Ecological conditions for the formation of mycobiota of wild-growing pollen plants

Complexes of microscopic fungi of seven pollen plant species of an apiary in the Zalesovo district (Altai krai, Russia) in two years differing in weather conditions are studied. A comparative analysis of the fungal cenoses in plant vegetative and generative organs as well as pollen grains is conducted.     

BSA Adsorption on Porous Scaffolds Prepared from BioPEGylated Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate)

Porous scaffolds for tissue engineering have been prepared from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and a copolymer of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and polyethylene glycol (PHB-PEG) produced by bioPEGylation. The morphology of the scaffolds and their capacity for adsorption of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been studied. Scaffolds produced from bioPEGylated PHB adsorbed more BSA, whereas the share of protein irreversibly adsorbed on these scaffolds was significantly lower (33%) than in the case of PHB homopolymer-based scaffolds (47%). The effect of protein adsorption on scaffold biocompatibility in vitro was tested in an experiment that involved the cultivation of fibroblasts (line COS-1) on the scaffolds. PHB-PEG scaffolds had a higher capacity for supporting cell growth than PHB-based scaffolds. Thus, the bioPEGylated PHB-based polymer scaffolds developed in the present study have considerable potential for use in soft tissue engineering.     

Sulfated Derivatives of Arabinogalactan and Their Anticoagulant Activity

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - A comparison of IR spectra and molecular weight distribution of arabinogalactan sulfates as sodium and ammonium salts obtained using various sulfating...     

QSAR modeling and transmission electron microscopy stereology of altered mitochondrial ultrastructure of white blood cells in patients diagnosed as schizophrenic and treated with antipsychotic drugs.

Treatment of patients diagnosed as schizophrenic with antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) is known to cause occasional unexplained depletion of white blood cells, especially neutrophil granulocytes. It has been known for many years that neuroleptics can interfere with the mitochondrial respiratory chain in vitro. Because there has been a growing interest recently in mitochondrial targeting of drugs, and since a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model that predicts mitochondrial accumulation of neuroleptics has been published, we investigated the effects of neuroleptics on white blood cell mitochondria. Venous blood samples were collected from both patients undergoing treatment with neuroleptics and healthy volunteers. The samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy. The resulting images of white blood cells were analyzed using stereology to compare quantitatively mitochondrial morphology in the patient and control groups. We found that in patients, but not in controls, there was swelling of mitochondria and fragmentation of the mitochondrial cristae. There also were fewer mitochondria in patients than in controls, although due to the swelling of the organelles, the volume density of mitochondria in the two groups was not significantly different. Such changes are typical of a toxic insult. Consequently, it seems plausible that, since schizophrenia is not a disease considered to affect white blood cells per se, these changes probably are due to the medication.     

Lipophilic prodrugs of a triazole-containing colchicine analogue in liposomes: Biological effects on human tumor cells

Colchicine site binders—blockers of tubulin polymerization—are potential antimitotic agents for anticancer therapy. To reduce their systemic toxicity and improve biodistribution, encapsulation in nanosized liposomes may be employed. Liposomes present a convenient means for preparation of injectable for-mulations of hydrophobic compounds, however colchicine as such is known to leak through the lipid bilayer. In this study, newly synthesized triazole-containing analogues of colchicine and allocolchicine, and their palmitic and oleic esters (lipophilic prodrugs) were tested for anti-proliferative activity and apoptosis-inducing potential. In contrast to colchicine conjugates, whose activities ranged with those of colchicine, allocolchicine derivatives exhibited drastically lower effects and were discarded. Liposomes of about 100 nm in diameter composed of egg phosphatidylcholine-yeast phosphatidylinositol-palmitic or oleic prodrug, 8: 1: 1, by mol, were prepared by standard extrusion technique and tested in a panel of four human tumor cell lines. Liposome formulations preserved the biological activities of the parent colchicinoid the most towards human epithelial tumor cells. Moreover, liposomal form of the oleoyl bearing colchicinoid inhibited cell proliferation more efficiently than free lipophilic prodrug. Due to substantial loading capacity of the liposomes, the dispersions contain sufficient concentration of the active agent to test wide dose range in experiments on systemic administration to animals.