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At least 991 records · Page 55Linked to original sources

Poly-l-aspartic acid protects cultured human proximal tubule cells against aminoglycoside-induced electrophysiological alterations.

Cultured human proximal tubule cell monolayers maintained on permeable supports were treated simultaneously with the aminoglycoside antibiotic, gentamicin, and poly-L-aspartic acid (PAA), an inhibitor of aminoglycoside nephrotoxicity. Following 4 days of exposure, cell monolayers were placed into Ussing chambers to allow monitoring of transepithelial electrical properties. For each of the three cell isolates examined, aminoglycoside-induced alterations in electrogenic transport, reflected by changes in short-circuit current (Isc), as well as alterations in paracellular properties, indicated by changes in transepithelial electrical resistance (RT), were diminished in the presence of PAA. Alterations resulting from selective basolateral exposure to gentamicin were unchanged in the case of apically applied PAA and attenuated only when PAA acid was added basolaterally. This is the first demonstration of PAA inhibition of aminoglycoside-induced cellular alterations involving human cells.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tyrosine kinase B receptor proteins in glioneuronal tumors from patients with intractable epilepsy: colocalization with N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor.

Recent evidence suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) receptor, in addition to promoting neuronal survival and differentiation, modulates synaptic transmission by increasing N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) activity. Overexpression of BDNF may, then, interfere with normal brain function, causing increased excitability. We have examined the immunohistochemical expression of BDNF, full-length TrkB receptor and the NMDAR subunit 1 and subunit 2A/B proteins (NMDAR1 and NMDAR2A/B) in glioneuronal tumors (gangliogliomas, GG, n = 40; dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors, DNT, n = 15), from patients with chronic intractable epilepsy. The great majority of tumors studied were positive for all markers examined, supporting the high level of neurochemical differentiation of these lesions. BDNF and TrkB immunoreactivity (ir) was mainly observed in the neuronal component of the tumors. In GG, more than 90% of tumors contained very intense BDNF-ir ganglion cells. Double labeling confirmed the presence of BDNF-ir and TrkB-ir in neurons which contained NMDAR1. NMDAR2A/B intensely labeled abnormal neurons in both GG and DNT and co-localized with NMDAR1. The presence of BDNF and its receptor in the neuronal component of GG and DNT may suggest a role for this neurotrophin in the development of these lesions, preventing the death of abnormal neuronal cells. In addition, since these neurons contain both NMDAR1 and NMDAR2A/B subunits, the BDNF-TrkB pathway may also contribute through a modulation of glutamatergic transmission to the intrinsic epileptogenicity of glioneuronal tumors.

Adolescent↗

Extracellular matrix-like surfactant polymers containing arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptides.

We report on a novel series of biomimetic polymers exhibiting interfacial properties similar to the extracellular matrix. A series of well-defined surfactant polymers were synthesized by simultaneously incorporating arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide, dextran oligosaccharide, and hexyl ligands with controlled feed ratios onto a poly(vinyl amine) (PVAm) backbone. The peptide sequence was H-GSSSGRGDSPA-NH(2) (Pep) having a hydrophilic extender at the amino terminus and capped carboxy terminus. The peptide-to-dextran (Pep:Dex) ratios were varied to create surfactants having 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mol-% peptide relative to dextran. The surfactants were characterized by IR, NMR and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for composition and surface active properties. AFM confirmed full surface coverage of PVAm(Pep)(100%) on graphite, and supported the mechanism of interdigitation of hexyl ligands between surfactant molecules within a specified range of hexyl chain densities. the attachment and growth of human pulmonary artery endothelial cells on the PVAm(Pep)(100%) surface was identical to the fibronectin positive control. Cell adhesion decreased dramatically with decreasing peptide density on the surfactant polymers. Molecular model of a peptide surfactant polymer, consisting of poly(vinyl amine) backbone with peptide, dextran oligosaccharide and hexyl branches coupled to the polymer chain.

Absorption↗

Increased sensitivity of the hippocampus in ethanol-dependent rats to toxic effect of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid in vivo.

Chronic administration of ethanol in animals leads to CNS tolerance and physical dependence. Subsequent withdrawal of ethanol causes hyperexcitability which is thought to be related to increased sensitivity of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors. The purpose of this study was to investigate sensitivity to NMDA in ethanol-treated animals by detecting damage after intrahippocampal injection of NMDA. Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) specific activity was used as markers of cholinergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons, respectively. Ethanol-dependent animals were more liable to die following intrahippocampal injection of either 120 or 240 nmol of NMDA. There was a significantly greater decrease in hippocampal GAD but not ChAT specific activity in the surviving animals. These data support the hypothesis that ethanol dependence is associated with increased sensitivity to NMDA which may be responsible for excitotoxic brain damage and death.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

N-methyl-D-aspartic acid biphasically regulates the biochemical and electrophysiological response of A10 dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area: in vivo microdialysis and in vitro electrophysiological studies.

The effects of local perfusion of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) with N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) on extracellular dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens were investigated by using in vivo microdialysis in halothane anaesthetized rats. The electrophysiological response of VTA dopamine neurons to NMDA were also assessed in an in vitro rat brain slice preparation. In both preparations NMDA elicited a biphasic response. Exposure of the VTA to low doses of NMDA (< 100 microM) elicited increases in dialysate dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens and increases in the firing rate of VTA dopamine neurons. Larger doses (> 100 microM) resulted in profound reductions in both dopamine release in the accumbens and firing in the VTA. A strong correlation between the ability of NMDA to influence dopamine release in the accumbens and the firing rate in the VTA was observed. Perfusion with the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist PCP eliminated the NMDA-induced increases in extracellular dopamine in the accumbens. These data suggest that dopamine release in the accumbens and the firing rate of dopamine neurons can be both increased or decreased depending upon the magnitude of glutamatergic stimulation within the VTA.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

Direct regulation of acetylcholine release by N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors in rat striatum.

The aziridinium ion of ethylcholine (AF64A), a cholinergic neurotoxin, was injected into the right striatum of a rat. The unilateral injection of 10 nmol AF64A reduced the activity of choline acetyltransferase (CAT) and the tissue content of acetylcholine (ACh) in the striatum. The striatal contents of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were unchanged. These results suggest that the cholinospecificity in the striatal lesion was induced by the 10 nmol dose of AF64A. The number of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors in the striatum treated with 10 nmol AF64A was determined by a specific binding assay using [3H](+/-)-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid ([3H]CPP), a selective ligand for NMDA receptors. The number of the NMDA receptors decreased significantly in the injected area. On the other hand, in a microdialysis using normal rats, the perfusion of 50 microM NMDA into the striatum increased ACh release. The perfusion of 100 microM MK801 which is the specific and non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, decreased the basal levels of ACh release and blocked NMDA-elicited ACh release. Taken together, the present results strongly suggest that a population of NMDA receptors exists on cholinergic interneurons within the striatum, and it directly regulates ACh release.

Acetylcholine↗

N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 blocks non-opioid stress-induced analgesia. I. Comparison of opiate receptor-deficient and opiate receptor-rich strains of mice.

The effects of the specific N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 (0.075 mg/kg), and the specific opiate receptor antagonist naloxone (10 mg/kg), on swim stress-induced analgesia (SSIA) were studied in opiate receptor-deficient (CXBK) and opiate receptor-rich (CXBH) mice. Animals were subjected to forced swimming, and analgesia was assessed using the hot-plate test. In CXBK mice SSIA was blocked by MK-801 but was completely insensitive to naloxone. In CXBH mice SSIA was partially attenuated both by naloxone and MK-801, and it was nearly abolished by a combination of these drugs. Morphine analgesia (10 mg/kg) was abolished by naloxone but completely unaffected by MK-801 in CXBH mice. These findings suggest that the NMDA receptor is critically involved in the non-opioid component of SSIA.

Analysis of Variance↗

Elicitation of release of luteinizing hormone by N-methyl-d,l-aspartic acid during three paradigms of suppressed secretion of luteinizing hormone in the female pig.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the minimal effective dose during lactation and site of action of N-methyl-d,l-aspartic acid (NMA) for elicitation of release of luteinizing hormone (LH) in female pigs. In the first experiment, three doses of NMA were given to lactating primiparous sows in which endogenous LH was suppressed by suckling of litters. In the second experiment, ovariectomized gilts were pretreated with estradiol benzoate or porcine antisera against GnRH to suppress LH and then given NMA to determine if it elicited secretion of LH directly at the anterior pituitary or through release of GnRH. In experiment 1, 3 lactating sows (17 +/- 1.5 d postpartum) were each given three doses of NMA (1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 mg/kg body weight [BW]; IV) on 3 consecutive days in a Latin Square design. Blood samples were collected every 10 min from -1 to 1 hr from injection of NMA. NMA at 1.5 and 3.0 mg/kg did not affect (p greater than .5) secretion of LH; however, 5 mg NMA/kg elicited a 114% increase (p less than .001) in circulating levels of LH during 1 hr after treatment. In experiment 2, 8 ovariectomized gilts were given either estradiol benzoate (EB; 10 micrograms/kg BW; IM n = 4) to suppress release of GnRH or porcine antiserum against GnRH (GnRH-Ab; titer 1:8,000; 1 ml/kg BW; IV; n = 4) to neutralize endogenous GnRH. Gilts infused with GnRH-Ab were given a second dose of antiserum 24 hr after the first. Gilts were then given NMA (10 mg/kg BW; IV) 33 hr after EB or initial GnRH-Ab. Blood samples were drawn every 6 hr from -12 to 24 hr from EB or GnRH-Ab treatments, and every 10 min from -2 to 2 hr from NMA. Serum LH declined (p less than .001) after EB (from 1.87 +/- .2 ng/ml at 12 hr before EB to 0.46 +/- .02 ng/ml during 24 hr after EB) and GnRH-Ab (from 1.97 +/- .1 to 0.59 +/- .02 ng/ml). In gilts treated with EB, the area under the curve (AUC) for the LH response (ng.ml-1.min) 1 hr after NMA (38.7 +/- 3) was significantly greater (p less than .01) than the 1 hr prior to NMA (21.3 +/- 1.5). Treatment with NMA had no effect (p greater than .5) on secretion of LH in gilts infused with GnRH-Ab.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Cardiac amyloidosis associated with a novel transthyretin aspartic acid-18 glutamic acid de novo mutation.

A 40-year-old man presented with initial symptoms of syncope caused by restrictive cardiomyopathy and autonomic nervous system impairment, but it was confirmed that he had a novel transthyretin (TTR) variant, aspartic acid-18 glutamic acid (Glu), and a de novo gene mutation. A polymerase chain reaction-induced mutation restriction analysis with a mismatched sense primer demonstrated that he was heterozygous for TTR Glu 18. Liver transplantation was not performed because of profound weakness and severe postural hypotension. Right-sided heart failure predominated in association with low output syndrome and a gradual decrease in total QRS voltage on electrocardiogram over 5 years of follow-up. Autonomic neuropathy developed and he eventually died of both-sided heart failure at the age of 45 years. Immunohistochemical and DNA studies are important to diagnose and treat TTR-related cardiac amyloidosis.

Adult↗

Effects of an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid peptide-containing artificial matrix on epithelial migration in vitro and experimental second-degree burn wound healing in vivo.

Cells central to dermal tissue repair such as dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes interact with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-containing proteins of the extracellular matrix such as fibronectin. It has been shown that synthetic peptides containing this RGD sequence can also support cell attachment and migration in vitro. We therefore set out to test whether the use of these peptides, when formulated as a synthetic RGD-peptide matrix consisting of peptide complexed with hyaluronic acid, would have an effect on the rate of epithelial migration and healing of experimental wounds. Evaluation consisted of measuring he extent of epithelial outgrowth from human dermal explants and the epithelization of experimental second-degree burn wounds in pigs. We show here that the RGD-peptide matrix supports epithelial sheet migration from explants in a dose-dependent manner. In second-degree burn wounds in pigs, wounds treated with daily applications of the RGD-peptide matrix under occlusion resurfaced at a significantly faster rate (day 7 = 57% completely epithelized) than wounds treated with hyaluronic acid under occlusion (day 7 = 13% completely epithelized, p < 0.01), occlusion alone (day 7 = 13% completely epithelized, p < 0.01), or air exposed (day 7 = 0% completely epithelized, p < 0.001). Histologic examination showed that wounds treated with the RGD-peptide matrix also had thicker epithelial covering and greater granulation tissue deposition than occluded, air-exposed, and hyaluronate-treated wounds. These data therefore show that the use of RGD-peptide matrix induces faster explant epithelial migration and results in faster healing of experimental second-degree burns.

Animals↗

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor modulates hippocampal synaptic transmission by increasing N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor activity.

Neurotrophins (NTs) have recently been found to regulate synaptic transmission in the hippocampus. Whole-cell and single-channel recordings from cultured hippocampal neurons revealed a mechanism responsible for enhanced synaptic strength. Specifically, brain-derived neurotrophic factor augmented glutamate-evoked, but not acetylcholine-evoked, currents 3-fold and increased N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor open probability. Activation of trkB NT receptors was critical, as glutamate currents were not affected by nerve growth factor or NT-3, and increased open probability was prevented by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor K-252a. In addition, the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 blocked brain-derived neurotrophic factor enhancement of synaptic transmission, further suggesting that NTs modulate synaptic efficacy via changes in NMDA receptor function.

Acetylcholine↗

Flow cytometric measurement of kinetic and equilibrium binding parameters of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid ligands in binding to glycoprotein IIb/IIIa on platelets.

Antagonists of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) represent a new therapeutic approach in inhibiting platelet aggregation, thus providing a powerful form of antithrombotic therapy. The measurement of binding of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptidomimetics to GPIIb/IIIa on platelets is a key for the further understanding of ligand-receptor interactions and, thus, the design of new antagonists. The flow cytometric measurement of dynamic and equilibrium binding parameters of two new potent RGD peptidomimetics, L-762,745 and L-769,434, containing a fluorescein moiety is described in this paper. Kinetic binding measurements with these fluorescent ligands indicate a two-step binding mechanism that involves a conformational rearrangement of the receptor-ligand complex. The overall second-order binding constants are for both fluorescent ligands several orders of magnitude slower than for diffusion-controlled processes. The values of k(-1) and K(D) obtained by fitting the kinetic binding data in a two-step model are in good agreement with directly detected values of k(off)(L-762,745) = (1.9 +/- 0.6) 10(-3) s(-1), k(off)(L-769,434) = (5.1 +/- 0.7) 10(-3) s(-1), KD(L-762,745) = 12 +/- 0.5 nM, and K(D)(L-769,434) = 8 +/- 0.3 nM. Equilibrium binding measurements of fluorescent ligands with an orally active nonfluorescent antagonist, L-738,167, provided apparent dissociation binding constant K(D) of this ligand in the range from 0.1 to 0.2 nM. The kinetic dissociation measurement of L-738,167 using the binding of the fluorescent ligand L-762,745 as a reporting method yielded a k(off) for L-738,167 of (4.1 +/- 0.1) x 10(-4) s(-1) (t1/2 = 28 min).

Binding, Competitive↗

[Structure of a pepsin fragment containing the functionally important aspartic acid residue].

The structure of B-5 fragment obtained under degradation of pig pepsin by cyanogen bromide is determined. B-5 fragment is a central part of pepsin molecule and it contains 46 amino acids, including a functionally important aspartic residue of the active site of the enzyme. Amino acid sequence of B-5 fragment was established by means of sequenator analysis and of studying the structure of peptides isolated from B-5 fragments.

Animals↗

Thyroid hormone regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor subunit mRNA expression in adult brain.

Thyroid hormone is an essential modulator of brain development, but little is known about its actions in the adult brain. Hypothyroidism is associated with gene expression changes in both central and peripheral nervous tissue. Functional consequences of adult-onset hypothyroidism include an inability to produce long-term potentiation in rat hippocampus and impaired learning and memory in both rats and man. Long-term potentiation is a form of learning that is dependent on functional N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA)-preferring ionotropic glutamate receptors. This work examines the expression of ionotropic glutamate receptor subunit mRNA following surgical thyroidectomy with or without thyroid hormone replacement. In situ hybridization histochemistry was used to determine the mRNA levels of the NMDA receptor subunits NR1, NR2A, NR2B, the AMPA receptor subunit GluR1, and the kainate receptor subunit KA2. Reducing circulating concentrations of thyroid hormone by surgical removal of the thyroid gland 2 weeks before sacrifice decreased the expression of NR1 mRNA exclusively in the hippocampus. Conversely, hyperthyroidism selectively reduced NR2B mRNA expression in the dorsal hippocampus. Altering thyroid hormone status had no effect on the expression of KA2 or GluR1 subunit mRNA. The regulation of expression of NR1 and NR2B mRNA by thyroid hormone is a novel mechanism for explaining the relationship between thyroid hormone and cognitive function.

Age Factors↗