Detection of changes induced in margarine exposed to air and to low level UV radiation: An intercomparison study

Only a fraction of the UV radiation emitted by the sun reaches the earth; most of the UVB (290-320nm) is eliminated by stratospheric ozone. There is increasing concern, however, that man-made chemicals are damaging this ozone layer. Although the effects of UV on DNA or as a carcinogen are widely known, preleukemia and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have only rarely been reported in psoriasis patients treated with 8-methoxypsoralen and UV (PUVA). It was therefore of interest to study the effects of UV on the myeloperoxidase (MP) activity of human neutrophils. The peroxidase activity of enriched leukocyte preparations on coverslips was shown cytochemically with a diaminobenzidine medium and cupric nitrate intensification.Control samples (Figs. 1,4,5) of human bloods that were not specifically exposed to UV radiation or light except during routine handling were compared with samples which had been exposed in one of several different ways. One preparation (Fig. 2) was from a psoriasis patient who had received whole-body UVB phototherapy repeatedly.

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Tryptophan-Niacin Metabolism in Rat with Puromycin Aminonucleoside-Induced Nephrosis

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831.76.1.28 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 76 (1) ◽

pp. 28-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Yukari Egashira ◽

Shin Nagaki ◽

Hiroo Sanada

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Urinary Excretion ◽

Enzyme Activities ◽

Treated Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Puromycin Aminonucleoside ◽

Low Level ◽

Key Enzyme

We investigated the change of tryptophan-niacin metabolism in rats with puromycin aminonucleoside PAN-induced nephrosis, the mechanisms responsible for their change of urinary excretion of nicotinamide and its metabolites, and the role of the kidney in tryptophan-niacin conversion. PAN-treated rats were intraperitoneally injected once with a 1.0% (w/v) solution of PAN at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight. The collection of 24-hour urine was conducted 8 days after PAN injection. Daily urinary excretion of nicotinamide and its metabolites, liver and blood NAD, and key enzyme activities of tryptophan-niacin metabolism were determined. In PAN-treated rats, the sum of urinary excretion of nicotinamide and its metabolites was significantly lower compared with controls. The kidneyα-amino-β-carboxymuconate-ε-semialdehyde decarboxylase (ACMSD) activity in the PAN-treated group was significantly decreased by 50%, compared with the control group. Although kidney ACMSD activity was reduced, the conversion of tryptophan to niacin tended to be lower in the PAN-treated rats. A decrease in urinary excretion of niacin and the conversion of tryptophan to niacin in nephrotic rats may contribute to a low level of blood tryptophan. The role of kidney ACMSD activity may be minimal concerning tryptophan-niacin conversion under this experimental condition.

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