The Administration of Semax and HLDF-6 Peptides to Rats Regulates Protein Synthesis Rhythm in Hepatocytes and Corrects Senescent Disturbances

Russian Journal of Developmental Biology - To clarify the organizing effect of Semax and HLDF-6 peptides on the kinetics of protein synthesis in hepatocytes, in addition to an in vitro study...     

Investigation of the Hydrolytic Stability of the HLDF-6-AA Antitumor Peptide by the Method of Accelerated Aging

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - The HLDF-6 hexapeptide corresponded to the 41–46 (TGENHR) fragment of the Human Leukemia Differentiation Factor (HLDF) and exhibited a wide spectrum...     

Correction of impairments in functions of anticoagulation and insular systems of an organism by the regulatory peptide Leu-Pro-Gly-Pro

It has been established that fivefold intranasal administration of the peptide Leu-Pro-Gly-Pro (1 mg/kg) to rats with developing refractory hyperglycemia leads to restoration and normalization of the functions of anticoagulation and insular systems. In the blood of experimental animals, there was a decrease in the sugar level and platelet aggregation and an increase in anticoagulant and all kinds of fibrinolytic (total, enzymatic, non-enzymatic, Hageman-dependent) activity.     

Cell ultrastructure and fatty acid composition of lipids in vegetative organs of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chenopodium album</Emphasis> L. under salt stress conditions

White goosefoot plants (Chenopodium album L. of the family Chenopodiaceae) grown at various NaCl concentrations (3–350 mM) in the nutrient solution were used to study the cell ultrastructure as well as the qualitative and quantitative composition of fatty acids in the lipids of vegetative organs. In addition, the biomass of Ch. album vegetative organs, the water content, and the concentrations of K⁺, Na⁺, and Cl^– were determined. The growth rates of plants raised at NaCl concentrations up to 200–250 mM were the same as for the control plants grown at 3 mM NaCl; the growth parameters remained rather high even at NaCl concentrations of 300–350 mM. The water content in Ch. album organs remained high at all NaCl concentrations tested. Analysis of the ionic status of Ch. album revealed a comparatively high K⁺ content in plant organs. At low NaCl concentrations in the nutrient solution, K⁺ ions were the dominant contributors to the osmolarity (the total concentration of osmotically active substances) and, consequently, to the lowered cell water potential in leaves and roots. As the concentration of NaCl was increased, the plant organs accumulated larger amounts of Na⁺ and Cl^–, and the contribution of these ion species to osmolarity became increasingly noticeable. At 300–350 mM NaCl the contribution of Na⁺ and Cl^– to osmolarity was comparable to that of K⁺. An electron microscopy study of Ch. album cells revealed that, apart from the usual response to salinity manifested in typical ultrastructural changes of chloroplasts, mitochondria, and the cytosol, the salinity response comprised the enhanced formation of endocytic structures and exosomes and stimulation of autophagy. It is supposed that activation of these processes is related to the removal from the cytoplasm of toxic substances and the cell structures impaired by salt stress conditions. The qualitative and quantitative composition of fatty acids in the lipids of Ch. album organs was hardly affected by NaCl level. These findings are consistent with the high salt tolerance of Ch. album, manifested specifically in retention of growth functions under wide-range variations of NaCl concentration in the nutrient solution and in maintenance of K⁺, Na⁺, and Cl^– content in organs at a constant level characteristic of untreated plants.     

Pharmacokinetics of HLDF-6-AA Peptide in the Organism of Experimental Animals

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - Pharmacokinetics of the promising antitumor peptide HLDF-6-AA (Ac-ThrGlyGluAsnHisArg-NH2) was studied using its uniformly tritiated derivative. Experiments...     

Morphometric Characterization of Halophytic Plant Chloroplasts

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - The data concerning morphometric characterization of chloroplasts belonging to two groups of halophytes distinguished by their salt...     

Semax and Selank Inhibit the Enkephalin-Degrading Enzymes of Human Serum

Dose-dependent effect of synthetic heptapeptides Semax (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro) and Selank (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) on the enkephalin-degrading enzymes of human serum was demonstrated. The inhibitory effects of Semax (IC₅₀10 M) and Selank (IC₅₀20 M) are more pronounced than that of puromycin (IC₅₀10 mM), bacitracin, and some other inhibitors of peptidases. Beside the heptapeptides, their pentapeptide fragments also possessed an inhibitory effect; tri-, tetra- and hexapeptide fragments did not display such an effect. As the above enzymes take part in degradation of not only enkephalins but also other regulatory peptides, it can be assumed that one of the mechanisms of biological activity of Semax and Selank is related to this inhibitory activity of theirs.     

The synthesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-substituted 3-oximes of 6α -methyl-16α,17α-cyclohexanopregn-4-ene-3,20-diones tritium-labeled in the 1,2-position

1,2-Tritium-labeled 3-(O-carboxypropyl)- and 3-(O-carbomethoxypropyl)-oximes of 6α-methyl-16α,17α-cyclohexanopregn-4-ene-3,20-diones were obtained by the homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of 1,2-dehydroprecursors with gaseous tritium and the subsequent separation of the resulting mixtures by HPLC. The specific radioactivities of 50–55 Ci/mmol were prepared using tris-(triphenylphosphine)-rhodium chloride.