Detection, characterisation, and quantification of carnosine and other histidyl derivatives in cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Isocratic reverse phase analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been used to examine naturally occurring imidazoles of cardiac and skeletal muscles. Elution of muscle extracts with a phosphate buffer mobile phase from columns packed with hypersil ODS (5 micron) resulted in good separation of the skeletal muscle imidazole-containing dipeptides carnosine and anserine. Measured concentrations corresponded to published values. N-Acetyl forms that were not commercially available were prepared from their parent compounds and their identities verified by NMR-spectroscopy. Examination of frog cardiac muscle confirmed the presence of N-acetylhistidine and also indicated the presence of its 1-methyl derivative. Extracts of mammalian cardiac muscle were examined by HPLC which indicated the presence of low concentrations of carnosine but substantial amounts of N-acetyl forms of histidine, 1-methylhistidine, carnosine and anserine. Fractions corresponding to the numerous peaks were examined using staining systems specific for certain chemical features and compared to results obtained for commercial or synthetic standards. Results of these tests supported the chromatographic data. The total concentrations in cardiac muscle of these imidazole-containing substances (approx. 10 mM) is sufficient to alter significantly the sensitivity of their contractile apparatus to calcium ions.

The metabolism in vitro of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene by human bone marrow.

The leukaemogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene (DMBA) has been incubated with human bone marrow cells. It was found that these cells could metabolise DMBA to a number of products and that the process was dependent upon incubation time and upon cell number. Different bone marrow fractions from the same individual formed different DMBA dihydrodiols. Evidence was obtained that suggested that conjugation of DMBA metabolites with glucuronic acid occurred during incubation with bone marrow cells. The differential site-specific metabolism of DMBA by human bone marrow fractions may have implications for future epidemiological studies.

The relationship between the adrenoceptor and nonadrenoceptor-mediated effects of imidazoline- and imidazole-containing compounds.

This article brings together work on imidazoline or imidazole-containing compounds concerned with the pharmacology of alpha-adrenoceptors, principally on smooth muscle, to illustrate how imidazolines have contributed to the subclassification of alpha-adrenoceptors and how, against this background, attempts have been made to use this knowledge to uncover "nonadrenoceptor"-mediated biological effects of previously uncharacterized compounds, notably imidazole-containing dipeptides and "clonidine displacing substance" (CDS). Recent data are included on (1) the pharmacology of UK-14304, (2) nonadrenoceptor actions of phentolamine, (3) the pharmacology of tissue extracts containing imidazole-containing dipeptides and CDS activity, and (4) ligand binding data at I1 and I2 sites.

The distribution of DMBA and its dihydrodiols in tissues of control and Sudan-III-treated Long-Evans rats after the injection (i.v.) in vivo of a leukaemogenic dose of the hydrocarbon.

7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) is a potent leukaemogenic agent in Long-Evans rats when it is administered i.v. in vivo. The prior oral administration of Sudan III [1(p-phenylazo-phenylazo)-2-naphthol] protects animals from the leukaemogenic effects of this compound. Sudan-III-treatment resulted in an increased rate of removal of DMBA from the livers and blood of treated animals and resulted in a reduced level of accumulation of the hydrocarbon in its presumed target tissue, the bone marrow. The regio-selective hepatic metabolism of DMBA was altered in Sudan-III-treated animals, thus only trans-3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-DMBA was recovered from the livers of control animals whereas only trans-8,9-dihydro-8,9-dihydroxy-DMBA was recovered from the livers of Sudan-III-treated animals. The distribution of DMBA dihydrodiols in the blood and in the bone marrow was found to reflect the findings in the liver. DMBA, when incubated with rat bone marrow cells in vitro, was metabolized to probable phenolic compounds but no evidence whatsoever was found for dihydrodiol formation in these cells. Taken together these results are consistent with a model in which Sudan-III-induced alterations in the regio-selective hepatic metabolism of DMBA are responsible for the protection against leukaemogenesis afforded by the administration of that compound. The probable mechanism of protection is the induction in liver of a cytochrome P450, probably P450c.

Analysis of novel imidazoles from isolated perfused rabbit heart by two high-performance liquid chromatographic methods.

The paper reports two analytical high-performance liquid chromatographic methods to detect and quantify cardiac-derived histidyl derivatives. Method A relies on relative hydrophobicities as a basis of separation. Method B is an ion-pairing method in which the compounds are eluted in an entirely different order. Fractions collected from method A have been co-eluted in admixture in method B with authentic reference compounds. Thus the existence of the following imidazole ring-containing compounds derived from heart have been confirmed: N-acetylhistidine, N-acetyl-1-methylhistidine, N-acetylcarnosine, N-acetylhomocarnosine, homocarnosine, anserine, carnosine, balenine. Compounds were found in both tissue samples and perfusates.

Synergism of histidyl dipeptides as antioxidants.

Histidyl dipeptides such as carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) and homocarnosine (gamma-amino-butyryl-L-histidine) are reported at millimolar concentrations in several mammalian tissues (O'Dowd et al., 1988; House et al., 1989), but their precise physiological function, or functions, is uncertain. These compounds are known to be potent buffers at physiological pH (Davey, 1960). They are also able to restore functional capacity to fatigued muscle preparations, stimulate some glycolytic enzymes and maintain coupling between mitochondrial oxidation and phosphorylation (Severin, 1964). Histidyl dipeptides may also have antioxidant activity, though this finding is controversial. For example, Aruoma et al. have argued that these compounds, individually, are unable to scavenge superoxide (O2-.), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or hypochlorous acid (HOCl) at rates which could offer antioxidant protection in vivo. Since there is a range of these histidyl dipeptides within mammalian tissue we have investigated possible synergism between them in respect of antioxidant activity. Our results show that combining histidine-containing compounds at near physiological concentrations results in synergistic antioxidant activity.

The dipeptide carnosine constricts rabbit saphenous vein as a zinc complex apparently via a serotonergic receptor.

1. The endogenous dipeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine), at 0.1-10 mM, provokes sustained contractures in rabbit saphenous vein rings with greater efficacy than noradrenaline (NA). 2. The effects of carnosine are specific; anserine and homocarnosine are ineffective, as are carnosine's constituent amino acids histidine and beta-alanine. 3. Maximum carnosine-induced tension is enhanced by Zn ions (e.g. to 127.5 +/- 13.1% of control at 10 microM total Zn concentration, Zntot) and the sensitivity to carnosine potentiated (mean [carnosine] required for half-maximal tension, K1/2, reduced from 1.23 mM to 17.0 microM carnosine with 15 microM Zntot). 4. The dipeptide apparently acts as a zinc-carnosine complex. The effects of carnosine at concentrations of 1 microM to 10 mM in the presence of 1-100 microM Zntot, can be described as a unique function of the concentration of Zn-carnosine, with an apparent K1/2 for the complex of 7.4 x 10(-8) M. 5. Contractures are reduced at low [Ca2+], unaffected by adrenoceptor antagonists, but can be blocked by serotonergic receptor antagonists including ketanserin and methiothepin. 6. Competition between albumin and carnosine for Zn ions, as might occur in plasma, can be demonstrated experimentally. 7. The mode of action of carnosine is virtually unique: a vascular muscle receptor apparently transduces the action of a dipeptide in the form of a metal chelate.

Analysis of carnosine, homocarnosine, and other histidyl derivatives in rat brain.

Isocratic reverse-phase analytical HPLC has been used to examine naturally occurring imidazoles of rat brain. Elution of brain extracts with a phosphate buffer mobile phase from columns packed with Hypersil ODS (5 microns) resulted in good separation of the well-documented brain imidazole-containing dipeptides carnosine and homocarnosine. Measured concentrations corresponded to published values. Several further peaks observed had properties consistent with those of N-acetyl derivatives of compounds related to carnosine and homocarnosine. N-Acetyl forms not commercially available were prepared and their identities verified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A number of these had chromatographic properties identical to those of compounds in brain extracts. Fractions corresponding to some of the peaks were examined using staining systems specific for certain chemical features and compared with results obtained for commercial or synthetic standards. The results of these tests supported the chromatographic data. Thus, chromatographic and microchemical evidence is presented for the existence of N-acetyl forms of histidine, 1-methylhistidine, carnosine, anserine, and homocarnosine in rat brain.

Alterations in the metabolism of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and various xenobiotics by rat hepatic microsomes following Sudan III treatment in vivo.

Sudan III treatment of Long-Evans rats results in increased hepatic monooxygenase activity using ethoxycoumarin and aniline as substrates. Monooxygenase activity towards amino-pyrine and nitrosodimethylamine is not affected. Sudan III treatment results in increased microsomal cytochrome P448 and increased amounts of a protein band which comigrates with purified cytochrome P448 during SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The proportions of the different dihydrodiols formed during the incubation of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene with microsomes vary between untreated and treated animals. Thus, extracts of microsomes from untreated rats were found to contain materials with chromatographic properties identical to those of the 3,4-dihydrodiol and the 5,6-dihydrodiol when examined on two different h.p.l.c. systems. Extracts of microsomes from Sudan III treated animals were found to contain materials with chromatographic properties identical to those of the 5,6-dihydrodiol and the 8,9-dihydrodiol when similarly examined. These findings suggest that the protective effect of Sudan III against DMBA induced leukaemia is mediated by an alteration in monooxygenase activity.

Extracellular ATP can activate autonomic signal transduction pathways in cultured equine sweat gland epithelial cells.

Changes in intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) were monitored in a cell line that was derived from the equine sweat gland epithelium. ATP and closely related compounds could increase [Ca2+]i with a rank order of potency of UTP > or = ATP > ADP >> AMP = adenosine = alpha,beta-methylene-ATP. The responses to ATP and to UTP were initiated by the release of calcium from an internal store and subsequently sustained by calcium influx. The rise in [Ca2+]i thus seems to be mediated by P2U receptors that are coupled to phosphoinositidase C. Some desensitisation of this response developed during repeated stimulation with ATP and this was blocked by staurosporine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, and augmented by a phorbol ester which acts as an exogenous activator of this enzyme. A protein-kinase-C-dependent inhibitory pathway thus seems to become active during repeated stimulation with ATP. ATP and related compounds could also raise cellular cyclic AMP content. The order of potency was ATP > ADP = AMP = adenosine >> UTP, suggesting that this response is mediated via a separate subclass of P2 receptor. The present results demonstrate that ATP can activate autonomic signal-transduction pathways in cultured equine sweat gland cells and suggest that there may be a purinergic component to the control of secretory activity in the equine sweat gland.