Advanced glycation end products induce apoptosis and procoagulant activity in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Hyperglycemia and the late products of non-enzymatic glycosylation, called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), play an important role in the development of microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus. Previous studies have reported that a high glucose environment triggered apoptotic changes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Therefore, we investigated whether AGEs contribute to the development of apoptosis and prothrombotic activity in HUVECs. After incubation of HUVECs with 0.2, 2.2, 22, 220 and 2200 nM of AGE-bovine serum albumin (BSA) from 6 to 48 h, we assayed the degree of apoptosis and procoagulant activity (PCA). There were no significant differences between HUVECs cultured for 48 h with 0.2, 2.2 or 22 nM of AGE-BSA and in controls in the proportion of apoptotic cells (3.5 +/- 0.8%, 3.9 +/- 1.5% and 5.2 +/- 1.1% vs. 2.5 +/- 0.6%). However, the proportion of apoptotic cells increased significantly to 36.7 +/- 9.8% in 220 nM of AGE-BSA, and 72.3 +/- 10.2% in 2200 nM of AGE-BSA (P < 0.001). PCA levels were 142 +/- 10 s after 6 h of exposure to 22 nM (P < 0.01), 131 +/- 5 s after 6 h of exposure to 220 nM (P < 0.001), and 106 +/- 4 s after 6 h of exposure to 2200 nM of AGE-BSA (P < 0.001). These values show that PCA was shortened significantly from the basal value of 161 +/- 6 s, and remained below the basal level until the end of the study. The amount of tissue factor was also significantly increased in 22 and 220 nM of AGE-BSA compared to the controls. In conclusion, this study showed that AGEs could induce apoptosis and increase procoagulant activity in cultured HUVECs. We suggest that AGEs can contribute to the development of microvascular complications through cell death of HUVECs and functional changes of the blood vessels.

Efficacy of endoscopic clipping for bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer: comparison with topical ethanol injection

OBJECTIVE

Although endoscopic clipping is used widely for the treatment of bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers, clinical trials on its efficacy are scarce. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of endoscopic clipping for hemostasis from bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers.

METHODS

The present study was designed as a retrospective study using historical controls. One hundred consecutive patients with bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers were treated by endoscopic clipping. The preceding 91 consecutive patients treated by endoscopic pure ethanol injection were regarded as controls. Forty-nine of the clipping group and 41 of the ethanol group had lesions at sites difficult to perform endoscopic manipulation. Hemostatic rates, rebleeding rates, amounts of blood transfusion, and durations of hospital stay were analyzed.

RESULTS

The hemostatic rate was 96% in both clipping and ethanol groups, whereas the rebleeding rate was lower (15% vs 29%, p = 0.023) in the former than the latter. In technically difficult cases, the hemostatic rate was comparable (96 vs 90%).

CONCLUSION

In patients with bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers, endoscopic clipping may be a choice of therapy because of a low rebleeding rate compared with pure ethanol injection.

Expression of ICAM-1 on the Hantaan virus-infected human umbilical vein endothelial cells

OBJECTIVES

In HFRS, there is a varying degree of disseminated intravascular coagulation which was evident in the early phase of the illness. It is believed also that DIC would be the consequence, at least in part, of functional changes of endothelium resulting in kinin activation and clinical syndrome. This study investigated the role of adhesion molecule in the pathogenesis of Hantaan virus-related disease.

METHODS

The expression of ICAM-1 antigen on the cell membrane of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and ICAM-1 mRNA in the endothelial cells was assessed by in situ hybridization after Hantaan virus infection (2.6 x 10(4) PFU/mL) with the time course.

RESULTS

In immunohistochemistry, the number of ICAM-1 positive cells increased with time during the 12 or 24 hours after infection. 5 to 10% of HUVECs had been positive after 12-24 hours and the number of positive cells decreased abruptly after 24 hours. Hantaan antigen had been noticed after 12 hours focally on the HUVECs but continued to proliferate into day 7 post-infection when most of HUVECs were infected by Hantaan virus. In situ hybridization showed identical patterns of ICAM-1 mRNA expression after Hantaan virus infection.

CONCLUSION

It implies that the Hantaan virus infection on HUVECs would express more ICAM-1 on their surface and implicated in the pathogenesis of early clinical syndrome of HFRS.

Molecular cloning of a catalase cDNA from Nicotiana glutinosa L. and its repression by tobacco mosaic virus infection

Recent reports revealed that catalase has a role in the plant defense mechanism against a broad range of pathogens through being inhibited by salicylic acid (SA). During an effort to clone disease resistance-responsive genes, a cDNA encoding catalase (Ngcat1; Nicotiana glutinosa cat1) was isolated from a tobacco cDNA library. In N. glutinosa, catalase is encoded by a small gene family. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Ngcat1 cDNA has 98% homology with the cat1 gene of N. plumbaginifolia. The Ngcat1 expression is controlled by the circadian clock, and its mRNA level is the most abundant in leaves. Both the expression of Ngcat1 mRNA and its enzyme activity in the tobacco plant undergoing a hypersensitive response (HR) to TMV infection were repressed. The repression of the mRNA level was also observed following treatment with SA. These results imply that SA may act as an inhibitor of catalase transcription during the HR of tobacco. Cloning and expression of the Ngcat1 in tobacco following pathogen infection and SA treatment are presented.

Interactions of pulmonary surfactant protein SP-A with monolayers of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol: roles of SP-A domains

Pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A) is an oligomeric glycoprotein that binds dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). Interactions of rat SP-A and recombinant SP-As with pure and binary monolayers of DPPC and cholesterol were studied using a rhomboid surface balance at 37 degrees C. A marked inflection at equilibrium surface tension (23 mN/m) in surface tension-area isotherm of a pure DPPC film was abolished by rat SP-A. The inflection was decreased and shifted to 18 mN/m with wild-type recombinant SP-A (SP-Ahyp). Both rat SP-A and SP-Ahyp decreased surface area reduction required for pure DPPC films to reach near zero surface tension from 30 to 25%. SP-Ahyp, E195Q,R197D, mutated in carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) known to be essential for SP-A-vesicle interactions, conveyed a detrimental effect on DPPC surface activity. SP-ADeltaG8-P80, with deletion of collagen-like domain, had little effect. Both SP-Ahyp, C6S (Ser substitution for Cys6) and SP-Ahyp,DeltaN1-A7 (N-terminal segment deletion) which appear mainly as monomers on non-reducing SDS-PAGE analysis, increased required surface area reduction for minimal surface tension. All SP-As reduced collapse surface tension of a pure cholesterol film from 27 to 23 mN/m in the presence of Ca2+. When mixed films were formed by successive spreading of DPPC/SP-A/cholesterol, rat SP-A, SP-Ahyp, or SP-ADeltaG8-P80 blocked the interaction of cholesterol with DPPC; SP-Ahyp,E195Q,R197D could not impede the interaction; SP-Ahyp,C6S or SP-Ahyp,DeltaN1-A7 only partially blocked the interaction, and cholesterol appeared to stabilize SP-Ahyp,C6S-DPPC association. These results demonstrate the importance of CRD and N-terminal dependent oligomerization in SP-A-phospholipid associations. The findings further indicate that SP-A-cholesterol interactions differ from SP-A-DPPC interactions and may be nonspecific.

Interaction of pulmonary surfactant protein A with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol at the air/water interface

Interaction of pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A) with pure and binary mixed dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and cholesterol (3.5 wt%) at the air/saline, 1.5 mM CaCl2 interface was investigated using a rhomboid surface balance at 37 degrees C. Surface tension-area isotherms were measured to access the surface active properties of the monolayers. The organization of DPPC and cholesterol in DPPC and DPPC/cholesterol mixed monolayers with or without SP-A at equilibrium surface tension (approximately 23 mN/N) was revealed by autoradiographs of Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) films deposited from [14C]DPPC or [14C]cholesterol-labeled monolayers. The results showed that SP-A can interact with the polar head groups of DPPC monolayers and aggregate DPPC molecules. SP-A decreased the surface area reduction required for DPPC monolayers to achieve near zero surface tension from 30 to 25% of the area at equilibrium. SP-A also reduced the collapse surface tension of pure cholesterol from 27 to 23 mN/m. DPPC and cholesterol formed homogeneous mixed monolayers when both were dissolved in the spreading solvent prior to spreading, while separate cholesterol-rich domains appeared when DPPC and cholesterol were spread successively. Cholesterol resisted squeeze-out from either mixed monolayer through compression. Although SP-A could not promote the squeeze-out of cholesterol from homogeneous mixed monolayers, it facilitated that of cholesterol domains especially when SP-A had first interacted with DPPC. These results indicate that pulmonary surfactant protein A facilitates the squeeze-out of cholesterol domains from mixed monolayers by condensing DPPC and limiting lateral interactions of DPPC with cholesterol domains.

Nucleotide sequence variations in the internal ribosome entry site of hepatitis C virus-1b: no association with efficacy of interferon therapy or serum HCV-RNA levels

The extreme 5'-proximal sequences of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome including the 5'untranslated region (5'UTR) and the first 30 nucleotides of the core region are highly conserved, and serve as an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) that initiates the cap-independent translation of HCV polyprotein. Mutations in the IRES sequence have been shown to cause changes in the efficiency of protein translation in vitro. However, the significance of genetic variations in the IRES is not fully known in clinical settings. Pretreatment sera of 25 patients with HCV-1b infection who were treated with interferon were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the IRES sequence was directly sequenced. Correlation of interferon responses or other clinical features with IRES sequence variability was studied. Eleven of 25 patients were sustained responders (SR) of interferon treatment (negative serum HCV RNA and normal alanine transaminase levels for 6 months after the end of interferon treatment), and the other 14 patients were nonresponders ([NR], defined as any patient with positive serum HCV RNA within 6 months after the end of interferon therapy). In each patient, one to four nucleotide substitutions were found compared with the consensus sequence of HCV-1b genotype. There were no differences in the number of nucleotide substitutions between either SR and NR (mean, 1.8 in SR, 2.1 in NR; P = .30), and no specific variations associated with SR or NR were observed. Although NR had significantly higher serum levels of pretreatment HCV RNA than SR (median, 16 vs. <0.5 Meq/mL; P = .02), there was no correlation between the HCV-RNA level and the number of nucleotide substitutions in the IRES (mean, 1.9 nucleotide substitutions in 12 patients with HCV RNA <0.5 Meq/ mL vs. 2.1 nucleotide substitutions in 13 patients with HCV RNA >0.5 Meq/mL; P = .61). Sequence variability of the IRES has no influence on interferon efficacy or serum HCV-RNA concentrations in patients with chronic HCV-1b infection.

9-Hydroxycrisamicin A, a new cytotoxic isochromanquinone antibiotic produced by Micromonospora sp. SA246

9-Hydroxycrisamicin A, a new cytotoxic isochromanquinone antibiotic, was isolated from a soil microorganism SA246 which was identified as Micromonospora sp. The molecular formula of 9-hydroxycrisamicin A was determined as C32H22O13 based on the HRFAB-MS analysis, and the structure was determined by various NMR experiments. 9-Hydroxycrisamicin A showed weak antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and strong cytotoxic activity against some human cancer cell lines such as SK-OV-3 (ovarian), HCT15 (colon), SK-MEL-2 (melanoma), A549 (lung), XF498 (central nervous system) with ED50 of 0.47-0.65 microgram/ml.

Effect of pulmonary surfactant protein A and neutral lipid on accretion and organization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine in surface films

The effects of surfactant-associated protein A (SP-A) on lipid adsorption to the air-water interface and accumulation of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in the surface region were investigated at 37 degrees C. Dispersions used were bovine pulmonary lipid extract surfactant with or without neutral lipid (NL). Lipid adsorption was examined with the Wilhelmy plate technique and DPPC accumulation by monitoring surface radioactivity from [14C]DPPC with a scintillation probe. SP-A enhanced the rate of lipid adsorption, while both SP-A and NL increased the extent of DPPC accumulation. At the specific radioactivity used [14C]DPPC monolayers were undetectable: the surface radioactivity arose from surface-associated DPPC beneath the monolayer. At the highest concentration studied (0.3 mg lipid/ml), NL greatly enhanced DPPC accumulation and SP-A attenuated this effect. Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) films were prepared from [14C]DPPC-labeled dispersions (0.3 mg lipid/ml) at equilibrium surface tension. Autoradiographs of L-B films from lipid extract surfactant exhibited a diffuse misty appearance, while NL promoted formation of heterogeneous DPPC aggregates. Addition of SP-A to lipid extracts without NL generated DPPC aggregates; more uniform larger aggregates appeared in the presence of SP-A and NL. Radiation measurements confirmed that the L-B films were composed of more than monolayers. SP-A did not increase DPPC levels in films deposited from lipid extracts unless NL was present. These results indicate that neutral lipid cooperates with surfactant-associated protein A to organize dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine in the surface films and enhance formation of a DPPC-rich reservoir below the air-water interface.

theta-adaptive neural networks: a new approach to parameter estimation

A novel use of neural networks for parameter estimation in nonlinear systems is proposed. The approximating ability of the neural network is used to identify the relation between system variables and parameters of a dynamic system. Two different algorithms, a block estimation method and a recursive estimation method, are proposed. The block estimation method consists of the training of a neural network to approximate the mapping between the system response and the system parameters which in turn is used to identify the parameters of the nonlinear system. In the second method, the neural network is used to determine a recursive algorithm to update the parameter estimate. Both methods are useful for parameter estimation in systems where either the structure of the nonlinearities present are unknown or when the parameters occur nonlinearly. Analytical conditions under which successful estimation can be carried but and several illustrative examples verifying the behavior of the algorithms through simulations are presented.

Infantile hookworm disease in China. A review

Hundreds of cases of infantile hookworm disease which shows bloody stools, melena, anorexia, listlessness and oedema, have been reported in China since the 1960s. Hookworm eggs were detected in due course in the faeces of the reported cases. With the exception of a single worm identified as Necator americanus, all the adult worms expelled following chemotherapy or examined at autopsy were Ancylostoma duodenale. Many children showed clinical manifestations and eggs in their faeces on day 1-26 after birth, and more cases occurred within 3 months of birth. Evidently, these infections were mostly transmitted from the mothers by transplacental and/or transmammary routes.

Soil-transmitted helminthiases: nationwide survey in China

A total of 2848 study sites, with about 500 people in each, were randomly sampled for this investigation which covered a total population of 1 477 742. By stool examinations using the Kato-Katz thick-smear and larval-culture techniques, overall prevalences of 47.0%, 18.8%, and 17.2% were obtained for Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm infections, respectively. The number of infections due to Ascaris, Trichuris, and hookworm was estimated as 531 million, 212 million, and 194 million, respectively. Egg counts showed that 75-95% of the subjects had light infections. Higher prevalences of ascariasis and trichuriasis were found in the age group of 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 years, and among adults for hookworm. Students, farmers (including vegetable growers) and fishermen were the occupational groups with high infection rates. The prevalence of helminthiases was found to be closely associated with climatic and geographical factors. In view of the morbidity and mortality due to these helminthiases, their control, particularly in schoolchildren, is very important.

Effect of pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A) and calcium on the adsorption of cholesterol and film stability

The effect of exogenous cholesterol on the stability of surface films at 37 degrees C from various surfactants was studied with the pulsating bubble surfactometer. Addition of cholesterol (5%, w/w) to bovine lipid extract surfactant (bLES) or mixtures of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol /SP-B (7:3:1%) dispersed in 1.5 mM CaCl2/0.9% NaCl resulted in unstable surface films. Although 10% cholesterol only partially impaired the surface activity of bLES, it virtually abolished that of the reconstituted surfactant. The inhibitory effects of cholesterol were significantly repressed by SP-A (10%, w/w of lipid) and 3 mM CaCl2 or 5 mM CaCl2 without SP-A. Adsorption of cholesterol from various surfactants into the air/water interface was examined by measuring the surface radioactivity of [14C]cholesterol. Cholesterol alone dispersed in 1.5 mM CaCl2/0.9% NaCl could not adsorb to the interface, but it adsorbed readily when mixed with bLES. Cholesterol adsorption was markedly suppressed by SP-A in 3 mM CaCl2/0.9% NaCl or 5 mM CaCl2/0.9% NaCl without SP-A. Electron microscopy revealed striking ultrastructural differences between bLES/5% cholesterol/10% SP-A in 3 mM CaCl2/0.9% NaCl and bLES/5% cholesterol in 3 or 5 mM CaCl2/0.9% NaCl. The former exhibited large multilayer and small unilamellar vesicles, while the latter displayed condensed patches of aggregates. Adsorption studies showed aggregated patches adsorbed more rapidly than vesicles but attained lower equilibrium surface pressures. These results indicate SP-A and calcium limit the adsorption of surfactant cholesterol to the air-water interface.

Nationwide survey of human parasite in China

A nationwide survey of human parasites in China was conducted during 1988-1992, with a coverage of 30 provinces/autonomous regions/municipalities (P/A/M). A total of 2,848 pilot sites in 726 counties were selected by random sampling, and 1,477,742 individuals residing on were surveyed by fecal examination. The status of paragonimiasis, hydatid diseases, cysticercosis and trichinellosis were summarized through data review. The overall infection rate of intestinal parasites was 62.6% whereas at provincial level, the highest infection rate (94.7%) was recovered in Hainan, and the lowest (17.5%) in Heilong-jiang. A high proportion (43.3%) of polyparasitism among the infected population (882,080) was revealed. Altogether 56 species of parasites comprising protozoa (19), trematode (16), cestodes (8), nematodes (12) and thorny-headed worm (1) were discovered. During the survey a new species and several new records were documented. The number of the population infected with common intestinal parasites was estimated. The diversities of parasite distribution were noted in different nationalities as well as in varied occupations.

Adsorption, compression and stability of surface films from natural, lipid extract and reconstituted pulmonary surfactants

A pulsating bubble surfactometer was used to study the surface activities and surface film stabilities of bovine pulmonary surfactants (10 mg/ml) and a reconstituted surfactant (10 mg/ml). Pulmonary surfactants were natural surfactant (NS), lipid extract surfactant [LES(chol)] and lipid extract surfactant without neutral lipids (LES). NS is composed of phospholipids, neutral lipids and surfactant-associated proteins (SP-A, SP-B and SP-C). Both LES(chol) and LES are organic solvent extracts of NS. LES(chol) retains all the components of NS except SP-A. Reconstituted surfactant was dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC): 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG): SP-B/7:3:1%. All three pulmonary surfactants attained the equilibrium surface tension almost instantaneously at 37 degrees C. The adsorption rates of NS and LES(chol) at 24 degrees C were similar to those at 37 degrees C, while LES exhibited a lower adsorption rate at 24 degrees C. Reconstituted surfactant adsorbed slower than any of the pulmonary surfactants. Film stability was studied by recording the spontaneous increase in the pressure gradient of a static bubble at the minimum size (Rmin) once near zero surface tension was attained. The order of surface film stabilities were: reconstituted surfactant > > NS > LES > LES(chol). Surface films of NS and LES could be stabilized by prolonged pulsation, while film stability of LES(chol) was only moderately affected by pulsation. These results indicate that SP-A in NS promotes formation of some unique structure, possibly tubular myelin, which induces selective adsorption of lipids into the surface.

[A preliminary experimental study on processing of peach kernel]

Contents of water, alcohol, ether soluble components and amygdalin of differently processed peach kernel (raw drug, scalded, stir-baked and steamed) were determined. The security of the decoctions from the four processed samples was compared. This paper provides a preliminary experimental basis for the rational utilization of peach kernel.

Structural analysis of the O-antigen side chain polysaccharides in the lipopolysaccharides of Klebsiella serotypes O2(2a), O2(2a,2b), and O2(2a,2c)

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Klebsiella serotype O2 is antigenically heterogeneous; some strains express multiple antigenic factors. To study this heterogeneity, we determined the structure of the O-antigen polysaccharides in isolates belonging to serotypes O2(2a), O2(2a,2b), and O2(2a,2c), by using composition analysis, methylation analysis, and both 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The repeating unit structure of the 2a polysaccharide was identified as the disaccharide [----3)-beta-D-Galf-(1----3)-alpha-D-Galp-(1----] and was identical to D-galactan I, one of two O polysaccharides present in the LPS of Klebsiella pneumoniae serotype O1 (C. Whitfield, J. C. Richards, M. B. Perry, B. R. Clarke, and L. L. MacLean, J. Bacteriol. 173:1420-1431, 1991). LPS from serotype O2(2a,2b) also contained D-galactan I as the only O polysaccharide, suggesting that the 2b antigen is not an O antigen. The LPS of serotype O2(2a,2c) contained a mixture of two structurally distinct O polysaccharides and provides a second example of this phenomenon in Klebsiella spp. One polymer was identical to D-galactan I, and the other polysaccharide, the 2c antigen, was a polymer with a disaccharide repeating unit structure, [----3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1----5)-beta-D-Galf-(1----]. The 2c structure does not resemble previously reported O polysaccharides from Klebsiella spp. Periodate oxidation confirmed that D-galactan I and the 2c polysaccharide are distinct glycans, rather than representing domains within a single polysaccharide chain. Monoclonal antibodies against the 2c antigen indicated that only LPS molecules with the longest O-polysaccharide chains contained the 2c epitope.

Targeted oncogene activation by site-specific recombination in transgenic mice

An efficient and accurate method for controlled in vivo transgene modulation by site-directed recombination is described. Seven transgenic mouse founder lines were produced carrying the murine lens-specific alpha A-crystallin promoter and the simian virus 40 large tumor-antigen gene sequence, separated by a 1.3-kilobase-pair Stop sequence that contains elements preventing expression of the large tumor-antigen gene and Cre recombinase recognition sites. Progeny from two of these lines were mated with transgenic mice expressing the Cre recombinase under control of either the murine alpha A-crystallin promoter or the human cytomegalovirus promoter. All double-transgenic offspring developed lens tumors. Subsequent analysis confirmed that tumor formation resulted from large tumor-antigen activation via site-specific, Cre-mediated deletion of Stop sequences.

Liver ultrasound findings in a low prevalence area of S. japonicum in China: comparison with history, physical examination, parasitological and serological results

The paper describes a study carried out in a community in Dongdian township, Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. Medical history and the results of a physical examination, ultrasound investigation, parasitological and serological tests for Schistosoma japonicum infection were compared in 661 persons of 169 households. A lack of correlation between parasitological and serological indicators of infection and morbidity was observed in this area of low (6.4%) prevalence and intensity of infection. The prevalence of abnormal ultrasound findings in the liver in this population was high (56%), and was significantly higher than the prevalence of S. japonicum infection. The abnormal ultrasound findings correlated with a history of schistosomiasis, and the correlation increased significantly according to the number of times treated and the time since the last treatment, which suggested that past parenteral treatment has a role in the high rate of abnormal liver ultrasound findings. The significant correlation between the qualitative and quantitative serological results and abnormal ultrasound parenchymal patterns suggests that cross-reactivity between the etiology of the parenchymal disease and these tests is occurring. The presence of HBsAg correlated with the composite presence of ultrasound abnormalities of the liver parenchyma: increased echogenicity, periportal fibrosis and/or nodules and irregular fibrosis, whereas a normal ultrasound pattern was associated with the absence of HBV antigenemia.

Effect of pulmonary surfactant protein B (SP-B) and calcium on phospholipid adsorption and squeeze-out of phosphatidylglycerol from binary phospholipid monolayers containing dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine

The pulsating bubble technique was used to study the surface activity of binary phospholipid mixtures containing dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and an unsaturated acidic phospholipid such as egg phosphatidylglycerol (egg PG), 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-PG (POPG) or egg phosphatidic acid (egg PA) in the presence of surfactant-associated protein B (SP-B) and calcium. The relative surface activities were DPPC/egg PG/SP-B (7:3:1%) greater than DPPC/POPG/SP-B (7:3:1%) greater than DPPC/egg PA/SP-B (7:3:1%). The Wilhelmy surface plate technique was utilized to investigate the interaction between pure SP-B in the bulk phase (0.9% NaCl/1.5 mM CaCl2) and preformed DPPC or phosphatidylglycerol (PG) monolayers. Although SP-B injected into the bulk phase reduces the surface tension of a clean surface, no evidence was obtained for the insertion of SP-B into surface monolayers at equilibrium surface tension. Surface radioactivity measurements and the Wilhelmy surface plate technique were also used to study the potential interactions between liposomes of DPPC/POPG (7:3) with or without SP-B and surface monolayers of [14C]DPPC or [14C]POPG. No exchange of phosphatidylcholine (PC) or PG was found between the monolayer and liposomes. We also compared the adsorption of pure POPG or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and binary mixed liposomes with DPPC in the presence or absence of SP-B and calcium. DPPC/POPG/SP-B (7:3:1%) was found to be more surface active than pure POPG plus 1% SP-B in the presence of calcium. Injection of SP-B into the bulk phase promoted the adsorption of DPPC/POPG liposomes to a greater extent than POPG liposomes. The enhanced adsorption was dependent on the presence of calcium. In contrast to PG, DPPC/POPC/SP-B (7:3:1%) was less surface active than pure POPC plus 1% SP-B either in the presence or absence of calcium. Our findings suggested that the molecular composition and organization of mixed monolayers play an important role in the surface activity of the surfactant.