Diglucosyl-glycerolipids from the marine sponge-associated Bacillus pumilus strain AAS3: their production, enzymatic modification and properties.

The marine strain Bacillus pumilus strain AAS3, isolated from the Mediterranean sponge Acanthella acuta, produced a diglucosyl-glycerolipid, 1,2-O-diacyl-3-[beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-6)-beta-glucopyranosyl)]glycerol, with 14-methylhexadecanoic acid and 12-methyltetradecanoic acid as the main fatty acid moieties (GGL11). On a 30 l scale, using artificial seawater supplemented with glucose (20 g/l), yeast extract (10 g/l), and suitable nitrogen/phosphate sources, growth-associated glycoglycerolipid production reached its maximum yield of 90 mg/l after 11 h. Lipase-catalyzed modification of the native substance led to the deacylated parent compound (GG11), which could be reacylated using the same enzyme system to afford a new dipentenoyl-diglucosylglycerol (GGL12) as the major product upon addition of 4-pentenoic acid to the medium. GGL11 decreased the surface tension of water from 72 mN/m to 29 mN/m and the interfacial tension of the water/ n-hexadecane system from 44 to 5 mN/m. Anti-tumor-promoting studies on this class of diglucosyl glycerol products showed that the carbohydrate/glycerol backbone (GG11) has a more potent inhibitory activity than the acylated compounds. The diglucosyl-glycerol GG11 strongly inhibited growth of the tumor cell lines HM02 and Hep G2 (50% inhibition at approximately 1 microg/ml), while the glycerolipids GGL11 and GGL12 were less active or had no effect.

Serum levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) in liver disease.

We investigated the serum level of macrophage colony stimulating factor in acute and chronic liver disease. Levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor (mean +/- SD, ng/ml) were significantly higher in acute hepatitis (5.67 +/- 1.01, p < 0.01) and chronic active hepatitis (3.34 +/- 1.19, p < 0.01) than in healthy volunteers (1.90 +/- 0.25), asymptomatic hepatitis B virus carriers (1.98 +/- 0.40), and chronic persistent hepatitis (2.34 +/- 0.43). Levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor showed a highly significant correlation with the serum alanine aminotransferase levels in acute hepatitis (p < 0.01, rs = 0.903) and in chronic active hepatis (p < 0.01, rs = 0.672). Levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor in patients with cirrhosis (cirrhosis; 3.11 +/- 0.93 and hepatocellular carcinoma; 3.30 +/- 0.74) were significantly higher than in patients with chronic persistent hepatitis although the alanine aminotransferase levels were not significantly different. In cirrhosis, levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor correlated positively with the serum alanine aminotransferase levels (p < 0.05), total bilirubin levels (p < 0.05), and indocyanine green clearance (p < 0.05). An immunohistochemical study showed an increased number of macrophage colony stimulating factor positive mononuclear cells in portal areas in acute hepatitis. Our findings suggest that; (a) the serum levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor represent ongoing hepatocellular necrosis in acute and chronic liver disease, (b) the source of the increase in the serum macrophage colony stimulating factor levels in hepatic inflammation may be, in part, its production by infiltrating mononuclear cells in the liver, and (c) cirrhosis also causes elevated serum levels of macrophage colony stimulating factor.

Elevated interleukin-6 and gamma-globulin during interferon therapy of hepatitis B.

A 49-yr-old man with chronic hepatitis B manifested hypergammaglobulinemia, lymphadenopathy, and a high serum interleukin-6 level following treatment with recombinant human alpha-interferon. One month later, when the patient was treated with natural beta-interferon, serum levels of interleukin-6 and gamma-globulin increased again. The serum gamma-globulin decreased to the pretreatment level after discontinuation of interferon therapy. The serum alanine aminotransferase level remained normal for 6 months. In this case, hypergammaglobulinemia and lymphadenopathy, as well as the elevated serum interleukin-6 level, were considered to be signs of highly enhanced humoral immunity related to alpha- and beta-interferon therapy.