Effects of adlay hull extracts on uterine contraction and Ca2+ mobilization in the rat

Dysmenorrhea is directly related to elevated PGF(2alpha) levels. It is treated with nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in Western medicine. Since NSAIDs produce many side effects, Chinese medicinal therapy is considered as a feasible alternative medicine. Adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf.) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for treating dysmenorrhea. However, the relationship between smooth muscle contraction and adlay extracts remains veiled. Therefore, we investigated this relationship in the rat uterus by measuring uterine contraction activity and recording the intrauterine pressure. We studied the in vivo and in vitro effects of the methanolic extracts of adlay hull (AHM) on uterine smooth muscle contraction. The extracts were fractionated using four different solvents: water, 1-butanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane; the four respective fractions were AHM-Wa, AHM-Bu, AHM-EA, and AHM-Hex. AHM-EA and its subfractions (175 microg/ml) inhibited uterine contractions induced by PGF(2alpha), the Ca(2+) channel activator Bay K 8644, and high K(+) in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. AHM-EA also inhibited PGF(2alpha)-induced uterine contractions in vivo; furthermore, 375 microg/ml of AHM-EA inhibited the Ca(2+)-dependent uterine contractions. Thus 375 microg/ml of AHM-EA consistently suppressed the increases in intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations induced by PGF(2alpha) and high K(+). We also demonstrated that naringenin and quercetin are the major pure chemical components of AHM-EA that inhibit PGF(2alpha)-induced uterine contractions. Thus AHM-EA probably inhibited uterine contraction by blocking external Ca(2+) influx, leading to a decrease in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. Thus adlay hull may be considered as a feasible alternative therapeutic agent for dysmenorrhea.     

Retinoic acid-induced alveolar cellular growth does not improve function after right pneumonectomy.

To determine whether all-trans retinoic acid (RA) treatment enhances lung function during compensatory lung growth in fully mature animals, adult male dogs (n = 4) received 2 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) po RA 4 days/wk beginning the day after right pneumonectomy (R-PNX, 55-58% resection). Litter-matched male R-PNX controls (n = 4) received placebo. After 3 mo, transpulmonary pressure (TPP)-lung volume relationship, diffusing capacities for carbon monoxide and nitric oxide, cardiac output, and septal volume (V(tiss-RB)) were measured under anesthesia by a rebreathing technique at two lung volumes. Lung air and tissue volumes (V(air-CT) and V(tiss-CT)) were also measured from high-resolution computerized tomographic (CT) scans at a constant TPP. In RA-treated dogs compared with controls, TPP-lung volume relationships were similar. Diffusing capacities for carbon monoxide and nitric oxide were significantly impaired at a lower lung volume but similar at a high lung volume. Whereas V(tiss-RB) was significantly lower at both lung volumes in RA-treated animals, V(air-CT) and V(tiss-CT) were not different between groups; results suggest uneven distribution of ventilation consistent with distortion of alveolar geometry and/or altered small airway function induced by RA. We conclude that RA does not improve resting pulmonary function during the early months after R-PNX despite histological evidence of its action in enhancing alveolar cellular growth in the remaining lung.     

Identification of several new classes of low-molecular-weight wheat gliadin-related proteins and genes

During the initial phases of a wheat endosperm Expressed-Sequence-Tag (EST) project, several clones were determined to be related to wheat gliadin sequences, but not similar enough to be classified into any of the traditional gliadin families [α-, γ-, and ω-gliadins, low-molecular-weight (LMW) glutenins]. Complete sequences of these cDNA clones revealed four new classes of gliadin-related endosperm proteins, but lacking a prominent repeat domain which until now has been characteristic of the gliadins. Two of these classes are related to different minimally described groups of Triticeae endosperm proteins. One class of proteins, which has N-terminal amino-acid sequences matching members of a reported 25-kDa globulin family from wheat, is shown by amino-acid sequencing to match to a family of 25-kDa endosperm proteins, is encoded by a multigene family, and is most similar to the LMW-glutenins. A second new class shows N-terminal homologies to LMW secalins from rye, and has an amino-acid composition similar to wheat and barley LMW proteins with extraction properties similar to prolamins. The third class is most similar to α-gliadins, and the fourth class has no close association to previously described wheat endosperm proteins. Received: 20 October 2000 / Accepted: 20 November 2000     

Determination of the distribution of fatty acids and diethylstilbestrol between serum albumin and alpha-fetoprotein by concanavalin A affinity chromatography

The distribution of fatty acids and diethylstilbestrol between serum albumin and alpha-fetoprotein was measured in vitro by a new method based on the separation of the two proteins by virtue of the binding specificity of concanavalin A for the carbohydrate moiety of alpha-fetoprotein. Human and bovine proteins were investigated. It was found that palmitate and oleate were distributed almost equally between albumin and alpha-fetoprotein, while docosahexaenoate and diethylstilbestrol bound preferentially to alpha-fetoprotein even at an albumin: alpha-fetoprotein ratio of 10:1. The results confirm the binding specificity of alpha-fetoprotein for polyunsaturated fatty acids and also show that alpha-fetoprotein binds diethylstilbestrol much more strongly than albumin does. This suggests that alpha-fetoprotein may play a role in the fetal uptake of diethylstilbestrol.