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PubMed1991

Comparison of dynamics of lecithin liposomes and brain total lipid liposomes with synaptosomal membranes. An EPR spectroscopy study.

Dynamics and/or order of the hydrophobic part of phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes and rat brain total lipid (TL) liposomes and synaptosomes were studied and compared by EPR spectroscopy using the spin probes 5 or 16-doxyl stearic acid and 14-doxyl phosphatidylcholine. The dynamics and/or order of the hydrophobic part of TL liposomes or synaptosomes were similar but differed largely from those of PC liposomes. The dynamics of the hydrophobic part of the liposomes decreased gradually with the increasing TL/PC ratio in the sample. To obtain in TL liposomes or synaptosomes the same EPR spectrum parameters as in PC liposomes at 37 degrees C, the formers have to be heated to temperatures of approximately 50-60 degrees C. The dynamics and/or order of the hydrophobic part of lecithin liposomes at 5-10 degrees C were comparable with those of TL liposomes or synaptosomes at 37 degrees C. The results emphasize the role of the lipid composition in studies concerning drug-lipid and protein-lipid interactions in model and biological membranes.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

The interaction of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase and cytochrome b5 bound to egg lecithin liposomes.

Incubation of liposomes prepared by sonication of egg lecithin with the amphipathic form of cytochrome b5 results in the binding of a maximum of 244 molecules of cytochrome b5 per liposomal vesicle. Interactions of the phospholipid with the hydrophobic segment of cytochrome b5 are involved in this binding which does not disrupt the liposome. When a small amount of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase is bound liposomes simultaneously with cytochrome b5, the two proteins catalyze the reduction of cytochrome c by NADH. A qualitative kinetic analysis reveals that all of the cytochrome b5 interacts with reductase, a result consistent with these protein undergoing translational diffusion in the plane of the membrane. This system and the purified stearyl coenzyme A desaturase provide a model to study the dynamics of protein andlipid interactions in this membrane-bound oxidative sequence.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

[Effects of lecithin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 on p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein in endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of lecithin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) on the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in endothelial cells. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells of the line ECV304 were cultured and treated with LDL 25 microg/ml and ox-LDL of 3 different concentrations (25 microg/ml, 50 microg/ml, and 100 microg/ml) for 24 hours. ECV304 cells without treatment of ox-LDL were used as control group. MTT method was used to detect the optical density (OD) of different groups. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of LOX-1. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of LOX-1. Another ECV304 cells were randomly divided into 7 groups to be treated with LDL (25 microg/ml), ox-LDL of the concentrations of 25 microg/ml, 50 microg/ml, and 100 microg/ml, ox-LDL 100 microg/ml + JTX92 (LOX-1 blocking antibody) 10 microg/ml, or JTX92 10 microg/ml, or not to be treated with LOX-1 and/or JTX92 (as control group). The p38MAPK protein expression and phosphorylated p38MAPK (p-p38MAPK) protein expression were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: The A values of the ECV304 cells treated with ox-LDL were significantly lower than that of the control group dose-dependently (all P < 0.05), however, the A value of the LDL group was not significantly different from that of the control group (P > 0.05). The LOX-1 mRNA expression and protein expression were significantly increased in the ox-LDL groups dose-dependently (both P < 0.01). However, the LOX-1 mRNA expression and protein expression of the LDL group were not significantly different from those of the control group (both P > 0.05). The p38MAPK protein expression level was not significantly different among different groups (all P > 0.05). The p-p38MAPK protein expression was up-regulated by ox-LDL dose-dependently (P < 0.05). The p-p38MAPK protein level of the ox-LDL + JTX92 group was significantly lower than that of the ox-LDL group (P < 0.05), However, the p-p38MAPK protein expression of the JTX92 group was not significantly different from that of the control group. CONCLUSION: ox-LDL activates the p38MAPK signal pathway through its receptor LOX-1. Upregulation of LOX-1 is an important ring causing atherosclerosis.

Antibodies↗
PubMed2006

[Preparation and permeation studies of soybean lecithin-based vesicles].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate various methods for constructing soybean lecithin (SL)-based vesicles and evaluate the permeation-enhancing effect of SL-based vesicles on the penetration of insulin through buccal mucosa. METHODS: The ultrasonic method, high speed shear method and high pressure homogenization method were respectively used to prepare the SL-based vesicles, and the particle size of the vesicles was measured with photon correlation spectrometry (PCS). The penetration rate of insulin through porcine buccal mucosa was investigated with the Valia-Chien diffusion cells. RESULTS: The average particle sizes of 3 formulations of SL-based vesicles were 97.39, 85.60, and 100.60 nm when prepared by ultrasonic method, and were 58.7, 88.7, and 91.9 nm when prepared by high pressure homogenization method. Both vesicles presented good stability. However, the SL-based vesicles prepared by high speed shear method had larger average diameters and were found to be unstable. Transmission electron microscopy showed that SL-based vesicles had a spherical shape and the result accorded with PCS. The permeation flux of insulin of formulation 1 and control solution were 0.0024 and 0.0008 IU x ml(-1) x min(-1), respectively. The accumulative amount of formulation 1 at 180 min was (0.436 +/- 0.010 ) IU x ml(-1), which was 1.46 times higher than the control solution. CONCLUSIONS: The SL-based vesicles obtained using high pressure homogenization method are characterized by small particle size, narrow distribution, good stability, and powerful permeation-enhancing effect, which enables them to be good carriers for the buccal delivery of insulin.

Absorption↗
PubMed2006

Reduced lecithin:retinol acyltransferase expression in human breast cancer.

Retinoids, vitamin A (retinol) and related metabolites, have been shown to be important in regulating cell growth and differentiation. We have shown that expression of the enzyme lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT), which converts retinol to retinyl esters, is reduced in several human carcinomas as compared with adjacent normal tissue from the same organs. The purpose of this research was to determine if aspects of retinoid signaling are impaired in human breast cancer. We evaluated LRAT protein expression in neoplastic and adjacent, non-neoplastic glandular breast tissue specimens from human patients. We evaluated 26 specimens from patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2003 and 2005. Representative paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from each tumor, with each containing adjacent non-neoplastic glandular breast tissue, were examined by immunohistochemistry with affinity purified antibodies to human LRAT protein. LRAT protein was prominently detected throughout the non-neoplastic glandular breast tissue in all of the specimens. Areas of ductal carcinoma in situ and well-differentiated invasive breast carcinomas showed an intensity of staining with the LRAT antibody which was similar to that of the adjacent normal tissue. Expression of LRAT protein progressively decreased with a reduction in the degree of tumor differentiation in invasive breast carcinomas. LRAT protein levels correlate better with the degree of ductal tumor differentiation than does estrogen receptor status in this study. Furthermore, normal human breast epithelium exhibits intense LRAT staining, indicating a major role for LRAT in human breast physiology.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1991

Localization of an apolipoprotein A-I epitope critical for activation of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase.

Apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, the major apoprotein of human high density lipoprotein, is a vital cofactor for lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), the plasma enzyme responsible for esterification of free cholesterol associated with high density lipoprotein. This esterification is an important component of the reverse cholesterol transport process. An immunochemical approach was used to test the hypothesis that a discrete region of apoA-I was important for LCAT activation. Three human apoA-I-specific monoclonal antibodies were found to inhibit LCAT activation in vitro in a manner directly proportional to their ability to bind to apoA-I-proteoliposomes in fluid phase immunoassays. This relationship was not observed with another four apoA-I-specific antibodies that also were able to bind to the apoA-I proteoliposomes. The use of synthetic peptides representing short amino acid sequences of the apoA-I molecule facilitated the identification of discrete but overlapping apoA-I epitopes for those antibodies that interfered with LCAT-mediated cholesterol esterification. These epitopes spanned amino acid residues 95-121 of mature apoA-I. Therefore, this region is most likely involved in the activation of LCAT by apoA-I.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Effects of diazepam (Valium) on aortic atherogenesis and plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase activity in cockerels fed an atherogenic diet.

Blood plasma LCAT (lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.43) was studied in cockerels fed an atherogenic diet to determine if attenuation of aortic atherogenesis, as a result of simultaneous treatment of the birds with diazepam, might be related to modulation of enzyme activity by the drug. Administration of diazepam (0.6 mg/kg) did not influence LCAT. It was observed that no relationship could be established between enzyme activity and the extent of aortic atherogenesis. In contrast, addition of diazepam in vitro to cockerel plasma caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of LCAT activity. The effect was most pronounced when diazepam was present at a concentration of 50-200 microM, where inhibition of enzyme activity was 25-65%. Thus, pharmacologic doses of diazepam do not appear to affect LCAT in vivo. It is concluded that diazepam attenuates aortic atherogenesis in cockerels fed an atherogenic diet by a mechanism independent of LCAT.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Lecithin:cholesterol acyl transfer in plasma of normal persons in relation to lipid and lipoprotein concentration.

Information concerning variation in the lecithin:cholesterol acyl transfer (LCAT) rate in normal persons is scanty. We have therefore analyzed the LCAT rate and the lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in the plasma of healthy normolipidemic persons 20-60 years of age, 40 men and 40 women. 10 per decade and sex. Interindividual variation in molar LCAT rate was 57-130 mumol-u(-1)-h-1 (mean +/- 2 S.D.) with no sex difference. Intraindividual variation of molar LCAT rate studied in 8 women and 9 men was shown to be greater than expected from methodological error and was not explainable by the small changes in plasma lipid concentration during the observation period. In the women the molar LCAT rat was lower during the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle than during the postovulatory phase. There was positive correlations between the molar LCAT rate and most of the lipid parameters in plasma. By partial correlation analysis a positive correlation was shown between LCAT rate and triglyceride concentration irrespective of other lipid parameters. Keeping triglyceride concentration constant, there was a positive correlation between molar LCAT rate and total phospholipid, unesterified cholesterol, esterified cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration. No correlation was found between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) lipid concentration and LCAT rate. Thus in normal subjects there seems to be a direct relation between very low density lipoprotein and LDL lipid concentration and molar LCAT rate but no relation between HDL lipid concentration and LCAT rate.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1991

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity in patients with acute myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease.

Literature data suggest that identification of the conditions preventing lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) to produce normal cholesterol esterification might be of utmost importance in the follow-up of atherosclerosis. Interrelationship between LCAT activity, and total cholesterol (TC), unesterified cholesterol (UC), esterified cholesterol (EC), low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), phospholipids (PL), free fatty acids (FFA), l-lactate (LAC), and electrolytes, i.e. zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), was investigated in 60 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 30 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and 30 healthy control subjects. Results of the study revealed LCAT activity to be significantly decreased in atherosclerotic patients, with a significantly increased ratio of unesterified-esterified cholesterol (UC/EC), as compared to the control group of normal subjects. A decreased LCAT activity was accompanied by elevated values of phospholipids and LDL-C, a moderate increase in triglycerides, and a decreased quotient of HDL3/HDL2 cholesterol. Accordingly, a decreased activity of LCAT could with great certainty be considered a high-risk biochemical factor for atherosclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Human plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase. Preparation and use of immobilized p-aminophenylarsenoxide as a catalytic site-directed covalent ligand in enzyme purification.

A method is described for the preparation of p-aminophenylarsenoxide-linked carboxymethyl (CM) Bio-Gel A and its use as a specific, catalytic site-directed affinity chromatography ligand in the final stages of the purification of human plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) (EC 2.3.1.43). Previous mechanistic studies by us demonstrated that phenylarsenoxide derivatives, which are highly specific for vicinal thiols, could inhibit LCAT via a covalent interaction with the sulphydryl groups of the two catalytic cysteine residues and that this inhibition could be rapidly and completely reversed upon addition of 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulphonic acid. The ligand was covalently linked to CM Bio-Gel A activated through an N-hydroxysuccinyl ester formed by N-hydroxysuccinimide and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide in dry dimethyl sulphoxide; 87% of the added p-aminophenylarsenoxide was coupled to the CM Bio-Gel A in 3 h at 25 degrees C giving 2.3 mg of p-aminophenylarsenoxide per ml of gel. Homogeneous LCAT free of apo A-I, apo E, apo D and albumin was obtained in an 11% yield and purified 15,013-fold overall. A 13-fold purification was obtained by chromatography upon p-aminophenylarsenoxide-CM Bio-Gel A. This method is a useful final step in LCAT purification and will prove valuable in the purification of other proteins and compounds containing vicinal thiols.

Arsenicals↗
PubMed1991

Hyperlipoproteinemia in Nagase analbuminemic rats: effects of pravastatin on plasma (apo)lipoproteins and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity.

The present study demonstrates very high levels of plasma lipids and high density lipoprotein (HDL) apolipoproteins (apoA-I and apoE) in female Nagase analbuminemic rats (NAR) fed a semi-synthetic diet in order to further increase the hyperlipidemia present in this strain. Plasma apoB-containing lipoproteins (very low, intermediate, and low density lipoproteins) were also elevated in NAR. Plasma cholesterol was mainly present in lipoprotein particles with a density between 1.02 and 1.12 g/ml. Separation of lipoprotein classes by gel filtration showed that the major cholesterol-carrying lipoprotein fractions in NAR plasma are apoE-rich HDL and apoA-I-rich HDL. The high HDL levels in NAR are explained, at least partly, by the two- to threefold elevated activity of plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT). The lysophosphatidylcholine generated in the LCAT reaction, as well as plasma free fatty acids, are bound to lipoproteins in NAR plasma. A study was carried out to determine whether the elevated LDL and aopoE-rich HDL levels could be corrected by administration of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor pravastatin (at a dose of 1 mg/kg per day). Pravastatin treatment results in a 43% decrease in plasma triglycerides in NAR, but not in Sprague-Dawley (SDR) rats, and had no significant effect on plasma total cholesterol, phospholipids apolipoproteins A-I, A-IV, B, or E, as well as on plasma LCAT activity levels in NAR or SDR.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Effect of apolipoprotein activators on the specificity of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase: determination of cholesteryl esters formed in A-I/C-III deficiency.

Although it is known that plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is activated by several apolipoproteins (apo) including A-I, C-I, D, A-IV, and E, it is not clear what the physiological importance of having different apolipoprotein activators is. One possible explanation is that the activation by different apolipoproteins may result in the utilization of different species of phosphatidylcholine (PC), leading to the formation of different species of cholesteryl esters (CE). In order to determine this possibility, we analyzed the molecular species composition of PC and CE in two patients with familial deficiency of apoA-I and apoC-III. The LCAT activity, assayed by three different procedures, was found to be 36-63% of the control value. The lower LCAT activity, however, was due to deficiency of the enzyme rather than the absence of apoA-I. The patients' plasma was relatively enriched with sn-2 18:2 PC species reflecting the partial deficiency of LCAT activity. The fatty acid composition of plasma CE was not significantly different from that of controls. HPLC analysis of labeled CE formed after incubation of plasma with [C14]cholesterol showed no significant difference in the species of CE synthesized by the LCAT reaction. The transfer of pre-existing as well as newly formed CE from HDL to the apoB-containing lipoproteins was accelerated compared to control plasma. These results show that the absence of apoA-I does not significantly affect either the activity or the specificity of LCAT, and that the other apolipoprotein activators can substitute adequately for it.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Regulation of plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase in man. I. Increased activity in primary hypertriglyceridemia.

Patients with primary hypertriglyceridemia have been reported to manifest increased in vivo turnover of plasma cholesteryl esters. To ascertain if this is due to plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and to explore a possible link between triglyceride and cholesteryl ester turnover, we have measured LCAT in 15 patients with Type IV, 2 with Type V, 1 with Type III, and 9 with Type II B hyperlipoproteinemia. LCAT was significantly elevated (p less than 0.001) in hypertriglyceridemic subjects, regardless of lipoprotein pattern. In the Type IV group, but not in normal subjects, LCAT correlated significantly with measures of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) elevation, including plasma triglycerides and particularly VLDL-unesterified cholesterol, but not with body weight or substrate high-density lipoprotein (HDL) lipid levels. On repeated determinations in individual subjects, a relationship between triglyceride fluctuations and LCAT could be demonstrated in only one subject over an extreme range of triglyceride levels. Analysis of lipoprotein lipids revealed that the ester:free cholesterol ratio in VLDL was increased in hypertriglyceridemia, but was not correlated with enzyme level. In vitro removal of endogenous VLDL or addition of VLDL from lipemic plasmas to normal plasmas was without effect on enzyme activity. Regulation of enzyme activity does not appear to be a direct function of VLDL level.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long duration local anesthesia with lecithin-coated microdroplets of methoxyflurane: studies with rat skin.

Lecithin-coated microdroplets of methoxyflurane (MOF) are shown to produce local anesthesia of three- to six-day duration in the skin with a single intradermal injection in rats. Anesthesia was quantitated by elevation of the threshold (milliampere) for shock vocalization with intradermal electrodes. Intradermal injection of 0.1 ml 0.5% MOF gave moderate (2.1 mA) anesthesia of approximately three-day duration for a 10-12-mm diameter area, with no damage to the tissue. Higher concentrations gave six-day duration anesthesia at very high level (7 to 12 mA) anesthesia of three- to five-day duration with some damage to the tissue. At 4.4% MOF, ulcers formed in the center of the injection site with maximal dimensions of 1.3 mm (11-13% of the site diameter). Phenol, a widely used neurolytic agent, was tested as a control in the same concentration range. Phenol at 4.4% gave very high level (8 mA) anesthesia for longer than seven-day duration and caused formation of ulcers with maximal dimensions of 3.8 mm (31-38% of the site diameter). Analysis showed that MOF produced less damage than phenol for any given degree of anesthesia. Systemic toxicity and pharmacokinetic data are also presented. Phenol produced a hypothermic reaction and behavioral changes, whereas MOF was without systemic effect. The plasma concentrations of phenol were four to five times greater than those of MOF. These results suggest that MOF may have clinical advantages over phenol.

Anesthesia, Local↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long duration local anesthesia with lecithin-coated microdroplets of methoxyflurane: studies with human skin.

Lecithin-coated microdroplets of methoxyflurane (MOF) have been reported to produce local anesthesia of long duration in rats. The present study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was open label studies in two human volunteers aimed at determining the effective concentration of MOF in human skin. Over the concentration range of 0.3-2.4%, MOF produced local anesthesia to pinprick and cold stimuli within 15 seconds. The duration of the anesthesia effect of 2.4% MOF in the skin of the buttock, forearm and leg was five to eight days. Microdroplets containing isoflurane, a more volatile agent, gave an anesthetic effect that reversed within two to five hours. In the second phase of the study, the safety and efficacy of MOF were compared to phenol in placebo-controlled and blinded studies using indwelling stimulating electrodes. Phenol was destructive to skin at a concentration necessary to obtain a degree of local anesthesia comparable to MOF. The greater part of the anesthetic effect produced by phenol at this "toxic" concentration was transient (approximately one hour). In contrast to phenol, MOF produced an anesthetic effect lasting four to seven days without producing visible damage to skin. These results suggest that MOF is safer and more efficacious than phenol for producing long-lasting local anesthesia of human skin.

Anesthesia, Local↗
PubMed1991

Vitamin A status regulates hepatic lecithin: retinol acyltransferase activity in rats.

The activity of lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) was determined in microsomes from the liver and small intestine of rats with differing vitamin A status. In animals depleted of retinol, as judged by undetectable liver vitamin A stores and low plasma retinol concentrations, hepatic LRAT activity was almost undetectable, whether assayed with retinol bound to cellular retinol-binding protein or solvent-dispersed retinol. In contrast, neither the activity of intestinal LRAT nor that of acyl-CoA:retinol acyltransferase in either liver or intestine differed from that of vitamin A-adequate rats. During the course of vitamin A depletion, liver LRAT activity fell progressively, nearly in parallel to the decrease in plasma retinol concentration. Oral repletion of vitamin A-depleted rats with 0.8 mg of retinol resulted in a very rapid restoration of plasma retinol concentration and full recovery of hepatic LRAT activity within 24 h, together with deposition of retinyl ester in the liver. These data strongly implicate LRAT activity in liver as responsible for the storage of hepatic retinyl esters. Retention of the intestine's capacity to esterify retinol during vitamin A deficiency provides a mechanism for capture of dietary vitamin A, while reduced hepatic LRAT activity may function to redirect retinol in liver from storage to other metabolic pathways.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1977

Lecithin--cholesterol--acyltransferase activity in the plasma of immature, oestrogenised and laying fowl (Gallus domesticus).

A study was made of the role of the lecithin-cholesterol-acyltransferase (LCAT) enzyme in the changes in the concentrations and fatty acid composition of the plasma cholesteryl esters of the fowl associated with oestrogen treatment and sexual maturity. Although there was a considerable increase in the concentration of free cholesterol in the plasma of oestrogen treated and laying birds, only in the oestrogen treated birds was it associated with an increased rate of cholesterol esterification. In both laying and oestrogen treated birds, changes in the fatty acid composition of the plasma cholesterol esters could be attributed to related changes in the fatty acid specificity of the LCAT enzyme. Evidence is provided to indicate that the cholesterol esters in the plasma of the fowl are synthesised mainly by the plasma LCAT system. The changes in the rates and fatty acid specificity of the LCAT system in the plasma of the fowl associated with sexual maturity or oestrogen treatment are discussed in relation to the extensive alterations shown to occur in the lipoprotein pattern of the plasma.

Acyltransferases↗