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Effect of the in vitro maturation medium on equine oocytes: comparison of follicular fluid and oestrous mare serum.

The present study evaluated the effect of supplementing the medium used to mature equine oocytes in vitro with oestrous mare serum (EMS) or horse follicular fluid (HFF). To this end, 144 ovaries were obtained from mares aged 16-21 months and transported to the laboratory in Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (D-PBS) at 30 degrees C. Oocytes were harvested from the ovaries by slicing, and then selected for in vitro maturation (IVM) according to the number of cumulus cell layers and the characteristics of the cytoplasm. The selected oocytes were washed three times in TCM199 medium plus HEPES (TCM-199H) or in the same medium plus glutamine (TCM-199G), then matured in vitro in six study groups established according to the in vitro maturation (IVM) treatment to see possible interactions between HEPES and glutamine on other supplements: Ten percent EMS was added to two of these media (TCM-199H+EMS and TCM-199G+EMS) and 10% HFF was added to the media in two other groups (TCM-199H+HFF and TCM-199G+HFF). IVM was performed at 38.5 degrees C for 40 h in a controlled atmosphere (5% CO2, 95% relative humidity). The findings indicate that the presence of EMS or HFF in the TCM-199H medium gives rise to the best results in terms of the proportions of oocytes reaching maturity (37.7% and 36.8%, respectively). The values obtained with EMS and HFF were statistically similar to each other but differed from the other treatments. The media containing glutamine led to the highest proportions of degenerated oocytes.

Animals↗

Development of one-cell porcine embryos to the blastocyst stage in simple media.

Porcine embryos were flushed from mated donors and examined for cleavage stage. One- and two-cell embryos were randomly allotted to one of the five following in vitro treatments: M199 with Earle's salts, a modified Tyrode's medium (TL), TL supplemented with 10 mM N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) (TLH), TLH supplemented with 5.5 mM glucose (TLHG), or TLH supplemented with 5 mM glutamine (TLHGL). The bicarbonate concentration of TLH, TLHG, and TLHGL was 2 mM, compared with the 25 mM concentration in M199 and TL. Embryos in M199 and TL were incubated in 95% air:5% CO2 at 39 degrees C. Those in the remaining three treatments were incubated in air at 39 degrees C. Embryos incubated in TL and M199 did not develop past the four- to eight-cell stage, whereas the proportions of embryos developing to the compact morula or blastocyst stage by d 7 of culture in the other treatments were as follows: TLHG, 49.1%; TLHGL, 59.4%; TLH, 63.5% (P less than .005). These results indicate that porcine embryos can be cultured from the one-cell stage to blastocyst in a simple HEPES-buffered medium in air. The ability of porcine embryos to develop without supplemental CO2 may be an important finding for use in situations in which embryos must be transported for long periods before embryo transfer.

Animals↗

A new protective solution for hypothermic storage of free vein grafts in cardiovascular surgery.

In order to reduce the operative injury of the endothelium in free reversed vein grafts, cultured human endothelial cells were used to test the optimal concentration of the constituents of a flushing solution for improved protection of the endothelium. The following solution proved to be the most suitable when tested at 20 degrees C; mannitol 160 mmol l-1, glucose 15 mmol l-1, NaCl 30 mmol l-1, KHCO3 5 mmol l-1, K2SO4 10 mmol l-1, KH2PO4 4 mmol l-1, MgSO4 20 mmol l-1, CaCl2 1.5 mmol l-1, potassium citrate 1.0 mmol l-1, Pluronic F-68 20 mg l-1, HEPES 4 mmol l-1, HEPES-Na 6 mmol l-1, pH 7.25, osmolality 325 mosmol kg-1 H2O. When endothelial cell injury was measured by a 51Cr-release assay, the new solution protected human endothelial cells in culture during hypothermic incubation better than isotonic NaCl, St Thomas' cardioplegic solution or Krebs-Henseleit's buffer. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy showed that the endothelium of human saphenous vein grafts was well preserved following 6 h of incubation at 20 degrees C with the new solution. As determined by morphometry using scanning electron microscopy, the endothelium of free porcine vein grafts was better preserved after incubation for 2 h at 20 degrees C with the new solution than with either isotonic NaCl (p = 0.02) or diluted, heparinized blood (p = 0.02) as the incubation medium, all cases observed following 2 h of subsequent arterial flow. The present study indicates that the endothelium of free vein grafts can be well protected against hypothermia when the flushing and irrigation fluid has a composition favouring endothelial protection. It appears likely that such treatment of vein grafts will reduce the frequency of vein graft narrowing and occlusion, post-operatively.

Animals↗

Acid-base transport in isolated rabbit duodenal villus and crypt cells.

BACKGROUND: Duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion is an important first line of defense against gastric acid. Studies in the ileum indicate that the secretion originates from the crypt cells, whereas villus cells are mainly absorptive. Data on acid/base transporters along the crypt-villus axis in duodenal epithelia are not available. It was our purpose to identify and compare acid/base transporters in isolated mammalian duodenal villus and crypt cells. METHODS: The proximal duodenum of rabbits was excised, and duodenal epithelial cells were isolated in five fractions by a modified calcium chelation technique. Intracellular pH (pHi) was measured with a pH-sensitive dye and dynamic fluorescence ratio imaging. RESULTS: In both villus and crypt cells incubated in Hepes buffer, removal of Na+ or addition of amiloride decreased basal pHi and pHi recovery after intracellular acidification, indicating an Na+/H+ exchanger in both cell types. In both cell types acid extrusion rates in bicarbonate-buffered Ringer's solution were significantly higher than in Hepes buffer. The bicarbonate-dependent acid extruder was unaffected by removal of Cl- or addition of amiloride but was blocked by removal of Na+, indicating the presence of a NaHCO3 cotransporter in both villus and crypt cells. Removal of external Cl induced a reversible increase in pHi (inhibited by H2DIDS) in both villus and crypt cells, indicating a Cl-/HCO3- exchanger in both. CONCLUSIONS: Mammalian duodenal villus and crypt cells have identical acid-base transporters. These findings tend to negate the theory of a functional difference in acid-base transporters between duodenal villus and crypt cells and instead imply alkaline secretion by both cell fractions. However, as these experiments were performed in unpolarized, single cells, additional studies with either membrane vesicles or polarized cells are needed.

Animals↗

Anomeric preference in uptake of D-glucose and of D-galactose by rat lenses.

To determine the anomeric preference of uptake of D-glucose and of D-galactose by rat lenses, we crystallized alpha-, beta-D-[U-14C]glucose (720 microCi/mmol) and alpha-, beta-D-[U-14C]galactose (180 microCi/mmol) by our method and incubated them separately with rat lenses for 1 min, because of the short half-life of mutarotation of alpha-D-glucose (9.6 min) and of alpha-D-galactose (4.6 min) in HEPES medium at 30 degrees C. During aerobic incubation of rat lenses in HEPES medium containing radioactive alpha or beta anomer of D-glucose, there was no significant difference in the rate of uptake between alpha and beta anomers of D-glucose by rat lenses. However, 1.59 times greater incorporation of alpha-D-galactose was observed over that of beta-D-galactose under the same conditions.

Animals↗

Buffers can modulate the effect of sonication on egg lecithin liposomes.

When model membranes are prepared by ultrasonic irradiation of polyunsaturated phospholipids, radical production can induce a partial degradation of the polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains and the formation of lipid hydroperoxides. A suitable buffer employed during liposome preparation, like Hepes or Tris, is able to exhibit a protective effect against lipid peroxidation. Hepes has been found to be the most effective: a 10 mM concentration provides a 70% protection after 30 min sonication. Tris, in the same conditions, exhibits a 50% protection. These findings may be explained on the basis of the rate constants of these organic buffers with hydroxyl radicals.

Buffers↗

Characterization and optimization of in vitro assay conditions for (1,3)beta-glucan synthase activity from Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans for enzyme inhibition screening.

(1,3)Beta-D-glucan synthase (E.C.2.4.1.34. UDP-glucose: 1,3-beta-D-glucan 3-beta-glucosyl transferase) catalyzes the polymerization of glucose ([1-3]-beta-linkages) using UDP-glucose as substrate. We have determined optimal in vitro conditions for the assay of (1,3)beta-glucan synthase activity from Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans. These included lysis of cells in the following for C. albicans, 100 mM HEPES, pH 8.0, 10 microM guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS), 2 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), disodium salt, 5 mM NaF, 250 mM sucrose, and 10 mM NaH2PO4; and for A. fumigatus, 50 mM HEPES, 10mM EDTA, 750 mM sucrose, 10 mM NaH2PO4, 100 mM cellobiose and 50 microM GTPgammaS. Resulting low-speed supernatants were used as enzyme sources to determine the optimal in vitro assay conditions. We have characterized the resulting enzyme activities and tested the optimized assays with known (1,3)beta-glucan synthase inhibitors including cilofungin, papulacandin, aculeacin A, and echinocandin B. We have used both optimized assays to screen > 1000 extracts of marine macroorganisms and, using bioassay-guided purification, have identified (1,3)beta-glucan synthase inhibitors.

Antifungal Agents↗

A simple and efficient method for purification of infectious recombinant adenovirus.

Recently, the adenovirus expression vector attracts much attention for the application to gene therapy and the method to purify and concentrate adenovirus without loss of infectivity has become very important, especially for animal experiments and gene therapy of humans. In this report, we show a simple and efficient method for purifying infectious adenovirus. The method consists of sequential centrifugation in CsCl step gradients without loss of infectivity and can be completed in one day. The method maintained the viral infectivity after 10-fold concentration and seemed to remove more than 99.9% of carried-over proteins. We showed also that the buffers for dialyzing the purified virions influenced the stability of infectivity. The buffers of 10 mM HEPES-1 mM EDTA-10% glycerol and PBS(-)-10% glycerol resulted in higher stability than did 10 mM HEPES-1 mM MgCl2-10% glycerol. The method is may be useful in many applications of recombinant adenovirus.

Adenoviridae↗

The inhibition of bovine carbonic anhydrase by saccharin and 2- and 4-carbobenzoxybenzene sulfonamide.

The present work demonstrates that the high-activity zinc metalloenzyme, carbonic anhydrase (CA II) from bovine erythrocytes is inhibited by the cyclic sulfimide, saccharin, and 2- and 4-carbobenzoxybenzene sulfonamide. A spectrophotometric method was employed to monitor the enzymatically catalyzed hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate by following the increase in absorbance at 410 nm which accompanies p-nitrophenoxide/p-nitrophenol formation. The more rapid enzymatic hydration of CO2 was monitored by using a stopped-flow spectrophotometer as well as by a modified colorimetric method of Wilbur and Anderson. The studies show that, at a given molar ratio of inhibitor to enzyme, the degree of inhibition of the enzymaic hydration of CO2 and hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate by the inhibitory compounds is essentially the same. Kinetic analyses were made at 25.0 degrees at pH 6.5 (MES buffers), pH 6.9 (HEPES buffers) and pH 7.9 (HEPES buffers) with ionic strength regulated by the addition of appropriate quantities of sodium sulfate. Lineweaver-Burk plots were used to evaluate apparent inhibition constants for each of the three inhibitors. For all the inhibitors studied, inhibition appears to be mixed (competitive/noncompetitive). For saccharin in the presence of sodium sulfate, the extent of inhibition is considerably decreased. It was found for the three inhibitors that the inhibitory potency decreases with increasing pH, and that the inhibitory potency is extremely sensitive to the shape of these rather closely related molecules. For example, apparent inhibition constants for the enzymatic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate at pH 6.9 were Ki (saccharin) = 0.20 mM, Ki (2-carbobenzoxybenzene sulfonamide) = 0.54 mM and Ki (4-carbobenzoxybenzene sulfonamide) = 1.6 microM. For the enzymatic hydration of CO2 at pH 6.9, 0.10 mM saccharin caused 50% inhibition while 7.0 nM 4-carbobenzoxybenzene sulfonamide resulted in 50% inhibition. The results suggest that sulfonamide inhibition is caused by formation of a monodentate ligand at the zinc ion of the enzyme active site and that the more linear 4-carbobenzoxybenzene sulfonamide is better able to enter a conical enzyme active site than is 2-carbobenzoxybenzene sulfonamide or saccharin.

Algorithms↗

Influence of adsorption and deproteination on potential free thyroxine reference methods.

BACKGROUND: There is a need for consensus concerning reference methods to be used for calibration of commercial free-thyroxine (FT(4)) assays. METHODS: Three different potential reference techniques were investigated for adsorption of T(4) to membrane materials, including any in vitro solid surfaces to which T(4) might adsorb, and for efficient separation of the T(4)-binding proteins from the free hormone fraction. We compared ultrafiltration with different commercial ultrafiltration units, ultrafiltration by dialysis tubing, equilibrium dialysis, and ultracentrifugation. We measured the adsorption to membranes and materials with L-[(125)I]T(4). Separation efficiency was determined by measuring the T(4)-binding protein albumin in the ultrafiltrate and the dialysate as well as in the supernatant from the ultracentrifugation with a double-antibody sandwich ELISA technique. RESULTS: We found a constant relationship between the amount of T(4) adsorbed to the dialysis or ultrafiltration membranes/materials and the initial T(4) concentration in HEPES buffer (protein-free medium). T(4) was considerably less adsorbed from serum than from HEPES buffer (P <0.001). Serum T(4) was less adsorbed upon ultracentrifugation than during dialysis and ultrafiltration (P <0.001). It was difficult to completely separate FT(4) from the binding proteins by ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. Separation by ultrafiltration depended on the material used. CONCLUSIONS: No investigated separation technique provides technically and theoretically correct separation of the free fraction of T(4) from the protein-bound fraction. Equilibrium dialysis seems to be the least compromised.

Adsorption↗

[Effects of berberine on intracellular calcium concentration in smooth muscle cells of guinea pig colon].

The purpose of the present investigation is to study how berberine (Ber) affect the intracellular free calcium concentration ( Ca(2+) (i)) of the smooth muscle cells of guinea pig colon by means of biwavelength spectrophotometry with Fura 2 AM in a cell suspension specimen. In the resting state, Ca(2+) (i) in HEPES Ringer solution (CaCl2 1.5 mmol/L) was 108 9.4 nmol/L (n=7), which was not significantly affected by Ber. On the other hand, Ber inhibited the increased Ca(2+) (i) induced by 60 mmol/L KCl in a dose dependent manner, with a value of IC(50) being 34.09 micromol/L. 30, 100 micromol/L Ber also inhibited 10 micromol/L ACh evoked Ca(2+) (i) elevation in a dose dependent manner either in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca(2+). In addition, Ber inhibited cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) stimulated Ca(2+) (i) elevation dose dependently. This effect was more potent in HEPES Ringer solution (IC(50)=37.79 micromol/L) than in Ca(2+) free medium (IC(50)=49.70 micromol/L). The above results suggest that Ber exerts an inhibitory effect on the extracellular Ca(2+) influx and the Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores.

Animals↗

Effect of reproductive status on in vitro developmental competence of bovine oocytes.

The objectives of the present study were to compare the in vitro maturation (IVM), fertilization and early embryonic development of bovine oocytes recovered from ovaries during the follicular, metestrus and diestrus stages of the estrous cycle and at anestrus and pregnancy after maturation in a serum free culture medium. Cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) collected from ovaries at different reproductive statuses were matured in medium 199 supplemented with 10 g/ml FSH, 10 g/ml LH, 1.5 g/m estradiol, 75 g/ml streptomycin, 100 IU/ml penicillin and 10 mM HEPES. COCs were incubated in 200 microl droplets of maturation medium 199 under oil for 24 h at 39 90 degree angle c and 5% CO2. Matured oocytes were exposed to frozen-thawed TALP swim up, heparin capacitated sperm from two bulls separately in each replicate (20 h, 39C, 5% CO2). After fertilization, the presumptive zygotes were cultured in medium 199 containing 8 mg/ml BSA-V, 100 IU/ml penicillin-G, 75 g/ml streptomycin and 10 mM HEPES for 144 h at 39C and 5% CO2 without medium freshening or change. Oocytes/embryos were fixed, stained with DAPI and evaluated under fluorescent microscope. The IVM rates were almost similar among oocytes from all reproductive statuses (range: 89.8 to 95.4%). However, IVM rates for oocytes from the metestrus (90.6%) and pregnant (89.9%) phases were lower than the other groups. The fertilization rates were lower (p<0.05) for oocytes from the diestrus phase (72.4%) than from the other phases (range: 81.1 to 86.6%). Oocytes, recovered during the metestrus phase of the estrous cycle, resulted in the highest cleavage rate (60.0%), while oocytes from the diestrus phase had the poorest embryonic development (39.8%: p<0.05). Majority of the embryos from all reproductive phases showed a developmental arrest around 8-cell stage. Although the developmental competence of oocytes from pregnant and anestrus animals was lower than that from the other reproductive stages, they could be potentially used as oocyte donors. Long term, in vitro embryo culture without medium freshening or change was hypothesized to have caused the failure to overcome the 8-cell block to development.

Animals↗

Simultaneous recording of cell volume changes and intracellular pH or Ca2+ concentration in single osteosarcoma cells UMR-106-01.

We present a new technique for the simultaneous measurement of cell volume changes and intracellular ionic activities in single cells. The technique uses measurement of changes in the concentration of intracellularly trapped fluorescent dyes to report relative cell volume. By using pH- or Ca(2+)-sensitive dyes and recording at the ion-sensitive and -insensitive (isosbestic) wavelengths, the method can measure both cell volume changes and intracellular ionic activities. The technique was used to study the mechanisms of regulatory volume decrease (RVD) in the osteosarcoma cell line UMR-106-01 grown on cover slips. Swelling cells in 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-buffered hypotonic medium was followed by stable cytosolic acidification and a decrease in cell volume back toward normal. The recovery of cell volume could be blocked by depolarization, treatment with ouabain, or depletion of cell Cl-. These suggest the conductive efflux of K+ and Cl- during RVD. The cytosolic acidification that accompanied cell swelling was not blocked by amiloride, bafilomycin A, or removal of Cl- and could not be reproduced by depletion of cellular ATP. These findings exclude Na+/H+ and Cl-/HCO-3 exchange, intracellularly generated acid, or increased metabolism, respectively, as the cause of the acidification. The cell swelling-induced acidification was inhibited by depolarization, suggesting the involvement of an electrogenic pathway. The acidification, as well as RVD, was inhibited by short incubation with deoxyglucose, and these effects could not be reversed by valinomycin. Thus, the anionic pathway(s) participating in RVD and the acidification are sensitive to the cellular level of ATP. Together, these studies indicate that RVD in UMR-106-01 cells in HEPES-buffered medium is mediated by the conductive efflux of K+, Cl-, and OH-.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Stabilization of phosphatidylcholine coatings in capillary electrophoresis by increase in membrane rigidity.

Divalent cations affect the stability and structure of phospholipid vesicles and also the binding and immobilization of proteins into phospholipid membranes. The effect of calcium, magnesium, and zinc on zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) coatings in fused silica capillaries for electrophoresis was the primary interest in this work. In addition, the effect of temperature on the coating stability was investigated by coating 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) liposomes at temperatures above and below the gel- to fluid-state transition. All coatings were performed with PC large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) in 40 mM N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N'-(2-ethanesulfonic acid) (HEPES) at pH 7.4 as basic solution. HEPES (40 mM) at pH 7.4 was used as background electrolyte (BGE) throughout the study. The stability of the coating was studied by measuring the electroosmotic flow. A molar ratio of 1:3 PC/Ca2+ or PC/Mg2+ gave the best coating stability owing to the increased rigidity of the phospholipid membrane furnished by the divalent metal ions. Better results were obtained with DPPC in the more rigid gel state than in the fluid state: the electroosmotic flow was much suppressed and the PC coating was stabilized. Coating the fused silica capillary with PC liposome-metal ion buffer solutions resulted in good electrophoretic separation of basic model proteins (pI-values 7.8-11.0). The electrophoretic results demonstrate the importance of stabilizing the phospholipid coating on fused silica capillaries, either by the addition of divalent metal ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, or Zn2+) or by working in the gel-state region of the phospholipid.

Electrophoresis, Capillary↗

The receptor of an oyster juice-borne coliphage OJ367 in the outer membrane of Salmonella derby.

The objective of this study was to identify the receptor of OJ367, an oyster juice-borne bacteriophage, in Salmonella derby ATCC 6960. The crude receptor outer membrane (OM) fraction was prepared and examined from the total cell envelope (TCE) by differential extraction with N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-MgCl2 and then with Triton-HEPES-ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid buffers. The OM proteins (Omps) were isolated by diethylaminoethyl column chromatography to screen for receptor activity. A 45-kDa protein belonging to a minor Omp species, with phage neutralization ability, was eluted in a homogeneous form. It was a non-peptidoglycan-associated protein which was digestible by trypsin. Lipopolysaccharide had no influence on its receptor activity when coexistent in the diethylaminoethyl column fractions. An S. derby mutant resistant to lysis by phage OJ367 was isolated. The mutant not only showed decreased receptor activity in vitro when its TCE was tested but had an altered Omp profile. This implied that the 45-kDa Omp is involved as a receptor in coliphage binding; however, this role is affected by the expression of other Omps.

Animals↗

Membrane depolarization induces protein kinase C translocation and voltage operated calcium channel opening in PU5-1.8 cells. Protein kinase C as a negative feedback modulator for calcium signalling.

Incubation of the murine macrophage tumour cell line PU5-1.8 in K+ (140 mM)-HEPES buffer induced depolarization of the membrane and the translocation of protein kinase C (PKC) to the subnuclear region. Membrane depolarization also induced an increase of intracellular free Ca2+ levels ([Ca2+]i) which was due to the Ca2+ influx. The amount of K(+)-mediated Ca2+ uptake was dependent on the Ca2+ concentration gradient as measured by indo-1 fluorescence and 45Ca2+ fluxes. The depolarization-mediated Ca2+ influx was suppressed by voltage sensitive Ca2+ channel blockers such as nifedipine and verapamil. Furthermore, in Na(+)-HEPES buffer, incubation of cells with a dihydropyridine agonist [3H]PN200-110 produced a dose-dependent saturable binding. On the other hand, short-term incubation of cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) abolished the early phase of 45Ca2+ influx and the rise of indo-1 fluorescence. Depleting cells of PKC or incubating them with PKC inhibitors, H7 and sphingosine, enhanced the uptake of 45Ca2+ and the rise of indo-1 fluorescence. These observations suggest that membrane depolarization caused an activation of PKC and induced Ca2+ influx through the activation of dihydropyridine-sensitive, voltage-operated Ca2+ channels. Data also show that PKC may act as a negative modulator in controlling the Ca2+ response by closing the voltage-operated Ca2+ channel and/or by enhancing the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity during membrane depolarization in PU5-1.8 cells.

Animals↗

Monitoring of potassium-stimulated catecholamine changes in striatal synaptosomal preparations and in corpus striatum of rats: a comparative voltammetric study.

Voltammetric techniques were used to compare the effects of K(+)-induced depolarization on catecholamine levels in in vitro synaptosomal preparations of the corpus striatum with those in the in vivo corpus striatum of anaesthetized animals. In vitro, the catechol-oxidation currents could be recorded only in dopamine-preloaded synaptosomes. In isolated synaptosomes prepared in the presence of elevated concentrations of Ca2+ (1 mmol.l-1) and Na+ (135 mmol.l-1), K(+)-induced depolarization had variable effects on catechol-oxidation current. The stimulatory effect of K(+)-induced depolarization (a short transient increase of catechol-oxidation current lasting for 30 s) could be observed after the addition of dopamine loaded synaptosomes in EGTA into the medium with elevated K+ concentration (90 mmol.l-1) and decreased concentrations of Na+ (75 mmol.l-1) and Ca2+ (0.75 mmol.l-1). These results suggest that experimental procedures and parameters of ionic composition of incubation media have to be carefully controlled, owing to an enhanced in vitro permeability of membranes of isolated synaptosomes for Ca2+ and Na+. In in vivo experiments, microinjection of KCl (3 microliters of 0.5 mol.l-1 KCl in 10 mmol.l-1 HEPES, pH 7.4) resulted in the appearance of several phases of catechol-oxidation current: the current increased (to severalfold of the control values) followed by a decrease or even total disappearance, with a gradual return to control values. Under conditions of depletion of extracellular calcium by EGTA (5 microliters of 0.5 mol.l-1 KCl + 0.25 mol.l-1 EGTA in 10 mmol.l-1 HEPES, pH 7.4) K(+)-induced depolarization confirmed the key role of calcium in the release of catecholamine transmitters as well as that in processes regulating the uptake and metabolism of these transmitters. The voltammetric techniques used in the present study may be a useful tool in extending of our knowledge about the cellular mechanisms of stimulus-response coupling in nerve cells.

Animals↗

[Intracellular pH regulation in human SW-620 colon cancer cells].

Intracellular pH (pHi) regulation is essential for basic functioning of the cell and activation of pHi regulatory mechanisms appears to be involved in the initial stage of cell division. Little is known about pHi regulation in human colonic carcinoma cells. We investigated SW-620 (CCL 227) cells, a cell-line derived from a human colonic adenocarcinoma. pHi changes were recorded by computer-assisted spectrofluorimetric monitoring of the pH-sensitive, fluorescent dye BCECF (2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)- 5(6)carboxyfluorescein). Resting pHi in HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid) buffered solution was 7.53 +/- 0.01. Intracellular acidification after an ammonium prepulse produced a pHi decline of 0.5 units and pHi returned to normal value in NaCl Ringer's. Both 1 mM amiloride and Na-free solution completely inhibited recovery for 8 minutes. This inhibition was reversible in NaCl Ringer's. Na-free solution led to a pHi decrease to 7.39 +/- 0.04 after 16 min, pHi was also lowered by 8 minute incubation of cells with 1 mM amiloride (7.40 +/- 0.02). In HCO3/CO2-buffered solution resting pHi was 7.42 +/- 0.01 (n = 35). Recovery from an acute acid load, induced by NH4 prepulse or switching from HEPES- to bicarbonate-buffered solution, was Na dependent, Cl independent, reversible and only partially blocked by 1 mM amiloride - pHi slowly recovered from 6.83 +/- 0.03 to 7.00 +/- 0.06 in 8 minutes. In the presence of amiloride and 200 microns H2DIDS (dihydro-4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid) pHi recovery was completely inhibited for 8 minutes. In Na-free solution pHi decreased from 7.44 +/- 0.04 to 7.29 +/- 0.03 within 8 minutes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗