High Antimetastatic Activity of Platin Liposomal Form after Lyophilization and Storage.

Antimetastatic activity of Platin in lyophilized liposomes stored for 7 years after fabrication was evaluated. The main flaw of liposomes as vehicles for drug delivery to the tumors is their high affinity for the liver, which accumulates a great amount thereof. This property of liposomes can be used for adjuvant therapy of operable primary tumors metastasizing to the liver. It is shown on the model of mouse GA-1 tumor metastases in the liver that platinum(II) complex compound Platin in phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes, stored for 7 years after lyophilization, causes complete cure of 40% animals, while free Platin prolongs the lifespan of mice with tumors by only 31.7% vs. control (no treatment).

Cystatin C as a Marker of Progressing Cardiovascular Events during Coronary Heart Disease.

The role of cystatin C, an inhibitor of cysteine proteases, as an alternative and potent predictor of acute cardiovascular events in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients was examined and compared to that of other markers of cardiorenal abnormalities. The patients with CHD demonstrated elevated serum cystatin C, especially in cases with serious risk of cardiovascular complications. In comparison with other indicators of cardiorenal dysfunction, cystatin C can be viewed as an alternative predictor of cardiovascular complications, although its sensitivity is inferior to that of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and natriuretic peptide.

Different Efficiency of Liposomal Forms with Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Antitumor Agents in Relation to Solid Transplants of Mouse Tumor and Its Metastases in the Liver.

Experiments were performed on the model of transplanted mouse tumor with high incidence of liver metastases. Hydrophilic drug cycloplatam (injected intravenously in liposomes) was more potent than "free cycloplatam" (injected intravenously or intraperitoneally in physiological saline) in inhibiting the growth of natural and experimental metastases in the liver. By contrast, liposomal cycloplatam had lower efficiency than free cycloplatam in suppressing the growth of solid tumor. Liposomal and free cortifen (hydrophobic hormonal cytostatic) produced nearly the same effects on solid tumor growth. Our results suggest that liposomal forms of hydrophobic compounds producing nonselective effect on tumor cells (e.g., actinomycin D or Cosmegen), should not have advantages over free forms.

Stimulation of Diethylnitrosamine Metabolism Reduces Its General Toxic and Hepatocarcinogenic Effects.

The general toxic and hepatocarcinogenic effects of diethylnitrosamine after stimulation of its metabolism with 1,4-bis[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]-benzene (TCPOBOP) were studied. The hydroxylating activity of liver microsomes of C57Bl/6Mv mice towards p-nitrophenol increased more than 4-fold 3 days after injection of TCPOBOP. Injection of diethylnitrosamine 3 days after TCPOBOP caused a lesser body weight loss and decrease of food consumption in C57Bl/6Mv mice than in response to diethylnitrosamine without preinduction. Injection of diethylnitrosamine to suckling ICR mice after TCPOBOP induction of cytochrome P450 2e1 activity led to development of 2-fold lesser number of tumors and pretumorous nodes in the liver in comparison with animals injected with diethylnitrosamine without induction. These data indicated that metabolism stimulation reduced the general toxic and hepatocarcinogenic effects of diethylnitrosamine.

Ratio of Active Matrix Metalloproteinases and Proenzymes during Growth and Metastasizing of Mouse Lewis Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Ratio between proMMP and active MMP was studied in the dynamics of growth of the Lewis lung adenocarcinoma with lung metastasis. It was shown that tumor growth is associated with an increase in the content of proMMP (day 20; terminal stage), but the level of active MMP in tumor tissue did not signifi cantly change. The development of lung metastasis was accompanied by accumulation of active MMP (days 7, 15, and 20) and a decrease in the content of pro-MMP (days 7, and 20) in comparison with the control. In the spleen of these mice (metastasis-free organ), an increase in the levels of proMMP (day 20) and especially active MMP (days 7, 15, and 20) were found. The results suggest that tumor development shifts the proportion between active MMP and proenzymes in the tumor, lungs with metastasis, and spleen without metastasis.

Effect of Paclitaxel on Antitumor Activity of Cyclophosphamide: Study on Two Transplanted Tumors in Mice.

Antitumor effect of paclitaxel used as the monotherapy or in combination with cyclophosphamide was studied on CBA/LacSto mice with transplanted LS and RLS tumors characterized by high (LS) and low (RLS) sensitivity to cyclophosphamide. The therapeutic effects of cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel were summed in animals with drug-resistant RLS tumor, while combined use of these drugs in LS tumor highly sensitive to the apoptogenic effect of cyclophosphamide was no more effective than cyclophosphamide alone.

PT/Y Mice Are Sensitive to the Inhibitory Effect of o-Aminoazotoluene on Glucocorticoid Induction of Tyrosine Aminotransferase and Its Hepatocarcinogenic Effect.

PT/Y mice used for studies of the effects of mutagens are characterized by the absence of spontaneous tumors of the liver, but often develop these tumors in response to chronic oaminoazotoluene treatment. The level of glucocorticoid induction of adaptive hepatic enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase decreases by more than 70% 24 h after acute injection of o-aminoazotoluene to these animals. These mice can serve as a model for studies of the relationship between the effect of carcinogens on the regulation of activity of adaptive hepatic enzymes and their capacity to induce the development of liver tumors.

[Effect of Hepatic P450 2e1 Activity Modulation on the Toxicity and Carcinogenicity of Diethylnitrosamine in Mice].

In this paper, the biological effects of diethylnitrosamine have been studied under controlled conditions of its metabolism in mice of different ages. The data presented indicate that diethylnitrosamine in a non-metabolized form exerts general toxic and hepatocarcinogenic effects while alkylating agents of this compound produce toxic liver injury. To our knowledge, the data presented impel to revise the general notion of an exceptional role of mutagenic activation in the carcinogenic effect of chemicals.

Suppression of sulfoconjugation reduces the protective effect of ortho-aminoazotoluene on hepatocarcinogenesis induced by diethylnitrosamine in mice.

The effects of ortho-aminoazotoluene on carcinogenic activity of diethylnitrosamine were studied in CBA and ICR mice. Injection of ortho-aminoazotoluene before and after diethylnitrosamine led to a significant reduction of its anticarcinogenic effect, judging from significantly lower level of liver tumors. Pentachlorophenol, inhibitor of sulfotransferase (catalyzing the terminal stage of ortho-aminoazotoluene metabolic activity), stimulated its carcinogenic effect on mouse liver. On the other hand, pentachlorophenol reduced the protective effect of ortho-aminoazotoluene on diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. Presumably, the carcinogenic and anticarcinogenic effects of ortho-aminoazotoluene were realized by its initial form or intermediate (non-sulfated) metabolites.

Dual effects of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase inhibitors on the therapeutic effects of cyclophosphamide and cycloplatam on Ehrlich ascites tumor in mice.

Ethyl pyruvate, an inhibitor of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, slightly suppressed the growth of transplantable Ehrlich tumor in mice and significantly potentiated the therapeutic effect of cyclophosphamide. Another inhibitor amidoxime produced a similar effect. However, both ethyl pyruvate and amidoxime significantly reduced the effect of cycloplatam therapy. The observed changes can be stipulated by different effects of cyclophosphamide and cycloplatam on the subpopulations of lymphoid cells taking part in the formation of antitumor immunity and resistance to tumors.

[Mutagenic activation and carcinogenicity of aminoazo dyes of ortho-aminoazotoluene and 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene in experiments on suckling mice].

It is found that after administration of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB,) which was hepatocarcinogenic to rats, in suckling mice, the number of neoplastic lesions in the liver of mice was 3 times higher than after analogous administration of equimolar dose of ortho-aminoazotoluene (OAT)). However, in the Ames test (TA-98 strain of Salmonella typhimurium) with activation by hepatic enzymes (S-9 fraction) of both intact and Aroclor-1254-induced mice and rats OAT contributed by an order of magnitude to revertant colonies compared to 3'-Me-DAB. In vivo inhibition of sulfotransferase activity, the enzyme which catalyzes the final stage of the mutagenic activation of aminoazo dyes, had no effect on carcinogenicity of 3'-Me-DAB but more than 4 times elevated that of OAT. It was concluded that the mechanism of carcinogenic action of aminoazo dyes studied is not genotoxic and that the carcinogenic potential of OAT is lost in the process of mutagenic activation.

Mutagenic activation reduces carcinogenic activity of ortho-aminoazotoluene for mouse liver.

Pentachlorophenol (aromatic amine and azo stain metabolic stimulation inhibitor) reduced the hepatocarcinogenic activity of 4-aminoazobenzene and reduced that of ortho-aminoazotoluene in suckling mice. Both 4-aminoazobenzene and ortho-aminoazotoluene exhibited mutagenic activity in Ames' test in vitro on S. typhimurium TA 98 strain with activation with liver enzymes; this mutagenic activity was similarly suppressed by adding pentachlorophenol into activation medium. Induction of xenobiotic metabolism enzymes, stimulating the mutagenic activity of ortho-aminoazotoluene, suppressed its carcinogenic effect on mouse liver. Hence, ortho-aminotoluene (the initial compound), but not its mutagenic metabolites, was the direct active hepatocarcinogen for mice.

Immunomodulating effect of ethyl pyruvate on nonsyngenic transplanted tumor in mice.

Indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase, a tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme, creates local conditions suppressing immune lymphocytes. Expression of this enzyme in tumors protects them from immune mechanisms, while its inhibition partially reduces tumor immunoresistance. This effect is attained by multiple subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injections of ethyl pyruvate, an indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase inhibitor. Experiments on mouse nonsyngenic tumor have demonstrated the immunomodulating effect of chronic oral ethyl pyruvate administered with drinking water.

[The role of energy substrates in regulation of the force-frequency relationship in the rat myocardium: effect of ambiocor].

The effect of ambiocor (15 mg/100 ml), which contains natural substrates of energy metabolism, on the contractility of papillary muscles (PM) of the right ventricle of the rat heart was studied at stimulation frequencies from 0.1 to 3.0 Hz at a temperature of 30 +/- 1 degrees C (n = 7). The effect was recorded 20 min after the addition of the preparation. It was demonstrated that ambiocor causes a significant (about 70%), independent of stimulation frequency, suppression of the amplitude of isometric contractions (negative inotropic effect), which is coupled with an increase in the relative value of the rest potentiation effect (a qualitative index of calcium content in sarcoplasmic reticulum). The influence of the mixture leads to significant alterations in the time parameters of the "contraction-relaxation" cycle: an increase in the duration of latent period; and a decrease in the time to peak tension and half-relaxation time (TR50%). The effect of the mixture is partially reversible. During the washing of the preparation with the control solution, the qualitative indicators of the contractile activity of papillary muscles are substantially improved in comparison with the initial ones. The character of alterations allows one to assume that the effect of ambiocor in the papillary muscles of the rat heart is realized partly through the suppression of the activity of sarcolemmal calcium channels.

A succinate-based composition reverses menopausal symptoms without sex hormone replacement therapy.

Menopausal transition is often accompanied by a variety of adverse pathological symptoms, currently treated with hormone replacement therapy, which is associated with a number of health risks. This report investigated the role of a food supplement--a composition of energy-exchange metabolites, with succinate as the main component--for treating menopausal syndrome. We studied the impact of a 4-week succinate-based food composition (SBC) treatment on the estral cycle, and bone mass and calcium content of aging mice. The impact of SBC on hormone levels and on the progression of several neurovegetative and psycho-emotional symptoms was further investigated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of early menopausal women. Data were collected from questionnaires, Kupperman index scores, Spielberger-Hanin tests, and blood analysis of hormone levels taken at baseline and throughout the 5-week study. A "rejuvenating" effect of SBC on menopausal animals was observed, expressed as restoration of the estral cycle and an increase in the weight and calcium content of bone tissue. Furthermore, in the randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study in menopausal women, SBC-based monotherapy significantly lowered most subjectively evaluated characteristics of menopausal syndrome and increased blood serum levels of estradiol fourfold. This monotherapy also alleviated symptoms of some neurovegetative and psycho-emotional disorders, such as hot flushes, headache, and anxiety. Succinate-based therapy alleviated many biochemical symptoms of menopause in aging mice and early menopausal women, as well as neurovegetative and psycho-emotional disorders in women. Succinate-based therapy appeared to be free of adverse side effects.

Radiation technology in the preparation of polyethylene oxide hydrophilic gels and immobilization of proteases for use in medical practice.

This paper deals with the development of a technology for making a hydrophilic gel of polyethylene oxide reception in which radiating ability is employed to cause cross-linking of polymers in a water solution. The gel of polyethylene oxide was shown to be non-toxic, contain 5-50% of polymer and be useful in composite medicinal forms along with biologically active substances including Bac. subtilis proteases. Proteases immobilized in the gel possess high thermal stability and proteolytic activity and are readily applied in medicine. The effect of immobilized proteolytic and glucolytic enzymes of Bac. subtillis (Immozimase) on the warm ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) which can cause hepatic and jejunum injury was also studied. These enzymes were immobilized on water-soluble polymer polyethylene glycol by means of an electron beam. The number of degranulated mast cells as well as serum ALT after I/R in the group with Immozimase was decreased to almost half as compared with the control group. Pretreatment with Immozimase resulted in significant reduction of hepatic and gut neutrophil accumulation as compared with control animals. It was concluded that Immozimase has a protective effect for hepatic and gut ischemia/reperfusion, and this effect seems to be associated with prevention of leukocyte accumulation.

[Cytogenetic study of spontaneous lympholeukemia in AKR mice in the process of its transplantation to an isogeneic line of animals]. / Tsitogeneticheskoe izuchenie spontannogo limfoleikoza myshei AKR v protsesse ego perevivki zhivotnym izogennoi linii.

Spontaneous leucosis was cytogenetically studied in subsequent generations (from 1 to 150) of AKR mice. By means of the differential staining technique of chromosomes, large variations in chromosome numbers were found in the karyotypes of leucotic cells of different generations, and the formation of cell clones containing different marker chromosomes as well as the dominance of a hyperdiploid clone with 41-42 chromosomes was revealed. Chromosome analysis of such hyperdiploid cells of the 150th generation has indicated that the supernumerary chromosomes (in 88.0% of cases examined) belong to the smallest chromosomes of the mouse karyogramm (to the 18-19th chromosome pairs or to chromosomes smaller than those of 19th pair). Similar trisomy was also observed in hypodiploid and pseudodiploid leucosis cells. It is suggested that the cell clone with trisomy for the smallest chromosomes is specific to the spontaneous lympholeucosis in AKR mice as well as to the leucosis transplanted to isogenic mice for a number of subsequent generations. Increased rate of hyperdiploid cells was associated with a generalization of leucosis. It was concluded that the development rate and the severity of transplanted lympholeucosis in AKR mice was determined by the domination of the cell clone with trisomy for the 18-19th chromosome pairs in the population of leucotic cells.

[Peroxide modification of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum in antioxidant deficiency and under the action of ionol. I. Calcium transport into sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes]. / Perekisnaia modifikatsiia sarkoplazmaticheskogo retikuluma skeletnykh myshts pri antioksidantnoi nedostatochnosti i deistvii iionola. I. Transport Ca(2+) v membranakh sarkoplasmaticheskogo retikuluma.

It is shown that in case of antioxidant insufficiency (AOI) activation of NADPH- and ascorbate-dependent lipid peroxidation (LPO) in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal muscles proceeds 1.7 and 4.1 times faster, respectively. Activation of lipid peroxidation in AOI leads to damage of Ca2+ transport processes in SR of skeletal muscles. Under these conditions ATP-dependent accumulation of 45Ca (by 88%) and Ca(2+)-ATPase (by 14%) activity in SR of skeletal muscles falls. In case of AOI a significant disturbance of passive Ca2+ transport in SR of skeletal muscles takes place, being characterized by an increased passive 45Ca output from vesicles due to breakage of the biomembrane permeability as a result of lipid peroxidation of membranes. Treatment of animals with ionol, a synthetic antioxidant, causes a decrease of activated NADPH- and ascorbate-dependent LPO in SR of skeletal muscles and stabilization of Ca2+ transport processes.

[Peroxide modification of membranes and isomorphic composition of cytochrome P-450 of rat liver microsomes during antioxidant deficiency]. / Perekisnaia modifikatsiia membran i izomorfnyi sostav tsitokhroma P-450 mikrosom pecheni krys v usloviiakh antioksidantnoi nedostatochnosti.

Lipid peroxidation (LPO), physico-chemical properties of the membranes and isoformic composition of microsomal cytochrome P-450 from the rat liver were studied under conditions of antioxidant insufficiency (AOI) which was modelled by exclusion of alpha-tocopherol from the animals' ration. An insignificant accumulation of microsomal diene conjugates and schiff bases against a sharp increase of the ability to the prooxidant stimulated LPO in vitro took place. A significant decrease of membrane lipid microviscosity and a change in surface properties of microsomal membranes of rats with AOI was determined. Absence of alpha-tocopherol in the ration was accompanied by a significant change in the content of separate isoforms of cytochrome P-450 exhibited in growth of a polypeptide with m. w. 54 kDa and the lowering of proteins with m. w. 48 and 50 kDa. Less intensive quenching of tryptophan fluorescence by acrylamide was also revealed, which testified to a lower accessibility of the quencher to membrane proteins or their fluorophore sites. Modification of lipid composition and of physicochemical properties of the rat liver membrane microsomes which was observed at AOI was significantly correlated by pretreatment with the antioxidant 4-methyl-2,6-ditretbutylphenol (ionol).

[The physiotherapeutic correction of secondary immunodeficiency in the preoperative period in patients with rheumatic heart defects]. / Fizioterapevticheskaia korrektsiia vtorichnogo immunodefitsita v predoperatsionnom periode u bol'nykh s revmatichesmimi porokami serdtsa.

Directed correction of immunity by physiotherapeutic methods was used at the period of preoperative preparing 45 patients who needed the operation for rheumatic valvular disease of the heart. The number of purulent complications during the postoperative period in the group of patients subjected to direct correction of the immune status was found to be less than in the control group.