Blood Plasma

4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE) is a major aldehydic product formed by peroxidation of omega 6-unsaturated fatty acids and is regarded as a specific marker of lipid peroxidation. In this paper we demonstrate that there is a physiological steady-state concentration of HNE in human venous blood plasma. For the quantitative determination of HNE a modified version of an existing, but tedious and time-consuming HPLC method was developed. The extraction of aldehydic hydrazones from plasma was performed using an Extrelut column and the separation step by thin-layer chromatography was replaced by column chromatography on silica gel. The concentration of HNE in human blood plasma was in the same range as the concentration that was found to inhibit the proliferation of cells of the peripheral tissues, i.e., endothelial cells and fibroblasts in vitro. In an experiment with reduced peripheral blood flow a temporary significant increase of HNE was observed during reperfusion. It was concluded that lipid ...

A sucrose-rich diet has repeatedly been observed to have cocarcinogenic actions in the colon and liver of rats and to increase the number of aberrant crypt foci in rat colon. To investigate whether sucrose-rich diets might directly increase the genotoxic response in the rat colon or liver, we have added sucrose to the diet of Big Blue rats, a strain of Fischer rats carrying 40 copies of the lambda-phage on chromosome 4. Dietary sucrose was provided to the rats for 3 weeks at four dose levels including the background level in the purified diet [3.4% (control), 6.9%, 13.8%, or 34.5%] without affecting the overall energy and carbohydrate intake. We observed a dose-dependent increase in the mutation frequency at the cII site in the colonic mucosa with increased sucrose levels, reaching a 129% increase at the highest dose level. This would indicate a direct or indirect genotoxic effect of a sucrose-rich diet. No significant increase in mutations was observed in the liver. To seek an expl...

Present study investigated the metabolic profile of blood plasma of patients with Celiac disease (CeD) and healthy controls (HC) using in-vitro nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to get an insight into the metabolic abnormalities in CeD and to determine the biomarker/s, if any, for the diagnosis of CeD. The concentration of metabolites was determined using one-dimensional NMR at 700 MHz. The blood plasma from patients with CeD showed significantly higher (p<0.05) concentrations of several metabolites such as alanine (Ala), glycine (Gly), acetate (Ace) and creatine (Cr) compared to the HC subjects. While, concentration of creatinine (Crn) was significantly lower (p<0.05) in blood plasma of CeD patients. These findings suggested that the gluten induced inflammation resulted in significant alterations in metabolic activity in CeD. Partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) clearly distinguished the two groups in separate clusters on the score plot of samples from CeD patients and HC. Our results provided an insight into the alterations in metabolic pathways in CeD and indicated that the NMR spectroscopy of blood plasma in a large cohort of CeD patients may aid in determining the non-invasive biomarker/s for the diagnosis of CeD.

Present study investigated the metabolic profile of blood plasma of patients with Celiac disease (CeD) and healthy controls (HC) using in-vitro nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to get an insight into the metabolic abnormalities in CeD and to determine the biomarker/s, if any, for the diagnosis of CeD. The concentration of metabolites was determined using one-dimensional NMR at 700 MHz. The blood plasma from patients with CeD showed significantly higher (p<0.05) concentrations of several metabolites such as alanine (Ala), glycine (Gly), acetate (Ace) and creatine (Cr) compared to the HC subjects. While, concentration of creatinine (Crn) was significantly lower (p<0.05) in blood plasma of CeD patients. These findings suggested that the gluten induced inflammation resulted in significant alterations in metabolic activity in CeD. Partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) clearly distinguished the two groups in separate clusters on the score plot of samples from CeD patients and HC. Our results provided an insight into the alterations in metabolic pathways in CeD and indicated that the NMR spectroscopy of blood plasma in a large cohort of CeD patients may aid in determining the non-invasive biomarker/s for the diagnosis of CeD.

The behaviour and fate of pesticides in the environment will determine their impact on both humans and non-target organisms. Biochemical biomarkers are increasingly used in ecological risk assessment to identify the incidence of exposure to and effects caused by xenobiotics. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential toxic effect of a locally produced insect powder called &quot;Rambo&quot; (which contain

Significant pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic interactions between various herbal products and warfarin have recently been reported. The aim of this study was to determine whether concomitant treatment of rats with Kan Jang (a standardized fixed combination of extracts from Andrographis paniculata and Eleutherococcus senticosus) and warfarin would lead to an alteration in the pharmacological effects of warfarin. Each day for 5 days a group of animals was treated orally with an aqueous solution of Kan Jang at a dose of 17 mg/kg of the active principle andrographolide (a daily dose some 17-fold higher than that recommended for humans): the control group received similar treatment with appropriate volumes of water only. Sixty minutes after the final daily administration of Kan Jang or water, an aqueous solution of warfarin (0.2 mg/ml) was given to each animal at a dose of 2 mg/kg. From each group, 6 animals were sacrificed at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 30 and 48 h after warfarin administration and blood samples taken. The concentration of warfarin in blood plasma was measured by capillary electrophoresis using 50 mM borate buffer (pH 9.3) as mobile phase with simultaneous detection of warfarin at 208.1 and 307.5 nm. Prothrombin time in blood plasma was measured using thromboplastin reagent. The concomitant application of Kan Jang and warfarin did not produce significant effects on the pharmacokinetics of warfarin, and practically no effect on its pharmacodynamics.

Bioactive glasses have attracted considerable interest in recent years, due to their technological application, especially in biomaterials research. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been used in the study of the crystallization mechanism in the SiO2–Na2O–CaO–P2O5 glass system, as a function of particle size. The curve of the bulk glass presents a slightly asymmetric crystallization peak that could be deconvoluted into two separate peaks, their separation being followed in the form of powder glasses. Also, a shift of the crystallization peaks to lower temperatures was observed with the decrease of the particle size. FTIR studies – that are confirmed by XRD measurements – proved that the different peaks could be attributed to different crystallization mechanisms. Moreover, it is presented the bioactive behavior of the specific glass as a function of particle size. The study of bioactivity is performed through the process of its immersion in simulated human blood plasma (simulated body fluid, SBF) and the subsequent examination of the development of carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite layer on the surface of the particles. The bioactive response is improved with the increase of the particle size of powders up to 80 μm and remains almost unchanged for further increase, following the specific surface to volume ratio decrease.

Significant international interest exists in utilising inland saline groundwater sources for mariculture; however potassium deficiency is a factor that may limit their use. In this study we investigated the effects of potassium supplementation between 25% and 100% of that found in equivalent salinity seawater on the growth, survival and physiological response of barramundi (Lates calcarifer) at hyperosmotic (45 ppt), near-isosmotic (15 ppt) and hyposmotic (5 ppt) salinities. A K-equivalence of 25% was not tested at 45 ppt because it caused mortality of barramundi in a previous study. Fish reared in 50% K-equivalence water at this salinity survived for four weeks but lost weight; whereas at 75% and 100% K-equivalences fish both survived and gained weight. Homeostasis of blood plasma potassium in these fish was maintained by buffering from skeletal muscle. That these fish exhibited muscle dehydration, increased branchial, renal and intestinal (Na+–K+)ATPase activity and elevated blood sodium and chloride suggests they were experiencing osmotic stress. At 15 ppt, equal rates of growth were obtained between all K-equivalence treatments. Buffering of plasma potassium by muscle also occurred at the two lowest levels of supplementation but appeared to be in a state of equilibrium. Barramundi at 5 ppt displayed equal growth among treatments. At this salinity, buffering of plasma potassium from muscle did not occur and at 25% K-equivalence blood potassium was significantly lower than at all other K-equivalence treatments but with no apparent effect on growth, survival or (Na+–K+)ATPase activities. These data show that proportionally more potassium is required at hyperosmotic salinities compared to iso- and hypo-osmotic salinities and also demonstrate that barramundi have a lower requirement for potassium than other species investigated for culture in inland saline groundwater.