knowledge of infection control. We conclude that variations in basal reaction cells modulates the macrophage activation response when excess macrophages are recruited to the peritoneum. This is demonstrated using different stimuli, thus suggesting that this response may be applied to a wide variety of stimuli-macrophage interactions. The differences between strains may be associated to the increased sensitivity to PMA tumor promotion of SENCAR mice.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of temperature and pH on the nonenzymatic reduction of triphenyltetrazolium chloride.

The effects of temperature and pH on the nonenzymatic (chemical) reduction of triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) to triphenyl formazan (TF) in cheese whey and municipal solid waste compost samples were studied. Ten different incubation temperatures and 13 pH levels were tested. The study showed that the TTC could be reduced nonenzymatically at high temperatures and/or under alkaline pH conditions. The nonenzymatic TTC reduction was observed at pH values greater than 9.5 and 11.0 for the cheese whey and compost, respectively. The TTC chemical reduction rate followed the same trend in both media. The TF content increased with increasing the pH value, reaching its maximum at a pH of 12, then decreased and was not detected at a pH of 13. The TTC was also reduced nonenzymatically at temperatures higher than 70 and 85 degrees C for cheese whey and compost, respectively. Evaporation did not seem to have any significant effect on the TTC chemical reduction since less than 3% of water content was lost at a temperature of 100 degrees C. It was noticed that the TF yield in cheese whey samples was higher than that in compost samples. This was due to the higher moisture content of cheese whey and the presence of copper in the compost samples, which reacted chemically with the TF causing reduction in the red color. For a given incubation period, the effect of pH on the TTC chemical reduction was more significant than the effect of incubation temperature (at a 2 h incubation period, 57.5% and 17.9% of the TTC were chemically reduced at a pH of 12 compared to 10.9% and 7.7% at an incubation temperature of 100 degrees C, for cheese whey and compost, respectively). Among the six metals tested (Ca, Cu, K, Na, Ni, and Zn) only Cu affected the color intensity of the TF. The activation energy of the TTC chemical reduction was 168,808 and 239,102 J/mol in cheese whey and municipal solid compost, respectively. For dehydrogenase activity measurement, the pH of the samples and the incubation temperature should not be higher than 9 and 60 degrees C in order to ensure that the TTC reduction is caused only by the biochemical reaction. Measuring the color intensity of TF in waste samples that contain copper could give misleading results as a result of the formation of formazan copper complex, which reduces the red color.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Oops they did it again! Carbon nanotubes hoax scientists in viability assays.

New materials of emerging technological importance are single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Because SWCNTs will be used in commercial products in huge amounts, their effects on human health and the environment have been addressed in several studies. Inhalation studies in vivo and submerse applications in vitro have been described with diverging results. Why some indicate a strong cytotoxicity and some do not is what we report on here. Data from A549 cells incubated with carbon nanotubes fake a strong cytotoxic effect within the MTT assay after 24 h that reaches roughly 50%, whereas the same treatment with SWCNTs, but detection with WST-1, reveals no cytotoxicity. LDH, FACS-assisted mitochondrial membrane potential determination, and Annexin-V/PI staining also reveal no cytotocicity. SWCNTs appear to interact with some tetrazolium salts such as MTT but not with others (such as WST-1, INT, XTT). This interference does not seem to affect the enzymatic reaction but lies rather in the insoluble nature of MTT-formazan. Our findings strongly suggest verifying cytotoxicity data with at least two or more independent test systems for this new class of materials (nanomaterials). Moreover, we intensely recommend standardizing nanotoxicological assays with regard to the material used: there is a clear need for reference materials. MTT-formazan crystals formed in the MTT reaction are lumped with nanotubes and offer a potential mechanism to guide bioremediation and clearance for SWCNTs from "contaminated" tissue. SWCNTs are good supporting materials for tissue growth, as attachment of focal adhesions and connections to the cytoskeleton suggest.

Artifacts↗
PubMed2000

Density gradient separation of active and non-active cells from natural environments.

We present a method for the selective, physical separation of active and non-active bacterial cells from natural communities. The method exploits the reduction of tetrazolium salts to form insoluble formazan crystals intracellularly in response to the addition of different oxidisable substrates. The intracellular deposition of formazan alters the bouyant density of active cells enabling them to be separated by density gradient centrifugation. The method has been successfully applied to the fractionation and collection of large whole cell sub-populations of active and non-active cells from sea-water samples. Removal of the bands from the density gradient, followed by PCR amplification and DGGE analyses showed distinct differences in the PCR amplicon diversity associated with the active and non-active cell fractions; an indication of changes in bacterial community structure in response to the addition of oxidisable substrate. Thus, based on their in situ respiration potential, the approach enables the cytochemical enrichment and molecular characterisation of mixed bacterial populations in natural environments.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Skeletal muscle fibres show NADPH diaphorase activity associated with mitochondria, the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the NOS-1-containing sarcolemma.

The subcellular appearance of NADPH diaphorase activity in different rat skeletal muscles has been analyzed. Both a sarcolemma-associated as well as a non-sarcolemma-associated NADPH diaphorase-dependent generation of formazan was observed. The sarcolemma-associated NADPH diaphorase staining appeared regularly in two manifestations: one observed in longitudinal sections as dotted costameres at the cell surface which accordingly appeared in transversal sections as rings surrounding the myofibre surface. At this site, nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-1 was located. The second sarcolemma-associated site of NADPH diaphorase staining was found as bundles of longitudinal-orientated stripes of hitherto unidentified origin. The non-sarcolemma-associated production of formazan was likewise manifested at two sites: the first was found regularly in longitudinal sections as intense sarcomere-like striations occurring parallel to the I-bands and indicating mitochondria. The second non-sarcolemma-associated NADPH diaphorase staining was realized as fine longitudinal filaments of variable occurrence connecting the mitochondria and presumably belonging to the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Attempts to identify single NADPH diaphorase(s) existing in skeletal muscles by incubation with specific inhibitors failed but showed the presence of two different subpopulations of NADPH diaphorases in myofibres: a urea-resistant fraction in the sarcolemma region containing NOS-1 and a non-sarcolemma-associated, urea-sensitive fraction depleted of NOS-1.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The role of quality control in a skin bank: tissue viability determination.

New surgical procedures requiring viable skin have increased rapidly over the last few years. The cell viability assessment in allograft skin is a major step forward in burn treatment, since it is well-known that taking is correlated with grafted tissue viability. Various methods, both qualitative and quantitative, are currently used. Although qualitative assays (histomorphology, immunocytochemistry) are routinely performed in our laboratory, there arose a need to set up a standardised quantitative assay in an attempt to obtain a cut-off value so that the skin sample could be determined valid or not for grafting. Therefore, two different tetrazolium salt compounds MTT and WST-1, were compared in order to determine their efficacy in the evaluation of tissue viability. Several experimental conditions were analysed: 1- cellular cultures of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, 2- fresh skin tissue samples, 3- the same specimen tested daily for at least 2 weeks, 4- after cryopreservation and thawing. Viable cells were analysed by the cleavage of tetrazolium salts to formazan by cellular enzymes. The formazan dye produced by metabolically active cells was then quantified by measuring the absorbance of the dye solution at the appropriate wavelength. It was seen that WST-1 is easier to handle, more stable, has a wider linear range, accelerated colour development and is more sensitive than MTT on fresh specimens and cell suspension. However, after 72 hours of storage at 4 degrees C, most of the WST-1 tested specimens no longer gave any absorbance signal, whilst MTT specimens were seen to give a signal for more than two weeks. Moreover, after thawing WST-1 tested samples were almost negative, whilst MTT samples continued to give strong signals. In conclusion, WST-1 assay offers rapid and precise results as to the cell viability of fresh allografts and cell cultures, whilst the MTT method is much more useful in establishing viability after long conservation and cryopreservation. In our clinical experience, allografts transplanted at 72 hr post-harvesting or after cryopreservation showed a mean of take more than of 80%, demonstrating that the MTT system is more reliable for the determination of allograft viability. Studies are ongoing with larger clinical cohorts to establish the precise cut-off value for skin graft validation.

Journal Article↗