scholarly journals Betamethasone modulation of sphingomyelin hydrolysis up-regulates CTP:cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase activity in adult rat lung

1996 ◽  
Vol 318 (1) ◽  
pp. 333-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rama K MALLAMPALLI ◽  
Satya N MATHUR ◽  
Lorna J WARNOCK ◽  
Ronald G SALOME ◽  
Gary W HUNNINGHAKE ◽  
...  

Glucocorticoids appear to play an integral role in stimulating surfactant synthesis by activating the rate-regulatory enzyme for phosphatidylcholine synthesis, CTP:cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase (CT). The activity of liver CT, in vitro, has been shown to be inhibited by the sphingomyelin hydrolysis product, sphingosine. In order to investigate the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids alter CT activity, in vivo, we administered betamethasone (1 mg/kg intraperitoneally) sequentially to adult male rats for 5 days. Betamethasone increased CT activity 2-fold relative to control in whole lung. The hormone also increased membrane-bound activity, but did not affect cytosolic enzyme activity. Betamethasone modestly increased CT mRNA as determined by the reverse-transcription PCR and Southern analysis of PCR products, but did not alter the levels of immunoreactive enzyme in lung membranes as demonstrated by Western blotting. The hormone did, however, produce a nearly 3-fold increase in membrane-associated sphingomyelin, and co-ordinately a substantial decrease in the levels of sphingosine in lung membranes. Sphingosine, but not sphinganine, was a competitive, reversible inhibitor of lung CT with respect to the enzyme activator, phosphatidylglycerol. Betamethasone decreased the activities of the sphingomyelin hydrolases: acid sphingomyelinase by 33% and of alkaline ceramidase by 21%. The hormone also inhibited the generation of sphingosine from lysosphingomyelin in lung membranes. There was no significant effect of the hormone on serine palmitoyltransferase activity, the first committed enzyme for sphingolipid biosynthesis. Further, administration of l-cycloserine, an inhibitor of sphingosine formation, was shown to stimulate CT activity by 74% and increase disaturated phosphatidylcholine in alveolar lavage by 52% relative to control. These observations suggest that glucocorticoids up-regulate surfactant synthesis at the level of a key regulatory enzyme by significantly altering the availability of inhibitory metabolites resulting from sphingomyelin hydrolysis.

1988 ◽  
Vol 16 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 93-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Usuki

The effect of Hachimijiogan (HZ) and Keishibukuryogan (KB) on the steroid production in rats was examined in vivo and in vitro. In an in vivo study, HZ stimulated the testes from ten-week old male rats to produce testoterone, whereas KB decreased the tissue testosterone concentrations. The Δ4-androstenedione and estradiol-17β (E2) showed no significant changes. In an incubation study, HZ also stimulated the testosterone production. The data suggested that HZ produces testosterone in rat testes. The role of KB is questionable.


1976 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. GOLDMAN ◽  
R. D. EAVEY ◽  
MARY K. BAKER

SUMMARY Two new synthetic steroid analogues, (I) 16β-bromo-3β,17α-dihydroxy-5α-pregnane-11,20-dione and (II) 17β-ureido-1,4-androstadien-3-one have been shown to give kinetic patterns consistent with active-site-directed irreversible inhibition of adult rat testicular microsomal steroid 17α-hydroxylase and C17-20 lyase in vitro. Administration of both analogues to adult male rats for 24 h produced potent inhibition of these testicular enzymes in vivo. Given to pregnant rats during the critical period of male organogenesis they produced hypospadias: a characteristic of the syndrome in man in which these enzymes are defective genetically. Given to male rat pups during the first 9 days of life, inhibitor II produced significantly smaller prostates and seminal vesicles in adulthood, indicating the usefulness of this inhibitor in studies on the role of testosterone in neonatal programming of target organ size in adulthood. Thus, two new enzyme inhibitors have been shown to block testosterone production in the foetal and neonatal rat selectively at the site of the hydroxylase without other apparent hormonal effects or influence on adrenal size.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 096368972110354
Author(s):  
Eun-Jung Yoon ◽  
Hye Rim Seong ◽  
Jangbeen Kyung ◽  
Dajeong Kim ◽  
Sangryong Park ◽  
...  

Stamina-enhancing effects of human adipose derived stem cells (hADSCs) were investigated in young Sprague-Dawley rats. Ten-day-old male rats were transplanted intravenously (IV) or intracerebroventricularly (ICV) with hADSCs (1 × 106 cells/rat), and physical activity was measured by locomotor activity and rota-rod performance at post-natal day (PND) 14, 20, 30, and 40, as well as a forced swimming test at PND 41. hADSCs injection increased the moving time in locomotor activity, the latency in rota-rod performance, and the maximum swimming time. For the improvement of physical activity, ICV transplantation was superior to IV injection. In biochemical analyses, ICV transplantation of hADSCs markedly reduced serum creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, alanine transaminase, and muscular lipid peroxidation, the markers for muscular and hepatic injuries, despite the reduction in muscular glycogen and serum triglycerides as energy sources. Notably, hADSCs secreted brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor in vitro, and increased the level of BDNF in the brain and muscles in vivo. The results indicate that hADSCs enhance physical activity including stamina not only by attenuating tissue injury, but also by strengthening the muscles via production of BDNF.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1503
Author(s):  
Carla Guijarro-Real ◽  
Mariola Plazas ◽  
Adrián Rodríguez-Burruezo ◽  
Jaime Prohens ◽  
Ana Fita

Antiviral treatments inhibiting Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication may represent a strategy complementary to vaccination to fight the ongoing Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Molecules or extracts inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 chymotripsin-like protease (3CLPro) could contribute to reducing or suppressing SARS-CoV-2 replication. Using a targeted approach, we identified 17 plant products that are included in current and traditional cuisines as promising inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro activity. Methanolic extracts were evaluated in vitro for inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 3CLPro activity using a quenched fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay. Extracts from turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizomes, mustard (Brassica nigra) seeds, and wall rocket (Diplotaxis erucoides subsp. erucoides) at 500 µg mL−1 displayed significant inhibition of the 3CLPro activity, resulting in residual protease activities of 0.0%, 9.4%, and 14.9%, respectively. Using different extract concentrations, an IC50 value of 15.74 µg mL−1 was calculated for turmeric extract. Commercial curcumin inhibited the 3CLPro activity, but did not fully account for the inhibitory effect of turmeric rhizomes extracts, suggesting that other components of the turmeric extract must also play a main role in inhibiting the 3CLPro activity. Sinigrin, a major glucosinolate present in mustard seeds and wall rocket, did not have relevant 3CLPro inhibitory activity; however, its hydrolysis product allyl isothiocyanate had an IC50 value of 41.43 µg mL−1. The current study identifies plant extracts and molecules that can be of interest in the search for treatments against COVID-19, acting as a basis for future chemical, in vivo, and clinical trials.


Mobile DNA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin M. Waldern ◽  
Dorie Smith ◽  
Carol Lyn Piazza ◽  
E. Jake Bailey ◽  
Nicholas J. Schiraldi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Group II introns are mobile retroelements, capable of invading new sites in DNA. They are self-splicing ribozymes that complex with an intron-encoded protein to form a ribonucleoprotein that targets DNA after splicing. These molecules can invade DNA site-specifically, through a process known as retrohoming, or can invade ectopic sites through retrotransposition. Retrotransposition, in particular, can be strongly influenced by both environmental and cellular factors. Results To investigate host factors that influence retrotransposition, we performed random insertional mutagenesis using the ISS1 transposon to generate a library of over 1000 mutants in Lactococcus lactis, the native host of the Ll.LtrB group II intron. By screening this library, we identified 92 mutants with increased retrotransposition frequencies (RTP-ups). We found that mutations in amino acid transport and metabolism tended to have increased retrotransposition frequencies. We further explored a subset of these RTP-up mutants, the most striking of which is a mutant in the ribosomal RNA methyltransferase rlmH, which exhibited a reproducible 20-fold increase in retrotransposition frequency. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that ribosomes in the rlmH mutant were defective in the m3Ψ modification and exhibited reduced binding to the intron RNA. Conclusions Taken together, our results reinforce the importance of the native host organism in regulating group II intron retrotransposition. In particular, the evidence from the rlmH mutant suggests a role for ribosome modification in limiting rampant retrotransposition.


1985 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Mann ◽  
Diane Evans ◽  
Festus Edoimioya ◽  
Freja Kamel ◽  
George M. Butterstein

1985 ◽  
Vol 249 (3) ◽  
pp. E276-E280 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. S. Evans ◽  
R. J. Krieg ◽  
E. R. Limber ◽  
D. L. Kaiser ◽  
M. O. Thorner

The effects of gender and the gonadal hormone environment on basal and stimulated growth hormone (GH) release by dispersed and continuously perifused rat anterior pituitary cells were examined. Cells from intact male and diestrus day 2 female rats and from castrate male rats either untreated or treated with testosterone (T) or 17 beta-estradiol (E2) were used. Basal GH release (ng/min per 10(7) cells; mean +/- SE) by cells from diestrus day 2 female rats was less than by cells from castrate rats treated with T (4.3 +/- 0.6 vs. 11.4 +/- 2.7, respectively; P less than 0.025). No other differences in basal release were detected. Concentration-response relationships were documented between human GH-releasing factor 40 (hGRF-40; 0.03-100 nM given as 2.5-min pulses every 27.5 min) and GH release. Mean (+/- SE) overall GH release (ng/min per 10(7) cells) above base line was greater by cells from intact male rats (496 +/- 92) than by cells from castrate (203 +/- 37.3; P less than 0.0001), castrate and T-treated (348 +/- 52.8; P = 0.008), or castrate and E2-treated (58.1 +/- 6.8; P less than 0.001) male rats or by diestrus day 2 rats (68.6 +/- 9.5; P = 0.0001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graciela S. Díaz-Torga ◽  
Damasia Becú-Villalobos ◽  
Carlos Libertun

2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. Gill-Sharma

In the last 20 years, a pituitary-hypothalamus tissue culture system with intact neural and portal connections has been developed in our lab and used to understand the feedback mechanisms that regulate the secretions of adenohypophyseal hormones and fertility of male rats. In the last decade, several in vivo rat models have also been developed in our lab with a view to substantiate the in vitro findings, in order to delineate the role of pituitary hormones in the regulation of fertility of male rats. These studies have relied on both surgical and pharmacological interventions to modulate the secretions of gonadotropins and testosterone. The interrelationship between the circadian release of reproductive hormones has also been ascertained in normal men. Our studies suggest that testosterone regulates the secretion of prolactin through a long feedback mechanism, which appears to have been conserved from rats to humans. These studies have filled in a major lacuna pertaining to the role of prolactin in male reproductive physiology by demonstrating the interdependence between testosterone and prolactin. Systemic levels of prolactin play a deterministic role in the mechanism of chromatin condensation during spermiogenesis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liudmila Zakharova ◽  
Hikmet Nural ◽  
Mohamed A Gaballa

Cardiac progenitor cells are generated from atria explants; however the cellular origin and the mechanisms of cell outgrowth are unclear. Using transgenic tamoxifen-induced Willms tumor 1 (Wt1)-Cre/ERT and Cre-activated GFP reporter mice, we found approximately 40% of explant-derived cells and 74% of explant-derived c-Kit+ cells originated from the epicardium. In atria from sham hearts, Wt1+ cells were located in a thin epicardial layer, while c-Kit+ cells were primarily found within both the sub-epicardium and the myocardium, albeit at low frequency. No overlap between c-Kit+ and Wt1+ cells was observed, suggesting that epicardial Wt1+ cells do not express c-Kit marker in vivo, but more likely the c-Kit marker was acquired in culture. Compared with 4 days in culture, at day 21 we observed 7 folds increase in Snail gene expression; 32% increase in α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) marker, and 30% decrease in E-cadherin marker, suggesting that the explant-derived cells underwent epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Cell outgrowths released TGF-β (1036.4 ± 1.18 pm/ml) and exhibited active TGF-β signaling, which might triggered the EMT. Compared to shams, CHF cell outgrowths exhibited elevated levels of EMT markers, SMA (49% vs. 34%) and Snail (2 folds), and reduced level of Wt1 (11% vs. 22%). In addition, CHF cell outgrowths had two folds increase in Pai1 gene expression, a direct target of TGF-β signaling. In c-Kit+ cells derived from CHF explants, Nanog gene expression was 4 folds lower and Sox 2 was 2 folds lower compared with cells from shams. Suppression of EMT in cell outgrowth increased the percentage of c-Kit+ and Wt1+ cells by 17%, and 15%, respectively. Also suppression of EMT in c-Kit+ cells resulted in 4 folds increase in Nanog and 3 fold increase in Sox2 gene expressions. Our results showed that CHF may further exuberates EMT while diminishes the re-activation of pluripotency genes. Thus, EMT modulation in CHF is a possible strategy to regulate both the yield and the pluripotency of cardiac-explant-derived progenitor cells.


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