Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) analogues, the inhibitors for polyamine biosynthetic pathway

Metabolic and antiproliferative effects of methylglyoxal bis(butylamidinohydrazone) (MGBB) and methylglyoxal bis(cyclopentylamidinohydrazone) (MGBCP), inhibitors for polyamine biosynthetic pathway, on Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Aeromonas sobria, Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio cholerae were investigated. MGBB at the concentration of 100 mumol/l depleted intracellular putrescine and spermidine concentrations of E. coli to 25 and 20% of the controls, respectively, while MGBCP depressed their concentrations to 38 and 24%, respectively. In these polyamine-depleted E. coli cells the syntheses of RNA, DNA and protein decreased to 13, 54 and 29% of the control, respectively, with MGBB and to 23, 71 and 55%, respectively, with MGBCP. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of MGBB for the growth of A. sobria, E. coli, A. hydrophila, V. cholerae and Sh. sonnei were estimated to be 50, 160, 240, 285 and 320 mumol/l, respectively, whereas those of MGBCP were slightly higher for respective bacteria.     

METABOLIC CHANGES IN THE BRAINS OF MICE FROZEN IN LIQUID NITROGEN

Abstract— Autolytic changes in the mouse brain, occurring during immersion of the animal in liquid nitrogen, were evaluated by measuring the tissue concentrations of glucose, lactate, pyruvate, α-oxoglutarate, phosphocreatine, creatine, ATP, ADP and AMP. The values thus obtained were compared with those obtained in paralysed mice under nitrous oxide anaesthesia, the brains of which were frozen in such a way that arterial blood pressure and oxygénation were upheld during the freezing. Immersion of unanaesthetized mice in liquid nitrogen gave rise to significant alterations in phosphocreatine, creatine, lactate, lactate/pyruvate ratio, ADP and AMP. A comparison with values obtained in paralysed and anaesthetized mice that were frozen by immersion in liquid nitrogen showed that the metabolic changes observed in the unanaesthetized animals could not be caused by an anaesthetic effect on the metabolic pattern. It is concluded that autolysis in the mouse brain occurs during immersion of the animal in a coolant, mainly because arterial hypoxia develops before the tissue is frozen. A comparison with previous results on rat cerebral cortex indicates that mice offer no advantage for studies of cerebral metabolites in unanaesthetized animals. In both species, accurate analyses of labile cerebral metabolites require that the brain is frozen in a way that prevents arterial hypoxia during the fixation of the tissue.     

The significance of mycotoxins in the framework of assessing workplace related risks

Mycotoxins are fungal metabolite which may in some cases exhibit a high health hazard potential. Mycotoxins can show carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic, teratogenic or immunotoxic effects. Mycotoxin exposure in the workplace may occur through inhalation and skin contact,e.g. during occupational handling of organic matter such as livestock feed, food products, or waste. Various studies suggest that both acute and chronic effects can occur, depending at least on the exposure level. The magnitude of the potential health risks associated with a respiratory or dermal intake of mycotoxins has largely remained unclear to date. However, according to the directive 2000/54/EC on biological agents and the corresponding German Biological Agents Ordinance, employers are also required to consider the potential hazards posed by toxic effects of biological agents when assessing workplace risks. The aim of this article, therefore, is to present some basis information that should facilitate an evaluation of the significance of mycotoxins in the context of assessing workplace risks. It also provides suggestions for occupational health and safety measures.