ABSTRACT
The present work analyzed the tetrameric stability of the hemoglobins from the rattlesnake C. durissus terrificus using analytical gel filtration chromatography, SAXS and osmotic stress. We show that the dissociation mechanism proposed for L. miliaris hemoglobin does not apply for these hemoglobins, which constitute stable tetramers even at low concentrations.
Subject(s)
Crotalus , Hemoglobins/chemistry , Hemoglobins/metabolism , Adenosine Triphosphate/metabolism , Animals , Hemoglobins/genetics , Mathematics , Oxygen/metabolism , Protein Binding , Protein Structure, QuaternaryABSTRACT
Dehydrocrotonin (DHC) is a diterpene lactone obtained from Croton cajucara (Sacaca). Dimethylamide-crotonin (DCR), a DHC derivative, has a similar inhibitory effect on leukemic HL60 cells than its parent compound evaluated by different endpoints of cytotoxicity. No cytotoxicity or morphological alterations associated with apoptosis were detected in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after treatment with up to 400 micro M DCR in presence of phytohemaglutinin (5 micro g/ml). Based on morphological changes and the pattern of DNA fragmentation, DHC and DCR were found to induce apoptosis and terminal differentiation (assessed by nitro blue tetrazolium reduction) in HL60 cells, but these compounds did not show any toxic effect in PBMC. Thus, DCR and DHC inhibit HL60 cell growth in vitro partly by inducing apoptosis and cell differentiation, but does not cause serious damage to immune cells according to our experimental conditions.
