Synergistic effects of Fusobacterium necrophorum lipopolysaccharide, cytoplasmic, and culture supernatant fractions on induction of acute hepatic necrosis in rabbits

Synergistic effects of toxic fractions of Fusobacterium necrophorum were examined for evaluation of the role of the toxin in inducing liver abscesses in rabbits. Cytoplasmic and culture supernatant fractions of F necrophorum had preparative activity for the Shwartzman reaction, and lipopolysaccharide of F necrophorum had preparative and provocative activities for the reaction. All 3 fractions were hepatotoxic. Inoculation into the bile duct with each fraction followed by intravenous inoculation with F necrophorum or Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide had a greater synergistic effect in inducing severe hepatic necrosis than did inoculations with double doses of the cytoplasmic or supernatant fractions of F necrophorum. This synergism may have been attributable to the Shwartzman reaction.     

A histochemical study of the camel (Camelus bactrianus) duodenal glands

The complex carbohydrates in the camel duodenal glands were examined histochemically at light and electron microscopic levels. The duodenal glands of the camel were distributed in the submucosa 2 m caudal from the pylorus. These were branched tubuloalveolar glands. The terminal portion of each lobule was formed by only one type of mucous cell. The duodenal gland cells contained acidic and neutral carbohydrates. The mucous cells mainly contained sulfate and carboxyl carbohydrate with sialic acid, and they also contained a few neutral carbohydrates with different saccharide residues such as mannose, glucose, galactose, N-acetyl glucosamine and N-acetyl galactosamine. The results showed that the secretary granules of the duodenal glands in the camel contain mainly acidic carbohydrates. These findings seem to be the morphological characteristics of the duodenal glands in the camel.     

Expression in Escherichia coli and purification of the functional feline granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Feline granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) with an N-terminal histidine hexamer tag was expressed as inclusion bodies in E. coli. The G-CSF solubilized in 6 M guanidine solution was absorbed onto a Ni-NTA column and, after washing with decreasing concentrations of guanidine, eluted with imidazole in a soluble and apparently pure form. The activity of the recombinant feline G-CSF was 3×10⁶ U/mg protein, as assayed by its stimulatory effect on NFS-60 cell proliferation. When a low level of purified feline G-CSF was administered once a day for two successive days to cats, the number of neutrophil increased 4-fold while the levels of other blood cell types remained virtually unchanged. Daily administration of G-CSF for a total of 11 days led to a more than 10-fold increase in neutrophils, an 8-fold increase in the number of monocytes and 2-fold increase in lymphocytes. No severe side effects or antibody production was observed in cats after administration of G-CSF.     

Tumor promoting effect of phenolphthalein on development of lung tumors induced by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea in transgenic mice carrying human prototype c-Ha-ras gene

In order to examine tumor modifying effects of phenolphthalein (PhP), female transgenic mice carrying human prototype c-Ha-ras gene (rasH2 mice) were given a single intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg body weight of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), followed by the diet containing 12,000 ppm PhP for 26-week. Histopathologically, alveolar hyperplasias, adenomas and adenocarcinomas were observed in the ENU + PhP group, but only hyperplasias and adenomas were observed in the ENU alone group. The incidence and multiplicity of adenocarcinomas in the ENU + PhP group was significantly increased as compared to that in the ENU alone group. The combined multiplicity of adenomas and adenocarcinomas in this group was also significantly higher than that of the ENU alone group. In addition, the ratio of area of adenomas in the ENU + PhP group was significantly higher than that in the ENU alone group. The result of our study suggests that PhP has a clear tumor promoting effect in the lung of rasH2 mice.