Purification, Properties, and Localization of Two Carbonic Anhydrases from Amaranthus cruentus Leaves

The method has been developed for obtaining two purified forms of carbonic anhydrase (CA, A and B forms) from amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) leaves. The method includes precipitation with ammonium sulfate, fractionation by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE Sephadex A-50, gel filtration on AcA-34 ultragel, and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE cellulose. The molecular weights of A and B forms were different and equaled to 151 and 251 kD, respectively. The results suggest that SH groups and zinc play important roles in the catalytic activity of both CA forms. Both forms exhibited a high hydratase activity and did not represent allosteric enzymes. However, the catalytic properties of A form, evaluated from the pH dependence of kinetic parameters, differed from those of B form, which was apparently caused by dissimilar structures of these forms. Furthermore, the A form was localized in chloroplast membranes of bundle sheath cells, whereas B form was a soluble enzyme located in the cytoplasm of mesophyll cells.     

Study of the phenomenon and substantiation of the mechanism of antimutagenesis under conditions of action of sodium fluoride

Transplanted human amnion cells have been used in experiments differing in the regularity of the sodium fluoride and alpha-tocopherol action to determine a considerable antimutagenic efficiency of the mutagenic process modifier, the efficiency being dependent on the treatment variability.     

Brain mitochondria as a primary target in the development of treatment strategies for Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebrovascular accidents are two leading causes of age-related dementia. Increasing evidence supports the idea that chronic hypoperfusion is primarily responsible for the pathogenesis that underlies both disease processes. In this regard, hypoperfusion appears to induce oxidative stress (OS), which is largely due to reactive oxygen species (ROS), and over time initiates mitochondrial failure which is known as an initiating factor of AD. Recent evidence indicates that chronic injury stimulus induces hypoperfusion seen in vulnerable brain regions. This reduced regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) then leads to energy failure within the vascular endothelium and associated brain parenchyma, manifested by damaged mitochondrial ultrastructure (the formation of large number of immature, electron-dense “hypoxic” mitochondria) and by overproduction of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions. Additionally, these mitochondrial abnormalities co-exist with increased redox metal activity, lipid peroxidation, and RNA oxidation. Interestingly, vulnerable neurons and glial cells show mtDNA deletions and oxidative stress markers only in the regions that are closely associated with damaged vessels, and, moreover, brain vascular wall lesions linearly correlate with the degree of neuronal and glial cell damage.We summarize the large body of evidence which indicates that sporadic, late-onset AD results from a vascular etiology by briefly reviewing mitochondrial damage and vascular risk factors associated with the disease and then we discuss the cerebral microvascular changes reason for the energy failure that occurs in normal aging and, to a much greater extent, AD.     

Structure of the endothelium of the thoracic and abdominal aorta of intact rats studied by various methods of preparation and handling of the specimens

By means of scanning and transmissive electron microscopy structural peculiarities of endothelium of the thoracic and abdominal parts of the intact rat aorta have been studied at various regimens of preparation and making specimens . The greatest changes endotheliocytes (EC) undergo at using immersion fixation after dissection of the aortal segments. These changes are less pronounced at immersion fixation in situ. A decreased perfusion pressure results in appearance of intimal folds and microfolds on the surface of EC. Increasing time for washing more than 1 min results in appearance of inflations and craters on the surfice of EC. For analysis by means of transmissive electron microscopy it is not necessary to remove blood completely out of the vascular bed. The most essential factor is to maintain perfusion pressure at the average systolic level in the given area of the vessel. However, to make the analysis by means of scanning electron microscopy this method is not suitable. The most optimal condition for initial stages of preparing vessels for morphological investigation is their washing for 1 min in the medium 199 with addition of heparin (10 units/ml) during no more than 1 min with a subsequent perfusive fixation in 2.5% solution of glutaraldehyde in the medium 199 no less than 5 min under the average arterial pressure in the given area of the vessel.