ABSTRACT
Lipid A in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli mutant strains was modified by the introduction of myristoyltransferase gene cloned from Klebsiella pneumoniae. When the gene was introduced into the mutant having lipid A containing only 3-hydroxymyristic acids, it produced lipid A with two additional myristic acids (C14:0 ). When the same gene was introduced into the mutant with pentaacylated lipid A containing one lauric acid (C12:0 ), C12:0 was replaced by C14:0 . IL-6-inducing activity of LPS with modified lipid A structure suggested that C12:0 in lipid A could be replaced by C14:0 without changing the immunostimulating activity.
Subject(s)
Escherichia coli/genetics , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Klebsiella pneumoniae/genetics , Lipid A/chemistry , Fatty Acids/chemistry , Interleukin-6/metabolism , Lauric Acids/chemistry , Myristic Acids/metabolism , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization , Transformation, GeneticABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to describe the current state of smoking and alcohol drinking among pregnant women, and assess the factors related to smoking behavior during pregnancy. METHODS: Subjects were mothers whose children had undergone 4-month checkups publicly provided by Kyoto City in February 2007. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey about their smoking and alcohol drinking behavior was conducted. Chi-square tests and a logistic regression analysis were carried out to assess the factors related to smoking behavior during pregnancy. RESULTS: Out of a total of 999, 722 questionnaires were returned (response rate, 72.3%). Usable questionnaires were 689 (available response rate, 69.0%). The prevalence levels of alcohol drinking during prenatal, pregnant and postnatal periods were 55.9%, 9.1%, 22.1%, respectively. In 586 breast feeding mothers, the prevalence of alcohol drinking was 19.5%. The percentages of women smoking during prenatal, pregnant and postnatal periods were 23.4%, 7.5%, 9.0%, respectively. Out of prenatal smokers, the rate of quit smoking taking advantage of pregnancy was 67.7%. The prevalence of their husbands' smoking was 43.1%. Logistic regression analysis showed that "young age (<25 years)", "drinking alcohol during pregnancy" and "passive smoking due to their husbands" were significantly related to smoking during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Maternal smoking and alcohol drinking are important public health problems. The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy was found to be especially high in young women, and some pregnant women could not quit smoking. Approximately half of pregnant women were exposed to passive smoking. The prevalence of alcohol drinking during pregnancy was high in women aged more than 40 years. It is necessary to give knowledge about obstetric and perinatal complications of smoking and alcohol drinking for childbearing-age women, and provide support help quit smoking and alcohol drinking giving due consideration to age.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Pregnancy , Smoking/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Japan/epidemiology , Prevalence , Smoking CessationABSTRACT
We discovered that a seaweed sporophyll-derived polysaccharide of brown alga, Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) bound to monocytes and attracted them in vitro and in vivo. Physicochemical properties, affinity to a lectin-bead column and sugar composition of the chemotactic polysaccharide indicated this molecule to be a highly sulfated fucogalactan. We then identified the monocyte receptor of the sulfated fucogalactan as the elastin peptide receptor by prophylactic inhibition of the binding and the chemoattraction with lactose and the synthetic elastin peptide, Val-Gly-Val-Ala-Pro-Gly. We assume that the galactose-binding lectin, which is a component of the elastin peptide receptor complex, would recognize a Gal residue of the sulfated fucogalactan. We also observed a similar chemoattracting polysaccharide in a pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans, although the content of it was much lower than in the case of seaweed sporophyll. We speculate that the chemotactic response of monocytes to the sulfated fucogalactan is part of the innate immune system to fungal infection.
Subject(s)
Candida albicans/chemistry , Chemotactic Factors/immunology , Chemotaxis, Leukocyte , Monocytes/immunology , Polysaccharides/immunology , Receptors, Cell Surface/immunology , Seaweed/chemistry , Animals , Candida albicans/immunology , Cells, Cultured , Chemotactic Factors/chemistry , Chemotactic Factors/isolation & purification , Female , Guinea Pigs , Humans , Male , Phaeophyceae/chemistry , Phaeophyceae/immunology , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/immunology , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Polysaccharides/chemistry , Polysaccharides/isolation & purification , Protein Binding , Seaweed/immunologyABSTRACT
Inhibitory effects of extracts from peels of Citrus natsudaidai (natsumikan) encapsulated in hybrid liposomes (HL) composed of L-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate on the growth of tumor cells were examined. The extracts with lower polar solvents inhibited the growth of B-16 mouse melanoma and human lung carcinoma cells, although the extracts with higher polar solvents showed no antitumor activity. In particular, the inhibitory effects of extracts with lower polar solvents encapsulated in HL were enhanced as compared with those of free extracts. Fluorescence microscopic analysis indicated that the HL including petroleum ether extracts induced apoptosis in B-16 mouse melanoma cells. On the other hand, the viability of normal human fibroblast cells was even less affected by the extracts of natsumikan. These results suggest that hydrophobic antitumor agents should be present in peels of natsumikan.
