Circadian variation of serum leptin in healthy and diabetic men

Leptin, from the Greek leptos, meaning thin (in reference to its ability to reduce body fat stores), is a hormone secreted primarily by adipocytes. At one time, leptin was portrayed as a potential means of combating obesity. Recently, leptin has been identified as a potent inhibitor of bone formation, acting through the central nervous system. Since numerous studies clearly show that bone remodeling is circadian rhythmic with peak activity during sleep, it is of interest to explore circadian variability in serum leptin. Accordingly, circadian characteristics of serum leptin were examined in 7 clinically healthy men and 4 obese men with type II diabetes. Blood samples were collected for 24 h at 3 h intervals beginning at 19:00. The dark (sleep) phase of the light-dark cycle extended from 22:30 to 06:30, with brief awakening for sampling at 01:00 and 04:00. Subjects consumed general hospital meals (2400 calories) at 16:30, 07:30, and 13:30. Serum leptin levels were determined by a R&D Systems enzyme immunoassay technique. Data were analyzed by linear least-squares estimation using the population multiple components method. A statistically significant (P < .018) circadian rhythm modeled by a single 24 h cosine curve characterized the data of each group. The 24 h mean leptin level was statistically greater (P < .001) in the obese diabetic men than in the healthy men (9.47 +/- 0.66 ng/mL vs. 24.07 +/- 1.71 ng/mL, respectively). Higher leptin levels occurred between midnight and roughly 02:30, and lowest leptin levels occurred between noon and the early afternoon. The phasing of this rhythm is similar to the circadian rhythm in bone remodeling previously described. Our results suggest the findings from a single morning blood sampling for leptin may be misleading since it may underestimate the mean 24 h and peak concentrations of the hormone.     

Role of MGMT in protecting against cyclophosphamide-induced toxicity in cells and animals

O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is a DNA repair protein that protects cells from the biological consequences of alkylating agents by removing alkyl groups from the O(6)-position of guanine. Cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide are oxazaphosphorines used clinically to treat a wide variety of cancers; however, the role of MGMT in recognizing DNA damage induced by these agents is unclear. In vitro evidence suggests that MGMT may protect against the urotoxic oxazaphosphorine metabolite, acrolein. Here, we demonstrate that Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with MGMT are protected against cytotoxicity following treatment with chloroacetaldehyde (CAA), a neuro- and nephrotoxic metabolite of cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. The mechanism by which MGMT recognizes damage induced by acrolein and CAA is unknown. CHO cells expressing a mutant form of MGMT (MGMT(R128A)), known to have >1000-fold less repair activity towards alkylated DNA while maintaining full active site transferase activity towards low molecular weight substrates, exhibited equivalent CAA- and acrolein-induced cytotoxicity to that of CHO cells transfected with plasmid control. These results imply that direct reaction of acrolein or CAA with the active site cysteine residue of MGMT, i.e. scavenging, is unlikely a mechanism to explain MGMT protection from CAA and acrolein-induced toxicity. In vivo, no difference was detected between Mgmt-/- and Mgmt+/+ mice in the lethal effects of cyclophosphamide. While MGMT may be important at the cellular level, mice deficient in MGMT are not significantly more susceptible to cyclophosphamide, acrolein or CAA. Thus, our data does not support targeting MGMT to improve oxazaphosphorine therapy.     

Mode of action of antiprotozoan agents. Electron transfer and oxy radicals

Cyclic voltammetry data were obtained for most of the main classes of antiprotozoan agents, specifically, nitroheterocycles, quinones, metal complexes and derivatives, iminium-type ions, and azo compounds. The reductions were generally reversible in the range of -0.3 to -0.9 V. Catalytic production of oxidative pressure from redox cycling involving oxygen is believed to be an important mode of action by the medicinal agents. Literature data contribute support.     

Inhibition of mutation and combating the evolution of antibiotic resistance

The emergence of drug-resistant bacteria poses a serious threat to human health. In the case of several antibiotics, including those of the quinolone and rifamycin classes, bacteria rapidly acquire resistance through mutation of chromosomal genes during therapy. In this work, we show that preventing induction of the SOS response by interfering with the activity of the protease LexA renders pathogenic Escherichia coli unable to evolve resistance in vivo to ciprofloxacin or rifampicin, important quinolone and rifamycin antibiotics. We show in vitro that LexA cleavage is induced during RecBC-mediated repair of ciprofloxacin-mediated DNA damage and that this results in the derepression of the SOS-regulated polymerases Pol II, Pol IV and Pol V, which collaborate to induce resistance-conferring mutations. Our findings indicate that the inhibition of mutation could serve as a novel therapeutic strategy to combat the evolution of antibiotic resistance.     

Genome‐wide association study identifies loci associated with liability to alcohol and drug dependence that is associated with variability in reward‐related ventral striatum activity in African‐ and European‐Americans

Genetic influences on alcohol and drug dependence partially overlap, however, specific loci underlying this overlap remain unclear. We conducted a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) of a phenotype representing alcohol or illicit drug dependence (ANYDEP) among 7291 European‐Americans (EA; 2927 cases) and 3132 African‐Americans (AA: 1315 cases) participating in the family‐based Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. ANYDEP was heritable (h ² in EA = 0.60, AA = 0.37). The AA GWAS identified three regions with genome‐wide significant (GWS; P < 5E‐08) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosomes 3 (rs34066662, rs58801820) and 13 (rs75168521, rs78886294), and an insertion‐deletion on chromosome 5 (chr5:141988181). No polymorphisms reached GWS in the EA. One GWS region (chromosome 1: rs1890881) emerged from a trans‐ancestral meta‐analysis (EA + AA) of ANYDEP, and was attributable to alcohol dependence in both samples. Four genes (AA: CRKL, DZIP3, SBK3; EA: P2RX6) and four sets of genes were significantly enriched within biological pathways for hemostasis and signal transduction. GWS signals did not replicate in two independent samples but there was weak evidence for association between rs1890881 and alcohol intake in the UK Biobank. Among 118 AA and 481 EA individuals from the Duke Neurogenetics Study, rs75168521 and rs1890881 genotypes were associated with variability in reward‐related ventral striatum activation. This study identified novel loci for substance dependence and provides preliminary evidence that these variants are also associated with individual differences in neural reward reactivity. Gene discovery efforts in non‐European samples with distinct patterns of substance use may lead to the identification of novel ancestry‐specific genetic markers of risk.