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At least 685 records · Page 38Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Use of cultured permanent lines of intestinal epithelial cells for the assay of okadaic acid in mussel homogenates.

Two non-transformed intestinal epithelial cell lines (RIE-1 and IEC-6) and three intestinal carcinoma cell lines (HT-29, T84 and MCA-38) were used to detect the toxic effects due to okadaic acid in the presence of mussel tissue homogenates. Cytotoxicity was assessed by measurement of the metabolic conversion of 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide to its corresponding formazan dye. All of the cell lines were sensitive to okadaic acid, with HT-29, RIE-1 and IEC-6 showing the greatest response. Dilutions of whole mussel tissue homogenates caused some loss of viability in most of the cell lines but had no significant effect on the viability of RIE-1 cells. In no case did the mussel homogenate compromise the dose-response curve to okadaic acid when data were normalized to the appropriate control value. These intestinal epithelial cell lines may prove useful in the bioassay of okadaic acid and related toxins.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Leukocyte migration inhibition studies and neutrophil cell function during aging in Nigerians.

In this study, in vitro cell-mediated immune response was analysed in 150 healthy Nigerians between 6 and 95 years old by the leukocyte migration inhibitory factor (L-MIF) test. Lymphocytes were activated with the mitogen concanavalin A and candida, measles virus and mycobacterial antigens. Nonspecific cellular immune capacity was studied by the Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test. Numerical estimates of leukocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations were done. Mean L-MIF activity obtained with the four lymphocyte activators decreased with rising age indicating a progressive decline in cellular immune function with age. There was no significant age-related change in formazan positivity rate for both unstimulated and stimulated NBT tests. No age-related change in number was observed for any of the leucocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations. These results show that cell-mediaging response in Nigerians immunity declines, but phagocyte function is unchanged during aging. Lymphocyte depletion or numerical alteration in resting T cell subsets could not be demonstrated to be responsible for depressed cell-mediated immunity in aging Nigerians.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

The effect of dietary supplementation of fish oil on experimental myocardial infarction.

The effect of altering the abundance of precursors and inhibitors of prostaglandin formation by dietary supplements of fish oil was investigated in dogs with experimentally induced myocardial infarction. Prior to induction, 10 male mongrel dogs were fed standard dog chow supplemented with 25% of the total calories as menhaden oil for 36 to 45 days. The fatty acid composition of th lipids in plasma and platelets changed to reflect the increased intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 type. Thrombosis and subsequent infarction was induced by electrical stimulation of the left circumflex coronary artery of ambulatory dogs that were monitored by telemetry. Upon stimulation of control animals, the frequency of ectopic beats rose from less than 10% at the beginning to about 80% after 19 hours. In contrast, the oil-fed dogs maintained a more normal ECG pattern, showing less than 30% ectopic beats after 19 hours. In these animals, the size of infarction (measured by formazan formation) was 3% of the left ventricle compared to 25% in the control animals. The results suggest that dietary supplementation with fish oil may be beneficial in reducing myocardial damage associated with coronary artery thrombosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Precision of and new methods for testing in vitro alloy cytotoxicity.

Previous studies have utilized in vitro alloy cytotoxicity tests to evaluate dental casting alloys. The purposes of this study were to: (1) evaluate the precision of the optical density and visual tests previously used, (2) evaluate a new test measuring absorbance of solubilized formazan dyes, and (3) test the correlation between these tests for cytotoxicity. Balb/c 3T3 cells were plated in 24-well culture trays at 25,000 cells/cm2 around ten types of dental casting alloys (six samples/alloy) and incubated for 72 h. Cells were histochemically stained with MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide)/succinate for 2 h, then fixed, washed, and dried. Toxicity was measured by optical densitometer (OD) scanning, visual assessment, and 560-nm absorbance of DMSO-solubilized dyes. Measurements of rings of inhibition were not used, because they did not provide precise data, and correlated poorly with the other methods. The results were analyzed by ANOVA, Tukey intervals, and coefficients of variation (CV's). MTT required shorter incubation times for adequate staining, allowed for solubilization of the monolayers, and was less expensive than NBT (2,2'-di-p-nitro-phenyl-5,5'-diphenyl-3,3'-dimethoxy-[3,3'-dimethoxy-4,4 '-biphenylene] ditetrazolium chloride). Results showed that all three methods ranked alloy toxicities similarly (p = 0.05). The solubilization method was most discriminating due to lower CV's. Correlation between densitometer and solubilization methods was excellent (R2 = 0.96). Between-experiment CV's were generally less than 20%, and often less than 10%. Between-sample CV's were generally less than 20%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1996

Dopamine secretion by PC12 cells microencapsulated in a hydroxyethyl methacrylate--methyl methacrylate copolymer.

A rat pheochromocytoma cell line (PC12) was encapsulated in a water-insoluble hydroxyethyl methacrylate-methyl methacrylate copolymer by interfacial precipitation from a polyethylene glycol 200 solution into phosphate-buffered saline. The resulting capsules (660 +/- 44 microns in diameter; 84 +/- 27 microns wall thickness) contained viable PC12 cells in a spheroidal arrangement, much like tumour spheroids, the latter grown on surfaces unsuitable for cell attachment. In these spheroids, the viable cells formed a band approximately 100 microns thick, surrounding an inner core of necrotic cells. A similar arrangement was seen 14, 28 and 42 days after encapsulation, with capsules maintained in an in vitro tissue culture environment; the annular ring was roughly constant in size, although the packing density appeared to increase over the 6 week observation period. During the first 4 weeks, when measurements were made the encapsulated cells converted a tetrazolium dye (MTT) into an insoluble formazan product, in a time-after-encapsulation-dependent manner. This indicated that PC12 cells retained viability despite encapsulation and an ability to increase (at least in part) their metabolic capacity, presumably by a combination of proliferation and altered cellular activity. The encapsulated PC12 cells also secreted dopamine when incubated in a high potassium release medium but not in a low potassium, conventional tissue culture medium (RPMI 1640). Consistent with the MTT results, the amount of dopamine released was also dependent on the time after encapsulation, as well as the cell density at the time of encapsulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Differential macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity to P388 leukemia cells and its drug-resistant cells examined by a new MTT assay.

After activation by interferon-gamma (INF-gamma) and lipopolysaccharide(LPS), mouse peritoneal macrophages were cocultured with P388 parental cell line (P388/PRT) and its adriamycin (ADM)-, cisplatin(CDDP)-, cyclophosphamide(CPM)-, and mitomycin-C(MMC)-resistant cell lines for one day at effector:target ratios (E:T) of 10:1, 5:1, and 2:1. The direct 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cleavage assay and a new indirect MTT assay as well as clonogenic assay were used to quantitate activated macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity to these non-adherent leukemia targets. The results revealed that all the P388 cell lines can be suppressed efficiently by activated macrophages, but P388 CPM- and MMC-resistant cell lines (P388/CPM, P388/MMC) were more susceptible than P388/PRT while P388 ADM- and CDDP-resistant cell lines (P388/ADM, P388/CDDP) shared equal level of survival rates with P388/PRT. This study also showed that both non-activated and activated macrophages can produce formazan in a high level, which can interfere with the final results of direct MTT assay. The new indirect MTT assay can avoid such interference by separating the effectors from the targets before performing the MTT assay and reflects the real viability of the targets so the indirect MTT assay developed in this study could be a better way to examine cytostatic and cytotoxic effect of activated macrophages on non-adherent tumor cells in vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

An in vitro study of blast cell metabolism in acute myeloid leukaemia using the MTT assay.

We have utilized the MTT assay to measure the metabolic activity of cells from the bone marrow of 55 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and non-clonal disease. Doubling dilutions of cells were exposed to MTT for 3-4 h. The mean optical density of the formazan produced by each cell dilution was plotted and the gradient of the line produced was calculated, higher gradients indicating more metabolically active cells. Results showed that the median activity of mononuclear cells from seven patients with non-clonal disease was 0.202 (range 0.175-0.253); blast cells from 27 patients with de novo AML had a median activity of 0.187 (range 0.079-0.345) and 13 patients with MDS a median of 0.155 (range 0.062-0.311). Seven assays on mononuclear cells from five patients in remission had a median activity of 0.203 (range 0.190-0.248), indicating no significant difference between these and normal patients. There was no correlation between the metabolic activity of cells when compared with their proliferative capacity, cell size and expression of P-glycoprotein. Following exposure of the AML patients' blast cells to the anthracyclines, cytosine arabinoside, 6-thioguanine and etoposide, cell survival was measured using the MTT assay. While there was no correlation between the in vitro sensitivity of these cells to the anthracyclines or etoposide, less metabolically active cells showed significantly greater sensitivity to 6-thioguanine. Conversely, the more active cells appeared to be more sensitive to cytosine arabinoside. Patients whose blasts cells showed higher metabolic activity appeared to achieve remission and had a longer mean survival time. Therefore, by using a simple technique we were able to establish that some patients were more likely to respond to certain cytotoxic regimes. Our preliminary study reflected the multifactorial nature of clinical response in AML and MDS, so providing further information on the relationship between cellular metabolic activity and treatment failure.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed1985

Detection of alkaline phosphatase activity after conventional isoelectric focusing by an indoxyl-tetrazolium salt technique.

Alkaline phosphatase was solubilized from human and rat tissues using papain in the presence of TRITON X-100 and subjected to isoelectric focusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide or agarose gels. Up till now, usually 1- and 2-naphthylphosphates have been used as substrates in order to specifically stain molecular forms of this enzyme by the azo-dye technique. In this paper, the use of another histochemical substrate, 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoxyl phosphate, in combination with tetrazolium salts [McGadey, J. (1970) Histochemie 23, 180-184] is presented. After hydrolysis, the released indoxyl moieties reduce tetrazolium salts to insoluble formazans at the zones of alkaline phosphatase activity. Zymogrammes showing molecular forms of alkaline phosphatase from 20 rat organs and the application of this staining technique for the detection of alkaline phosphatase activity in non-dialyzed human plasma after IEF are presented.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1992

Staining of argininosuccinate lyase activity in polyacrylamide gel.

A procedure for the direct staining of argininosuccinate lyase activity in polyacrylamide gel is described. The method was based on coupling one of the enzymatic products fumarate with fumarase and malic enzyme catalyzed reactions. Fumarate was first converted to L-malate by fumarase. Malic enzyme then catalyzed the oxidative decarboxylation of L-malate to give CO2 and pyruvate with concomitant reduction of NADP+ to NADPH. Finally the reducing power of NADPH was coupled to phenazine methosulfate and in turn to nitroblue tetrazolium yielding a deeply colored insoluble formazan which may be quantitized or semiquantitized by densitometer.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

An assay for growth of mouse bone marrow cells in microtiter liquid culture using the tetrazolium salt MTT, and its application to studies of myelopoiesis.

Mouse bone marrow cells were grown in liquid culture in microtiter plates in the presence of different colony-stimulating factors (CSF). Growth was assayed using the tetrazolium salt MTT, which is reduced in the mitochondria of viable cells to a water-insoluble blue formazan dye. Two technical problems have limited the use of this assay: the solubilization of the dye crystals and the necessity to acidify the phenol red in the culture medium. Both could be solved here by the use of a developing solution of 5% formic acid in isopropanol. Using manual mixing combined with a short sonication by floating the plates in a sonic bath, the crystals were dissolved within minutes. There was no flocculation of protein, even using medium with 20% serum. The color remained stable for at least 4 h. This enabled the semi-automatic measurement of large numbers of cultures directly in the microtiter plates. Growth and differentiation of myelopoietic precursor cells in the liquid cultures was shown to be comparable to that in soft agar. Cell growth was CSF-dependent. The calculated cell yield per colony forming cell (CFC) seeded was within the range of the average cell number per colony found in soft agar, and the spectrum of mature cells obtained reflected the type of CSF used as stimulus. Using the combined culture and assay systems, it was possible to perform detailed kinetic studies of myelopoiesis. This technique should be useful for studying the mechanisms of action of pharmacological modulators of myelopoiesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

A tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay for quantification of HIV-1-induced cytopathogenicity in monocyte-macrophages exposed to macrophage-colony-stimulating factor.

A sensitive assay was developed for in vitro evaluation of anti-HIV agents in monocyte-macrophage cells (M/M) (a crucial target of HIV in the body). Monocyte-macrophage cells are usually poorly sensitive to the cytopathic effect induced by HIV. However, when fresh adherent monocyte-macrophage cells are cultured at relatively high density in the presence of macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), they undergo cytolysis and die in 2-3 weeks. HIV-mediated cell-killing can thus be assessed with a method based on the reduction of the yellow colored 3-(4-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) by metabolically active cells to a blue formazan, which can be measured spectrophotometrically. HIV-mediated cytopathic effect of M-CSF-exposed monocyte-macrophage cells was consistently achieved in all experiments performed under the conditions described herein. Anti-HIV activity of zidovudine (AZT) was also comparatively evaluated in M-CSF- and normal monocyte-macrophage cells both using the MTT assay and by measuring HIV-p24 antigen production in supernatants of monocyte-macrophage cells cultures, and similar results obtained with both methods. These results support the use of this colorimetric assay for broad screening of anti-HIV agents in monocyte-macrophage cells.

Colorimetry↗
PubMed1992

A novel, spectrophotometric microneutralization assay for respiratory syncytial virus.

We describe a simple and rapid microneutralization assay for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) based on the colorimetric quantitation of the conversion of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) to a formazan product by the mitochondria of viable cells. Conditions for RSV infectivity were first optimized for sensitivity and reproducibility based on cell density and on RSV concentration as a function of multiplicity of infection (MOI) and time post-infection and the resulting optical densities were shown to be inversely proportional to MOI. For RSV neutralization, dilutions of heat-inactivated human plasma were preincubated with RSV and complement prior to infection of cells in microtiter plates. Following MTT dye conversion, 50% RSV neutralization titers were determined by linear regression analysis of the optical density values and endpoints were markedly influenced by MOI. The MTT-based assay was shown to be comparably sensitive to the plaque reduction assay for quantitation of neutralizing antibody, but more readily adaptable to the screening of a large number of samples. Finally, we demonstrated that the MTT microneutralization assay for RSV was useful for quantitation assay of neutralization activity in sera of mice and cotton rats.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Further studies on superoxide dismutase activities of macrocyclic polyamine complexes of copper(II).

The superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) activities of new series of macrocyclic complexes with copper(II) have been measured. Chemical modifications in macrocyclic ring size, donor atom, donor atom number, substituents on the macrocyclic skeletons, and length of bridges linking two macrocycles are shown to have profound effects on the superoxide dismutase activities of the metal complexes. The quantitative measurement by the standard xanthine-xanthine oxidase assay, which depends on the conversion of nitroblue tetrazolium to formazan, has been corroborated by a direct assay method using an oxygen electrode.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1994

Rapid in situ assessment of physiological activities in bacterial biofilms using fluorescent probes.

Two rapid in situ enumeration methods using fluorescent probes were used to assess the physiological activities of Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilms on stainless steel. Fluorescent dyes, 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) and rhodamine 123 (Rh 123), were chosen to perform this study. CTC is a soluble redox indicator which can be reduced by respiring bacteria to fluorescent CTC-formazan crystals. Rh 123 is incorporated into bacteria with respect to cellular proton motive force. The intracellular accumulation of these fluorescent dyes can be determined using epifluorescence microscopy. The results obtained with these two fluorescent probes in situ were compared to the plate count (PC) and in situ direct viable count (DVC) methods. Viable cell densities within biofilms determined by the three in situ methods were comparable and always showed approximately 2-fold higher values than those obtained with the PC method. As an additional advantage, the results were observed after 2 h, which was shorter than the 4 h incubation time required for the DVC method and 24 h for colony formation. The results indicate that staining with CTC and Rh 123 provides rapid information regarding cell numbers and physiological activities of bacteria within biofilms.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1992

Inorganic thiophosphate effects on chromaffin cell structure and function.

The effect was determined of replacing medium inorganic phosphate with thiophosphate on the structure and function of cultured bovine chromaffin cells. Cell cultures were incubated in normal medium containing fetal bovine serum, phosphate free medium or similar medium supplemented with inorganic phosphate or thiophosphate. In contrast to the other media, cells cultured with thiophosphate medium for 3-4 days showed seriously compromised structure and functions. The cells lost 75% of their catecholamine content and their ability to secrete remaining catecholamines in response to nicotine stimulation. Radiolabelled thiophosphate was rapidly taken up by the cells and, in long-term experiments, was incorporated largely into a 97-121 kDa protein band on SDS-PAGE. Additional minor bands were found to a lesser, variable extent. Transmission electron micrographs of cells treated with thiophosphate showed extensive depletion of chromaffin vesicles and disruption of mitochondria, suggesting that the functional damage noted with these cells could be associated with damage to mitochondria. Analysis of general cell metabolic activity by conversion of the dye (3-[3,4-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-3,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) to its formazan derivative indicated increased metabolic activity at early stages of exposure to thiophosphate followed by a decline with continued exposure, supporting the argument for an overall depression of cell metabolism. Uptake of the dye neutral red, which is avidly accumulated by chromaffin cells, was also reduced for cells exposed to thiophosphate. The data suggest that thiophosphate enters chromaffin cells and disrupts energy dependent cell functions, including catecholamine storage and secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Microbial metabolic activities in soils of old-field communities following eleven years of nutrient enrichment.

Effects of 11 years (1978-1988) of nutrient enrichment (fertilizer or sludge) on microbial metabolic activity in soil samples collected from contrasting types of old-field communities were studied during September 1989. During the 1989 growing season, subplots were manipulated by tilling and/or liming to evaluate mechanisms of ecosystem recovery or were left undisturbed. Metabolic activities of soil microorganisms were determined by measuring dehydrogenase activity within soil samples collected from these subplots. The amounts of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium formazan formed during incubation by the reduction of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride were used to evaluate dehydrogenase activity. Plots that had received long-term applications of sludge or fertilizer had significantly lower rates of microbial activity (P<0.05) than did control plots. Fertilizer and sludge plots treated with lime had significantly higher microbial metabolic activity (P<0.05) than those not receiving lime. Whereas liming stimulated microbial activity to near control levels, tilling had no significant treatment effect.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Comparison of in vitro activity of cytotoxic drugs towards human carcinoma and leukaemia cell lines.

Eight human haematopoietic cell lines and four human carcinoma lines were used to compare the activity of a number of cytotoxic drugs including amsacrine, the amsacrine analogue CI-921, methotrexate, nitracrine, doxorubicin, daunorubicin and 5-fluorouracil. Activity was assessed by means of semiautomated microculture growth inhibition assays. Cell density of the non-adherent cell lines was measured using the technique of Mosmann (J Immunol Methods 1983, 65, 55-63), in which the dye thiazolyl blue (MTT) is metabolised to a dark blue formazan product. This technique gives similar results to those obtained by direct cell counting in an electronic cell counter, and when applied to some adherent cell lines gives similar results to those obtained by the methylene blue staining technique previously developed (Anal Biochem 1984, 139, 272-277). Both methylene blue and MTT methods were used to investigate cytotoxicity in conjunction with semi-automated 96-well microculture plate techniques. The results show that the three T-cell leukaemia lines (CCRF-CEM, Jurkat and MOLT-4) are more sensitive to DNA-binding drugs (excluding nitracrine) than are the colon carcinoma lines (HCT-8, HT-29, SW480 and SW620). The more resistant haematopoietic lines are intermediate in drug sensitivity between the T cell leukaemia and carcinoma lines. The DNA binding drugs show remarkably similar patterns of differential activity against the different cell lines.

Aminoacridines↗
PubMed1995

The effects of mercuric chloride on growth, cytokine and MHC class II gene expression in a human leukemic mast cell line.

We have examined the effects of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) on growth and IL-4, IL-8, TNF-alpha and MHC class II gene expression in the HMC-1 human leukemic mast cell line. Proliferation, measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation or production of a formazan product (MTT assay), was substantially inhibited by HgCl2 at concentrations of 10(-6) M and above. Inspection of the DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis from HgCl2-treated cells revealed that it was intact, indicating inhibition of DNA synthesis, but not denaturation. HgCl2 inhibited expression of mRNA for IL-8, TNF-alpha and MHC class II at 4 x 10(-6) M and inhibited expression of IL-4 mRNA at 8 x 10(-6) M and above. At a concentration of 10(-5)M, HgCl2 almost completely blocked mRNA expression for IL-4, IL-8, TNF-alpha and MHC class II, but produced negligible inhibition of expression of mRNA encoding the housekeeping gene beta-actin, thus demonstrating selective toxicity for the cytokine and MHC class II genes studied. Pre-exposure of the cells to human recombinant IL-4 prior to treatment with HgCl2 had no effect on expression levels of any of the genes examined. The effects seen in this study are consistent with previous reports showing immunotoxic effects of HgCl2 on other cell types, therefore, the HMC-1 mast cell line may prove useful in further studies of mast cell cytokine gene expression and the mechanisms involved in cytokine gene toxicity.

Base Sequence↗