Sinomenine and magnoflorine, major constituents of Sinomeni caulis et rhizoma, show potent protective effects against membrane damage induced by lysophosphatidylcholine in rat erythrocytes.

The effects of the water extract of Sinomeni Caulis et Rhizoma (SCR-WE) and its major constituents, sinomenine (SIN) and magnoflorine (MAG), on moderate hemolysis induced by lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) were investigated in rat erythrocytes and compared with the anti-hemolytic effects of lidocaine (LID) and propranolol (PRO) as reference drugs. LPC caused hemolysis at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration (CMC), and the concentration of LPC producing moderate hemolysis (60 %) was approximately 10 µM. SCR-WE at 1 ng/mL-100 µg/mL significantly inhibited the hemolysis induced by LPC. SIN and MAG attenuated LPC-induced hemolysis in a concentration-dependent manner from very low to high concentrations (1 nM-100 µM and 10 nM-100 µM, respectively). In contrast, the inhibiting effects of LID and PRO on LPC-induced hemolysis were observed at higher concentrations (1-100 µM) but not at lower concentrations (1-100 nM). Neither SIN nor MAG affected micelle formation of LPC, nor, at concentrations of 1 nM-1 µM, did they attenuate the hemolysis induced by osmotic imbalance (hypotonic hemolysis). Similarly, SCR-WE also did not modify micelle formation or hypotonic hemolysis, except at the highest concentration. These results suggest that SIN and MAG potently protect the erythrocyte membrane from LPC-induced damage and contribute to the beneficial action of SCR-WE. The protective effects of SIN and MAG are mediated by some mechanism other than prevention of micelle formation or protection of the erythrocyte membrane against osmotic imbalance.

Concurrent modulation of extracellular levels of noradrenaline and cAMP during stress and by anxiogenic- or anxiolytic-like neuropeptides in the prefrontal cortex of awake rats.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of stress and the role of locally infused anxiogenic-like neuropeptides galanin, CCK-8, vasopressin, substance P and neurokinin A, and anxiolytic-like peptides NPY, nociceptin/orphanin FQ, somatostatin and neurotensin, on modulation of noradrenaline (NA) and cAMP efflux monitored simultaneously by microdialysis in the medial prefronatal cortex of awake rats. Concentrations of cAMP were determined by a newly developed method based on derivatization of cAMP with 2-chloroacetaldehyde followed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Local infusion of forskolin (10 and 30 µM) dose-dependently increased the cAMP levels to 417% and 1050% of the control group, respectively. Similarly, local infusion of NA (10 µM) increased the cAMP to the peak level of 168%. A 5-min tail pinch and a 10-min swim stress rapidly increased the NA and cAMP levels to 167% and 203% (NA) and 141% and 161% (cAMP), respectively. Infusion of galanin and CCK-8 (0.5 nmol, and 1.5 nmol/0.5 µl) dose-dependently increased NA to the peak levels of 191% and 179% and cAMP levels to 174% and 166%, respectively. The peak levels following infusions of vasopressin, substance P and neurokinin A were 91%, 135% and 86% for NA and 131%, 83% and 76% for cAMP, respectively. Infusions of anxiolytic-like peptides at highest concentrations significantly increased (NPY, 136%) or decreased (nociceptin, 71%; somatostatin, 86%) the NA levels, whereas neurotensin had no effect. The cAMP levels decreased to 86% (NPY, neurotensin), 78% (nociceptin), somatostatin infusion was without effect. The present findings confirmed a close correlation between the stress-induced increases in prefrontal cortical NA and cAMP levels, as well as, concurrent changes in NA and cAMP levels following infusions of galanin and CCK-8 (increased levels) and nociceptin/orphanin FQ (decreased levels). Infusions of other neuropeptides showed a more complex pattern of NA and cAMP responses.

Inhibition of histamine release by local and intracerebroventricular infusion of galanin in hypothalamus, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of awake rat: A microdialysis study.

The neuropeptide galanin is co-localized with histamine in subpopulations of neurons in the tuberomammillary nucleus suggesting its involvement in modulating histaminergic neurotransmission. The purpose of the present study was to investigate, by use of microdialysis, the effects of local intraparenchymal (combined infusion and microdialysis probe), and intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusions of galanin on extracellular levels of histamine in its major projecting areas, ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus ventrolateral part (VMHVL), CA3 area of ventral hippocampus (vHipp) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in separate groups (n=5 rats/each) of freely moving rats. Galanin (0.5nmol and 1.5nmol) dose-dependently decreased the basal histamine levels in the VMHVL to 77.1% (i.c.v.) at 40min and to 82.1% (intra-VMHVL infusion) already at 20min, of the control group (32.6±3.5fmol/10µl), whereas only 1.5nmol i.c.v. galanin and not the local infusions deceased the histamine levels in the vHipp (8.4±0.6fmol/10µl) to 82.8% and in mPFC (9.8±0.9fmol/10µl) to 87.5%. It is concluded that central administration of galanin decreased the basal extracellular histamine levels in major histamine projecting areas, however, these effects were less prominent than those observed for 5-HT (Kehr et al., 2002 [12]) and ACh (Yoshitake et al., 2011 [38]) in the ventral hippocampus following i.c.v. and/or local galanin infusions.

Highly sensitive capillary electrophoresis analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides in glycoproteins following fluorescence derivatization with rhodamine 110 and laser-induced fluorescence detection.

We describe a highly sensitive CE with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection for the analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides in glycoproteins using rhodamine 110 as a fluorescence derivatization reagent. One CE separation is performed using a fused-silica capillary and neutral pH buffer conditions and allows for the separation of sialo-oligosaccharides according to the number of sialic acids. An alternate separation is performed using the same capillary and acidic pH buffer conditions, enabling the separation of asialo-oligosaccharides according to their sizes. The derivatization and separation conditions for the analysis of sialo- and asialo-oligosaccharides were optimized. Furthermore, we applied the proposed method for the analyses of N-linked sialo- and asialo-oligosaccharides in glycoproteins (ribonuclease B, fetuin, and recombinant human erythropoietin).

Sensitive determination of rhodamine 110-labeled monosaccharides in glycoprotein by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

Rhodamine 110 (Rho110) has been used in the highly sensitive analysis of monosaccharides, as it reacts with the reducing carbonyl group of the saccharides. The monosaccharide derivatives were investigated by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The derivatization was performed at 90 degrees C for 30 min for all monosaccharides. The derivatized monosaccharides were separated using 200 mM borate (pH 10.5) as running buffer within 20 min. The fluorescence intensities of Rho110-derivatives were significantly decreased by the presence of excess reducing agent, but were greatly increased by the addition of potassium hexacyanoferrate(III). The concentration and mass detection limits for monosaccharides were in the range of 1.4-2.8 nM and 36-70 amol, respectively. We have applied this derivatization method to the analysis of the composition of monosaccharides in glycoproteins (ribonuclease B, fetuin, and erythropoietin) following their subjection to strong acid hydrolysis. The results from these analyses were in good agreements with the reported values established previously.

Rhodamine B amine as a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for saccharides in reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

6-Rhodamine B amine functions as a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for mono- and oligosaccharides; it reacts with the reducing end of saccharides under acidic conditions. The fluorescent derivatives of five monosaccharides can be separated within 25 min by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with isocratic elution. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides are 7-51, 13, and 9-35 fmol/20 microl injection, which correspond to analyte concentrations of 35-255, 65, 45-175 nM, respectively. We have applied this derivatization method successfully to the analysis of the components of oligosaccharides in glycoproteins (ribonuclease B and fetuin) following their acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis. The results from these analyses are in good agreements with the reported values established previously.