Autocrine role of transforming growth factor beta1 on rat granulosa cell proliferation

We evaluated the effects of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1), alone or in combination with FSH and estradiol, on DNA synthesis in primary cultures of immature rat granulosa cells. 3H-Thymidine incorporation was significantly stimulated by TGFbeta1 (5.6-fold). This effect was enhanced by FSH (20 ng/ml, 27.7-fold) or estradiol (100 ng/ml, 13.4-fold) or by a combination of both hormones (59.2-fold). Measurement of TGFbeta bioactivity showed the presence of significant amounts of TGFbeta in conditioned medium from granulosa cell cultures, and most of the activity was present in the latent form. FSH alone or in combination with estradiol produced a marked suppression of the production of latent and active TGFbeta. Activated conditioned medium from control cultures of granulosa cell elicited a 1.4-fold increase in thymidine incorporation. This effect was markedly amplified by FSH (3-fold) and estradiol (4.3-fold) and by a combination of both (8.7-fold). The peptide containing the cell-binding domain of fibronectin (RGDSPC) partially inhibited thymidine incorporation stimulated by TGFbeta1. Fibronectin did not synergize with FSH, and the interaction between TGFbeta1 and FSH was even observed in the presence of this protein. The conclusions reached were as follows: 1) TGFbeta1 is an autocrine stimulator of rat granulosa cell DNA synthesis, 2) FSH and estradiol produce a suppression of latent and active TGFbeta production but markedly amplify TGFbeta action, presumably at a postreceptor level, and 3) the stimulatory effects of TGFbeta1 may be only partly mediated by the increased fibronectin secretion.     

Anti-inflammatory response after infusion of p55 soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor fusion protein for severe sepsis

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of Lenercept , a recombinant soluble TNF receptor p55 fused to an immunoglobulin heavy chain IgG1, on the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators in sepsis. DESIGN: Post hoc analysis of a subgroup of patients enrolled in a multicenter phase III, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study of Lenercept in severe sepsis. SETTING: Surgical and medical intensive care units, and postoperative recovery room of a tertiary care teaching hospital. PATIENTS: A total of 57 patients were enrolled in the multicenter study in our center. Intervention: Septic patients were randomly assigned to receive either Lenercept 0.125 mg/kg or placebo. The patients were followed for up to 28 days after randomization. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Circulating levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, TNFsR75 and IL-1Ra were measured before and after treatment. The two groups were comparable with regard to age, gender and diagnosis distribution. The total level of TNF-alpha increased significantly in treated patients, compared to patients receiving placebo. The levels of the other inflammatory mediators did not differ between the two groups CONCLUSIONS: Lenercept -treated patients experienced a protracted TNF-alpha half-life, leading to higher total TNF-alpha levels throughout the study. However, the treatment had no effects on anti-inflammatory mediators. Therefore, peripheral inflammatory processes might not have been significantly modified by the treatment. This might account for the lack of efficacy this treatment in septic patients     

Enhancing phytoremediative ability of Pisum sativum by EDTA application

The aim of our research was to demonstrate how the presence of EDTA affects resistance of pea plants to Pb and Pb-EDTA presence, and to show the effectivity of lead ions accumulation and translocation. It was determined that EDTA not only increased the amount of Pb taken up by plants but also Pb ion transport through the xylem and metal translocation from roots to stems and leaves. It can be seen in the presented research results that addition of the chelator with Pb limited metal phytotoxicity. We also demonstrated a significant effect of EDTA not only on Pb accumulation and metal transport to the aboveground parts but also on the profile and amount of thiol compounds: glutathione (GSH), homoglutathione (hGSH) or phytochelatins (PCs), synthesized by the plants. We observed a significant effect of the synthetic chelator on increasing the level of Pb accumulation in roots of plants treated with Pb including EDTA (0.5 and 1 mM). Pisum sativum plants treated only with 1 mM Pb(NO3)2 accumulated over 50 mg Pb x g(-1) dry wt during 4 days of cultivation. Whereas in roots of pea plants exposed to Pb+0.5 mM EDTA 35% more Pb was observed. When 1 mM EDTA was applied roots of pea accumulated over 67% more metal. The presence of EDTA also increased metal uptake and transport to the aboveground parts. In pea plants treated only with 1 mM lead nitrate less than 3 mg Pb x g(-1) dry wt was transported, whereas in P. sativum treated with Pb-EDTA doubled amount of Pb was observed in stems and leaves.     

Glutathione conjugation in male reproductive system: studies on glutathione-S-transferase of bull and boar epididymis

Male reproductive organs are extremely sensitive to the negative influence of toxic environmental factors as well as drugs, and until now not many attempts have been made at studying the detoxication enzymes and the relationship between the activity of those enzymes and spermatozoa fertility. In the present work we studied cytosolic glutathione-S-transferases (GST, EC 2.5.1.18) from different parts (head, corpus and tail) of bull and boar epididymis. We isolated two molecular forms of GST from each part of epididymis, characterized their biochemical properties and examined the mechanism of the catalyzed reaction. On the basis of their substrate specificity and isoelectric point, the isoforms were found to belong to the near neutral GST class mi. All examined GST forms exhibited higher affinity towards GSH than towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and bull epididymis GST forms showed biphasic Lineweaver-Burk double reciprocal curves in the presence of GSH as a variable substrate. Boar epididymis anionic GST had the -SH groups both in the GSH and the CDNB binding place, whereas the cationic GST form--arginine residues in the CDNB binding place. Bull epididymis GST forms contained neither thiol nor arginine residues essential for catalytic activity.     

A mammalian iron ATPase induced by iron

While molecular mechanisms for iron entry and storage within cells have been elucidated, no system to mediate iron efflux has been heretofore identified. We now describe an ATP requiring iron transporter in mammalian cells. (55)Fe is transported into microsomal vesicles in a Mg-ATP-dependent fashion. The transporter is specific for ferrous iron, is temperature- and time-dependent, and detected only with hydrolyzable nucleotides. It differs from all known ATPases and appears to be a P-type ATPase. The Fe-ATPase is localized together with heme oxygenase-1 to microsomal membranes with both proteins greatly enriched in the spleen. Iron treatment markedly induces ATP-dependent iron transport in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells with an initial phase that is resistant to cycloheximide and actinomycin D and a later phase that is inhibited by these agents. Iron release, elicited in intact rats by glycerol-induced rhabdomyolysis, induces ATP-dependent iron transport in the kidney. Mice with genomic deletion of heme oxygenase-1 have selective tissue iron accumulation and display augmented ATP-dependent iron transport in those tissues that accumulate iron.     

Arsenic in Agricultural Soils of a Historically Mined and Industrial Region of Southern Serbia and Northern Kosovo: Bioavailability and Uptake by Plants Species Zea mays L. and Solanum tuberosum L.

This article reports the results of a study focused on the presence and bioavailability of arsenic in agricultural soil in the mining and industrial regions of northern Kosovo and southern Serbia, as well as uptake and bioaccumulation of arsenic in two commonly cultivated plant species (Zea mays L. and Solanum tuberosum L.). This area was one of the most important mining districts in Europe. The collected soil samples were subjected to a modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure in order to investigate the chemical partitioning of arsenic in the soils. The general distribution of arsenic in various fractions was: exchangeable < reducible < oxidizable fractions. Highest concentrations of total arsenic in soil were found close to industrial facilities and tailing ponds. In addition, fluvisols were significantly more enriched with arsenic than soils at a distance from the river flows. The edible parts of the plant specimen showed different As contents, suggesting that these plant species have different propensities for the uptake and bioaccumulation of arsenic from soil.     

Pyrazole compound BPR1P0034 with potent and selective anti-influenza virus activity

Background

Influenza viruses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. More recently, a swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus that is spreading via human-to-human transmission has become a serious public concern. Although vaccination is the primary strategy for preventing infections, influenza antiviral drugs play an important role in a comprehensive approach to controlling illness and transmission. In addition, a search for influenza-inhibiting drugs is particularly important in the face of high rate of emergence of influenza strains resistant to several existing influenza antivirals.

Methods

We searched for novel anti-influenza inhibitors using a cell-based neutralization (inhibition of virus-induced cytopathic effect) assay. After screening 20,800 randomly selected compounds from a library from ChemDiv, Inc., we found that BPR1P0034 has sub-micromolar antiviral activity. The compound was resynthesized in five steps by conventional chemical techniques. Lead optimization and a structure-activity analysis were used to improve potency. Time-of-addition assay was performed to target an event in the virus life cycle.

Results

The 50% effective inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of BPR1P0034 was 0.42 ± 0.11 μM, when measured with a plaque reduction assay. Viral protein and RNA synthesis of A/WSN/33 (H1N1) was inhibited by BPR1P0034 and the virus-induced cytopathic effects were thus significantly reduced. BPR1P0034 exhibited broad inhibition spectrum for influenza viruses but showed no antiviral effect for enteroviruses and echovirus 9. In a time-of-addition assay, in which the compound was added at different stages along the viral replication cycle (such as at adsorption or after adsorption), its antiviral activity was more efficient in cells treated with the test compound between 0 and 2 h, right after viral infection, implying that an early step of viral replication might be the target of the compound. These results suggest that BPR1P0034 targets the virus during viral uncoating or viral RNA importation into the nucleus.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, BPR1P0034 is the first pyrazole-based anti-influenza compound ever identified and characterized from high throughput screening to show potent (sub-μM) antiviral activity. We conclude that BPR1P0034 has potential antiviral activity, which offers an opportunity for the development of a new anti-influenza virus agent.     

2′, 3′-<Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)–ATP-mediated calcium signaling in rat glioma C6 cells: role of the P2Y<Subscript>2</Subscript> nucleotide receptor

In this study, we examined the response of glioma C6 cells to 2′,3′-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)-ATP (BzATP) and showed that the BzATP-induced calcium signaling does not involve the P2X₇ receptor activity. We show here that in the absence of extracellular Ca²⁺, BzATP-generated increase in [Ca²⁺]_i via Ca²⁺ release from intracellular stores. In the presence of calcium ions, BzATP established a biphasic Ca²⁺ response, in a manner typical for P2Y receptors. Brilliant Blue G, a selective antagonist of the rat P2X₇ receptor, did not reduce any of the two components of the Ca²⁺ response elicited by BzATP. Periodate-oxidized ATP blocked not only BzATP- but also UTP-induced Ca²⁺ elevation. Moreover, BzATP did not open large transmembrane pores. What is more, a cross-desensitization between UTP and BzATP occurred, which clearly shows that in glioma C6 cells BzATP activates most likely the P2Y₂ but not the P2X₇ receptors.     

Small conformationally restricted piperidine N-arylsulfonamides as orally active gamma-secretase inhibitors

The design and development of a new class of small 2,6-disubstituted piperidine N-arylsulfonamide gamma-secretase inhibitors is reported. Lowering molecular weight including the use of conformational constraint led to compounds with less CYP 3A4 liability compared to early leads. Compounds active orally in lowering Abeta levels in Tg CRND8 mice were identified as potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease.