Search results for "xanthine"
showing 10 items of 139 documents
Inhibitory responses to exogenous adenosine in murine proximal and distal colon”
2006
The aims of the present study were firstly, to characterize pharmacologically the subtypes of P(1) purinoreceptors involved in the inhibitory effects induced by exogenous adenosine in longitudinal smooth muscle of mouse colon, and secondly, to examine differences in the function and distribution of these receptors between proximal and distal colon. Adenosine (100 microM-3 mM) caused a concentration-dependent reduction of the amplitude of spontaneous contractions in the proximal colon, and muscular relaxation in the distal colon. In the proximal colon, adenosine effects were antagonized by a selective A(1) receptor antagonist, 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX, 10 nM), but were not m…
Inhibition of Xanthine Oxidase by Allopurinol Prevents Skeletal Muscle Atrophy: Role of p38 MAPKinase and E3 Ubiquitin Ligases
2012
International audience; Abstract Top Alterations in muscle play an important role in common diseases and conditions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated during hindlimb unloading due, at least in part, to the activation of xanthine oxidase (XO). The major aim of this study was to determine the mechanism by which XO activation causes unloading-induced muscle atrophy in ratsand its possible prevention by allopurinol, a well-known inhibitor of this enzyme. For this purpose we studied one of the main redox sensitive signalling cascades involved in skeletal muscle atrophy i.e. p38 MAPKinaseand the expression of two well known muscle specific E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in proteolysis, …
From Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Guidelines to Current Clinical Practice
2006
Background: The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines have been promulgated to improve the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). Objective: To evaluate the extent to which the current therapeutic approach to COPD conforms to GOLD guidelines. Methods: This was a multicentre observational study of elderly COPD patients enrolled for acute care in general medicine or geriatric wards in tertiary hospitals in Italy in April 2002. Our series consisted of 471 patients >64 years of age consecutively admitted for acute exacerbations of COPD to wards participating in the study. Data describing drugs used prior to exacerbation and prescribed at …
Reductive and oxidative metabolism of nitrofurantoin in rat liver.
1980
The elimination of nitrofurantoin was studied in the isolated rat liver using a recirculating hemoglobin-free perfusion system. The most rapid clearance of nitrofurantoin (0.1 mM) was found under hypoxia (8 ml/min) or anoxia (11 ml/min) indicating a fast and oxygen-sensitive reductive metabolism. The hepatic elimination of nitrofurantoin under anaerobic conditions apparently is not catalyzed by xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase or cytochrome P-450 as judged from the lack of influence of the inhibitors (0.1 mM) allopurinol, menadione, metyrapone, α-naphthoflavone or of carbon monoxide (50%; v/v). Under aerobic conditions the hepatic clearance of nitrofurantoin is rather low (1 ml/min) indic…
Selection of endogenous control genes for normalization of gene expression analysis after experimental brain trauma in mice.
2008
Quantitative measurements of gene expression require correction for tissue sample size, RNA quantity, and reverse transcription efficiency. This can be achieved by normalization with control genes. The study was designed to identify candidates not altered after brain trauma. Male C57Bl/6 mice were anesthetized with isoflurane, and a pneumatic brain trauma was induced by controlled cortical impact (CCI) on the right parietal cortex. Brains were removed at 15 min, and 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after CCI and from naive animals (n = 6 each). Absolute copies of six control genes (beta-2-microglobin [B2M], cyclophilin A, beta-actin, hypoxanthine ribosyltransferase [HPRT], porphobilinogen deaminase [PBGD]…
Cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism of caffeine in [i]Drosophila melanogaster[/i]
2014
Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine), an alkaloid produced by plants, has antioxidant and insecticide properties that can affect metabolism and cognition. In vertebrates, the metabolites derived from caffeine have been identified, and their functions have been characterized. However, the metabolites of caffeine in insects remain unknown. Thus, using radiolabelled caffeine, we have identified some of the primary caffeine metabolites produced in the body of Drosophila melanogaster males, including theobromine, paraxanthine and theophylline. In contrast to mammals, theobromine was the predominant metabolite (paraxanthine in humans; theophylline in monkeys; 1, 3, 7-trimethyluric acid in rodents…
Oxidative and nitrosative stress in acute pancreatitis. Modulation by pentoxifylline and oxypurinol
2011
Item does not contain fulltext Reactive oxygen species are considered mediators of the inflammatory response and tissue damage in acute pancreatitis. We previously found that the combined treatment with oxypurinol - as inhibitor of xanthine oxidase- and pentoxifylline - as inhibitor of TNF-alpha production-restrained local and systemic inflammatory response and decreased mortality in experimental acute pancreatitis. Our aims were (1) to determine the time-course of glutathione depletion and oxidation in necrotizing pancreatitis in rats and its modulation by oxypurinol and pentoxifylline; (2) to determine whether TNF-alpha is responsible for glutathione depletion in acute pancreatitis; and (…
Xanthine oxidase-induced oxidative stress causes activation of NF-κB and inflammation in the liver of type I diabetic rats
2009
We previously showed that xanthine oxidase activity increases in type I diabetic animals and that this is a significant cause of the oxidative stress which occurs in the disease. The aim of this work was to search for molecular links between xanthine oxidase-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in Type I diabetes and to assess the ability of allopurinol, a drug widely used in clinical practice, to prevent both processes. 3-month-old male Wistar rats were made diabetic by injection (i.p.) of either streptozotocin or alloxan. Allopurinol (32 mg/Kg) was administered (i.p) to diabetic rats after they had shown clear signs of diabetes such as glucosuria and polyuria. Hepatic phospho-IKKbeta…
Inhibition of Xanthine Oxidase by Phenolic Conjugates of Methylated Quinic Acid
2003
The caffeoyl conjugates of prenylhydroquinone glucoside and of quinic acid, either in the carboxyl-free or carboxymethyl forms, isolated from Phagnalon rupestre (Asteraceae), showed inhibitory activity on lipid peroxidation induced by Fe 2+/ascorbate and by CCl4/NADPH in rat liver microsomes, with IC50 values ranging from 3 to 11 microM. After having demonstrated their effect on the xanthine oxidase-regulated superoxide production, the active compounds were tested for the direct inhibition of this enzyme. Methylated dicaffeoylquinic conjugates competitively inhibited the enzyme and the highest potency was obtained for the 4,5-diester, with an IC50 value of 3.6 microM, nearly ten times lower…
Antioxidant activity of anti-inflammatory plant extracts
2002
The antioxidant properties of twenty medical herbs used in the traditional Mediterranean and Chinese medicine were studied. Extracts from Forsythia suspensa, Helichrysum italicum, Scrophularia auriculata, Inula viscosa, Coptis chinensis, Poria cocos and Scutellaria baicalensis had previously shown anti-inflammatory activity in different experimental models. Using free radical-generating systems H. italicum. I. viscosa and F. suspensa protected against enzymatic and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation in model membranes and also showed scavenging property on the superoxide radical. All extracts were assayed at a concentration of 100 microg/ml. Most of the extracts were weak scavengers of the hy…