ABSTRACT
To study the distribution and localization of oil-soluble arteether in experimental mice, we injected C14-labelled arteether (20 microCi/kg body weight) intramuscularly and measured radioactivity in the blood, kidney, and liver. The labelled arteether distributed and localized more to the kidney (819,180.4 +/- 34,134 dpm/cm3) than the liver (288,628.9 +/- 54,954 dpm/cm3) 4 hours post-injection. The main localization of labelled arteether was in the kidney cortex rather than the medulla (p < 0.05). However, the distribution of radioactivity was homogeneous in the liver. The terminal half-life of labelled arteether in the blood was 1.8 hours. The blood:kidney:liver ratio was 1:5:2. These findings show that labelled arteether was distributed quickly and localized in the cytoplasmic cortex of the kidney and homogeneously in the liver.
Subject(s)
Animals , Antimalarials/pharmacokinetics , Artemisinins/pharmacokinetics , Carbon Radioisotopes/diagnosis , Half-Life , Kidney/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Male , Mice , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
We measured the serum transcobalamin II in murine typhus- infected patients (n = 16) admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in 1996-1997, compared with healthy controls (n = 60). The results showed that the transcobalamin II (TCII) and total serum unsaturated vitaminB12 binding capacity (UBBC) in patients with murine typhus (2,126.5 pg/ml, range 1,262-4,568 and 3,771.5 pg/ml, range 1,576-6,763 pg/ml) were statistically significantly higher than normal subjects (987.5 pg/ml, range 678-2,000 pg/ml and 1,402 pg/ml, range 932-2,470 ml) (p<0.001). Serum TCII levels in patients (63%) were elevated during the febrile period and returned to normal post-treatment. These findings suggest that patients with murine typhus had stimulation of reticulo-endothelial system, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver and skin and then released TCII into the blood circulation. The elevation in TCII may be used for confirming a diagnosis of murine typhus.
Subject(s)
Adult , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Statistics, Nonparametric , Transcobalamins/analysis , Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne/bloodABSTRACT
Serum transcobalamin II levels were measured in scrub typhus patients. Eighteen out of fifty-two patients admitted to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital were diagnosed with scrub typhus infection. The serum unsaturated vitamin B12 binding protein (UBBC) and total vitamin B12 binding protein (TBBC) levels in these patients were significantly higher than in normal subjects (p < 0.001). The mean serum transcobalamin II level in the typhus patients was also significantly higher than in the normal subjects (p=0.004). There was a significant correlation between serum TCII levels and typhus IgM or IgG titers (p < 0.05), but not to total IgM levels. These findings indicate that patients with scrub typhus had stimulation of the recticuloendothelial system as a result of a considerable increase in transcobalamin II levels.