Search results for "Globin"

1996

Developing an artificial oxygen carrier for use in humans, we polymerize native haemoglobin and myoglobin, using bifunctional, amino group specific cross-linkers, to soluble, so-called hyperpolymers. These polymers, like other polymerized globular proteins, are members of a new class of macromolecues which consist of macromolecular base units. They all have, due to the mechanisms of the chemical reaction, broad distributions of molecular weights. Fractions of hyperpolymers of human haemoglobin were obtained by employing preparative gel-permeation (size-exclusion) chromatography. The calibration curve of analytical gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) for haemoglobin hyperpolymers was determi…

Regulation and Role of Neuroglobin and Cytoglobin Under Hypoxia

2007

Neuroglobin (Ngb) and cytoglobin (Cygb) are two novel members of the globin superfamily that are ubiquitously present in vertebrates. Their exact physiological roles are still uncertain. Here we review the expression of Ngb and Cygb, with particular emphasis on their regulation and potential role under hypoxia. Ngb expression is confined to neurons and some endocrine tissues. At the subcellular level, Ngb is associated with the presence of mitochondria and thus linked to the oxidative metabolism. Hypoxia or ischemic insults most likely do not strongly increase Ngb levels in the rodent brain. This might be explained by the fact that most mammals are not adapted to low oxygen levels. In zebra…

Der Verteilungsraum von physikalisch gelöstem Sauerstoff in wäßrigen Lösungen organischer Substanzen / The Distribution Space of Physically Dissolved…

1976

Abstract In order to evaluate the distribution of molecular oxygen in biological systems, the oxygen solubility (ml/ml atm) at 37 °C in aqueous solutions of thirty organic substances with different concentrations was measured by the classical Van Slyke principle. The oxygen solubility always (with the exception of hemoglobin) decreases exponentially with increasing concentration of the respective substance. In all cases this behavior is described highly significant by a simple empiric exponential function, when the substance concentration as well as the oxygen solubility of pure water is given. The influence of one substance on oxygen solubility contributes additively to the over-all solubi…

Biomarkers in obstructive respiratory diseases: An update

2012

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways, with the involvement of many inflammatory cells and mediators. Traditionally, this inflammation is thought to spread to a systemic level, thus inducing damage of different organs. However, other pathogenetic mechanisms could take part to the above-described process, and some open questions need to be solved. Due to the burden and increasing prevalence of COPD, the opportunity to find biomarkers that can potentially be useful in identifying individuals with the disease, or better, prior to symptoms onset, to diagnose and properly manage the respiratory symptoms, as well as to evaluate the re…

The Association between Cognitive Impairment and Diabetic Foot Care: Role of Neuropathy and Glycated Hemoglobin

2020

Diabetes mellitus is associated with impairment in cognitive functions which can complicate adherence to self-care behaviors. We evaluated the incidence of cognitive impairment in patients with diabetes mellitus to determine the strength of the association between diabetic foot (a complication that occurs in about 10% of diabetic patients), adherence to the clinician&rsquo

Cytoprotective effects of the antioxidant phytochemical indicaxanthin in beta-thalassemia red blood cells

2006

Antioxidant phytochemicals are investigated as novel treatments for supportive therapy in beta-thalassemia. The dietary indicaxanthin was assessed for its protective effects on human beta-thalassemic RBCs submitted in vitro to oxidative haemolysis by cumene hydroperoxide. Indicaxanthin at 1.0-10 microM enhanced the resistance to haemolysis dose-dependently. In addition, it prevented lipid and haemoglobin (Hb) oxidation, and retarded vitamin E and GSH depletion. After ex vivo spiking of blood from thalassemia patients with indicaxanthin, the phytochemical was recovered in the soluble cell compartment of the RBCs. A spectrophotometric study showed that indicaxanthin can reduce perferryl-Hb ge…

The determination of haemoglobin as cyanhaemiglobin or as alkaline haematin D-575. Comparison of method-related errors.

1989

In order to compare the accuracy of haemoglobin (Hb) determination methods, the commonly used cyanhaemiglobin (HiCN) method and the recently developed alkaline haematin D-575 (AHD) method (R. Zander, W. Lang & H. U. Wolf (1984) Clin. Chim. Acta 136, 83-93; H. U. Wolf, W. Lang & R. Zander (1984) Clin. Chim. Acta 136, 95-104) were tested with respect to method-related errors such as plasma, cell, and Hb errors. Both methods yield a series of more or less significant errors which generally lead to an overestimation of the Hb concentration in the order of 1%. However, in all three cases of plasma errors, i.e. normal plasma error, plasma error in lipaemic blood, and plasma error in bilirubinaemi…

<title>Refractive properties of separate erythrocytes of Chernobyl clean-up workers at different pH</title>

2000

This study is focused on the modifications in erythrocytes of Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident clean-up workers as a late health effect of short-term impact of high level radioactive contamination. As a result, a new method based on erythrocyte (RBC) refractive index properties at different pH has been elaborated. According to the light dispersion theory for fluids refractive index is associated with molecules mass m. This feature is widely used for estimation of cell dry mass. But there is another refractive index dependency from molecules charge q regardless of its sing. This feature is not being used for cell quantitative and qualitative characterization. In this study, RBC were in…

Native and subunit molecular mass and quarternary structure of the hemoglobin from the primitive branchiopod crustacean Triops cancriformis

2006

Many branchiopod crustaceans are endowed with extracellular, high-molecular-weight hemoglobins whose exact structural characteristics have remained a matter of conjecture. By using a broad spectrum of techniques, we provide precise and coherent information on the hemoglobin of one of the phylogenetically ‘oldest’ extant branchiopods, the tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis. The hemoglobin dissociated under reducing conditions into two subunits, designated TcHbA and TcHbB, with masses of 35 775 ± 4 and 36 055 ± 4 Da, respectively, determined by ESI-MS. Nonreducing conditions showed only two disulfide-bridged dimers, a homodimer of TcHbA, designated D1 (71 548 ± 5 Da), and the heterodimer D2 (…

A potential role for water in the modulation of oxygen-binding by tarantula hemocyanin

2003

Hemocyanin from the tarantula Eurypelma californicum is a large respiratory protein with an exceptional high cooperativity. In contrast to hemocyanins from other species, no physiological allosteric effectors other than protons have been identified so far for this 24-meric oligomer. Here we report for the first time the mediating effects of water activity on the oxygen binding properties of a hemocyanin. Oxygen binding curves were measured in presence of several concentrations of glycine and sucrose since both substances reduce water activity. A pronounced shift of the p(50) was observed in both cases but in different directions: adding sucrose shifts the p(50) towards lower values whereas …