Synthesis of 3′-Deoxy-3′ and 5′-Deoxy-5′-[4-(Purin-9-yl/Pyrimidin-1-yl) methyl-1,2,3-Triazol-1-yl]thymidine via 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition

Abstract

Synthesis of new 3′-deoxy-3′ and 5′-deoxy-5′-[(4-(purin-9-yl/pyrimidin-1-yl)methyl-1,2,3-Triazol-1-yl]thymidine 8a-g 10a-g from 3′-azido-3′-deoxy-5′-O-monomethoxytrityl-thymidine and 5′-azido-5′deoxythymidine respectively are described. The key step is the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between the azido group and N-9/N-1-propargylpurine/pyrimidine derivatives.     

Simultaneous solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorbance detection for the determination of remifentanil and its metabolite in dog plasma

To establish pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships, a selective and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the quantitation of remifentanil and its metabolite in dog plasma. The assay involves a solid-phase extraction and a reversed-phase chromatographic separation with ultraviolet detection (lambda=210 nm). The calibration curves are linear in the range of 7.89-1500 ng ml(-1). Intra-day assay variability is less than 7% for all standards evaluated. Good recovery, linearity, accuracy, and precision were achieved with the assay that proved readily applicable to pharmacokinetic studies in dogs.     

Long Term Ablation of Protein Kinase A (PKA)-mediated Cardiac Troponin I Phosphorylation Leads to Excitation-Contraction Uncoupling and Diastolic Dysfunction in a Knock-in Mouse Model of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

The cardiac troponin I (cTnI) R21C (cTnI-R21C) mutation has been linked to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and renders cTnI incapable of phosphorylation by PKA in vivo. Echocardiographic imaging of homozygous knock-in mice expressing the cTnI-R21C mutation shows that they develop hypertrophy after 12 months of age and have abnormal diastolic function that is characterized by longer filling times and impaired relaxation. Electrocardiographic analyses show that older R21C mice have elevated heart rates and reduced cardiovagal tone. Cardiac myocytes isolated from older R21C mice demonstrate that in the presence of isoproterenol, significant delays in Ca²⁺ decay and sarcomere relaxation occur that are not present at 6 months of age. Although isoproterenol and stepwise increases in stimulation frequency accelerate Ca²⁺-transient and sarcomere shortening kinetics in R21C myocytes from older mice, they are unable to attain the corresponding WT values. When R21C myocytes from older mice are treated with isoproterenol, evidence of excitation-contraction uncoupling is indicated by an elevation in diastolic calcium that is frequency-dissociated and not coupled to shorter diastolic sarcomere lengths. Myocytes from older mice have smaller Ca²⁺ transient amplitudes (2.3-fold) that are associated with reductions (2.9-fold) in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ content. This abnormal Ca²⁺ handling within the cell may be attributed to a reduction (2.4-fold) in calsequestrin expression in conjunction with an up-regulation (1.5-fold) of Na⁺-Ca²⁺ exchanger. Incubation of permeabilized cardiac fibers from R21C mice with PKA confirmed that the mutation prevents facilitation of mechanical relaxation. Altogether, these results indicate that the inability to enhance myofilament relaxation through cTnI phosphorylation predisposes the heart to abnormal diastolic function, reduced accessibility of cardiac reserves, dysautonomia, and hypertrophy.     

Expression, activity, and subcellular localization of testicular hormone-sensitive lipase during postnatal development in the guinea pig

The present work reports on testicular hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), the biological significance of which has been documented in male fertility. The HSL protein levels and enzymatic activity were measured, respectively, by densitometry of immunoreactive bands in Western blots, performed with antibodies against recombinant rat HSL, and by spectrophotometry in seminiferous tubules (STf) and interstitial tissue (ITf) enriched fractions generated from neonatal, pubertal, and adult guinea pig testes. In addition, HSL was studied in subcellular fractions obtained from STf isolated from adult testes and in epididymal spermatozoa (Spz). A 104-kDa HSL protein was detected in STf and ITf, the expression and activity of which increased with testicular development. Three immunoreactive bands of 104, 110, and 120 kDa were detected in the lysosomal subfraction, and two bands of 104 and 120 kDa were detected in Spz. The HSL activity was positively correlated with free (FC) and esterified (EC) cholesterol ratios in STf and ITf, but not with triglyceride (TG) levels, during testicular development. Immunolabeling localized HSL to elongated spermatids and Sertoli cells, where its distribution was stage-dependent, and within the cells lining the excurrent ducts of the testis. The findings of the 104- and 120-kDa HSL immunoreactive bands and of HSL activity in Spz as well, as the detection of the 104-, 110-, and 120-kDa immunoreactive bands in lysosomes, suggest that part of HSL may originate from germ cells and be imported in Sertoli cells. The HSL protein levels and enzymatic activity in ITf and STf were positively correlated with serum testosterone levels during development. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to contribute insights regarding the impact of HSL on FC:EC cholesterol ratios and TG levels in the interstitial tissue and tubules in relation to serum testosterone levels during postnatal development, and regarding the immunolocalization of the enzyme in regions of the male gamete consistent with spermatozoa-oocyte interaction.     

Histone dosage regulates DNA damage sensitivity in a checkpoint-independent manner by the homologous recombination pathway

In eukaryotes, multiple genes encode histone proteins that package genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and regulate its accessibility. Because of their positive charge, ‘free’ (non-chromatin associated) histones can bind non-specifically to the negatively charged DNA and affect its metabolism, including DNA repair. We have investigated the effect of altering histone dosage on DNA repair in budding yeast. An increase in histone gene dosage resulted in enhanced DNA damage sensitivity, whereas deletion of a H3–H4 gene pair resulted in reduced levels of free H3 and H4 concomitant with resistance to DNA damaging agents, even in mutants defective in the DNA damage checkpoint. Studies involving the repair of a HO endonuclease-mediated DNA double-strand break (DSB) at the MAT locus show enhanced repair efficiency by the homologous recombination (HR) pathway on a reduction in histone dosage. Cells with reduced histone dosage experience greater histone loss around a DSB, whereas the recruitment of HR factors is concomitantly enhanced. Further, free histones compete with the HR machinery for binding to DNA and associate with certain HR factors, potentially interfering with HR-mediated repair. Our findings may have important implications for DNA repair, genomic stability, carcinogenesis and aging in human cells that have dozens of histone genes.     

Cyclosporine A dosing-time-dependent effects on plasma creatinine and body weight in male Wistar rats treated for 3 weeks.

Cyclosporine A (CsA) nephrotoxicity was assessed in 120 male Wistar rats (350 +/- 50 g) entrained to a 12-h cycle (light-dark 12:12); plasma creatinine level and body weight were examined in controls and in rats that had been treated daily with oral CsA or vehicle alone (olive oil-ethanol 90:10) for 21 days; daily dosing (40 mg/kg) was at one of six equally spaced given times during the 24-h cycle. The variations observed in both indexes were shown to be circadian dosing stage dependent. Nephrotoxicity was present as early as the third day of treatment with CsA; plasma creatinine level was enhanced by about 50% in rats dosed around the time of the change from darkness to light: at 22 HALO, 146.7 +/- 4.5 mumol/L, against 92.0 +/- 2.8 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.05); and at 2 HALO, 148.3 +/- 10.0 mumol/L, against 95.0 +/- 4.3 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.05). Thereafter, a remission episode was observed between days D5-D9. The more drastic effects were seen on days D16 and D21, in animals dosed in the beginning of the dark span (14 HALO): 185 +/- 10 mumol/L for CsA and 98.0 +/- 5.3 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.01) and, to a lesser extent, in rats treated at the early resting phase (2 HALO): 152.4 +/- 31 mumol/L for CsA and 95.0 +/- 4 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.05). The normal increase in body weight during the 21-day period (about 14 +/- 8% in controls) was impeded in CsA-administered rats, especially those dosed at the beginning of the activity span (14 HALO) that even suffered weight reduction. Differences in percentages of survivors were noticed, depending on dosing stage. About 40% of the animals in every time CsA-treatment group died, except for those dosed at the end of the resting period (10 HALO), when all animals died. In surviving rats, the cessation of CsA dosing resulted in a reversible effect on the study variables.     

Effect of neonatal dexamethasone exposure on growth and neurological development in the adult rat

Until recently, the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone was commonly used to lessen the morbidity of chronic lung disease in premature infants. This practice diminished as dexamethasone use was linked to an increased incidence of cerebral palsy and short-term neurodevelopmental delay. Of more concern is the fact that we know little regarding dexamethasone effects on long-term neurodevelopment. To study the effects of neonatal dexamethasone exposure on long-term neurodevelopment, we have developed a rat model where newborn pups are exposed to tapering doses of dexamethasone at time points corresponding to the neurodevelopmental age when human infants are traditionally exposed to this drug in the neonatal intensive care unit. Using a within-litter design, pups were assigned to one of three groups on postnatal day 2 (P2): handled controls, saline-injected controls, and animals receiving intramuscular dexamethasone between P3 and P6. Somatic growth was decreased in dexamethasone-treated animals. Dexamethasone-treated animals demonstrated slight delays in indexes of neurodevelopment and physical maturation at P7 and P14, but not P20. In adolescence (P45), there was no difference between groups in an open field test. However, as adult dexamethasone-treated animals were less active in the open field and spent more time in closed arms of the elevated plus maze. The serum corticosterone response to crowding stress in dexamethasone-treated animals was no different from controls, but they demonstrate a delay in return of corticosterone levels to baseline. These differences in behavior and hormonal stress responsiveness suggest that neonatal dexamethasone exposure may permanently alter function of the neuroendocrine stress axis.