Cyproheptadine metabolites inhibit proinsulin and insulin biosynthesis and insulin release in isolated rat pancreatic islets

The contribution of drug metabolites to cyproheptadine (CPH)-induced alterations in endocrine pancreatic -cells was investigated by examining the inhibitory activity of CPH and its biotransformation products, desmethylcyproheptadine (DMCPH), CPH-epoxide and DMCPH-epoxide, on hormone biosynthesis and secretion in pancreatic islets isolated from 50-day-old rats. Measurement of (pro)insulin (proinsulin and insulin) synthesis using incorporation of ³H-leucine showed that DMCPH-epoxide, DMCPH and CPH-epoxide were 22, 10 and 4 times, respectively, more potent than CPH in inhibiting hormone synthesis. The biosynthesis of (pro)insulin was also inhibited by CPH and DMCPH-epoxide in islets isolated from 21-day-old rat fetuses. The inhibitory action of CPH and its metabolites was apparently specific for (pro)insulin, and the synthesis of other islet proteins was not affected. Other experiments showed the metabolites of CPH were active in inhibiting glucose-stimulated insulin secretion but were less potent than the parent drug in producing this effect. CPH and its structurally related metabolites, therefore, have differential inhibitory activities on insulin synthesis and release. The observation that CPH metabolites have higher potency than CPH to inhibit (pro)insulin synthesis, when considered with published reports on the disposition of the drug in rats, indicate that CPH metabolites, particularly DMCPH-epoxide, are primarily responsible for the insulin depletion observed when the parent compound is given to fetal and adult animals.Abbreviations CPH cyproheptadine - CPH-epoxide cyproheptadine-10-11-epoxide - DMCPH desmethylcyproheptadine - DMCPH-epoxide desmethylcyproheptadine-10,11-epoxide - HPLC high-performance liquid chromatography - KBB Krebs biocarbonate buffer Recipient of a Society of Toxicology Predoctoral Research Fellowship.Present address: Department of Biochemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.     

Autoantibody to the nucleosome subunit (H2A-H2B)-DNA is an early and ubiquitous feature of lupus-like conditions

Chromatin, a huge polymer of nucleosomes, has been implicated as an important target of autoantibodies in idiopathic and drug-induced lupus for decades, but the antigenicity of chromatin has only recently been dissected. IgG reactivity with the (H2A-H2B)-DNA complex, a subunit of the nucleosome, is present in the majority of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, in >90% of patients with lupus induced by procainamide and in individual patients with lupus induced by a variety of other drugs, but is not seen in people taking these medications who are clinically asymptomatic. Anti-[(H2A-H2B)-DNA] accounted for the bulk of the anti-chromatin activity in drug-induced lupus. The earliest detectable autoantibody in lupus-prone mice recognized similar epitopes in the (H2A-H2B)-DNA subnucleosome complex; as the immune response progressed, native DNA and other constituents of chromatin became antigenic. The importance of chromatin-reactive T cells in the anti-[(H2A-H2B)-DNA] response is suggested by the presence of somatic mutations in antibody V_H and V_L regions, their perdominant IgG isotype and the similarity in kinetics of their production to that of conventional T cell dependent antigens. Together with the serologic data from human lupus-like disease, these results are consistent with chromatin being a common stimulant for both B and T cells. While chromatin-reactive antibodies are closely associated with systemic disease and have recently been implicated in glomerulonephritis in SLE, the absence of renal disease in drug-induced lupus indicates that additional abnormalities are required to manifest the serious pathogenic potential of anti-[(H2A-H2B)-DNA] antibodies.Abbreviations APC antigen present cells - DIL drug-induced lupus - ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - GBM glomerular basement membrane - [(H2A-H2B)-DNA] an intermolecular complex consisting of DNA and a dimer of histones H2A and H2B - nDNA native (double-stranded) DNA - SLE systemic lupus erythematosus     

Molecular and cellular remodeling of HepG2 cells upon treatment with antitubercular drugs

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an adverse outcome of the currently used tuberculosis treatment regimen, which results in patient noncompliance, poor treatment outcomes, and the emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis. DILI is primarily caused by the toxicity of the drugs and their metabolites, which affect liver cells, biliary epithelial cells, and liver vasculature. However, the precise mechanism behind the cellular damage attributable to first-line antitubercular drugs (ATDs), as well as the effect of toxicity on the cell survival strategies, is yet to be elucidated. In the current study, HepG2 cells upon treatment with a high concentration of ATDs showed increased perforation within the cell, cuboidal shape, and membrane blebbing as compared with control/untreated cells. It was observed that ATD-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells leads to altered mitochondrial membrane permeability, which was depicted by the decreased fluorescence intensity of the MitoRed tracker dye at higher drug concentrations. In addition, high doses of ATDs caused cell damage through an increase in reactive oxygen species production in HepG2 cells and a simultaneous reduction in glutathione levels. Further, high dose of isoniazid (50–200 mM), pyrazinamide (50–200 mM), and rifampicin (20–100 µM) causes cell apoptosis and affects cell survival during toxic conditions by decreasing the expression of potent autophagy markers Atg5, Atg7, and LC3B. Thus, ATD-mediated toxicity contributes to the reduced ability of hepatocytes to tolerate cellular damage caused by altered mitochondrial membrane permeability, increased apoptosis, and decreased autophagy. These findings further emphasize the need to develop adjuvant therapies that can mitigate ATD-induced toxicity for the effective treatment of tuberculosis.     

Differential response of DPI-modified cardiac Na+ channels to antiarrhythmic drugs: No flicker blockade by lidocaine

Summary Elementary Na⁺ currents were recorded in cell attached patches from short-time cultured neonatal cardiocytes in order to test the hypothesis whether the open state of DPI-modified, noninactivating cardiac Na⁺ channels is basically sensitive to blocking drug molecules such as antiarrhythmics.Lidocaine (300 mol/liter) effectively reduced the open probability of cardiac Na⁺ channels and, at a stimulation rate of 1 Hz, depressed the reconstructed macroscopic peak I _Na to 40+ 3.5% of the predrug value. The same drug concentration failed to influence DPI-modified Na⁺ channels. Their open state proved almost insensitive to lidocaine. _open decreased only slightly to 85 ±2%. Still more importantly, the number of transitions between the conducting and a nonconducting configuration did not increase. At –40 mV, lidocaine may interfere with the open state with an association rate constant of 1.3×10⁵ mol^–1sec^–1 which is about two orders of magnitude smaller than the rate constant obtained with propafenone or prajmalium. Moreover, propafenone (10–20 mol/liter) or prajmalium (30 mol/liter) led to a tremendous increase in the number of transitions between the open and a nonconducting configuration. Lidocaine also failed to evoke a fast flicker blockade with reaction kinetics in the microsecond range.It is concluded that DPI-modified cardiac Na⁺ channels discriminate between lidocaine and other antiarrhythmic drugs. As a tentative explanation, this might be indicative for multiple binding sites for those drugs in cardiac Na⁺ channels.This work was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschagt (Ko 778/2–3), Bonn.     

消减免疫法在单克隆抗体制备中的应用

单克隆抗体是现代生命科学研究的重要工具。常规的杂交瘤技术通常并不能获得特定目的抗原的单克隆抗体,而消减免疫法可在一定程度上弥补这一缺陷。消减免疫利用特殊的免疫耐受途径来大幅增加目的单抗的产生数目。它建立在宿主动物对免疫显性抗原或非目的抗原（耐受原）耐受的基础上,宿主动物可通过高区带耐受、新生期耐受和药物介导的耐受等3种方法获得耐受,然后再对已耐受的动物接种目的抗原（免疫原）,特异性抗体便随之产生。近20年来,用消减免疫法成功地制备了多种独特抗体。简要阐述了可用消减免疫法获得的单克隆抗体的制备。     

Biomarker discovery for drug-induced phospholipidosis: phenylacetylglycine to hippuric acid ratio in urine and plasma as potential markers

Context: Drug-induced phospholipidosis is one of the significant concerns in drug development, especially in safety assessment and noninvasive diagnostic tool is highly desirable.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explored novel biomarkers for phospholipidosis using a metabolomic approach.

Method: NMR spectrometry and LC/MS/MS analyses were applied to urine and plasma of rats administrated cationic amphiphilic drugs.

Results: The phenylacetylglycine to hippuric acid ratio in plasma was increased in time and dose-dependent manners; and it was well correlated with histopathological observation.

Conclusion: The plasma phenylacetylglycine to hippuric acid ratio is a potential marker in monitoring drug-induced phospholipidosis.     

还原型谷胱甘肽联合多烯磷脂酰胆碱对急性药物性肝损伤患者肝功能、肝纤维化指标及血清炎性因子的影响

摘要 目的：探讨还原型谷胱甘肽联合多烯磷脂酰胆碱对急性药物性肝损伤（ADILI）患者肝功能、肝纤维化指标及血清炎性因子的影响。方法：选择2017年1月~2019年3月期间我院收治的ADILI患者100例,采用随机数字表法分为对照组和联合组,各50例。对照组给予多烯磷脂酰胆碱治疗,联合组给予还原型谷胱甘肽联合多烯磷脂酰胆碱治疗,对比两组疗效、肝功能指标[谷丙转氨酶（ALT）、谷草转氨酶（AST）、总胆红素（TBIL）和谷氨酰转肽酶（GGT）]、肝纤维化指标[层粘连蛋白（LN）、III型前胶原（PC-III）、IV型胶原（IV-C）、透明质酸酶（HA）]、血清炎性因子[白介素-6（IL-6）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白介素-2（IL-2）]及不良反应。结果：对照组的总有效率为76.00%（38/50）,联合组的总有效率为94.00%（47/50）,联合组的总有效率高于对照组（P<0.05）。治疗4周后,两组ALT、AST、TBIL、GGT、LN、PC-III、IV-C、HA、IL-2、TNF-α、IL-6水平均较治疗前下降,且联合组低于对照组（P<0.05）。两组治疗期间不良反应发生率比较无明显差异（P>0.05）。结论：在多烯磷脂酰胆碱基础上,联合还原型谷胱甘肽治疗ADILI患者,疗效较好,可改善肝功能和肝纤维化指标,减轻机体炎症反应,且安全可靠。     

经由线粒体损伤诱发的药源性肝损伤研究进展

线粒体是物质氧化和能量转换的场所,在能量代谢及自由基的产生、衰老、凋亡中起着重要作用。线粒体的呼吸链缺陷、代谢酶失活、结构改变、基因突变等因素都会影响整个细胞的正常功能,从而导致病变的发生。线粒体是药物毒性作用的重要靶标,肝脏作为药物代谢的重要脏器,也是药物引发损伤的主要靶器官。一些抗病毒药物、抗肿瘤药物和抗生素等可显著诱导肝脏线粒体损伤。药物主要通过改变线粒体结构、酶的活性或减少mtDNA 的合成,进一步破坏β- 脂质氧化和肝细胞的氧化能力,最终诱发肝损伤。综述药源性肝损伤领域有关线粒体损伤的研究进展,为预防和诊断药源性肝损提供思路。