Mutagenic safety and fatty liver improvement of nanonized black soybeans in senescence-accelerated prone-8 mice.

Nanotechnology, as a new enabling technology, has the potential to revolutionize food systems. However, much attention has been focused on nanoparticle foods due to their potential physiological properties. This study was aimed to evaluate the mutagenic safety and fatty liver improvement of black soybean in senescence-accelerated mice (SAMP8). The mutagenic activity of black soybeans was investigated using the Ames test (Salmonella Typhimurium TA98, 100, 102, and 1535). Furthermore, senescence-accelerated prone-8 mice (SAMP8) have been reported to display spontaneous fatty liver. Male SAMP8 mice were divided into control and supplemented with 10% micronized or nanonized black soybeans diet and fed for 12 wk. The results revealed that the Ames test of micronized and nanonized black soybeans exhibited no mutagenicity. Administration of black soybeans to mice showed no effects on food intake and body and organ weights. The nanonized black soybean group had a lower degree of spontaneous fatty liver, alanine aminotransferase, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance concentrations, and had enhanced superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities of livers when compared with the SAMP8 control and micronized black soybean groups. The mice fed with black soybeans had significantly lower triglyceride concentrations than the SAMP8 control group. The results of this study suggest that nanonized black soybeans have no side effects and, moreover, may minimize liver lesions in SAMP8 mice.

Cerebral perfusion in patients with syndrome X: a single photon emission computed tomography study.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that syndrome X is a systemic vascular disorder, the authors studied 40 patients with this diagnosis using technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain images. Twenty-three of 25 cases with definite myocardial perfusion defects diagnosed by thallium-201 myocardial perfusion SPECT also had multiple hypoperfusion areas in the brain versus 2 of 15 patients without thallium myocardial defects. The parietal lobes were the most common hypoperfusion areas, and cerebellum was the least common. Syndrome X is a systemic vascular disorder with a high incidence of hypoperfusion lesions of the brain and is usually coincident with myocardial defects.

Effects of butter and soybean oils on solid-phase gastric emptying in patients with functional dyspepsia.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether vegetable fats cause a slower or quicker rate of gastric emptying (GE) than animal fats, we evaluated the effect of animal butter and vegetable soybean oil on solid-phase GE in patients with functional dyspepsia. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with functional dyspepsia were enrolled in this study. Radionuclide-labeled solid meals were used to evaluate GE. A study meal was composed of 206.8 kcal to 9.2 g protein, 45 g carbohydrate, and 10 g fat (formula 1, with animal butter: 26.2% saturated palmitic acid, 29.1% unsaturated oleic acid, 3.5% linoleic acid, and 0.5% linolenic acid; formula 2, with vegetable soybean oil: 11.0% saturated palmitic acid, 23.4% unsaturated oleic acid, 53.7% linoleic acid, and 7.8% linolenic acid). Each patient received formulas 1 and 2 as study meals on separate days. GE was represented by the gastric retention ratio of the study meal at 90 min (RR90): RR90 = residual radioactivity within the region of interest (ROI) covering the entire stomach at 90 min divided by the initial radioactivity within the ROI at 0 min. RESULTS: The RR90 was 0.648 +/- 0.156 for formula 1 and 0.600 +/- 0.131 for formula 2. There was no significant difference for the RR99 between formulas 1 and 2 (paired Student's t test, p > 0.05). Of the 27 patients, 12 (44.4%) demonstrated an increased RR99 from formula 1 to formula 2, and the RR90 of remaining 15 (55.6%) patient decreased. In addition, neither the patients with increased RR90 nor those with decreased RR90 showed a difference of symptoms between the two study meals. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that there is no difference between these two types of fat on gastric emptying.

Does bowel preparation improve the quality of abdominal gallium scintigraphy?

Physiological accumulation of gallium in the intestine is a major weakness of gallium scintigraphy in evaluating the abdomen. In this study, we used two different cathartics to evaluate the efficacy of bowel cleansing in improving the quality of abdominal gallium imaging. One hundred and fifty patients underwent gallium scintigraphy and were randomly divided into three groups. Group A received no bowel preparation, Group B received 30 ml of castor oil the night before imaging, and Group C received bisacodyl the night before imaging. Gallium activity in the intestine was rated on a three-point scale from 0 to II based on the anterior view of a delayed 48-h gallium image. Our data showed that the incidence of gallium accumulation in the small intestine was low. On the contrary, there was high prevalence of gallium activity in the colon. Forty-eight percent of Group A patients had obvious gallium activity in the colon. The percentage decreased significantly to 28% and 22% in Groups B and C, respectively. No significant difference was noted between Group B and Group C. In conclusion, our data suggest that the application of either castor oil or bisacodyl significantly improves the quality of 48-h abdominal gallium scintigraphy. There were no significant differences in the efficacy of bowel cleansing on gallium activity between these two laxatives.

Effects of evodiamine on the secretion of testosterone in rat testicular interstitial cells.

Evodiamine, a bioactive component isolated from the Chinese medicine Wu-chu-yu, exhibits vasodilative and antianoxic action. Although evodiamine indeed has many biological effects, its effects on the endocrine system are not clear. The present study explored the effects of evodiamine on testosterone secretion in vitro. Rat collagenase-dispersed testicular interstitial cells (TICs) were incubated with evodiamine (0 to 10(-4) mol/L) in the presence or absence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), forskolin, 8-bromo-adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP), or steroidogenic precursors (including 25-hydroxycholesterol, pregnenolone, progesterone, 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, and androstenedione) at 34 degrees C for 1 hour. The testosterone concentration in the media samples was measured by radioimmunoassay. Evodiamine 10(-4) mol/L was effective to reduce both basal and hCG-stimulated testosterone secretion in rat TICs after 1, 2, or 4 hours of incubation. The stimulatory effect of forskolin on testosterone release in TICs was prevented by administration of evodiamine. Evodiamine 10(-4) mol/L also decreased 8-Br-cAMP- and androstenedione-stimulated testosterone secretion. These results suggest that evodiamine reduces testosterone secretion in rat TICs via a mechanism involving reduced activity of cAMP-related pathways and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17beta-HSD).

Effects of methanol extract of Chansu on hypothalamic-pituitary-testis function in rats.

Chansu, a galenical preparation of the dried white venom of Chinese Bufo bufo gargarizans, is one of the major components of Kyushin, a traditional Chinese medicine. Kyushin is reported to have a cardiotonic effect that has been suggested to be due to the action of bufadienolides such as bufalin and cinobufagin. Recently, we found that administration of bufalin in male rats diminished the luteinizing hormone (LH) response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and the secretion of testosterone both in vivo and in vitro. These observations suggest that Chansu may possess hypogonadal effects in male rats. In the present study, the effects of the methanol extract of Chansu on hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular function in male rats were examined. Crude Chansu was extracted by methanol and purified by a Sep-Pak C18 column. No activity of bufalin, cinobufagin, estradiol, or digoxin in purified methanol extract was detected; all Chansu used in this study was the purified methanol extract. A single intravenous injection of Chansu resulted in a decrease of the basal (20% to 55%) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-induced (35% to 40%) levels of plasma testosterone and the GnRH-induced level of plasma LH (25% to 30%). Administration of Chansu in vitro decreased basal and hCG-stimulated testosterone production by 60% to 70% and 40% to 60%, respectively, as well as spontaneous and forskolin- or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX)-induced accumulation of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) by 30% to 45% in rat testicular interstitial cells. Although LH release by rat anterior pituitary glands was diminished, GnRH release by the rat mediobasal hypothalamus was enhanced by administration of Chansu in vitro. These results suggest that the bufalin-free extracts of Chansu inhibit testosterone secretion in rats, in part, due to (1) a decreased production of testicular cAMP, (2) a decreased response of testosterone to gonadotropin, and (3) a reduction of the LH response to GnRH.

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist modulates the progression of a spontaneously occurring IgA nephropathy in mice.

Cytokines, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), may play a key role in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) in the treatment of a spontaneously occurring experimental IgAN in established phase. ddY mice (12/group) were injected twice daily with 3 mg/kg of IL-1ra, intraperitoneally, for 8 consecutive weeks. The placebo mice were injected with saline only. As normal controls, ddY mice, which were not treated with IL-1ra or saline, were killed at 6 weeks of age. Results showed a significant reduction of proteinuria in the IL-1ra-treated mice, compared with saline-treated mice (urinary albumin/creatinine, 0.24 +/- 0.04 v 0.39 +/- 0.03, P < 0.001). A significant improvement of renal 51Cr-EDTA (ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid) clearance was observed in the IL-1ra-treated mice (t1/2, 12 +/- 2.7 minutes, compared with saline-treated mice 25 +/- 2.0 minutes, P < 0.001). Similarly, serum levels of creatinine (1.0 +/- 0.4 v 2.4 +/- 0.3 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and urea nitrogen (46 +/- 6 v 58 +/- 2 mg/dL, P < 0.01) were significantly lower in IL-1ra-treated mice than in saline-treated mice. In renal tissue studies, the IL-1ra-treated mice exhibited significantly decreased mesangial cell proliferation, compared with saline-treated mice (P < 0.001), as shown by light and electron microscopy. In addition, the IL-1ra-treated mice showed significantly lower glomerular expression of collagen type IV, fibronectin, laminin, and IL-6 (P < 0.001) than saline-treated mice, although they still showed higher glomerular expression of collagen type IV (P < 0.01), fibronectin (P < 0.01), laminin (P < 0.001), IL-1 (P < 0.001), and IL-6 (P < 0.01) than did normal control mice. Meanwhile, glomerular C3 deposition was significantly lower in IL-1ra-treated mice than in saline-treated mice (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that IL-1ra partially prevented the progression of spontaneously occurring IgAN in this experimental model. Data from these experiments also confirm the pathogenic effects of IL-1 in the established phase of IgAN in ddY mice.

Interrelationship between thyroxine and estradiol on the secretion of thyrotropin-releasing hormone and dopamine into hypophysial portal blood in ovariectomized-thyroidectomized rats.

Effects of thyroxine (T4) on the secretion of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and catecholamines into hypophysial portal blood and on the concentrations of arterial plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and prolactin (PRL) in ovariectomized and thyroidectomized (Ovx-Tx) rats were studied. Immediately after ovariectomy, rats were Tx or sham Tx. The Ovx-Tx rats were injected subcutaneously with estradiol benzoate (EB, 0.5 microgram/kg b.w.) or sesame oil, and T4 (20 micrograms/kg b.w.) or saline once daily for 2 weeks. The Ovx rats with intact thyroid gland were injected with saline and oil only. The hypophysial portal blood samples were collected and mixed with or without 2,3-dimercaptopropanol before extraction by methanol or perchloric acid, respectively. The femoral arterial blood was also collected. The concentrations of TRH in methanol-extracted portal plasma and that of TSH and PRL in arterial plasma were measured by radioimmunoassay. The concentrations of catecholamines in perchloric acid-extracted portal plasma samples were measured by radioenzymatic assay. Thyroidectomy in Ovx rats resulted in an increase in portal plasma TRH and arterial plasma TSH. Despite the presence or absence of estradiol, T4 replacement in Ovx-Tx rats decreased portal plasma TRH and arterial plasma TSH to euthyroid levels. Combination of the injection of T4 and EB in vivo caused significantly decreased levels of portal plasma dopamine and increased arterial plasma PRL compared with those in vehicle-injected Ovx-Tx animals. Concentrations of neither norepinephrine nor epinephrine in hypophysial portal plasma paralleled the altered concentrations of PRL or TSH in arterial plasma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Modulation of cell proliferation by human recombinant interleukin-1 and immune interferon.

The growth-modulating effects of recombinant alpha- and beta-forms of human interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were examined with several human cell lines. Exposure to combinations of IL-1 and IFN-gamma resulted in three categories of cell response. The first was cell lines in which IL-1 stimulated growth and offset the growth inhibitory effects of IFN-gamma. These lines included the lung carcinoma CALU-1 and the colon carcinoma SW-48. The second was some of the cell lines that were refractory to IL-1 and that were inhibited by IFN-gamma alone. These included the cervical carcinoma HeLa, the transformed milk line HBL-100, and the myelogenous leukemia K562. The third group consisted of cells in which growth inhibition by IL-1 and IFN-gamma was additive. These included the mammary carcinomas MCF-7 and MDA-MB-415. The exception to this latter group was ME-180 in which significant additive inhibitory effects could not be demonstrated. IL-1 alone primarily induced a cytostatic effect in growth-inhibited cell lines. The cytolytic effect induced by IFN-gamma was increased in the presence of IL-1. The data support the conclusion that the effects on growth of IL-1 and IFN-gamma are mediated by different mechanisms.

Elution of enteric viruses from Mississippi estuarine sediments with lecithin-supplemented eluents.

Isoelectric casein supplemented with lecithin was tested for its ability to recover enteric viruses from estuarine sediments of varied sand, silt, and clay composition. Recoveries were higher when lecithin was incorporated into an eluent as compared with trials with only the casein solution. Semipurified soybean lecithin (3%) allowed the highest overall recovery of virus from all sediments tested; crude soybean lecithin produced the lowest recovery. A difference in the percentage of virus able to be recovered from a sediment was related to the percentage of clay in the sample. Correlational statistics indicated a trend toward lower virus recovery as the clay composition of a sediment increased. Virus adsorption to the four sediments tested revealed differences between poliovirus, coxsackievirus, and echovirus adsorption that could not be explained on the basis of the clay content of a sediment.