Search results for "Pancreatic elastase"
showing 10 items of 44 documents
Elastase, myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide metabolites and oxidative status in subjects with clinical stable chronic renal failure on conservative treat…
2009
We evaluated, in a group of 41 CRF undialyzed subjects (29 men and 12 women, mean age 64.1 +/- 11.3 years), some parameters that reflect leukocyte activation (elastase, myeloperoxidase - MPO), plasma NO metabolites (NO(x)) and the oxidative status (lipid peroxidation expressed as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and total antioxidant status (TAS). Elastase was determined, on plasma separated from fasting venous blood, as elastase/alpha1-proteinase inhibitor complex. MPO was evaluated employing the Myeloperoxidase ELISA kit. The NO production was evaluated by a micromethod. The oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids was evaluated in plasma by detection of the thiobarbituric …
Acute dialysis: PMN-elastase as a new parameter for controlling individual anticoagulation with low molecular weight heparin (Fragmin).
1991
Despite the improvements in the development of dialyzer membranes with greater hemocompatibility, an activation of the coagulation system occurs when blood comes into contact with exogenous surfaces. The large number of heparin dosage regimens demonstrate the difficulty to adapt general therapeutic guidelines. Low molecular weight heparin (Fragmin®) was administered as a single bolus dose for anticoagulation during 58 acute dialyses. Anti-Xa-activity, the plasma levels of the lysosomal elastase of the polymorphnuclear granulocytes (“PMN-elastase”) and of the thrombin-antithrombin III-complex (TAT) were measured at hourly intervals. Therapeutic anti-Xa-levels did not show evidence of suffici…
In vivo effects of intravascularly applied Escherichia coli hemolysin: dissociation between induction of granulocytopenia and lethality in monkeys.
1993
The effects of intravascular application of endotoxin-depleted Escherichia coli hemolysin (HlyA) was studied in rabbits and monkeys. In rabbits, bolus application of HlyA calculated to effect final blood levels of approximately 2-3 HU/ml (200-300 ng/ml) caused an acute fall of polymorphonuclear blood leukocytes to less than 20% of starting levels within 5 min. Additionally, platelet counts dropped to approximately 30% of starting levels, whereas lymphocyte counts varied considerably and seldom fell to less than 50%. Nine out ten animals that received 2-4 HU/ml toxin died within 90 min post application. These animals presented with signs of acute respiratory failure and post mortem inspectio…
Cycloamphilectenes, a new type of potent marine diterpenes: inhibition of nitric oxide production in murine macrophages.
2003
The inhibitory effect of a series of 6 cycloamphilectenes, novel marine diterpenes based on amphilectene skeletons and isolated from the Vanuatu sponge Axinella sp., on NO, PGE(2) and TNFalpha production in murine peritoneal macrophages was studied. These compounds reduced potently nitric oxide production in a concentration-dependent manner with IC(50) values in the submicromolar range (0.1-4.3 microM). Studies on intact cells and Western blot analysis showed that the more potent cycloamphilectenes reduced the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase without affecting cyclo-oxygenase-2 expression. Among them cycloamphilectene 2, the unique compound bearing an exocyclic methylene group,…
Diterpenoids from Tetraclinis articulata that Inhibit Various Human Leukocyte Functions
2003
Ten new compounds, eight of them pimarane derivatives (1-8), together with a menthane dimer (9) and a totarane diterpenoid (10), were isolated from the leaves and wood of Tetraclinis articulata. The structures of 1-10 were established by using spectroscopic techniques, including 2D NMR spectra. Pimaranes 1-5 were found to possess an unusual cis interannular union of the B and C rings, which, from a biogenetic perspective, could be derived from the hydration of a carbocation at C-8. Compounds 4-6 and a mixture of 7 and 11 modulated different human leukocyte functions at a concentration of 10 microM, mainly the degranulation process measured as myeloperoxidase release and, to a lesser extent,…
Determination of Human Granulocyte Elastase by the Immunoactivation Method on the Hitachi® 717 Automated Analyser
1991
This paper describes a fully mechanized homogeneous immunoassay using the immunoactivation method for the rapid and specific determination of human granulocyte elastase (EC 3.4.21.37) in plasma. The method uses anti-elastase antibody fragments from sheep, conjugated to horseradish peroxidase. These enzyme-antibody conjugates bind to the elastase-alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor complex present in plasma. A separate sample blank with non-specific sheep antibody fragments conjugated to horseradish peroxidase corrects for errors introduced by the sample matrix. Measurements were performed with the clinical chemistry analyser Hitachi 717. A single determination can be performed in 10 min, requiring…
Effect of age and asthma duration upon elastase and alpha1-antitrypsin levels in adult asthmatics
2003
In asthmatic subjects an imbalance between elastase and alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1-PI) exists. This study aims to evaluate whether ageing per se affects the levels of elastase. Both young and elderly asthmatics with comparable severity and duration of disease, as well as young and elderly healthy subjects, underwent an induced sputum procedure to measure levels of elastase and alpha1-PI. The percentage of sputum neutrophils and eosinophils was higher in young and elderly asthmatics than in young and elderly controls. The levels of both total and active elastase were significantly higher in young and elderly asthmatics than in young and elderly controls, and directly correlated with the perc…
Cucurbitacin R Reduces the Inflammation and Bone Damage Associated with Adjuvant Arthritis in Lewis Rats by Suppression of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in…
2006
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cucurbitacin R on an experimental model of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. The treatment of arthritic rats with cucurbitacin R (1 mg/kg p.o. daily) modified the evolution of the clinical symptoms, whereas the histopathology of paws demonstrated a reduction in the signs of arthritis. Compared with the control group, radiography of the tibiotarsal joints of cucurbitacin R-treated rats showed a decrease in joint damage and soft tissue swelling of the footpad. The in vivo study of the expression of proinflammatory enzymes (nitric-oxide synthase-2 and cyclooxygenase-2) with the aid of the Western blot technique, and that of tumor necros…
LAAE-14, a new in vitro inhibitor of intracellular calcium mobilization, modulates acute and chronic inflammation.
2003
Abstract A new lipidic acid-amido ether derivative (LAAE-14) able to reduce dose-dependently the calcium increases mediated either by calcium ionophore ionomycin, by the endoplasmic reticular Ca 2+ -ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin, or by the chemotactic tripeptide N -formyl- l -methionyl- l -leucyl- l -phenylalanine (fMLP), in human neutrophils as well as in murine peritoneal macrophages, but not ATP, has been evaluated as a potential anti-inflammatory drug. This compound attenuated leukocyte activation by means of its inhibitory effect on the respiratory burst elicited in both types of cells by 12- O -tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate, by inhibition of the degranulation process induced by cyt…
Cultured Ito cells of rat liver express the alpha 2-macroglobulin gene.
1987
Ito cells were isolated from rat liver and kept in culture for up to 13 days. The capability of the Ito cells to synthesize a2-macroglobulin was analyzed at different times after isolation and by pulse-chase experiments. Newly synthesized a2-macroglobulin was determined by immunoprecipitation followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate/ polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography. a2-Macroglobulin synthesis was hardly detectable in Ito cells and their media 3 days after plating. However, 5 - 11 days after the isolation of the cells, increasing amounts of a2-macroglobulin were synthesized. The results of pulse-chase experiments performed on day 7 showed that radioactively labeled a2-macroglob…