Benzodiazepines and their metabolites: relationship between binding affinity to the benzodiazepine receptor and pharmacological activity

Experiments were carried out to study the relationship between binding affinity to the benzodiazepine receptor and pharmacological activity, especially anti-anxiety activity, of clinically useful benzodiazepines. In the in vitro experiments, fludiazepam showed the highest affinity to the benzodiazepine receptor with 4 times more potency than that of diazepam, which paralleled the in vivo activity. Diazepam and nimetazepam also bound with high affinities as expected from their in vivo activities. On the contrary, medazepam and cloxazolam showed extremely low affinities and oxazolam showed no affinity, although they showed moderate in vivo activity. However, their metabolites were found to have both high affinity and in vivo activities. These results strongly suggest that in the case of medazepam, cloxazolam and oxazolam, their metabolites may bind to receptor sites in the brain and then elicit pharmacological action. This conclusion was supported by the fact that a good correlation between the binding affinity and the anti-anxiety activity of the tested compounds was observed.     

Molecular cloning of the cls gene responsible for cardiolipin synthesis in Escherichia coli and phenotypic consequences of its amplification.

The cls gene responsible for cardiolipin synthesis in Escherichia coli K-12 was cloned in a 5-kilobase-pair DNA fragment inserted in a mini-F vector, pML31, and then subcloned into a 2.0-kilobase-pair fragment inserted in pBR322. The initial selection of the gene was accomplished in a cls pss-1 double mutant that had lesions in both cardiolipin and phosphatidylserine synthases and required either the cls or the pss gene product for normal growth at 42 degrees C in a broth medium, NBY, supplemented with 200 mM sucrose. The cloned gene was identified as the cls gene by the recovery and amplification of both cardiolipin and cardiolipin synthase in a cls mutant as well as by the integration of a pBR322 derivative into its genetic locus at 27 min on the chromosome of a polA1 mutant. The maxicell analysis indicated that a protein of molecular weight 46,000 is the gene product. The cls gene is thus most likely the structural gene coding for cardiolipin synthase. Hybrid plasmids of high copy numbers containing the cls gene were growth inhibitory to pss-I mutants under the above selective conditions, whereas they inhibited neither the growth of pss-I mutants at 30 degrees C nor that of pss+ strains at any temperature. Amplification of cardiolipin synthase activity was observed, but was not proportional to the probable gene dosage (the enzyme activity was at most 10 times that in wild-type cells), and cardiolipin synthesis in vivo was at the maximum 1.5 times that in wild-type strains, implying the presence in E. coli cells of a mechanism that avoids cardiolipin overproduction, which is possibly disadvantageous to proper membrane functions.     

Dielectric analysis of mitochondria isolated from rat liver II. Intact mitochondria as simulated by a double-shell model

The dielectric dispersion of isolated intact mitochondria in suspension has been measured between 10 kHz and 500 MHz. In isotonic KCI media at 4°C, the mitochondria maintained their characteristic ‘double membrane’ structure as examined by electron microscopy, and the observed dispersion curves were successfully simulated in terms of a superposition of two sub-dispersions having different characteristic frequencies and different permittivity magnitudes. Taking these observations into account we analyzed the dispersion data on the basis of a ‘double-shell’ model in which two concentric shells are meant to represent the mitochondrial outer and inner membranes. The analyses by a computerized curve-fitting method revealed that: (i) electric capacities for the outer and the inner membrane are 1.7 and 0.5 μF/cm², respectively, (ii) relative permittivity for the inner compartment (or the equivalent homogeneous matrical space) = 50–60, (iii) outer compartment-to-external conductivity ratio = 0.4–0.6, and (iv) inner compartment-to-external conductivity ratio = 0.14. The implications of these parameter values are discussed with due attention paid to the limitations inherent in our ‘double-shell’ model approach.     

Glycolate formation catalyzed by spinach leaf transketolase utilizing the superoxide radical

A homogeneous preparation of transketolase was obtained from spinach leaf; the specific enzyme activity was 9.5 mumolo of glyceraldehyde-3-P formed (mg of protein)-1 min-1, when xylulose-5-P and ribose-5-P were used as the donor and acceptor, respectively, of the ketol residue. Transketolase catalyzed the formation of glycolate from fructose-6-P coupled with the O2- -generating system of xanthine-xanthine oxidase. The addition of superoxide dismutase (145 units) or 1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonic acid (Tiron) (5 mM), both O2- scavengers, to the reaction system inhibited glycolate formation 72 and 58%, respectively. The reacton was not inhibited by catalase. Mannitol, an .OH scavenger, and beta-carotene and 1,4-diazobicyclo[2.2.2]octane, 1O2 scavengers, showed little or no inhibitory effects. The rate of glycolate formation catalyzed by the transketolase system was measured in a coupled reaction with a continuous supply of KO2 dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide, used as an O2- -generating system. The optimum pH of the reaction was above pH 8.5. The second-order rate constant for the reaction between transketolase and O2-, determined by the competition for O2- between nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and transketolase, was 1.0 X 10(6) M-1 s-1. Transketolase showed an inhibitory effect on the O2- -dependent reduction of NBT only if the reaction mixture was previously incubated with ketol donors such as fructose-6-P, xylulose-5-P, or glycolaldehyde. The results suggest the possibility that transketolase catalyzes O2- -dependent glycolate formation under increased steady-state levels of O2- in the chloroplast stroma.     

Effect of239Pu on mouse hemopoietic stem cells in different types of bone marrow cavities

Summary Repopulative activity of hemopoietic stem cells of mice given i.v. 5 kBq²³⁹Pu/mouse (166.5 kBq/kg) was followed. The activity retained was measured in the whole mouse, the skeleton and the liver. Simultaneously average cumulative skeletal dose was calculated. Quantitative parameters of the stem cell compartment and the marrow cellularity were studied in variously arranged bones (femur, pelvis, lumbar vertebra) using the exocolonizing test and cytological techniques. The effects of radiation were most marked in lumbar vertebra, less serious changes were found in pelvis and only a moderate response was present in femur. The bone marrow hemopoiesis is damaged in various bone sites to different degrees and the percentage of cells at risk appears higher in trabecular than in cortical bone.     

Possible testosterone redundancy for 5α-dihydrotestosterone in the masculinization of mouse external genitalia

The development of embryonic external genitalia (eExG) into characteristic male structures, such as urethra and penile erectile tissues, depends on 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Although the corpus cavernosum (CC) is well known as essential for erectile function in adults, its developmental process and its dependency on DHT have been unknown. To reveal the dimorphic formation of the murine CC from the embryonic stage, we first analyzed the production of the protein vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (FLK1) via its expression (hereinafter referred as “expression of FLK1”) and the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2) and collagen type 1 (COL1A1) in developing external genitalia. The 5-α reductase type 2 encoded by the SRD5A2 gene has been suggested to be a crucial enzyme for male sexual differentiation, as it converts testosterone (T) into DHT in the local urogenital organs. In fact, SRD5A2 mutation results in decreased synthesis of DHT, which leads to various degrees of masculinized human external genitalia (ExG). We further investigated the expression profile of SRD5A2 during the formation of the murine CC. We observed that SRD5A2 was expressed in smooth muscle of the CC. To determine the role of SRD5A2 in CC formation, we analyzed the formation of erectile tissue in the male Srd5a2 KO mice and measured the levels of androgens in the ExG by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Intriguingly, there were no obvious defects in the CCs of male Srd5a2 KO mice, possibly due to increased T levels. The current study suggests possible redundant functions of androgens in CC development.     

A comparative study of the kinetic changes of hemopoietic stem cells in mice infected with lethal and non-lethal malaria.

The kinetic changes of hemopoietic stem cells in bone marrow and spleen were compared between lethal Plasmodium berghei- and non-lethal P. yoelii 17x-infected mice. P. yoelii 17x-infected mice showed more severe splenomegaly than those infected with P. berghei. P. yoelii 17x-infected mice also showed a greater degree of sustained increase in number of multipotent hemopoietic stem cells (colony-forming units in spleen: CFU-S) and committed stem cells for granulocytes and macrophages (CFU-GM) and for erythrocytes (CFU-E) than P. berghei-infected mice. Such an increase was predominantly seen in the spleen of P. yoelii 17x-infected mice. In P. berghei-infected mice, the number of CFU-S, CFU-GM and also CFU-E only transiently increased and then decreased to a subnormal level at the late stage of infection. The proportion of cycling CFU-S was higher in P. berghei-infected mice than in P. yoelii 17x-infected mice. The IL-3 producing activity per spleen was much higher in P. yoelii 17x-infected than in P. berghei-infected mice at any point in time during the infection. Thus, hemopoietic changes seen after malaria infection seem to be closely related to the pathogenicity of the malaria parasite.