Leukotrienes: mediators of immediate hypersensitivity reactions and inflammation

Arachidonic acid plays a central role in a biological control system where such oxygenated derivatives as prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes are mediators. The leukotrienes are formed by transformation of arachidonic acid into an unstable epoxide intermediate, leukotriene A4, which can be converted enzymatically by hydration to leukotriene B4, and by addition of glutathione to leukotriene C4. This last compound is metabolized to leukotrienes D4 and E4 by successive elimination of a gamma-glutamyl residue and glycine. Slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis consists of leukotrienes C4, D4, and E4. The cysteinyl-containing leukotrienes are potent bronchoconstrictors, increase vascular permeability in postcapillary venules, and stimulate mucus secretion. Leukotriene B4 causes adhesion and chemotactic movement of leukocytes and stimulates aggregation, enzyme release, and generation of superoxide in neutrophils. Leukotrienes C4, D4, and E4, which are released from the lung tissue of asthmatic subjects exposed to specific allergens, seem to play a pathophysiological role in immediate hypersensitivity reactions. These leukotrienes, as well as leukotriene B4, have pro-inflammatory effects.     

Immunogenicity and role of size: response of guinea pigs to oligotyrosine and tyrosine derivatives

Guinea pigs injected with 100 micrograms of p-azobenzenearsonate derivatives of hexa-L-tyrosine, tri-L-tyrosine, or N-acetyl-L-tyrosine amide, in complete Freund's adjuvant, developed, after 10 to 19 days, delayed-type hypersensitivity to these substances. This was shown by skin reactions, followed by the formation of circulating antibodies that were detectable by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. Experiments with p-azobenzenearsonate-hexa-L-tyrosine labeledwith iodine-131 showed that this substance was bound in vitro to proteins of normal guinea pig serum. Binding was similar with the nonantigenic hexa-L-tyrosine and its p-azobenzoate derivative.     

Regeneration in crustacean motoneurons: evidence for axonal fusion

Crayfish motor axons remain excitable for over 100 days after severance from their central cell bodies, and continue to store and release normal amounts of transmitter substance. Evidence indicates that regeneration occurs by fusion of the central process with its surviving peripheral segment.     

Stimulus-coupled secretion of gamma-aminobutyric acid from rat brain synaptosomes

Synaptosomes treated with radioactive gamma-aminobutyric acid can be stimulated to release this substance. The release is maximal within 40 seconds after stimulation and is dependent on calcium. Magnesium and manganese ions, known to block stimulus-secretion coupling processes, depress calcium-dependent release. This release is specific to synaptosomes because microsomal or myelin fractions do not release accumulated gamma-aminobutyric acid. The data illustrate a simple in vitro system suitable for analysis of secretion of gamma-aminobutyric acid in brain and in addition describe several new aspects of uptake and secretion of this compound at brain nerve endings.     

几种有机高聚物包膜肥料养分释放速率研究

采用水浸泡法对三种有机高聚物包膜控释肥Osmocote、Meister和国内包膜肥试样的养分释放速率进行了比较.研究了30℃下三种控释肥料N、水溶性P2O5、水溶性K2O的累积溶出率差异,研究了不同温度对3种包膜控释肥养分释放速率的影响.结果表明,随着温度的升高,3种包膜控释肥的养分释放速率明显加快,但同一肥料三种养分的释放速率不一致,肥料仅标明一种元素的释放期不合规范;选取适当的膜材料是有机高聚物包膜控释肥控制养分释放速率的关键.     

Role of platelet-activating factor-acether in mediating guinea pig anaphylaxis

The pathophysiology of anaphylaxis is very complex, and the sequelae of events are not fully explained in terms of the effects of histamine and peptide leukotrienes alone. Platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine, PAF-acether) has been detected in animals undergoing anaphylaxis. Injection of synthetic PAF-acether induces similar effects, including bronchoconstriction, respiratory arrest, systemic hypotension, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia. The results reported here demonstrate that the histamine- and leukotriene-independent component of guinea pig anaphylaxis in vivo and in isolated lung parenchymal strips in vitro is mediated by PAF-acether. However, PAF-acether is not responsible for the anaphylaxis-induced thrombocytopenia.     

Substance P activation of rheumatoid synoviocytes: neural pathway in pathogenesis of arthritis

Several clinical features are consistent with nervous system involvement in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. The neuropeptide substance P is one possible mediator of this interaction, since it can be released into joint tissues from primary sensory nerve fibers. The potential effects of the peptide on rheumatoid synoviocytes were examined. The results show that substance P stimulates prostaglandin E2 and collagenase release from synoviocytes. Furthermore, synoviocyte proliferation was increased in the presence of the neuropeptide. Similar effects were observed with a truncated form of substance P. Synoviocytes were sensitive to very small doses of the neuropeptide (10(-9) M), and its effects were inhibited by a specific antagonist. Thus, the specific stimulation of synoviocytes by the neuropeptide substance P represents a pathway by which the nervous system might be directly involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.     

Tetraethylammonium ions: effect of presynaptic injection on synaptic transmission

Tetraethylammonium ions were injected into the presynaptic axon of the squid giant synapse. Injection of these ions caused prolongation of the action potential with decreased out ward current. The prolonged spike was associated with increased release and prolonged activity of the transmitter substance. Although the amplitude of the postsynaptic potential increased with presynaptic depolarization, strong depolarization blocked transmitter re lease. In the injected presynaptic axon, transmitter release was blocked by 10(-6) gram of tetrodotoxin per milliliter. Transmitter release appears to be under control of presynaptic potential levels.     

Effect of neuropeptides on production of inflammatory cytokines by human monocytes

Two groups of mediators, the neuropeptides substance P and K and the monocyte-derived cytokines, interact in the neural regulation of immunological and inflammatory responses. Substance P, substance K, and the carboxyl-terminal peptide SP(4-11) induce the release of interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 from human blood monocytes. The neuropeptide effects occur at low doses, are specific as shown by inhibition studies with a substance P antagonist, and require de novo protein synthesis. Since monocyte-derived cytokines regulate multiple cellular functions in inflammation and immunity and since neuropeptides can be released from peripheral nerve endings into surrounding tissues, these findings identify a potent mechanism for nervous system regulation of host defense responses.     

Fc and C3b receptors on pulmonary endothelial cells: induction by injury

Receptors for the activated third component of complement and for the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G are not expressed by apparently normal bovine pulmonary endothelial cells, but are expressed when the cells are exposed to white cell lysates or are infected with influenza or cytomegalovirus. The unmasking of these latent receptors may contribute to the pulmonary inflammatory response characteristic of, for example, anaphylaxis and to those lung diseases characterized by the deposition of immune complexes.     

玫瑰芳香物质储藏部位与动态释放过程研究

[目的]了解玫瑰芳香物质的动态变化与释放规律。[方法]根据玫瑰花苞的大小和花朵开度将其划分为5个时期,利用比色法对玫瑰的主要芳香成分萜类物质进行连续定量分析,观察玫瑰的释香结构在开放过程中的变化。[结果]玫瑰花瓣中油细胞是芳香物质的主要储藏场所;玫瑰提取物香气成分与玫瑰花瓣的芳香物质均随花朵的开放下降趋势放缓,玫瑰提取物初开放期、开放期和衰败期芳香物质含量明显高于玫瑰花瓣。[结论]通过比色法对玫瑰开放期香气成分含量的动态变化进行定量分析是可行的,研究可为以玫瑰为依托开发精油、花水、花茶产业链等提供理论依据和借鉴。     

Substance P activity in the bullfrog retina: localization and identification in several vertebrate species

Immunoreactive substance P is present in the bullfrog retina, possibly in two types of stratified amacrine cells, with their somas in the inner nuclear layer and their neuronal processes entering the inner plexiform layer and ramifying in sublayers 3 or 4 (or both). Occasionally, polygonal somas positive for substance P were found in the ganglion cell layer. Approximately 75 percent of the cell bodies positive for substance P and 65 percent of the radioimmunoassayable substance P were found in the superior half of the frog retina. On the basis of high-performance liquid chromatography, the immunoreactive substance P in the neural retina of the rat, monkey, or chick is similar to synthetic substance P, whereas this is not true of the immunoreactive substance P in the bullfrog or carp retina.     

大花金挖耳细胞培养物中总黄酮含量的检测

[目的]研究大花金挖耳果实和细胞培养物总黄酮含量的定性和定量测定。[方法]采用试管法和紫外分光光度法对大花金挖耳果实和细胞培养物中的黄酮进行定性鉴定;用紫外分光光度法测定总黄酮含量。[结果]试管法和紫外分光光度法检测到大花金挖耳果实细胞培养物含有黄酮;紫外分光光度法测定时,在其最大吸收峰510 nm处测得对照品在8.00～48.00μg/ml范围内线形关系良好(r=0.999 7),平均回收率为98.60%,RSD=1.12(%n=5)。[结论]所用方法简便、准确、稳定、灵敏、重现性好,可用于大花金挖耳果实和细胞培养物总黄酮含量的检测。     

beta-Endorphin: possible involvement in the antihypertensive effect of central alpha-receptor activation

Clonidine and L-alpha-methylnoradrenaline (but not D-alpha-methylnoradrenaline) increase the release of a substance with beta-endorphin immunoreactivity from slices of brainstem of spontaneously hypertensive rats, but not that of normotensive rats. It was reported earlier that opiate antagonists inhibit the hypotensive action of clonidine and alpha-methyldopa in spontaneously hypertensive but not in normotensive rats and that beta-endorphin has hypotensive effects of its own. Together, these findings indicate that release of beta-endorphin by central alpha-receptor agonists may contribute to the antihypertensive action of these drugs.     

三唑酮在湘南第四纪红壤上的吸附行为

采用振荡平衡法对三唑酮在湖南第四纪红壤中的吸附行为进行研究,并探讨了吸附时间、浓度、温度、pH等因素对吸附的影响。结果表明,三唑酮在红壤上的吸附分为快速吸附和慢速吸附2个过程。快速吸附基本在8h内完成,当吸附时间延长至24h时,吸附量提高了20%。三唑酮初始浓度越大、吸附时间越长,在红壤上的最大吸附容量也越大;随着温度升高或pH值增大,三唑酮的吸附量降低。     

水稻冷浸田湿润栽培增产原因的研究

 本文根据两年田间试验,探讨了冷浸田水稻在湿润栽培情况下土壤氧化还原电位、还原性物质总量、有机质和速效氮的动态变化规律,以及两个水稻品种在不同栽培情况下的吸氮状况。试验结果表明:冷浸田湿润栽培的增产原因在于改善土壤环境,土温升高,土壤昼夜温差加大,氧化还原电位提高,还原性物质总量减少,使土壤中潜在养分释放,特别是氮素释放最多,为稻根的营养吸收创造有利条件;稻根健壮,根系活力增强,地上部光合器官发达。     

Choline in the cell wall of a bacterium: novel type of polymer-linked choline in Pneumococcus

Radioactive choline is incorporated by pneumococcus (strain R36A) into a polymeric substance from which it can be quantitatively recovered as free choline, after hydrolysis by strong acid. The polymeric substance is insoluble in lipid solvents and can be degraded by periodate. Fractionation studies and chemical analyses suggest that choline is linked to a polysaccharide component of pneumococcal cell wall.     

A bitter substance induces a rise in intracellular calcium in a subpopulation of rat taste cells

The sense of taste permits animals to discriminate between foods that are safe and those that are toxic. Because most poisonous plant alkaloids are intensely bitter, bitter taste warns animals of potentially hazardous foods. To investigate the mechanism of bitter taste transduction, a preparation of dissociated rat taste cells was developed that can be studied with techniques designed for single-cell measurements. Denatonium, a very bitter substance, caused a rise in the intracellular calcium concentration due to release from internal stores in a small subpopulation of taste cells. Thus, the transduction of bitter taste may occur via a receptor-second messenger mechanism leading to neurotransmitter release and may not involve depolarization-mediated calcium entry.     

试验性趾叶炎小鼠肠组织中P物质的表达

[目的]为动物趾叶炎的预防和治疗提供免疫学基础。[方法]对昆明种小白鼠注射二磷酸组织胺制备趾叶炎小鼠病理模型,以注射生理盐水为对照。分别于给药后2、14、24、48、72 h及15、30 d取小鼠3~5 mm长的小肠组织块,检测肠组织中炎性细胞、杯状细胞、肥大细胞及其脱颗粒数、P物质表达水平的动态变化。[结果]趾叶炎小鼠的肠腺结缔组织内及其绒毛上P物质表达异常丰富,且P物质呈单根或片状走行,并与肥大细胞串联及相邻排列,随给药时间的延长,P物质表达逐渐增强,肥大细胞及其脱颗粒数也急剧增多 炎性细胞、杯状细胞、腺体数量与肥大细胞的变化趋势一致 给药72 h后,血管内壁出现裂隙,肠粘膜出现水肿。[结论]肥大细胞参与小鼠趾叶炎的发病过程,并影响小鼠肠粘膜的通透性。