Effects of purified ginseng saponins on multilamellar liposomes

To elucidate the mode of interaction between purified ginseng saponins and liposomes, the effects of ginseng saponins at concentrations below and above their critical micelle concentration on the osmotic behavior of liposomes were observed. Liposomes composed of egg phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidic acid (PA) and/or cholesterol (Ch) behave as an ideal osmometer and this activity was described by the linear relationship between (1/A450)3/2 and Cin/Cout. Total saponin prepared from the lateral roots of ginseng cultivated in Korea interacted with multilamellar liposomes and prevented them from behaving as an ideal osmometer. 20-S-Protopanaxadiol saponin showed similar activity but 20-s-protopanaxatriol saponin had weak activity. Ginsenoside Rb1 whose genin is 20-S-protopanaxadiol, disturbed osmotic behavior of Ch-free liposomes but not Ch-containing liposomes as monomers and lyzed both liposomes as micelles. Rg1 whose genin is 20-S-protopanaxatriol, showed no activity on liposomes with or without Ch. It can be suggested that ginseng saponins may interact with and destroy liposomal membranes and that structure of sugar moiety is an important factor to their activities. Ch is not a target in this interaction but suppresses the activity of ginseng saponins.

Ultrastructural morphometric analysis of normal human lymphocytes stimulated in vitro with mitogens and antigens

In the present study the authors attempt to experimentally produce the characteristic cerebriform appearance of Sézary cells from normal cells by stimulation in vitro with a variety of mitogens and antigens. Lymphocytes were stimulated with the mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A, and pokeweed mitogen and the antigens spherulin, Candida, and herpes simplex virus Type I. In vitro blast transformation was measured in tritiated thymidine uptake microculture systems. Nuclear contours were morphometrically analyzed with the use of a computerized planimeter. An exhaustive search for Sézary-type cells did not reveal any nuclear profiles that were highly convoluted. The lowest form factor value obtained from the stimulated cultures was 0.14. This value represents 14% of a circle. All stimulated cultures analyzed morphometrically showed significant blast transformation. There was no correlation between the degree of stimulation and the nuclear contour values. An analysis of mean form factor values from ten separate lymphoid populations revealed that neither mitogens nor antigens had any effect on increasing the nuclear irregularity of lymphoid cells. One PHA-stimulated culture, in fact, had less irregular nuclear contours than the 3-day unstimulated control cells. The difference in these means was statistically significant (P less than 0.05). In addition, morphometric analysis of 73 published electron micrographs of human lymphoid cells from a variety of clinical and experimental conditions showing irregular nuclear contours revealed that only 5% had nuclei that were more irregular than the most convoluted nuclei analyzed from lymphocytes stimulated in vitro in the present study. The authors have shown that mitogen- and antigen-stimulated cells do not display the highly irregular nuclear outlines commonly seen in the Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides and emphasize the need for more objective analysis of Sézary-like nuclear profiles to determine their specificity.

Combined thiotepa and mitomycin C instillation therapy for low-grade superficial bladder tumor

Fifteen patients with superficial low-grade bladder tumors were treated with combined thiotepa and mitomycin C instillation as definitive therapy. The amount of both thiotepa and mitomycin C used in each instillation in the presenting protocol was one half the conventional dose of either used alone. Patients with multiple bladder tumors, bladder tumors inaccessible to endoscopic resection, or lesions too extensive to completely resect, or with medial contraindications for endoscopic resection procedures, were included in these studies. No serious adverse effect was revealed in these 15 patients. Ten of the 15 patients (66.7%) had a complete response and 4 (26.7%) had a partial response. One patient (6.6%) did not respond to this regimen. This protocol seems to provide a therapeutic modality that is more effective than conventional single-drug therapy, less toxic than thiotepa used alone, and less expensive than mitomycin C used alone.

An ultrastructural evaluation of the cell organelle specificity of the uranaffin reaction in two human endocrine neoplasms

The organelle specificity of the uranaffin reaction was determined by subjecting two human neoplasms (a pheochromocytoma and islet cell carcinoma) to four different experimental conditions. In Uranaffin Procedure (UP) I, fixed tissue was immersed in 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) before reacting with 4% uranyl acetate (pH 3.9) for 24 hours. In UP II, the tissue was prepared as in UP I with the exception that the tissue was immersed in uranyl acetate for 48 hours. In UP III, fixed tissue was prepared as in UP I with the exception that tissue was immersed in 0.1M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.2) instead of 0.9% NaCl. In UP IV, fixed tissue was prepared as in UP III with the exception that the tissue was immersed in uranyl acetate for 48 hours instead of 24 hours. When UPs I and II were utilized, only three cell organelles showed electron-dense reactivity: the nucleus, ribosomes, and cytoplasmic neurosecretory-like granules. In the nucleus, the nuclear chromatin, nucleolus, interchromatinic granules and perichromatinic granules were intensely stained. The reaction product in all of the uranaffin-positive organelles had a finely granular appearance. When fixed tissue was immersed in cacodylate buffer instead of isotonic saline, a non-specific reactivity was observed. The reaction product in some areas had a distinct crystalline appearance and filled some areas of the cytosol, the cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, the perinuclear cisternae, the nucleus, nucleolus, mitochondria, neurosecretory-like granules and larger lysosome-like bodies. There was a statistically significant (p less than 0.05) increase in the number of uranaffin-positive granules/mu2 when both endocrine neoplasms were reacted with uranyl acetate for 48 hours instead of 24 hours. The increase in uranaffin-positive granules using UP II did not result in an increase in non-specificity of the staining reaction.

Effect of acute blood loss on glycosylated hemoglobin determinations in normal subjects

Nondiabetic adult subjects (N = 12) were studied to determine the effect of an approximately 450-ml acute blood loss upon glycosylated hemoglobin measurements. After blood loss, the hematocrit significantly decreased by week 1 (P less than 0.001) and the reticulocyte count peaked by week 2. All glycosylated hemoglobins measured showed significant decreases post blood loss. The nadir was at week 4 for total A1, A1c, and irreversible A1c by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), and at week 6 for irreversible A1 by HPLC and A1 by electrophoresis. The mean percent decrease in glycosylated hemoglobins ranged from 4.6% (irreversible A1 by HPLC) to 8.6% (total A1c by HPLC).