Search results for "Reductases"
showing 10 items of 276 documents
Cocaine hepatotoxicity: two different toxicity mechanisms for phenobarbital-induced and non-induced rat hepatocytes.
1993
Abstract Hepatocytes isolated from both phenobarbital-induced and control rats were short-term cultured and exposed to cocaine (8–2000 μM) for varying times. Intracellular lactate dehydrogenase activity, free calcium levels ([Ca 2+ ] i ), reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxidation were investigated to evaluate the toxic effect of cocaine on hepatocytes. Cytochrome P450 induction by phenobarbital potentiated the in vitro cytotoxicity of cocaine by a factor of 13 (IC 50 = 84 μ M induced cells vs 1100 μM in non-induced cells). This difference in the susceptibility of the two types of hepatocytes to cocaine correlated well with the activity of cytochrome P450 2 B 1 2 . Rapid depletion of …
Role of tetrahydrobiopterin in pulmonary vascular remodelling associated with pulmonary fibrosis
2013
[Background]: Pulmonary hypertension in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is indicative of a poor prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), the cofactor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), is involved in pulmonary hypertension and that pulmonary artery endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EnMT) may contribute to pulmonary fibrosis. However, the role of BH4 in pulmonary remodelling secondary to pulmonary fibrosis is unknown. This study examined the BH4 system in plasma and pulmonary arteries from patients with IPF as well as the antiremodelling and antifibrotic effects of the BH4 precursor sepiapterin in rat bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and in vitro EnMT mod…
Anti-inflammatory and joint protective effects of extra-virgin olive-oil polyphenol extract in experimental arthritis
2014
The consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in Mediterranean countries has shown beneficial effects. A wide range of evidence indicates that phenolic compounds present in EVOO are endowed with anti-inflammatory properties. In this work, we evaluated the effects of EVOO-polyphenol extract (PE) in a model of rheumatoid arthritis, the collagen-induced arthritis model in mice. On day 0, DBA-1/J mice were immunized with bovine type II collagen. On day 21, mice received a booster injection. PE (100 and 200 mg/kg) was orally administered once a day from days 29 to 41 to arthritic mice. We have demonstrated that PE decreases joint edema, cell migration, cartilage degradation and bone erosion. …
Species differences in activating and inactivating enzymes related to the control of mutagenic metabolites
1977
Microsomal monooxygenases catalyze the biosynthesis of epoxides from olefinic and aromatic compounds whilst microsomal epoxide hydratase and cytoplasmic glutathione S-transferases are responsible for their further biotransformation. Although catalytically very efficient the cytoplasmic glutathione S-transferases play, due to their subcellular localization, a minor role in the inactivation of epoxides derived from large lipophilic compounds and were, therefore, not included in this study. It was shown with such a lipophilic compound, benzo(a)pyrene, as a model substance and with liver enzyme mediated bacterial mutagenesis as biological endpoint that species and strain differences in epoxide …
Differential proto-oncogene mRNA induction from rats treated with peroxisome proliferators
1990
After experimental treatment of rats with clofibrate or ciprofibrate, two peroxisomes proliferators with hypolipidemic activity, RNAs were prepared from liver, kidney, heart and brain; hybridization was done with DNA probes for c-myc and c-Ha-ras oncogenes and for cyanide insensitive Acyl CoA oxidase, a peroxisomal protein. c-myc mRNA is highly abundant in liver and at a lower extent in kidney, especially after treatment with ciprofibrate; clofibrate also allows a c-myc mRNA increase, but at a lower extent. c-Ha-ras, which is already expressed in all tested tissues from control animals, is stimulated by clofibrate and ciprofibrate treatments. Comparatively these compounds stimulate the cyan…
Vitamin K epoxide reductase activity in the metabolism of epoxides
1985
Abstract The importance of vitamine K epoxide reductase for the metabolism of a range of structurally diverse epoxides has been investigated. Vitamin K 1 epoxide is reduced by rat liver microsomes at a rate of 0.47 nmoles/g liver/min. The rate of menadione oxide reduction is not significantly higher than the non-enzymatic reduction rate. No measurable reduction of benzo[ a ]pyrene 4,5-oxide, benzo[ a ]pyrene 7,8-oxide, phenanthrene 9,10-oxide, styrene 7,8-oxide, and dieldrin has been detected, nor could trichothecene T-2 toxin inhibit reduction of vitamin K 1 epoxide. Thus, vitamin K epoxide reductase is very specific for vitamin K 1 epoxide. Taking into account the range of structurally di…
Enzymatic and pharmacokinetic studies on the metabolism of branched chain alpha-keto acids in the rat.
1983
Michaelis-constants and enzyme activities for dehydrogenation and transamination of the three branched chain alpha-keto acids in liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, and brain of rats are reported. After oral load only 11-22% of the keto acids pass the liver unchanged. Blood levels in pharmacokinetic and absorption studies are related to the Michaelis-constants. At the low keto-acid concentrations after oral application, dehydrogenation in the non-hepatic tissues is supposed to prevail over transamination. Data on feed efficiency of branched chain alpha-keto acids reported in the literature support this view. The chance for transamination is better after intravenous administration. The transfera…
Studies of the expression of the cytochrome P450IA, P450IIB, and P450IIC gene family in extrahepatic and hepatic tissues.
1990
We have studied the expression of three P-450 gene subfamilies in hepatic and extrahepatic tissues using the sensitive RNAse A protection assay. Members of the P450IA subfamily, which encodes the major methylcholanthrene-inducible cytochromes P-450, were found to be not expressed in extrahepatic tissues of untreated animals, raising the question whether these P-450 play a role in the metabolism of carcinogens in unexposed individuals. In contrast, members of the P450IIB family, some of which encode the major phenobarbital-inducible cytochromes P-450, were found to be expressed in some extrahepatic tissues of untreated rats and here most notably in the lung and in sebaceous glands. Members o…
Nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive vagal afferent fibers in rat superior cervical ganglia
1995
Abstract Chronic (5–14 days) preganglionic denervation of the rat superior cervical ganglia by sectioning the cervical sympathetic trunk resulted in a time-related partial or complete loss of nitric oxide synthase (isoform I)-immunoreactive fibers and terminals surrounding many sympathetic ganglionic neurons. Unexpectedly, denervation unmasked many varicose nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive fibers, some of which could be traced the entire length of the superior cervical ganglia. Injection of the retrograde tracer Fluorogold into the superior cervical ganglia labeled a population of nodose ganglion cells and of dorsal root ganglion cells from C8 to T3 segments. When the same sections were…
Metabolism of metyrapone by a soluble enzyme system in rat liver.
1970
The formation of a metabolite of metyrapone by an oxygen sensitive soluble enzyme system in rat liver 105,000×g supernatant has been demonstrated. Enzyme activity requires the intact keto function of metyrapone.