Morphometric characterization of the neuromuscular junction of rodents intoxicated with 2,4-dithiobiuret: evidence that nerve terminal recycling processes contribute to muscle weakness.

2,4-Dithiobiuret (DTB) causes ascending motor weakness when given chronically to rodents. In muscles of animals with DTB-induced weakness, quantal release of acetylcholine (ACh) is impaired. We examined in detail the structural changes that occurred at neuromuscular junctions and their associated Schwann cells of extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of male rats treated with DTB to the onset of muscle weakness, 5-8 days. Our objective was to assess the involvement of the Schwann cells and to determine the most likely primary targets of DTB. At the onset of muscle weakness, nerve terminals exhibited some enlarged regions, but did not sprout. Terminal Schwann cells became flatter and expanded to cover most of the endplate. The extent of invasion of the synaptic cleft by Schwann cell processes was not significantly different from controls; extension of Schwann cell sprouts away from the junction was not seen. Thus, the morphology of the Schwann cells, although clearly affected by DTB, does not suggest that they contribute directly to the physiological defects of DTB-treated terminals. Abnormal tubulovesicular structures or tangles of neurofilaments were clustered in the centers of about 25% of treated terminals. Fewer synaptic vesicles occupied the region opposite the postsynaptic folds. Vesicle volumes were variable and included some very large vesicles, corresponding with the variable MEPP amplitudes reported previously for terminals of DTB-treated rodents. The postsynaptic area stained by rhodamine-labeled alpha-bungarotoxin expanded with terminal swelling, apparently by unpleating of the postsynaptic folds. No loss of ACh receptors or spread of ACh receptors beyond terminal boundaries was detected. Morphometric data are consistent with the conclusion that DTB affects, either directly or indirectly, vesicular release of ACh and the subsequent vesicular recycling process.

Potentiation of alpha-naphthyl thiourea-induced lung injury by prostaglandin E1 and platelet depletion.

alpha-Naphthyl thiourea ( ANTU ) produces pulmonary endothelial injury, pulmonary edema, and pleural effusions in rats in a dose-dependent manner. Since prostaglandins of the E series have been shown to modulate inflammatory responses in vivo and neutrophil and platelet function in vitro we investigated the effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on ANTU -induced lung injury. Systemic administration of 15-(S)-15-methyl-PGE1 (15-M-PGE1), a stable analog of PGE1, potentiated lung injury induced by ANTU in a dose- and time-dependent manner. 15-M-PGE1 (1 mg/kg, subcutaneously) administered 1 hour prior to ANTU treatment (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) resulted in a 164% increase (p less than 0.001) in pleural effusion formation and a 42% increase (p less than 0.02) in wet lung weight at 4 hours after ANTU administration. This was associated with increased pulmonary endothelial cell blebbing and gap formation with a decrease in the number of platelet thrombi in 15-M-PGE1-treated animals compared with controls. 15-(S)-15-methyl-prostaglandin F2 alpha, was less effective than 15-M-PGE1 in potentiating ANTU -induced lung injury. Platelet depletion, but not neutrophil depletion, also potentiated ANTU -induced lung injury, suggesting a protective role for platelets. Platelets isolated from 15-M-PGE1-treated animals demonstrated an approximately 50% decreased aggregation response to adenosine diphosphate. 15-M-PGE1 (1 mg/kg) treatment combined with platelet depletion resulted in a 1.7-fold increase (p less than 0.01) in pleural effusions in ANTU -treated (1 mg/kg) animals compared with platelet depletion alone. These studies indicate that systemic treatment of rats with 15-M-PGE1 will potentiate ANTU -induced lung injury. This injury may be in part secondary to the ability of 15-M-PGE1 to inhibit platelet function. However, platelet depletion studies suggest that 15-M-PGE1 has additional effects, possibly on endothelial cells and/or vascular smooth muscle cells that contribute to the potentiation of ANTU -induced lung injury.

Effect of toxic thioureas on resistance of rats to growth in the lungs of intravenously and intratracheally seeded tumour cells.

Clonogenic growth (colony-forming efficiency, CFE) of i.v. injected allogeneic W256 tumour cells in the lungs was markedly enhanced by treatment of rats with alpha-naphthyl thiourea (ANTU) injected i.p. from 2 h before to 2 h after the tumour cells. ANTU specifically increases pulmonary vascular permeability in adult rats and causes acute pulmonary oedema and pleural effusion. Inhibition of drug toxicity to the lungs by tachyphylaxis, specific antimetabolites or iodides did not abolish the effect of ANTU on CFE. CFE was not increased when cells were seeded by i.v. injection the lungs affected by advanced pulmonary oedema at 6 to 24 h after treatment with drug. ANTU did not enhance growth of intratracheally injected cells. Although ANTU has no cytotoxic or immunosuppressive action, treatment of tumour-immunized rats with ANTU caused apparent "breakdown" of tumour immunity in 50% of rats, by causing growth of tumour colonies in the lungs. Possible mechanisms for the ANTU-induced decrease in innate resistance to growth of tumour in the lungs are discussed.

Studies on the mechanism of toxicity and of development of tolerance to the pulmonary toxin, alpha-naphthylthiourea (ANTU).

The in vivo administration of the radiolabeled lung toxin alpha-naphthylthiourea (ANTU) to rats leads to the covalent binding of radioactivity to the macromolecules of the lung and liver. In contrast, very little radioactivity is bound in these organs when an equal amount of the 14C-labeled oxygen analog of ANTU, 14C-alpha-naphthylurea (ANU), is administered. In addition, ANU is essentially nontoxic to rats. ANTU is metabolized in vitro by lung and liver microsomes to an intermediate which covalently binds to the macromolecules of the microsomes. This covalent binding, which requires NADPH, leads to a decrease in mixed-function oxidase activity and to a decrease in the level of cytochrome P-450 detectable as its carbon monoxide complex. Incubation of microsomes with ANTU in the absence of NADPH or with ANU in the presence of NADPH, has no effect on these parameters. Pretreatment of rats with small nonlethal doses of ANTU daily for 5 days brings about a decrease in the activity of the mixed-function oxidase enzyme system in the lung which metabolizes parathion. In addition, this pretreatment decreases the toxicity of ANTU and leads to a decrease in the amount of radioactivity bound to the macromolecules of the lung when the animals are given a lethal dose of 35S-ANTU. These data suggest that the lung toxicity of ANTU is brought about by its metabolic activation and covalent binding to lung macromolecules.

Effects of intratracheal instillation of dactinomycin on pulmonary edema and phosphatase activity of the lung lavage fluid in rats.

Intratracheal (i.t.) administration of protein synthesis inhibitors produced pulmonary edema. Of those inhibitors studied, dactinomycin (act. D) was the most potent. Severity of lung damage due to act. D was dose- and almost age-related. Maximal intensity of pulmonary edema was reached on the 3rd day following administration and remained constant for 14 days. Histopathological studies revealed confluent edema of the entire lung. Pretreatment with act D induced tolerance to an LD100 edematogenic dose of thiourea. The effects of i.t. instillation of act. D appear to be localized in the pulmonary tissue. Lung lavage fluid collected from drug-treated rats had higher acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, higher protein content and more leukocyte infiltration than that of control.