Relationship of infused CFU-GM and CFU-Mk mobilized by chemotherapy with or without G-CSF to platelet recovery after autologous blood stem cell transplantation

Although hematologic reconstitution is usually rapid after autologous blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT), there is an occasional delay in platelet recovery. We studied the hematologic recovery of 27 adult patients with hematologic malignancies who received marrow-ablative chemotherapy and ABSCT to determine whether or not the numbers of infused mononuclear cells (MNC), colony-forming units granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM), and colony-forming units megakaryocyte (CFU-Mk) were related to the speed of platelet recovery after ABSCT. Peripheral blood stem cells were collected using chemotherapy-induced mobilization with or without cytokine therapy. While the number of MNC infused did not show a significant correlation with time to platelet recovery as well as granulocyte and reticulocyte recovery, the logarithmic number of CFU-GM-infused did (p < 0.01). We also found a significant correlation between the logarithmic number of CFU-Mk-infused and the time to platelet recovery (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that the number of CFU-GM-infused is a reliable indicator of hematopoietic recovery and that the number of CFU-Mk-infused is no more reliable than CFU-GM for predicting platelet recovery after ABSCT.

Effects of Bestatin on hematopoiesis in long-term human bone marrow cultures

The effects of Bestatin (Ubenimex, UBX) on normal hematopoiesis were investigated using long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) to determine whether it might enhance hematopoiesis over a long period, as well as induce the release of cytokines. LTBMC were inoculated with 0.1 or 1.0 microgram/ml of UBX at the onset of culture and was added at each weekly medium change. The cellularity and the content of the progenitors in nonadherent layer were examined each week for 5 weeks; those from the adherent layer were examined at week 5. The number of the nucleated mature cells and that of the myeloid progenitors from the nonadherent layer increased significantly (approximately two-fold) following treatment with UBX vs controls. The total number of colonies and the number of myeloid progenitors, but not that of erythroid progenitors, from the adherent layer increased significantly (about 1.5-fold) following treatment with 1.0 microgram/ml UBX. The level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the culture supernatants was significantly increased one day after the addition of 1.0 microgram/ml UBX. Findings indicate that UBX stimulated both the production of mature cells and myeloid progenitors on normal hematopoiesis in LTBMC. This was mediated by an indirect action via IL-6 production.

[Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of bone marrow necrosis]

Magnetic resonance (MR) of bone marrow was studied in two cases of acute leukemia which showed bone marrow necrosis. Case 1:A 24-year-old female was admitted because of sternum pain and bleeding tendency. She was diagnosed AML based on the peripheral blood picture. Bone marrow biopsy revealed the presence of bone marrow necrosis. T1 weighted imaging of MR showed low signal intensity in all vertebral marrow. Fatty marrow was demonstrated after achieving complete remission and the MR imaging of bone marrow changed to show high intensity, suggesting fat deposition. Case 2: A 19-year-old female suffered from chest pain and lumbago, and was diagnosed as ALL. DIC and bone marrow necrosis were confirmed during chemotherapy for remission induction. T1 weighted imaging showed the mosaic pattern of low and high signal intensity. She achieved complete remission and bone marrow clot revealed the presence of fatty marrow. Most areas of low signal intensity of T1 weighted imaging changed to those of high signal intensity. These observations suggest that necrotized bone marrow seemed to change to fatty marrow along with achieving remission. MR imaging study of bone marrow is useful for evaluating hematopoiesis in hematologic disorders.

Allogeneic skin grafting for extensive skin chronic graft-versus-host disease

A 35-year-old female with chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from her genotypically-matched brother in 1990. The extensive chronic graft-versus-host skin disease supervened with skin ulcers on both lower legs in 1992. Conservative therapy was unsuccessful for these lesions. Therefore, not only autologous skin grafting but also allogeneic skin grafting from the marrow donor was successfully performed. She has been maintaining her daily activities (Karnofsky performance status 90%) with little limitation for 17 months after the final skin grafting.

[CD7 positive acute myelogenous leukemia exhibiting pleural involvement as an initial manifestation]

A 51-year-old man had suffered from massive pleural effusion due to invasion of malignant cells. The analysis of bone marrow aspiration showed the proliferation of myeloperoxidase-positive blasts. The surface marker analysis of the blasts revealed the positivities for CD7 and CD19 as well as CD13, CD33 and CD34, while the karyotypes of 20 cells were normal. Therefore, CD7 positive AML was diagnosed. The patient was treated with araC and daunorubicin as a remission induction therapy. Peripheral blood stem cells were harvested by leukapheresis after first and second consolidation therapies. Then, 3 x 10(4) cells/kg of CFU-GM were infused. Complete remission has been maintained for 8 months after autologous blood stem cell transplantation. Pleural involvement as an initial manifestation is rare in AML. Extramedullary growth of AML cells may be related to their immaturity, indicated by the expression of the cell surface antigens.

Predominance of myeloid antigens in CD34-positive peripheral blood stem cells over those in bone marrow after administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

We analyzed the surface phenotype of CD34-positive (CD34+) cells in peripheral blood (PB) during the period of hematopoietic recovery following myelosuppressive chemotherapy. A significantly higher proportion of PB CD34+ cells coexpressed the CD13 and CD33 myeloid antigens (80.8%, 78.1%, respectively) than did BM CD34+ cells (45.8%, 37.8%, respectively) (both p < 0.01). In particular, the CD13 positivity of PB CD34+ cells harvested with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was significantly higher than that of those without G-CSF. Most of the PB CD34+ cells possessed the HLA-DR antigen, and less than 10% of the CD34+ cells coexpressed a mature cell antigen, such as CD14, GPA or Plt-1. The administration of G-CSF enhanced the appearance of significantly larger amounts of CD13+ 34+ and CD33+ 34+ cells (both p < 0.01). This G-CSF mobilization also resulted in an increased number of CD13- 34+ and CD33- 34+ cells and all types of colony-forming cells. On the other hand, macrophage colony-stimulating factor administration exerted little influence on the mobilization of PB CD34+ cells. Thus, G-CSF seemed to induce not only an expansion of circulating hematopoietic stem cells but also the myeloid differentiation of stem cells.

Inter-individual variability of human hepatic glutathione S-transferase isozymes assessed by inhibitory capacity

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are important as drug metabolizing enzymes mainly in the detoxication process. To assess individual differences in susceptibility to different chemicals, it would be useful to know the activity of specific GST isozymes in individuals. In order to study individual variability, typical substrates specific for the three major classes of GSTs were used not only as substrates but also as inhibitors using 17 organ-donor livers. Out of 17, 4 livers were low in the mu-form isozyme, judging from the depressed GST activity for trans-4-phenyl-3-buten-2-one (tPBO), a mu-class substrate. The range of tPBO activity exhibited more than 20-fold variation, while less than 2-fold variation was observed in the activities for 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), a non-specific substrate for alpha-, mu-, and pi-class GSTs. In addition to the conventional approach to assessing individual variability, well known substrates for GSTs, cumene hydroperoxide (CHP, alpha-class), tPBO (mu) and ethacrynic acid (EA, pi) were used as inhibitors against CDNB-GSH conjugation. CHP inhibited the CDNB-GSH conjugation in mu-depressed livers more potently than in the non-depressed livers, probably because CHP is a specific inhibitor for alpha-class GST. Inhibition by CHP may therefore be used to detect livers which are low in mu-form. The inhibition by tPBO was found to be weak and the variability was small (CV of 9% in 17 livers). EA potently inhibited GST activity with its inhibition constant (Ki) 2,000-fold lower than that of CHP. The small individual variation in inhibition by EA (CV of 6%) supported that EA is a universal but potent inhibitor against major GSTs contained in human liver.

Successful second autologous blood stem cell transplantation after G-CSF-combined conditioning for the treatment of high-risk acute myelogenous leukemia

We describe a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) who received his second autologous blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT) following a G-CSF-combined pre-transplant conditioning regimen. The patient underwent ABSCT during first remission but suffered a relapse 8 months later. After achieving second remission, he was prepared for his second ABSCT; recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) was administered in combination with Ara C, in addition to the same conditioning regimen as that used before the first ABSCT. There was no increase in regimen-related toxicity after this second G-CSF-combined conditioning regimen when compared with that observed after the first ABSCT. To date, the patient's second remission following the second ABSCT has lasted 26 months, which has exceeded that following the first ABSCT. The G-CSF-combined pretransplant conditioning regimen for ABSCT may be effective in the treatment of high-risk AML by increasing the chemosensitivity of the residual leukemic cells.

Effects of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) on the mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells

We studied the effects of human urinary macrophage colony-stimulating factor (huM-CSF) on the mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) following cytotoxic chemotherapy in 6 patients with acute leukemia. After complete remission (CR) was achieved, two courses of consolidation chemotherapy consisting of an intermediate dose of cytosine arabinoside were administered to the patients. During a recovery phase after each course of consolidation chemotherapy, two successive cycles of leukapheresis were performed every other day. M-CSF was administered intravenously at a dose of 8 x 10(6) U/day during a recovery phase after the second course of consolidation chemotherapy (cytotoxic plus M-CSF mobilization). There was no significant difference in white blood cell (WBC) or platelet recovery between the first and second cycles, regardless of the administration of M-CSF. Furthermore, between cytotoxic and cytotoxic/M-CSF mobilization, significant differences were not observed in the harvest of mononuclear cells (average 1.43 x 10(8)/kg vs 1.62 x 10(8)/kg), granulocyte/macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM) (1.82 x 10(4)/kg vs 3.07 x 10(4)/kg) or erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E) (2.86 x 10(4)/kg vs 2.66 x 10(4)/kg). Thus M-CSF is not effective for expanding a pool of circulating hematopoietic stem cells when administered at a conventional dose during hematologic recovery following chemotherapy.

Identification of an alternative form of the Drosophila Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II that is maternally derived

Four forms of the Drosophila Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II are generated from a single gene by alternative splicing (Ohsako et al. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 2052-2062). We identified a fifth form of the cDNA encoding the enzyme expressed in the ovary, unfertilized egg and early embryos by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, which suggests that it is maternally derived. The fifth form was also generated from the gene by alternative splicing and was identical to the cDNA encoding the 530-amino-acid polypeptide, the longest of the four forms previously identified, except that it lacked exon 11. Three splicing derivatives which lost one amino acid from the 509- and 530-amino-acid polypeptides were also found in 4 to 10 h embryos.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenaemia for rapid diagnosis and monitoring of CMV-associated disease after bone marrow transplantation

A technique for the rapid detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigen-positive blood leucocytes (CMV antigenaemia) was evaluated in 15 marrow transplant patients as a means of diagnosis and for monitoring CMV-associated disease. CMV antigenaemia was determined by direct immunoperoxidase staining of leucocytes with a peroxidase-labelled monoclonal antibody, HRP-C7, which binds an immediate-early antigen of human CMV. CMV antigenaemia occurred in 7/15 marrow transplant patients (47%) and was initially detected between 4 and 6 weeks after transplantation. CMV-associated diseases developed in 3/15 patients (20%). All patients with CMV-associated disease had a relatively large number of CMV antigen-positive leucocytes, exceeding 10 per 50,000 white blood cells (WBCs). In the remaining 12 patients, CMV antigen-positive leucocytes were less than 10 per 50,000 WBCs or were undetectable. CMV-associated disease did not develop in these patients during the period of monitoring. CMV antigen-positive leucocytes were detected more frequently in patients who developed acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or haemorrhagic cystitis than in those without such complications. CMV antigens were detectable from 1 to 4 weeks before the onset of CMV-associated disease which allowed initiation of ganciclovir treatment at an early stage. The degree of CMV antigenaemia paralleled the clinical symptoms and signs, higher degrees of antigenaemia being associated with more significant disease. Thus, the detection of CMV antigen-positive blood leucocytes is useful for the diagnosis and monitoring of CMV-associated disease following bone marrow transplantation.

Cyclosporine combined with methylprednisolone or methotrexate in prophylaxis of moderate to severe acute graft-versus-host disease

To evaluate the efficacy of cyclosporine (CYA) regimens in preventing moderate to severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), 25 patients received immunosuppressive therapy consisting of either CYA and methylprednisolone or CYA and methotrexate (MTX) and the incidence and severity of acute GVHD was compared. These patients had leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and received bone marrow transplants (BMT) from genotypically HLA-identical siblings. The incidence of grade I-IV acute GVHD in patients on the CYA/methylprednisolone regimen was 64% (7 of 11) compared with 50% (7 of 14) in those on the CYA/MTX regimen. Five of 11 patients with the CYA/methylprednisolone regimen developed moderate to severe acute GVHD (grade II-IV), fatal in 3 cases. No patient on the CYA/MTX regimen developed moderate to severe acute GVHD. Engraftment was faster in the CYA/methylprednisolone group than in the CYA/MTX group. The incidence of toxicity observed soon after BMT was comparable between groups. The CYA/MTX regimen may be superior to the CYA/methylprednisolone regimen for preventing moderate to severe acute GVHD.

[Cytomegalovirus antigenemia in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation]

For the differential diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates after bone marrow transplantation, cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia was evaluated in 9 episodes of pneumonia which developed in 7 allogeneic marrow transplant patients between 9 and 495 days after transplant. The diagnosis of lung infiltration was made based on clinical findings including histological, cytological or microbiological examinations using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens, sputum or lung tissue. The CMV antigen-positive leukocytes were detected with a direct immunoperoxidase technique using a peroxidase-labeled monoclonal antibody (HRP-C7) against CMV immediate early antigen. The episodes included 2 CMV pneumonias, 1 pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, 1 adenovirus pneumonia, 1 bacterial pneumonia, 1 bacterial and fungal pneumonia, 2 idiopathic pneumonias and 1 capillary leak syndrome associated with hyper acute GVHD. The CMV antigenemia became positive only in two patients with CMV pneumonia and the number of CMV antigen-positive leukocytes exceeded 10 per 50000 WBCs. The CMV antigenemia test required only 24 hours to obtain results. These observations suggest that the detection of CMV antigenemia is of great value in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates in marrow transplant patients.

Hematopoietic progenitor cells from patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma are not infected with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1

The in vivo host range of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has not been definitively established. To determine if hematopoietic stem cells from patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) are infected with HTLV-1, we used a clonogenic progenitor assay followed by the polymerase chain reaction for the detection of HTLV-1 DNA. In vitro growth characteristics of myeloid (CFU-GM) and erythroid (BFU-E) progenitor cells among nonadherent T-cell-depleted bone marrow (BM) mononuclear cells (NA-T-MNCs) from 10 patients with ATL was not significantly different from those of HTLV-1-seronegative controls (P = .20); numbers of colonies per 1 x 10(5) NA-T-MNCs were 34.9 +/- 7.6 for CFU-GM and 39.0 +/- 12.5 for BFU-E in patients with ATL, whereas those were 32.1 +/- 9.5 for CFU-GM and 41.4 +/- 12.7 for BFU-E in normal controls. HTLV-1 DNA was not detected in individual colonies formed by CD34+ cells from any of the patients. Similarly HTLV-1 DNA was not detected in 1 x 10(3) CD34+ cells sorted on a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) from six patients with ATL studied. In contrast, HTLV-1 DNA was detected in BM mononuclear cells from all patients. These observations clearly indicate that hematopoietic progenitor cells from patients with ATL are normal in their colony-forming capacity and that CD34+ cells from patients with ATL are not infected with HTLV-1 in vivo.

Evaluation of leukaemic contamination in peripheral blood stem cell harvests by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

A major issue in autologous blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT) for leukaemia is whether peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) harvests are less contaminated with leukaemic cells than bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC). We compared leukaemic contamination in PBSC harvests and BMMNC, obtained simultaneously, by using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of leukaemia-specific chimaeric messenger RNA (mRNA), in three patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), one with Ph-positive acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), and two with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). Our two-step PCR method employed 'nested primers' in the second step and can detect one leukaemic blast diluted into 10(6) HL-60 cells. In three of four patients with Ph-positive ALL and AML we detected leukaemic contamination in both PBSC harvests and BMMNC. In the remaining patient with ALL, both PBSC harvests and BMMNC were PCR-negative. Both PBSC harvests and BMMNC from one patient with APL were PCR-positive. In contrast, PBSC harvests from another patient with APL, whose BMMNC could not be obtained because of bone marrow necrosis, were PCR-positive after the first course of consolidation chemotherapy, but became PCR-negative after the second course. The present study does not support the hypothesis that PBSC harvests are less contaminated by leukaemic cells than BMMNC, but suggests that PBSC harvests are contaminated when BMMNC are contaminated.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-induced mobilization of circulating haemopoietic stem cells

We studied the utility of G-CSF for harvesting circulating haematopoietic stem cells in patients with leukaemia or lymphoma based on a comparative study in a single patient. Two successive cycles of leukapheresis following cytotoxic chemotherapy were performed in 22 patients as follows: the first cycle was performed with cytotoxic mobilization in all patients while the second cycle was randomized into two groups: cytotoxic (n = 10) and cytotoxic plus G-CSF (cytotoxic/G-CSF) (n = 12) mobilization. Repetitive cytotoxic mobilization did not alter the yields of mononuclear cells (MNC), myeloid (CFU-GM), and erythroid (BFU-E) progenitors. In contrast, cytotoxic/G-CSF mobilization produced significantly higher yields of MNC (2.6-fold), CFU-GM (5.5-fold), and BFU-E (3.9-fold) than did cytotoxic mobilization alone (P < 0.01). The ratio of CFU-GM to BFU-E was not affected by G-CSF. Furthermore, G-CSF led to an earlier peak of CFU-GM following chemotherapy. G-CSF is thus effective in expanding the pool of circulating haematopoietic progenitors.

Isolation of trehalamine, the aglycon of trehazolin, from microbial broths and characterization of trehazolin related compounds

Trehalamine, (3aR,4R,5S,6S,6aS)-2-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)-3a,5,6,6a- tetrahydro-4H-cyclo-pent[d]oxazole-4,5,6-triol (1) and D-glucose were obtained by acid hydrolysis of trehazolin (3), a trehalase inhibitor produced by actinomycetes. More vigorous hydrolytic treatment of trehazolin afforded an aminocyclitol, (1R,2S,3R,4S,5R)-5-amino-1- (hydroxymethyl)cyclopentane-1,2,3,4-tetraol (2). Trehalamine, the aglycon of trehazolin, was also found in the culture broths of two trehazolin producing strains, Micromonospora sp. SANK 62390 and Amycolatopsis sp. SANK 60791. These trehazolin related compounds trehalamine (1) and 2 were poor inhibitors of trehalase (1; IC50 1.8 x 10(-4) M, 2; > 5.0 x 10(-4) M). On the other hand they inhibited more potently rat intestinal sucrase (1; IC50 6.8 x 10(-5) M) and sweet almond beta-glucosidase (2; IC50 5.6 x 10(-6) M) than trehazolin.

Kinetics of circulating haematopoietic progenitors during chemotherapy-induced mobilization with or without granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Kinetics of circulating haematopoietic progenitors was analysed during chemotherapy- or chemotherapy plus granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-induced mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells. Circulating progenitors including colony-forming unit granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM), burst forming-unit erythroid (BFU-E) and multilineage colony forming unit (CFU-Mix) were studied serially on alternate days during a recovery phase from chemotherapy for consolidation of complete remission. In 18 patients with acute leukaemia, 27 courses of consolidation chemotherapy were performed with a combination of an intermediate-dose cytosine arabinoside with etoposide (Ara-C/Etop) or mitoxantron (Ara-C/Mit). G-CSF (5 micrograms/kg) was administered during the recovery phase in 6/14 courses with Ara-C/Etop and in 4/13 courses with Ara-C/Mit. G-CSF induced a significant and synchronized increase of circulating CFU-GM, BFU-E and CFU-Mix by more than 4-fold at their peaks. The peak of CFU-GM was significantly correlated with that of both BFU-E and CFU-Mix, irrespective of additional G-CSF mobilization. G-CSF also produced a significant increase of monocytes in a synchronized fashion with an increase of circulating CFU-GM. Interestingly, peripheral blood monocytes spontaneously produced high concentrations of IL-6; a significant correlation was observed between absolute monocyte counts and plasma levels of IL-6 or peak levels of CFU-GM. These observations indicate that the addition of G-CSF to chemotherapy-induced mobilization can facilitate further expansion of a blood progenitor pool during the haematopoietic recovery, probably through the stimulation of monocytes to proliferate and to induce their monokine production such as IL-6. The data also suggest that absolute monocyte counts may be a useful indicator to predict the peak of circulating progenitors for collecting autologous blood stem cells.

Carbonyl (phenone) reductase in human liver: inter-individual variability

The enzyme family carbonyl reductase, which catalyses the reduction of xenobiotic as well as endogenous ketones and aldehydes, has not been very well studied in terms of its biological functions and structural aspects. The aim of the present study was to check for the occurrence of inter-individual variability of carbonyl reductase activity in human liver. In vitro metabolism of p-nitroacetophenone (PNAP, a prototype substrate) indicated the presence of a high- and low-affinity enzyme site. The reductase activity of 17 kidney donor livers was screened at two concentrations (0.05 and 0.5 mM PNAP, below and above Km). The rates of reductase activity at 0.05 mM suggested a normal distribution. In contrast, at 0.5 mM the rates indicated a non-normal distribution, i.e. bi- or tri-modality. As an index of variability of enzyme affinity, ratios of velocities at 0.5 to 0.05 mM PNAP were calculated in order to check their frequency distributions. Three out of 17 kidney donor livers showed an atypical ratio. In these three cases, the high ratio was due to the low activity of the high affinity form of carbonyl reductase. Autopsy livers are a more readily available tissue source and about half the activity of the kidney donor livers was found in 43 autopsy livers indicating that they are a useful source of human tissue for studies of carbonyl reductase.

Cytokine production by peripheral blood monocytes and T cells during haemopoietic recovery after intensive chemotherapy

We studied the production of cytokines by peripheral blood monocytes and T cells during the period of haematological recovery following intensive chemotherapy. Twelve adults with haematological malignancies received consolidation chemotherapy of complete remission. Monocytes and T cells were collected during the phase of recovery from intensive chemotherapy, and were incubated for 24 h in a culture medium with 10% FCS. Concentrations of cytokines in the culture supernatant were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. During the recovery phase, concentrations of IL-6, G-CSF and IL-1 beta in the culture supernatant of the collected monocytes significantly exceeded those of the monocytes obtained from normal healthy subjects. Similarly, the concentrations of GM-CSF and IFN-gamma in the supernatant of recovery phase T cells significantly exceeded those of normal T cells. Plasma levels of these cytokines were also elevated. These data suggest that the monocytes and T cells may be activated in vivo to produce haemopoietic cytokines during haematological recovery, and that, during haematological recovery, the monocytes and T cells may be actively involved in the induction of haematopoiesis following the myelosuppression induced by chemotherapy.

Persistent changes in protein synthesis by vagina of ovariectomized mice exposed neonatally to diethylstilbestrol

Neonatal treatment of female mice with a synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbestrol (DES), results in adenosis, ovary-independent epithelial proliferation and cornification, and downgrowths in the vagina. Protein synthesis was examined in the vagina of 45-day-old, ovariectomized C57BL/Tw mice which had been given 5 daily injections of 2 micrograms DES or the oil vehicle alone from the day of birth, and in those of age-matched, ovariectomized mice given 3 daily injections of 0.1 microgram DES from 42 days of age. [35S]Methionine-labeled proteins of the vagina were analyzed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Major changes were observed in 11 proteins of the vagina in both neonatally and postnatally DES-exposed groups. Six of the 11 proteins were increased in expression, but one of the remaining proteins was decreased. In the group of neonatally DES-exposed mice alone, expressions of 4 proteins (MW. 128, 90, 46 and 44 kDa) were markedly increased. These results indicate that neonatal exposure of mice to DES induced ovary-independent, persistent alteration in the protein synthesis of the vagina.

Biological characteristics of CD7 positive acute myelogenous leukaemia

We studied the biological characteristics of CD7+ acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML). We diagnosed nine out of 88 consecutive AML cases as CD7+ AML based on myeloperoxidase positivity and surface antigen expression. In eight of these nine cases more than 20% of leukaemic blasts were found to coexpress both CD7 and a myeloid-associated antigen, CD33, by a two-colour flow-cytometric assay, while in the remaining case more than 90% of blasts were positive for CD7 and myeloperoxidase. CD7+ AML was most frequently observed in M1 among AML subtypes according to the FAB classification. An early stage-specific antigen, CD34 was also expressed on leukaemic blasts from eight of these nine cases. Neither the T-cell receptor (TcR)-beta nor the TcR-gamma gene was clonally rearranged in any of the cases. We then studied the proliferative responses to stimulation by various growth factors. Among interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF), IL-3 showed the strongest stimulatory effect on DNA synthesis and leukaemic blast colony formation in 8/9 and 6/8 CD7+ AML cases examined, respectively. On the other hand, the strongest stimulatory effect exerted by IL-3 on blast colony formation was observed in only six out of the 33 CD7- AML cases examined. Furthermore, CD7+ AML blasts could proliferate in response to stem cell factor (SCF); SCF alone showed stimulatory effects on blast colony formation (7/8 cases), and in 5/7 SCF-responding cases, stimulatory effects of SCF were more potent than those of IL-3. In addition, SCF enhanced blast colony formation synergistically with IL-3 in four of these seven cases. These data suggest that progenitor cells of CD7+ AML may possess the biological properties characteristic of immature haematopoietic stem cells.

Transcriptional regulation by a point mutant of adenovirus-2 E1a product lacking DNA binding activity

The adenovirus E1a protein (E1A) regulates transcription through interaction with transcription factors bound to DNA, like cAMP response element BP1/ATF2, or through dissociating E2F transcription factor complex. However, it was also reported that E1A can bind to DNA (Chatterjee, P. K., Bruner, M., Flint, S. J., and Harter, M. L. (1988) EMBO J. 7, 835-841), and it is not clear whether DNA binding of E1A is involved in a part of the process of transcriptional regulation by E1A. In this paper, the small region of E1A that is responsible for DNA binding was identified and a point mutant lacking DNA binding activity was constructed. Analysis of deletion mutants of E1A proteins expressed in bacteria showed that a basic region between amino acids 201 and 216 of E1A is essential for DNA binding. Point mutation of arginines at amino acid numbers 205 and 206 to aspartic acids completely abolished the DNA binding activity of E1A. Using this mutant, the requirement of the E1A DNA binding for E1A-dependent transcriptional regulation was examined. trans-Activation of the adenovirus E4 promoter and trans-repression of the human c-erbB-2 promoter by this point mutant were examined by cotransfection experiments. Mutations of the E1A DNA-binding domain affected neither the E1A-induced trans-activation nor trans-repression at all. These results give complete proof that the DNA binding activity of E1A is not required for transcriptional regulation by E1A.

Inhibition of human hepatic glutathione S-transferase isozymes by ethacrynic acid and its metabolites

The comparative inhibition of ethacrynic acid (EA) and its known metabolites against glutathione S-transferase (GST) was investigated using human livers procured from kidney donors. EA and all three metabolites of EA had an inhibitory effect against conjugation between 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and glutathione (GSH). The GSH adduct of EA (EA-GSH) was the most potent inhibitor of GSTs; EA-GSH was approximately one order of magnitude more potent than the parent EA, while L-cysteine conjugate of EA (EA-cysteine) and N-acetyl-L-cysteine conjugate of EA (EA-mercapturate) were approximately two orders of magnitude less potent than the parent EA. Further metabolism of EA-GSH conjugate is suggested to be a detoxification process in terms of GST activities.

Cytotoxic drug and cytotoxic drug/G-CSF mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells and their use for autografting

We analysed 99 courses of leukapheresis after the use of cytotoxic drugs or cytotoxic drugs plus G-CSF (cytotoxic/G-CSF) to mobilize peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) in 68 patients with hematologic or solid malignancies. Mean yields of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM) with cytotoxic/G-CSF mobilization were significantly higher than those with cytotoxic mobilization (18.6 vs 8.40 x 10(4)/kg). The optimal timing of collection was different between these two mobilizations; the mean number of days to a peak level of circulating CFU-GM after cytotoxic/G-CSF mobilization was less than that after cytotoxic mobilization (24.2 vs 27.7 days). The leukocyte level on the day of peak CFU-GM was significantly higher in cytotoxic/G-CSF mobilization than that in cytotoxic mobilization (mean 12.8 vs 2.7 x 10(9)/l), whereas the platelet level was not different (mean 132 vs 125 x 10(9)/l). Increasing patient age was not a major adverse factor for PBSC collection. Synchronous recovery of both leukocytes and platelets was critical for achieving a high CFU-GM yield in these two mobilizations. Following PBSC autotransplantation, the rate of trilineage hematologic reconstitution showed a significant correlation with the infused dose of CFU-GM, whether they were collected with cytotoxic or cytotoxic/G-CSF mobilization. These results suggest that G-CSF can expand the PBSC pool and that CFU-GM yield after cytotoxic/G-CSF mobilization may predict trilineage hemopoietic reconstitution after ABSCT, as well as cytotoxic mobilization.

[Effective continuous hemofiltration and plasma exchange for the treatment of subacute type fulminant hepatic failure]

By combination of continuous hemofiltration (CHF) with plasma exchange therapy we successfully treated a patient with subacute type fulminant hepatitis to keep her consciousness alert. The patient was a 55-year-old woman who admitted because of severe jaundice. On the 51st day after the onset she had consciousness disturbance and was transferred to our hospital. We started the therapy of CHF and plasma exchange at the patient's hepatic coma grade 4. On the 5th day her consciousness level recovered to grade 2 and we could keep the level for almost 2 weeks. This combination therapy seemed good not only for the improvement of consciousness of patients in hepatic coma but also to support the hepatic function of almost ahepatic patients.

Leualacin, a novel calcium blocker from Hapsidospora irregularis. I. Taxonomy, fermentation, isolation, physico-chemical and biological properties

A new calcium blocker, designated leualacin, has been isolated from Hapsidospora irregularis. The compound inhibits the binding of 3H-nitrendipine, a well known synthetic calcium blocker, to cardiac Ca channel in a competitive manner, although its structure is completely different from dihydropyridines.

Effects of postpubertal treatment with diethylstilbestrol and tamoxifen on protein expression in the vagina and uterus of neonatally diethylstilbestrol-exposed mice

Postpubertal injections of a synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbestrol (-DES), and an anti-estrogen, tamoxifen (-Tx), stimulate proliferation of vaginal and uterine epithelial cells of ovariectomized (OVX) adult mice. In vaginae of two groups of OVX mice treated neonatally with DES (DES-) and oil vehicle alone (Oil-), postpubertal injections of DES altered all and 25 out of 37 protein expressions examined, except for keratin polypeptides, respectively. Twenty-one of the DES- and Tx-altered protein expressions showed the same behavior, suggesting that Tx acts as an estrogen agonist on these proteins. Both neonatally Oil- and DES-treated OVX mice given postpubertal injections of DES (Oil-DES and DES-DES) and Tx (Oil-Tx and DES-Tx) showed similar histological changes in the vagina. Epithelial proliferation and superficial cornification were observed in vaginae of five groups of Oil-DES, Oil-Tx, DES-DES, DES-Tx and DES-Oil (given oil postpubertally) OVX mice. In these groups, 13 proteins showed the same behavior, implying that these proteins are related to proliferation and cornification of mouse vagina. The histology of the uterus in DES-Oil OVX mice closely resembled that in Oil-Oil OVX mice; in protein expressions of the uterus, 5 proteins in DES-DES and 7 proteins in DES-Tx OVX mice were different from those in Oil-DES and Oil-Tx OVX mice, respectively. These findings indicate that neonatal DES treatment alters the behavior of the vagina and uterus in response to postpubertally administered DES and Tx.

Effects of postpubertal treatment with progesterone on protein expression in the vagina and uterus of mice exposed neonatally to diethylstilbestrol

Postpubertal progesterone injections slightly inhibited the proliferation and cornification of the vaginal epithelium induced by neonatal injections of diethylstilbestrol (DES). In vaginae of neonatally DES-exposed mice (DES mice), 9 protein expressions (PEX) appeared newly; 13 PEX decreased; 5 PEX increased compared to those in the controls. In vaginae of DES mice, PEX were altered by postpubertal injections of progesterone (DES-P); 3 PEX disappeared; 11 PEX were reversed to those in the controls. Progesterone injections impaired the proliferation of the vaginal epithelium, reversing 11 PEX compared to those in DES mice. In uteri of DES-P mice, 3 PEX increased, 2 PEX decreased, 2 PEX appeared and 1 PEX disappeared compared to those in DES mice. In conclusion, it was shown that postpubertal injections of progesterone alter the protein expression in the vagina and uterus of DES mice.

Estrogen receptor expression in the genital tract of female mice treated neonatally with diethylstilbestrol

The distribution of the estrogen receptor (ER) was investigated immunohistochemically in the genital tract of 0 (day of birth)--to 50-day-old C57BL/Tw female mice given 5 daily injections of 2 micrograms diethylstilbestrol (DES) from the day of birth using an anti-ER monoclonal antibody. In the oviduct, cervix and vagina of control mice, both epithelial and stromal cell nuclei showed positive ER immunoreaction at 0 day. Nuclei of uterine stromal cells also showed strong ER immunostaining even at 0 day. In contrast, the ER in uterine epithelial cells began to appear by day 5. The number of positive epithelial cells and staining intensity gradually increased until 10 days. In neonatally DES-exposed mice, ER appeared in uterine epithelial cells 24 h after the injection. Polygonal cells appearing in the vaginal epithelium of DES-exposed 3-day-old mice showed weak ER staining. Neonatal DES exposure reduced staining intensity of columnar vaginal epithelial cells and uterine stromal cells at 3 days. Vaginal epithelial cells undergoing ovary-independent stratification and cornification in neonatally DES-exposed mice and normal estrous mice showed ER immunoreaction only in the basal cells.

Interstitial 9q deletion in T-lymphoid/myeloid biphenotypic leukaemia

We report the biological characteristics of leukaemic blasts from two cases of acute leukaemia with an interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 9 (9q-). Case 1 (FAB: M1) showed del(9)(q12q22) as the sole karyotypic anomaly, and case 2 (FAB: M1) presented del(9) (q12q22) in association with trisomy 10. In both cases, leukaemic blasts presented unique cytological features, such as prominent vacuoles on Giemsa staining, or strong localization of myeloperoxidase resembling 'pseudo-Chediak-Higashi' granules. Immunophenotyping of blasts revealed the biphenotypic expression of T-lymphoid/myeloid antigens (CD2, CD7/CD33) in addition to CD34. Neither T-cell receptor beta (TCRB), T-cell receptor gamma (TCRG) nor Ig heavy chain (IGH) genes were clonally rearranged. Furthermore, there was neither rearrangement nor expression of ABL, which is located at 9q34, indicating that the deletion involved bands centrometric to 9q34 did not induce the activation of ABL. DNA synthesis of the blasts was stimulated (stimulation index greater than 2.0) in the presence of interleukin (IL)-3, IL-4, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor or erythropoietin (Epo). IL-3 and IL-4 could also support the in vitro growth of leukaemic blast colonies, and the IL-3- or IL-4-dependent blast colony growth was synergistically enhanced by the addition of IL-6 or Epo. These observations imply that T-lymphoid/myeloid or pluripotent stem cells may be closely involved in the development of 9q- AML.

Effects of neonatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol on protein expression by vagina and uterus in mice

Neonatal treatment of female mice with diethylstilbestrol (DES) results in genital tract abnormalities including ovary-independent vaginal proliferation and cornification. Protein profiles were examined in vagina and uterus from 45-day-old, ovariectomized C57BL/Tw mice which had been given 5 daily injections of 2 micrograms DES or oil vehicle alone from the day of birth, and in those from 45-day-old, ovariectomized mice given 3 daily injections of 0.1 microgram DES from 42 days of age. Proteins extracted were analyzed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In the vagina, expression of 37 non-keratin proteins was altered by postpubertal injections of DES as compared with the controls. In the neonatally DES-exposed vagina, expression of 26 of 37 proteins was altered as compared with controls. In the uterus, expression of 22 proteins was altered in the postpubertally DES-exposed group as compared with that in the control; however, the protein expression pattern of the neonatally DES-exposed group closely resembled that of the control except for one protein (no. 23, pI = 6.1, MW = 39.5 kDa) which was specifically increased in the neonatally DES-exposed group. By immunoblot analysis, 6 keratin polypeptides (49.5, 50, 52, 53, 57 and 58 kDa) were identified in vaginae of ovariectomized mice exposed neonatally and postpubertally to DES and of the controls. These results indicate that neonatal DES exposure induces organ specific alterations in the synthesis of proteins in mouse vagina and uterus.

Folinic acid does not mobilize hemopoietic progenitors following repeated consolidation chemotherapy for acute leukemia

Folinic acid (FA) has been reported to expand the pool of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) after chemotherapy. We evaluated the efficacy of FA for harvesting PBSC following cytotoxic chemotherapy in 4 patients with acute leukemia. After achieving a complete remission (CR), 3 courses of chemotherapy for a consolidation of the CR were administered to the patients. Two successive cycles of leukapheresis were performed during the recovery phase from consolidation chemotherapy, which consisted of an intermediate dose of cytosine arabinoside. For the second cycle of leukapheresis, FA was administered intravenously at a dose of 50 mg/day following consolidation. The yields of either mononuclear cells or burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-E) were not affected by FA administration. In contrast, the yields of colony-forming units-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) were significantly decreased in all patients compared to the CFU-GM yields after the first cycle of leukapheresis (P = 0.032). Thus FA is considered not to be effective in expanding the peripheral blood progenitor pool when given in a fashion different from the original report.

The effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone on peptidergic neurons in the rat forebrain

Our previous study showed that intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) produced a significant increase in locomotor activity at a dose of 1 microgram and slow stereotypy with prominent grooming at a dose of 10 micrograms. In addition, the ICV administration of CRH caused a significant increase in dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine turnover (NE) in various forebrain regions. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of the ICV administration of CRH on cholecystokinin (CCK), neuropeptide Y (NPY), somatostatin (SOM) and gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in the rat forebrain. The ICV administration of 1 and 10 micrograms CRH caused a marked reduction in CCK-like immunoreactivity (CCK-LI), NPY-LI and SOM-LI in the medial frontal cortex (MFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (Ant.CC), whereas it induced an increment of NPY-LI in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and striatum. Increased SOM-LI and decreased NPY-LI were observed in the hippocampus following the ICV administration of CRH at both doses. The ICV administration of CRH caused a significant decrease in the BAGA content in the MFC, ant.CC, NAc and striatum. Taken together with our previous findings, these results indicate that the ICV administration of CRH induced classical neurotransmitter and neuropeptide abnormalities in the central nervous system which resulted increased emotionality, especially anxiety, in rats.

Cornexistin: a new fungal metabolite with herbicidal activity

Cornexistin, a new compound demonstrating promising herbicidal activity, was purified from the culture filtrate of a newly-isolated fungus identified as Paecilomyces variotii SANK 21086. The compound was extracted with organic solvents from the culture filtrate, purified using column chromatography on Sephadex LH-20 and finally crystallized from methylene chloride. Following analysis of its physico-chemical properties it was identified to be a new compound belonging to the nonadride group. Chemical structure elucidation was conducted by analyses of various spectral data and the structure was finally confirmed by means of X-ray crystallographic analysis. Based on its herbicidal characteristics cornexistin may be classified as a postemergence herbicide active against certain young annual and perennial monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants with selective protection for corn.

Role of interleukin-4 in the negative regulation of proliferation of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia cells

We studied the effects of interleukin-4 (IL-4) on the spontaneous proliferation of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMMoL) cells in vitro to clarify whether IL-4 can act as a negative regulator of hematopoiesis. The results clearly show that IL-4 suppressed spontaneous DNA synthesis and colony formation by CMMoL cells in vitro. Colony formation by CMMoL cells was substantially suppressed by adding either an anti-IL-6 or anti-GM-CSF antibody to the colony assay system. This suppression was abrogated by the treatment of IL-4 with an anti-IL-4 antibody. Furthermore, the production of IL-6 or GM-CSF was markedly inhibited by adding IL-4 to the culture system. These observations indicate that IL-4 can act as a negative regulator for the autocrine growth of CMMoL cells by inhibiting their production of IL-6 and/or GM-CSF.

Interleukin 4 suppresses the spontaneous growth of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia cells

We studied the effects of IL-4 on the spontaneous proliferation of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMMoL) cells in vitro. IL-4 (100 U/ml) suppressed the spontaneous DNA synthesis by approximately 50% in 5 of 8 cases examined. IL-4 (100 U/ml) also inhibited the spontaneous colony formation by CMMoL cells in a methylcellulose culture by 50-97% in all of the 10 cases in which spontaneous colonies were formed. This IL-4-mediated suppression of the growth of CMMoL cells was completely abolished by the addition of anti-IL-4 neutralizing antibodies. The spontaneous CMMoL colonies were substantially suppressed by the addition of either anti-IL-6 or anti-granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibodies to the colony assay system: the addition of both anti-IL-6 and anti-GM-CSF antibodies resulted in greater than 80% inhibition of the colony formation by CMMoL cells. On the other hand, none of anti-IL-1-beta, anti-granulocyte-CSF, anti-macrophage-CSF, or anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibodies affected the CMMoL colony formation. In the supernatants from 24-h cultures of CMMoL cells, high levels of IL-6 and GM-CSF were demonstrated in 9 of 9 and 2 of 9 cases examined, respectively. IL-4 (100 U/ml) almost completely inhibited the secretion of IL-6 and GM-CSF by CMMoL cells. These observations suggest that IL-4 suppresses the spontaneous proliferation of CMMoL cells by inhibiting their production of IL-6 and/or GM-CSF, both of which could act in vitro as an autocrine growth factor for CMMoL cells.

Effects of interleukin-4 and interleukin-6 on the proliferation of CD34+ and CD34- blasts from acute myelogenous leukemia

We studied the effects of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-6 on the growth of leukemic blasts from 40 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Patients were selected on the basis of negativity for a series of B-cell antigens including CD10 and CD19. Twenty-one cases were CD34-positive (CD34+) (greater than 15% of blasts) and the remaining 19 were CD34-negative (CD34-) (less than 3% of blasts). IL-4 alone (100 U/ml) could stimulate either DNA synthesis (with greater than 2.0 stimulation index) or leukemic blast colony formation in 24 of 40 AML patients. In the presence of other growth factors, IL-4 showed divergent effects on IL-3-, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-, or erythropoietin-dependent colony formation. These effects of IL-4 were observed in both CD34+ and CD34- AML cases. IL-6 (100 U/mL) alone could not stimulate DNA synthesis and blast colony formation except for one CD34+ case. On the other hand, IL-6 showed synergistic effects on IL-3- and IL-4-dependent blast colony formation in 10 of 12 and 7 of 9 CD34+ AML cases, respectively. Among CD34- AML cases, such synergism was seen only in 1 of 12 cases for IL-3-dependent colony formation and in 3 of 7 cases for IL-4-dependent colony formation. The divergent effect of IL-4 and the synergistic effect of IL-6 were also observed in purified CD34+ leukemic blast populations, indicating that these phenomena are not mediated by accessory cells. The present study suggests that IL-4, alone or in combination with other growth factors, has divergent effects on the growth of AML progenitors irrespective of the CD34 expression, and that IL-6 acts synergistically with IL-3 or IL-4 on the growth of leukemic progenitors preferentially in CD34+ AML.

The effects of intraperitoneally administered phencyclidine on the central nervous system: behavioral and neurochemical studies

The effects of intraperitoneally (IP) injected phencyclidine (phencyclohexyl piperidine; PCP) on the metabolism of dopamine (DA) and cholecystokinin-like immunoreactivity (CCK-LI) in the rat brain were investigated in connection with PCP-induced behavioral changes. The predominant behavior change elicited by 2.5 mg/kg PCP was locomotion, while with higher doses (5 and 10 mg/kg) sniffing, swaying and falling were observed in addition to the enhanced locomotor activity. Backpedaling and rotation were observed in 10 mg/kg PCP-treated rats. IP injection of PCP caused a dose-related increase in the levels of DA and 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the medial frontal cortex (MFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ant.CC) without any changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) or striatum. CCK-LI in the MFC, ant.CC and NAc was decreased in a dose-dependent manner following IP injection of PCP. These findings support the evidence that PCP selectively activates the mesocortical DA systems. Furthermore, our results indicate a functional relationship between the mesocortical DA neurons and intrinsic CCK containing cortical neurons, and the change in the activity of the intrinsic CCK-containing cortical neurons in these two areas, perhaps due to an alteration in DA transmission, might be involved in behavioral changes after PCP injection.

Hydantocidin: a new compound with herbicidal activity from Streptomyces hygroscopicus

Hydantocidin, a new compound with potent non-selective herbicidal activity, was found in a submerged culture of Streptomyces hygroscopicus SANK 63584. It was isolated from the culture filtrate by the following successive treatments comprised of activated carbon, Diaion HP-20, Dowex 50WX4, and Avicel column chromatographies. Finally it was crystallized as colorless needles from acetone. The molecular formula, C7H10N2O6, was determined by analyses of HRFAB mass spectrum in conjunction with 13C NMR spectrometry. The structural elucidation revealed that it has a unique structure with a spiro-bond between ribose and hydantoin moieties in the molecule. The characteristic herbicidal activities against annuals as well as perennials, including monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous weeds, were observed.

Aladapcin, a new microbial metabolite that enhances host resistance against bacterial infection. Production, isolation, physico-chemical properties and biological activities

We have constructed a new screening system for detecting microbial products that enhance host resistance against bacterial infection. It was found that a new compound with such activity is produced by a soil isolate classified as Nocardia sp. SANK 60484. The compound was isolated from the culture filtrate of the organism and named aladapcin after its amino acid composition. Aladapcin was obtained as an amphoteric white amorphous powder with the molecular formula, C13H25N5O5. It consists of 2 mol of D-alanine and 1 mol of meso-diaminopimelic acid. From the analysis of IR, 1H NMR and FAB-MS spectra, the structure was assigned to be a tripeptide. Aladapcin enhanced host resistance against an experimental Escherichia coli infection in mice at doses ranging between 1 and 100 micrograms/kg.

The effects of intracerebroventricularly injected corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) on the central nervous system: behavioural and biochemical studies

Intracerebroventricularly (ICV) administered corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) produces behavioural activation in rats. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of ICV administered CRF on not only locomotor activity, but also the turnover rates of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) in various discrete brain regions in rats. ICV administration of 1 microgram CRF produced a significant increase in locomotor activity, while ICV administration of 10 micrograms CRF caused slow stereotypy with prominent grooming. The 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid/DA ratio, e.g. DA utilization, was increased in the frontal cortex (FC), striatum, hippocampus (HIPP) and amygdala. DA utilization in the FC increased in a dose dependent manner, suggesting that the hyperactivity of the mesocortical DA system is relevant to the grooming response. The 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol/NE ratio was increased in the FC and HIPP, indicating the involvement of the dorsal NE pathway in ICV CRF-induced behavioural changes in rats. These findings are discussed in connection with the hypothesis that CRF produces behavioural changes consistent with increasing emotionality, especially anxiety, and may serve as a neuroendocrine modulator of stress-enhanced behaviour.

Treatment of disseminated herpes zoster in six severely immunocompromised patients: acyclovir and vidarabine

We treated 6 patients with disseminated herpes zoster (D-H-Z) and in a severely immunocompromised condition. Three were effectively treated with 15 mg/kg/day of acyclovir. Ten mg/kg/day of vidarabine alone was given to two patients, but without positive effects. In two patients, acyclovir was effective in limiting the progression of the lesions. The skin lesions looked like a "stitch" on vesicles, thereby suggesting that the "stitch like appearance" may be a useful marker to identify the resistance to acyclovir treatment. In one patient, acyclovir was given for 58 days, but with limited effectiveness. When vidarabine was given in addition to acyclovir, the lesions dramatically disappeared. These findings suggest that acyclovir is superior to vidarabine for treating D-H-Z and the combination therapy with acyclovir and vidarabine should be considered for prescription for patients with D-H-Z, if acyclovir alone is not completely effective.

Substrate specificity for formation of cholesterol ester conjugates from fenvalerate analogues and for granuloma formation

1. The substrate specificity of microsomal carboxyesterase(s) responsible for the formation of cholesteryl [2R]-2-(4-chlorophenyl) isovalerate from fenvalerate was investigated by incubating mouse kidney microsomes with 14C-cholesterol and the following substrates: fenvalerate isomers, fenvalerate analogues, other pyrethroids, methoprene and cycloprate analogues. Among the four isomers of fenvalerate, only the [2R, alpha S]-isomer yielded a cholesterol ester, being identical with the result obtained in the in vivo study. Some fenvalerate analogues produced cholesterol ester conjugates, but no other pyrethroids nor methoprene produced such conjugates. Some cycloprate analogues gave the corresponding cholesterol ester, the yields of which were dependent on their carbon-chain lengths. 2. Cholesterol ester formation in vitro from these fenvalerate analogues was well correlated with granuloma formation observed when the analogues were given to mice at 3000 ppm for a month. 3. Steroids other than cholesterol were also investigated as acceptors of the acid moiety of the [2R, alpha S]-isomer by incubating solubilized carboxyesterase(s) with the [2R, alpha S]-isomer in the presence of egg lecithin and several steroids. Dehydroisoandrosterone and pregnenolone were found to give the corresponding ester conjugates.

Metabolism of 2- and 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (2- and 3-BHA) in the rat. (II): Metabolism in forestomach and covalent binding to tissue macromolecules

The mechanism of action of 2(3)-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (2-BHA or 3-BHA) on rat forestomach epithelium was studied by examining the metabolites of BHA in the stomach and the covalent binding of BHA to macromolecules in the forestomach epithelium. Male F344 rats 6 weeks old were given a single intragastric injection of 1 g/kg body wt of [tert-14C]-3-BHA (Bu-3-BHA) or [methyl-14C]-3-BHA (Me-3-BHA), and 6 h later BHA metabolites in the forestomach, glandular stomach and stomach contents were examined by thin-layer chromatography. No significant amounts of metabolites were detected in the forestomach or glandular stomach epithelium and almost all the radioactivity in these tissues was extracted with organic solvents. In in vitro experiments also, no significant amounts of metabolites were detected when the 9000 g supernatant of the forestomach or glandular stomach epithelium, or gastric juice was incubated with Bu-3-BHA in the absence or presence of NADPH. In binding studies, rats were given Bu-3-BHA, [tert-14C]-2-BHA (Bu-2-BHA), Me-3-BHA or [methyl-14C] butylated hydroxytoluene (Me-BHT) intragastrically at a dose of 1 g/kg body wt with or without pretreatment with unlabelled 1% 3-BHA or BHT in the diet for 6 days. Six hours after treatment with a labelled compound, the rats were sacrificed and the DNA, RNA and protein of their forestomach, glandular stomach, liver and kidney were isolated. Bu-3-BHA, Bu-2-BHA and Me-3-BHA did not bind covalently to forestomach DNA or RNA, and the amounts of radioactivity of these compounds bound to proteins in the 4 tissues were similar. These findings suggest that BHA acts on the forestomach epithelium directly without metabolic activation, and that its action is not related to its binding to DNA or RNA.

Chloropolysporins A, B and C, novel glycopeptide antibiotics from Faenia interjecta sp. nov. IV. Partially deglycosylated derivatives

Chloropolysporins A, B and C, new members of the glycopeptide antibiotic family, were enzymatically and chemically converted to their partially deglycosylated derivatives. The alpha- and beta-avoparcins were also deglycosylated by the same method. The conversions were achieved by treatments with rhamnosidase (Naringinase) and alpha-mannosidase, and by mild acid hydrolysis.