Novel purification strategy for human PON1 and inhibition of the activity by cephalosporin and aminoglikozide derived antibiotics

Human serum paraoxonase (PON1, EC 3.1.8.1.) is a high-density lipid (HDL)-associated, calcium-dependent enzyme; its physiological substrates are not known. In this study, a new purification strategy for human PON1 enzyme was developed using two-step procedures, namely ammonium sulfate precipitation and sepharose-4B-l-tyrosine-1-napthylamine hydrophobic interaction chromatography. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the enzyme indicates a single band with an apparent MW of 43 kDa. Overall purification rate of our method was found 227-fold. The V(max) and K(m) of the purified enzyme were determined 227.27 EU and 4.16 mM, respectively. The in vitro effects of commonly used antibiotics, namely gentamycin sulfate and cefazolin sodium was also investigated on the purified human serum PON1 enzyme and human liver PON1 enzyme from human hepatoma cell (HepG2). Gentamycin sulfate and cefazolin sodium caused a dose- and time-dependent decrease on PON1 activity in HepG2 cells. Moreover, gentamycin sulfate and cefazolin sodium were effective inhibitors on purified human serum PON1 activity with IC(50) of 0.887 and 0.0084 values, respectively. The kinetics of interaction of gentamycin sulfate and cefazolin sodium with the purified human serum PON1 indicated a different inhibition pattern. Cefazolin sodium showed a competitive inhibition with K(i) of 0.012+/-0.00065 mM. However, Gentamycin sulfate was inhibited in non-competitive manner with K(i) of 0.026+/-0.015. In order to determine the inhibition statue of these drugs on a living system, the effects of same antibiotics on PON1 enzyme activity of mouse serum PON1 and liver PON1 were investigated in vivo. Gentamycin sulfate (3.2 mg/kg) and cefazolin sodium (106.25 mg/kg) leads to the significant decrease in mouse serum PON1 after 2, 4, 6 h and 2, 4 h drug administration, respectively. Cefazolin sodium did not exhibit any inhibition effect for the liver PON1, in vivo.     

Mercury inhibits rat liver and kidney glucocorticoid receptor hormone binding activity

The present study was focused on the influence of mercury on the rat liver and kidney glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding properties. The time-course and dose-dependence of mercury effects, as well as possible involvement of thiol groups were examined after in vivo and in vitro administration of the metal in the form of HgCl2. Mercury led to reduction of the liver and kidney GR hormone binding capacity. In both examined tissues maximal reduction was noticed 4 h after administration of the metal at 2 and 3 mg Hg/kg bw, but the effect was more prominent in kidney as compared to liver. On the other hand, binding affinity in the two tissues was similar. The complete reversal of mercury effects on GR binding capacity by 10 mmol/L DTT was achieved in liver and partially in kidney. The reversal by DTT suggested that mercury caused the decrease of GR binding activity by interacting with thiol groups. The difference in the response of the two tissues reflected the fact that kidney contained a higher mercury concentration and a lower thiol content in comparison to liver. The implicated thiols probably belong to GR, since when applied in vitro at 0 degrees C, mercury produced reduction of the receptor binding activity similar to that observed in vivo. GR protein level examined by quantitative Western blot was either unchanged, when determined by polyclonal antibody, or reduced, when determined by BuGR2 antibody, suggesting that Hg might affect BuGR epitope availability.     

The effect of various aminoglycoside antibiotics on glycogen phosphorylase activity in liver and kidney medulla of rabbit

Glycogen phosphorylase activity in both liver and kidney medulla of rabbit was stimulated in the presence of caffeine by various aminoglycoside antibiotics in the following rank order: gentamicin greater than neomycin greater than amikacin = kanamycin greater than or equal tobramycin, while streptomycin did not affect the enzyme activity. In contrast, in the presence of AMP, the stimulatory action of antibiotics was not observed. Since in the gentamicin-treated rabbits stimulation of glycogen phosphorylase activity by about 30% in both liver and kidney medulla was accompanied by a decrease of liver glycogen content by about 60% it is likely that a decline in liver glycogen level following antibiotic treatment is due to an increased glycogen phosphorylase activity.     

In vitro effects of some antibiotics on glutathione reductase from sheep liver

The effects of gentamicin sulphate, thiamphenicol, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, cefepime, and cefazolin were investigated on the in vitro enzyme activity of glutathione reductase. The enzyme was purified 1,850-fold with a yield 18.76% from sheep liver using ammonium sulphate precipitation, 2',5'-ADP Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography, and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration chromatography. The purified enzyme showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm, according to the method of Carlberg and Mannervik. From these six antibiotics, Ofloxacin, levofloxacin, cefepime, and cefazolin inhibited the activity of the purified enzyme; gentamicin sulphate and thiamphenicol showed little effect on the enzyme activity. The I50 values for these four antibiotics were 0.150 mM, 0.154 mM, 3.395 mM, and 18.629 mM, respectively. The Ki constants were 0.047 +/- 0.034 mM, 0.066 +/- 0.038 mM, 4.885 +/- 3.624 mM, and 6.511 +/- 1.894 mM, respectively and they were competitive inhibitors.     

In Vitro Effects of Some Antibiotics on Glutathione Reductase from Sheep Liver

The effects of gentamicin sulphate, thiamphenicol, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, cefepime, and cefazolin were investigated on the in vitro enzyme activity of glutathione reductase. The enzyme was purified 1,850-fold with a yield 18.76% from sheep liver using ammonium sulphate precipitation, 2′, 5′-ADP Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography, and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration chromatography. The purified enzyme showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically at 340?nm, according to the method of Carlberg and Mannervik. From these six antibiotics, Ofloxacin, levofloxacin, cefepime, and cefazolin inhibited the activity of the purified enzyme; gentamicin sulphate and thiamphenicol showed little effect on the enzyme activity. The I50 values for these four antibiotics were 0.150?mM, 0.154?mM, 3.395?mM, and 18.629?mM, respectively. The Ki constants were 0.047±0.034?mM, 0.066±0.038?mM, 4.885±3.624?mM, and 6.511±1.894?mM, respectively and they were competitive inhibitors.     

Differential regulation of the oxidative 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in testis and liver

11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) Type I enzyme is found in testis and liver. In Leydig cell cultures, 11beta-HSD activity is reported to be primarily oxidative while another report concluded that is primarily reductive. Hepatic 11beta-HSD preferentially catalyzes reduction and the reaction direction is unaffected by the external factors. Recent analysis of testicular 11beta-HSD revealed two kinetically distinct components. In the present study, various steroid hormones or glycyrrhizic acid (GCA), given for 1 week, or thyroxine given for 5 weeks to normal intact rats had different effects on the 11beta-HSD oxidative activity in testis and liver. Deoxycorticosterone, dexamethasone, progesterone, thyroxine, and clomiphene citrate increased testicular 11beta-HSD oxidative activity, but decreased hepatic enzyme activity except for deoxycorticosterone (unchanged). Corticosterone and testosterone decreased 11beta-HSD oxidative activity in testis but not that of liver (which was unchanged). Estradiol, GCA and adrenalectomy lowered oxidative activity of 11beta-HSD in testis and liver, but the degrees of reduction were different. The in vivo effects of glucocorticoids too were different, even in the same organ. Dexamethasone, a pure glucocorticoid, has greater affinity for glucocorticoid receptors (GR) than corticosterone. The direct effects of dexamethasone via GR in increasing testicular 11beta-HSD oxidative activity may override its indirect effects. Possibly, the reverse occurs with corticosterone treatment, as it has both glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid effects. Because both organs have Type I isoenzyme, the difference in 11beta-HSD oxidative activities of these two organs could be attributable to the presence of an additional isozyme in testis or differences in tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms.     

Gentamicin binds to the lectin site of calreticulin and inhibits its chaperone activity

Recently, it became clear that aminoglycoside antibiotics affect protein-protein interactions involving protein disulfide isomerase as well as protein synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum. In this study, we used affinity column chromatography to screen gentamicin-binding proteins in microsomes derived from bovine kidney in order to learn about the possible mechanisms of gentamicin-associated nephrotoxicity. One of the gentamicin-binding proteins was identified as calreticulin (CRT) by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. Interestingly, gentamicin inhibited the chaperone and oxidative refolding activities of CRT when N-glycosylated substrates such as alpha1-antitrypsin and alpha-mannosidase were used as substrates, but it did not inhibit the chaperone activity of CRT when unglycosylated citrate synthase was used. Moreover, CRT suppressed the aggregation of deglycosylated and denatured alpha-mannosidase, but gentamicin did not inhibit its chaperone activity. Experiments with domain mutants suggest that the lectin site of CRT is the main target for gentamicin binding and that binding of gentamicin to this site inhibits the chaperone activity of CRT.     

斑点叉尾鮰源普通变形杆菌的分离、鉴定及药敏特性

【目的】对患病斑点叉尾鮰进行病原菌分离、鉴定及药敏实验,为斑点叉尾鮰肠道坏死病的防控提供参考。【方法】从患病斑点叉尾鮰病灶、肝、脾和肾分离纯化病原菌,经理化特性测定及16S rRNA基因序列分析对其进行鉴定,开展人工感染试验,并利用纸片扩散法进行药敏特性分析。【结果】分离菌株k1为本次引发斑点叉尾鮰病害的致病菌,其对斑点叉尾鮰的LD50为2.82×10~5 CFU/g。菌株k1理化特性与普通变形杆菌Proteus vulgaris基本一致,16S rRNA基因序列与普通变形杆菌相似性最高,综合判定分离菌株为普通变形杆菌。分离菌株k1对环丙沙星、头孢唑林及头孢拉定等12种抗生素高度敏感,对苯唑西林、阿莫西林及痢特灵等7种抗生素耐药。【结论】分离菌株k1是斑点叉尾鮰病原菌,养殖时可选用庆大霉素及氟苯尼考等药物进行防控。     

Effect of chlorpyrifos on thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, scavenging enzymes and glutathione in rat tissues

The present study showed that exposure of chlorpyrifos, O,O'-diethyl-O-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl phosphorothionate (CPF), a widely used pesticide in rats caused significant inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in different tissues viz., liver, kidney and spleen. CPF exposure also generated oxidative stress in the body, as evidenced by increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), decrease in the levels of superoxide scavenging enzymes viz., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in liver, kidney and spleen at all doses. Malondialdehyde levels were increased by 14%, 31% and 76% in liver, 11%, 31% and 64% in kidney and 32%, 75% and 99.9% in spleen when 50 mg, 100 mg and 200 mg/kg body wt. CPF was administered for three days. SOD and CAT activities were decreased in liver, kidney and spleen, while GPx activity showed slight increase in kidney at 50 mg and 100 mg dose, and decreased on further increase in dose of CPF. Liver and spleen showed dose-dependent decrease in GPx activity. The levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) was decreased, while oxidized glutathione (GSSG) was increased, thus a marked fall in GSH/GSSG ratio was observed in all tissues. A maximum decrease of 83% was observed in liver, followed by kidney and spleen, which showed 78% and 57% decrease, respectively in group given 200 mg/kg CPF. The levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and glutathione reductase (GR) were also decreased in liver and kidney, while spleen showed increase at lower doses, but decrease at high dose of CPF. The data provide evidence for induction of oxidative stress on CPF exposure.     

The organochalcogen 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-(phenylseleno)oct-2-en-1-one induces oxidative stress in heart, liver, and kidney of rats

The objective of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of the organochalcogen 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-(phenylseleno)oct-2-en-1-one on some parameters of oxidative stress in liver, kidney, and heart of 10-day-old rats. The homogenates of liver, kidney, and heart were incubated for 1 h in the absence (control) or in the presence of 1, 10, or 30 μM of the organoselenium and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, carbonyl, and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were measured. First, we tested the influence of the compound on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH(?)) radical scavenging and verified that the organochalcogen did not have any antioxidant properties. We observed an increase of lipid peroxidation in all concentrations tested in heart and kidney, while in liver only in the concentrations of 10 and 30 μM. Moreover, we also verified an enhance of protein oxidation in the concentrations of 10 and 30 μM in kidney. On the other hand, the compound caused a reduction on the activity of CAT in heart (10 and 30 μM), liver (30 μM), and kidney (30 μM). The activity of SOD was increased in heart (10 and 30 μM), while in liver (30 μM) and in kidney (10 and 30 μM) the activity was reduced. Our findings indicate that this organoselenium compound induces oxidative stress in liver, heart, and kidney of immature rats, collaborating to the fact that these tissues are potential targets for the organochalcogen action.     

The in vivo effects of cefazolin,cefuroxime, and cefoperazon on the carbonic anhydrase in different rat tissues

In this paper, the in vivo effects of some antibiotics including cefazolin, cefuroxime, and cefoperazon, on the activity of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme (CA) in heart, brain, eye, liver, and kidney tissues of rats were evaluated. For this purpose, 16 different groups, which each containing six rats (n = 6), were formed (control group, cefazolin groups, cefuroxime groups, and cefoperazon groups). The rats were necropsied 60 min after the intraperitoneal injection of the chemicals into the rats. The CA activities were measured for each tissue using esterase activity methods. The activity values for each tissue obtained were statistically calculated. The CA activities in the liver tissue were assessed, and the activities of the cefoperazon groups were decreased compared to the sham groups from the third hour (p < 0.05). In the cefuroxime and cefoperazon groups, the CA activities in the eye tissue were decreased during the first 3 h and then increased (p < 0.05).     

Tri-iodo thyronine regulates antioxidant enzyme activities in different cell fractions through a mechanism sensitive to actinomycin D in a teleost, Anabas testudineus (Bloch)

The present study evaluated the effects of hyperthyroid state on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes in the crude (CF), post nuclear (PNF) and mitochondrial fractions (MF) of the fish liver. The in vivo injection of T3 (200ng) did not change the lipid peroxidation products, malondialdehyde (MDA) and conjugated dienes (CD), while actinomycin D (10microg), a potent mRNA inhibitor when administered with T3 increased them. The antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) had an increased activity in CF and MF of hyperthyroid group to compete the increased oxidative stress, but actinomycin D partially inhibited the T3-induced activity. SOD and CAT activities in PNF of hyperthyroid group had no change, the glutathione concentration varied depending on the GPx and GR activity. Hyperthyroidism decreased the protein content, while simultaneous administration of actinomycin D inhibited the T3 action of elevating the protein content. The results suggest that the antioxidant defense status in A. testudineus is modulated by thyroid hormone, through an action sensitive to actinomycin D.     

Effects of subacute treatment of ethylene glycol on serum marker enzymes and erythrocyte and tissue antioxidant defense systems and lipid peroxidation in rats

The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of ethylene glycol (EG) on serum marker enzymes, antioxidant defense systems and lipid peroxidation concentration (malondialdehyde=MDA) in various tissues of rats exposed to ethylene glycol. EG (1.25% or 2.5%) in drinking water was administered orally to rats (Sprague-Dawley albino) ad libitum for 21 days continuously. EG treatments caused different effects on the serum marker enzymes, antioxidant defense system and MDA content in various tissues of the treatment groups as compared with the controls. EG also caused a significant increase in the serum marker enzyme activities with 2.5% dosage whereas, no changes were not observed with 1.25% dosage of EG treatment. Lipid peroxidation significantly increased in all the tissues except for in the heart and stomach of rats treated with both dosages of EG. Also, the antioxidative systems were also seriously affected by EG. For example, SOD significantly decreased in the liver treated with both dosages whereas, SOD activity in the erythrocytes, kidney, heart and stomach were significantly increased and not changed in the brain with two dosages of EG. Also, while CAT activity significantly decreased in the erythrocytes, liver and kidney, the activity in the stomach significantly increased, but did not change in the brain and heart with two doses of EG. GR activity significantly decreased in the erythrocytes treated with both dosages of EG whereas GR was not affected in other tissues by EG treatment. GST activity significantly elevated in the heart and brain but did not change in the other tissues of rats treated with both dosages of EG. Meanwhile, GSH depletion in the erythrocytes of rats treated with 2.5% dosage of EG was found to be significant whereas, the level of GSH in the brain was significantly increased treated with both the dosages of EG. The observations presented led us to conclude that the administration of subacute EG promotes lipid peroxidatin content, elevates tissue damage serum marker enzymes and changes in the antioxidative systems in rats. These data, along with the determined changes suggest that EG produced substantial systemic organ toxicity in the erythrocyte, liver, brain, heart kidney and stomach during the period of a 21-day subacute exposure.     

Chemiluminescence flow-injection analysis of beta-lactam antibiotics using the luminol-permanganate reaction.

A new flow injection chemiluminescence (CL) method has been developed for the determination of six beta-lactam antibiotics, including amoxicillin, cefadroxil, cefoperazone sodium, cefazolin sodium, cefradine and ceftriaxone sodium. When the antibiotic was injected into a stream of KMnO4 with alkaline luminol, a strong CL signal was produced. The method allows the measurements of 0.1-50.0 mg/L amoxicillin, 0.1-80.0 mg/L cefadroxil, 1.0-30.0 mg/L cefoperazone sodium, 1.0-30.0 mg/L cefazolin sodium, 3.0-50.0 mg/L cefradine and 3.0-50.0 mg/L ceftriaxone sodium. The detection limits are 0.05 mg/L for amoxycillin, 0.05 mg/L for cefadroxil, 0.4 mg/L for cefoperazonum sodium, 0.4 mg/L for cefazolin sodium, 0.8 mg/L for cefradine and 0.8 mg/L for ceftriaxone sodium. The relative standard deviations in 11 repeated measurements are 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.5%, 1.2%, 0.4% and 0.3% for 3.0 mg/L amoxicillin, 1.0 mg/L cefadroxil, 10.0 mg/L cefoperazone sodium, 10.0 mg/L cefazolin sodium, 10.0 mg/L cefradine and 10.0 mg/L ceftriaxone sodium, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of amoxicillin in pharmaceutical preparations. A possible CL reaction mechanism is also discussed.     

Influence of subacute treatment of some plant growth regulators on serum marker enzymes and erythrocyte and tissue antioxidant defense and lipid peroxidation in rats

This study aims to investigate the effects of the plant growth regulators (PGRs) (2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA), Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 2,4-dichlorofenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)) on serum marker enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanin aminotransferase (ALT), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)), antioxidant defense systems (reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and catalase (CAT)), and lipid peroxidation content (malondialdehyde = MDA) in various tissues of rats. 50 and 100 ppm of PGRs as drinking water were administered orally to rats (Sprague-Dawley albino) ad libitum for 25 days continuously. The PGRs treatment caused different effects on the serum marker enzymes, antioxidant defense systems, and the MDA content in experimented rats compared to controls. Results showed that TIBA caused a significant decrease in serum AST activity with both the dosage whereas serum CPK was significantly increased with 100 ppm dosage of TIBA. Meanwhile, serum AST, CPK, and LDH activities were significantly increased with both dosage of NAA and 2,4-D. The lipid peroxidation end-product MDA significantly increased in the all tissues treated with both dosages of PGRs without any change in the brain and erythrocyte of rats treated with both the dosages of 2,4-D. The GSH depletion in the kidney and brain tissues of rats treated with both dosages of PGRs was found to be significant. Furthermore, the GSH depletion in the erythrocyte of rats treated with both dosages of PGRs except 50 ppm dosage of 2,4-D was significant too. Also, the GSH level in the liver was significantly depleted with 50 ppm of 2,4-D and NAA, whereas the GSH depletion in the same tissue did not significantly change with the treatment. The activity of antioxidant enzymes was also seriously affected by PGRs; SOD significantly decreased in the liver, heart, kidney, and brain of rats treated with both dosages of NAA, whereas the SOD activity in the erythrocytes, liver, and heart was either significantly decreased or not changed with two doses of 2,4-D and TIBA. Although the CAT activity significantly increased in the erythrocyte and brain of rats treated with both doses of PGRs, it was not changed in the liver, heart, and kidney. Meanwhile, the ancillary enzyme GR activity significantly increased in the brain, heart, and liver but decreased in the erythrocyte and kidney of rats treated with both doses of PGRs. The drug-metabolizing enzyme GST activity significantly increased in the heart and kidney but decreased in the brain and erythrocytes of rats treated with both dosages of PGRs. As a conclusion, the results indicate that PGRs might affect antioxidant potential enzymes, the activity of hepatic damage enzymes, and lipid peroxidation dose independently. Also, the rats resisted to oxidative stress via antioxidant mechanism but the antioxidant mechanism could not prevent the increases in lipid peroxidation in rat's tissues. These data, along with the determined changes, suggest that PGRs produced substantial systemic organ toxicity in the erythrocyte, liver, brain, heart, and kidney during the period of a 25-day subacute exposure.     

Deacetyl epoxyazadiradione protects aminoglycoside antibiotic-induced renal cell apoptosis,in vitro

Aminoglycoside antibiotics such as gentamicin are used frequently to treat bacterial infections in humans. Excessive consumption of these antibiotics lead to renal dysfunction. One of the factors contributing to renal dysfunction is oxidative damage, which causes apoptosis. Hence, this study investigates the effect of the antioxidant compound deacetyl epoxyazadiradione (DEA) in reducing cell death induced by gentamicin treatment in kidney cells (Madin–Darby canine kidney cells). The antioxidant experiments showed that reactive oxygen species level is decreased up to 27.06 ± 0.18% in 150 µM of DEA treatment. At this concentration, the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase increased from 0.4 ± 0.04 to 1.46 ± 0.05 µmol/min/L and catalase increased from 7.48 ± 0.39 to 17.6 ± 0.74 U/mg. The relative folds of gene expression of mitochondrial enzymes such as GST, GPx and GR restored from 0.596 ± 0.019, 0.521 ± 0.013 and 0.775 ± 0.014 to 0.866 ± 0.013, 0.669 ± 0.015 and 0.8615 ± 0.028, respectively. Consequently, the percentage of cell viability increases upto 91.8 ± 2.01 from 61.93 ± 1.63 with much less fragmentation in genomic DNA. Additionally, molecular docking results showed that DEA could bind to Bax, Bcl- 2, Caspase- 3 and Caspase- 9 proteins. These results indicate that DEA could reduce cell apoptosis by reducing oxidative stress due to antibiotics and interrupting the apoptotic signal pathway in kidney cells.     

Metabolic responses to prolonged starvation, food restriction, and refeeding in the brown trout, Salmo trutta: oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses

The effects of long-term starvation and food restriction (49 days), followed by refeeding (21 days) have been studied with respect to antioxidant defense in the liver and gills (branchial tissues) of the brown trout, Salmo trutta. Malondialdehyde levels in both tissues increased in parallel with starvation and food restriction and these values did not return to normal after the refeeding period. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) in liver and gills increased during the 49 days of starvation, but glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activities decreased. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity decreased in the liver at the 49th day of starvation, but increased in the branchial tissues. Some of the antioxidant enzyme activities (such as hepatic GST and branchial G6PD) returned to control values of fed fish after the refeeding period, but others (e.g. hepatic SOD and branchial GPx) did not return to normal values. In conclusion, our study indicates that total or partial food deprivation induces oxidative stress in brown trout.     

Antioxidative and metabolic responses to extended cold exposure in rats

In this work, we investigated whether extended cold exposure increases oxidative damage and susceptibility to oxidants of rat liver, heart, kidney and lung which are metabolically active tissues. Moreover in this study the effect of cold stress on some of the lipid metabolic mediators were studied in rat experimental model. Male albino Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: The control group (n=12) and the cold-stress group (n=12). Tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathion S-transferase (GST) and glutathion reductase (GR) activities and glutathion (GSH) were measured using standard protocols. The biochemical analyses for total lipid, cholesterol, trigliceride, HDL, VLDL and LDL were done on autoanalyzer. In cold-stress groups SOD activity was decreased in the lung whereas it increased in the heart and kidney. CAT activity was significantly decreased (except liver) in all the tissues in treated rats. GST activity of cold-induced rats increased in liver and heart while decreased in the lung. GR activity was significantly decreased (except in liver) in all the tissues in cold-stressed rats. GSH level was significantly increased in the heart but decreased in the lung of animals exposed to cold when compared to controls. It was found that among the groups trigliceride, total lipid, HDL and VLDL parameters varied significantly but cholesterol and LDL had no significant variance. In this study, we found that exposure of extended (48 h) cold (8 degrees C) caused changes both in the antioxidant defense system (as tissue and enzyme specific) and serum lipoprotein profiles in rats.     

Glutathione reductase activity and flavin concentration in guinea-pig tissues.

Glutathione reductase (GR) activity and flavin concentration were studied in systemic tissues (brain, heart, lung, liver, spleen, stomach, pancreas, muscle, kidney, testis) and blood components (erythrocytes and plasma) from male guinea-pigs. GR activity and the flavin concentration were high in kidney and liver, and low in muscle. GR activity in erythrocytes was found in a range of tissues, but flavin concentration in erythrocytes was lower than in any tissues. GR was saturated with flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in almost all tissues, but not in muscle or erythrocytes.