Correction of oxidative stress in patients with chronic cerebral ischemia.

A pilot study of the effect of the antioxidant drug ethylmethylhydroxypyridine malate on indicators of oxidative stress in patients with chronic cerebral ischemia. At 6 day course administration investigated the antioxidant in these patients significantly accelerates the process of generation of superoxide anion radical, established by lucigenin-depended chemiluminescence that probably regulate a feedback mechanism oxidase systems. This increases the activity of superoxide dismutase, and reduced the concentration of secondary peroxidation product - malondialdehyde, making reasonable use of antioxidants in the treatment of this pathology.

Ultra-low luminescence of humid air and its possible role in negative air ion therapy.

One of the unresolved questions related to the mechanism of action of light negative air ions (reactive oxygen species) produced by air ionizers upon humans and animals is transmission of these short-living chemical species upon long distances from the place of their origin. We discovered the phenomenon which may probably resolve this problem. When a thin layer of water hydrating a hygroscopic surface absorbs rare UV-photons capable to split water molecules a flash of photon emission in UV- and visible regions of spectrum is observed. This flash (or oxygen-dependent oxidative processes underlying it) initiate reactions accompanied with generation of electronic excitation in the air contacting water film. Excitation propagates through the air at macroscopic distances, and the level of propagating excitation increases with elevation of air humidity. When air humidity exceeds 50% air excitation gains oscillatory-wave character. This phenomenon may endow into the mechanism of action of air ions generated artificially, and also into some natural processes where ordered water films may form and the latter may serve targets for energy impulses initiating oxygen-dependent oxidative processes in these films.

Biological oxidation: over a century of hardship for the concept of active oxygen.

After much research in the field of biological oxidation, two main concepts of the mechanism of energy gain were consecutively proposed--the concept of direct oxygen activation (analogous to combustion), and the concept of activation of hydrogen followed by gradual energy release (analogous to putrefaction). The latter concept currently dominates. According to it, practically all the energy required in life is gained initially in the form of ATP; the latter being synthesized mostly due to the classical oxidative phosphorylation process. Direct activation of oxygen is considered to be a secondary pathway in its utilization, unrelated to bioenergetics. Besides, this pathway seems to be risky, since reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced on account of it. However, evidence has been accumulated that a considerable part of all oxygen consumption undergoes direct activation; and this share increases with energy demand. Recent data also argues that ROS are indispensable for regulating biological function at all levels of biological organization. In spite of intense activation of oxygen, the usual levels of ROS in cells and tissues are extremely low due to their immediate elimination by the powerful an "antioxidant defense" system. In the process of elimination of ROS, high density energy (energy of electronic activation), equivalent to the energy of photons of visible and UV-light, is necessarily released, which has a much higher grade than the energy released in putrefaction. Both previous and more recent data argue that the energy of electronic excitation is biologically significant. The role of an aqueous environment with unusual water structuring in managing this form of energy in biology will also be discussed. Thus, the processes of oxygen activation in aqueous systems seem to be no less fundamental than the processes of activation of hydrogen atoms in organic fuels. Current bioenergetics has to consider both oxygen and hydrogen activation rather than concentrate on only one mode of energy gain and utilization.

Biophoton research in blood reveals its holistic properties.

Monitoring of spontaneous and luminophore amplified photon emission (PE) from non-diluted human blood under resting conditions and artificially induced immune reaction revealed that blood is a continuous source of biophotons indicating that it persists in electronically excited state. This state is pumped through generation of electron excitation produced in reactive oxygen species (ROS) reactions. Excited state of blood and of neutrophil suspensions (primary sources of ROS in blood) is an oscillatory one suggesting of interaction between individual sources of electron excitation. Excited state of blood is extremely sensitive to the tiniest fluctuations of external photonic fields but resistant to temperature variations as reflected in hysteresis of PE in response to temperature variations. These data suggest that blood is a highly cooperative non-equilibrium and non-linear system, whose components unceasingly interact in time and space. At least in part this property is provided by the ability of blood to store energy of electron excitation that is produced in course of its own normal metabolism. From a practical point of view analysis of these qualities of blood may be a basement of new approach to diagnostic procedures.

[Bio-physico-chemical aspects of aging and longevity]. / Bio-fiziko-khimicheskie aspekty stareniia i dolgoletiia.

Currently two types of theories of aging are generally recognized: the genetic and the free radical theories. Each of them allow to explain plasibly some particular features of the aging process and pathologies associated with it. However, there are some phenomena related to aging and longevity that are not easily interpreted in frames of both theories; in particular, the increase of the life span of animals following caloric restriction, or beneficial effects of reactive oxygen species on multiple living functions, etc. On the other hand, the mostly unknown principles of theoretical biology suggested by E.S. Bauer in 1930s allow to explain from the monistic basis the essence of those and many other phenomena related to development, aging and longevity. The major postulates of the Bauer's theory and the corollaries of them are reviewed with the emphasis on the specifically biological phenomenon discovered by Bauer, the so called "Basic Process". The latter allows to find the means for the significant extension of the active life span. Taking Bauer's principles into consideration we contemplate the modern data on the peculiarities of free radical processes in living systems giving rise to electron excited species generation as the energy-informational foundation for the build up of an organism's resources for the counteraction of most pathological factors. The needfulness to employ these considerations for the resolution of the problems of gerontology is substantiated.

[Enhancement of luminol-dependent chemiluminescence in an aqueous NaCl/H2O2 solution by argon]. / Usilenie argonom liuminolzavisimoi khemiliuminestsentsii v vodnom rastvore NaCl/H2O2.

It was found that the bubbling of argon through NaCl/H2O2 aqueous solutions results in the development of intense sustained luminol-dependent chemiluminescence. Bubbling of nitrogen and air through similar solutions does not result in such effect. The relationship between argon-supported chemiluminescence and initial concentrations of NaCl and H2O2 is characterized by threshold effects. In NaCl/H2O2 solutions blown with argon, hypochlorite was found, indicating that argon intensifies the reaction of chloride oxidation with H2O2. It is suggested that the enhancement of this reaction in aqueous solutions saturated with argon is related to specific changes in the properties of water, which is a highly nonequilibrium system. Possible consequences of relatively high concentrations of argon in the atmosphere for the chemical processes that occur in aqueous systems and, in particular, living systems are discussed.

[Correlation of fine structures of distributions of amplitudes of a photomultiplier dark current fluctuations with the Earth rotations about its axis]. / Korreliatsiia tonkoi struktury raspredeleniia amplitud fluktuatsii temnovogo toka fotoumnozhitelei s vrashcheniem Zemli vokrug svoei osi.

The fine structures of distributions of photomultiplier dark current fluctuations measured in two laboratories 2000 km distant from other: in the international Institute of Biophysics (Neuss, Germany) and in the Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia) were compared. It is shown that similar forms of appropriate histograms are apparently more often realized at both locations at the same local time. This confirms the previous conclusion that the fine structure of distributions correlates with rotation of the Earth about its axis.

Effect of geomagnetic storms on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in ischemic patients.

The dynamics of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in patients with ischemic disease shows a significantly different pattern in the days of raised geomagnetic activity as compared to quiet days. This is revealed by a greater intensity of ESR variations during geomagnetic storms as compared to the days of when there was little or no sun activity (quiet sun). Such behavior of red blood cells reflects the patient's individual sensitivity to geomagnetic field fluctuations. This article discusses a possible mechanism of ESR variations.

Low-level chemiluminescent analysis of nondiluted human blood reveals its dynamic system properties.

Lucigenin- and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence [(LC-CL) and (LM-CL)] in nondiluted human blood was studied. LM-CL was low in fresh blood and disappeared after its storage for 3 h, though the respiratory burst (RB) stimulation in blood was followed by high intensity and long-lasting LM-CL. LC-CL was high in fresh blood and was steadily increasing with blood storage. Blood dilution with saline resulted in LC-CL attenuation and LM-CL elevation. LC-CL did not depend on air supply to blood, while LM-CL elevation during RB needed constant blood aeration. The results suggest that besides a well-known mechanism of reactive oxygen species production by neutrophils during RB, another process of electron excited state generation reflected by LC-CL operates in blood. It needs blood integrity for its manifestation and uses oxygen supplied by erythrocytes. Dynamic system properties of blood were revealed also in experiments with blood transfer from one sample to another in the course of RB. Highly nonlinear changes of CL intensity both in a "donor" and in a "recipient" sample resulted in strong differences in CL levels in two samples, one of which was prepared by blood subtraction, and another by blood addition. We suggest that CL data from measurements on nondiluted blood may be informative of integrative properties of blood tissue in addition to its being a measure of some sort of oxidative metabolism in it. © 1999 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

[Biophysical mechanisms of the erythrocyte sedimentation reaction]. / O biofizicheskikh mekhanizmakh reaktsii osedaniia éritrotstitov.

Is shown, that the process of red blood sedimentation under the conditions of standard measurement of a clinical parameter ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) is multistage and non-monotonous. Red blood sedimentation is preceded by the "latent" period lasting up to tens of minutes. When sedimentation begins, multiple accelerations and decelerations in the movement of the boundary between red blood and clean plasma are observed. The differences in dynamics of red blood sedimentation (DRBS) of healthy donors and patients with sharp myocardial infarction are revealed. The form of DRBS diagrams depends upon metabolic activity of blood. We suggest that DRBS represents the active reaction of blood, as of an integral surviving tissue, on stress factors acting on it under the conditions of ESR determination.

[The physicochemical and physiological aspects of the erythrocyte sedimentation reaction]. / Fizio-khimicheskie i fiziologicheskie aspekty reaktsii osedaniia éritrotsitov.

Despite frequent use and long history of the measurement of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in clinical practice the coherent theory of this process is still lacking. Analysis of the "aggregation theory" of red blood sedimentation in tubes is performed. This theory claims that erythrocytes in resting blood aggregate due to adhesion provided by macromolecules adsorbed on their surfaces, and that their aggregates sediment according to the Stokes' law. Data obtained in studies of detailed dynamics of red blood sedimentation and direct observations of erythrocytes association and rouleaux dissociation, do not support the "aggregation theory". A model of red blood sedimentation suggested in 1928 by S. D. Balakhovskii is considered. According to this model under the conditions of ESR measurement erythrocytes rapidly associate and from rouleaux network. The course and character of red blood sedimentation is determined by the network stability against packing down. To explain the mechanism of erythrocytes association in aqueous solutions of various water soluble polymers including blood plasma we suggest a model based on the phenomenon of phase separation in aqueous polymer solutions. We demonstrate that these two models taken together agree much better than the "aggregation" theory with the experimental results including data on the role of cell metabolism in the association phenomenon. This new model allows to explain many critical phenomena observed in the processes of erythrocytes association-dissociation both in the resting and flowing blood and attract attention to the cooperative nature of this process as well as the process of red blood sedimentation.

[The molecular mechanisms of the interaction of hormonal receptors coupled with G-proteins]. / Molekuliarnye mekhanizmy vzaimodeistviia gormonal'nykh retseptorov, sopriazhennykh s G-belkami.

In recent years, quite a few structures of the genes coding membrane-bound hormonal receptors, have been revealed, and the recombinant receptors were cloned in heterogeneous systems. The role of the specific sites of a receptor molecule in the latter's functions is reviewed on example of the beta-adrenergic receptor. These functions involve ligand recognition, signal transmission to the GTP-binding protein, and desensitisation of the receptor. Different procedures of the receptor purification are compared. The data on beta-adrenergic modification by serine protease inhibitors and the homology between beta-receptor and chymotrypsin obtained by the authors, are discussed.

[Isolation of a homogeneous functionally active beta-adrenergic receptor from bovine cerebellum using lauroyl sucrose. Effect of trypsin on receptor activity]. / Vydelenie gomogennogo funktional'no aktivnogo beta- adrenoretseptora iz mozzhechka byka s ispol'zovaniem lauroilsakharozy. Vliianie tripsina na aktivnost'' retseptora.

The synthesis of lauroyl sucrose capable of solubilizing 100% of beta-adrenergic receptors from bovine cerebellum membranes has been carried out. The preparative procedure for isolation of homogeneous beta-adrenergic receptors including affinity chromatography on the novel support, oxprenolol-Sepharose, is described. According to SDS-PAAG electrophoresis data, the Mr value for the beta-adrenergic receptor is 61 kD. The purified beta-adrenergic receptor can interact with the purified GTP-binding regulatory protein of adenylate cyclase (Gs) after their reconstitution into liposomes. Trypsin treatment of the purified receptor does not interfere with its functional properties, nor does it change the hydrodynamic parameters under non-denaturing conditions despite the fact that the polypeptide chain of the receptor is cleaved by trypsin.

Primary structure of bovine cerebellum GTP-binding protein G39 and its effect on the adenylate cyclase system.

The primary structure of bovine cerebellum GTP-binding protein alpha-subunit, protein G39, was determined by parallel analysis of the protein amino acid sequence and the corresponding cDNA nucleotide sequence. The protein consists of 354 amino acid residues and has a molecular mass of 40064 Da. High homology between G39 and other G-proteins, especially rat brain G0, was shown. An assumption is made that certain brain adenylate cyclase system properties are determined by the presence of G39.

[High molecular weight forms of GTP-binding regulatory proteins from the bovine cerebellum]. / Vysokomolekuliarnye formy GTP-sviazyvaiushchikh reguliatornykh belkov iz mozzhechka byka.

A new form of a low Km GTPase belonging to the family of regulatory GTP-binding G-proteins has been identified in bovine cerebellum. The molecular weight of this G-protein is several times as high as that of other G-proteins known to be alpha beta gamma heterotrimers: i. e., Gs, Gi, Go, transducin and a new G-protein which had recently been isolated in our laboratory from bovine cerebellum. The high molecular weight G-protein is stable against dissociation; its molecular mass does not change after treatment with DTT, colchicine and NaF. Using antibodies against the alpha-subunit of the formerly isolated cerebellar G-protein and the transducin beta-subunit, it was demonstrated that the both immunoreactive subunits are present in the high molecular weight G-protein. The two forms of the cerebellar G-proteins, i. e., "high" and "low molecular weight" ones, differ drastically in terms of the Mg2+ effect on their GTPase activity. Whereas at submicromolar concentrations of Mg2+ the GTPase activity of the former is virtually absent, the GTPase activity of the latter is more elevated in the presence of EDTA than in the presence of Mg2+.

[Separation of [3H]dihydroalprenolol, free or bound to solubilized beta-adrenergic receptors, on a cation-exchange resin]. / Razdelenie svobodnogo i sviazannogo s soliubilizirovannymi beta-adrenergicheskimi retseptorami [3H]digidroal'prenolola na kationobmennoi smole.

A new rapid, facile and reliable method based on microcolumn cation-exchange chromatography has been developed for separating free antagonist [3H]dihydroalprenolol from that bound to solubilized beta-adrenergic receptors.