Heat-shock treatment lethal for mammalian cells deprived of glucose and glutamine: protection by alpha-keto acids

Nil and Nilpy hamster cells exposed to temperatures of 44 degrees C to induce the heat-shock proteins survive such exposure for 2 h or more when incubated in Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium with 10% undialyzed fetal calf serum. If D-glucose and L-glutamine are withdrawn from the medium during heat treatment, nearly all the cells are killed by as little as 20 min at 44 degrees C. Several alpha-keto acids, pyruvate, alpha-ketobutyrate, oxaloacetate, and alpha-ketoglutarate, protect cells from the lethal action of the heat treatment in the absence of D-glucose and L-glutamine. L-Glucose and D-glutamine are without effect. Efforts to reverse lethal effects have not been successful.

An efficient synthesis of 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregna-9(11),16-diene-20-one

3 alpha-Hydroxy-5 alpha-pregna-9(11),16-diene-20-one (6) was synthesized for the first time from the commercially available 16,17 alpha-epoxy-3 beta-hydroxy-5-pregnen-20-one(1) in several steps. The key step involves a remote chlorination reaction utilizing m-iodobenzoate group as a free-radical guide.

The effect of antifungal agents on pancreatic and gastric secretion in rats

This study was designed to investigate the effects of griseofulvin, 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC), and amphotericin B on pancreatic and gastric secretion after the administration of a single large dose, or repeated small doses for 3 weeks, in male albino rats. The exocrine functions of the main digestive glands were only slightly affected by griseofulvin and were not affected by 5-FC. In contrast, a single large dose of amphotericin B caused a marked inhibition of exocrine functions of the main digestive glands. The rats treated with 5-FC lost body weight markedly during 2 weeks of administration.