Cobalamin deficiency results in severe metabolic disorder of serine and threonine in rats.

Dietary cobalamin (vitamin B12; Cbl) deficiency caused significant increases in plasma serine, threonine, glycine, alanine, tyrosine, lysine and histidine levels in rats. In particular, the serine and threonine levels were over five and eight times, respectively, higher in the Cbl-deficient rats than those in the sufficient controls. In addition, some amino acids, including serine and threonine, were excreted into urine at significantly higher levels in the deficient rats. When Cbl was supplemented into the deficient rats for 2 weeks, in coincidence with the disappearance of the urinary excretion of methylmalonic acid (an index of Cbl deficiency), the plasma serine and threonine levels were normalized. These results indicate that Cbl deficiency results in metabolic disorder of certain amino acids, including serine and threonine. The expression level of hepatic serine dehydratase (SDH), which catalyzes the conversion of serine and threonine to pyruvate and 2-oxobutyrate, respectively, was significantly lowered by Cbl deficiency, even though Cbl does not participate directly in the enzyme reaction. The SDH activity in the deficient rats was less than 20% of that in the sufficient controls, and was normalized 2 weeks after the Cbl supplementation. It is thus suggested that the decrease of the SDH expression relates closely with the abnormalities in the plasma and urinary levels of serine and threonine in the Cbl-deficient rats.

Characterization of a vitamin B12 compound from unicellular coccolithophorid alga (Pleurochrysis carterae).

A unicellular coccolithophorid alga, Pleurochrysis carterae, contained 125.4 +/- 1.2 microg of vitamin B12 per 100 g dry cell weight of the lyophilized algal cells. A vitamin B12 compound was purified from the lyophilized algal cells and partially characterized. The silica gel 60 TLC and reversed-phase HPLC patterns of the purified pink-colored compound were identical to those of authentic vitamin B12, but not those of vitamin B12 analogues inactive for humans. When 22-week-old B12-deficient rats which excreted substantial amounts of methylmalonic acid (75.5 +/- 12.3 mg/day) in urine were fed the P. carterae (10 g per kg diet)-supplemented diet for 12 d, urinary methylmalonic acid excretion (as an index of vitamin B12 deficiency) of the rats became undetectable and hepatic vitamin B12 level of the rats was significantly increased.

Suppression by water extracts of Sophora plants of sucrose-induced hyperglycemia in rats and inhibition of intestinal disaccharidases in vitro.

Partially purified hot-water extracts of the roots of plants of the Sophora family suppressed the increase in blood glucose concentration of rats in the oral sugar tolerance test. The extracts also inhibited rat intestinal sucrase and maltase. The most potent sample was about 15 times more active than catechin, a positive control, in these experiments.

Autoradiographic measurement of regional brainstem blood flow. Findings after 2 hours of occlusion of the unilateral anterior inferior cerebellar artery and 30 minutes' occlusion of the unilateral vertebral artery.

Using [14C]iodoantipyrine, regional brainstem blood flow was measured in the rat 2 h after occlusion of the left anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) and 30 min after occlusion of the left vertebral artery (VA). Two hours after occluding the left AICA, the mean +/- SEM value of blood flow in 6 animals in the right superior olive was 2.13 +/- 0.13 ml/g/min and in the left side, 1.13 +/- 0.11. Thirty minutes after occlusion of the left VA, there were no significant differences between the right and left sides. Blood flow changes were assessed in the hindbrain structures between the control group, 30 min after occlusion of the left VA and 2 h after occlusion of the left AICA. Changes observed in the blood flow in the hindbrain structures suggest that the extra volume of the blood flow might be concealed in the brainstem. However, whether the recovery of the blood flow rate indicates the recovery of the brainstem function remains unclear.

[A study on sensitivity testing of ovarian cancer cells to anticancer chemotherapy - with special reference to the use of LDH and its isozymes as indicators (author's transl)].

The malignant ovarian cancer cells removed on operation were cultured and exposed to the anticancer drug (either 5-fluorouracil or mitomycin C) for 30 minutes or 24 hours respectively. The activity of the LDH and LDH isozyme in the culture medium was measured. Also the activity of the LDH and its isozyme was determined in the patients undergoing chemotherapy with either 5-fluorouracil or mitomycin C. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The LDH isozyme pattern of the culture medium prior to exposure of malignant cells to the anticancer drugs was classified into 2 types i.e., M type which is characterized by a predominance of LDH4,5 (referred hereinafter to as group M) and H type with a predominance of LDH1,2 (referred to as group H). 2) Of 11 cases studied, 7 were classified as group M and 4 were categorized as group H. there was no distinct relationship between histological type and LDH isozyme pattern. 3) In the group with exposure to anticancer drugs the total LDH activity in both group H and group M was lower than in the control group. Control specimens in group H showed increased total LDH activity. 4) The H/M ratio based on subunits of LDH isozyme was virtually unchanged by exposure to anticancer drugs in group M, while rapidly lowered by the same treatment in group H. 5) The death rate of malignant cells as estimated by dye exclusion methods was higher with exposure to anticancer drugs than without it. 6) The serum LDH was more markedly lowered after treatment in group H than in group M. However, there was no substantial difference between the two groups in M/H ratio before and after treatment.