Effect of acute and chronic ethanol ingestion on the content of reduced glutathione of various tissues of the rat

Summary The effect of acute ethanol ingestion (5 g/kg) by fasted rats, or chronic treatment in fed animals, revealed a significant decrease in the content of reduced glutathione of the liver and kidney. No changes were observed in reduced glutathione levels of the pancreas, intestines, stomach or spleen in the acute model. In this condition, the time course study of the decrease in reduced glutathione levels showed a progressive effect in the liver and a rapid and constant effect in the kidney.These studies were supported by the Grant M 308-792 from the Servicio de Desarrollo Cientifico, Artistico y de Cooperacion Internacional, Universidad de Chile, and by the Research Associateship Program (L.A.V.) from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Silver labeling of vascular basement membranes in streptozotocin diabetic mice

Summary Diabetic and nondiabetic control mice were given silver by ingestion. The glomerular basement membrane was labeled with silver granles and the labeling was marked in the diabetic animals. The retinal capillaries failed to incorporate silver both in normal and diabetic animals.Acknowledgments. The skilful technial assistance of Mr A. Ahlander is gratefully acknowledged. The study was supported by the Swedish Diabetes Association and the Swedish Medical Research Council (project No. 2710 and project No. B82-12X-00525-18B).     

Hypolipidemic effects of garlic oil in rats fed ethanol and a high lipid diet

Summary Feeding of ethanol and a high fat-high cholesterol diet to rats markedly increased the total lipids in the liver, and cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the serum, liver and kidneys. However, when ethanol mixed with 0.5% garlic oil was fed to animals maintained on the high fat-high cholesterol diet, these lipid levels were significantly reduced to levels near to those seen in untreated control rats. Garlic oil did not reduce the serum albumin or the total proteins of liver, kidneys or serum when fed along with ethanol. Probably the garlic oil enhances the catabolism of dietary cholesterol and fatty acids.The authors acknowledge with thanks the financial assistance of the University of Maiduguri for carrying out this project.     

Cholesterol feeding to rats does not modulate the expression of binding sites for HDL on liver membranes

The binding of HDL, Apo-E-free, was studied in rats fed a cholesterol rich diet for 2, 4 and 7 days. Plasma cholesterol increased up to 16-fold (from 55 to 900 mg/dl); liver cholesterol was also raised, from 0.5 to 16 mg/g of tissue. The HDL binding to membrane preparations was not affected while the binding of beta VLDL was reduced to about 50% of the controls. These data show, therefore, that liver binding sites for HDL are refractory to regulation by dietary cholesterol.     

Emblica officinalis reduces serum, aortic and hepatic cholesterol in rabbits

Emblica officinalis reduced serum cholesterol (p less than 0.001), aortic cholesterol (p less than 0.001) and hepatic cholesterol (p less than 0.001) significantly in rabbits. Emblica officinalis did not influence euglobulin clot lysis time, platelet adhesiveness or serum triglyceride levels.     

Role of phospholipid transfer protein in rabbit lung development

A 36-kDa phospholipid transfer protein (PLT-P_R), which preferentially transfers phosphatidyl choline (PC) compared to phosphatidyl inositol (PI), was purified 827-fold from rabbit lung homogenate. Incorporation of cholesterol in unilamellar vesicles reduced the PC transfer activity of PLTP_R. Dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline uptake by alveolar type II cells was increased in the presence of the protein, and further enhanced in the presence of surfactant liposomes. However, a decrease in uptake was noted with cholesterol in host membranes. Incorporation of PI into host membranes had a low stimulatory effect on the process. All these effects were more pronounced in adult type II cells compared to premature, term and 3-day-old pups. Received 12 September 2001; accepted 11 October 2001     

Effects of ingested phytoecdysteroids in the female soft tickOrnithodoros moubata

The effects of the ingestion of some phytoecdysteroids were studied in the soft tickOrnithodoros moubata. Supernumerary moulting and malformations of first leg pairs were obtained with 22-oxo-20-hydroxyecdysone, 20-hydroxyecdysone-22-acetate, and 20-hydroxyecdysone-22-benzoate. Egg-yield was reduced with 20-hydroxyecdysone-22-acetate and carthamosterone. Finally, drying-out of eggs was observed with carthamosterone and 22-deoxy-20,26-dihydroxyecdysone. In addition, we demonstrated that there is a correlation between the number of completed gonotrophic cycles and the impossibility of inducing supernumerary moulting.     

Emblica officinalis reduces serum,aortic and hepatic cholesterol in rabbits

Summary Emblica officinalis reduced serum cholesterol (p<0.001), aortic cholesterol (p<0.001) and hepatic cholesterol (p<0.001) significantly in rabbits.Emblica officinalis did not influence euglobulin clot lysis time, platelet adhesiveness or serum triglyceride levels.     

Retroviral-mediated gene therapy for the treatment of citrullinemia. Transfer and expression of argininosuccinate synthetase in human hematopoietic cells

Citrullinemia is a recessive genetic disease caused by a deficiency in argininosuccinate synthetase (AS). Retroviruses were used to transduce the human AS gene into cultured human cells. Using amphotropic viruses with high titer (>10⁶ cfu/ml), we were able to correct the defect in cultured fibroblasts from citrullinemic patients. Retroviral transduction of the human AS gene into human bone marrow cells was also studied. Co-cultivation was used to infect the cells and up to 80% of progenitor cells were found to be carrying and expressing the AS retrovirus after infection. When the infected cells were kept in culture, integration and expression of the retrovirus was observed. Retroviral sequences were present and expressed in the cultured bone marrow-derived cells for up to 10 weeks.     

Cholesterol feeding to rats does not modulate the expression of binding sites for HDL on liver membranes

Summary The binding of HDL, Apo-E-free, was studied in rats fed a cholesterol rich diet for 2, 4 and 7 days. Plasma cholesterol increased up to 16-fold (from 55 to 900 mg/dl); liver cholesterol was also raised, from 0.5 to 16 mg/g of tissue. The HDL binding to membrane preparations was not affected while the binding of VLDL was reduced to about 50% of the controls. These data show, therefore, that liver binding sites for HDL are refractory to regulation by dietary cholesterol.     

Relationship between DNA and cholesterol synthesis in kidney after refeeding

Summary DNA and cholesterol synthesis were investigated in the kidneys of fasted-refed rats. Refeeding resulted in an increase in kidney DNA synthesis, as measured by³H-thymidine incorporation, starting at 72 h. The increase in DNA synthesis was accompanied by a stimulation of cholesterol synthesis, as measured by¹⁴C-acetate incorporation into cholesterol.     

Distribution of tritium inWilzbach treated cholesterol

Zusammenfassung Es wird gezeigt, dass Cholesterin-H³, nach Behandlung von besonders gereinigtem Handelscholesterin mit Tritium entsprechend der Vorschrift vonWilzbach, bei sechsmal wiederholter Bromierung nachFieser frei von Cholestanol-H³ erhalten wird. In so gereinigtem Cholesterin-H³ ist der schwere Wasserstoff gleichmässig über alle wasserstofftragenden Kohlenstoffatome verteilt.

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This work was supported by an Institutional Grant No. P-108A of the American Cancer Society and by a Grant No. G-7477 of the National Science Foundation. The authors are grateful to Dr.M. Gut of this Institute for theWilzbach treatment of cholesterol.     

Cholesterol synthesis in freshly isolated human leukocytes

Summary Cholesterol synthesis has been studied in human leukocytes shortly after the isolation from healthy subjects. Not delipidated human serum reduced the cholesterol synthesis when added to the incubation medium. A similar effect was obtained when the leukocytes were incubated in the presence of physiological concentrations of low density lipoproteins.     

Cholesterol synthesis in freshly isolated human leukocytes.

Cholesterol synthesis has been studied in human leukocytes shortly after the isolation from healthy subjects. Not delipidated human serum reduced the cholesterol synthesis when added to the incubation medium. A similar effect was obtained when the leukocytes were incubated in the presence of physiological concentrations of low density lipoproteins.     

The effect of lithium carbonate on the granulocyte phagocytic index

Summary Preincubation in lithium carbonate of granulocytes from normal human male volunteer subjects did not alter the ability of these cells to perform properly the ingestion phase of phagocytosis in vitro.The voluntary fully informed consent of the subjects used in this research was obtained as required by AFR No. 169-8.Acknowledgements. Mr.A. J. Rahe of the Biometrics Division, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base, TX. provided the statistical analysis. The LC used in this study was provided through the courtesy of Pfizer, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., USA.     

辛伐他汀联合用药研究进展

动脉粥样硬化是心脑血管疾病的主要病理学基础,他汀类药物是抗动脉粥样硬化的基石.辛伐他汀降低总胆固醇（TC）和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）作用明显,同时也降低甘油三酯（TG）和升高高密度脂蛋白（HDL）水平,是目前临床上应用最广泛的降脂药之一.诸多专家学者对辛伐他汀的联合用药也进行了广泛深入的研究,认为其不仅在抗动脉粥样硬化领域具有确切的疗效,而且在不稳定性心绞痛、冠心病的二级预防、高血压、早期糖尿病肾病以及骨质疏松等疾病中的治疗也具有重要的意义.     

Effect of streptozotocin diabetes on adenosine-5′-triphosphate,oxygen consumption and steroidogenesis in testis mitochondria from rats

Summary The activity of the enzyme cleaving the side-chain of cholesterol (rate limiting step in steroidogenesis) was considerably reduced in experimentally induced diabetes. This result was accompained by both an increase in oxygen consumption and an increase in ATP synthesis. Insulin treatment prevented them.     

Demonstration of a cytosol protein binding cholesterol in the adrenal glands]

Characterization of a cytosolic protein of adrenal origin that binds cholesterol. Adrenal cytosol contains a thermostable protein which binds cholesterol specifically and non-covalently. The sedimentation coefficient of the complex is close to 3 S. The side chain of the cholesterol molecule is responsible for the binding specificity.