Reaction of aluminium chloride with poly(divinyl benzene) particles--a reaction kinetic study using infrared spectroscopy.

Porous poly(para-divinylbenzene) and poly(meta-divinylbenzene) particles were synthesised from para-divinylbenzene and meta-divinylbenzene monomers with toluene and 2-ethylhexanoic acid as porogens. The residual vinyl groups in the particles were thereafter reacted using aluminium chloride with dichlorobenzene as a catalyst. The conversion of vinyl groups was followed by analysing polymer particles taken from the reaction mixture at different time intervals. Infrared spectroscopy both in the mid and near infrared region was used as the analytical technique. The intensity changes in the overtone absorption at 1628 nm due to the vinyl bonds were used as the basis for the quantification of the vinyl group consumption. Infrared spectra of the particles in the mid IR were also measured to understand changes taking place in the polymer matrix during the reaction. The results indicated that residual vinyl groups in these polymer particles were consumed during the reaction with aluminium chloride. The reaction of aluminium chloride with the polymer matrix was explained by proposing mechanisms for the formation of different products during the reaction. The complex formed between aluminium chloride and the residual vinyl groups seemed to induce addition of HCl to the vinyl group or leads to crosslinking and/or cyclisation in the case poly(para-DVB) particles. The reaction of aluminium chloride with poly(meta-DVB) takes place to a lesser extent.

The dimer of hemoregulatory peptide (HP5B) stimulates mouse and human myelopoiesis in vitro.

A synthetic analogue of a pentapeptide associated with mature granulocytes has been described earlier and shown to suppress myelopoietic colony formation in vitro in concentrations from 10(-13) to 10(-6) M. By oxidation of the peptide, a dimer will rapidly occur by formation of disulfide bridges between cysteine residues. We here demonstrate that this dimer has the opposite effects of the monomer. For both mouse and human granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM), a dose-dependent enhancement of colony formation was observed in the dose range 10(-16) to 10(-5) M, where a saturation level was reached above 10(-8) M. At low doses of colony-stimulating activity (CSA) and in the linear stimulating phase, an up to ten times increase of colony formation was seen, whereas at higher doses the effect was less pronounced. Also at the plateau level of CSA stimulation an increased colony yield was seen. All types of colonies were stimulated. The dimer itself had no colony-stimulating factor activity and was not toxic to bone marrow cells in suspension cultures up to 24 h. Upon reduction of the dimer by use of sulfhydryl compounds, inhibitory effects on CFU-GM were restored. The peptide had no effect on the phagocytic process in human granulocytes, including attachment and internalization of bacteria or Zymosan particles. The monomerdimer equilibrium of hemoregulatory peptide may constitute a new mechanism for proliferative regulation of myelopoietic cells.

Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase in human breast cancer.

Methylthioadenosine (MTA) phosphorylase activity was measured in 47 biopsies from primary breast cancers (n = 34) and metastatic tumors (n = 13). Most specimens were also evaluated by DNA flow cytometry and determination of estrogen and progesterone receptor contents. Median MTA phosphorylase activity was 317 pmol/mg protein/min (range 50-1312 pmol/mg protein/min), but great variations were observed. Samples from four individuals had very low MTA phosphorylase activity (less than or equal to 70 pmol/mg protein/min). No correlation with aneuploidy, receptor status, or the presence of metastases in the lymph nodes could be demonstrated. However, MTA phosphorylase activity showed a significant (p = 0.009) negative correlation with the fraction of cells in the S-phase of the cell cycle.

Single-dose and steady-state pharmacokinetics of aminoglutethimide.

The oral pharmacokinetics of aminoglutethimide were determined in 17 patients receiving the drug therapeutically. The absorption of aminoglutethimide after oral intake was almost complete as judged by recovery of radio-labelled drug in the urine. The plasma half-life of the drug was markedly reduced (mean 43%) during multiple-dose administration as compared with a single dose, but only a moderate increase in total clearance (mean 26.9%) was observed. This finding was consistent with a significant reduction (mean 29.2%) in apparent volume of distribution (Vd) occurring during prolonged treatment. These alterations in drug distribution could also be demonstrated after a drug-free interval of 96 hours during treatment. The reduction in apparent volume of distribution could not be explained by altered plasma protein binding of aminoglutethimide, as evaluated by equilibrium dialysis experiments.

The effect of aliphatic adenine analogues on S-adenosylhomocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase in intact rat hepatocytes.

The aliphatic adenine analogues, D-eritadenine, L-eritadenine, L-threoeritadenine, and 9-(S)-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)adenine [(S)DHPA] function as inhibitors/inactivators of purified S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase, but these compounds did not induce reduction of enzyme-bound NAD+. D-Eritadenine, L-eritadenine, (S)DHPA, and L-threo-eritadenine inactivated AdoHcy hydrolase in hepatocytes, and the efficiency decreased in the order mentioned. Concurrently, there was an increase in the AdoHcy content. The accumulation of AdoHcy in the presence of (S)DHPA was more pronounced than would be expected from the inactivation of enzyme activity, suggesting that this compound may function as a reversible inhibitor as well. Furthermore, the inactivation of the intracellular enzyme by (S)DHPA is remarkable in the light of the fact that this compound induces no inactivation of purified AdoHcy hydrolase, but merely functions as an inhibitor of the enzyme. At low concentration of D-eritadenine (less than 6 microM), a distinct lag period could be demonstrated before accumulation of AdoHcy occurred. This suggests that the AdoHcy hydrolase activity must be decreased below a certain level to cause an increase in cellular AdoHcy. None of the analogues tested completely inactivated AdoHcy hydrolase and a residual enzyme activity was observed. The adenosine deaminase inhibitor, 2'-deoxycoformycin, did not potentiate the effect of these compounds on AdoHcy catabolism. The inactive enzyme formed in the presence of aliphatic adenine analogues was not reactivated under conditions where the inactivation induced by 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine was reversible.

Inactivation and reactivation of intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteinase in the presence of nucleoside analogues in rat hepatocytes.

Several nucleoside analogues, some of which are potent inactivators of isolated S-adenosylhomocysteinase (AdoHcyase), were tested with respect to their effect on intracellular AdoHcyase and S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) catabolism in intact rat hepatocytes. Among the analogues tested, 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine and 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-3-deazaadenine were the most potent inactivators of intracellular AdoHcyase. Compounds like 2-chloroadenosine and carbocyclic adenosine are extremely efficient inactivators of the isolated enzyme, but these nucleosides exerted only a limited effect on the enzyme in intact hepatocytes. Only a moderate effect was observed with 2-chloro-3-deazaadenosine and 2'-deoxyadenosine, and a high concentration of 5'-deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine was required to inactivate the enzyme. There was a correlation between inactivation and accumulation of AdoHcy. Carbocyclic-3-deazaadenosine caused no inactivation of AdoHcyase in liver cells but caused a massive accumulation of AdoHcy, suggesting that this analogue functions as a reversible inhibitor of the enzyme. Residual enzyme activity was observed with all the nucleoside analogues tested. The intracellular enzyme inactivated in the presence of 2'-deoxyadenosine and 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine was readily recovered when the cells were transferred to fresh medium containing adenosine deaminase, but reactivation of the enzyme activity after treatment of the cells with 2-chloroadenosine and 5'-deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine was also observed. The inactivation of intracellular enzyme induced by 2-chloro-3-deazaadenosine, 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-3-deazaadenine, and carbocyclic adenosine was essentially irreversible under the conditions of the experiments. Factors determining the effect of nucleoside analogues on intracellular AdoHcyase are discussed.

Homocysteine in tissues of the mouse and rat.

A method for the determination of L-homocysteine (Hcy) in tissues is described, which involves adsorption of adenosine and S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (AdoHcy) in the tissue extract to dextran-coated charcoal, while leaving Hcy in solution. Sufficient dilution of the tissue homogenates and the presence of a reducing agent during the adsorption step are required to obtain high recovery of Hcy. Hcy is condensed with radioactive adenosine, and labeled AdoHcy is quantified by high performance liquid chromatography on a 3-micron reversed phase column. The amount of Hcy was determined in several tissues (liver, kidney, brain, heart, lung, and spleen) of mice and rats, and the concentrations of Hcy were in the range 0.5-6 nmol/g, wet weight. Hcy concentration was about 1 microM in mouse plasma. In mice, liver contained the highest amount of Hcy, and kidneys were also rich in Hcy. Similar concentrations were found in rat tissues. S-Adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1), the enzyme which is believed to catalyze the only pathway leading to Hcy formation in vertebrates, was nearly completely inactivated in mice injected with the drug combination 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine plus 2'-deoxycoformycin. This treatment induced a massive accumulation of AdoHcy in all tissues (Helland, S., and Ueland, P. M. (1983) Cancer Res. 43, 1847-1850). The amount of Hcy increased several-fold in kidney, whereas no change was observed in liver, heart, brain, lung, and spleen.

Determination of aminoglutethimide and N-acetylaminoglutethimide in human plasma by reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

A liquid chromatography method for the determination of aminoglutethimide and N-acetylaminoglutethimide in human plasma is described. The assay involved precipitation of the plasma proteins using a mixture of acetonitrile and perchloric acid, without an extraction procedure. The supernatant was subjected to chromatography on a 3-micrometers ODS Hypersil column eluted isocratically with 11% acetonitrile in 100 mM ammonium formate buffer, pH 3.5. The absorbance was routinely recorded at 242 nm. The standard curves were linear in the range of 0.1-100 micrograms/ml, and the lower detection limit was approximately 0.1 microgram/ml for aminoglutethimide and its plasma metabolite N-acetylaminoglutethimide. The precision of the method, given as the coefficient of variation, was 3.9%. With this method, it was determined that aminoglutethimide and N-acetylaminoglutethimide were present in the plasma of patients receiving single-dose or continuous treatment with aminoglutethimide for breast cancer. No N-formylaminoglutethimide or nitroglutethimide could be demonstrated in the plasma from these patients. Interference from several drugs commonly given to patients with breast cancer was ruled out.

Binding of S-adenosylhomocysteine to various domains of the plasma membrane and to the endoplasmic reticulum from rat liver: relation between binding and phospholipid methyltransferase activity.

S-Adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) binding to various membrane fractions of rat liver was determined at pH 7.4, using an oil centrifugation technique. The highest binding activity was found in the heavy microsomal (M-H) fraction enriched in endoplasmic reticulum, but high binding activity was also observed in the light microsomal fractions enriched in blood sinusoidal membranes (M-L fraction), and the heavy nuclear fraction (N-H fraction) containing the contiguous area. A substantial portion of AdoHcy binding activity in the M-L fraction may be ascribed to contamination of this fraction with endoplasmic reticulum, as indicated by the distribution of NADPH cytochrome c reductase activity. Binding activity was low in the light nuclear (N-L) fraction corresponding to the bile canaliculi. Phospholipid methyltransferase activity was determined in the same membrane fractions under similar conditions (pH 7.4), and in the absence and presence of added phospholipids. The distribution of the enzyme activity was dependent on the presence of exogenous phospholipids, and grossly similar to AdoHcy binding, the highest activities being observed in the M-H and the M-L fractions. The N-H fraction, rich in AdoHcy-binding activity, demonstrated, however, a very low phospholipid methyltransferase activity. It is concluded that AdoHcy-binding activity is not confined to the plasma membranes, and a major fraction of the binding activity resides on membranes derived from the endoplasmic reticulum. Also, the present results add to previous data suggesting that phospholipid methyltransferase does not totally account for the AdoHcy-binding sites on rat liver membranes.

Inhibition of phospholipid methylation in isolated rat hepatocytes by analogues of adenosine and S-adenosylhomocysteine.

Phospholipid methylation in isolated hepatocytes was inhibited in the presence of 3-deazaadenosine (ID50=1.7 microM) 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine (ID50=6.0 microM), S-tubercidinylhomocysteine (ID50=30 microM), and 5'-deoxy-5'-isobutylthioadenosine (ID50=177 microM). A transient inhibitory effect was observed with adenosine, whereas S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine and Sinefungin were essentially without effect. The inhibition of phospholipid methylation by S-tubercidinylhomocysteine and 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine showed a lag-phase, whereas the effect of the other inhibitors was apparent within a few minutes. Cells exposed to 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine or 3-deazaadenosine accumulated large amounts of AdoHcy, and adenosine induced a transient increase in the AdoHcy level. In addition, 3-deazaadenosine served as a precursor for the formation of S-3-deazaadenosylhomocysteine, which accumulated rapidly in cells exposed to this agent. The inhibitory effects of 3-deazaadenosine, 9-beta-arabinofuranosyladenine and adenosine could be explained by the increase in total nucleosidylhomocysteine induced by these agents. In contrast, only a slight (less than 2-fold) increase in S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine content was observed in hepatocytes treated with 5'-deoxy-5'-isobutylthioadenosine, and this metabolic effect could not explain the inhibition of phospholipid methylation induced by this agent. None of the compounds tested reduced the amount nor the specific radioactivity of S-adenosylmethionine. Biological processes determining the inhibitory effects of adenosine, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine and their analogues on phospholipid methylation in intact cells are discussed.