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Effect of dexamethasone on the fatty acid composition of total liver microsomal lipids and phosphatidylcholine molecular species.

Dexamethasone depresses delta6 and delta5 and increases delta9 desaturase and synthase activities. Therefore, we investigated the effect on the fatty acid composition of microsomal liver lipids and phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) molecular species. After 15 d of treatment we found a notable decrease in arachidonic acid, a small decrease in stearic acid, and increases of linoleic, oleic, palmitoleic, and palmitic acids in liver microsomal total lipids and PtdCho. The study of the distribution of the PtdCho molecular species indicated that 18:0/20:4n-6, 16:0/20:4n-6, and 16:0/18:2n-6 predominated in the control animals. Dexamethasone, as expected because of its depressing effect on arachidonic acid synthesis and activation of oleic and palmitic acid synthesis, evoked a very significant decrease in 18:0/20:4n-6 PtdCho (P<0.001) and an important increase in 16:0/18:2n-6. The invariability of 16:0/20:4n-6 PtdCho could be related to the antagonistic effect of arachidonic and palmitic acid synthesis. PtdCho species containing oleic acid were not significant. The bulk fluidity and dynamic properties of the microsomal lipid bilayer measured by fluorometry using the probes 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene and 4-trimethylammonium-phenyl-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene showed no significant modification, probably owing to a compensatory effect of the different molecular species, but changes of particular domains not detected by this technique are possible. However, the extremely sensitive Laurdan detected increased lipid packing in the less-fluid domains of the polar-nonpolar interphase of the bilayer, possibly evoked by the change of molecular species and cholesterol/phospholipid ratio. The most important effect found is the decrease of arachidonic acid pools in liver phospholipids as one of the corresponding causes of dexamethasone-dependent pharmacological effects.

Animals↗

Influence of positive inotropic agents on intracellular calcium transients. Part II. Cardiomyopathic hamster hearts.

To study the mechanism of dobutamine on end-stage heart failure, we assessed hemodynamic responses, high-energy phosphates (31P-NMR), and free intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) transients (surface fluorometry) during perfusion with 10(-6) mol/L dobutamine in Syrian cardiomyopathic hamsters with severe heart failure. These results were compared to perfusion of the heart with 10(-6) mol/L norepinephrine and 10(-6) mol/L isoproterenol. With the positive inotropic agents the rate-pressure product increased immediately (p less than 0.01 with dobutamine, norepinephrine; p less than 0.003 with isoproterenol); after 10 to 15 minutes of perfusion the rate-pressure product remained relatively stable with norepinephrine and isoproterenol but decreased with dobutamine (p = NS vs control values). [Ca2+]i-transients increased significantly in all groups. The end-diastolic [Ca2+]i decreased continuously with norepinephrine and isoproterenol (p less than 0.008; p less than 0.005) but increased during dobutamine by 19%. Alterations in coronary flow, pHi, high-energy phosphates, and the phosphorylation potential were not significantly different among the three catecholamines. In conclusion, in contrast to norepinephrine and isoproterenol, dobutamine depressed myocardial performance and increased end-diastolic [Ca2+]i in late heart failure.

Animals↗

Mechanism for depressed cardiac function in left ventricular volume overload.

To assess the effects of left ventricular chamber volume on the mechanism of changes in left ventricular developed pressure we performed phosphorous-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with a shift reagent, two-dimensional echocardiography, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, microsphere analysis, and surface fluorometry on isovolumic isolated perfused rat hearts with incremental intraventricular balloon volumes, while left ventricular pressure was concurrently monitored. A three-phasic response of developed pressure was noted: 0 to 100 microliters balloon volumes resulted in an increase in developed pressure, whereas developed pressure remained constant at 250 microliters and fell at 400 microliters. Oxygen consumption and [Ca2+]i transients followed the same pattern as developed pressure and coronary flow. Intraventricular volumes of 250 microliters or greater (a volume overload) caused endocardial ischemia, a greater decrease in extracellular versus intracellular water, thinning of the left ventricular free wall, and an increase in chamber size. Mechanical pressure on the tissue, induced by the volume overload, caused ischemia as further evidenced by (1) a negative effect on developed pressure, (2) a decrease in [Ca2+]i transients, (3) a [Ca2+]i overload, (4) a moderate decrease in the phosphorylation potential, and (5) an increase in the oxidation-reduction state (nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide). The high intracellular calcium associated with volume overload may have been due to both compression and ischemia, which leads to an increased number of cross-bridges in rigor, a high end-diastolic pressure, and an increase in wall stress.

Animals↗

Relationship between intracellular calcium and oxygen consumption: effects of perfusion pressure, extracellular calcium, dobutamine, and nifedipine.

All of the mechanisms that connect the cardiac mechanical work load with energy production have not been clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between intracellular calcium and oxygen consumption in intact hearts, to further understand this relationship. Intracellular calcium was measured in isolated nonworking perfused rat hearts loaded with Indo-1 by means of a surface fluorometry technique. Glucose was used as a substrate. Myocardial contraction and oxygen consumption were modulated by perfusion pressure (80, 110, and 140 cm of water), extracellular calcium (1, 2, 3, and 4 mmol/L), dobutamine (10(-6) mol/L), and nifedipine (10(-6) mol/L). With all of these interventions there was a close correlation between intracellular calcium (systolic, diastolic, and amplitude) and oxygen consumption or left ventricular developed pressure. Observations in this study support the hypothesis that intracellular calcium plays a regulatory role in the link between cardiac mechanics and energy production.

Animals↗

Vitamin E levels in premenstrual syndrome.

To determine whether changes in peripheral vitamin E levels are associated with symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, 10 patients with premenstrual syndrome and 10 control subjects were studied. They gave blood at 2- or 3-day intervals throughout three menstrual cycles. The vitamin E was measured by fluorometry after hexane extraction and luteinizing hormone was measured by radioimmunoassay. In the control group, vitamin E values were 854 +/- 45 micrograms/dl (mean +/- SE) during the luteal phase and 925 +/- 55 micrograms/dl during the follicular phase. No significant changes were noted between the two values. In the patients with premenstrual syndrome, the values were 849 +/- 53 micrograms/dl during the luteal phase, which was not significantly different from 858 +/- 48 micrograms/dl during the follicular phase. No significant changes were noted between the control group and the patients with premenstrual syndrome in either the luteal or the follicular phase. Vitamin E deficiency in patients with premenstrual syndrome was not shown by peripheral vitamin E levels in our study.

Adult↗

The blood-aqueous barrier in five species.

The in vivo sites of the blood-aqueous barrier were determined in five animal species, using acriflavine neutral (224 mol. wt.), ultrafreezing and drying, fluorescence microscopy, and fluorometry. Not toxic, acriflavine had specific in vivo affinity for nuclear DNA and RNA, produced intense fluorescence, and did not pass through hematic barriers. Acriflavine was given in doses to produce the same concentrations in the systemic blood or in the aqueous humor. The exact sites of the blood-aqueous barrier, demonstrated by tracing the acriflavine fluorescence through tissues and individual cells, were in the basal cell membranes of inner ciliary and iridial epithelia and apical cell membranes of iridial and corneal endothelia. Acriflavine passed freely from the aqueous humor into the blood stream. It also followed an aqueous flow into the vitreous body and optic nerve head vessels. Interruption or reversal of this flow may cause open-angle glaucoma.

Acriflavine↗

A fluorometric procedure for measuring the neuraminidase activity: its application to the determination of this activity in influenza and parainfluenza viruses.

A fluorometric procedure for quantitating the amount of N-acetylneuraminic acid enzymatically released by the neuraminidase activity from N-acetylneuraminyl-lactose (sialyl-lactose) has been developed. The liberated lactose is hydrolyzed with beta-galactosidase, and the released galactose is oxidized with galactose dehydrogenase and NAD+; finally, the NADH produced is measured by fluorometry (excitation at 340 nm and analysis of emitted light at 465 nm). The fluorometric assay is about 10-fold more sensitive than the spectrophotometric procedure that measures NADH at 340 nm. It readily measures amounts as little as 2 nmol of sialic acid, and does not require the use of radioactive isotopes. Interferences due to sucrose or other substances, which cause errors in some cases with the use of the periodate-thiobarbiturate method for neuraminidase activity determination, are avoided. The procedure reported here provides a sensitive, rapid, and relatively simple method (feasible with commercialized reagents) for measuring the neuraminidase activity not only in purified samples from different sources but also directly in biological materials such as viruses. The technique has been tested with some viruses recently isolated belonging to Orthomyxoviridae or Paramyxoviridae families, known to be rich in neuraminidase. Reciprocally, this method can also be employed for determining the sialic acid concentration in acylneuraminyl-lactose-containing compounds when using purified neuraminidase for hydrolysis.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Radioimmunoassay for neopterin in body fluids and tissues.

Specific antibodies against D-erythroneopterin have been prepared in rabbits using a conjugate of D-erythroneopterin to bovine serum albumin (D-erythroneopterinylcaproyl-bovine serum albumin). The antiserum distinguished D-erythroneopterin from other pteridines, i.e., three stereoisomers of neopterin, L-erythrobiopterin, folic acid, xanthopterin, and four other synthetic pteridines. Using this specific antiserum, a radioimmunoassay for D-erythroneopterin has been developed to measure the neopterin concentrations in urine and tissues. The conjugate of D-erythroneopterin with tyramine (NP-Tyra) was synthesized and labeled with 125I as the labeled ligand NP-[125I]tyra for the radioimmunoassay. The minimal detectable amount of neopterin was about 0.1 pmol. The concentration of total neopterin (neopterin, 7,8-dihydroneopterin, quinonoid dihydroneopterin, and tetrahydroneopterin) in the biological samples was obtained by iodine oxidation under acidic conditions prior to the radioimmunoassay, and that of neopterin plus 7,8-dihydroneopterin by oxidation under alkaline conditions. Total neopterin values in human urine obtained by this new radioimmunoassay showed a good agreement with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. With rat tissue samples which contained very low concentrations of neopterin as compared to biopterin, biopterin was simultaneously determined by our previously reported radioimmunoassay, and neopterin values were corrected for the cross-reactivity (0.1%). The neopterin concentrations obtained by this method agreed with the values obtained by the radioimmunoassays for neopterin and biopterin after their separation by high-performance liquid chromatography. This very small amount of neopterin, as compared with biopterin, in rat tissues could not be determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorometry alone due to the masking of the neopterin peak by a large biopterin peak.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Europium as a label in time-resolved immunofluorometric assays.

A nonisotopic immunoassay has been developed based on a sensitive detection of europium (III) in water solution using time-resolved fluorometry. The europium label is bound to the antibody with EDTA derivatives, either diazophenyl-EDTA-Eu or isothiocyanatophenyl-EDTA-Eu. After the immunometric assay has been completed the europium is preferably dissociated from the antibody at low pH and measured by time-resolved fluorescence in a micellar solution containing Triton X-100, beta-diketone, and a Lewis base. The detergent solubilizes the chelating compounds in the solution and excludes water from the fluorescent ligand-europium complex. Europium concentrations as low as 5 X 10(-14)M were measured using a 1-s counting time. The sensitivity of the immunoassay of rabbit IgG used as a model system was 25 pg/ml (6 pg/assay).

Animals↗

New fluorogenic, photoactivable, heterobifunctional crosslinking thiol reagents.

Properties of newly synthesized crosslinking reagents (ACM) and their applications to proteins are studied (ACM is the abbreviation for a series of photoactivable and heterobifunctional crosslinking thiol reagents, each of which has two reactive groups, maleimide and azide). These reagents bind specifically to the sulfhydryl residues of proteins in the first reaction step. Upon photoactivation, the azide group of the coumarin ring reacts with side or main chains of the proteins, and thus intra- or intermolecular crosslinking can be elicited. In addition, the coumarin moiety of the reagents becomes highly fluorescent after photolysis. Therefore, the crosslinking products can be detected by fluorometry with high sensitivity in the pattern of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Reaction of ACM with rabbit muscle aldolase led to extensive crosslinking between subunits of the enzyme and maximally 25% of the total subunits were found to be crosslinked to the dimer.

Acetylcysteine↗

Photometric and fluorometric continuous kinetic assay of acid phosphatases with new substrates possessing longwave absorption and emission maxima.

A direct and continuous kinetic method for the photometric and fluorometric determination of various acid phosphatases is described. It is based on new coumarin-derived phosphates, which after enzymatic hydrolysis undergo dissociation to form intensely colored and strongly fluorescent phenolate anions. The latter have absorption maxima ranging from 385 to 505 nm, and fluorescence maxima between 470 and 595 nm. The new substrates were compared with respect to their rate of enzymatic hydrolysis, optimum pH, and detection limits of acid phosphatase from potato and wheat germ. Detection limits of 0.001 unit/ml were found by photometry, and as low as 0.00006 unit/ml by fluorometry. The principal advantages of the new substrates over existing ones are longwave absorptions and emissions, large Stokes shifts, and the low pKa values of the corresponding phenols, thus allowing a direct and continuous assay of acid phosphatase even in weakly acidic solutions.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Intrinsic fluorometric determination of the stable state of aggregation in hemoglobins.

Front-face fluorometry can detect steady-state intrinsic fluorescence of hemoglobins (R. E. Hirsch, R. S. Zukin, and R. L. Nagel, 1980, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 93, 432-439), a property that can be used to study the dimerization of human hemoglobins (R. E. Hirsch, N. A. Squires, C. Discepola, and R. L. Nagel, 1983, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 116, 712-718). We report that the stable dimeric hemoglobin components of the arcid clams Noetia ponderosa and Anadara ovalis exhibit fluorescence emission maxima shifted to longer wavelengths compared to tetrameric human hemoglobin. Conversely, the tetrameric major hemoglobin (Hb) component of A. ovalis exhibits an emission maximum similar to that of tetrameric Hb A. Hence, stable dimeric hemoglobins can be detected by emission maxima at longer wavelengths relative to Hb A. Fluorescence studies of ligand binding to these clam hemoglobins indicate structural and functional differences among these components and compared to Hb A. We conclude that different stable aggregation states of hemoglobins may be determined by intrinsic fluorescence when studied with front-face optics.

Animals↗

Time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay of 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine.

We describe time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay of 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine (5MedCyd). The assay is based on the use of a highly specific antiserum raised in rabbits against BSA-conjugated 5-methylcytidine (5MeCyd). The tracer in the solid-phase time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) was antigen-selected anti-5MedCyd labeled with Europium. Thyroglobulin-linked 5MeCyd served as the solid-phase antigen. The measuring range for the fluoroimmunoassay was from less than 1 to 5000 pmol per assay of 5MedCyd. A good correlation between the results obtained with the TR-FIA and HPLC was demonstrated when the methods were applied to the measurement of methylation in human leukemic cells and other DNA samples. TR-FIA has several advantages over the more laborious techniques available so far: (i) high sensitivity, (ii) large assay ranges, (iii) rapidity and large number of simultaneous assays, (iv) simplicity, and (v) low cost provided that the laboratory has equipment for time-resolved fluorometry.

Animals↗

Comparison of approaches to the instrumental response function in fluorescence decay measurements.

Deconvolution of pulse fluorometry data requires knowledge of the instrumental response, which is not directly observable in some circumstances. Various procedures for approaching the instrumental response function were evaluated for nanosecond fluorescence decay data analyzed by nonlinear least squares, including the commonly used time shift correction and several reference fluorophore methods. A new reference fluorophore technique using a Monte Carlo convolution is introduced and tested. The correction for scattered light in several reference techniques is also presented. The random convolution and one other reference fluorophore method consistently gave superior results over a wide range of experimental conditions.

Computers↗

Measurement of epsilon-N-trimethyllysine in human blood plasma and urine.

A method for measurement of epsilon-N-trimethyllysine in human blood plasma and urine is described. An internal standard, delta-N-trimethylornithine, was added to plasma and urine specimens and the mixtures were deproteinized and/or hydrolyzed. Preliminary purification of epsilon-N-trimethyllysine and delta-N-trimethylornithine was achieved by sequential cation-exchange--anion-exchange chromatography. Amino acids in the column eluates were derivatized with o-phthalaldehyde and mercaptoethanol, and were separated by isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in the presence of an ion-pairing reagent. Quantitation was achieved by post-column fluorometry. The limit of detection was 5 pmol of epsilon-N-trimethyllysine injected into the chromatograph. The procedure was suitable for determination of epsilon-N-trimethyllysine in 1 ml of plasma or 0.2-0.4 ml of urine. The method was applied to measurements of epsilon-N-trimethyllysine in plasma and urine of four systemic carnitine deficiency patients and six normal subjects. Plasma epsilon-N-trimethyllysine concentration was significantly lower in systemic carnitine deficiency patients compared to normal individuals, but no significant difference in urinary epsilon-N-trimethyllysine excretion was observed between the two groups.

Amino Acids↗

A lectin-immunofluorometric assay using an immobilized Bandeiraea simplicifolia II lectin for the determination of galactosylation variants of glycoproteins.

The sandwich-type immunometric assay was modified by replacing the solid phase-bound antibody with a lectin for the determination of glycoproteins carrying terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues. Microwells were coated with Bandeiraea simplicifolia II lectin and incubated with glycosylation variants of human serum glycoproteins. The bound glycoproteins were detected by time-resolved fluorometry using europium-labeled antibodies. Agalacto-derivatives of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and transferrin obtained by neuraminidase and beta-galactosidase treatment bound to the immobilized lectin, whereas the native or desialylated glycoproteins showed no binding. The measuring range of the method for agalacto-alpha 1-acid glycoprotein was 0.01 to 10 micrograms/ml and for agalacto-transferrin 1 to 300 micrograms/ml. The binding of the agalacto-glycoproteins was totally inhibited with 1 to 10 mM N-acetylglucosamine which confirmed the specificity of the method for glycoproteins containing terminal N-acetylglucosamine residues. The results indicate that the novel lectin-immunofluorometric method is sensitive and has a wide measuring range for the determination of glycosylation variants of glycoproteins.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Stopped-flow front-face fluorometer: a prototype design to measure hemoglobin R----T transition kinetics.

Stopped-flow techniques are successfully used to study the kinetics of the R----T transition of hemoglobin (Hb). We have previously used front-face fluorometry to demonstrate that (i) the intrinsic fluorescence of Hb primarily originates from beta 37 Trp; (ii) the intrinsic fluorescence is sensitive to the R----T transition; and (iii) the emission of the fluorescent probes bound to specific sites on the Hb molecule (beta 93 Cys) is sensitive to the R----T transition. These findings suggested that a stopped-flow front-face fluorometer could probe R----T transitions at specific sites, such as the aromatic amino acids and sites selectively binding extrinsic fluorophores. We have developed a prototype instrument using as the core a Gibson-Durrum stopped-flow apparatus on line with a digital data analysis system using a modified Marquardt algorithm. Excitation (470 nm) and emission light (520 nm) were selected by narrow band pass filters. To study the R----T transition, a solution of purified oxy Hb A covalently bound to the fluorescent probe 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein (Hb A-AF) (1.0 g%) was mixed rapidly with deoxygenated buffer (pH 7.35, 0.05 M potassium phosphate) containing 2 mg/ml of sodium dithionite. The hemoglobin, at a final concentration of 0.5 g% after mixing, is essentially completely tetrameric. A first-order reaction was observed with a rate constant near 8 s-1, similar to the oxygen dissociation rate reported for oxy Hb A.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Algorithms↗

Nonisotopic evaluation of collagen in fibroblasts cultures.

A method for the evaluation of collagen concentrations in the medium of fibroblasts in culture was developed. Collagen was precipitated with other proteins by addition of ethanol and hydrolyzed by 6 M HCl. The primary amino acids of the hydrolyzate were reacted with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and secondary amino acids (Pro, Hyp) were derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethyl-chloroformate (FMOC-Cl). The mixture was separated by isocratic HPLC on a reverse-phase column. FMOC-derivatives were detected by fluorometry, whereas OPA-derivatives were not. This method is suitable for the monitoring of collagen metabolism in fibroblast cultures exposed to various effectors.

4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan↗