[The Psychiatry of Gyula is 120 years old].

No abstract available.

Effects of Kupffer cell blockade on the hepatic expression of metallothionein and heme oxygenase genes in endotoxemic rats with obstructive jaundice.

AIMS: Heme oxygenase (HO) and metallothionein (MT) genes are rapidly upregulated in the liver by pro-inflammatory cytokines and/or endotoxin as protection against cellular stress and inflammation. Gadolinium chloride (GdCl3)-induced Kupffer cell blockade has beneficial consequences in endotoxemia following bile duct ligation. Herein we further characterized the effects of Kupffer cell inhibition on the activation of the antioxidant defense system (HO and MT gene expressions, and antioxidant enzyme activities) in response to endotoxemia and obstructive jaundice. MAIN METHODS: The isoform-specific expression of MT and HO genes was assessed (RT-PCR) in rat livers following 3-day bile duct ligation, 2-h lipopolysaccharide treatment (1mg/kg) or their combination, with or without GdCl3 pretreatment (10 mg/kg, 24h before endotoxin). Lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities were also assessed. KEY FINDINGS: All these challenges induced similar extents of DNA damage, whereas the lipid peroxidation increased only when endotoxemia was combined with biliary obstruction. The MT and HO mRNA levels displayed isoform-specific changes: those of MT-1 and HO-2 did not change appreciably, whereas those of MT-2 and HO-1 increased significantly in 2-h endotoxemia, with or without obstructive jaundice. Among the enzymes reflecting the endogenous protective mechanisms, the catalase and copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase levels decreased, while that of Mn-SOD slightly increased. Interestingly, GdCl3 alone induced lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and MT-2 expression. In response to GdCl3, HO-1 induction was significantly lower in each model. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite its moderate hepatocellular toxicity, the ameliorated stress-induced hepatic reactions provided by GdCl3 may contribute to its protective effects.

Tissue- and stressor-specific differential expression of two hsc70 genes in carp.

Two genes expressing 70 kDa heat shock proteins were identified in Cyprinus carpio. The sequence similarities and the intron-interrupted structure of the coding regions indicate that carp Hsc70-1 and Hsc70-2 belong to the Hsp70 cognate subfamily. The expressions of the two hsc70 genes were followed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Both genes are expressed under unstressed conditions in a characteristic tissue-specific manner. Inducibility of the response to elevated temperature, cold shock, and Cd treatment was investigated in the liver and muscle, in whole-animal experiments. Both genes were insensitive to or only weakly induced by the stressors, with two exceptions: Cd treatment resulted in an 11-13-fold enhanced induction of hsc70-1 in the liver and cold shock enhanced induction of hsc70-2 in the muscle by 7.5-10-fold.

Identification and induction of hsp70 gene by heat shock and cadmium exposure in carp.

A member of the multi-gene family, encoding 70 kD stress proteins, was identified from the common carp (Cyprimus carpio). Homologies, observed at both nucleic acid and amino acid levels, and also the intronless structure of this gene, strongly suggest that it corresponds to a heat-inducible hsp70 gene in carp. Gene-specific primers were selected and used in RT-PCR reactions to measure the basal hsp70 mRNA levels and to follow the inducer-specific expression of this gene in different tissues during in vivo studies. Carp hsp70 mRNA is not detectable in the brain and muscle, and its concentration is around the limit of detection in the kidney and liver of unstressed animals. The expression of hsp70 is induced by elevated temperature and it responds to Cd treatment in a tissue and time-dependent manner.

Differential regulation of the two metallothionein genes in common carp.

The expression of two metallothionein (MT) genes was followed in carp (Cyprimus carpio) in vivo during exposure to As and Cu. Changes in the levels of MT-1 and MT-2 mRNA in the liver and kidney were detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The inducibility of the two MT isoforms was tissue- and metal-specific. Regardless of whether As or Cu was applied, the liver was more responsive than the kidney. Copper influenced the expression of both isoforms: the MT-1 and MT-2 mRNA levels increased in both the liver and the kidney in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Arsenic affected mostly the MT-2 expression, while the level of the MT-1 transcript did not change significantly in either organ.

Influence of the polyphenolic tannic acid on the toxicity of the insecticide deltametihrin to fish. A comparative study examining both biochemical and cytopathological parameters.

Humics and pesticides are present in aquatic environment and the toxicological consequences of their chemical interaction is well studied. However, data concerning the mechanism of the biochemical action of humic-pesticide combinations are scarce, especially in vertebrates. Thus we have chosen to study the in vivo effects of the plant polyphenolic tannic acid and the pyrethroid insecticide deltamethrin [Decis] alone or in combination on hepatic xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme activities and the associated redox-parameters in carp, as the complex assessment of these systems are regarded to serve as a relevant biomarker of environmental pollution. Stress effects and tissue damage were followed by determination of the plasma glucose level, the activities of plasma transaminases, and by electron microscopy. Tannic acid alone exerted weak prooxidant effect due to its marked antioxidant enzyme inhibitory activity. Deltamethrin, applied in a very low dose, induced oxyradical production in fish via activation of cytochrome P450 isozymes. This effect was promoted by the antioxidant enzyme inhibitory action of tannic acid, when the two chemicals were combined; however, the ultrastructural damage of the hepatocytes was reduced by the common cytoprotective capacity of the phenolic. Numerous humics are known to alter the toxicity of pesticides and their influence depends on their type and concentration. Therefore, our work taken together with other comparative studies may contribute to the assessment of the impact of humics in nature, especially in case of environmental pollution.