STEROID FORMATION IN PORCINE OVARIAN TISSUE IN VITRO

1970 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asbjørn Aakvaag

ABSTRACT Slices of non-luteinized porcine ovaries have been incubated in the presence or absence of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and exogenous radioactive substrates. Progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione were isolated in a radiochemically pure form. The chemical mass and the specific activity were determined by gas liquid chromatography and liquid scintillation spectrometry. HCG stimulated the rate of formation of androstenedione in the absence of exogenous substrates with a factor of 4–8. In the presence of pregnenolone or progesterone at a concentration of about 2 × 10−6 mol/l the stimulatory effect of HCG was either abolished or markedly reduced. The conversion of exogenous progesterone to androstenedione was reduced in response to HCG indicating that the capacity of the tissue to convert progesterone to androstenedione was limited, and that the limit was reached at this rather low substrate concentration. These findings furthermore suggest that the endogenous rather than the exogenous radioactive substrate will be »preferred« by the tissue. The observations demonstrate the necessity of measuring both the radioactivity and the chemical mass of the products in investigations of this type using radioactive substrates. The formation of progesterone from endogenous substrates was also stimulated by HCG. [1-14C] acetate and [7α-3H]cholesterol were not utilized by the tissue for steroid formation. Exogenous [4-14C] pregnenolone and [7α-3H] progesterone in similar concentration were both utilized for production of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione. HCG had no effect on the relative utilization of the radioactive substrates.

1969 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-634
Author(s):  
Asbjørn Aakvaag

ABSTRACT Ovarian tissue slices from the sow have been incubated simultaneously with pregnenolone and progesterone as substrates, one being labelled with 3H, the other with 14C. Progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione were isolated in a radiochemically pure form; the isotope ratios and the specific activities were determined after chemical quantitation by gas chromatography. Both substrates were used in the biosynthesis of the isolated compounds. The isotope ratios in progesterone, 17α-hydroxy-progesterone and androstenedione were identical or very similar, indicating that androstenedione was formed solely via the progesterone pathway. The results of a time study were in agreement with this conclusion. From the specific activities of the isolated steroids it appeared that the exogenous radioactivity and endogenous substrates were metabolized in a very similar manner. Pregnenolone sulphate was metabolized to the same isolated steroids. The first step in the conversion of this substrate appeared to be removal of the sulphate group.


1969 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asbjørn Aakvaag

ABSTRACT Human ovarian tissue was incubated with pregnenolone and progesterone simultaneously, one labelled with 3H, the other with 14C. Isolation and quantitation of metabolites indicated that the preferred pathway to androstenedione from pregnenolone was through the Δ5-intermediates, in normal tissue, as well as in tissue from a patient with the Stein-Leventhal's syndrome. Metabolism of pregnenolone was essentially unaffected by the progesterone concentration in the medium. Addition of human chorionic gonadotrophin to the medium did not influence the relative utilization of the two substrates for biosynthesis of androstenedione.


1971 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Schenker ◽  
W. Z. Polishuk ◽  
B. Eckstein

ABSTRACT Postmenopausal ovarian tissue homogenates were incubated with [7α-3H]-pregnenolone as substrate. In six independent incubations only androstenedione and testosterone were found. These androgens were isolated by column and thin-layer chromatography and identified by derivative formation and recrystallization to constant specific activity. In one of the incubations, the homogenate was divided into 3 parts. From one part incubated with [7α-3H] pregnenolone, androstenedione and testosterone were identified. From the second and third parts of the homogenate which were incubated with [4-14C]progesterone and [4-14C] testosterone respectively, the substrates were recovered unmetabolized at the end of the incubation. From these results it is deduced that the postmenopausal ovary can not aromatize androgens to oestrogens and that in this particular tissue the Δ5 pathway is the preferred route of androstenedione production.


2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Solapure ◽  
P. Raphael ◽  
C. N. Gayathri ◽  
S. P. Barde ◽  
B. Chandrakala ◽  
...  

MraY is an established target for the discovery of antibacterial agents. The conventional assay for MraY uses radioactive substrate and analysis of products after paper chromatography or butanol extraction. Synthesis of radiolabeled substrate has been done in vitro using purified enzymes or by growing cells on radiolabeled precursors. The authors report a simple and rapid method to chemically radiolabel MraY substrate, UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide. Specific activity obtained by this method was more than 100 times higher than the conventionally labeled substrate, and yields are high enough to support the requirements of high-throughput screening (HTS). The authors have developed a microplate-based homogeneous assay for MraY in which the product is captured on wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) scintillation proximity assay (SPA) beads. The assay was validated by showing inhibition by specific inhibitors of MraY but not by inhibitors of other enzymes of peptidoglycan synthesis. The assay uses wild-type membranes of Escherichia coli, giving it an advantage over recently described assays that need the protein to be overexpressed. In addition, it has an advantage over the high-throughput MraY-MurG coupled assay reported in the literature because it is MraY specific, and therefore hits obtained in this assay do not need further deconvolution. It has potential for use in HTS approaches to find novel inhibitors of MraY.


2011 ◽  
Vol 71 (05) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Salama ◽  
K Winkler ◽  
KF Murach ◽  
S Hofer ◽  
L Wildt ◽  
...  

1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (04) ◽  
pp. 453-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T Brandt

SummaryLupus anticoagulants (LAs) are antibodies which interfere with phospholipid-dependent procoagulant reactions. Their clinical importance is due to their apparent association with an increased risk of thrombo-embolic disease. To date there have been few assays for quantifying the specific activity of these antibodies in vitro and this has hampered attempts to purify and characterize these antibodies. Methods for determining phospholipid-dependent generation of thrombin and factor Xa are described. Isolated IgG fractions from 7 of 9 patients with LAs were found to reproducibly inhibit enzyme generation in these assay systems, permitting quantitative expression of inhibitor activity. Different patterns of inhibitory activity, based on the relative inhibition of thrombin and factor Xa generation, were found, further substantiating the known heterogeneity of these antibodies. These systems may prove helpful in further purification and characterization of LAs.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (05) ◽  
pp. 805-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuo Takahashi ◽  
Yoshitaka Hosaka ◽  
Hiromi Niina ◽  
Katsuaki Nagasawa ◽  
Masaaki Naotsuka ◽  
...  

SummaryWe examined the anticoagulant activity of two major molecules of soluble thrombomodulin purified from human urine. The apparent molecular weights of these urinary thrombomodulins (UTMs) were 72,000 and 79,000, respectively. Both UTMs showed more potent cofactor activity for protein C activation [specific activity >5,000 thrombomodulin units (TMU)/mg] than human placental thrombomodulin (2,180 TMU/mg) and rabbit lung thrombomodulin (1,980 TMU/mg). The UTMs prolonged thrombin-induced fibrinogen clotting time (>1 TMU/ml), APTT (>5 TMU/ml), TT (>5 TMU/ml) and PT (>40 TMU/ml) in a dose-dependent fashion. These effects appeared in the concentration range of soluble thrombomodulins present in human plasma and urine. In the rat DIC model induced by thromboplastin, administration of UTMs by infusion (300-3,000 TMU/kg) restored the hematological abnormalities derived from DIC in a dose-dependent fashion. These results demonstrate that UTMs exhibit potent anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities, and could play a physiologically important role in microcirculation.


1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (03) ◽  
pp. 244-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
D P Thomas ◽  
Rosemary E Merton ◽  
T W Barrowcliffe ◽  
L Thunberg ◽  
U Lindahl

SummaryThe in vitro and in vivo characteristics of two oligosaccharide heparin fragments have been compared to those of unfractionated mucosal heparin. A decasaccharide fragment had essentially no activity by APTT or calcium thrombin time assays in vitro, but possessed very high specific activity by anti-Factor Xa assays. When injected into rabbits at doses of up to 80 ¼g/kg, this fragment was relatively ineffective in impairing stasis thrombosis despite producing high blood levels by anti-Xa assays. A 16-18 monosaccharide fragment had even higher specific activity (almost 2000 iu/mg) by chromogenic substrate anti-Xa assay, with minimal activity by APTT. When injected in vivo, this fragment gave low blood levels by APTT, very high anti-Xa levels, and was more effective in preventing thrombosis than the decasaccharide fragment. However, in comparison with unfractionated heparin, the 16-18 monosaccharide fragment was only partially effective in preventing thrombosis, despite producing much higher blood levels by anti-Xa assays.It is concluded that the high-affinity binding of a heparin fragment to antithrombin III does not by itself impair venous thrombogenesis, and that the anti-Factor Xa activity of heparin is only a partial expression of its therapeutic potential.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 35-48
Author(s):  
D.V. Коchkin ◽  
G.I. Sobolkovа ◽  
А.А. Fоmеnkov ◽  
R.А. Sidorov ◽  
А.М. Nоsоv

The physiological characteristics of the callus cell cultures of Alhagi persarum Boiss et Buhse, a member of the legume family, widely used in folk medicine, have been studied. It was shown that the source of the explant was an important factor in the initiation of callusogenesis: more intense callusogenesis (almost 100%) was observed for explants from various organs of sterile seedlings, rather than intact plants (less than 30%). As a result, more than 20 lines of morphologically different callus cell cultures were obtained, and the growth parameters for the 5 most intensively growing lines were determined. The composition of fatty acids (FA) of total lipids and secondary metabolites in the most physiologically stable callus line Aр-207 was analyzed. Using capillary gas-liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GLC-MS), 19 individual C12--C24 FAs were identified, the main fraction of which were palmitic (~ 23%), stearic (~ 22%), linoleic (~ 14%) and α-linolenic (~ 33%) acids. The established atypical ratio of FAs (a simultaneous high content of both saturated FAs and polyunsaturated α-linolenic acid) is possibly due to the adaptation of cells to in vitro growth conditions. Phytochemical analysis of the secondary metabolites was carried out using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (UPLC MS). Compounds belonging to different structural groups of isoflavones were found. Aglycones (calycosin, formononetin and afrormosin isomer), glucosides (formononetin glucoside), as well as esters of glucosides (malonylglycosides of calicosin, formononetin, afrormosin isomers, glycitein and genistein) were detected. These secondary metabolites are widespread in plants of the Fabaceae family; however, isoflavones are rare in representatives of the Alhagi genus. The presence of malonylated isoflavone glycosides in Alhagi spp. was shown for the first time. endemic plant species, Alhagi, in vitro cell culture, callus cell culture, isoflavones, fatty acids All studies were carried out using the equipment of the "Experimental Biotechnological Facility" and the "All-Russian Collection of Cell Cultures of Higher Plants" of IРР RAS. This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), contract no.18-54-06021 (Az_a), and the Government of the Russian Federation, Megagrant Project no. 075-15-2019-1882.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 1360-1369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rail Khaziev ◽  
Nikita Shtyrlin ◽  
Roman Pavelyev ◽  
Raushan Nigmatullin ◽  
Raylya Gabbasova ◽  
...  

Background: Adamantane derivatives possess multiple pharmacological activities such as antiviral, anticancer, antimycobacterial, antidiabetic, antiparkinsonian and others. The interest of medicinal chemists in adamantane compounds is due to their unique spatial structure, high lipophilicity, and carbon cage rigidity. As a result, these molecules can easily penetrate biological lipid membranes and often have unique target-specific activity profile. Another pharmacophore studied in this work is pyridoxine (vitamin B6). Pyridoxine plays highly important roles in living cells as a key cofactor of many enzymes. On the other hand, its molecular scaffold is a valuable structural platform which has led to the development of several launched drugs (Pyritinol, Pirisudanol, Cycletanine, Mangafodipir) and a wide number of preclinical and clinical drug candidates. Objective: The objective of this study is a synthesis of pyridoxine-adamantane and pyridoxinecyclooctane dipharmacophore molecules. The underlying idea was to assess the antibacterial and antiviral potential of such dipharmacophores, based on multiple examples of promising antiinfective agents which have in their structures adamantane and pyridoxine moieties. Another specific reason was to explore the ability of pyridoxine pharmacophore to suppress the potential of microbial pathogens to develop resistance to drug molecules. Methods: In this study, a series of pyridoxine-adamantane and pyridoxine-cyclooctane dipharmacophore molecules were synthesized based on reactions of three different cycloalkyl amines with the corresponding electrophilic derivatives of pyridoxine aldehydes, chlorides and acetates. All synthesized compounds have been tested for their in vitro activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain and H3N2 (A/Aichi/2/68) influenza virus. Results: Series of pyridoxine-adamantane and pyridoxine-cyclooctane dipharmacophore molecules were synthesized based on reactions of three different cycloalkylamines with the corresponding electrophilic derivatives of pyridoxine aldehydes, chlorides and acetates. Reaction of cycloalkylamines with pyridoxine derivatives, in which meta-hydroxyl and ortho-hydroxymethyl groups are protected by acetyl groups, represents a useful alternative to reductive amination of aldehydes and nucleophilic substitution of alkyl halides. According to a tentative mechanism, it proceeds via paraand ortho-pyridinone methides which readily react with nucleophiles. None of the synthesized dipharmacophore compounds showed activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain. At the same time, three compounds demonstrated some antiviral activity against H3N2 (A/Aichi/2/68) influenza virus (EC50 52-88 µg/mL) that was comparable to the activity of Amantadine, though lower than the activity of Rimantadine. The results of this work can be useful in the design of physiologically active derivatives of pyridoxine and adamantane. Conclusion: The results of this work can be useful in the design of physiologically active derivatives of pyridoxine and adamantane.


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