The role of hemolysate in the facilitation of oxyhemoglobin-induced contraction in rabbit basilar arteries

1994 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiki Aoki ◽  
Katsunobu Takenaka ◽  
Satoshi Suzuki ◽  
Neal F. Kassell ◽  
Oren Sagher ◽  
...  

✓ The importance of factors within hemolysate in modulating oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb)-induced contraction was examined in an in vitro model of rabbit basilar arteries. When the basilar arteries were exposed to purified oxyHb alone, the contractile response observed was significantly weaker than that seen in arteries exposed to hemolysate containing an equal concentration of oxyHb. In order to delineate the nature of the factors within hemolysate that facilitate contraction, hemolysate was fractionated, and various components were tested individually for their ability to elicit this effect. A low-molecular-weight fraction of hemolysate, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 kD, elicited only a mild contraction. However, when this fraction was combined with purified oxyHb, the contractile response was comparable in magnitude to that of unfractionated hemolysate. These studies confirm that purified oxyHb is capable of inducing contraction in vitro. The data also demonstrate that oxyHb elicits a significantly weaker contraction than does hemolysate. In addition, the results suggest that low-molecular-weight components in hemolysate (in the 0.5- to 2.0-kD range), while incapable of inducing a potent contraction alone, may act in concert with oxyHb to elicit the vasoconstriction seen following subarachnoid hemorrhage.

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (8) ◽  
pp. 2484-2492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hedwig-Annabell Schild ◽  
Sebastian W. Fuchs ◽  
Helge B. Bode ◽  
Bernd Grünewald

ABSTRACTThe spore-forming bacteriumPaenibacillus larvaecauses a severe and highly infective bee disease, American foulbrood (AFB). Despite the large economic losses induced by AFB, the virulence factors produced byP. larvaeare as yet unknown. To identify such virulence factors, we experimentally infected young, susceptible larvae of the honeybee,Apis mellifera carnica, with differentP. larvaeisolates. Honeybee larvae were rearedin vitroin 24-well plates in the laboratory after isolation from the brood comb. We identified genotype-specific differences in the etiopathology of AFB between the tested isolates ofP. larvae, which were revealed by differences in the median lethal times. Furthermore, we confirmed that extracts ofP. larvaecultures contain low-molecular-weight compounds, which are toxic to honeybee larvae. Our data indicate thatP. larvaesecretes metabolites into the medium with a potent honeybee toxic activity pointing to a novel pathogenic factor(s) ofP. larvae. Genome mining ofP. larvaesubsp.larvaeBRL-230010 led to the identification of several biosynthesis gene clusters putatively involved in natural product biosynthesis, highlighting the potential ofP. larvaeto produce such compounds.


2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (23) ◽  
pp. 7216-7224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana V. Rinaudi ◽  
Juan E. González

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium that elicits the formation of root organs called nodules on its host plant, Medicago sativa. Inside these structures, the bacteria are able to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which is then used by the plant as a nitrogen source. The synthesis by S. meliloti of at least one exopolysaccharide, succinoglycan or EPS II, is essential for a successful symbiosis. While exopolysaccharide-deficient mutants induce the formation of nodules, they fail to invade them, and as a result, no nitrogen fixation occurs. Interestingly, the low-molecular-weight fractions of these exopolysaccharides are the symbiotically active forms, and it has been suggested that they act as signals to the host plant to initiate infection thread formation. In this work, we explored the role of these rhizobial exopolysaccharides in biofilm formation and their importance in the symbiotic relationship with the host. We showed that the ExpR/Sin quorum-sensing system controls biofilm formation in S. meliloti through the production of EPS II, which provides the matrix for the development of structured and highly organized biofilms. Moreover, the presence of the low-molecular-weight fraction of EPS II is vital for biofilm formation, both in vitro and in vivo. This is the first report where the symbiotically active fraction of EPS II is shown to be a critical factor for biofilm formation and root colonization. Thus, the ability of S. meliloti to properly attach to root surfaces and form biofilms conferred by the synthesis of exopolysaccharides may embody the main function of these symbiotically essential molecules.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 953-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jari Siironen ◽  
Seppo Juvela ◽  
Joona Varis ◽  
Matti Porras ◽  
Kristiina Poussa ◽  
...  

Object. From the moment an intracranial aneurysm ruptures, cerebral blood flow is impaired, and this impairment mainly determines the outcome in patients who survive after the initial bleeding. The exact mechanism of impairment is unknown, but activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis correlate with clinical condition and outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The purpose of this study was to determine whether enoxaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin, which is a well-known anticoagulating agent, has any effect on the outcome of aneurysmal SAH postoperatively. Methods. In this randomized, double-blind, single-center clinical trial, 170 patients (85 per group) with aneurysmal SAH were randomly assigned to receive either enoxaparin (40 mg subcutaneously once daily) or a placebo, starting within 24 hours after occlusion of the aneurysm and continuing for 10 days. Analysis was done on an intention-to-treat basis. Outcome was assessed at 3 months on both the Glasgow Outcome and modified Rankin Scales. Patients were eligible for the study if surgery was performed within 48 hours post-SAH, and no intracerebral hemorrhage was larger than 20 mm in diameter on the first postoperative computerized tomography scan. At 3 months, there were no significant differences in outcome by treatment group. Of the 170 patients, 11 (6%) died, and only 95 (56%) had a good outcome. Principal causes of unfavorable outcome were poor initial condition, delayed cerebral ischemia, and surgical complications. There were four patients with additional intracranial bleeding in the group receiving enoxaparin. The bleeding was not necessarily associated with the treatment itself, nor did it require treatment, and there were no such patients in the placebo group. Conclusions. Enoxaparin seemed to have no effect on the outcome of aneurysmal SAH in patients who had already received routine nimodipine and who had received triple-H therapy when needed. Routine use of low-molecular-weight heparin should be avoided during the early postoperative period in patients with SAH, because this agent seems to increase intracranial bleeding complications slightly, with no beneficial effect on neurological outcome.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 612-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoon-Hee Cha ◽  
John H. Chi ◽  
Nicholas M. Barbaro

✓ Spinal subdural hematomas (SDHs) are a rare cause of cord compression and typically occur in the setting of spinal instrumentation or coagulopathy. The authors report the first case of a spontaneous spinal SDH occurring in conjunction with low-molecular-weight heparin use in a patient with a history of spinal radiotherapy.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
T G van Dinther ◽  
F Hol ◽  
D G Meuleman

The effects of various heparin(oid)s, standard heparin VII (SH), dermatan sulphate (DS), a low molecular weight fraction of heparin (UMW-H), FragminR (FRA), Org 10172 = low molecular weight heparinoid, the fraction of Org 10172 with high affinity for AT-III (HA-10172) and the low affinity fraction (LA-10172) respectively were examined on in vitro thrombin generation and inactivation.Thrombin inactivation in the presence of either heparin cofactor II (HC-II) or anti-thrombin III (AT-III) was assessed with two newly developed assays using the purified cofactors, thrombin and chromogenic substrate S2238 on microtiterplates. Thrombin generation in the presence of HC-II and AT-III was studied using purified factor Xa, prothrombin and blood platelet lysate and the residual thrombin activity was assessed amidolytically.The inhibition of the compounds on thrombin activity are summarized in the tableThe following conclusions can be drawn:- SH, LMW-H, HA-10172 and FRA potentiate the AT-III mediated inactivation of Ha more strongly than the HC-II mediated inactivation.- DS and LA-10172 show the reverse pattern of inactivation, while Org 10172 potentiates both inactivaton pathways to a similar extent.Thrombin generation in the presence of HC-II is inhibited by mw-heparin(oid)s at approx. 2-5 times lower concentrations than the HC-II mediated thrombin inactivation, while the inhibiting effect of SH in both assays is comparable.AT-III mediated thrombin generation inhibition and AT-III mediated thrombin inactivation is comparable as well for SH, LMW-H and FRA. In contrast, Org 10172 and its subfractions are approx. 10 times more potent on AT-III mediated thrombin generation inhibition than on AT-III mediated thrombin inactivation.Org 10172 shows low anti-thrombin activity and this activity is mainly mediated via FC-II.


1974 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
JENNIFER M. DEHNEL ◽  
P. D. McCONAGHEY ◽  
M. J. O. FRANCIS

SUMMARY Plasma somatomedin is the intermediary through which growth hormone (GH) exerts its effects on the growing skeleton. Somatomedin activity may be produced in vitro by perfusion of the liver and kidneys of rats with Waymouth's medium containing GH. The relationship between the activity of plasma somatomedin and somatomedin of hepatic and renal origin has yet to be clarified. Somatomedin from plasma can be separated into active fractions of both high and low molecular weight. Similarly, ultrafiltration of medium containing somatomedin of hepatic origin indicates the existence of two active fractions, one of high molecular weight (greater than 50000) and one of low molecular weight (less than 1000). The latter can be attributed to the release of amino acids, such as serine and glutamine, by the perfused tissue. The high molecular weight fraction is believed to represent GH-dependent somatomedin. Fractions that inhibit production of cartilage matrix are present in liver perfusates as well as in plasma. These results provide further evidence that the liver is a source of GH-dependent somatomedin in vivo. Furthermore, cartilage growth may be controlled not only by the GH-stimulated release of somatomedin by the liver, but also by its release of acid-labile somatomedin inhibitors.


1980 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glyn R. Wellum ◽  
Thomas W. Irvine ◽  
Nicholas T. Zervas

✓ Dose responses in vitro of the basilar arteries of the dog, rabbit, and man to human hemoglobin are reported. For each species, the response occurred over a range of 10−9M to greater than 10−5M hemoglobin. When compared to a maximum serotonin contraction, the relative constriction induced by 10−5M hemoglobin was greater in the rabbit than in the dog, which in turn was greater than in man. The comparatively weak response of the human arteries is probably attributable to postmortem changes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Norambuena ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
T. Hanson ◽  
J. M. Boyd ◽  
T. Barkay

ABSTRACTMercury (Hg), one of the most toxic and widely distributed heavy metals, has a high affinity for thiol groups. Thiol groups reduce and sequester Hg. Therefore, low-molecular-weight (LMW) and protein thiols may be important cell components used in Hg resistance. To date, the role of low-molecular-weight thiols in Hg detoxification remains understudied. The mercury resistance (mer) operon ofThermus thermophilussuggests an evolutionary link between Hg(II) resistance and low-molecular-weight thiol metabolism. Themeroperon encodes an enzyme involved in methionine biosynthesis, Oah. Challenge with Hg(II) resulted in increased expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of multiple low-molecular-weight thiols (cysteine, homocysteine, and bacillithiol), as well as the thioredoxin system. Phenotypic analysis of gene replacement mutants indicated that Oah contributes to Hg resistance under sulfur-limiting conditions, and strains lacking bacillithiol and/or thioredoxins are more sensitive to Hg(II) than the wild type. Growth in the presence of either a thiol-oxidizing agent or a thiol-alkylating agent increased sensitivity to Hg(II). Furthermore, exposure to 3 μM Hg(II) consumed all intracellular reduced bacillithiol and cysteine. Database searches indicate thatoah2is present in allThermussp.meroperons. The presence of a thiol-related gene was also detected in some alphaproteobacterialmeroperons, in which a glutathione reductase gene was present, supporting the role of thiols in Hg(II) detoxification. These results have led to a working model in which LMW thiols act as Hg(II)-buffering agents while Hg is reduced by MerA.IMPORTANCEThe survival of microorganisms in the presence of toxic metals is central to life's sustainability. The affinity of thiol groups for toxic heavy metals drives microbe-metal interactions and modulates metal toxicity. Mercury detoxification (mer) genes likely originated early in microbial evolution in geothermal environments. Little is known about howmersystems interact with cellular thiol systems.Thermusspp. possess a simplemeroperon in which a low-molecular-weight thiol biosynthesis gene is present, along withmerRandmerA. In this study, we present experimental evidence for the role of thiol systems in mercury resistance. Our data suggest that, inT. thermophilus, thiolated compounds may function side by side withmergenes to detoxify mercury. Thus, thiol systems function in consort withmer-mediated resistance to mercury, suggesting exciting new questions for future research.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Croteau ◽  
Stuart Walbridge ◽  
Paul F. Morrison ◽  
John A. Butman ◽  
Alexander O. Vortmeyer ◽  
...  

Object. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is increasingly used to distribute therapeutic agents to locations in the central nervous system. The optimal application of convective distribution of various agents requires the development of imaging tracers to monitor CED in vivo in real time. The authors examined the safety and utility of an iodine-based low-molecular-weight surrogate tracer for computerized tomography (CT) scanning during CED. Methods. Various volumes (total volume range 90–150 µ1) of iopamidol (MW 777 D) were delivered to the cerebral white matter of four primates (Macaca mulatta) by using CED. The distribution of this imaging tracer was determined by in vivo real-time and postinfusion CT scanning (≤ 5 days after infusion [one animal]) as well as by quantitative autoradiography (14C-sucrose [all animals] and 14C-dextran [one animal]), and compared with a mathematical model. Clinical observation (≤ 5 months) and histopathological analyses were used to evaluate the safety and toxicity of the tracer delivery. Real-time CT scanning of the tracer during infusion revealed a clearly definable region of perfusion. The volume of distribution (Vd) increased linearly (r2 = 0.97) with an increasing volume of infusion (Vi). The overall Vd/Vi ratio was 4.1 ± 0.7 (mean ± standard deviation) and the distribution of infusate was homogeneous. Quantitative autoradiography confirmed the accuracy of the imaged distribution for a small (sucrose, MW 359 D) and a large (dextran, MW 70 kD) molecule. The distribution of the infusate was identifiable up to 72 hours after infusion. There was no clinical or histopathological evidence of toxicity in any animal. Conclusions. Real-time in vivo CT scanning of CED of iopamidol appears to be safe, feasible, and suitable for monitoring convective delivery of drugs with certain features and low infusion volumes.


1982 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 777-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glyn R. Wellum ◽  
Thomas W. Irvine ◽  
Nicholas T. Zervas

✓ The dose responses of canine basilar arteries to human hemoglobin, rabbit hemoglobin, horse-heart myoglobin, and human methemoglobin and cyanomethemoglobin are compared in this paper. The in vitro arterial segments responded similarly to the hemoglobins and myoglobin when doses were based on the hemoglobin dimer rather than on the tetramer. Superoxide free radicals produced by the autoxidation of hemoglobin to methemoglobin do not seem to be involved in the mechanism of hemoglobin-induced vasocontraction, as the contraction cannot be blocked by superoxide dismutase or other agents known to react with superoxide-generated products. Nonspecific uptake of hemoglobin into the smooth-muscle cells by pinocytosis is also discounted.


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