The detection of superoxide anion from the reaction of oxyhemoglobin and phenylhydrazine using EPR spectroscopy

Summary The low temperature EPR spectrum of a quickly reacted mixture of oxyhemoglobin and phenylhydrazine was studied. With the use of a computer, the spectral contribution of methemoglobin in the region of g=2 was subtracted. The remaining spectrum was that of an axial free radical (g=2.00, g=2.06) having the magnetic parameters of superoxide anion. In the presence of superoxide dismutase, this axial radical was not seen, confirming that superoxide anion is indeed generated by the reaction.The portion of this investigation carried out at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine was supported in part by US Public Health Service Research Grant HL-93399 from the Heart and Lung Institute and by National Institute Contract Nol-CP-55606 to J.P. This is communication No. 378 from the Joan and Lester Avnet Institute of Molecular Biology.Predoctoral fellow in the Medical Scientist Training Program (United States Public Health Service Grant 5-TO-5-GM 01669-12) at the New York University School of Medicine.Recipient of a grant-in-aid from the New York Heart Association.     

The structure of amoorastatone and the cytotoxic limonoid 12-hydroxyamoorastatin

Summary 2 new limonoid-type terpenes have been isolated from an aqueous extract of seeds produced by the Eastern Himalayan (India) plantAphanamixis grandifolia Bl. By interpreting principally mass spectral and nuclear magnetic resonance data, the structures of 12-hydroxyamoorastatin (2b) and amoorastatone (3) were elucidated. Unequivocal evidence for the 12-hydroxyamoorastatin structural assignment was obtained by chemical conversion to sendanin (4). Amoorastatin derivative2b was found to significantly inhibit growth of the murine P388 lymphocytic leukemia cell lines but amoorastatone in the same system was inactive. In a comparative biological study, sendanin (4) and anthothecol (7) were also found significantly to inhibit growth of the P388 cell line, while rohitukin (8) and limonin (9) were found to be inactive.Part 63 of the series Antineoplastic Agents. For the previous contribution refer to G.R. Pettit, T.S. Krupa and R.M. Reynolds, Int. J. Peptide Protein Res., in preparation. The present investigation was supported in part by Public Health Research Grant No. CA-16049-05 from the National Cancer Institute, the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation, Mrs Mary Dell Pritzlaff, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Foundation, Mr John F. Schmidt, and the Phoenix Coca-Cola Bottling Company.     

In vitro inactivation of corpora allata of the bugOncopeltus fasciatus by precocene II

Summary Corpora allata fromOncopeltus fasciatus incubated in vitro in medium containing 10^–5.35 M (1 g/ml) of precocene II lose their ability to secrete juvenile hormone when reimplanted into last instar larvae.Acknowledgments. We thank Mr K. Dorn, Mrs L. Dolezal, Mrs V. Nötzli-Graf, Mr K.H. Trautmann and Mr A. Schuler for technical help, Dr W. Vogel and Dr A. Dübendorfer for valuable discussions.     

Effect of dihydroergocristine infusion on tolbutamide-induced insulin secretion in man

Summary The insulinemic response to 1 g of tolbutamide i.v. is greatly enhanced (+145%) after a 60-min infusion of the -lytic dihydrogenated ergot alkaloid, dihydroergocristine (83.3 m/min, corresponding to a total dose of 5 mg) in 7 healthy subjects. No differences are observed in the glycemic responses.Acknowledgment. The authors are grateful to Mr Franco Della Sala, M.D., for his skillful technical assistance.     

Effects of dosage and cadmium pretreatment on the binding of cadmium in rat bile

Summary The effects of dosage and of cadmium pretreatment on the binding of cadmium in rat bile were studied. With increasing dose a higher cumulative biliary excretion of Cd was observed and a higher percentage of the Cd was excreted in a low-molecular-weight form. On the other hand, after cadmium pretreatment, a decrease in the cumulative biliary excretion of cadmium was observed but a greater percentage of that excreted into the bile was bound to high molecular weight compounds.     

Multiplicity of monoamine oxidase in chick brain

Summary The substrate- and inhibitor-related characteristics of monoamine oxidase (MAO) were studied on chick brain mitochondria. It was found that neither 5-hydroxytryptamine nor -phenylethylamine is the specific substrate for type A and type B MAO in chick brain.     

Structure specificity of some immunoadjuvant synthetic glycopeptides

Summary The immunoadjuvant activity of muramyl dipeptide seems to be critically dependent on the type of substitution of the -carboxyl group of the D-isoglutamine residue. Moreover the nonapeptide L-Ala-D-isoGlu-L-Lys-D-Ala-(Gly)₅-OME also shows a definite effect.     

Neurotransmitter synthesis inLimulus ventral nerve photoreceptors

Summary Radiochemical precursor compounds for neurotransmitters were incubated withLimulus ventral nerve photoreceptor preparations. Octopamine was preferentially synthesized by a photoreceptor rich fraction of the nerve, acetylcholine was made by a photoreceptor poor fraction, and -aminobutyric acid was made about equally well in both fractions. The possibility that the ventral nerve photoreceptor cells serve a neurosecretory function in the adultLimulus is discussed.From the Neurobiology Course, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. The Neurobiology Course is supported by grants from the Grass, Sloan and Sandoz Foundation and from Merck, Sharp and Dohme Research Institute.