Characterization of the major diazo-positive pigments in bile of homozygous Gunn rats

Bilinoid pigments in bile of homozygous Gunn rats (jj) were analysed either after formation of dipyrrolic ethyl anthranilate azo derivatives or as the unmodified parent tetrapyrroles. 1. T.l.c. of the azo derivatives revealed seven major unconjugated components which were structurally characterized by chemical tests, spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry. In addition, two minor components were identified as azodipyrrole (A+B)-glucoside and azodipyrrole (A+B)-β-d-glucuronide. 2. Extraction and t.l.c. of the tetrapyrrolic pigments showed 13 major yellow diazo-positive bands. Four of them, accounting for 59% of total diazo-positive material, were identified as unconjugated bilirubin-IXα, -IXβ, -IXγ and -IXδ. A fifth band (16%) was characterized as a mixture of two isomeric monohydroxyl derivatives and another band (8%) as a dihydroxyl derivative of bilirubin-IXα. 3. Although unconjugated bilirubin-IXα constitutes one-third of total diazo-positive material in bile of our strain of Gunn rats, the daily amount excreted represented only about 3–4% of daily bilirubin production. 4. Phototherapy caused a 2.2-fold increase in the biliary output of diazo-positive bilinoids, but did not affect markedly their composition. However, an additional diazo-negative pigment, accounting for one-third of total yellow colour, was observed but was not identified. Mass-spectral data on two dipyrrolic azopigments have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50076 (3 pages) with the British Library Lending Division, Boston Spa, Wetherby, W. Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies may be obtained on the terms given in Biochem. J. (1977) 161, 1.     

Both Ca2+ -dependent and -independent pathways are involved in rat hepatic stellate cell contraction and intrahepatic hyperresponsiveness to methoxamine

In chronic liver injury, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) have been implicated as regulators of sinusoidal vascular tone. We studied the relative role of Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent contraction pathways in rat HSCs and correlated these findings to in situ perfused cirrhotic rat livers. Contraction of primary rat HSCs was studied by a stress-relaxed collagen lattice model. Dose-response curves to the Ca(2+) ionophore A-23187 and to the calmodulin/myosin light chain kinase inhibitor W-7 served to study Ca(2+)-dependent pathways. Y-27632, staurosporin, and calyculin (inhibitors of Rho kinase, protein kinase C, and myosin light chain phosphatase, respectively) were used to investigate Ca(2+)-independent pathways. The actomyosin interaction, the common end target, was inhibited by 2,3-butanedione monoxime. Additionally, the effects of W-7, Y-27632, and staurosporin on intrahepatic vascular resistance were evaluated by in situ perfusion of normal and thioacetamide-treated cirrhotic rat livers stimulated with methoxamine (n = 25 each). In vitro, HSC contraction was shown to be actomyosin based with a regulating role for both Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent pathways. Although the former seem important, an important auxiliary role for the latter was illustrated through their involvement in the phenomenon of "Ca(2+) sensitization." In vivo, preincubation of cirrhotic livers with Y-27632 (10(-4) M) and staurosporin (25 nM), more than with W-7 (10(-4) M), significantly reduced the hyperresponsiveness to methoxamine (10(-4) M) by -66.8 +/- 1.3%, -52.4 +/- 2.7%, and -28.7 +/- 2.8%, respectively, whereas in normal livers this was significantly less: -43.1 +/- 4.2%, -40.2 +/- 4.2%, and -3.8 +/- 6.3%, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that HSC contraction is based on both Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent pathways, which were shown to be upregulated in the perfused cirrhotic liver, with a predominance of Ca(2+)-independent pathways.     

Mass-spectrometric structure elucidation of dog bile azopigments as the acyl glycosides of glucopyranose and xylopyranose

1. The structures of the alpha(2)- and alpha(3)-azopigments, prepared by diazotization of dog bile with ethyl anthranilate, were shown by mass spectrometry and g.l.c. to correspond to azobilirubin beta-d-xylopyranoside and azobilirubin beta-d-glucopyranoside respectively. 2. Both azopigments consist of a mixture of two methyl vinyl isomers having structures (IIIa) and (IIIb) for the alpha(2)-azopigment and structures (IVa) and (IVb) for the alpha(3)-azopigment. Separation of methyl vinyl isomers was obtained by t.l.c. or column chromatography performed on the acetylated azopigments. Hydrolysis of the less polar acetates derived from components (IIIa) and (IVa) gave rise to the azopigment (Ia), whereas hydrolysis of the more polar acetates derived from components (IIIb) and (IVb) gave rise to the azopigment acid (Ib). The positions of methyl and vinyl substituents in compounds (Ia) and (Ib) were assigned on the basis of their n.m.r. spectra. 3. Molecular ions in the mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl and acetyl derivatives of the azopigments indicated the presence of a pentose and a hexose conjugating sugar. 4. The ester functions linking the sugars to the propionic acid side chain of azobilirubin were demonstrated by ammonolysis and identification of the amide of azobilirubin as the aglycone derivative. 5. The sugar moieties were shown to occur as xylopyranose (alpha(2)) and glucopyranose (alpha(3)), bound at C-1, by application of a sequence of reactions performed on a micro-scale. The sugar hydroxyl groups were acetylated and the 1-acyl aglycone removed selectively by treatment with hydrogen bromide in acetic acid. Hydrolysis of the 1-bromo sugar acetates followed by acetylation afforded the alpha- and beta-xylopyranose tetra-acetates and alpha- and beta-glucopyranose penta-acetates, identified by a combination of g.l.c. and mass spectrometry. 6. The validity of this degradation scheme was confirmed (a) by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry identification of the alpha- and beta-1-propionyl derivatives of glucopyranose tetra-acetate, obtained from the alpha(3)-azopigment after final reaction with propionic anhydride; (b) by subjecting the acetates of alphabeta-glucopyranose, alphabeta-xylofuranose and alphabeta-glucofuranose to the same sequence of reactions.     

Excretion in dog bile of glucose and xylose conjugates of bilirubin

1. T.l.c. with neutral solvent systems of ethyl anthranilate azopigments derived from bile of man, dog and rat revealed pronounced species variation. The less polar components (α-group) could be separated conveniently by development with chloroform–methanol (17:3, v/v). 2. The azopigment material derived from gallbladder bile of dog contained about 10% of azobilirubin β-d-monoxyloside (azopigment α₂) and 30% of azobilirubin β-d-monoglucoside (azopigment α₃). The sugar moieties were identified by t.l.c. with acidic, neutral and basic solvent systems and by anion-exchange column chromatography of their boric acid complexes. Treatment of the purified azopigments with ammonia vapour led to the formation of the amide of azobilirubin, indicating that both pigments are ester glycosides. The β-d configuration was demonstrated by enzymic studies with emulsin (an adequate source of β-glucosidase activity) and with Mylase-P (an adequate source of β-glucosidase and β-xylosidase activities). 3. Hydrolysis studies with model substrates and with the α₂- and α₃-azopigments suggested that in Mylase-P the β-glucosidase and β-xylosidase activities reside in separate enzymes. 4. Compared with the accepted conjugation with glucuronic acid as a major route of detoxication in mammals, the detection of large amounts of xylose and glucose conjugates of bilirubin in dog bile suggests that the underlying biosynthetic pathways may be important alternative routes of detoxication.     

Stimulation by secretin of bilirubin UDP-glycosyltransferase activities and of cytochrome P-450 concentration in rat liver.

The activity of bilirubin UDP-glucuronyltransferase in liver tissue was increased 1.5-fold after 90 min of secretion administration (4 i.u./h per kg body wt.) in anaesthetized Wistar rats biopsied half-hourly over a period of 2 h. In unanaesthetized R/A Wistar rats, activities of liver enzymes were assayed after administration secretin for 1 h. Bilirubin UDP-glycosyltransferase activities and cytochrome P-450 concentration were increased, but p-nitrophenol UDP-glucuronyltransferase and UDP-glucose dehydrogenase activities remained unchanged.     

Retrograde tracing and toe spreading after experimental autologous nerve transplantation and crush injury of the sciatic nerve: a descriptive methodological study

ABSTRACT: Evaluation of functional and structural recovery after peripheral nerve injury is crucial to determine the therapeutic effect of a nerve repair strategy. In the present study, we examined the relationship between the structural evaluation of regeneration by means of retrograde tracing and the functional evaluation analysis of toe spreading. Two standardized rat sciatic nerve injury models were used to address this relationship. As such, animals received either a 2 cm sciatic nerve defect (neurotmesis) followed by autologous nerve transplantation (ANT animals) or a crush injury with spontaneous recovery (axonotmesis; CI animals). Functional recovery of toe spreading was observed over an observation period of 84 days. In contrast to CI animals, ANT animals did not reach pre-surgical levels of toe spreading. After the observation period, the lipophilic dye DiI was applied to label sensory and motor neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG; sensory neurons) and spinal cord (motor neurons), respectively. No statistical difference in motor or sensory neuron counts could be detected between ANT and CI animals. In the present study we could indicate that there was no direct relationship between functional recovery (toe spreading) measured by SSI and the number of labelled (motor and sensory) neurons evaluated by retrograde tracing. The present findings demonstrate that a multimodal approach with a variety of independent evaluation tools is essential to understand and estimate the therapeutic benefit of a nerve repair strategy.