The relative contributions of vitamin E, urate, ascorbate and proteins to the total peroxyl radical-trapping antioxidant activity of human blood plasma

The Total (Peroxyl) Radical-trapping Antioxidant Parameter (TRAP) of six freshly prepared human plasma samples and 45 frozen plasma samples has been determined. It is shown that contributions from urate (35-65%), plasma proteins (10-50%), ascorbate (0-24%) and vitamin E (5-10%) to TRAP account for all of the peroxyl radical-trapping antioxidant activity in the majority of the samples. The changes in concentrations of the plasma antioxidants during peroxyl radical attack show that the first line of defense is provided by the plasma sulfhydryl groups, even urate being spared during the initial stages of the reaction. The modes of action of all of these plasma antioxidants and possible interactions between them are discussed, with particular emphasis on the abilities of the water-soluble antioxidants to regenerate or spare the only lipid-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E.     

Vitamin E remains the major lipid-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidant in human plasma even in individuals suffering severe vitamin E deficiency

The chain-breaking (peroxyl radical-trapping) antioxidant activity of plasma obtained from several patients with a very severe vitamin E deficiency has been measured. The total chain-breaking antioxidant activity in lipid extracts has been shown to be approximately equal to the concentration of vitamin E. For whole plasma there is no significant difference in the concentrations of water-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidants between the E-deficient patients and healthy adults. It is concluded that even in cases of very severe vitamin E deficiency the requirement for this vitamin is not met by some other exogenous or endogenous antioxidant.     

Is vitamin E the only lipid-soluble,chain-breaking antioxidant in human blood plasma and erythrocyte membranes?

The concentration of lipid-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidants in human plasma and in erythrocyte ghosts have been determined for the first time by an inhibited-autoxidation method. The results are very similar to the concentrations of vitamin E measured for the same blood components by the HPLC method. It is concluded that vitamin E, which is largely present as alpha-tocopherol, is the only significant lipid-soluble, chain-breaking type of antioxidant present in human blood. The concentration of vitamin E in the plasma lipids divided by the concentration of vitamin E in the ghost membrane lipids is approximately a constant despite the large differences in vitamin E-intake and in plasma lipid concentrations in different individuals. Vitamin E/lipid ratios for plasma and ghosts were larger for subjects taking a supplement of alpha-tocopherol acetate of 100 IU per week, compared to nonsupplemented subjects (based on data from a limited number of subjects). A larger supplement of 2800 IU per week did not significantly increase the vitamin E/lipid ratios.     

Anorexic effects of ethanolamine-O-sulfate and muscimol in the rat: Evidence that GABA inhibits ingestive behavior

Intracisternal injections of ethanolamine-O-sulfate (EOS), an irreversible selective inhibitor of GABA-transaminase (GABA-T), resulted in relatively long lasting dose dependent decreases in food consumption and body weight of rats. The anorexic effects of EOS generally corresponded in both time course and magnitude to the elevation of GABA levels and associated decreases in GABA-T activity. Chronic treatment with very high intraperitoneal doses of EOS which were able to cross the blood-brain barrier elevated GABA levels and resulted in weight loss. Muscimol, a GABA receptor agonist also produced anorexia. These findings are consistent with the view that GABA may be involved in mediation of satiety in the rat.     

Hydrolysis of stereoisomeric alpha-tocopheryl acetates catalyzed by bovine cholesterol esterase

The kinetics of the bovine cholesterol esterase-catalyzed hydrolysis of three stereoisomers of alpha-tocopheryl acetate (alpha T-Ac) have been examined in vitro at 37 degrees C in the presence of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and sodium cholate. In contrast to in vivo results obtained earlier in rats (Ingold, K.U., Burton, G.W., Foster, D.O., Hughes, L., Lindsay, D.A. and Webb, A. (1987) Lipids 22, 163-172), 2R,4'R,8'R-alpha T-Ac (RRR-alpha T-Ac) is hydrolyzed (to form 'natural' vitamin E) more slowly (by a factor of approx. 7) than SRR- (and SSS-)alpha T-Ac. It is concluded that chirality at position 2 plays the dominant role in determining Vmax. The Km values show that RRR-alpha T-Ac is 2.1- and 2.7-times more strongly bound to the enzyme than are the SRR- and SSS-alpha T-Ac, respectively. The reaction is subject to competitive inhibition by the product with RRR-alpha T being 2.3-times as powerful an inhibitor as SRR-alpha T.     

Formation of virus-like clusters is an intrinsic property of the tumor necrosis factor family member BAFF (B cell activating factor)

The oligomeric state of BAFF (B cell activing factor), a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family cytokine that plays a critical role in B cell development and survival, has been the subject of recent debate. Myc-tagged BAFF starting at residue Gln136 was previously reported to crystallize as trimers at pH 4.5, whereas a histidine-tagged construct of BAFF, starting at residue Ala134, formed a virus-like cluster containing 60 monomers when crystallized at pH 9.0. The formation of the BAFF 60-mer was pH dependent, requiring pH >or= 7.0. More recently, 60-mer formation was suggested to be artificially induced by the histidine tag, and it was proposed that BAFF, like all other TNF family members, is trimeric. We report here that a construct of BAFF with no amino-terminal tag (Ala134-BAFF) can form a 60-mer in solution. Using size exclusion chromatography and static light scattering to monitor trimer to 60-mer ratios in BAFF preparations, we find that 60-mer formation is pH-dependent and requires histidine 218 within the DE loop of BAFF. Biacore measurements established that the affinity of Ala134-BAFF for the BAFF receptor BAFFR/BR3 is similar to that of myc-Gln136-BAFF, which is exclusively trimeric in solution. However, Ala134-BAFF is more efficacious than myc-Gln136-BAFF in inducing B cell proliferation in vitro. We additionally show that BAFF that is processed and secreted by 293T cells transfected with full-length BAFF, or by a histiocytic lymphoma cell line (U937) that expresses BAFF endogenously, forms a pH-dependent 60-mer in solution. Our results indicate that the formation of the 60-mer in solution by the BAFF extracellular domain is an intrinsic property of the protein, and therefore that this more active form of BAFF may be physiologically relevant.     

Interaction of synapsin I with membranes

The synapsins (I, II, and III) comprise a family of peripheral membrane proteins that are involved in both regulation of neurotransmitter release and synaptogenesis. Synapsins are concentrated at presynaptic nerve terminals and are associated with the cytoplasmic surface of synaptic vesicles. Membrane-binding of synapsins involves interaction with both protein and lipid components of synaptic vesicles. Synapsin I binds rapidly and with high affinity to liposomes containing anionic lipids. The binding of bovine synapsin I to liposomes was studied using fluoresceinphosphatidyl-ethanolamine (FPE) to measure membrane electrostatic potential. Synapsin binding to liposomes caused a rapid increase in FPE fluorescence, indicating an increase in positive charge at the membrane surface. Synapsin I binding to monolayers resulted in a substantial increase in monolayer surface pressure. At higher initial surface pressures, the synapsin-induced increase in monolayer surface pressure is dependent on the presence of anionic lipids in the monolayer. Synapsin I also induced rapid aggregation of liposomes, but did not induce leakage of entrapped carboxyfluorescein, while other aggregation-inducing agents promoted extensive leakage. These results are in agreement with the presence of amphipathic stretches of amino acids in synapsin I that exhibit both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions with membranes, and offer a molecular explanation for the high affinity binding of synapsin I to liposomes and for stabilization of membranes by synapsin I.     

迷走传入的投射区在电刺激颈迷走神经中枢端引起的降压反应中的作用

文献报道迷走传入直接或间接投射至多个脑区。本工作分别检验这些脑区在迷走传入引起的降压、降心率反应中的作用。在乌拉坦麻醉、双侧切断颈迷走神经的大鼠,将普鲁卡因微量注入孤束核或β-内啡肽抗血清注入延髓头端腹外侧区(RVL)均可明显减小电刺激预迷走神经中枢端引起的降压(DpV)和降心率反应,但分别将心得安、β-内啡肽抗血清注入室旁核或普鲁卡因注入最后区对DpV和心率减慢反应均无明显影响。保留右侧颈迷走神经的大鼠,在甲基阿托品(i.v.)阻断心迷走神经作用后DpV亦无明显变化,但心率减慢反应被衰减。鉴于我们以往的实验显示孤束核可通过其β-内啡肽能投射纤维作用于RVL而起降压作用,以上结果提示:迷走传入通过孤束核的β-内啡肽能神经元对RVL-交感兴奋神经元起抑制作用是引起降压反应的机制之一。     

贵州啮齿类恙螨初步调查

自1955年以来,我们曾先后在贵州省各地的鼠和松鼠体上采集了一些恙螨。现将部分标本整理,计有10种,其中1种为未曾描述的新种,1 种为我国的新纪录。兹报道如下。 1.地理纤恙螨 Leptotrombidium deliense(Walch,1922) 宿主 (1)黑线姬鼠 Apodemus agrarius ningpoensis     

Strand cleavage of supercoiled DNA by water-soluble peroxyl radicals. The overlooked importance of peroxyl radical charge

It is well established that the peroxyl radicals formed during the thermal decomposition of 2,2'-azobis(amidinopropane), ABAP, in oxygenated water can cleave double-stranded DNA, from which fact it has been concluded that peroxyl radicals, as a general class, can induce DNA strand scission. However, the ABAP-derived radicals are positively charged, and DNA is a negatively charged polyanion. Moreover, the relatively small and, therefore, free to diffuse peroxyl radicals likely to be formed in vivo will generally be negatively charged or neutral. Plasmid supercoiled DNA [pBR 322, 4361 base pairs (bp)] was reacted with known, equal fluxes of two positively charged peroxyl radicals, a negatively charged peroxyl radical, and a neutral peroxyl radical. The two positively charged peroxyl radicals degraded >/=80% of the supercoiled pBR 322 at a flux of 4 radicals/bp, but the negatively charged and neutral peroxyl radicals had no significant effect even at a flux as high as 24 radicals/bp. The same lack of effect on the DNA was also observed with high fluxes of superoxide/hydroperoxyl radicals. Similar results were obtained with another supercoiled DNA, pUC 19, except that pUC 19 is somewhat more sensitive to strand scission by positively charged peroxyl radicals than pBR 322. We conclude that most of the peroxyl radicals likely to be formed in vivo have little or no ability to induce DNA strand scission and that the potential role of electrostatics in radical/DNA reactions should always be considered.