Effect of polyamines on glutathione reductase activity in spinach

The effects of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) on glutathione reductase (glutathione: NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.8.1.7; GR) activity of spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea L. cv. Gladiator) were investigated under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Spinach was grown in sand culture under controlled conditions for 30 d. In in vivo assays 30-day-old plants were sprayed with polyamines once, and leaves were harvested 1, 5, 10 and 15 d after treatment. The three polyamines decreased the GR activity to different degrees, depending on time after application, type of compound and their concentration. In order to study whether or not polyamines can exert a direct effect on GR, the enzyme was partially purified from spinach leaves and incubated with polyamines in the reaction medium. Under these in vitro conditions, GR was inhibited by polyamines in a polyamine type- and concentration-dependent manner. Interestingly, spermine exerted the most intense inhibitory effect in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. It is proposed that the early decrease of glutathione reductase activity in leaves treated with polyamines can be due to a direct interaction of these compounds with the enzyme.     

Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in molluscs in the municipality of S?o Gon?alo,a metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro,Brazil: role of the invasive species Achatina fulica in parasite transmission dynamics

The aim of this study was to analyse the infection dynamics ofAngiostrongylus cantonensis in its possible intermediate hosts over two years in an urban area in the state of Rio de Janeiro where the presence ofA. cantonensis had been previously recorded in molluscs. Four of the seven mollusc species found in the study were exotic.Bradybaena similaris was the most abundant, followed byAchatina fulica, Streptaxis sp., Subulina octona, Bulimulus tenuissimus, Sarasinula linguaeformis and Leptinaria unilamellata. Only A. fulica and B. similaris were parasitised by A. cantonensis and both presented co-infection with other helminths. The prevalence of A. cantonensisin A. fulica was more than 50% throughout the study. There was an inverse correlation between the population size ofA. fulica and the prevalence of A. cantonensis and abundance of the latter was negatively related to rainfall. The overall prevalence of A. cantonensis in B. similariswas 24.6%. A. fulica was the most important intermediary host of A. cantonensis in the studied area andB. similaris was secondary in importance for A. cantonensis transmission dynamics.     

Purification and some kinetic properties of catalase from parsley (Petroselinum hortense Hoffm., Apiaceae) leaves

In this study, catalase (CAT: EC 1.11.1.6) was purified from parsley (Petroselinum hortense) leaves; analysis of the kinetic behavior and some properties of the enzyme were investigated. The purification consisted of three steps, including preparation of homogenate, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and fractionation by DEAE-Sephadex A50 ion exchange chromatography. The enzyme was obtained with a yield of 9.5% and had a specific activity of 1126 U (mg proteins)(-1). The overall purification was about 5.83-fold. A temperature of 4 degrees C was maintained during the purification process. Enzyme activity was spectrophotometrically measured at 240 nm. In order to control the purification of the enzyme, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was carried out in 4% and 10% acryl amide for stacking and running gel, respectively. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a single band for the enzyme. The molecular weight was found to be 183.29 kDa by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration chromatography. The stable pH, optimum pH, and ionic strength were determined for phosphate and Tris-HCl buffer systems. In addition, K(M) and V(max) values for H(2)O(2), at optimum pH and 25 degrees C, were determined by means of Lineweaver-Burk plots.     

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of 3-biaryl-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-2-carboxylic acid methyl esters

Stille cross coupling protocols were utilized for the synthesis of 3-(biaryl)-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-ene-2-carboxylic acid methyl esters, which furnished products in high yields where in some cases Suzuki coupling under the conditions utilized provided complex reaction mixture. Samarium iodide reduction of the resulting coupling products produced both of the 2β-carbomethoxy-3-biaryl-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane diastereomers and the 2α-carbomethoxy-3-biaryl-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane diastereomers. Among the series synthesized, the benzothiophene substituted compounds demonstrated significant binding profiles of inhibition of WIN 35,438 with 177-fold selectivity for DAT versus SERT.     

Heme biosynthesis and its regulation: towards understanding and improvement of heme biosynthesis in filamentous fungi

Heme biosynthesis in fungal host strains has acquired considerable interest in relation to the production of secreted heme-containing peroxidases. Class II peroxidase enzymes have been suggested as eco-friendly replacements of polluting chemical processes in industry. These peroxidases are naturally produced in small amounts by basidiomycetes. Filamentous fungi like Aspergillus sp. are considered as suitable hosts for protein production due to their high capacity of protein secretion. For the purpose of peroxidase production, heme is considered a putative limiting factor. However, heme addition is not appropriate in large-scale production processes due to its high hydrophobicity and cost price. The preferred situation in order to overcome the limiting effect of heme would be to increase intracellular heme levels. This requires a thorough insight into the biosynthetic pathway and its regulation. In this review, the heme biosynthetic pathway is discussed with regards to synthesis, regulation, and transport. Although the heme biosynthetic pathway is a highly conserved and tightly regulated pathway, the mode of regulation does not appear to be conserved among eukaryotes. However, common factors like feedback inhibition and regulation by heme, iron, and oxygen appear to be involved in regulation of the heme biosynthesis pathway in most organisms. Therefore, they are the initial targets to be investigated in Aspergillus niger.     

Seropositivity is associated with insulin resistance in patients with early inflammatory polyarthritis: results from the Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR): an observational study

Introduction  

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), especially in seropositive disease. In established rheumatoid arthritis (RA), insulin resistance (IR) is increased and associated with CVD. We investigated factors associated with IR in an inception cohort of patients with early IP.     

Insulin resistance in the liver: Deficiency or excess of insulin?

In insulin-resistant states (obesity, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes), hepatic production of glucose and lipid synthesis are heightened in concert, implying that insulin deficiency and insulin excess coexists in this setting. The fact that insulin may be inadequate or excessive at any one point in differing organs and tissues has many biologic ramifications. In this context the concept of metabolic compartmentalization in the liver is offered herein as one perspective of this paradox. In particular, we focus on the hypothesis that insulin resistance accentuates differences in periportal and perivenous hepatocytes, namely periportal glucose production and perivenous lipid synthesis. Subsequently, excessive production of glucose and accumulation of lipids could be expected in the livers of patients with obesity and insulin resistance. Overall, in this review, we provide our integrative perspective regarding how excessive production of glucose in periportal hepatocytes and accumulation of lipids in perivenous hepatocytes interact in insulin resistant states.