[Effect of lycopene on blood lipoproteids in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus in postmenopause]. / Deistvie likopina na lipoproteidy krovi u zhenshchin s sakharnym diabetom 2 tipa v postmenopauze.

Blind randomized placebo-control research included 39 women. The following criteria were: menopause period for more then 1 year long; diabetes mellitus; arterial hypertension; hypercholesterolemia. The patients were divided into two groups. Women from the first group (N = 24) were given 30 mg lycopene (composed with "Tomatol") per day during 24 weeks. The second group (N = 15) were given placebo. It was showed that during 12-week "Tomatol" intake we state that lycopene concentration in serum increased twice (337.0 +/- 133.0 nM), total cholesterol (CH) and CH LDL decreased by 12% and 16% respectively. The lipoproteins spectrum normalization correlated to serum antioxidative activity (r = 0.30, p < 0.05), and malonic dialdehyde concentration decrease by 44.8% correlated to lycopene increase (r = -0.51, p < 0.05). Our results give us a possibility to use "Tomatol" as an additional medicine for the prevention of atherosclerosis.

[Experimental validation of licopin-containing drug tomatol use in combined therapy of patients with diabetic retinopathy]. / Eksperimental'noe obosnovanie ispol'zovaniia likopinsoderzhashchego preparata "tomatol" v kompleksnom lechenii diabeticheskoi retinopatii.

Effects of tomatol on metabolic changes in the blood and lacrimal fluid and ocular capillaries of rabbits with alloxane diabetes were studied. Tomatol is a drug containing licopin carotenoid characterized by a high biological activity. The intensity of lipid peroxidation was notably decreased, antioxidant activity of the blood increased, lipid metabolism parameters in the blood and some parameters of proteinase inhibitory balance in the blood and lacrimal fluid normalized in diabetic rabbits treated with tomatol in comparison with untreated rabbits. Changes in perilimbic capillaries were less expressed in treated vs. untreated animals. Hence, tomatol is recommended for combined therapy of patients with diabetes as a drug normalizing metabolism and probably decelerating the development of diabetic retinopathy.

The antioxidant properties of lycopene.

The antioxidant properties of the carotenoid lycopene were compared in three different model oxidative systems. In egg yolk liposomes, in the presence of 2.5 mM FeSO4 and 200 mM ascorbate, lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene inhibited the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products reacting with 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) in a dose-dependent mode, with the concentration of half-inhibition being 80, 30 and 130 mM, respectively. In the liposomes subjected to illumination with a He-Ne laser (632.8 nm) at a dose of 10.5 J/cm2, in the presence of 32.5 micrograms/ml hematoporphyrin derivatives (Fotogem, NIOPIC, Russia) TBARS accumulated, and this effect was inhibited by lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, and dihydroquercetin with approximately equal efficiencies (the half-inhibition concentrations were 10(-5) mM). In both systems studied, sodium azide at a concentration of 10 mM inhibited the TBARS accumulation by no more than 20%. Apparently, the inhibitory action of not only alpha-tocopherol, but also beta-carotene and lycopene was the result of their antiradical action, rather than quenching of the singlet oxygen in an aqueous medium. The introduction of lycopene, as well as beta-carotene in liposomes subjected to Fe(2+)-induced lipid peroxidation decreased the chemiluminescence (CL) intensity at the stage of CL slow flash, with no essential influence on the lag period. These data suggest that the effect of lycopene on lipid peroxidation was the result of its interaction with free radicals rather than chelating ferrous ions. The antiradical activity of lycopene was also confirmed by the method of luminol photochemiluminescence (PCL). Lycopene increased the PCL lag period (L) and decreased the PCL amplitude (A), which implies its antiradical and SOD-like activity in this system.

[Experimental evaluation of the antibacterial activity of tomato pulp oil extract]. / Otsenka antibakterial'noi aktivnosti maslianogo ékstrakta miaslianogoékstrakta miakoti tomatov v éksperimente.

The antibacterial action of the oil extract obtained from tomato pulp has been studied with the use of museum strains Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 5638-P and Candida albicans ATCC 885-653, recommended for the determination of the antibacterial activity of medicinal preparations (State Pharmacopoeia, edition XI), as well as Enterobacter, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella and Escherichia clinical strains. As revealed in this study, tomato pulp oil extract produces a wide-spectrum antibacterial effect on Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms and on fungi of the genus Candida. The study has determined that this antibacterial action is linked with the presence of a complex of organic acids (succinic, citric, tartaric, etc.).

[Radiation-protective effectiveness of lycopene]. / Radiozashchitnaia éffektivnost' likopina.

Radioprotective action of natural carotenoid Lycopene in mice during exposure to lethal dose of 6.5 Gy has been shown. Lycopene was found to be two-fold more effective radioprotector than beta-carotene at the same conditions. This correlates with the difference in their antioxidant activity. Lycopene also exhibits antimutagenic effect resulting in increased survival of Drosophila melanogaster chrysalis under exposure to 40 Gy gamma-radiation.

[Biologically active substances from the skin that influence the proliferation and differentiation of cultured human keratinocytes]. / Biologicheski aktivnye veshchestva kozhi, vliiaiushchie na proliferatsiiu i differentsirovku kul'tiviruemykh keratinotsitov cheloveka.

Three fractions of biologically active substances of human skin varying in molecular weight (F1 > 15 kD, F2 1.4-15 kD, F3 < 1.4 kD) were tested in primary and regenerating cultures of human epidermal keratinocytes. F1 and F3 caused stimulation of keratinocyte proliferation, F2 inhibited proliferation and enhanced terminal differentiation of epidermal cells.

[Reparation of hepatocyte mitochondrial membranes using phosphatidylcholine liposomes]. / Reparatsiia mitokhondrial'nykh membran gepatotsitov s pomoshch'iu fosfatidilkholinovykh liposom.

The influence of multibilayer phosphatidylcholine liposomes on the properties of rat hepatocyte mitochondria membranes damages caused by hepatotropic toxin--CCl4 was investigated. Alterations of the membrane structure were estimated by the decrease in phospholipid/protein ratio /by 33%/ and via changes of quantitative and qualitative composition of phospholipid components. The possibility of reparation of the hepatocytes mitochondria damaged membrane by egg yolk phosphatidylcholine liposomes is shown. Phosphatidylcholine reparative effect on the damaged membranes is revealed in quantitative phospholipid fractions redistribution.

[Changes in the lipid composition of mitochondrial membranes during succinate oxidase reaction]. / Izmenenie lipidnogo sostava membran mitokhondrii v khode suktsinat-oksidaznoi reaktsii.

Content of lipids, free cholesterol, cholesterol esters, phospholipids and fatty acid composition were studied in mitochondria incubated in samples containing succinate. Induction of lipid peroxidation, production of malonic dialdehyde and alterations in membranes fluidity were not detected in the preparations of mitochondria within 3 hrs of succinate oxidation. Self-inactivation of mitochondria appears to occur due to an increased uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation.

Cholesterol accumulation in plasma membrane and changes of membrane enzyme activity of Acholeplasma laidlawii cells during culture ageing.

The data presented in this report show that the microviscosity of the plasma membrane and the cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio of its lipid bilayer increases during ageing of Acholeplasma laidawii cultures. At the same time the age changes of other lipid components content do not correlate with the change of membrane viscosity. It is also shown that membrane enzyme activities of mycoplasma cell decrease with age. These results confirm the membrane hypothesis of ageing according to which increased microviscosity is the essential factor of cell ageing.

Ageing of procaryotes. Acholeplasma laidlawii as an object for cell ageing studies: a brief note.

It was established that A. laidlawii cell viability in the stationary phase of culture development decreases according to the Gompertz law. It was shown that the "stationary" ageing of A. laidlawii cells is accompanied by the lower intensity of phosphorus-containing compounds biosynthesis, decreased rate of membrane proteins synthesis and degradation and also by accumulation of DNA single-strand breaks. The biochemical changes found in ageing A. laidlawii cells are similar to ageing manifestations of resting eucaryotic cells. According to the authors opinion, the received data show that the A. laidlawii cell culture may be used as an object for investigation of the cell ageing mechanisms.

[Self-inactivation of NADH-oxidase from Mycoplasma cells during reaction]. / Samoinaktivatsiia NADH-oksidazy kletok mikoplazmy v protsse reaktsii.

The feasibility of self-inactivation of NADH-oxidase by plasma membranes of Acholeplasma laidlawii cells was investigated. It was demonstrated that the rate of NADH oxidation in a flow reactor upon stirring diminishes with time. This decrease of the reaction rate is not coupled with the presence in the reaction mixture of the reaction products--NAD+ and H2O2, and is irreversible. In the absence of NADH the enzyme activity is unaffected. The data obtained suggest that NADH-oxidase is inactivated in the course of the catalytic reaction. Under the stipulation that the enzyme obtained from plasma membranes of aged (60 hrs of inoculation) cells has identical values of Km and ki but lower values as compared to young cells (24 hrs of inoculation) of Vmax and v0, it is concluded that the decrease of the NADH-oxidase activity upon ageing of cultures is due to the decrease in the amount of active molecules of AND-oxidase in mycoplasm cell plasma membranes.

[Effect of monooxygenase reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 on the microsomal membrane]. / Vliianie monooksigenaznykh reaktsii, kataliziruemykh tsitokhromom P-450, na mikrosomal'nuiu membranu.

Hydroxylation of dimethylaniline in rabbit liver microsomes is accompanied by inactivation of cytochrome P-450 and the formation of products inhibiting the catalytic activity of non-inactivated cytochrome P-450. Other enzymes and electron carriers of microsomal membrane (cytochrome b5, NADH-ferricyanide reductase, NADPH-cytochrome c and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductases) as well as glucose-6-phosphatase were not inactivated in the course of the monooxygenase reactions. Phospholipids and microsomal membrane proteins were also unaffected thereby. Consequently, the changes in the microsomal membrane during cytochrome P-450 dependent monooxygenase system functioning are confined to the inactivation of cytochrome P-450.

[Dependence of membrane protein turnover in Mycoplasma cells on the age of the culture]. / Zavisimost' obnovleniia membrannykh belkov kletok mikoplazm ot vozrasta kul'tury.

To understand the molecular mechanisms of damages appearing in biological membranes in the process of cellular aging, changes in the rate of catabolic processes in Mycoplasma cells have been studied. This study has revealed that the aging of Acholeplasma laidlawii culture is accompanied by a decrease in the activity of such catabolic enzymes as DNA-ase, RNA-ase, cathepsin D and beta-glucosidase. A considerable increase in the duration of the half-life of membrane proteins has been registered, which is indicative of a decrease in their turnover rate. The electrophoretic separation of membrane proteins has revealed essential changes in their properties. Such decline in the functional activity of the plasma membrane of Mycoplasma cells at the stationary phase is probably due to the inactivation of membrane enzymes and to the decreased rate of their turnover.

[Biochemical mechanisms of the effect of low molecular weight organochlorine aliphatic compounds on humans and animals (review)]. / Biokhimicheskie mekhanizmy deistviia nizkomolekuliarnykh khlororganicheskikh alifaticheskikh soedinenii na organizm cheloveka i zhivotnykh (obzor).

Data on the effects of 1,1,1-trichlorethane and tetrachlorethylene on human and animal organisms are reviewed. These compounds are used in industry and in homeservice. The review deals with some aspects of the action of these organic solvents at the subcellular level.

[Accumulation of cholesterol in Acholeplasma laidlawii membranes in the steady-state phase of culture growth]. / Nakoplenie kholesterina v membranakh Acholeplasma laidlawii v statsionarnoi faze rosta kul'tury.

In early logarithmic phase of growth of the A. laidlawii cells the lipid composition of plasma membrane is changed: the total lipid, glycolipid and phospholipid contents are decreased, while that of cholesterol changes only insignificantly. In late logarithmic and steady state phases the cholesterol level in the membrane is increased in parallel with the decrease of the phospholipid content. Throughout the growth period a quantitative redistribution of membrane phospholipids in fatty acids and an increase of the molar content of saturated fatty acids are observed. Accumulation of cholesterol in the steady state phase is accompanied by an increase in the membrane viscosity which results in inhibition of membrane processes in the cell.

[Proteins of bacterial membranes. NADH-dehydrogenase from the cells of Acholeplasma laidlawii]. / Belki bakterial'nykh membran. NADH-degidrogenaza kletok Acholeplasma laidlawii.

Using ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration, a purified NADH-dehydrogenase was prepared from cell membranes of A. laidlawii. The enzyme specific activity exceeds the activity of the membrane preparation 45-fold. The enzyme is thermolabile and sensitive to lecithine. Electrophoresis of the enzyme preparation in the presence of Na-DS resulted in two proteins with Mr of 65 000 and 72 000. Specific staining of the gels with triphenyltetrasolium chloride in the presence of Triton X-100 revealed two protein bands, while in the presence of Triton X-100 and urea only one protein band was produced.

[Proteins of bacterial membranes. H+-adenosinetriphosphatase from Acholeplasma laidlawii cells]. / Belki bakterial'nykh membran. H+-adenozintrifosfataza kletok Acholeplasma laidlawii.

The cytoplasmic membrane of micoplasmic cells, in particular of A. laidlawii cells, contains a proton-carrier Mg2+ -activated ATPase. A whole H+ -ATPase complex (F0-F1) was isolated from these cells and characterized. The isolation procedure included solubilization of the enzyme with Triton X-100 followed by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration on Sepharose 6B. The enzyme was inhibited by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (10(-4) M). The Km value for ATP hydrolysis and Ki for ADP hydrolysis were determined. The order of the constants did not differ from those measured earlier for factor F1 of the complex. The purified enzyme, similar to its hydrophylic moiety is sensitive to the action of bivalent cations. The subunit composition of the whole complex and of its water-soluble part was investigated. The complex was found to contain 11 polypeptides, five of which belong to factor F1. The molecular weights of these polypeptides were determined.

[Proteins of bacterial membranes. Purification of soluble ATPase from Acholeplasma laidlawii]. / Belki bakterial'nykh membran. Ochistka vodorastvorimoi ATPazy iz Acholeplasma laidlawii.

A purified preparation of ATPase (factor F1) from the Acholeplasma laidlawii was obtained. The purification procedure included extraction of the enzyme complex from the isolated membranes by ultrasonication, chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration on Sepharose 6B. The specific activity of the ATPase was increased 30-fold as compared to the original activity. The Km value for ATP hydrolysis was 7,4 . 10(-4) M. ADP competitively inhibited the enzyme (Ki = 2,0 . 10(-4) M). Ouabain (2,5 . 10(-4) M) and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (1,0 . 10(-4) M) did not inhibit the ATPase activity. The enzyme was activated by Mg2+, but was inhibited by a combination of Na+ and K+. The enzyme is cold-labile, but can be stabilized by storage in buffer solutions, containing methanol, glycerol or lecithin.