Variations of urinary creatinine and its correlation to excretion of indole metabolites in mental patients.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We examined the effect of argiopine and argiopinine 3, low molecular weight polyamine venom components of the spider Argiope lobata, on rat cortical excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Responses to 100 microM N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) with 10 microM glycine were blocked by both of the polyamine toxins in a dose-dependent manner. Both compounds had similar potencies against 100 microM kainate or 50 microM (S)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (L-AMPA). Oscillatory responses to 2 microM quisqualate were unaffected by either polyamine toxin. Increasing concentrations of either NMDA, kainate or AMPA were unable to overcome the antagonism by either spider toxin. We were able to demonstrate a use-dependent phenomenon similar to that of phencyclidine; neither polyamine toxin affected the NMDA, kainate or AMPA response without the presence of the respective agonist.
Root cooling of 7-day-old wheat seedlings decreased root hydraulic conductivity causing a gradual loss of relative water content during 45 min (RWC). Subsequently (in 60 min), RWC became partially restored due to a decrease in transpiration linked to lower stomatal conductivity. The decrease in stomatal conductivity cannot be attributed to ABA-induced stomatal closure, since no increase in ABA content in the leaves or in the concentration in xylem sap or delivery of ABA from roots was found. However, decreased stomatal conductance was associated with a sharp decline in the content of cytokinins in shoots that was registered shortly after the start of root cooling and linked to increases in the activity of cytokinin-oxidase. This decrease in shoot cytokinin content may have been responsible for closing stomata, since this hormone is known to maintain stomatal opening when applied to plants. In support of this, pre-treatment with synthetic cytokinin benzyladenine was found to increase transpiration of wheat seedlings with cooled roots and bring about visible loss of turgor and wilting.
The continuous formation of lateral roots is a vital part of establishing a root system and enables plants to react with developmental plasticity to changing soil conditions. Evidence is accumulating that abscisic acid (ABA), which is known to be involved in stress responses, has an important role in lateral root formation. An ABA receptor mutant, fca-1, shows an altered response to ABA during lateral root formation. Interestingly, ABA seems to have distinct roles at different stages in lateral root development. The emerging role of ABA in lateral root development fits well with its general functional properties as a stress hormone, including its role in dormancy.
Sensitive methods for the determination of deuterated and non-deuterated indole-3-acetic acid and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid by combined capillary gas chromatography-negative-ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry were developed. Indole-3-acetic and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acids were converted into pentafluorobenzyl and trifluoroacetylmethyl derivatives, respectively, after pre-purification by high-performance liquid chromatography. These derivatives were separated by gas chromatography and determined by selected ion monitoring. In the determinations, indole-3-acetic-2,2,2',4',5',6',7'-d7 acid and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic-3,3-d2 acid were used as internal standards. The methods developed in this work were used for the determination of deuterated and non-deuterated indole-3-acetic acid and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid in human urine samples collected before and after administration of L-tryptophan-3,3-d2.
The synthesis and antiinflammatory activities of a series of 23 novel 1,3,4,9-tetrahydropyrano[3,4-b]indole-1-alkanoic acids are described and some relationships between structure and activity are discussed. One of these compounds, 1,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1-propylpyrano[3,4-b]indole-1-acetic acid (prodolic acid, USAN), has been selected for further studies.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The present study reports quick and significant changes induced by plant hormones in the volume of mesophyll protoplasts of pea (Pisum sativum). Four plant hormones: gibberellic acid (GA3), indole 3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA)(+/-) and methyl jasmonate (MJ), caused marked changes in the volume of mesophyll protoplasts. GA3 and IAA increased the volume of the protoplasts (up to 90%) whereas the ABA and MJ decreased (by about 40%) the volume. Aquaporins or water channels appear to play an important role in swelling/shrinkage of the protoplasts as indicated by the suppression of volume changes by HgCl2 and reversal by mercaptoethanol. The possible role of secondary messengers in volume changes induced by GA3 was investigated by using selected pharmacological reagents. The GA3 induced swelling was restricted by GDP-beta-S (G-protein antagonist), U73122 (phospholipase C inhibitor), and TFP (calmodulin antagonist), but was not affected by 1-butanol (phospholipase D inhibitor), GTP-gamma-S (G-protein agonist), or verapamil (calcium channel blocker). The results suggest that the mesophyll protoplasts can be a simple and useful system for further studies on volume changes in plant tissues.
Eucommia ulmoides (Eucommiaceae), a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, is often subjected to severe manual peeling of its bark. If the girdled trunk is well protected from desiccation, new bark forms within 1 month. It has been proposed that phytohormones play a key role in this process. Research has been conducted to determine the distribution of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) during the bark recovery, using high-performance liquid-chromatography (HPLC) and fluoro-immuno-localization techniques. Results showed that, from 2 d after girdling, the IAA content in the recovering bark (RB) increased markedly while that of ABA decreased. The opposite pattern was observed during progressive re-establishment of the tissues. Immuno-localization showed that most of the IAA was located in the RB tissue layers undergoing cell division, dedifferentiation and (re)differentiation, such as xylary rays, immature xylem, phellogen and cambial regions. This study also provides evidence that IAA and ABA are involved in the bark reconstitution.
Using leaf epidermis from Vicia faba, we tested whether auxin-induced stomatal opening was initiated by auxin-induced ethylene synthesis. Epidermis was dark-incubated in buffered KNO3 containing 0.1 mM alpha-napthalene acetic acid or 1 mM indole-3-acetic acid. Maximum net opening was ca. 4 micron after 6 h. Opening was reversed by 20 microM ABA, 0.1 mM CaCl2. 1-Aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase catalyzes synthesis of ACC, the immediate precursor to ethylene. Auxin-induced stomatal opening was fully inhibited by 10 microM 1-aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), an ACC synthase inhibitor. In solutions containing AVG, auxin-induced opening was restored in a concentration-dependent manner by exogenous ACC, but not in control solutions lacking an auxin. ACC-mediated reversal of AVG-inhibition of stomatal opening was inhibited by alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), an inhibitor of ACC oxidase, the last enzyme in the ethylene biosynthetic pathway, by 10 microM silver thiosulfate (STS), an inhibitor of ethylene action, and by 20 microM ABA, 0.1 mM CaCl2. CoCl2, an inhibitor of ethylene synthesis, also inhibited auxin-induced opening. Both STS and CoCl2 inhibited opening induced by light or by fusicoccin, but neither light- nor fusicoccin-induced opening was inhibited by AVG. These results support the hypothesis that auxin-induced stomatal opening is mediated through auxin-induced ethylene production by guard cells.
Embryogenic tissue of hybrid larch (Larix x marschlinsii Coaz) was multiplied on Medium M (modified MSG medium supplemented with the plant growth regulators (PGRs) 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D; 9 microM) and N-6-benzyladenine (2.25 microM)). After 1 week, cultures were transferred to either MSG lacking PGRs (Medium C-) or MSG lacking PGRs but supplemented with 1% activated charcoal (Medium C+). Embryos were sampled after 1 week on Medium M, C- or C+. Embryos were analyzed by ELISA for abscisic acid (ABA), abscisic acid-glucose ester, 2,4-D, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-aspartate (IAAsp), zeatin (Z), zeatin riboside (ZR), isopentenyladenine (iP) and isopentenyladenosine (iPA). Transfer of embryos to Medium C+ reduced the embryo concentrations of 2,4-D and iPA, but resulted in elevated concentrations of IAA, IAAsp, ABA, Z, ZR and iP. Charcoal reduced 2,4-D concentrations of embryos by an order of magnitude greater than PGR-free medium alone. Charcoal affected embryo concentrations of five of the eight PGRs quantified. Use of either C+ or C- medium as part of the maturation protocols also affected germination and plantlet establishment of the embryos. A 1-week treatment on Medium C+ positively influenced plantlet establishment and generally reduced variability during both germination and plantlet establishment.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
1. Several low molecular weight spider toxins have recently been shown to block potently glutamatergic neuromuscular transmission at the invertebrate neuromuscular junction. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the effects of one such toxin, argiotoxin636, on excitatory amino acid receptor-mediated responses in mammalian neurones. 2. Membrane currents were recorded from rat cortical neurones after 2-6 weeks in cell culture, by the whole-cell variant of the patch-clamp technique. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and kainate were used as selective agonists for their respective receptor subtypes. alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) was used as a selective agonist for the quisqualate receptor subtype. 3. Responses to these agonists were characterised with respect to their concentration and voltage-dependence. Argiotoxin636 (3-30 microM) was found to attenuate markedly responses to NMDA in an agonist- and voltage-dependent manner. Thus, argiotoxin636 progressively reduced successive responses to NMDA when membrane potentials were voltage clamped between -40mV to -100 mV. The more negative the membrane potential the more rapid the development of the block of inward current. 4. The antagonism of NMDA-induced currents by argiotoxin636 could be reversed by clamping the membrane at positive potentials (+20 to +60 mV) and reapplying NMDA. 5. Responses to AMPA and kainate were less affected by argiotoxin636, with an antagonist action only becoming evident at a concentration of 100 microM. 6. These results suggest that argiotoxin636 is an open-channel blocker of the NMDA activated ion-channel in mammalian neurones. Furthermore, our results indicate at least a 30 fold selectivity for NMDA over the quisqualate- and kainate-activated ion-channels.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Embedded within the meristem of all Angiosperm roots is a population of slowly dividing cells designated the quiescent center (QC). In maize roots the QC can constitute upwards of 800-1200 cells, most of which spend an extended period of time (180-200 hours) in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle. How the QC forms and is maintained is not known. Here we report that cells of the QC are characterized by their highly oxidized status. Glutathione and ascorbic acid occur predominately in the oxidized forms in the QC. This is contrasted with the status of these redox intermediates in adjacent, rapidly dividing cells in the root meristem, in which the reduced forms of these two species are favored. Using a redox sensitive fluorescent dye we were able to visualize an overall oxidizing environment in the QC, and we also made comparisons with the adjacent, rapidly dividing cells in the root meristem. Altering the distribution of auxin and the location of the auxin maximum in the root tip activates the QC, and cells leave G(1) and enter mitosis. Commencement of relatively more rapid cell division in the QC is preceded by changes in the overall redox status of the QC, which becomes less oxidizing. We discuss how the position of the auxin maximum may influence the redox status of the QC and thereby modulate the cell cycle.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The possible mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of proglumetacin maleate (PGM), a new indomethacin (IND) derivative interacting with arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism, was investigated to elucidate the contributions of PGM itself and its two major metabolites, desproglumideproglumetacin maleate (DPP) and IND. PGM caused much less inhibition of PGE2 formation by sheep seminal vesicle microsomes (IC50 = 310 microM) and TXB2 formation by a washed rabbit platelet suspension (IC50 = 6.3 microM) than IND. DPP also caused less inhibition of cyclooxygenase than IND. Moreover, PGM had less effect on sodium arachidonate (SAA)-induced rat platelet aggregation ex vivo and AA-induced sudden death in rabbits than IND. These results show that PGM has anti-inflammatory activity after its conversion to the active metabolite IND. However, the inhibitory effects of PGM and DPP were as strong as that of IND on SAA- or collagen-induced rabbit platelet aggregation in vitro. These activities are considered to be associated with platelet membrane interaction. Moreover, unlike IND, PGM (IC50 = 1.5 microM) and DPP (IC50 = 16.3 microM) strongly inhibited 5-HETE formation by the cytosol of guinea pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes. This unique activity of PGM on 5-lipoxygenase may contribute to its anti-inflammatory activity.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.