Type III (Arthus) allergic reactions and endotoxin toxicity in guinea-pigs.

Lipoplysaccharide (endotoxin) from E. coli cells produced lethal effects in guinea-pigs. Endotoxin caused no visible dermal change in normal animals, but produced skin reactions characterized by specific Arthus-type (Type III immune hypersensitivity) vascular inflammation in immunized animals. It is concluded that Arthus allergic reactions were evoked by endotoxin, however, endotoxin lethal toxicity appears independent of this process.     

Protective effect of native levan on endotoxin toxicity in mice and rats

Summary High polymer levan administered to mice and rats before the injection of endotoxin partly protects the animals from the lethal effects of the LPS.This study summarizes a thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medical Sciences in the School of Continuing Medical Education of the Tel-Aviv University Sackler Medical School.     

Endotoxemia and adrenaline-hyperreactive death in mice.

Mice given i.v. a sublethal dose of endotoxin in advance died with shock-like symptoms on administration of sublethal adrenaline dose. The lethal adrenaline-hyperreaction induced by endotoxin appeared gradually within a few h, showed maximum response after several h and almost disappeared 24 h after endotoxin administration.     

In vivo effects ofEscherichia coli endotoxin on sulfobromophthalein clearance in the guinea-pig

Summary In vivo studies indicated that the primary effects ofE. coli endotoxin on hepatic clearance of sulfobromophthalein were at the excretory level. Newborns were more sensitive to the LPS than older animals.     

Endotoxemia and adrenaline-hyperreactive death in mice

Summary Mice given i.v. a sublethal dose of endotoxin in advance died with shock-like symptoms on administration of sublethal adrenaline dose. The lethal adrenaline-hyperreaction induced by endotoxin appeared gradually within a few h, showed maximum response after several h and almost disappeared 24 h after endotoxin administration.Thanks are due to Dr Masami Kurokawa, Director of the Department, for his kind suggestions.     

Dithiols simulate endotoxin in theLimulus reaction

Summary Dithiothreitol, dithioerythritol and bacterial lipopolysaccharides increase optical absorbance and clotLimulus lysate. Purification of dithiothreitol from possible endotoxin contamination by vacuum sublimation or chromatography does not abolish the reaction with lysate. The dithiols reported active here represent the smallest molecules capable of simulating endotoxin in theLimulus test.Acknowledgments. This investigation was supported by grant No. P30 14194 and CA 12635, awarded by the National Cancer Institute, Dhew.     

Rana esculenta complex: An experimental analysis of lethality and hybridogenesis

Summary Experiments designed to analyze the lethality and hybridogenesis in the European green frog complex have yielded the following results: 1. As a rule the inter-se cross ofRana esculenta is lethal, but several crosses have produced fully viable progeny. The frequency of such break-through crosses appears to be related to parental population structure. 2. Parabiotic joining of lethal to viable embryos indicates that manifestation of the lethal effect is autonomous. There is, however, a 16–18% increase in the life span of the lethal partner. 3. Studies of LDH isozyme patterns revealed that thelessonae-specific alleles coding for the B^a and B^c subunits can be passed to the F₁ progeny from a parental female or male of theesculenta phenotype. This demonstrates that there is no total elimination of thelessonae genome in theesculenta germ cells. 4. Immunologically, offspring from the inter-se cross ofR. esculenta show a closer relationship to theridibunda than to theesculenta phenotype. Variations of antigenic protein patterns suggest the possibility of chromosomal recombination betweenlessonae andridibunda in theesculenta hybrid. These results are confirmed by two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of proteins in the oocytes of the three frog phenotypes.This work was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Georges and Antoine Claraz Schenkung.     

Parenteral soya bean fat emulsions potentiate the hepatotoxicity ofE. coli endotoxin in suckling rats

Summary A dose of soy bean fat emulsion which was injected i.v. in suckling rats accumulated in the cells of liver parenchyma, both in hepatocytes and in reticuloendothelial cells. Subsequent i.p. injection ofE. coli endotoxin was followed by extensive liver tissue necrosis and increased activities of serum aspartic and alanine aminotransferase. These signs of liver damage were markedly more pronounced than those observed after the administration ofE. coli endotoxin only.     

Heat production by balling in the Japanese honeybee,Apis cerana japonica as a defensive behavior against the hornet,Vespa simillima xanthoptera (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Summary As an effective counterattack strategy against predacious hornets, especiallyVespa simillima xanthoptera, workers ofApis cerana japonica showed a distinct balling reaction, usually involving 180–300 bees. This produced heat for as long as 20 min, giving rise to temperatures inside the ball higher than 46°C, which is lethal to the hornet but not to the bees.     

The effect of endotoxin on membrane fatty acid composition in BCG-sensitized mice

Summary The effects of endotoxin on mouse liver phospholipid fatty acid composition have been investigated. Administration of endotoxin fromSalmonella abortus equi led to a decrease in the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of livers from mice sensitized with Bacille Calmette Guérin (GCG). The content of arachidonic acid fell significantly in both the phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol fractions whereas in the phosphatidylethanolamine fraction the linoleic acid content was significantly reduced. The polyunsaturated fatty acids were replaced by increased amounts of oleic acid and palmitic acid, leading to a reduction in the polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio.     

Morphology of the carnation-light synthetic lethal focus inDrosophila melanogaster

Summary A histological study of the carnation-light lethal focus revealed morphological abnormalities in brain tissue. The ratio of core width to total brain width and brain texture consistently differed between lethal (car-lt) and their non-lethal sibs.     

Endotoxin-induced acceleration of ovum transport in rabbits

Summary Salmonella enteritidis-Boivin endotoxin (1–20 g/kg) induced accelerated oviductal ovum transport in rabbits in a dose-related manner. Indomethacin prevented this effect. Levels of prostaglandin E and F in uterine vein blood increased following endotoxin injection.Deceased 6 December, 1977.Thanks are due to Elizabeth Menchaca, Larry Coons and Lenore Weinberg for technical assistance, and to Merck, Sharp, and Dohme for the gift of indomethacin. This work was supported by Rockefeller Foundation, NIH (HD-09339) and WHO (S76119). G. V. is a Rockefeller Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Reproductive Biology. Reprint requests to M. J. K. Harper.     

Einfluß antianaphylaktisch wirkender Stoffe auf die Antikörperproduktion

Summary To produce antisera of high antibody concentration animals after sensitization with protein have been reinjected with lethal doses of the antigen, protected against the shock-effect by substances with antihistamin properties (as example Antistin). The antibody concentration was considerably higher in these animals as in the other non-protected group reinjected with the highest tolerated antigen dosage.     

Course of fever response to repeated administration of sublethal doses of lipopolysaccharides,polyinosinic: Polycytidylic acid and muramyl dipeptide to rabbits

Summary The purpose of the present study was to examine the development of tolerance to three structurally dissimilar pyrogens, i.e., lipopolysaccharide (LPS), muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) in rabbits. The possibility of pyrogenic cross-tolerance among these agents has also been studied. It was observed that repeated injection of sublethal doses of LPS and MDP was connected with the changing of biphasic fever to monophasic. The consequence of this was a drop in the fever index. In contrast to LPS and MDP, the repeated administration of poly I:C did not result in such changes. Successive injections of this pyrogen always evoked biphasic fever. We also demonstrated that pyrogenic cross-tolerance between LPS and MDP did not occur. The cross-tolerance between LPS and MDP did not occur. The cross-tolerance among pyrogens was possible if they originated from the same class, for example endotoxin fromSalmonella abortus eq. and endotoxin fromEscherichia coli.     

Absence of endotoxin-fever but not hyperthermia in Brattleboro rats

Summary I. c. v. administration of bacterial endotoxin produced a fever in the Long-Evans rat but not in the Brattleboro rat. Similar administration of arachidonic acid, prostaglandin E₂, prostacyclin, dibutyryl cAMP, norepinephrine, morphine and -endorphin caused hyperthermia in both Long-Evans and Brattleboro rats. Variable doses of exogenous arginine vasopressin (AVP) when centrally administered with endotoxin caused fever in the Brattleboro rat. It is suggested that AVP may play an important role in the production and release of endogenous pyrogen.     

Shock induces a long-lasting elevation of blood glucose inAplysia

Glucose, and not trehalose, was found to be the main blood sugar inAplysia californica. Changes in blood glucose in response to stress produced by electric shock were measured in blood obtained both from animals dissected within ten minutes of shocking and from catheterized animals at various intervals, up to two and a half hours after the shock. Electric shock increased blood glucose levels. The rise in blood sugar continued as long as two and a half hours after shock.     

Absence of endotoxin-fever but not hyperthermia in Brattleboro rats

I.c.v. administration of bacterial endotoxin produced a fever in the Long-Evans rat but not in the Brattleboro rat. Similar administration of arachidonic acid, prostaglandin E2, prostacyclin, dibutyryl cAMP, norepinephrine, morphine and beta-endorphin caused hyperthermia in both Long-Evans and Brattleboro rats. Variable doses of exogenous arginine vasopressin (AVP) when centrally administered with endotoxin caused fever in the Brattleboro rat. It is suggested that AVP may play an important role in the production and release of endogenous pyrogen.     

Inability of dithiols to cause activation ofLimulus endotoxin sensitive procoagulase

Summary Using a chromogenic substrate it has been shown that the endotoxin sensitive procoagulase ofLimulus lysate is not activated by dithiols. Increased turbidimetric readings in the presence of dithiols would therefore appear to be nonspecific.     

Durch polarisiertes Licht hervorgerufene Optomotorik beiUca tangeri

Summary Optomotor reactions were tested in 10Uca tangeri (5, 5) of intermediate body size, by slowly rotating the plane of polarized light entering the apical ommatidia of the animal; 8 out of 10 animals showed definite optomotor reactions immediately at, or a short time after, the beginning of the rotation. There were no such reactions when the apical ommatidia were stimulated by a rotating black and white disc.     

Folsäure als Cofaktor biologischer Reaktionen

Summary Tetrahydrofolate requiring enzymes catalyze three types of biochemical reactions,viz. formylation, hydroxymethylation, and methyl group formation. Their chemistry and mechanism of action is discussed on the molecular level. There is evidence, from model reactions, that the ethylene diamine grouping in tetrahydrofolic acid is the active center of the cofactor. Its condensation with one-carbon compounds, together with those of the labile hydride ion of the tetrahydropteridine ring, make clear the enzymatic steps by which the one carbon fragment is activated, transferred, and reduced. In cell metabolism, these cycles are geared together by the key compound N(5), N(10)-methylene tetrahydrofolic acid. Through a TPN-linked oxidation, N(10)-formyl tetrahydrofolic acid is produced, from which energy can be derived; by intramolecular reduction, the methyl group is formed.

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Nach einem Vortrag, gehalten auf der gemeinsamen Tagung der schweizerischen, deutschen und französischen Biochemiker, Zürich (Schweiz), 12, 10, 1960.