RADIATION DAMAGE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND ENDOCANABINOIDS. / RADIATsIINE URAZhENNIa NERVOVOÏ SYSTEMY I ENDOKANABINOÏDY.

The review analyzes the change of the existing paradigm of high radioresistance of the nervous system according tothe results of the study of neuropsychiatric disorders in in the aftermath of the Chornobyl accident in both earlyand remote post-accident period. The participation of the endocannabinoid system in ensuring homeostasis andpathology formation, potential possibilities of using cannabis drugs, agonists and antagonists of endocannabinoidreceptors for the treatment of early and long-term effects of radiation are considered.

[N-stearoylethanolamine effect on the level of 11-hydroxycorticosteroids, cytokines IL-1, IL-6 and TNFalpha in rats with nonspecific inflammation caused by thermal burn of skin].

The mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action of saturated N-acylethanolamine--N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) were investigated on the rat model of nonspecific inflammation (thermal burns of the skin). The results showed that the NSE application in a form of aqueous suspension (10 mg/ml) on the damaged skin area during 12 days significantly accelerated the healing process of burned wounds. NSE also prevented the increase of 11-hydroxycorticosteroids content in the blood of rats with burns. There was also found a significant decrease of cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNFalpha) levels under the NSE action. This way may be one of the mechanisms of NSE anti-inflammatory action.

[The effect of N-stearoylethanolamine on liver phospholipid composition of rats with insulin resistance caused by alimentary obesity].

We used alimentary obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR) model in rats to investigate the influence of N-stearoylethanolamine on the content of phospholipids and their fatty acid composition. Our results show that prolonged high-fat diet triggers considerable aberrations in the composition of main phospholipids in the liver and can be one of the causes of IR in rats. In particular, the increase of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and significant decrease of other phospholipids: lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and diphosphaglicerol were observed. The levels of monounsaturated (erucic, nervonic, oleic) and polyunsaturated (eicosatrienoic, docosatrienoic, arachidonic) fatty acids were increased; meanwhile the content of diunsaturated acids was decreased. The NSE administration (50 mg/kg of body weight) caused restoration of the phospholipids content in the liver of rats with diet-induced IR that highly correlated with the decrease in plasma insulin level and the improvement of insulin sensitivity. Moreover, the effect of NSE was accompanied by the normalization of fatty acids composition of phospholipids that could be related to modulating influence of NSE on the activity of the main fatty acid desaturases. It is known that the imbalance in phospholipid composition of the rat liver causes substantial metabolic alterations that are associated with the development of IR. Accordingly, the compensations of the imbalance by NSE can help to restore insulin sensitivity, inhibit the development of obesity, IR and type 2 diabetes.

[The effect of N-stearoylethanolamine on the activity of antioxidant enzymes, content of lipid peroxidation products and nitric oxide in the blood plasma and liver of rats with induced insulin-resistance].

The influence of N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) on the content of lipid peroxidation products, activity of antioxidant enzymes and the nitric oxide level in the liver and blood plasma of rats with insulin-resistance (IR) state was investigated. IR state was induced in rats by prolonged high-fat diet (58% of energy derived from fat) for 6 months combined with one injection of streptozotocin (15 mg/kg of body weight). The existence of IR state was estimated by results of glucoso-tolerance test and blood plasma insulin content. The level of lipid peroxides products was shown to be higher in the liver of insulin resistant animals as a result of reduced superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, however, glutathione peroxidase activity was increased. The increase of nitric-oxide content in the liver and blood plasma of high-fat diet rats compared with healthy control animals was also observed. The administration of the NSE suspension per os in a dose of 50 mg/kg during 2 weeks to the rats with induced insulin-resistance state contributed to the increase of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity. In consequence of antioxidant enzymes activation the intensity of POL process was decreased. The NSE administration caused normalization of nitric oxide level, restoring pro-/antioxidant balance in the liver and blood plasma of rats with IR state. In conclusion, the NSE administration to the rats with insulin-resistance state restored pro-/antioxidant balance and enhanced the content of nitric oxide, therefore, improving insulin sensitivity.

[Antitoxic and antioxidant effects of N-stearoylethanolamin in the content of nanocomposite complex with doxorubicin in organs of mice with Lewis carcinoma].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility to reduce the doxorubicin toxic effects by its immobilization with N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) on nanocarier polyethylene glycol. The studied parameters of the doxorubicin toxicity were: the level of creatinine in the mice blood plasma and activity of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in the blood plasma of mice. The activity of catalase superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and intensity of lipid peroxidation was determined in the tissues of the heart, kidneys and liver. Doxorubicin in the content of nanocarrier alone caused an increase of serum creatinine and aspartateaminotrasferase activity in plasma of experimental animals with carcinoma. Nanocomposite which contained doxorubicin and NSE, did not cause an increase of these parameters. It has been shown that the administration of a carrier containing doxorubicin to mice with Lewis lung carcinoma caused the decrease of catalase activity in mice with carcinoma. The combination of NSE and doxorubicin on the carrier led to the normalization of this parameter to the level of intact animals. NSE immobilized on a carrier together with doxorubicin caused a decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase in the kidney tissue of mice with tumor. The tumor growth caused the increase of the of superoxide dismutase in mice. The administration of a carrier which contained doxorubicin and NSE normalized superoxide dismutase in heart tissue contrary of kidney. The obtained results show the antitoxic and antioxidant effects of N-stearoylethanolamine immobilized in the nanocarrier complex together with doxorubicin.

[The influence of N-stearoylethanolamine on the activity of antioxidant enzymes and on the level of stable NO metabolites in the rat testes and blood plasma at the early stages of streptozotocine-induced diabetes].

The influence of N-stearoylethanolamine was investigated on the activity of enzymes of antioxidant protection and content of stable metabolites of nitric oxide (NO) in the testes and plasma of rats at the early stages of development of streptozotocine-induced diabetes mellitus. It was shown that the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase is reduced in the plasma and testes of animals with streptozotocin-induced (50 mg/kg) diabetes (blood glucose 8-10 mmol/L). A significant increase in the amount of nitrite and nitrate anions was revealed in the plasma of rats, while only the level of nitrite was significantly changed in the testes of animals. The per os administration of the NSE aqueous suspension in a dose of 50 mg/kg during 10 days to the rats with induced diabetes contributed to the normalization of catalase activity in the testis, which correlated with a decrease in the amount of TBA-reacting products and activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the blood plasma of animals; the use of NSE also contributed to the reduction of nitrite content in the gonads and to normalization of both nitrite and nitrate in the blood plasma of rats. The NSE administration to intact animals caused an increase in superoxide dismutase activity and significantly reduced the content of stable NO metabolites in the blood plasma of animals.

[Effect of N-stearoylethanolamine(NSE) on activity of angiotensine-converting enzyme in the brain structures and blood plasma of rats with streptozotocine-induced diabetes].

The influence of saturated N-acylethanolamine--N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) on the activity of angiotensine-converting enzyme (ACE) in the brain structures of rats with streptozotocine-induced diabetes was studied. It was shown that decreased activity of ACE was observed in the hypothalamus, increased--in the anterior pituitary. The NSE suspension administration to rats with experimental diabetes in a dose 50 mg/kg of body weight during 10 days caused a decrease in ACE activity in the anterior pituitary, whereas in the hypothalamus and hippocampus ACE activity did not change significantly. At the same time, introduction of NSE to intact animals led to the reduction of activity of ACE in the hippocampus, anterior pituitary and blood plasma. It is known that the highest amount of ACE in the brain structures is located in the membrane-bound state. Thus, the changes we have found in the activity of ACE in the control rats and in animals with induced diabetes may be related to the ability of NSE to the modulation of cell membranes lipid profile. Changes in the activity of ACE under the action of N-acylethanolamines may be one of the mechanisms for implementation of anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory action of these compounds.

[Protective effect of N-stearoylethanolamine in acute alcohol intoxication in rats].

The influence of N-stearoylethanolamine on the nitric oxide system, the state of lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activity, content of phospholipids and fatty acids were studied under the acute ethanol intoxication (2.5 g/kg) in rats. The results of investigations show that acute ethanol intoxication caused abnormalities of the oxidative homeostasis accompanied by the accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). High catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity was also shown. The altered content of total and individual fatty acids of phospholipids in the rat liver tissue was found. The content of saturated fatty acids (palmitic, stearic) increased and amount of unsaturated (palmitoleic, oleic, linolenic) acids decreased under acute ethanol intoxication. The changes of nitric oxide content was found in the brain, plasma and red blood cells. N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) in a dose of 50 mg/kg of body weight shows the pronounced antioxidative and hepatoprotective properties under these conditions. It was found that the preliminary NSE administration to rats inhibited accumulation of TBARS and caused a simultaneous increase of antioxidant enzyme activity. The NSE administration modulated also the content of total and individual fatty acids of phospholipids and the amount of nitric oxide in pathologically altered tissues. These results suggested that NSE protected the structural integrity and functional ability of cell membranes under the acute ethanol intoxication.

[Anti-inflammatory effect of N-stearoylethanolamine in experimental burn injury in rats].

The biochemical mechanisms of anti-inflammatory effect of endocannabinoid congener N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) was studied on the model of experimental burn in rats. The animals after the thermal burn of the skin received per os during 7 days the water suspension of NSE in a doze 10 mg/kg of body weight. In the other groups of rats the suspension was applied to the wound (the concentration of NSE was 10 mg/ml). It was shown for the first time that NSE accelerated the process of burn wound healing by the inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines (TNFalpha, IL-6) production. NSE caused the normalization of the iNOS and cNOS activity and of nitrite content in plasma, erythrocytes, liver and spleen of rats. NSE also modified the antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) activity and diminished the level of lipid peroxidation. The discovered anti-inflammatory NSE properties suggest the possibility of its usage for burn treatment.

[The effects of n-stearoylethanolamine on the NO-synthase pathway of NO generation in the aorta and heart of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats].

The aim of the presented experiments was to study the influence of suturated NAE--N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) on the NO synthesis by NO-synthases in aorta and heart tissues of rats with developmental (12-week) streptozotocin-induced (50 mg/kg of body weight) diabetes. Also we evaluated the state of endothelium-dependent relax reactions of aorta smooth muscles. It was shown that the development of diabetes is accompanied with disbalance of NO-synthesis wich consist in inducible NOS (iNOS) activation and inhibition of constitutive NOS (cNOS) and arginase activities. The aorta smooth muscle endothelium-dependent relax reactions were decreased in diabetic rats. The NSE administration to rats with development streptozotocin-induced diabetes resulted in inhibition of iNOS activity and elevation of cNOS and arginase activities in these tissues. Normalization of NO-synthesis under NSE action was accompanied with restoration of aorta smooth muscle endothelium-dependent relax reactions in diabetic rats.

[The N-stearoylethanolamine effect on the NO-synthase way of nitrogen oxide formation and phospholipid composition of erythrocyte membranes in rats with streptozotocine diabetes].

The influence of N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) on the NO-synthase way of NO generation and phospholipids composition of erythrocyte membranes of rats with streptozotocine-induced diabetes has been studied. It has been shown that the activation of iNOS activity, cNOS activity inhibition and increase of the stable NO metabolites content takes place in the red blood cells (RBC) of diabetic rats. The alterations were also found in the RBC membrane phospholipid content: a decrease of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, sphingomieline content and increase of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine lysoforms level. The NSE suspension administration (50 mg/kg of body weight) to diabetic rats (3 months after the diabetes induction) resulted in iNOS activity inhibition, recovering of cNOS activity and normalization of NO stable metabolites level in RBC. The decrease of phospholipids lysoform levels, normalization of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine content and increase of phosphatidylinositol level were found after NSE action.

[Effect of N-stearoylethanolamine on the level of stable NO metabolites in different pathological conditions which are accompanied by oxidative stress].

The effects of N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) at the level of stable NO metabolites--NO2- NO3- under different pathological conditions which were accompanied by oxidative stress and NO disbalance were studied. It was found that NSE promoted the increasing of NO metabolites level on the animal models with deficit of NO compared to control and evoked decreasing content of NO2- and NO3- under pathological conditions with NO overproduction. It is suppoused, that NSE effects could be determined, by its ability to modulate the the activity of NO-synthase izoformes.

[Human heart and endothelium functional activity depending on age and sex]. / Rabota sertsia ta funktsional'na aktyvnist' endoteliiu zalezhno vid viku i stati liudyny.

The complex study ofcardio-hemodynamics and functional activity of the endothelium in healthy persons of different age allowed us to establish that aging accompanied with a gradual worsening in the endothelium functioning with resulting increase in peripheral vascular resistance and blood pressure as well as decrease in the myocardial contractile activity. Such age shifts might be involved in pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, which prevalence is highly rises with increased age. Analysis of sex difference in the endothelium functioning showed a progressing lowering of the endothelium-dependent vasodilatory reaction to begin in the men as early as after 40 years of age. This leads to the decrease in the vasodilatory reserve with increase in peripheral vascular resistance and blood pressure. Worsening in the myocardial contractility in 40-year men can be also stipulated by changing in the endothelium synthetic activity that was evidenced by decrease in plasma levels of NO stable metabolites. In the women, such a lowering of the endothelium functional activity begins 10 years later and progresses more slowly compared to the men. The rate of worsening in the endothelium functioning in the men is twice of that in the women. Therefore, the elderly women have the endothelium to be 20 years "younger" than that in the elderly men, and perhaps namely this explains the better functioning of the cardiovascular system in the elderly women. So, a functional activity of the endothelium can be a main age and sex determinant, which stipulates well-known age and sex differences in prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and life expectancy. Prevention of the endothelium function disturbances might lead to the alignment of the differences between men and women in prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and life expectancy, decrease in general morbidity with improvement of life quality in elderly.

[Endothelial dysfunction in obese hypertensive patients]. / Dysfunktsiia endoteliiu u khvorykh na hipertonichnu khvorobu iz suputnim ozhyrinniam.

A total of 28 patients with stage II hypertensive disease (HD) were examined, their age ranging between 32 to 64 years. Of these, 17 subjects were diagnosed as having had alimentary obesity. The control group comprised 11 subjects with normal level of arterial pressure and body mass. Studied in the above patients were blood serum content of nitrogen oxide by determining levels of its stable metabolites NO2- and NO3- anions. HD patients presenting with normal body weight and those with obesity demonstrated significantly lower blood serum levels of anions NO2- and NO3- as compared to healthy subjects. In HD patients, obesity is accompanied by a more significant reduction in blood serum levels of NO2- and NO3-, which fact might be caused by inhibition of nitratereductase.

[NO-dependent effects during adaptation of rats to intermittent hypoxia]. / NO-zalezhni efekty adaptatsiï shchuriv do hipoksiï v interval'nomu rezhymi.

In experiments on Wistar rats processes nitric oxide production on concentration of anions (NO2-, NO3-), carbamide and polyamines contents were investigated in processes of rats adaptation to acute hypoxia (7% O2 in N2, 30 min) and intermittent hypoxia training (10% O2 in N2, 15 min, 5 cycles daily) during 14 days. NO production by oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent metabolites paths has been investigated. It is concluded that the disturbances in nitric oxide system induced by acute hypoxia by L-arginine injections may result in acute hypoxia.

[Effect of irbesartan, an antagonist of AT-1 receptors for angiotensin II, on L-arginine metabolism in arterial hypertension]. / Diia irbezartanu--antahonista AT1-retseptoriv anhiotenzynu II na obmin arhininu za umov arterial'noï hipertenziï.

Effects of an antagonist of AT-1 receptors for angiotensin-II (Ang-II) irbezantane on the NO-synthase and arginase ways of the metabolism of L-arginine were studied in plasma and erythrocytes of the patients with arterial hypertension. The intensity of the non-oxidative arginase way of L-arginine metabolism in plasma and erythrocytes has been shown to be inhanced at hypertension versus the normotensive patients, while the activity of the alternative oxidative NO-synthase way was reduced. Inhibiting AT-1 receptors for Ang-II with high-affinity antagonist irbezantane normalized the ratio between two alternative ways of L-arginine metabolism through inhibiting the arginase way and reciprocal activating the NO-synthase way both in human plasma and erythrocytes.