Optimization of the first dimension for separation by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of basic proteins from human brain tissue

A major cause of poor resolution in the alkaline pH range of two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gels is unsatisfactory separation of basic proteins in the first dimension. We have compared methods for the separation of basic proteins in the isoelectric focusing dimension of human brain proteins. The combined use of anodic cup-loading and the hydroxyethyldisulphide containing solution (DeStreak) produced better resolution in both analytical and micropreparative protein loaded 2-DE gels than the other methods investigated.     

EST-based analysis of gene expression in the porcine brain

Since pig is an important livestock species worldwide, its gene expression has been investigated intensively, but rarely in brain. In order to study gene expression profiles in the pig central nervous system, we sequenced and analyzed 43,122 highquality 5’ end expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from porcine cerebellum, cortex cerebrum, and brain stem cDNA libraries, involving several different prenatal and postnatal developmental stages. The initial ESTs were assembled into 16,101 clusters and compared to protein and nucleic acid databases in GenBank. Of these sequences, 30.6% clusters matched protein databases and represented function known sequences; 75.1% had significant hits to nucleic acid databases and partial represented known function; 73.3% matched known porcine ESTs; and 21.5% had no matches to any known sequences in GenBank. We used the categories defined by the Gene Ontology to survey gene expression in the porcine brain.     

CCl4致小鼠肝损伤中几种免疫介质含量变化的研究

本文通过研究CCl4致小鼠肝损伤组织匀浆和血浆一些免疫介质含量的变化以探讨这些免疫介质在CCl4诱发肝损伤过程中作用机制.分别选用30只健康成年小鼠,雌雄各半,随机分成对照组和CCl4负荷组,每组15只.通过腹腔注射CCl4诱发肝损伤后,分别在第2、4、6周检测肝组织匀浆cAMP、cGMP和MDA及血浆IL-2、TNF-α水平的变化.结果显示,在整个实验期内,CCl4组肝组织匀浆cAMP水平均低于或明显低于对照组;cGMP在实验第2周后,高于或显著高于对照组;cAMP/cGMP比值呈现下降趋势,并低于或明显低于对照组;MDA含量明显高于对照组.在整个实验期内,CCl4组血浆IL-2水平下降或显著下降;TNF-α水平则均高于或显著高于对照组.结果提示,CCl4负荷诱发免疫介质cAMP、cGMP、TNF-α和IL-2发生剧烈变化,在介导肝损伤过程中可能起重要作用.     

Phospholipid-stabilized nanoparticles of cyclosporine a by rapid expansion from supercritical to aqueous solution

The purpose of this research was to form stable suspensions of submicron particles of cyclosporine A, a water-insoluble drug, by rapid expansion from supercritical to aqueous solution (RESAS). A solution of cyclosporine A in CO₂ was expanded into an aqueous solution containing phospholipid vesicles mixed with nonionic surfactants to provide stabilization against particle growth resulting from collisions in the expanding jet. The products were evaluated by measuring drug loading with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), particle sizing by dynamic light scattering (DLS), and particle morphology by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction. The ability of the surfactant molecules to orient at the surface of the particles and provide steric stabilization could be manipulated by changing process variables including temperature and suspension concentration. Suspensions with high payloads (up to 54 mg/mL) could be achieved with a mean diameter of 500 nm and particle size distribution ranging from 40 to 920 nm. This size range is several hundred nanometers smaller than that produced by RESAS for particles stabilized by Tween 80 alone. The high drug payloads (≈10 times greater than the equilibrium solubility), the small particle sizes, and the long-term stability make this process attractive for development.     

人尾加压素Ⅱ对大鼠脑微循环的影响

目的:探讨尾加压素Ⅱ(UII)对于大鼠软脑膜微循环的影响.方法:健康成年SD大鼠随机分为对照组、生理盐水(NS)、UII(10-7mol/L)、去甲肾上腺素(NA,10-6mol/L)、UII(10-7mol/L) NA(10-6mol/L)等五组,采用活体微循环观测技术观察大鼠软脑膜微血管内径、血流速度等微循环参数,采用激光多普勒血流量仪测定软脑膜血流量的变化.结果:正常对照组软脑膜细动脉和细静脉血管内径分别为(35.4±3.6)μm和(40.6±8.5)μm,UII组于滴加UII(10-7mol/L)后即刻细动脉和细静脉出现收缩,1 min时细动脉和细静脉收缩达到高峰,血管内径分别为(25.6±3.4)μm和(23.4±3.3)μm (与正常对照组比较,P均<0.05);细动、静脉内血流速度无明显变化(与正常对照组比较P均>0.05);软脑膜血流量于滴加UII(10-7mol/L)后1 min开始升高,5 min达到高峰(3.5±0.4 )PU 值,正常对照组(2.3±0.6)PU值(P<0.05).结论:UII可以使大鼠软脑膜微血管收缩,血流量增加.     

牛磺酸对失血性休克再灌注肺损伤的防护作用及其机制探讨

目的:探讨失血性休克再灌注肺损伤与一氧化氮的关系及牛磺酸对其的影响.方法:健康家兔24只随机分为三组:对照组、单纯休克组、牛磺酸治疗组.采用失血性休克再灌注后肺损伤模型.测定肺组织及血浆中一氧化氮合酶(NOS)活性、一氧化氮代谢产物(NO2-/NO3-)含量、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性、丙二醛(MDA)含量、肺湿重/肺干重、肺水含量、肺通透指数(LPI)、肺泡灌洗液(PALF)中蛋白含量等指标的变化,并常规留取肺标本进行病理形态观察.结果:①再灌注3 h时肺组织及血浆中SOD活性显著下降,而上述其它指标均显著升高,与对照组相比差异有显著性(均P<0.01).②血浆、肺组织中NO2-/NO3-含量与MDA含量均呈正相关,且肺组织中NO2-/NO3-含量和肺损伤指标呈显著正相关.③牛磺酸(40 mg*kg-1,iv)可减轻上述指标的变化.结论:NO在休克再灌注肺损伤中起重要作用,牛磺酸可减少NO的生成、增强自由基的清除从而使肺组织损伤减轻.     

Increased luminal pH in the epididymis of infertile c-ros knockout mice and the expression of sodium-hydrogen exchangers and vacuolar proton pump H+-ATPase

Transgenic mice targeted for the c-ros gene, which are fertile when heterozygous (HET), but infertile when homozygous (knockout, KO) and associated with failure in pubertal differentiation of the epididymal initial segment, provide a model for studying the role of the epididymal luminal environment in sperm development. Luminal fluid from the cauda epididymidis was measured by both ion-selective microelectrodes and pH strips to be 0.3 pH units higher in the KO than HET. Of the genes responsible for luminal acidification, expression of mRNA of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase was found in all epididymal regions, but with no difference between KO and HET. Immunohistochemistry showed its presence in epithelial apical cells and clear cells. The Na(+)-hydrogen exchanger NHE2 was expressed at mRNA and protein levels in the caput but only marginally detectable if at all in the distal epididymis. This was compensated for by NHE3 which was expressed strongest in the cauda region, in agreement with immunohistochemical staining. Quantification of Western blot data revealed slight, but significant, decreases of NHE2 in the caput and of NHE3 in the cauda in the KO mice. The increase in luminal fluid pH in the KO mice could also be contributed to by other epithelial regulating factors including the Na(+)-dependent glutamate transporter EAAC1 formerly reported to be down regulated in the KO.     

Ciliary neurotrophic factor upregulates ubiquitin-proteasome components in a rat model of neuronal injury

Neuronal injury triggers the release of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), promoting local neuronal repair but producing systemic effects of anorexia and lean body weight loss. Due to the rapid rate of systemic protein loss stimulated by CNTF, we hypothesized involvement of the hepatic ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic (UPP) pathway in CNTF-induced proteolysis. To assess the role of central CNTF in systemic UPP regulation, we measured hepatic UPP mRNA and proteasome activity in a rat model of neuronal injury and determined alterations induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of CNTF-neutralizing antibody or additional exogenous CNTF. We also assessed proteolytic parameters and nutritional status by measuring caloric intake, body weight, and protein levels. We produced neuronal injury by implanting a lateral ventricle cannula and giving daily ICV saline bolus injections, which increased hepatic 20S proteasome mRNA and enzymatic activity while reducing caloric intake, body weight, and protein levels compared to controls. Administration of ICV anti-CNTF antibodies (but not control antibodies) prevented these effects. Addition of exogenous CNTF augmented the weight loss along with the increases in 20S proteasome mRNA and proteolytic activity induced by neuronal injury. We conclude that CNTF decreases lean body weight through a combination of appetite inhibition and UPP pathway activation.     

Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity in In Vivo and In Vitro Models of Cerebral Ischemia

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is considered the rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, and an increase in putrescine after central nervous system (CNS) injury appears to be involved in neuronal death. Cerebral ischemia and reperfusion trigger an active series of metabolic events, which eventually lead to neuronal death. In the present study, ODC activity was evaluated following transient focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in rat. The middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded for 2 h in male rats with an intraluminal suture technique. Animals were sacrificed between 3 and 48 h of reperfusion following MCA occlusion, and ODC activity was assayed in cortex and striatum. ODC activity was also estimated in an in vitro ischemia model using primary rat cortical neuron cultures, at 6–24 h reoxygenation following 1 h oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). In cortex, following ischemia, ODC activity was increased at 3 h (P < .05), reached peak levels by 6–9 h (P < .001) and returned to sham levels by 48 h reperfusion. In striatum the ODC activity followed a similar time course, but returned to basal levels by 24 h. This suggests that ODC activity is upregulated in rat CNS following transient focal ischemia and its time course of activation is region specific. In vitro, ODC activity showed a significant rise only at 24 h reoxygenation following ischemic insult. The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), an indicator for cell damage, was also significantly elevated after OGD. 0.25 mM -difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) inhibited ischemia-induced ODC activity, whereas a 10-mM dose of DFMO appears to provide some neuroprotection by suppressing both ODC activity and LDH release in neuronal cultures, suggesting the involvement of polyamines in the development of neuronal cell death.     

Role of manganese accumulation in increased brain glutamine of the cirrhotic rat

Cirrhosis promotes increases of both manganese and glutamine in brain. Manganese is a modulator and glutamine is the product of glutamine synthetase. This work studies the relationship between manganese and glutamine synthetase in a model of cirrhosis in the rat. We administered manganese (1 g/L) in the drinking water of sham-operated and bile-duct obstructed rats. We evaluated the manganese and glutamine accumulation and the glutamine synthetase activity in frontal cortex, striatum, and pallidum after 2, 4, and 6 weeks of biliary obstruction or sham surgery. Cirrhotic rats receiving manganese increased their brain content of metal about 400%–600% after 4 weeks of treatment (P < .05) and also remarkably accumulated glutamine through time in the three regions studied (P < .05 at week 6). Interestingly, bile-duct obstructed rats treated with manganese showed no effect on glutamine synthetase activity. Results from this study suggest that manganese induces increases of brain glutamine independently of its synthesis.