Pharmacokinetic comparison of ferulic acid in normal and blood deficiency rats after oral administration of Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong and their combination

Radix Angelica Sinensis (RAS) and Rhizome Ligusticum (RLC) combination is a popular herb pair commonly used in clinics for treatment of blood deficiency syndrome in China. The aim of this study is to compare the pharmacokinetic properties of ferulic acid (FA), a main bioactive constituent in both RAS and RLC, between normal and blood deficiency syndrome animals, and to investigate the influence of compatibility of RAS and RLC on the pharmacokinetic of FA. The blood deficiency rats were induced by injecting 2% Acetyl phenylhydrazine (APH) on the first day, every other day, to a total of five times, at the dosage of 100, 50, 50, 30, 30 mg/kg body mass, respectively. Quantification of FA in rat plasma was achieved by using a simple and rapid HPLC method. Plasma samples were collected at different time points to construct pharmacokinetic profiles by plotting drug concentration versus time, and estimate pharmacokinetic parameters. Between normal and blood deficiency model groups, both AUC((0-) (t) ()) and C(max) of FA in blood deficiency rats after RAS-RLC extract administration increased significantly (P < 0.05), while clearance (CL) decreased significantly. Among three blood deficiency model groups, t(1/2α), V(d), AUC((0-) (t) ()) and AUC((0-∞)) all increased significantly in the RAS-RLC extract group compared with the RAS group. The results indicated that FA was absorbed better and eliminated slower in blood deficiency rats; RLC could significantly prolong the half-life of distribution, increase the volume of distribution and the absorption amount of FA of RAS in blood deficiency rats, which may be due to the synergic action when RAS and RLC were used together to treat blood deficiency syndrome.

Comparative effect of melatonin and vitamin E on phenylhydrazine-induced toxicity in the spleen of Funambulus pennanti

Phenylhydrazine (PHZ) oxidation resulting in free iron release followed by free radical generation has increased frequency of cancer. This study aims towards the dose-dependent response of PHZ and the role of melatonin in comparison with vitamin E following PHZ-induced toxicity within the lymphoid tissue (spleen) of Indian tropical seasonal breeder, Funambulus pennanti, during reproductively active phase. An increase in the damages in terms of lipid peroxidation (LPO), apoptosis percentage, and splenomegaly was observed following different doses of PHZ treatment, i.e., 0.025, 0.5, and 1 mg/100 g body weight (b.wt.), where dose of 1 mg/100 g b.wt. showed more significant damages. Both melatonin (0.5 mg/100 g b.wt.) and vitamin E (1 mg/100 g b.wt.) administration ameliorated oxidative damages of 1 mg/100 g b.wt. PHZ-treated group. Melatonin altered PHZ-induced responses significantly to a greater degree than vitamin E as evidenced by LPO status, SOD activity, and ABTS radical cation scavenging activity of antioxidants. Thus, melatonin might be able to restrict carcinogenic property of PHZ-induced oxidative stress by protecting macromolecules of the cell from harmful effects of PHZ and instead preserving cell viability.

[Experimental modelling of toxic encephalopathy]

The article covers problem of experimental biologic modelling of toxic encephalopathies. The authors represent major methodic approaches to modelling, criteria and methods to evaluate pathologic condition of CNS, present results of own research in creating models of toxic encephalopathies caused by metallic mercury and vinylchloride inhalation.

A two-stage decision analysis to assess the cost of 5-aminosalicylic acid failure and the economics of balsalazide versus mesalamine in the treatment of ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a costly disease, especially if not properly treated. Epidemiologic studies have shown that many patients progress in one year from initial treatment with prednisone to expensive colonectomy surgery if the UC is not managed with drug therapy. A two-stage decision analysis was conducted to (1) estimate the cost of a 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) treatment failure using the treatment guidelines recommended by the American College of Gastroenterology and (2) incorporate the cost of a 5-ASA treatment failure to determine which oral 5-ASA agent results in cost minimization and cost effectiveness. The analysis was conducted from the payer perspective, incorporating results from clinical trials directly comparing oral balsalazide capsules and a specific formulation of oral mesalamine. Health care costs related to UC for an oral 5-ASA failure is greater than dollar 11,500 on average in the first six months after therapy. Patients treated with balsalazide capsules had 16% lower total direct health care costs, 32% better outcomes (days without symptoms or steroids), and 37% greater cost effectiveness compared with patients treated with a specific formulation of oral mesalamine. Coordinated efforts should be taken to avoid the cost and morbidity associated with 5-ASA treatment failures.

Signals for stress erythropoiesis are integrated via an erythropoietin receptor-phosphotyrosine-343-Stat5 axis

Anemia due to chronic disease or chemotherapy often is ameliorated by erythropoietin (Epo). Present studies reveal that, unlike steady-state erythropoiesis, erythropoiesis during anemia depends sharply on an Epo receptor-phosphotyrosine-343-Stat5 signaling axis. In mice expressing a phosphotyrosine-null (PY-null) Epo receptor allele (EpoR-HM), severe and persistent anemia was induced by hemolysis or 5-fluorouracil. In short-term transplantation experiments, donor EpoR-HM bone marrow cells also failed to efficiently repopulate the erythroid compartment. In each context, stress erythropoiesis was rescued to WT levels upon the selective restoration of an EpoR PY343 Stat5-binding site (EpoR-H allele). As studied using a unique primary culture system, EpoR-HM erythroblasts exhibited marked stage-specific losses in Epo-dependent growth and survival. EpoR-H PY343 signals restored efficient erythroblast expansion, and the selective Epo induction of the Stat5 target genes proviral integration site-1 (Pim-1) and oncostatin-M. Bcl2-like 1 (Bcl-x), in contrast, was not significantly induced via WT-EpoR, EpoR-HM, or EpoR-H alleles. In Kit+ CD71+ erythroblasts, EpoR-PY343 signals furthermore enhanced SCF growth effects, and SCF modulation of Pim-1 kinase and oncostatin-M expression. In maturing Kit- CD71+ erythroblasts, oncostatin-M exerted antiapoptotic effects that likewise depended on EpoR PY343-mediated events. Stress erythropoiesis, therefore, requires stage-specific EpoR-PY343-Stat5 signals, some of which selectively bolster SCF and oncostatin-M action.

Treatment of ulcerative colitis with oral mesalamine: advances in drug formulation, efficacy expectations and dose response, compliance, and chemoprevention

Sulfasalazine, olsalazine, balsalazide, delayed-release mesalamine, controlled-release mesalamine, mesalamine pellets, and Multi-Matrix System mesalamine are effective first-line therapies for the treatment of mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis and for subsequent maintenance of remission. For induction therapy it is unclear if there is a dose response above 1.5 g, and for maintenance therapy existing data do not support a dose response above 1.5 g. Sulfasalazine has more frequent side effects than olsalazine, balsalazide, and mesalamine formulations. Once-daily dosing with multi-matrix system mesalamine 1.2 g tablets may lead to optimal compliance. Mesalamine >/= 1.2 g and sulfasalazine >/= 2 g reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis. Drug formulations, efficacy expectations and dose response, toxicity expectations, compliance considerations, and chemoprevention considerations are reviewed.

[Heme oxygenase induction in rat heart and vessels and peroxidative resistance of erythrocytes during hemolytic anemia development]

The hemolytic anemia development caused by phenylhydrazine injection (7 mg/100 g b.w.) was shown to be caused by the decreasing of both catalase activity and glutathione content in erythrocytes, and by the increasing of spontaneouse hemolysis level of these cells in blood stream. The increasing of heme oxygenase activity and TBA-active products in rat heart and vessels were revealed 24 hrs after phenylhydrazine injection. Possible mechanisms of heme oxygenase-1 induction under hypoxia as response to the hemolytic anemia development and it's role in defense of the cells from damage are discussed.

Anemia and impaired stress-induced erythropoiesis in aceruloplasminemic mice

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is an abundant, copper-containing plasma protein with an important role in iron homeostasis. Patients with hereditary Cp deficiency have iron deposits in liver and other organs, consistent with impaired iron flux. The mild anemia reported in some patients suggests a possible role for Cp in iron delivery to red cell precursors during erythropoiesis. To investigate this function of Cp, we determined the hematologic parameters in Cp-deficient mice under normal conditions and after erythropoiesis-inducing stress. Cp(-/-) mice have below normal hematocrit, red cell hemoglobin and volume, and serum iron. Red cell number and turnover and reticulocyte counts were identical in Cp(-/-) and Cp(+/+) mice. Thus, Cp(-/-) have mild microcytic, hypochromic anemia consistent with normal red cell formation but defective iron availability. Cp(-/-) and Cp(+/+) mice subjected to phenylhydrazine-induced hemolytic anemia exhibited identical decreases in hematologic parameters, but Cp(-/-) mice showed diminished recovery after removal of the stress. Administration of purified human Cp or iron-saturated transferrin to Cp(-/-) mice partially restored hemoglobin formation in reticulocytes. The mild anemia in Cp(-/-) mice and the diminished response to stress may reflect inefficient recycling of iron between the reticuloendothelial and erythropoietic systems. Our findings suggest a role for Cp in erythropoiesis by providing sufficient iron to the erythroid tissue and that the requirement for Cp is raised after erythropoietic stress.

[Metabolism of heme and hemeproteins and some indices of the antioxidant system in rat erythrocytes and tissues under anemia caused by phenylhydrazine]

The decrease of activity of several antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes in the first hours after injection of phenylhydrazine to rats (7 mg per 100 g body weight) was found to be accompanied by accumulation of heme-containing compounds in rat serum and appearance of free heme in liver and decrease of cytochrome P450 content. Tissue-specific features of dynamics of activity of enzymes studied and reduced glutathione content were revealed, that might be caused by differences in total and free heme content in these organs. The role of key enzymes of heme biosynthesis and degradation in adaptation of metabolism under phenylhydrazine action is discussed.

The fate of dolichol in rat cells and tissues

Dolichol (D) levels increase dramatically in older tissue. A better understanding of the fate of cell D and exchange between tissues could be essential for understanding the mechanism of the abnormal accumulation. The fate of red blood cell D was investigated by the use of phenylhydrazine-induced hyperhaemolysis. The effect of atrophy on D tissue levels was studied in the perineal muscles of castrated rats. Influence of D transportation between tissues on the levels of D was studied by the use of age-mismatched heterotopic transplantation of D-rich-hearts from older (22 months old) donor rats in younger (3 months old) D-poor syngenic recipients. Increased red blood cell destruction by splenic macrophages did not cause accumulation but rather a significant depletion of the D content of the spleen. The shrinkage of tissues by endocrine or disuse atrophy did not affect the D content of muscle, where D concentration increased. No significant net redistribution of D was observed from the transplanted older heart to liver and tissues of younger recipients. In conclusion, phagocytosis appears to be the only process resulting in the disposal of tissue D.

[Immune and metabolic effects of carnitine and biotin in hemolytic anemia]

Single (80 mg/kg) or multiple (3 mg/kg) intramuscular introduction of phenylhydrazine decreases the functional activity of mononuclear blood cells and the immunological reactivity of the organism. Carnitine and biotin do not significantly influence the immunological response to a single administration of phenylhydrazine but noticeably reduce the expression of changes produced by repeated injections of the hemolytic toxin.

Erythropoietin restores the antitumor effectiveness of photodynamic therapy in mice with chemotherapy-induced anemia

PURPOSE

The study was designed to examine the impact of anemia on the antitumor efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in a murine colon-26 adenocarcinoma model syngeneic with BALB/c mice.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Acute hemolytic anemia was induced by a single i.p. injection of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride (150 mg/kg). Anemia induced by i.p. administration of carboplatin (100 mg/kg) was corrected by s.c. treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (1000 units/kg/day). The effectiveness of PDT (10 mg/kg Photofrin, 150 J/cm2 laser dose) was evaluated by measurements of the footpad edema and tumor volume. All of the RBC-related parameters were measured from the tail vein.

RESULTS

Phenylhydrazine hydrochloride injection resulted in a blunted response of normal tissues to Photofrin-mediated PDT-induced edema formation. Similarly, the antitumor response in mice with hemolytic anemia was nearly completely abrogated. The antitumor effectiveness of PDT was also significantly diminished in a more realistic clinical situation when anemia was induced by administration of carboplatin. Importantly, administration of recombinant human erythropoietin completely restored the sensitivity of the tumor to PDT in carboplatin-treated mice.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that anemia can negatively influence the therapeutic effectiveness of PDT. For optimal antitumor response anemia should be corrected before PDT procedure.

Effects of ageing and increased haemolysis on the levels of dolichol in rat spleen

Dolichol is a long-chain polyisoprenoid. No enzyme pathway for dolichol degradation was discovered. Dolichol accumulates in human and rodent tissues during ageing. Red blood cells contain a larger amount of dolichol and red blood cell life span is shorter in older rats. The effects of age and of the load of dolichol from red blood cell degradation on the ageing-associated accumulation of dolichol in spleen were studied in 2, 6, 12, 18 and 24 month-old male Sprague Dawley rats fed ad libitum (AL) or on an anti-ageing dietary regimen (EOD). Tissue dolichol was extracted and assayed by HPLC [J. Gerontol. 53A (1998) B87]. Levels of dolichol increased in spleen, liver, kidney and muscle in parallel fashion from the age of 2 to 12 months. Unexpectedly, spleen dolichol decreased in older rats whereas liver, kidney and muscle dolichol increased significantly. The effects of haemolysis on spleen dolichol were tested by the administration of phenylhydrazine. Results show that haemolysis does not increase, but rather decreases the levels of dolichol in erythroclastic organs. It is concluded that the levels of spleen dolichol may decrease in the absence of any known enzymatic degradative pathway if the spleen and its resident phagocytes are forced to cope with a higher number of red blood cells to be cleared. Free-radical mediated decomposition of dolichol by phagocytic cells during erythrophagocytosis might be involved in the process.

Effects of phenylhydrazine or phlebotomy on peripheral blood, bone marrow and erythropoietin in Wistar rats

This study was conducted to characterize better the response of rats to blood loss and hemolysis and to incorporate automated methods into the routine evaluations of those responses. Serial phlebotomies of 1.5-2.0 ml of blood per day for 5 days, or intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg kg(-1) phenylhydrazine (PHZ) for 3 days, were used to cause anemia associated with blood loss or hemolysis, respectively. Maximum decreases in red blood counts were observed on Day 3 in PHZ-treated animals (68%) and Day 4 in blood-loss animals (35%). In the routine complete blood count (CBC), hemoglobin, hematocrit/hemoglobin ratio and erythrocyte indices could be used to discriminate between the two treatments. Free plasma hemoglobin in PHZ-treated animals resulted in marked elevations of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) with a 2:1 hematocrit/hemoglobin ratio rather than the anticipated 3:1 ratio. Although both groups of animals had elevated white blood cell counts, PHZ-treated animals also had monocytosis and basophilia. Reticulocyte counts were more sensitive than erythropoietin (EPO) concentrations in predicting erythroid changes. Maximum mean reticulocyte values were ca. 24% in serially phlebotomized animals and >99% in PHZ-treated rats. Plasma EPO levels were 4-10-fold higher than EPO levels in urine, kidney or liver. Flow cytometric differentials of rat bone marrow using 2, 7-dichlorofluorescin successfully predicted erythroid hyperplasia in both experimental groups. Erythrocyte indices returned to normal within 14 days and the remaining CBC parameters were normal within 28 days for both treatment groups. Reticulocyte counts remained slightly elevated on Day 28, but were normal when assessed at Day 56 in blood-loss and PHZ-treated animals.

Covalent binding of agaritine to DNA in vivo

14C-Ring-labelled agaritine was administered orally to eight C57BL/6 mice at a chemical dose of 7.5 mg and radioactive dose of 1.2 x 10(9) dpm/kg body weight. After 24 hr, the animals were killed and DNA from stomach, liver and kidneys was purified by a phenol-free method involving proteinase K digestion of chromatin and coprecipitated proteins, followed by hydroxylapatite chromatography, dialysis and precipitation with ethanol. An increase in radioactivity was found in DNA of all three organs examined. Stomach DNA had the highest levels: 160 and 30 dpm/mg DNA in males and females, respectively. Liver and kidney DNA both showed levels of approximately 1 dpm/mg, with no measurable gender differences. Expressed in the units of the covalent binding index (CBI), agaritine has a potency of 42 in mouse stomach in males and 8 in females. The CBI of agaritine in liver and kidney was 0.2-0.3 in both sexes. The genotoxic activity of agaritine is thus very weak. The cumulative lifetime cancer risk of agaritine consumption in mushrooms is estimated to lie at approximately 10(-5).

Tissue lipid peroxidation may be triggered by increased formation of bilirubin in vivo

Following the administration of phenylhydrazine, cadmium chloride and ethanol to rats there was a marked increase in the concentration of liver lipid peroxides and a sharp decline in GSH levels. The oxidative stress generated by the action of these toxic compounds led to the induction of liver heme oxygenase, which exhibited a 3-fold increase in activity over the control value. Patients with various forms of liver disorders showed increased levels of plasma lipid peroxides as well as hyperbilirubinemia. In view of the known ability of bilirubin to cause lipid peroxidation in illuminated erythrocyte membranes, the results of the present paper suggest that in severely impaired liver, as in some liver diseases, lipid peroxides may be also produced by a mechanism involving heme oxygenase.

The effect of the submandibular salivary gland on the erythropoietin response to hypoxia in mice with chronic renal failure

The role of the submandibular salivary gland (SG) in the renal and extrarenal erythropoietin (Epo) response to hypoxia was evaluated in adult male mice with chronic renal failure from partial nephrectomy. A partial nephrectomy model for chronic renal failure was used in an attempt to evaluate erythropoiesis and Epo production in mice whose renal source of Epo may be compromised and thus more dependent on extrarenal sources. Mice with two-thirds of total renal mass excised developed a three-fold increase in serum creatinine concentration, polyuria, and polydipsia but not anemia. They responded to the combined challenge of hypobaric hypoxia (17 hours, 0.5 atm) and anemia from phenylhydrazine treatment (60 mg/kg intraperitoneally [i.p.]) with a consistent increase in serum Epo. This response was not affected by either acute or chronic bilateral submandibularectomy. However, bilateral submandibularectomy in mice with chronic renal failure was associated with a reduction in serum creatinine (p < 0.01). The possibility that reduction of renal mass might increase extrarenal secretion of Epo was examined in mice with chronic renal failure by removing the kidney remnant and exposing them to a severe hypoxic challenge. While acute bilateral submandibularectomy did not influence the extrarenal Epo response to severe hypoxia, mice with partial nephrectomies had a greater Epo response to hypoxia than control mice with a recent bilateral nephrectomy. In conclusion, the submandibular salivary glands do not appear to be an extrarenal source of Epo, nor do they appear to contribute to the enhanced extrarenal Epo response of mice with chronic renal failure.

Application of 67Ga for the estimation of reticulocyte production

In order to estimate the production of reticulocytes, which have a larger number of transferrin receptors than erythrocytes, we used 67Ga which is exclusively bound to transferrin in the blood. The pattern of uptake of 67Ga by reticulocytes was quite similar to the time course of transglutaminase activity which might be involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis. The preinjection of Fe3+ decreased the uptake of 67Ga by reticulocytes. These results suggested that 67Ga in a transferrin-bound form was taken up by reticulocytes via receptor-mediated endocytosis. It was showed that the application of 67Ga is very easy and useful for the estimation of reticulocyte production.

Phenylhydrazine-induced leukocytosis in the rat

Rats were injected with phenylhydrazine (PHZ) for periods of up to 6 months, during which time a marked leukocytosis was induced. The highest leukocyte counts occurred within 4-5 days following injection. An initial injection of 4 mg/100 gm body weight evoked a mean total leukocyte count of 129 X 10(3) cells/microliter. Successive weekly injections of 2 mg/100 gm resulted in a mean total leukocyte count of 70 X 10(3) cells/microliter compared to a mean total leukocyte count of 12.5 X 10(3) cells/microliter in saline-injected rats. Lymphocytes and monocytes accounted for approximately 75% of the total cell counts in both the PHZ-treated and control rats. The presence of increased numbers of mononuclear cells was confirmed by Percoll gradient separation and by phase-contrast microscopy. Although a leukocytosis was evident when using the automated Coulter electronic cell counter, it was not discernible when blood samples were counted manually in a hemocytometer by light microscopy. Histological examination of the thymus, lymph nodes, and spleen of the PHZ-treated rats indicated that lymphocytes and monocytes were mobilized from these sites. Lymphocyte depletion was evident, and germinal centers were found in all these lymphoid organs, indicating that PHZ induced a lymphopoietic response. A possible autoimmune etiology for PHZ-induced red blood cell destruction is discussed.

Lack of carcinogenicity of agaritine by subcutaneous administration in mice

Agaritine (A), an ingredient of the cultivated mushroom of commerce Agaricus bisporus, was administered by subcutaneous injection to two groups of randomly bred Swiss mice. In the first group the animals of both sexes were treated at a 100 micrograms/g body weight basis five times at weekly intervals, while in the second group the mice received a single A treatment of 100 micrograms/g body weight for females and 50 micrograms/g body weight for males. The administration of the compound resulted in no detectable carcinogenic effect in the animals. Since some of the breakdown products of A were shown to be carcinogenic in mice and the mushroom itself was found to be mutagenic, the field is discussed in the light of the obtained results.

Circulating erythroid progenitors in normal and anemic rabbits

The position of circulating blood erythroid progenitors in the erythroid maturation sequence was determined in rabbits. The erythroid progenitors in blood appeared to be the same as the earliest class of erythroid progenitors detectable in bone marrow on the basis of time course studies of colony formation by blood and marrow cells in vitro. This result was confirmed by the ability of circulating erythroid progenitors to respond to the early erythroid regulator burst-promoting activity with an increase in colony number and 59Fe incorporation into heme. Induction of anemia with phenylhydrazine resulted in large increases in early erythroid progenitor frequency in blood and an influx of more mature progenitors (intermediate BFU-E and CFU-E). Circulating erythroid progenitors in rabbits may be an interesting model for the study of human disorders of erythropoiesis.

The effect of erythropoietin and other factors on DNA synthesis by mouse spleen cells

The effects of pure and crude human urinary erythropoietin, crude sheep plasma erythropoietin and other growth factors on the incorporation of labeled thymidine were studied using spleen cells from mice previously treated with phenylhydrazine hydrochloride. Erythropoietin at 400 mU/ml caused a 40-80 fold increase in the incorporation of the labeled nucleoside. The slope of the dose-response curve found for pure erythropoietin was not significantly different from that found for a crude urinary erythropoietin preparation or for crude sheep plasma erythropoietin. Colony-stimulating factor, interleukin 2, interleukin 3 and the lectin, concanavalin A were also stimulatory but at concentrations from one hundred to one million times higher than that found for erythropoietin.

A simple microassay for erythropoietin based on 3H-thymidine incorporation into spleen cells from phenylhydrazine treated mice

Spleens taken from B6C3F1 mice on the third day following the second of 2 daily injections of phenylhydrazine HCl (60 mg/kg) contain approximately 10 times the number of cells (i.e., 10(9) cells) found in spleens from normal mice. More than 90% of these spleen cells are recognizable erythroid and form the basis of a new in vitro microassay for erythropoietin (Ep) which uses 3H-thymidine incorporation as an endpoint. This assay takes 24 h and can be carried out in the presence of either 20% FCS or a well-defined serum substitute. Under the conditions used, Ep levels from 30 mU/well down to as little as 0.2 mU/well can be accurately measured with a corresponding variation in counts of 50-100-fold. One spleen is sufficient for 1000 triplicate Ep determinations, and the use of this microassay procedure requires only very small (1-60) microliters) samples for evaluation. Preliminary studies with human plasma suggest that this assay may be more specific for Ep than established in vitro 59Fe bioassay methods.

Pharmacology of a new orally active antiallergic: pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine, ucb L140 (CHINOIN 1045) in rats

ucb L140 (CHINOIN 1045) has been tested in various rat anaphylaxis systems. In models of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA), passive peritoneal anaphylaxis (PPA) and anaphylactic bronchospasms, ucb L140 appears to be more potent than sodium cromoglycate (DSCG). Upon oral administration, ucb L140 exhibits a marked inhibition of these anaphylactic reactions. Sensitized rat mast cells in vitro display a decreased Nippostrongylus-induced histamine release when treated with a concentration of ucb L140 three times smaller than DSCG. In PCA testing after intravenous administration of ucb L140 a cross-tachyphylaxis with DSCG was observed. These results suggest that the action of ucb L140 is similar to that of DSCG in inhibiting the release of allergic mediators from mast cells and therefore may present antiallergic activity.

Hematological parameters and iron metabolism in pigeons and chickens with phenylhydrazine-induced anemia

A single phenylhydrazine injection (1.8 mg/kg body weight in chickens and 2.2 mg/kg body weight in pigeons) was administered intramuscularly to different lots of animals. The modification of hematocrit, hemoglobin, erythrocyte number, reticulocyte concentration, plasma iron, and total iron-binding capacity was monitored versus time. Depression of the hematological parameters in chickens was greatest on the second day (27-40%), and the values returned to normal by day 7. The drop in pigeons was greater (28-51%) and took longer to return to normal (day 22). The highest percentage of reticulocytes was 35-37%. A plasma iron increase was concomitant to cell destruction and decreased later. The plasma iron clearance values showed a double slope line as a result of the presence of reticulocytes. A high correlation existed between iron uptake by red blood cells at 5 min and the reticulocyte concentration. The responses of the two species to the phenylhydrazine were similar, and differences were more quantitative than qualitative. Reticulocytes were present in normal pigeons, which introduces an important variant in iron metabolism in birds.

Effect of phenylhydrazine pretreatment on splenectomized Rauscher leukemia virus-infected mice

The protective effect of phenylhydrazine pretreatment seen in Rauscher leukemia virus-infected intact mice is not observed when splenectomized mice are used. Such mice succumb to infection even earlier than viral potency controls. Since phenylhydrazine is known to increase both splenic erythropoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell numbers, the results suggest that these two events may be involved in phenylhydrazine prophylaxis.

Energy dependency on the salt-resistance of Staphylococcus aureus: Effects of various inhibitors on the growth in high salinity condition

It has previously been shown that the barrier system for high environmental salinity is closely related to the salt-resistance of Staphyloccus aureus. The present investigation was undertaken to clarify the energy dependency for the maintenance of intracellular univalent cation contents in cells grown on high concentration of salt containing medium. The results are summarized as follows: (1) The growth of 10% NaCl-Staph which was grown in the 10% NaCl containing nutrient broth was more sensitive to NaN3 than Normal-Staph which was grown only on nutrient broth. The anaerobic conditions in both media demonstrated a more powerful effect on growth inhibition of 10% NaCl-Staph than Normal-Staph. Therefore, 10% NaCl-Staph must have a higher energy dependency than Normal-Staph. (2) The high sensitivity to uncouplers, such as DNP and FCCP in 10% NaCl-Staph, also suggested an energy dependency which was probably related to respiration and not to anaerobic glycolysis. (3) The intracellular Na+ contents of Normal-Staph and 10% NaCl-Staph were 12.0 and 152.9 mmoles per Kg wet weight of cells respectively, and the content of K+ in 10% NaCl-Staph (90.2 mmoles per Kg wet weight) was lower than that of Normal-Staph (215.8 mmoles per Kg wet weight). These intracellular Na+ and K+ contents were strongly affected by the addition of various inhibitors to the medium. The measurements of intracellular univalent cation contents indicated the existance of an adaptively developed barrier system in 10% NaCl-Staph and the existence of energy-dependent transport mechanisms for efflux of Na+ in Normal-Staph and for the influx of K+ in 10% NaCl-Staph.