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Tautomers are one of the many types of isomers, and differences in tautomeric structures confer altered chemical and biological properties. Using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) ex vivo metabolomics, we investigate, in whole blood, the divergent metabolism of enol and keto forms of indole-3-pyruvate (IPyA), a tautomeric product of aromatic amino acid metabolism. Two new compounds resulting from IPyA metabolism were discovered, 3-(1 H -indol-3-yl)-2,3-dioxopropanoic acid or "indole-3-oxopyruvic acid" and glutathionyl-indole pyruvate (GSHIPyA), which were characterized via ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) and higher-energy collisional dissociation (HCD). Computational calculations support the hypothesis that GSHIPyA forms specifically through the enol form of IPyA. GSHIPyA is also hypothesized to be tautomeric, and a hydrogen-deuterium exchange-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HDX-HRMS/MS) approach is developed to prove the presence of an enol and keto tautomer. HDX of GSHIPyA labels the keto form with an additional deuterium, relative to the enol form. HRMS/MS of the labeled isomers is employed to leverage the relationship of resolving power scaling inversely with the square root of m / z , for Orbitrap mass analyzers. HRMS/MS yields a smaller-molecular-weight deuterated tautomeric product ion, reducing the analyte ion m / z and thus lowering the resolving power necessary to separate the deuterated keto tautomer product ion from the [13]C product ion.

It is well-known in biochemistry that structure confers function, meaning that chemical structural elucidation is critical to truly understanding the function of a given metabolite. Indole-3-pyruvate (IPyA) exists in an equilibrium between the keto and enol tautomeric forms. IPyA is suggested to play a role in immune function; however, determining whether the tautomeric forms function differently can only be studied if an analytical method is capable of distinguishing between the two forms. Herein, we describe the use of UHPLC-HRMS to gain insight into the physical variables that govern IPyA tautomer equilibrium, reactivity, and detection limit. We use hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) to identify enol and keto peaks, and we show that tautomers exhibit a valley of fronting followed by a tailing peak shape (though separation is still attainable) and identical MS/MS spectra. We observed drastically different ratios of keto and enol forms in different solvents, which is an important consideration for in vitro studies. IPyA was found to be highly unstable with accelerated reactivity in peroxides. Through in vitro reactivity studies, IPyA produced a myriad of known and unknown metabolites via nonenzymatic processes, many of which were mapped in vivo via the analysis of human plasma. Finally, we show that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can slow this reactivity and enable sensitive detection in whole blood.

Objective: The mechanism of action of intragastric balloons in the treatment of obesity is not fully understood. One of the hypotheses is that balloons might have an effect on the fundus, the area of ghrelin production., Methods: Participants were randomized to a 13-week period of sham or balloon treatment followed by a 13-week period of balloon therapy in everyone. Blood samples for ghrelin levels were taken in the fasting state and after a breakfast at the start, after 13 and 26 weeks. Biopsies for ghrelin cell immunohistochemistry were taken from the fundus at endoscopy., Results: Seven participants entered the balloon-balloon (BB) group and 11 the sham-balloon (SB) group. Despite a considerable weight loss, a median -17.9 kg (interquartile ranges -23.8 to -0.5) in the BB group and -18.3 kg (-22.7 to -14.7) in the SB group, fasting ghrelin and meal-induced ghrelin response did not change. In the SB group, the number of ghrelin cells increased significantly ( p 0.001) from 110.6 (83.6-118.9) to 160.2 (128.5-223.0) while on sham treatment and returned to initial levels, 116.3 (91.7-146.9) ( p 0.001), when they received their first balloon. No significant changes in ghrelin cell numbers were observed in the BB group., Conclusion: In participants without a balloon, weight loss induced an increase in ghrelin cell numbers in the fundus, which was annulled by the subsequent placement of a balloon. The effect of a balloon might be explained by effects on ghrelin cell numbers or ghrelin cell activity., Competing Interests: None of the authors has any conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Obesity Science & Practice published by World Obesity and The Obesity Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study was undertaken to examine the effect on the rat embryonic heart of two experimental drugs (AZA and AZB) which are known to block the sodium channel Nav1.5, the hERG potassium channel and the l-type calcium channel. The sodium channel blockers bupivacaine, lidocaine, and the l-type calcium channel blocker nifedipine were used as reference substances. The experimental model was the gestational day (GD) 13 rat embryo cultured in vitro. In this model the embryonic heart activity can be directly observed, recorded and analyzed using computer assisted image analysis as it responds to the addition of test drugs. The effect on the heart was studied for a range of concentrations and for a duration up to 3h. The results showed that AZA and AZB caused a concentration-dependent bradycardia of the embryonic heart and at high concentrations heart block. These effects were reversible on washout. In terms of potency to cause bradycardia the compounds were ranked AZB>bupivacaine>AZA>lidocaine>nifedipine. Comparison with results from previous studies with more specific ion channel blockers suggests that the primary effect of AZA and AZB was sodium channel blockage. The study shows that the short-term rat whole embryo culture (WEC) is a suitable system to detect substances hazardous to the embryonic heart., (© 2013.)

Background: Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) has been implicated as a regulator of intestinal barrier function and inflammation. Our aim was to elucidate the role of VIP in follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) and villus epithelium (VE) permeability following stress in rats and on human intestinal barrier function., Methods: Rats were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with VIP receptor-antagonists (anti-VPACs), a mast cell stabilizer, doxantrazole (DOX), or NaCl, and submitted to acute water avoidance stress. Ileal segments were mounted in Ussing chambers to assess (51) chromium-edta ((51) Cr-edta) and Escherichia (E.) coli (strain K-12) permeability. Rat ileal and human ileal and colonic segments were exposed to VIP ± anti-VPACs or DOX. An in vitro co-culture model of human FAE was used to study epithelial-VIP effects. VIP/VPACs distribution was assessed by microscopy., Key Results: Stress increased (51) Cr-edta and E. coli permeability in VE and FAE. The increases were abolished by i.p. injection of DOX or anti-VPACs. Ileal VIP-exposure ex vivo increased bacterial passage and this was reduced by DOX. In human FAE ex vivo, VIP treatment doubled bacterial uptake, which was normalized by DOX or anti-VPACs. No barrier effects were observed in human colonic tissue. VPACs were found in rat and human ileal follicles, with partial mast cell co-localization. The co-culture model confirmed VIP-mast cell-epithelial interactions in the regulation of barrier function., Conclusions & Inferences: Stress affects the FAE barrier by mechanisms involving VIP and VPACs on mucosal mast cells. We suggest a regulatory role for VIP in the control of ileal permeability that may be relevant to bacterial-epithelial interactions in stress-related intestinal disorders., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Anaesthetised guinea pigs are commonly used within Safety Pharmacology to evaluate drug effects on cardiac electrophysiology. However, anesthesia compromises the ability to thermoregulate, which can be further challenged when more invasive surgery is required. As anaesthetised animals are often used when screening for cardiotoxicity, thereby influencing go/no-go decisions, we wanted to quantify the impact of small temperature changes on the recorded electrophysiological parameters., Methods: Male guinea pigs were anaesthetised by pentobarbital, placed on a pre-heated table and a rectal thermistor inserted for monitoring of body temperature. After intubation animals were vagotomised and β-blocked, and lead II ECG needle electrodes attached. Following thoracotomy an atrial pacing electrode was attached and a suction MAP electrode positioned on the ventricular epicardium. In control animals temperature was kept constant (38.1±0.1°C) over the duration of the experiment. Animals in one group were slowly warmed to 41.9°C by a heating plate and a heating lamp, and in another group slowly cooled to 34.4°C by turning off all heating equipment. MAP duration at 90% repolarisation (MAPD90), AV conduction, ECG and body temperature were recorded during cardiac pacing every 5min up to 50min., Results: No time-dependent changes were seen in the control group. In contrast, a linear correlation was found between changes in body temperature and MAPD90, AV conduction, QTc and QRS intervals. For each degree temperature fell below 38°C MAPD90 was prolonged by 6.1ms, and for each degree above 38°C MAPD90 was shortened by 5.3ms. Corresponding changes were seen for QTc interval and AV conduction time, while effects on the QRS interval were smaller., Discussion: The data highlights the importance of carefully controlling body temperature when performing electrophysiological recordings in laboratory animals. A change by a single degree can affect electrophysiological parameters by 5-10%, thus increasing the risk for a false positive or negative interpretation of cardiotoxicity., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: Altered intestinal barrier function has been implicated in the pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis (UC) in genetic, functional, and epidemiological studies. Mast cells and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) regulate the mucosal barrier in human colon. Because eosinophils are often increased in colon tissues of patients with UC, we assessed interactions among mast cells, CRF, and eosinophils in the mucosal barrier of these patients., Methods: Transmucosal fluxes of protein antigens (horseradish peroxidase) and paracellular markers ((51)Cr-EDTA, fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran 4000) were studied in noninflamed, colonic mucosal biopsy samples collected from 26 patients with UC and 53 healthy volunteers (controls); samples were mounted in Ussing chambers. We also performed fluorescence and electron microscopy of human tissue samples, assessed isolated eosinophils, and performed mechanistic studies using in vitro cocultured eosinophils (15HL-60), mast cells (HMC-1), and a colonic epithelial cell line (T84)., Results: Colon tissues from patients with UC had significant increases in permeability to protein antigens compared with controls. Permeability was blocked by atropine (a muscarinic receptor antagonist), α-helical CRF(9-41) (a CRF receptor antagonist), and lodoxamide (a mast-cell stabilizer). Eosinophils were increased in number in UC tissues (compared with controls), expressed the most M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors of any mucosal cell type, and had immunoreactivity to CRF. In coculture studies, carbachol activation of eosinophils caused production of CRF and activation of mast cells, which increased permeability of T84 epithelial cells to macromolecules., Conclusions: We identified a neuroimmune intercellular circuit (from cholinergic nerves, via eosinophils to mast cells) that mediates colonic mucosal barrier dysfunction in patients with UC. This circuit might exacerbate mucosal inflammation., (Copyright © 2011 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) is specialized in uptake and sampling of luminal antigens and bacteria. We previously showed that stress increased FAE permeability in rats. An increased uptake may alter antigen exposure in Peyer's patches leading to intestinal disease. The aim of this study was to elucidate mechanisms involved in the acute stress-induced increase in FAE permeability., Methods: Rats were pretreated i.p. with corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor (CRH-R) antagonist, neurokinin receptor 1 (NK-1R) antagonist, atropine, the mast cell stabilizer doxantrazole (DOX), or NaCl, and submitted to 1-h acute water avoidance stress. FAE tissues were mounted in Ussing chambers for measurements of permeability to (51)Cr-EDTA, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and chemically killed Escherichia coli K-12. Further, FAE segments were exposed in vitro in chambers to CRH, substance P (SP), carbachol, and DOX. Neurotransmitter- and receptor distribution was studied by immunohistochemistry., Key Results: Stress-induced increases in uptake across FAE of HRP and E. coli were reduced by DOX, CRH-R antagonist and atropine, whereas the NK-1R antagonist decreased (51)Cr-EDTA permeability. Exposure to CRH and carbachol increased HRP and E. coli passage, whereas SP increased bacterial and (51)Cr-EDTA permeability. DOX counteracted all of these effects. Immunohistochemistry revealed CRH, acetylcholine, SP, and their receptors on mast cells within the Peyer's patches, subepithelial dome, and adjacent villi., Conclusions & Inferences: Corticotropin-releasing hormone and acetylcholine signaling affect mainly transcellular permeability while SP seems more selective toward the paracellular pathways. Our findings may be of importance for the understanding of the pathogenesis of stress-related intestinal disorders.

Objective: Persistent stress and life events affect the course of ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome by largely unknown mechanisms. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) has been implicated as an important mediator of stress-induced abnormalities in intestinal mucosal function in animal models, but to date no studies in human colon have been reported. The aim was to examine the effects of CRH on mucosal barrier function in the human colon and to elucidate the mechanisms involved in CRH-induced hyper-permeability., Design: Biopsies from 39 volunteers were assessed for macromolecular permeability (horseradish peroxidase (HRP), (51)Cr-EDTA), and electrophysiology after CRH challenge in Ussing chambers. The biopsies were examined by electron and confocal microscopy for HRP and CRH receptor localisation, respectively. Moreover, CRH receptor mRNA and protein expression were examined in the human mast cell line, HMC-1., Results: Mucosal permeability to HRP was increased by CRH (2.8+/-0.5 pmol/cm(2)/h) compared to vehicle exposure (1.5+/-0.4 pmol/cm(2)/h), p = 0.032, whereas permeability to (51)Cr-EDTA and transmucosal electrical resistance were unchanged. The increased permeability to HRP was abolished by alpha-helical CRH (9-41) (1.3+/-0.6 pmol/cm(2)/h) and the mast cell stabilizer, lodoxamide (1.6+/-0.6 pmol/cm(2)/h). Electron microscopy showed transcellular passage of HRP through colonocytes. CRH receptor subtypes R1 and R2 were detected in the HMC-1 cell line and in lamina propria mast cells in human colon., Conclusions: Our results suggest that CRH mediates transcellular uptake of HRP in human colonic mucosa via CRH receptor subtypes R1 and R2 on subepithelial mast cells. CRH-induced macromolecular uptake in human colon mucosa may have implications for stress-related intestinal disorders.

Introduction: While the dog in vivo model is commonly employed in the later phase of discovery for assessing drug-induced QT prolongation, an early screening assay is valuable when selecting compounds for further development and when compound availability usually is low. One such screening assay is the anaesthetised guinea pig monophasic action potential (MAP) model. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability of this model to detect proarrhythmic properties by testing a set of reference compounds with known clinical profile. Moreover, these results were compared to data previously obtained using in vivo canine QT assays (QT PRODACT study)., Methods: Anaesthetised and ventilated male guinea pigs were vagotomised and pretreated with propranolol. After thoracotomy, a pacing electrode was clipped to the left atrial appendage and a suction MAP electrode positioned on the left ventricular epicardium. The drug or corresponding vehicle was injected intravenously in cumulative doses and MAP duration at 90% repolarisation (MAPD90) was recorded during cardiac pacing., Results: The 8 drugs known to be proarrhythmic in the clinic all displayed dose-dependent prolongation of MAPD90, while the 4 drugs devoid of dysrhythmia in man had no effect. When comparing doses producing a 10% MAPD90 increase with doses reported to increase QTc by 10% in dogs a strong correlation was seen (R(2) 0.94 and 0.58 for anaesthetised and conscious dogs, respectively)., Discussion: The guinea pig MAP assay identified all clinically positive drugs while negative drugs were without effect on ventricular repolarisation. Furthermore, a good concurrence is shown between the guinea pig and dog models in identifying compounds with proarrhythmic properties. Overall, the study reinforces the anaesthetised guinea pig MAP model as a reliable assay predicting QT liability of new chemical entities and as a highly sensitive early screening model for cardiovascular risk.

Previous studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO) inhibits histamine-induced gastric acid secretion in isolated human gastric glands. NO synthase has been found to be present in the human oxyntic mucosa and has been suggested to serve as a paracrine regulator of gastric acid secretion. Histamine stimulation of parietal cells induces cytoskeletal rearrangements, recruitment of H+/K+-ATPase-rich tubulovesicles to the apical membrane and expansion of intracellular canaliculi. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate (i) the effect of an NO donor on histamine-induced cytological transformations and (ii) the influence of increased [Ca2+]i on NO-induced morphological changes in human parietal cells. Human gastric glands were isolated and subjected to the NO donor SNAP prior to histamine administration. [Ca2+]i was increased by photolysis of the caged Ca2+ compound NP-EGTA. The distribution of F-actin, ezrin, and H+/K+-ATPase was assessed by confocal microscopy. Ultrastructural analysis was performed using transmission electron microscopy. SNAP did not influence the histamine-induced translocation of F-actin, ezrin, and H+/K+-ATPase but prevented an increase in the canalicular size. Elevation of [Ca2+]i in resting cells was found to mimic histamine-induced intraparietal cell transformations; however, NO-induced parietal cell morphology was unaffected by a rise in [Ca2+]i. These results indicate that NO inhibits secretion of fluid into the canalicular lumen without affecting membrane recruitment and that this effect is Ca2+-insensitive.

The follicle-associated epithelium (FAE), covering Peyer's patches, provides a route of entry for antigens and microorganisms. Animal studies showed enhanced antigen and bacterial uptake in FAE, but no study on barrier function of human FAE has been reported. Our aim was to characterize the normal barrier properties of human FAE. Specimens of normal ileum were taken from 30 patients with noninflammatory colonic disease. Villus epithelium (VE) and FAE were identified and mounted in Ussing chambers. Permeability to 51Cr-EDTA, transmucosal flux of the protein antigen, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and transport of fluorescent Escherichia coli (chemically killed K-12 and live HB101) were measured. Uptake mechanisms were studied by confocal- and transmission electron microscopy, and by using pharmacological inhibitors in an in vitro coculture model of FAE and in human ileal FAE. HRP flux was substantially higher in FAE than in VE, and was reduced by an amiloride analog. Electron microscopy showed HRP-containing endosomes. Transport of E. coli K-12 and HB101 was also augmented in FAE and was confirmed by confocal microscopy. In vitro coculture experiments and electron microscopy revealed actin-dependent, mainly transcellular, uptake of E. coli K-12 into FAE. 51Cr-EDTA permeability was equal in FAE and VE. Augmented HRP flux and bacterial uptake but similar paracellular permeability, suggest functional variations of transcellular transport in the FAE. We show for the first time that FAE of human ileum is functionally distinct from regular VE, rendering the FAE more prone to bacterial-epithelial cell interactions and delivery of antigens to the mucosal immune system.

This study presents development and behaviour of a feedback turnover model that mimics asymmetric circadian oscillations of body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate in rats. The study also includes an application to drug-induced hypothermia, tolerance and handling effects. Data were collected inn normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats, housed at 25 degrees C with a 12:12 hr light dark cycle (light on at 06:00 am) and with free access of food and water. The model consisted of two intertwined parallel compartments which captured a free-running rhythm with a period close to but not exactly 24 hrs. The free-running rhythm was synchronised to exactly 24 hrs by the environmental timekeeper (12:12 hr light on/off cycle) in experimental settings. The baseline model was fitted to a standardised 24-hr period derived from mean data of six animals over a period of nine consecutive days. The first-order rate constants related to the turnover of the baseline temperature, alpha and beta, were 0.026 min(-1) (+/-5%) and 0.0037 min(-1) (+/-3%). The alpha and beta parameters are approximately 2/transition time between day and night and 2/night time, respectively. The day:night timekeeper g(t), reference point T(ref) and amplitude were 0.053(+/-2%), 37.3(+/-0.02%) and 3.3% (+/-2%), respectively. Simulations with the baseline model revealed stable oscillations (free-running rhythm) in the absence of the timekeeper. This temperature-time profile was then symmetric and had a smaller amplitude, with a slightly shorter period and less pronounced temperature shift as compared to the profile in the presence of an external Timekeeper. Fitting the model to 96 hr mean profiles of blood pressure and heart rate from 10 control animals demonstrated the usefulness of the model. Simulations of the integrated temperature model succeeded in mimicking other modes of administration such as oral dosing.

We have previously identified cells containing the enzyme nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) in the human gastric mucosa. Moreover, we have demonstrated that endogenous and exogenous NO has been shown to decrease histamine-stimulated acid secretion in isolated human gastric glands. The present investigation aimed to further determine whether this action of NO was mediated by the activation of guanylyl cyclase (GC) and subsequent production of cGMP. Isolated gastric glands were obtained after enzymatic digestion of biopsies taken from the oxyntic mucosa of healthy volunteers. Acid secretion was assessed by measuring [(14)C]aminopyrine accumulation, and the concentration of cGMP was determined by radioimmunoassay. In addition, immunohistochemistry was used to examine the localization of cGMP in mucosal preparations after stimulation with the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP). SNAP (0.1 mM) was shown to decrease acid secretion stimulated by histamine (50 microM); this effect was accompanied by an increase in cGMP production, which was histologically localized to parietal cells. The membrane-permeable cGMP analog dibuturyl-cGMP (db-cGMP; 0.1-1 mM) dose dependently inhibited acid secretion. Additionally, the effect of SNAP was prevented by preincubating the glands with the GC inhibitor 4H-8-bromo-1,2,4-oxadiazolo[3,4-d]benz[b][1,4]oxazin-1-one (10 microM). We therefore suggest that NO in the human gastric mucosa is of physiological importance in regulating acid secretion. Furthermore, the results show that NO-induced inhibition of gastric acid secretion is a cGMP-dependent mechanism in the parietal cell involving the activation of GC.

Objective: Capsaicin, which acts by binding to the vanilloid receptor-1 (VR1), has been shown to give protection against gastric mucosal injury and to enhance healing of gastric ulcers. Although VR1 has recently been reported to be present in non-neural tissues, it is primarily considered to be expressed in nociceptor sensory neurons of small diameter. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the distribution of VR1 immunoreactivity in the normal human gastric mucosa., Materials and Methods: Ten volunteers underwent gastroscopy and biopsies were obtained from the corpus and the antrum. The specimens were labelled immunohistochemically using polyclonal goat anti-VR1 and evaluated at the light- and electronmicroscopic level. Moreover, post-embedding immunogold labelling was performed and subsequently analysed at the electronmicroscopic level., Results: In the antrum, VR1 immunoreactivity was located in epithelial cells that fulfilled the criteria of endocrine cells of the "open type". These cells were located primarily in the neck region of the antral glands and the labelling was concentrated on the microvilli of these cells. At the ultrastructural level, round granulae with differences in electron density were identified in the basal compartment of the labelled cells. VR1 immunoreactivity was also identified in axon-like structures that were located in the lamina propria, often in close vicinity of vessels, in the corpus as well as in the antrum., Conclusions: VR1-immunoreactivity was evident in antral epithelial cells exhibiting characteristics of endocrine-like cells. This may indicate that the gastroprotective effects of capsaicin, which hitherto have been attributed to primary afferent neurons, at least partly may be explained by an action on specific epithelial cells in the antrum.

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) formed from inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is assumed to promote vascular permeability in sepsis and endotoxemia., Methods: Thirty-seven anesthetized rats were examined for the effects of endotoxin. After randomization, 17 animals had lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administered and 20 rats served as controls and were given the corresponding volume of saline. The observation period was 5 hours after administration of endotoxin. Mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and hematocrit were recorded in all animals, and transcapillary exchange of albumin, tissue water content, immunohistochemistry for nitric oxide synthase, and blood gases were investigated in subsets of animals., Results: When anesthetized rats were studied for 5 hours after endotoxin (LPS), the sequestration of albumin decreased in the intestine (double-isotope method) and there was no increased water content (freeze-drying technique) when the elevated tissue plasma volume of the LPS-treated rats was corrected for. Immunohistochemical methods showed a similar distribution and intensity of staining for endothelial NOS and neuronal NOS in LPS and control groups. In the lung of the LPS-treated rats, there was a significantly larger number of infiltrating, inflammatory cells staining for iNOS. There was no iNOS demonstrated in vascular structures or heart., Conclusion: At 5 hours after LPS, there was no increased loss of water or albumin from the circulation. This challenges the notion that NO causes vascular damage in endotoxemia and extravasation as an obligatory sequela to endotoxemia.

Background: Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has previously been detected in the glandular part of the human gastric mucosa. Furthermore, nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to influence gastric secretion in various animal models. The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of exogenously and endogenously derived NO on histamine- and cAMP-stimulated gastric acid secretion in isolated human oxyntic glands., Methods: Oxyntic glands were isolated from human gastric biopsies and were subsequently pre-treated with NO donors and nitric oxide synthase inhibitors and then exposed to histamine or dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP). The secretory response of the glands was determined as accumulation of [14C]aminopyrine., Results: The histamine- or db-cAMP-induced acid secretion was attenuated by L-arginine, a known source of endogenous NO, and also by the NO-donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP). Pre-treatment with either of the NOS inhibitors NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) enhanced the secretory response., Conclusion: Our results show that NO inhibits gastric acid secretion in isolated human gastric glands, and that there is endogenous formation of NO within the glandular epithelium in the vicinity of the parietal cells.

Background: Chronic stress affects the course of inflammatory bowel disease and experimental colitis, and may also initiate intestinal inflammation in rats., Aim: To investigate the effects of stress on the M cell containing follicle associated epithelium, specialised in antigen uptake., Subjects and Methods: Wistar rats were submitted to acute water avoidance stress for one hour or chronic water avoidance stress for 1 hour/day for 10 consecutive days. Permeability to (51)Cr-EDTA, horseradish peroxidase, and chemically killed Escherichia coli K-12 was studied in both villus and follicle associated epithelium in Ussing chambers. Segments were further examined by light, electron, and confocal microscopy., Results: Acute stress increased horseradish peroxidase flux in villus as well as in follicle associated epithelium. Chronic stress further increased permeability to horseradish peroxidase in villus and follicle associated epithelium, in the latter by almost fourfold. Moreover, chronic stress induced over 30 times increased E coli passage in follicle associated epithelium whereas there was no significant increase in villus epithelium. Bacterial uptake was confirmed by confocal microscopy showing fluorescent bacteria penetrating and passing through the epithelial surface., Conclusions: These results show that the barrier function of follicle associated epithelium can be modulated, and that chronic stress enhances the uptake of luminal antigens and bacteria via the follicle associated epithelium. This can increase antigen exposure in Peyer's patches thereby having implications in the initiation of proinflammatory immune responses within the intestinal mucosa.

We used the electron microscope to examine lamina I trigemino- and spinothalamic (TSTT) terminations in the posterior part of the ventral medial nucleus (VMpo) of the macaque thalamus. Lamina I terminations were identified by anterograde labeling with biotinylated dextran, and 109 boutons on 38 terminal fibers were closely studied in series of ultrathin sections. Five unlabeled terminal boutons of similar appearance were also examined in detail. Three-dimensional, volume-rendered computer models were reconstructed from complete series of serial sections for 29 boutons on 10 labeled terminal fibers and one unlabeled terminal fiber. In addition, postembedding immunogold staining for GABA was obtained in alternate sections through 23 boutons. Lamina I TSTT terminations in VMpo generally have several large boutons (mean length = 2.16 microm, mean width = 1.29 microm) that are densely packed with vesicles and make asymmetric synaptic contacts on low-order dendrites of VMpo neurons (mean diameter 1.45 microm). They are closely associated with GABAergic presynaptic dendrites (PSDs), and nearly all form classic triadic arrangements (28 of 29 reconstructed boutons). Consecutive boutons on individual terminal fibers make multiple contacts with a single postsynaptic dendrite and can show evidence of progressive complexity. Dendritic appendages that enwrap and invaginate the terminal bouton constitute additional anatomic evidence for secure, high-fidelity synaptic transfer. These observations provide direct ultrastructural evidence supporting the hypothesis that VMpo is a lamina I TSTT thalamocortical relay nucleus in primates that subserves pain, temperature, itch, and other sensations related to the physiological condition of the body., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

The termination pattern of substance P (SP)-containing axons in human antral mucosa was examined using immunohistochemical techniques at the light and electron microscopic level. SP-immunoreactive (IR) axons were found to extend towards the pit region of the glands, where intraepithelial axons were observed. Electron microscopy showed immunostained axon profiles in close contact with the basement membrane of surface mucous cells. Membrane-to-membrane contacts between labeled axons and myofibroblast-like cells were identified, and SP-IR axons that were apposed to the epithelium were also in contact with subjacent myofibroblast-like cells. The anatomical relationship between SP-IR axons and the cells of the muscularis mucosae was investigated by light microscopy. Immunoreactivity for alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-sma) was used to visualize the smooth muscle cells, and the alpha-sma-IR cells were found to create a network that surrounded the gastric glands. Immunostained varicose axons ran alongside and in close apposition to the labeled muscle strands. Ultrastructural examination showed close contacts between SP-IR axon profiles and smooth muscle-like cells. In conclusion, SP-containing neurons may be important for sensory and secretomotor functions in the human antral mucosa.

Background: Functional studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO) inhibits gastric acid secretion in a variety of species, including man. We have performed a morphological study with the intention of localizing the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in the human gastric mucosa., Methods: Fifteen healthy subjects voluntarily participated in the study, and mucosal biopsies were obtained from the cardia, corpus and antrum. The presence and localization of eNOS were studied using immunohistochemical techniques., Results: eNOS-immunoreactivity (eNOS-IR) is found in surface mucous cells of cardia, corpus and antrum. Unique to the oxyntic mucosa is the presence of eNOS-IR in 'endocrine-like' cells, found in close contact with parietal cells., Conclusions: eNOS-IR cells in close apposition to parietal cells provide morphological support for paracrine inhibition of gastric acid secretion by NO.

The distribution of GABAergic elements and their synaptic contacts in the nucleus submedius, a specific nociceptive relay in the medial thalamus of the cat, was studied using light and electron-microscopic postembedding immunohistochemical methods. About one-fourth of the neurons in nucleus submedius were GABA immunoreactive. These neurons were generally smaller than the unlabeled neurons and are probably local circuit neurons. Electron microscopy showed GABA immunoreactivity in two types of vesicle-containing profiles, F-terminals and presynaptic dendrites. F-terminals formed simple synapses with the dendrites of presumed thalamocortical relay cells. Presynaptic dendrites were involved in more complex synaptic arrangements that included ascending trigeminothalamic and spinothalamic tract terminals and thalamocortical relay cell dendrites. Analysis of single sections showed that about 40% of the trigeminothalamic and spinothalamic tract terminals, identified by anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase, were presynaptic to GABAergic presynaptic dendrites. These results show that GABAergic neurons are frequent in nucleus submedius and that the GABAergic elements make synaptic connections similar to those described for other sensory relay nuclei, including the somatosensory ventroposterior nucleus. This suggests that GABAergic mechanisms play an important role in the processing of nociceptive and thermoreceptive information.

Glutamate plays an important role in supraspinal nociceptive systems. Thus, glutamate is present in the nucleus submedius of the medial thalamus, a major relay for nociceptive information. In this study, immunoreactivity for the four subunits (GluR1-4) of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxasoleproprionate (AMPA) receptors was examined by a preembedding immunohistochemical method in order to evaluate the presence of this glutamate receptor subtype in the nucleus submedius. Combining the preembedding method with a postembedding immunogold technique, we found that AMPA receptor-like immunoreactivity was present postsynaptically to glutamatergic terminals but not to terminals containing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). These findings suggest a role for AMPA receptors in excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus submedius of the rat thalamus.

We examined lamina I trigemino- and spinothalamic tract (TSTT) terminals labeled with Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin in the nucleus submedius (Sm), a nociceptive relay in the cat's thalamus. Volume-rendered (three-dimensional) reconstructions of ten lamina I TSTT terminals identified with light and electron microscopy were built from serial ultrathin sections by computer, which enabled the overall structures of the terminal complexes to be characterized in detail. Two fundamentally different terminations were observed: compact clusters of numerous boutons, which predominate in the dense focus of a lamina I terminal field in the Sm, and boutons-of-passage, which are present throughout the terminal field and predominate in its periphery. Reconstructions of cluster terminations reveal that all boutons of each cluster make synaptic contact with protrusions and branch points on a single dendrite and involve presynaptic dendrites (PSDs) in triadic arrangements, providing a basis for the secure relay of sensory information. In contrast, reconstructions show that boutons-of-passage are generally characterized by simple contacts with PSDs, indicating an ascending inhibitory lamina I influence. These different synaptic arrangements are consistent with physiological evidence indicating that the morphologically distinct nociceptive-specific and thermoreceptive-(cold)-specific lamina I TSTT neurons terminate differently within the Sm. Thus, a suitable structural substrate exists in the cat's Sm for the inhibitory effect of cold on nociception, a behavioral and physiological phenomenon of fundamental significance. We conclude that the Sm is more than a simple relay for nociception, and that it may be an integrative comparator of ascending modality-selective information that arrives from neurons in lamina I.

Previous studies have suggested that glutamate is a neurotransmitter in ascending somatosensory pathways to the thalamus. The present study examined with quantitative immunohistochemical methods the presence of glutamate in spinothalamic tract terminals of owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus). Such terminals in the posterior region, in which a nucleus was recently identified as a specific pain and temperature relay in macaques and humans, were labeled by anterograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, injected into the spinal dorsal horn. Glutamate-like immunoreactivity was demonstrated with a postembedding immunogold procedure using a well-characterized glutamate antiserum. Quantitative analysis of the immunogold labeling demonstrated that the spinothalamic tract terminals contained more than twice the tissue average of glutamate-like immunoreactivity. Enrichment of glutamate-like immunoreactivity was also found in terminals of presumed cortical origin. Presynaptic dendrites, cell bodies and non-vesicle-containing dendrites displayed low levels of glutamate-like immunoreactivity. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.69; P < 0.0001) was found between the density of synaptic vesicles and the density of gold particles in spinothalamic tract terminals, in contrast to a weak negative relationship (r = -0.28; P = 0.089) present in GABAergic presynaptic dendrites. These data provide strong evidence that the gold labeling in the spinothalamic tract terminals represents transmitter labeling, implying that glutamate is a neurotransmitter for ascending nociceptive and thermoreceptive information in primates.

The nucleus submedius in the medial thalamus of cats is an important termination site for lamina I trigemino-and spinothalamic tract (TSTT) neurons, many of which are nociceptive-specific, and the nucleus submedius has been proposed to be a dedicated nociceptive substrate involved in the affective aspect of pain. In the present study, the distribution of glutamate was examined by immunocytochemical methods in order to evaluate the possible role of this amino acid as a neurotransmitter in TSTT terminals in the nucleus submedius. TSTT terminals were identified by anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase and wheatgerm agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate from the spinal cord or the medullary dorsal horn. Quantitative analysis of immunogold labelling revealed that TSTT terminals contain about twice the tissue average of glutamate-like immunoreactivity. A strong positive correlation was found between the density of synaptic vesicles and the density of gold particles in these terminals, whereas no relationship was seen between these variables in GABAergic presynaptic dendrites. Enrichment of glutamate-like immunoreactivity (approximately 250% of the tissue average) was also observed in terminals of presumed cortical origin. Presynaptic dendrites and neuron cell bodies in the nucleus submedius were found to contain relatively low levels of glutamate-like immunoreactivity, at or below the tissue average. These observations provide evidence that glutamate is a neurotransmitter in lamina I TSTT terminals in the nucleus submedius. The findings also suggest glutamatergic neurotransmission between cortical afferents and nucleus submedius neurons. Glutamate is therefore likely to be an important mediator of nociceptive processing in the medial thalamus.

Ascending lamina I axons were labeled with Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin and the synaptic connections of their terminals in nucleus submedius (Sm) were studied in the electron microscope. The terminals were large, contained rounded synaptic vesicles, and were involved in complex synaptic aggregations with pre- and postsynaptic dendrites. It was observed that clustered large boutons from a single axon could contact a single dendritic shaft. These observations support a sensory role for lamina I input to Sm.

Substance P (SP) administered subcutaneously to male and female rats during a neonatal period (days 1-7 after birth), produced long-term effects. Thermal/pain perception and elements of both male and female copulatory behavior were altered. A significant increase in the SP level in the dorsal part of the spinal cord was demonstrated by radioimmunoassay and by micro-fluorescence. The present study indicates that exposure to SP during the neonatal period, when the role of SP in transmission is likely to be established, has biochemical and functional consequences for SP systems in the adult.

The change in renal nerve activity under conditions known to increase renal sodium excretion was studied. In adult Sprague Dawley rats, anaesthetized with Inactin, normotonic and hypertonic NaCl solutions were infused into 1) a vein, 2) a carotid artery and 3) the third ventricle. The left kidney was freed and placed in a plastic cup. A renal nerve was dissected free and placed on a stainless bipolar electrode. The nerve was cut distal to the electrode. The nerve signals were amplified and recorded on a tape recorder. Simultaneously integrated nerve signals and also atrial and venous pressures were recorded. Intracarotid infusion of a 1 M NaCl solution increased sodium output and temporarily decreased renal nerve activity by some 35%. Corresponding intravenous (i.v.) infusion gave an increase in renal nerve activity and also in sodium output. The latter increase was delayed compared with that caused by the intracarotid infusion. No variations in blood pressure were noted. In control experiments with a slow i.v. infusion of physiological saline, renal nerve activity increased throughout the experiment, while sodium excretion remained constant. During infusion of a 1 M NaCl solution into the third ventricle, renal nerve activity decreased in about half of the cases. This reduction was often accompanied by an increased arterial blood pressure and an increased sodium output. Arterial blood pressure increases were especially pronounced at the highest infusion rats, i.e. 800 ml-min-1. Isotonic volume expansion of 2% of the body weight resulted in a transient decrease in renal nerve activity by about 30%. Venous blood pressure rose and sodium output increased six-fold. The decrease in nerve activity was observed both when the vagal nerves were intact and when they were cut.

Buciclovir is an example of an antiherpes, acyclic guanosine analog activated by the viral thymidine kinase and inhibiting viral DNA synthesis in infected cells. An investigation of closely related buciclovir-analogs with similar antiherpes activities in cell cultures and similar, or identical, modes of action but with disparate effects in vivo, revealed the following critical determinants of antiherpes efficacy. (1) The accumulation of guanosine analog-triphosphates in infected cells, which is cell-type-specific and analog-dependent. (2) The potencies of the triphosphates as inhibitors of the viral DNA polymerase. (3) The plasma kinetics of the analogs, which are widely different despite the similar structures. (4) The penetration into nervous tissue relative to penetration into non-nervous tissues, of importance in connection with the neurotropic behavior of the virus. (5) The concentration of the antagonist thymidine in certain tissues. (6) The difference in pathogenesis between primary infections and recurrent infections, exemplified in the different efficacies of topically applied drugs in cutaneous and genital HSV-2 infections in guinea pigs.

Because of the lack of agreement about the effects of topically applied antiviral agents on herpes simplex virus (HSV) skin infections in humans and in animals, an in-vivo human skin model of infection was developed. Human skin was grafted on to congenitally athymic nude mice and the therapeutic effects of topically applied viral DNA polymerase inhibitor phosphonoformate (foscarnet) on the course of the disease were studied. Following infection with HSV, the human skin grafts developed herpes vesicles similar to those seen in human skin in situ. Vesicles developed within three days of inoculation, and coalesced and crusted over by the fifth day post-inoculation. Healing of the wound did not occur and non-treated animals died approximately 13 days after inoculation. Treatment with topically applied foscarnet starting 24 h after inoculation suppressed both the development of the clinical signs of the disease and the replication of HSV in the grafted human skin. However, when therapy was withdrawn the symptoms of the disease proceeded to develop. Late onset (day two post-inoculation) of the foscarnet treatment was without effect on the course of the disease. Because foscarnet showed an antiviral effect when applied to infected human skin, the lack of effect of foscarnet in clinical studies on recurrent genital or labial herpes may be due to differences in the pathogenesis of the primary and recurrent infections.

The herpesvirus DNA polymerase inhibitor foscarnet, applied topically, and the anti-herpesvirus guanosine analogue buciclovir, given orally, decreased virus replication and disease development in primary skin infections of mice caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). If the same tissues were infected via sensory nerves, following zosteriform spread of the virus the same treatments showed strongly decreased efficacy, or were inefficacious, when started before development of clinical signs in the infected tissues. These results were obtained in murine models of zosteriform spread of HSV-1 to the ear (following inoculation of the ventral side of the neck) or to the lower flank (following inoculation of the upper flank). In these models the immune system played a dominant role in virus clearance. The topically applied foscarnet could not prevent disease development in these models of recrudescent disease even when applied before the virus was detected in the skin, but a decrease in virus titre was obtained. Orally administered buciclovir lost efficacy when administered at the time of virus entry into the skin, i.e. 1 or 2 days before development of clinical signs. In the flank model, measuring lesion development, orally administered acyclovir also had a strongly decreased efficacy, when compared with its effect during infections in which lesion development did not involve translocation of virus through nerves. In the presence of developing immunity the inhibitors could not accelerate the clearance of virus from infected tissues. Furthermore, all treatments (topical foscarnet and oral buciclovir or acyclovir) were without effect on disease development when treatment was initiated on appearance of the first clinical signs of disease. As disease development following zosteriform spread of HSV resembles that in recurrent herpes in humans, and as the limited efficacy of the inhibitors observed resembles the poor results obtained with inhibitors of herpesvirus DNA synthesis in clinical studies on the treatment of symptomatic recurrent herpes, we suggest the use of animal models of zosteriform spread for pre-clinical evaluation of new antiherpes drugs.

Partial obstruction of one ureter was created in newborn rats and its effects were studied after the rats matured. The obstructed pelvis was found to be considerably enlarged. The parenchymal weight was 19 per cent lower and the whole kidney glomerular filtration rate was 43 per cent lower than on the contralateral intact side (p less than 0.001); however, these figures probably include a compensatory increase on the intact side. In the central part of the cortex, the glomerular filtration rate/mg. cortex was 21 per cent lower in the hydronephrotic kidney (p less than 0.02), but there was no intracortical redistribution. The glomerular density in this region was 24 per cent higher on the hydronephrotic side (p less than 0.001), because the glomeruli were crammed together in the distended cortex. No redistribution of glomeruli was found. The results are discussed and compared with previous findings from our laboratory. In this model, partially obstructive uropathy was found to cause only a moderate depression, but no redistribution, of the filtration.

Necturus gallbladder epithelial cells exhibited volume regulatory swelling when exposed to a hypertonic mucosal bathing solution. The initial, osmotically induced shrinkage was followed by a rapid increase in cell volume back to the control value despite continuing hypertonicity of the mucosal perfusate. This volume regulatory increase occurred by osmotic water flow accompanying the transient cellular uptake of NaCl from the mucosal bathing solution. Volume regulatory increase required Na+ and Cl- in the mucosal bath; it was inhibited by amiloride or 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid but not by bumetanide or ouabain. The K1/2 for Na+ was 2.8 mM, the K1/2 for Cl- was 1.9 mM, and maximum velocity of fluid flow into the cell for both ions was greater than 10 x 10(-6) cm/s. Both volume regulatory increase and transepithelial fluid absorption involve NaCl flux across the apical membrane into the cells, but the nature of the NaCl fluxes differ in the two processes. During volume regulatory increase NaCl enters the cells by parallel Na+-H+ and Cl(-)-HCO-3 exchanges, whereas during transepithelial fluid absorption NaCl enters the cell by the coupled flux of NaCl.

9-[4-Hydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine (3HM-HBG), (RS)-9-[4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine ([+/-]2HM-HBG), and cis-9-(4-hydroxy-2-butenyl)guanine (2EN-HBG), new acyclic guanosine analogs structurally related to buciclovir (BCV [(R)-9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine]), were evaluated in parallel with buciclovir as anti-herpes simplex virus (HSV) agents. In cell cultures, replication of different strains of HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 was inhibited at nontoxic drug concentrations. The concentrations giving 50% inhibition of plaque formation were, however, dependent on virus strain and cell type. In most cell types, the order of activity against HSV-1 strains was 3HM-HBG greater than (+/-)2HM-HBG greater than BCV greater than 2EN-HBG, whereas the drugs showed an approximately equivalent activity against HSV-2 strains in different cells. The cytotoxic effects of the drugs were also cell type dependent, the order of activity being BCV greater than 3HM-HBG = (+/-)2HM-HBG greater than 2EN-HBG. At growth-inhibitory concentrations, the guanosine analogs BCV, 3HM-HBG, and (+/-)2HM-HBG showed clastogenic effects in human lymphocytes, mainly because of the induction of chromatid breaks. When evaluated for their anti-HSV effects in systemic HSV-1 infections in mice, the order of activity was BCV = 3HM-HBG greater than (+/-)2HM-HBG greater than 2EN-HBG, and in mice infected systemically with HSV-2, only BCV and 3HM-HBG showed efficacy. The differences between efficacy in vitro and in vivo could be explained in part by differences in kinetics of the drugs in mouse plasma, as the more efficacious drugs, BCV and 3HM-HBG, showed lower clearances and longer half-lives than the less efficacious ones, (+/-)2HM-HBG and 2EN-HBG. When used topically against a cutaneous HSV-1 infection in guinea pigs, 3HM-HBG showed an effect equivalent to that of BCV, whereas (+/-)2HM-HBG and 2EN-HBG were inactive. Mechanistically, the guanosine analogs were characterized by a high affinity for the viral thymidine kinase and a low affinity fo a cellular thymidine kinase and by their inhibition of viral DNA synthesis in infected cells.

The intrinsic myogenic hypothesis and the tubuloglomerular feedback mechanism (TGF) give the presently most cherished explanation to the autoregulation of renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate. A series of experiments was performed on young, normohydrated rats in order to evaluate the importance of TGF as an autoregulatory factor of the single nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR) in superficial and juxtamedullary nephron populations. Micropuncture techniques were applied to tubular structures of the renal surface and on the papilla for the measurement of hydrostatic pressures and SNGFR. The SNGFR was also measured with a modified Hanssen technique. A TV-technique was used to record the urine free flow rate in the loop of Henle. The net driving forces for glomerular filtration at the afferent end of the glomerular capillaries were estimated to be 19 and 47 mm Hg for superficial and juxtamedullary nephrons respectively, when the urine flow at the macula densa was zero. The SNGFR of the two nephron populations amounted to 29.6 and 84.1 nl . min-1 . g-1 K.W., as measured with the micropuncture technique. With a modified Hanssen technique the corresponding values were 25.8 and 27.7 nl . min-1 . g-1 K.W. (kidney weight). The SNGFR was found to be well autoregulated when the urine flow at the macula densa was intact, but not when the urine flow was interrupted. The flow rate in the loop of Henle was in free flow conditions 7.3 nl . min-1 . g-1 K.W. which shall be compared with 19.2 nl . min-1 . g-1 K.W. when the urine flow to the macula densa was zero. We conclude that SNGFR is mainly autoregulated by the TGF-mechanism in young, normohydrated rats at lower arterial pressures. In normal conditions TGF is highly activated for juxtamedullary nephrons, but not for the superficial ones. The high urine flow rate in the loop of Henle at reduced flow rates at the macula densa may invalidate the use of loop blockade in studies of water and solute transfer across the loop walls.

The efficacy of the anti-herpesvirus drug buciclovir [(R)-9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine] was investigated in guinea pigs and mice infected intravaginally with herpes simplex virus type 2. Topical treatment initiated early after infection was efficacious, in contrast to topical treatment delayed 24 h or more. Systemic treatment of infected mice could not prevent the spread of virus to the brain and mortality. Systemically administered buciclovir had an effect in guinea pigs, even after delayed onset of treatment, but this effect required high doses of the drug. Our results suggest that buciclovir has only a limited effect against herpesvirus infections once the virus is present in the nervous systems of infected animals.

Three acyclic guanosine analogs with similar structures, the (R) and (S) forms of 9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine and 9-(4-hydroxybutyl)guanine, were compared for antiherpes activity in vivo and in vitro. The three guanosine analogs were viral thymidine kinase-dependent inhibitors of virus multiplication. In cell cultures, (S)-9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine was the least active of these three drugs against a variety of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) strains. This was also the case for a certain HSV-1 or HSV-2 strain in different cell lines. In cell cultures, (R)-9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine and 9-(4-hydroxybutyl)guanine had similar antiherpes activities. However, in vivo in cutaneous HSV-1 infections in guinea pigs treated topically and in systemic HSV-2 infections in mice treated orally or intraperitoneally, only (R)-9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine had a therapeutic effect. The extremely short half-life in plasma and the high clearance of 9-(4-hydroxybutyl)guanine as compared with those of (R)-9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine probably made 9-(4-hydroxybutyl)guanine inefficacious when given intraperitoneally or orally to mice infected with herpesvirus. On the other hand, no kinetic differences between (R)-9-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)guanine and 9-(4-hydroxybutyl)guanine were observed in penetration through guinea pig skin ex vivo, and no preferential metabolism of 9-(4-hydroxybutyl)guanine in skin was noted. We deduced that high thymidine levels in guinea pig skin preferentially antagonize the antiviral effect of 9-(4-hydroxybutyl) guanine in cutaneous HSV-1 infections.

NaCl entry into Necturus maculosus gallbladder epithelial cells was studied by determination of the rate of fluid movement into the cell when the Na+-K+-ATPase was inhibited by 10(-4) M ouabain in the serosal bathing solution. The cell swelling was due to continuing entrance of NaCl into the cell across the apical membrane, which increased the solute content of the cell; the resultant rise in cell osmolality induced water flow and cell swelling. The rate of swelling was 4.3% of the cell volume per minute, equivalent to a volume flow across the apical membrane of 1.44 x 10(-6) cm/s, similar in magnitude to the normal rate of fluid absorption by the gallbladder. We determined the mechanism of NaCl entry by varying the ionic composition of the mucosal bath; when most of the mucosal Na+ or Cl- was replaced, cell volume did not increase during pump inhibition. The rate of NaCl entry was a saturable function of Na+ or Cl- in the mucosal bathing solution with K1/2 values of 26.6 mM for Na+ and 19.5 mM for Cl-. The mode of NaCl entry was probably not the parallel operation of Na+-H+ and Cl(-)-HCO-3 exchangers because of the lack of effect of bicarbonate removal or of the inhibitors amiloride and 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. NaCl entry was reversibly inhibited by bumetanide in the mucosal bathing solution. Transepithelial NaCl and water absorption is the result of the coupled, carrier-mediated movement of NaCl into the cell across the apical membrane and the active extrusion of Na+ by the Na+-K+-ATPase in the basolateral membrane.

The aim was to study differences in filtration driving forces and glomerular filtration rates between superficial and deep nephrons when urine flow rate was altered at the macula densa region. In young rats stop-flow pressures and single nephron glomerular filtration rates (SNGFR) were measured in the superficial proximal tubules and in the loops of Henle in the papilla. SNGFR was also measured with a modified Hanssen technique. The stop-flow pressures of superficial nephrons amounted to 30.9 +/- 0.8 mmHg (mean +/- SE) and those of juxtamedullary nephrons to 52.2 +/- 1.6 mmHg. In the stop-flow condition the net driving filtration forces were calculated to be about 19 mmHg and 50 mmHg for the superficial and deep glomeruli, respectively. In free flow conditions both net driving forces were calculated to be 19 mmHg. The micropuncture technique gave a SNGFR value for superficial nephrons of 29.6 +/- 2.9 and for deep nephrons of 84.1 +/- 8.5 nl x min-1 . g-1 kidney weight (KW). With a modified Hanssen technique the corresponding values were 25.8 +/- 3.3 and 27.7 +/- 2.9 nl . min-1 . g-1 KW. The tubuloglomerular feedback mechanism is considered to have a powerful regulatory influence on the glomerular filtration rate of deep nephrons.

On male Sprague Dawley rats isotonic NaCl during control and 1 M NaCl were infused either into the carotid artery or i.v. Glomerular filtration rate, sodium output and plasma renin activity were determined. Five of 19 animals reacted with no increase in sodium output for 1 M NaCl and are treated as a different group from the animals reacting with an increased sodium output. For the animals reacting with an increased sodium output a decrease in plasma renin activity was found together with an increase in glomerular filtration rate. In both groups the plasma sodium was constant. The animals not reacting with an increased sodium output had a higher initial plasma renin activity, which did not change during 1 M NaCl infusion. The responses were equal for both intracarotid and i.v. infusions but with a somewhat longer delay before the response occurred with i.v. infusions. These results might be explained by a central nervous effect and by a direct renal effect. Also during 1 M NaCl infusion a possible extracellular volume expansion, derived from water withdrawal from the cells into the extracellular space might occur.

Epithelial cell volume is a sensitive indicator of the balance between solute entry into the cell and solute exit. Solute accumulation in the cell leads to cell swelling because the water permeability of the cell membranes is high. Similarly, solute depletion leads to cell shrinkage. The rate of volume change under a variety of experimental conditions may be utilized to study the rate and direction of solute transport by an epithelial cell. The pathways of water movement across an epithelium may also be deduced from the changes in cellular volume. A technique for the measurement of the volume of living epithelial cells is described, and a number of experiments are discussed in which cell volume determination provided significant new information about the dynamic behavior of epithelia. The mechanism of volume regulation of epithelial cells exposed to anisotonic bathing solution is discussed and shown to involve the transient stimulation of normally dormant ion exchangers in the cell membrane.

Some 3'-blocked pyrimidine analogs were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Moloney-murine leukemia virus (MuLV). The analogs were of 3 kinds: (1) analogs of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) in which the C-5 CH3 of the base was exchanged for H (AZU) or C2H5 (AZEU); (2) 3'-fluoro-3'-deoxythymidine (FLT) and analogs thereof, in which the C-5 CH3 of the base was exchanged for H (FLU), C2H5 (FLEU) or nC3H7 (FLPU); (3) the threo analogs of AZT (AZT increases) and AZU (AZU increases). All analogs were less active inhibitors of HIV replication than AZT, except FLT, which was as active as AZT. The 3'-fluoro analogs and AZEU did not inhibit MuLV replication at non-cytotoxic concentrations. Oral administration of FLT to MuLV-infected mice result in antiviral effects only at toxic drug levels. AZU and FLU were less potent inhibitors of HIV replication than AZT or FLT, but the 2'-deoxy uridine analogs were less cytotoxic to human embryonic fibroblasts than the thymidine analogs. The 5'-triphosphates of AZU, AZT, AZEU, FLT and FLEU were tested as inhibitors of the HIV- and MuLV-reverse transcriptases. Ranking of the Ki/Km values for HIV-RT resulted in the following order of potency of the 5'-triphosphates AZT = FLT greater than AZU greater than AZEU greater than FLEU. The 5'-triphosphates of AZEU, FLT and FLEU did not inhibit the MuLV-RT, which explains, in part, the lack of effect of these analogs against MuLV replication. The threo forms (azido "up") of AZU and AZT were less active inhibitors of HIV replication than the erythro forms (azido "down"). A 15N-NMR and 1H-NMR study showed that the furanose moieties of analogs with the azido function "up" assume a conformation distinct from that of the analogs with azido "down". This is due to intramolecular stabilisation of the "N" conformer in the threo ("up") diastereomer, due to interaction of the azido functions with the nucleobase and possibly the OH group of C-5' of the furanose. As discussed, this conformation might explain the decreased biological activity of threo forms compared with the erythro forms.

The synthesis of acyclovir-phospholipid conjugate (2) is reported through an unambiguous one-step preparation of L-alpha-dimyristoyl phosphatidic acid triethylammonium salt (5). The biological activity of 2 as an antiviral drug has also been investigated.

The afferent and efferent arterioles are considered to be the most important resistance vessels within the renal vasculature, but there are indications that a pressure drop occurs along the interlobular artery. This pressure drop was investigated from two aspects: 1) In rat kidneys the "stop-flow pressure" in the efferent arterioles was measured with the micropuncture technique. At arterial pressures between 100 and 130 mmHg the stop-flow pressure did not exceed 85 mmHg, which means that the highest pressure at the end of the interlobular artery was 85 mmHg; 2) A mathematical model was constructed, assuming that the diameter of the interlobular artery decreased stepwise from 60 to 10 micrometers. The artery was divided into 20 segments, each segment containing one afferent arteriole. The flow in the afferent arterioles increased linearly from 100 nl . min-1 in the first segment to 130 nl . min-1 in the last segment. When the pressure in the first segment was 120 mmHg, it was calculated that the pressure in the last segment was 85 mmHg. These findings strengthen the theory that the interlobular artery may participate in the regulation of the intracortical blood flow in the rat kidney. We conclude that the afferent arteriole of the most superficial nephron is nearly maximally dilated and that the juxtamedullary nephron is able to either dilate or constrict its arteriole in normotensive and normohydrated rats.