Effects of human growth hormone (hrGH) treatment on amine metabolism in rats subjected to extensive small bowel resection.

The effect of human recombinant growth hormone (hrGH) on intestinal adaptation in rats subjected to massive small bowel resection has been followed by monitoring changes in the tissue polyamine system and in red blood cell (RBC) polyamine levels. In parallel, the activities of monoamine oxidase A and B and diamine oxidase, the enzymes that catalyse one of the major routes of biogenic amine metabolism, oxidative deamination, were also examined. The results suggest that whilst hrGH treatment accelerates adaptive intestinal hyperplasia evoked by the resection, it has no significant effect on RBC polyamine level or gut mucosal DNA concentration as measured 3 weeks post surgery. hrGH treated operated rats exhibited significantly lower amine oxidase activities which implies that GH may alter biogenic amine systems.

Neuronal storage of histamine in the brain and tele-methylimidazoleacetic acid excretion in portocaval shunted rats.

Rats with portocaval anastomosis (PCA), an animal model of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), have very high brain histamine concentrations. Our previous studies based on a biochemical approach indicated histamine accumulation in the neuronal compartment. In this study, immunohistochemical evidence is presented which further supports the amine localization in histaminergic neurons. These neurons become pathological in appearance with cisternae frequently seen along histaminergic fibres in many brain areas, including the hypothalamus, amygdala, substantia nigra and cerebral cortex. Such formations were not observed in sham-operated animals. The neuronal deposition is predominant, and unique for histamine. It serves as a mechanism to counterbalance excessive brain neurotransmitter formation evoked by PCA. However, there are other mechanisms. The data provided here show that there is also a significant increase in histamine catabolism in the shunted rats, as reflected by both the higher brain N-tele-methylhistamine (t-MeHA) concentration and urinary excretion of N-tele-methylimidazoleacetic acid (t-MelmAA), a major brain histamine end product. The stomach, in addition to the brain, is a site of enhanced histamine synthesis in portocavally shunted subjects. After gastrectomy or food deprivation to eliminate the contribution of the stomach, shunted rats excrete significantly more t-MelmAA, implying the role of the CNS. This last finding suggests that under strictly defined conditions, namely in parenterally fed HE patients with abnormal plasma L-histidine, the measurement of urinary t-MelmAA might provide valuable information concerning putative brain histaminergic activity.

Cerebral and gastric histamine system is altered after portocaval shunt.

Biochemical parameters of the histamine (HA) system were examined in both rat brain and stomach, after portocaval anastomosis (PCA). These tissues become rich in histamine after PCA. Immunocytochemistry was used for brain histamine localisation. In addition to increased HA concentrations, monoamine oxidase B activity increased in both tissues. In hypothalamus HA was 15 fold; in cerebral cortex and in stomach mucosa 2.8 and 2.5 fold of the corresponding controls, respectively. MAO B activity was increased by approximately 50% in brain and 100% in stomach. A significant, uneven increase in tele-methylhistamine concentration was only found in the brain. In stomach mucosa higher histidine decarboxylase activity was found. PCA and sham rats treated with an irreversible inhibitor of MAO B, FA-73, 0.5 mg/kg i.p., showed 24 h later greatly reduced MAO activity and doubled t-MeHA concentration in brain structures. The treatment had no effect on gastric mucosal t-MeHA concentration and urinary excretion of the t-MeHA metabolite, N-tele-methylimidazoleacetic acid. The HA rise in the stomach of PCA rats is associated with proliferation of histamine producing and storing cells (ECL cells) as demonstrated by others. However, in the brain we saw no indication for increased number of relevant cells either mast cells or neurons and our immunocytochemical findings suggest that in PCA rat brain, histamine deposits are located exclusively in neurons. The data indicate that the adaptative mechanisms to excessive histamine formation are tissue specific.

Polyamine system in developing rat eye and an animal model of retinopathy of prematurity.

BACKGROUND: In experimental models of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a vasoproliferative disorder of the retina, retinal lesions are usually assessed by morphological examination. However, studies suggest that the polyamine system may be useful in monitoring proliferation processes. For this reason, polyamine concentrations in rat erythrocytes (RBC) and the regulation of polyamine system in rat eyes under the conditions relevant to ROP were investigated. METHODS: Newborn Wistar rats were reared in room air (control) or exposed first to hyperoxia (60% or 80% oxygen, 2 weeks) and then to normoxia (relative hypoxia, 1 or 2 weeks). Blood was collected from orbital vessels at 2 weeks of age and before death. Polyamine system-related enzyme activities were measured in retina and lens with radioassays. Polyamines were quantified by fluorometry after extraction, dansylation and HPLC separation. RESULTS: Oxygen (80% only) significantly decreased RBC polyamine concentrations, which then markedly increased after rats were transferred for a week to normal air, suggesting retardation of growth processes and compensatory stimulation, respectively. However, polyamine system changes in the rat eye were not so pronounced. Enzyme activities and polyamine concentrations tended to be lower in retina after hyperoxia and were only slightly higher, with the exception of ornithine decarboxylase, after a subsequent 1 week of normoxia. In litters subjected to normoxia for longer periods no changes were found. CONCLUSION: The transient and short-lived alteration in polyamine metabolism, especially in the eye, suggests that exposure of newborn rats to high oxygen supplementation followed by normoxia does not necessarily result in marked retinopathy.

Long-term portocaval shunt and changes in rat brain amine systems.

Brain amine system parameters were investigated in Wistar rats sacrificed 7 months following portocaval shunt or sham operation. After removal of the cerebellum and pons, the hypothalamus and remaining parts of the brain were examined. Histamine was assayed radioenzymatically; indoles and catechols by HPLC with electrochemical detection; spermidine and spermine by HPLC with fluorometry. MAO-A and MAO-B activities were estimated with radioassays employing serotonin and beta-phenylethylamine, respectively and specific inhibitors, clorgyline and deprenyl. Long-term portocaval shunt did not significantly alter cerebral catecholamines, serotonin, spermidine or spermine concentrations. However, brain histamine and 5-hydroxyindoleactic acid were significantly raised. Of the MAO enzymes only MAO-B activity was elevated (ca. 25%, p < 0.05) in the hypothalamus but not in the rest of the brain. The kinetic measurements suggest an adaptive change in MAO-B protein synthesis. The data suggest changes evoked by portocaval shunt in brain amine systems are permanent and there are species differences in MAO enzymes' response to higher substrate supply.

Liver regeneration attenuates increased voluntary alcohol intake evoked by the liver damage.

Liver dysfunction induced in Wistar rats either surgically (by construction of portocaval anastomosis) or chemically (by chronic administration of thioacetamide) led to increased voluntary alcohol intake. Alcohol preference could be attenuated by liver regeneration that was triggered by a two-thirds hepatectomy done on cirrhotic rats. The brain serotonin system was activated in portocaval anastomosis rats and unchanged in thioacetamide-treated rats, thus suggesting that serotonin is not likely to be implicated in the mechanism(s) underlying development of alcohol preference in these rats. Also, tetrahydro-beta-carboline could possibly be excluded from consideration. Neither change in the brain concentration or distribution of tetrahydrobetacarboline after long-term treatment with thioacetamide could be found.

Purification and properties of a human nicotinamide ribonucleoside kinase.

Nicotinamide ribonucleoside kinase (NRK) phosphorylates at least two nucleoside analogs of potential clinical interest, tiazofurin and 3-deazaguanosine. In this study NRK has been purified to near homogeneity from human placenta. The purification procedure consists of several chromatographic steps including salt precipitation, DE-52 chromatography, sucrose density gradient fractionation, hydroxylapatite chromatography, and anion exchange FPLC. The final enzyme preparation is homogeneous as judged by a single silver-stainable band on both nondenaturing and denaturing polyacrylamide gels. The molecular weight of the enzyme, as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration on Superdex 75 HR 10/30, is approximately 29 and 32 kDa, respectively. The isoelectric pH for NRK is 5.6. The reaction requires ATP. The pH optimum is in the region 6.5-9.0. NRK in the purified preparations, with added bovine serum albumin, was stable for days at 4 degrees C and for months at -70 degrees C. The enzyme is very unstable at low protein concentration. NRK phosphorylated several substrates including nicotinamide ribonucleoside, guanosine, tiazofurin, and 3-deazaguanosine with apparent Km values of 9.6, 115, 90, and 16.5 microM, respectively.

Is growth hormone a feasible adjuvant in the treatment of children after small bowel resection?

The aim of our study was to assess the metabolic consequences of short-term administration of growth hormone in children after gut resection and influence on polyamine production in red blood cells (RBC). Twelve children aged 4-60 months were studied. All children remained on parenteral nutrition and 11 also received oral feeding. Total non-protein energy intake was 429 +/- 86 kJ/kg body weight (BW)/day. Recombinant growth hormone (GH) was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 0.3 IU/kg BW/day for 10 days. Resting energy expenditure (REE; kJ/kg BW/day) was: 316.07 +/- 54.08 before and 346.04 +/- 54.40 during GH administration (P < 0.02), but daily weight gain before GH administration was significantly lower than during treatment. A significant increase of polyamine concentrations was observed in the RBC (spermidine: 30.1 +/- 15.1 and 43.8 +/- 24.9 nmol/ml packed RBC, P < 0.003; spermine: 15.6 +/- 5.1 and 19.6 +/- 10.6 nmol/ml packed RBC, P < 0.02) and in jejunal mucosa (spermidine: 172.10 +/- 142.35 nmol/g tissue and 193.92 +/- 108.15 nmol/g tissue). The authors concluded that increased polyamine concentrations in the RBC and jejunal mucosa reflect a cellular response to GH administration. The anabolic effect of GH results in higher weight gain, although increased REE may indicate increased energy requirements during GH treatment.

Effect of pargyline on brain N-tele-methylhistamine in portocaval-shunted rats: relation to amine neurotransmitters.

HPLC determination of histamine, serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline in the brain tissue of rats with portocaval anastomoses (PCA) has revealed a selective increase in histamine concentration. In the posterior hypothalamus, the steady-state level of the amine metabolites showed an inverse pattern; N-tele-methylhistamine (t-MeHA), as estimated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, was not changed significantly by portocaval shunting, whereas 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and homovanillic acid were more than doubled. Interestingly, the net increase in t-MeHA concentration in response to pargyline (80 mg/kg i.p.) was almost the same for PCA and sham-operated rats. This implies that the great enhancement of the histamine level in this area might be a consequence of the persistent stimulation of its synthesis and the unchanged activity of histaminergic neurons. In the rest of the brain, on the other hand, the steady-state level of t-MeHA was higher after PCA (3.8-fold), as were the levels of 5-HIAA and homovanillic acid. Surprisingly, t-MeHA remained unchanged after monoamine oxidase blockade. Of the pargyline-induced alterations in the concentrations of indoles and catechols, the most pronounced were those in the serotonin level; serotonin was elevated more than twofold in hypothalamus and more than 12-fold in the rest of the brain, with a concomitant 80% decrease in 5-HIAA. The dopamine and, to a much smaller extent, noradrenaline levels were also increased, and the levels of homovanillic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid fell below the detection limit. The study suggests that at least two different mechanisms operate in the brains of PCA rats to counteract the excessive synthesis of neuromediators, e.g., increased deposition and increased metabolism.

Purification to homogeneity and some properties of squalene synthetase.

Squalene synthetase has been purified to homogeneity from yeast. It is a single polypeptide of Mr 47,000. This enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of squalene from farnesyl diphosphate via presqualene diphosphate. In the presence of reduced pyridine nucleotides, presqualene diphosphate and squalene are produced in a ratio of 6:1 from either the purified protein or the crude microsomal fraction.

Causal relationship between a tumour growth and the changes in histamine metabolism in tissues of sarcoma-bearing rat.

The relationship between malignancy and histamine metabolism in the liver and the small intestine has been examined in sarcoma-bearing Wistar rats two weeks after subcutaneous implantation of a transplantable methylcholanthrene sarcoma Sa1828 and on the 3, 7 and 14th days after tumour extirpation. Two weeks after tumour implantation, the histamine level was increased by 100% and 50% in the liver and the small intestine, respectively. On the 3rd day after extirpation of the tumour the level of histamine had returned to the control values and remained unchanged during the next 10 days. Neither of the histamine catabolizing enzymes, diamine oxidase with a putrescine as a substrate or histamine methyltransferase were influenced by the existing tumour or by its extirpation except on the 14th day where a high increase in diamine oxidase activity was found. Some changes in the distribution of histamine metabolites suggest an involvement of an oxidative pathway of histamine catabolism as well as the aldehyde catabolizing enzymes in tumour development.

Influence of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate on ethanol-induced changes in histamine catabolism in the guinea pig.

In guinea pigs, chronic intragastric administration of a 20% ethanol solution for 18 days (in increasing doses from 5 to 10 g/kg/day) leads, on the 18th day, to an enhancement of histamine level in the liver and the small intestine by up to 170% and 180% respectively. In these tissues the rate of histamine oxidative catabolism was depressed by about 20%. Histamine N-methyltransferase activity, as well as the level of acetylhistamine were not affected. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (2 mg/animal/day) tended to normalize both histamine levels and the rate of histamine oxidative catabolism.

Histamine and its catabolism in tumour-bearing rat and mouse.

The hypothesis that failure of histamine (Hi)-mediated inter and intracellular cell-cell communication may be involved in the control of cellular growth has been tested in leukaemia-bearing mice and fibrosarcoma-bearing rats. In all examined tissues of mice bearing leukaemia L1210 cells and rats bearing methylcholanthrene fibrosarcoma histamine content was higher than in controls. Tissues of fibrosarcoma-bearing rats more intensively metabolized 14C-Hi and oxidative pathway was predominant. Histamine metabolic activity as well as histamine catabolic pathways do not differ in leukaemic mice as compared with the controls.