Structural restriction in bile acids and non-ionic detergents for promotion of heparin absorption from rat gastro-intestinal tract

Selected non-ionic surfactants of the polyoxyethylene ether series as well as selected bile acids elicit plasma clearing activity (PC) after oral heparin administration by action on the gastro-intestinal mucosa. Evidence obtained indicates that certain structural characteristics are needed for promoting heparin absorption, since this effect is observed with some but not all non-ionic detergents (cetyl and stearyl ethers but not lauryl) and bile components (deoxycholic, chenodeoxycholic and cholic acids, but not ursodeoxycholic or dehydrocholic acids or lecithin). It is suggested that a specific mechanism of action is involved.

Soluble phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase in normal and denervated fast and slow muscles of the rat

Phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase activity was determined in cytosol prepared from rat slow (soleus) and fast (extensor digitorum longus) muscles. The substrate was prepared by incubation of sarcoplasmic reticulum with myo-[2-3H]inositol. The enzyme hydrolysed both membrane-bound and extracted phosphatidylinositol. The activity determined with the isolated phospholipid exhibited an optimum at pH 5.5. Ca2+ ions stimulated the activity. The enzyme specific activity was higher in cytosol prepared from soleus muscle than in that from extensor digitorum longus muscle. After section of the motor nerve, the activity of the enzyme increased in both muscles up to 36 h and then declined. A function for this enzyme in the control of acetylcholine sensitivity in muscle is discussed.

Postsynaptic acetylcholine receptor efficacy is similarly increased by detergents and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors at an Aplysia synapse

At Aplysia H- and D-type cholinergic neuro-neuronal synapses, application of high concentrations of detergents (Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate) depressed synaptic transmission and the postsynaptic response to ionophoretic application of acetylcholine (ACh) or carbachol. However, when very low concentrations of detergents (of the order of 10(-9) M for sodium deoxycholate) were used, the nerve-evoked response as well as the ACh and carbachol ionophoretic responses were facilitated (by at least 200%), but only in H-type cells. This facilitation was similar to that previously observed in the same receptor type when acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was inhibited by various organophosphate or carbamate acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs)3. Indeed, the effects of AChEI and detergents were not cumulative. We propose that on H-type synapses detergents may perturb a hypothetical molecular interaction between AChE and the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) by which AChE modulates the ability of the AChR to be activated by ACh or carbachol.

Ornithine decarboxylase activity in the rat and human colon

We have investigated the effect of age, a high-fat diet, sodium deoxycholate, and the ornithine analogue alpha-difluoromethylornithine on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in the rat colon. The relative levels of ODC activity were also determined in normal mucosa and tumor tissue from rat and human colon. The colonic ODC activity induced by intrarectal instillation of sodium deoxycholate in male Sprague-Dawley rats was highest in young animals, and it decreased with increasing age. A high level of dietary fat caused both an increased in basal colonic ODC activity and enhanced ODC induction by deoxycholate. alpha-Difluoromethylornithine given in drinking water inhibited, in a dose-dependent fashion, deoxycholate-induced ODC activity. The frequency of azoxymethane-induced intestinal tumors was also significantly reduced by alpha-difluoromethylornithine. Since colonic ODC activity is increased in carcinogenesis by known promoting agents and decreased by tumor inhibitors, this short-term assay may provide a useful system for identifying colon tumor promoters and inhibitors. The ODC activity in colon tumors of Sprague-Dawley rats was found to be significantly higher than in normal-appearing mucosa in the same animals. Similarly, ODC activity in human colon cancer was found to be higher than that of the normal-appearing mucosa in the same specimen. These results strengthen the utilization of the rat model for studies, the results of which may apply to the human situation.

Studies of gamma-glutamyltransferase activity in the brain tissue post mortem

Our experiments showed that the activity of gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) did not remarkably change in homogenates of mouse, rat, and bovine brains during the first four days post mortem. In the course of that period, the brain microvessels also retained their gamma-GT activity. gamma-GT of microvessels from bovine brain cortex, solubilized with sodium deoxycholate, was eluted in the void volume Vo when chromatographed on a Sephadex G-200 column with the detergent Triton X-100. In human post mortem brains, the specific activity of gamma-GT in choroid plexi was found to be about five times higher than that in the cerebral cortex, white matter, basal ganglia, pons, and cerebellum but about four times lower than that in the microvessels obtained from the studied brain regions. Our findings suggest that it is possible to study the components of the blood-brain barrier on material from deceased subjects.

Effect of three different dihydroxy bile acids on intestinal cholesterol absorption in normal volunteers

Measurements of cholesterol absorption were performed by an intestinal perfusion technique before and after 4 wk of administration of three different dihydroxy bile acids [ursodeoxycholic acid (1 g/day), chenodeoxycholic acid (1 g/day), and deoxycholic acid (0.4 g/day)] in 6 normal volunteers. Mean hourly absorption of cholesterol declined from 41 mumol/h in the control period to 31 mumol/h (-22%) during feeding of chenodeoxycholic acid (NS). During deoxycholic acid administration, mean cholesterol absorption decreased from 46 to 28 mumol/h (-28%; p less than 0.05). Ursodeoxycholic acid feeding was associated with a reduction of cholesterol absorption from 38 to 13 mumol/h (-70%; p less than 0.05), even though the input of cholesterol from bile was reduced significantly (from 123 to 86 mumol/h). The results suggest that the hydroxy groups at different positions on the bile acid nucleus of these three dihydroxy bile acids differ in their potential for cholesterol absorption.

Characterization of a temperature-sensitive defect of enterovirus 70: effect of elevated temperature on in vitro transcription

A crude replication complex prepared from enterovirus 70-infected cells was used to study the temperature-sensitive characteristic of the virus. The complex showed a temperature sensitivity in the in vitro incorporation of radiolabeled ribonucleoside triphosphate. The endonuclease itself did not account for the restricted RNA synthesis at the nonpermissive temperature. Analyses of the in vitro products by both gel electrophoresis and sucrose density gradient centrifugation showed that the complex synthesized three types of viral RNA only when incubated for a short period of time at the nonpermissive temperature. When the replication complex was treated with a detergent (deoxycholic acid), incorporation of ribonucleoside triphosphate into RNA at the permissive temperature was reduced to the level of that at the nonpermissive temperature. In addition, the in vitro RNA synthesis by the enterovirus 70 replication complex at the permissive temperature required a higher concentration of ATP than of other ribonucleoside triphosphates, whereas such a preference for ATP was not found in the reaction at the nonpermissive temperature. The results indicate that the initiation step of RNA synthesis by the complex is blocked at the nonpermissive temperature. The possible implications of these findings are discussed.

Prevention of cholesterol-induced gallstones by hyodeoxycholic acid in the prairie dog

Prairie dogs of both sexes were fed a semisynthetic diet containing 0.35% cholesterol for a period of 8 weeks. This lithogenic diet induced cholesterol gallstones in ten "lithogenic control animals", five males and five females. Three animals maintained with a high glucose, fat-free diet did not develop gallstones although the cholesterol saturation of their bile approached unity. The formation of gallstones was prevented in four out of five males and all five females fed the lithogenic diet plus 0.1% hyodeoxycholic acid (30 mg per kg body weight per day). The biles of the prairie dogs receiving hyodeoxycholic acid were abnormally colored, cloudy, and highly saturated with cholesterol but contained neither cholesterol crystals nor gallstones (with the exception of one male). Feeding the relatively hydrophilic bile acid, hyodeoxycholic acid, was associated with an increase in hepatic microsomal HMG-CoA reductase activity. Cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, on the other hand, was inhibited by the administered bile acid. The dietary hyodeoxycholic acid was transformed, in part, to 3 alpha, 6 beta-dihydroxy-5-beta-cholanoic acid and hyocholic acid. It is concluded that hyodeoxycholic acid and its metabolites did not prevent the induced cholelithiasis by causing a decrease in the concentration of biliary cholesterol. Instead, this hydrophilic bile acid apparently increases the amount of cholesterol in the bile, probably in the form of a liquid crystalline mesophase. Hyodeoxycholic acid apparently prevents gallstones by preventing the nucleation and aggregation of cholesterol crystals. The lithogenic diet induced moderate to marked bile duct proliferation together with portal fibrosis and inflammatory infiltration. The addition of hyodeoxycholic acid to the lithogenic diet reduced all of the portal tract changes.

Role of hydrophilic bile acids and of sterols on cholelithiasis in the hamster

The effect of various dietary additions such as cholesterol, beta-sitosterol, bile acids, and bile acid analogs on gallstone formation was studied in the hamster. Gallstones were formed in 50% of the animals fed a high glucose, fat-free diet. Administration of 0.2% cholesterol or 1% beta-sitosterol had no effect on the incidence of gallstones. Ursodeoxycholic acid (0.5%) and its analog ursodeoxy-oxazoline [2-(3 alpha, 7 beta-dihydroxy-24-nor-5 beta-cholanyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2- oxazoline] were ineffective in preventing gallstones. Hyodeoxycholic acid and hyodeoxy-oxazoline [2-(3 alpha,6 alpha-dihydroxy-24-nor-5 beta-cholanyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2- oxazoline] at the same dosage effectively prevented gallstones, while the trihydroxy bile acid, hyocholic acid, was not effective. Of all the dietary regimens tested, only hyodeoxycholic acid significantly lowered serum cholesterol. The lithogenic diet produced a five-fold increase in hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity; this activity was not affected by dietary cholesterol or beta-sitosterol. Hyodeoxycholic acid and hyocholic acid feeding increased the reductase activity by an additional 50% while the other bile acids had no effect. beta-Sitosterol doubled the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity whereas hyodeoxy-oxazoline lowered it. Hyodeoxycholic acid-fed animals had significantly lower cholesterol absorption than the animals on the lithogenic diet alone. Biliary cholesterol content increased dramatically in the animals fed the lithogenic diet and was increased still further by ursodeoxycholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid, and hyodeoxy-oxazoline. These data show that hyodeoxycholic acid and hyodeoxy-oxazoline do not prevent gallstones by inhibiting hepatic cholesterol synthesis or biliary cholesterol secretion.

Studies in bile salt solutions. Deoxycholate stimulation of human milk lipase

Stimulation of human milk lipase by deoxycholate and its taurine and glycine conjugates was demonstrated by measuring the esterolysis reaction of 4-nitrophenylacetate. The steroidal surfactants did not bind strongly to the polar substrate but they did bind effectively to a hydrophobic site on the enzyme and these bile salt-enzyme complexes were effective catalysts. These results are compared with those for stimulation of the enzyme by cholate surfactants and it has been demonstrated that the absence of a 7 alpha-OH substituent on the steroid nucleus does not prevent stimulation of either the esterolytic or lipolytic activity of the enzyme.

Muscarine increases tyrosine 3-monooxygenase activity and phospholipid metabolism in the superior cervical ganglion of the rat

Muscarinic agonists cause a stable activation of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase in the superior cervical ganglion and increase the incorporation of 32Pi into phospholipids in the ganglion. We have studied the relationship between muscarine-stimulated phospholipid turnover and the muscarine-induced activation of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase. Both effects of muscarine are apparent within 2 min of incubation, and both are essentially independent of extracellular Ca++. All concentrations of muscarine that increase dopa synthesis also stimulate phospholipid turnover. Bethanechol is less efficacious than muscarine in producing both of these effects. Lithium, which disrupts phospholipid metabolism, inhibits the muscarine-stimulated accumulation of dopa. Other agents which affect phospholipid metabolism, including phospholipase C and deoxycholate, also increase the synthesis of dopa in the ganglion. These data support the hypothesis that changes in phospholipid metabolism mediate the activation of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase by muscarinic agonists.

Vectorial discharge and localization of nascent polypeptides in rough endoplasmic reticulum of developing neuronal perikarya of rat brain cortex

Rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) prepared from bulk-isolated neuronal perikarya of rat brain cortex of different postnatal ages was found to be active in vectorial discharge of nascent proteins through the membrane; this activity increased with the increasing age of animals and reached maximal values in adults. RER isolated from whole cortical tissue (containing all cell types) exhibited vectorial release only up to 18 days of age; the preparation from adult animals was essentially devoid of secretory activity. Controlled proteolysis of various preparations suggested that in neuronal RER of 8-day-old rats the proportion of nascent proteins operationally retained in the intravesicular space was about twice that retained by cortical preparations. For the purpose of comparison, these parameters were studied also in liver RER.

The effect of a low protein diet on the response of rat colonic and hepatic ornithine decarboxylase activity to sodium deoxycholate and thioacetamide treatment

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats fed ad libitum AIN-76A diet with 5% casein for 10 days had the same basal level of colonic ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) as rats fed 20% casein, but showed a higher level following induction of the colonic enzyme by sodium deoxycholate. Total colonic ODC activity was more responsive than holo-ODC activity to the regimen of induction, which suggested to us that functional (i.e., holoenzyme) levels of the decarboxylase may not be as sensitive to dietary modulation as total enzyme levels. Contrary to the results observed for the colon, the basal level of hepatic ODC was decreased in rats fed 5% casein, and the level following induction of the hepatic enzyme by thioacetamide was also diminished compared with induced enzyme levels in animals fed 20% casein. Additionally, there was no difference in the degree of response between holoenzyme and total hepatic enzyme to dietary treatment and a regimen of enzyme induction.

Experimental mouse muscle damage: the importance of external calcium

The involvement of extracellular calcium in experimental muscle damage has been studied in an isolated mouse soleus muscle preparation. The enzyme efflux and ultrastructural damage seen after excessive contractile activity were markedly reduced when the extracellular calcium was withdrawn. Low extracellular calcium also protected against the large enzyme efflux seen after treatment with low concentrations of detergent. Treatment of the muscle with the calcium ionophore A 23187 caused significant release of enzyme from the muscle. Nifedipine did not prevent the enzyme release after stimulation and although in some circumstances verapamil appeared to have some protective effect this was probably due to a local anaesthetic action on the muscle and not to any specific effect on calcium movement. It is concluded that extracellular calcium is important in mediating at least the two forms of muscle damage studied here.

Ornithine decarboxylase induction in rat colon: synergistic effects of intrarectal instillation of sodium deoxycholate and starvation-refeeding

Starvation-refeeding, intrarectal instillation of the suspected colon tumor promoter sodium deoxycholate (NaDOC), and a combination of the treatments were compared for their effects on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in the colon of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Starvation (48 hours) and refeeding (12 hours) led to a fivefold increase in ODC levels compared to ad libitum-fed controls, while NaDOC instillation led to a threefold rise. The combination of the two treatments gave a synergistic 16-fold increase over controls. The synergism observed in colon may indicate that the two treatments used act via different mechanisms to induce ODC, possibly by an increase in general macromolecular synthesis after starvation-refeeding and a specific increase in ODC synthesis after NaDOC treatment. Since this starvation-refeeding regimen is quite similar to the "starve and gorge" feeding pattern exhibited by pair-fed control animals, the use of pair-fed controls may not be appropriate for examining either ODC levels or processes, such as tumor promotion, which may be linked to ODC levels. The synergistic enhancement of tumor promoter-related ODC induction by a dietary pattern (rather than a dietary component) suggests a new area for investigation of potential nutrition-cancer interactions.

Substrate specificity of two cationic lipases with high phospholipase A1 activity purified from guinea pig pancreas. I. Studies on neutral glycerides

The substrate specificity of two cationic lipases with high phospholipase A1 activity purified from guinea pig pancreas has been tested towards various neutral glycerides. Triolein hydrolysis proceeded in the absence of di- and monoolein accumulation. Optimal conditions for di- and monoolein hydrolysis included an alkaline pH (9-10), a substrate concentration of 10 mM, and the presence of sodium deoxycholate (12 and 24 mM, respectively). Pancreatic colipase (bovine) had no effect on the activity of the two lipases. The comparison between the rates of hydrolysis of various substrates revealed the following order of decreasing enzyme activity: diolein greater than 1(3)-monoolein greater than tributyrin = triacetin greater than or equal to triolein = 2-monoolein. No hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylacetate and cholesteryloleate could be detected. Using 1-[3H]palmitoyl-2-[14C]linoleoyl-sn-glycerol, both enzymes displayed a strong preference for the 1-position, leading to the accumulation of 2-[14C]linoleoyl-sn-glycerol. Identical activities were found for the two lipases. It is concluded that the two cationic lipases from guinea pig pancreas represent a unique group of lipolytic enzymes different from other previously described enzymes, including classical pancreatic lipase, gastric and lingual enzymes, mold lipases and carboxylesterhydrolase.

Studies on hydragogue drugs: light and electron microscopic examination of the isolated rat colonic mucosa exposed to deoxycholic acid and synthetic surfactants

Sacs of the stripped and everted, isolated descending rat colon were incubated for 2 hours in presence of the following surfactants at the mucosal side: Dodecylsulphate (DDS), dioctylsulphosuccinate (DOSS), cetrimonium bromide (CTMAB), Triton X100 and deoxycholic acid (DOC). After tissue fixation, the sacs were processed for light microscopy (LM) and for scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. All three methods revealed that DOSS (1.3 X 10(-4) and 2.6 X 10(-4) mol/l, CTMAB (5 X 10(-5) and 1 X 10(-4) ) and Triton (2 X 10(-5), 5 X 10(-5) and 1 X 10(-4) ) caused only minor or moderate changes compared to parallel controls, as did also DDS at 1 X 10(-5) and 2 X 10(-5) mol/l. DDS at 2 X 10(-4) and 4 X 10(-4) mol/l and DOC at 1.5 X 10(-4) and 3 X 10(-4) mol/l caused more prominent changes. LM showed swollen, vacuolated cells with pycnotic nuclei; many of these cells seemed to be extruded. According to SEM, cells thus affected were most abundantly localized to the normal extrusion zone at the borders of the crypt-surface epithelial cell units. DOC tended to cause a more generalized affection within the units than DDS. In spite of these deleterious effects, gaps corresponding to missing epithelial cells were not observed. TEM indicated the mechanism responsible for restoration of epithelial continuity in spite of extensive cell loss: The remaining epithelial cells seemed to flatten out and re-establish cell-to-cell contact by pseudopod formation along the basement lamina. This repair mechanism seemed to operate at a rapid rate; however, incomplete closure of cellular gaps i.e. small denuded parts of the basement lamina were occasionally observed. The results of this study are discussed in relation to a functional study under identical experimental conditions (Gastroenterol. Clin. Biol. 1981, 5, 124), in which these surfactants caused a significant alteration of normal colonic transport function.

Role of phospholamban in regulating cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump

Cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum plays a critical role in the excitation-contraction cycle and hormonal regulation of heart cells. Catecholamines exert their ionotropic action through the regulation of calcium transport into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Cyclic 3'-5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) causes the cAMP-dependent protein kinase to phosphorylate the regulatory protein phospholamban, which results in the stimulation of calcium transport. Calmodulin also phosphorylates phospholamban by a calcium-dependent mechanism. We have reported the isolation and purification of phospholamban with low deoxycholate (DOC) concentrations (5 X 10(-6) M). We have also reported the isolation and purification of Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase with a similar procedure. Both phospholamban and Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase retained their native properties associated with sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. Further, we have shown that the removal of phospholamban from membranes of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles uncouples Ca2+-uptake from ATPase without any effect on Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase activity or Ca2+ efflux. Phospholamban appears to be the substrate for both the Ca2+-calmodulin system and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase system. It is found that the phosphorylation of phospholamban by the Ca2+-calmodulin system is required for the normal basal level of Ca2+ transport, and that the phosphorylation of phospholamban at another site by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase system causes the stimulation of Ca2+-transport above the basal level. The functional effects of the phosphorylation of phospholamban by cAMP-dependent protein kinase system are expressed only after the phosphorylation of phospholamban with Ca2+-calmodulin system. We propose a model for the cardiac Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase, whereby the enzyme is normally uncoupled from Ca2+ uptake. The enzyme becomes coupled to Ca2+ transport after the first site of phospholamban is phosphorylated with the Ca2+-calmodulin system. When the second site of phospholamban is phosphorylated with cAMP-dependent protein kinase both Ca2+ transport and ATPase are stimulated and phospholamban becomes inaccessible to DOC solubilization and trypsin.

Stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity and DNA synthesis by phorbol esters or bile acids in rat colon

The changes of colonic epithelial ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and DNA synthesis following intrarectal administration of a tumor-promoting agent, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), or various bile acids to male noninbred rats were studied. A single instillation of TPA, at a dose as low as 16 nmol, led to a significant (about 10-fold) increase in colonic ODC activity. Peak ODC activity was observed at 4 hr, and the enzyme activity returned to the control level about 24 hr after intrarectal TPA. This pattern was almost the same as that observed after sodium deoxycholate treatment. TPA showed more potent induction of ODC activity than deoxycholate, although the maximal induction was greater in the case of deoxycholate treatment. Both TPA and deoxycholate stimulated DNA synthesis at 2 days after intrarectal instillation, after an initial depression at 4-12 hr. A structure-activity study of 26 bile acids revealed that 5 beta-cholanoic acid with alpha-hydroxy groups in two of the 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha positions and 5 beta-cholanoic acid with a 3 alpha-hydroxy group induced colonic ODC activity significantly, while the 3 alpha, 6 alpha-dihydroxy acid did not. Replacement of hydroxy groups by keto groups or a change from alpha to beta configuration decreased the ODC-inducing activities. Tri-substituted 5 beta-cholanoic acid derivatives, whether hydroxy or keto, did not stimulate ODC. These data indicate that a specific bile acid structure with a definite spatial relationship of the hydroxy groups is required for induction of colonic ODC activity.

Detergent effects on the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C in rat brain synaptosomes

In the presence of Ca2+ (2.5 mM) and using [14C]arachidonoyl phosphatidylinositol (PI) membrane as substrate, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) (EC 3.1.4.10) in rat brain synaptosomes was activated by deoxycholate but not taurocholate. Calcium stimulated enzymic hydrolysis by both detergents, but the stimulatory effect of taurocholate was less than that of deoxycholate. Peak stimulation for deoxycholate was observed at 1 mg/ml, whereas that for taurocholate was 4 mg/ml. When 1 mM EDTA was added to the taurocholate (4 mg/ml) and Ca2+ (3.5 mM) system, synaptosomal PI-PLC activity was greatly stimulated, to almost the same level as the deoxycholate + Ca2+ system. This system required the presence of all three factors, and EGTA could not effectively replace EDTA in the stimulatory action. The detergent-induced hydrolysis of synaptosomal PI by the deoxycholate + Ca2+ and the taurocholate + Ca2+ + EDTA systems was strongly inhibited by divalent metal ions such as Zn2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, and Fe2+, whereas Mg2+ and Ca2+ were ineffective. Nevertheless, only the deoxycholate + Ca2+ system was responsive to enzyme inhibition by membrane-perturbing agents such as lysophospholipids and free fatty acids. The specific requirement for EDTA in the taurocholate system may be due to the release of a pool of inhibitory divalent metal ions from the membranes.

Incorporation of bile acid of low concentration into model and biological membranes studied by 2H and 31P NMR

We have analyzed the manner of incorporation of bile acid into lipid bilayers and resultant perturbation of the bilayer structure with lower bile acid/lipid ratios relevant to the physiological conditions (approximately 1 mM) by 2H and 31P NMR methods, as an aid to understanding the possible role as an endogenous tumor promoter in colon cancer besides the primary physiological function of solubilizing lipids. On the basis of the 2H quadrupole splittings of [6,6,7,7,8-2H5]deoxycholate and [11,11,12,12-2H4]chenodeoxycholate in the presence of lamellar multibilayers of egg yolk lecithin, these bile acids were found to be incorporated in such a manner that the B-D rings lie parallel with the normal of the bilayers when the ratio of the bile acid to lipid is low (less than 0.11). When the ratio is increased, these bile acid molecules are not dispersed entirely in the bilayer but aggregate to form micelles with lipids. Further, we studied the resultant perturbation of the multibilayers of egg yolk lecithin analyzed by using the 2H quadrupole splitting of [18,18,18-2H3]stearic acid as a probe and by 31P chemical shift anisotropy. We found that the bilayer structure is retained even at the bile acid-to-lipid ratio of 0.25, although a small amount of an isotropic phase appeared such as small vesicles and micelles. The molecular ordering of fatty acyl chains was rather enhanced by the presence of 1 mM deoxycholate in erythrocyte ghosts as seen from the 2H quadrupole splitting of [16,16,16-2H3]palmitic acid, although deoxycholate caused hemolysis in this condition. The former observation can be explained by the way the lipid-protein interaction is modified by deoxycholate located in the interface between the lipids and proteins.

Reaction of cytochrome c in the electron-transport chain of Paracoccus denitrificans

The reaction of the cytochrome c oxidase (ferrocytochrome c:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.9.3.1) of Paracoccus denitrificans cytoplasmic membranes with the endogenous cytochrome c of the membranes was studied, as well as its interaction with added exogenous cytochrome c from P. denitrificans or bovine heart. The polarographic method was employed, using N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine plus ascorbate to reduce the cytochrome c. We found that overall electron transport can proceed maximally while the cytochrome c remains membrane bound; NADH or succinoxidase activities were not inhibited by the addition of substances which bind the P. denitrificans cytochrome c strongly. In contrast to our observations with the spectrophotometric method (Smith, L., Davies, H.C. and Nava, M.E. (1976) Biochemistry 15, 5827-5831), in the polarographic assays the membrane-bound oxidase reacts with about equal rapidity with exogenous bovine and P. denitrificans cytochromes c. The reaction of the oxidase with the endogenous cytochrome c proceeds at high rates and preferentially to that with exogenous cytochrome c; the reaction with the latter, but not the former is inhibited by positively charged poly(L-lysine). The cytochrome c and the oxidase appear to be very closely associated on the membrane.

The effect of jaundiced sera and bile salts on cultured beating rat heart cells

Jaundiced serum from common bile duct ligated rats, added to cultured heart cells, decreased the beating rate, caused an early cessation of beating and production of higher levels of lactate in the media. Deoxycholate and cholate are the main bile acids in jaundiced serum; deoxycholate caused similar effects, which suggests that it is the toxic substance responsible for heart function alterations seen in patients with severe jaundice.