Preparation and application of Procion Yellow starch for amylase assay

A new starch derivative for the determination of amylase activity has been synthesized by coupling Procion Yellow dye with starch. The product of this reaction is intensely yellow and is easily suspended in water, in neutral buffer solution, and also in acidic solution. Amylase from pancreatin, saliva, urine and serum readily hydrolyzes this chromogenic substrate. A method for determining amylase activity based on the use of Procion Yellow Starch substrate is described. The procedure requires 0.1 ml of sample and an incubation time of 30 min. The soluble chromogen, which is liberated by enzymatic hydrolysis, is measured at 420 nm and the amylase activity-absorbance relationship at this wavelength is linear. The normal range for this method is 50--150 Somogyi units/dl.

Pancreatic spasmolytic polypeptide (PSP): III. Pharmacology of a new porcine pancreatic polypeptide with spasmolytic and gastric acid secretion inhibitory effects

Pancreatic spasmolytic Polypeptide (PSP) is a new porcine pancreatic polypeptide, which inhibits gastrointestinal motility and gastric acid secretion in laboratory animals after parenteral as well as oral administration. (1) PSP inhibits the amplitude of electrically stimulated contractions of the isolated guinea pig ileum. PSP's inhibitory effect is antagonized by phentolamine, but not by yohimbine. (2) PSP inhibits the motility of isolated guinea pig intestinal segments after intraluminal dosing. (3) PSP reduces intestinal motility in rabbits in vivo after intravenous and intraluminal administration, and in mice in vivo after subcutaneous injection. (4) PSP delays absorption of protein hydrolysate when it is administered orally in capsules to pigs and to pancreatectomized dogs. (5) PSP inhibits pentagastrin induced gastric acid secretion in rats after oral administration and in cats after subcutaneous and oral administration. The mechanism of action of PSP has so far not been finally elucidated. It seems likely that PSP interferes with endogenous acetylcholine release. Furthermore it might act by release of somatostatin from somatostatin cells in the gastrointestinal tract. It may have a direct or an indirect stimulant effect on alpha 2-receptors.

Radioimmunoassay of methionine(5)-enkephalin sulphoxide: phylogenetic and anatomical distribution

A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the oxidised form of methionine(5)-enkephalin (Met(5)-Enk), Met(5)-Enk sulphoxide (Met(5)-Enk-S), has been developed. Antisera were raised in rabbits against Met(5)-Enk coupled to carrier proteins with glutaraldehyde or carbodiimide. Displacement of (125I) Met(5)-Enk bound to antiserum by Met(5)-Enk was poor, but Met(5)-Enk-S displayed good displacement suggesting that the Met(5)-Enk immunogen was oxidised to Met(5)-Enk-S and that the antisera were formed against this compound. The sensitivity of the RIA for Met(5)-Enk-S was 0.02 pmole/tube using the most sensitive antiserum. The antisera showed negligible cross-reactivity with leucine(5)-enkephalin and with both native and oxidised endorphins. Cross-reactivity was between 15% and 28% with the fragment Met(5)-Enk (2--5) sulphoxide and between 9% and 25% with D-Ala(2)-Met(5)-Enk sulphoxide. The antisera showed less than 0.01% cross-reactivity with other Met(5)-Enk fragments and naturally occurring neuropeptides. Tissue extracts were oxidised with hydrogen peroxide prior to assay. Met(5)-Enk-S immunoreactivity (IMR) was detected in brain, pituitary gland, pancreas, and intestine extracts of the rat, chicken, toad and teleost, and in cerebral-suboesophageal ganglion extracts of the snail. All tissue extracts showed parallelism in serial dilution to synthetic mammalian Met(5)-Enk-S, suggesting possible immunological identity. The results indicate that spontaneous oxidation of Met(5)-Enk immunogen occurs such that antisera are produced against the sulphoxide analogue of Met(5)-Enk, and may account for the relative insensitivity of some published RIAs using Met(5)-Enk standard. Our findings demonstrate a wide phylogenetic and anatomical distribution of Met(5)-Enk IMR.

Variability in the composition of physiologic duodenogastric reflux

Duodenogastric reflux has long been associated with various diseases of the foregut. Even though bile is often used as a marker, duodenogastric reflux consists of other components such as pancreatic juice and duodenal secretions. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of duodenogastric reflux, its components, and the variability of its composition in normal subjects. Twenty healthy volunteers (7 men and 13 women) whose median age was 24 years underwent combined 24-hour bilirubin and gastric pH monitoring and intraluminal gastric aspiration. All probes were placed at 5 cm below the lower border of the lower esophageal sphincter. Aspiration was performed hourly and at any time when bilirubin and/or pH monitoring showed signs of duodenogastric reflux. Elastase and amylase were measured in the aspirate. All volunteers had episodes of physiologic duodenogastric reflux. A total of 70 episodes of duodenogastric reflux were registered with a median of three episodes (range 1 to 8) per subject. Most bile reflux occurred separately from pancreatic enzyme reflux. Pancreatic enzyme aspirate was significantly more often associated with a rise in pH in comparison to bile reflux (P <0.01). Duodenogastric reflux is a physiologic event with varying composition. Both bile and pancreatic enzyme reflux frequently occur separately. These findings could explain the disagreement regarding assessment and interpretation of duodenogastric reflux in the past. Thus monitoring of duodenogastric reflux requires more than the detection of just one component.

An analysis of pancreatic enzymes used in epidermal separation

A comparative enzyme analysis was performed on 3 pancreatic extracts generally used for dermal-epidermal separation, namely, crude trypsin (Difco), crude trypsin (Sigma) and pancreatin. A fourth pancreatic extract, crude lipase, was subjected to a corresponding analysis. The 4 extracts were assayed for activities of: protease (total), trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase-A, amylase, elastase, lipase, esterase, arylesterase and ribonuclease. Relative activities of the different proteolytic enzymes were individualized by utilizing specific inhibitors. Insignificant differences were observed between the enzyme activities of crude trypsin (Difco) and pancreatin. Crude lipase displayed similar enzyme activities as these two extracts in addition to high lipolytic, esterolytic and arylesterolytic activities. Crude trypsin (Sigma) exhibited higher tryptic and chymotryptic activities than the other extracts but lacked all further enzyme activities. Epidermal separation was performed using similar incubation conditions for each extract and skin from the same donor. Ultrastructural examination of the detached epidermis revealed that a more effective separation could be achieved by crude lipase.

Studies on the cause of hyperuricosuria in cystic fibrosis patients

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the purine contents of 24 pancreatic enzyme preparations currently available in the Federal Republic of Germany were carried out; guanine, adenine, and hypoxanthine were demonstrated in all drugs examined. The contamination level per dosage unit ranged from 2 to 10 mg urate equivalents, which, after purine absorption and metabolism, must be excreted by the kidneys. Although the additional daily urate intake through the ingestion of pancreatic enzyme preparations was less than 70 mg in 16 of 18 cystic fibrosis patients, uric acid excretion was astoundingly high. Compared to the amount of urate excreted in the urine over a 24-h period, urate intake through pancreatic enzyme preparations was so low that these drugs do not represent an important contributing factor for hyperuricosuria. A clear-cut relationship could be demonstrated between the urinary urate concentration and the severity of the disease. The increased catabolism of these patients therefore is more likely the real cause of the hyperuricosuria demonstrable in most cases. Increased fluid intake and administration of allopurinol proved to be an extremely effective means of controlling hyperuricosuria; no side effects were observed.

[In vitro studies of pancreatic enzyme substitution]

In-vitro activity of 14 commercial pancreatin preparations, commonly used in the Federal Republic of Germany, were tested. All had been declared by their manufacturers to contain more than 6000 FIP (Fédération International Pharmaceutique) units of lipase and to be acid resistant. The declared lipase and amylase amounts were found to be present in 11 of the 14 preparations. Three of the 14 preparations, said to be acid resistant were found not to be so in buffer with falling pH values between 4.0 and 2.5, so that there occurred an, at times marked, loss of enzyme activity. Most noticeable was the poor solubility of most preparations at pH 6.6. Only three of the 14 liberated their total enzyme content within 60 minutes, as they should for theoretical reasons, based on the relatively short duodeno-cecal transit time.

Does mixing pancreatic enzyme microspheres (Pancrease) with food damage the enteric coating?

Supplemental pancreatic enzymes are required for the treatment of malabsorption associated with cystic fibrosis. It is a general practice for enzymes to be sprinkled on, or administered in, food given to infants or children who require pancreatic enzyme replacement. We tested the effect of in vitro incubation of enteric-coated pancreatic enzyme microspheres with infant foods on total recoverable enzyme activity and on the enteric coating. Incubation of enzyme beads with foods with pH greater than 5 (i.e., chicken pH 6.5, veal pH 6.3, and green beans pH 5.6) was without significant effect on either parameter. There was a statistically significant, albeit minor, reduction in maximum enzyme activity recovered following incubation with applesauce (pH 3.5). In addition, the thickness of the enteric coating was significantly reduced. Whether changes in the enzyme beads results in improved or diminished efficiency of therapy remains to be determined. Lipase, unprotected by enteric coating, was rapidly inactivated in applesauce, emphasizing the need to instruct parents about which foods to avoid when administering pancreatic enzymes without enteric coating.

Stability of oral pancreatin powders

In-vitro study which duplicated the conditions to which the orally administered pancreatin is exposed in the human stomach showed that the oral administration of pancreatin in uncoated powder form could result in a substantial loss of enzymic activity. Therefore, it may not be an efficacious replacement therapy in pancreatic disorders where pancreatin secretion is reduced.

Chromatographic Study of Azintamide in Bulk Powder and in Pharmaceutical Formulation in the Presence of Its Degradation Form

Two specific, sensitive, and precise stability-indicating chromatographic methods were developed, optimized, and validated for the determination of Azintamide (AZ) in the presence of its degradation product. The first method was TLC combined with the densitometric determination of the separated bands. Separation was achieved using silica gel 60 F254 TLC plates and chloroform-acetone-glacial acetic acid (7.5 + 2.1 + 0.4, v/v/v) as the developing system. Good correlations were obtained between the integrated peak area of the studied drug and its corresponding concentrations in the linearity range. The second method used HPLC with UV diode-array detection, in which the proposed method was applied for the quantitative determination of AZ in the presence of its acidic degradation product and the quantitative determination of the acid-induced degradation product of AZ (AZ Deg) using pentoxifylline as the internal standard. The proposed components were separated on a reversed-phase C18 analytical column using acetonitrile-water (50 + 50, v/v). The flow rate was maintained at 0.55 mL/min and the detection wavelength was 260 nm. Linear regressions were obtained in the range of 1-30 and 0.3-16 μg/mL for AZ and AZ Deg, respectively. Different parameters affecting the suggested methods were optimized for maximum separation of the cited components. The suggested methods were validated in compliance with the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines and successfully applied for the determination of AZ in its pure powder form and in its pharmaceutical formulation. Both methods were also statistically compared with the reported method with no significant difference in performance observed.

Temporal adjustments in sympathoadrenal activity in rats with obesity-producing hypothalamic knife cuts

Sympathoadrenal activity was assessed in adult rats with obesity-producing hypothalamic knife cuts prior to and after the onset of gross obesity by measuring urinary excretion of norepinephrine and epinephrine and by determining rates of norepinephrine turnover in selected organs. Urinary excretion of norepinephrine, as an index of overall sympathetic nervous system activity, was approximately doubled throughout the 4-week study in knife-cut rats, as was intake of the high-fat diet. Three days after knife-cut surgery (before the onset of gross obesity) rates of norepinephrine turnover (ng X organ-1 X hr-1) were 23-33% lower in three of the four organs examined than in the corresponding organs of control rats; rates of norepinephrine turnover were depressed in pancreas, interscapular brown adipose tissue, and abdominal white adipose tissue and unchanged in hearts. Four weeks after surgery when gross obesity was evident, rates of norepinephrine turnover were accelerated in heart (+82%) and pancreas (+63%), but remained low in interscapular brown adipose tissue (-27%) and abdominal white adipose tissue (-28%). Adrenal medullary activity, assessed by urinary excretion of epinephrine, was suppressed within the 1st day after knife-cut surgery and remained suppressed for several weeks. Brown adipose tissue and white adipose tissue appear to be selectively excluded from the generalized activation of the sympathetic nervous system in adult hyperphagic rats with obesity-producing hypothalamic knife cuts. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system was associated with reciprocal suppression of adrenal medullary responses in knife-cut rats.

Evaluation of a molecular method for hepatitis E virus (HEV) detection in pancreatin of porcine origin

Pancreatin is a combination of enzymes, principally amylase, lipase, and protease, used in the treatment of pancreatic endocrine insufficiency in humans. Pancreatin manufactured from imported porcine pancreas carries the risk of hepatitis E virus (HEV) contamination. About 1 % of the starting material for pancreatin manufacture is invariably constituted of the small intestine, which is known to be a major extrahepatic site of HEV replication in pigs. The aim of this study was to evaluate a method to detect and quantify HEV in pancreatin of porcine origin. Because HEV cannot be easily grown by conventional cell culture, an approach based on an established quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) was selected. This entailed the use of a non-HEV internal control to monitor RNA extraction efficacy and the production of HEV synthetic RNA as a reference to account for the efficacy of reverse-transcription. The method was evaluated by experiments in which HEV (from naturally infected pigs) was spiked in both the starting material (i.e., porcine pancreas homogenate for industrial production) and in the pancreatin itself. A laboratory protocol matching the industrial production workflow was set up and RT-qPCR experiments were carried out to evaluate the method's ability to detect HEV in pancreatin made from HEV-contaminated porcine tissues. The results showed that the method may be employed in two different strategies: to test the porcine pancreas homogenate (quantitative performance) or directly on pancreatin (qualitative assay). While the risk of HEV contamination in pancreatin may be low, it cannot be completely ruled out. Testing for HEV based on the precautionary principle ought to be the guiding rule.

Comparative studies of canine colipase and lipases from bovine, porcine, canine, human and rat pancreases

1. Colipase was purified from canine pancreatic juice and found to have certain specificity in its reaction with various pancreatic lipases. 2. This colipase will stimulate the lipolytic activities of lipases isolated from canine, bovine and porcine pancreas but not lipases from a fungus, or from human and rat pancreases. 3. Characterization of these lipases showed (a) the molecular dimension of rat lipase is very different from the other lipases; (b) the pIs of canine, porcine and bovine lipases are almost identical but different from the pIs of rat, human and Candida (a fungus) lipases; and (c) the antiserum prepared against canine lipase will also react with lipases from human, hog and cow pancreases but not with rat and Candida lipases. 4. These physical differences can explain partly the difference in reaction between the various lipases and the canine colipase.

[Placental site trophoblastic tumor: case report and review of literature]

A 32-year-old para 3 patient is presented having suffered from a silent uterine rupture on the occasion of her second and third Caesarean sections. After the third Caesarean section, there was light uterine bleeding whilst the patient breastfed for five months. Amenorrhoea then ensued due to oral contraception. Regular clinical and ultrasound checks revealed negative serum beta-HCG values and retrovesicular resistance, which increased in size after 18 months and became symptomatic. Because the patient's family was complete, abdominal hysterectomy without adnexectomy was performed. Histology revealed a placental site trophoblastic tumour (PSTT). This is a rare tumour with malignant potential, whose prognosis depends on the stage of the primary tumour, the period of time between the last pregnancy and onset of disease, the patient's age, and the rate of mitosis, and whose progress cannot be assessed using the WHO Prognostic Index Score for Gestational Trophoblastic Disease. In therapeutic terms, hysterectomy is recommended. Chemosensitivity is low and, due to the infrequency of the tumours, the most suitable chemotherapy scheme is unknown. In the case of metastasising or recurrent PSTT, the EP/EMA regime has proved to be most effective.

[Radiation sterilization of pancreatin preparation]

The enzymatic activities (in detail, amylase-, lipase- and protease-activity) of gamma-irradiated pancreatin powder preparation decrease to 50-95% at doses range of 50 kR-8 MR. The dose-inactivation relation-ships vary depending on every different production lot. In the case of higher moisture content preparation as irradiation sample, amylase activities are more stable, the other side, protease activities are less stable. On the variation of these activities by gamma-irradiation, there are no difference between room temperature and lower temperature (-70 degrees C) as irradiation condition. The D10 values of contaminating bacteria and fungus (contamination number: about 1 X 10(3) cells/g and 9 X 10(2) spores/g) of a pancreatin preparation are 74 C/kg (280 kR) and 60 C/kg(230 kR). Then, these values are corresponded to 645 C/kg (2.5 MR) and 540 C/kg (2.1 MR) as perfect sterilization.