Macroscopic and microscopic study of 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate-water mixtures.

Mixtures of 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]) and water across the entire composition range, from pure [C2mim][OAc] to pure water, have been investigated using density, viscosity, and NMR spectroscopy, relaxometry, and diffusion measurements. These results have been compared to ideal mixing laws for the microscopic data obtained from the NMR results and macroscopic data through the viscosity and density. It was also found that the mixing of the two fluids is exothermal. The proton spectra indicate though that [C2mim][OAc] and water are interacting without the formation of new compounds. The maximal deviations of experimental data from theoretical mixing rules were all found to occur within the range 0.74 ± 0.06 mol fraction of water, corresponding to approximately three water molecules per [C2mim][OAc] molecule.

Fructose and metabolic diseases: new findings, new questions.

There has been much concern regarding the role of dietary fructose in the development of metabolic diseases. This concern arises from the continuous increase in fructose (and total added caloric sweeteners consumption) in recent decades, and from the increased use of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a sweetener. A large body of evidence shows that a high-fructose diet leads to the development of obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia in rodents. In humans, fructose has long been known to increase plasma triglyceride concentrations. In addition, when ingested in large amounts as part of a hypercaloric diet, it can cause hepatic insulin resistance, increased total and visceral fat mass, and accumulation of ectopic fat in the liver and skeletal muscle. These early effects may be instrumental in causing, in the long run, the development of the metabolic syndrome. There is however only limited evidence that fructose per se, when consumed in moderate amounts, has deleterious effects. Several effects of a high-fructose diet in humans can be observed with high-fat or high-glucose diets as well, suggesting that an excess caloric intake may be the main factor involved in the development of the metabolic syndrome. The major source of fructose in our diet is with sweetened beverages (and with other products in which caloric sweeteners have been added). The progressive replacement of sucrose by HFCS is however unlikely to be directly involved in the epidemy of metabolic disease, because HFCS appears to have basically the same metabolic effects as sucrose. Consumption of sweetened beverages is however clearly associated with excess calorie intake, and an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases through an increase in body weight. This has led to the recommendation to limit the daily intake of sugar calories.

SL25.1131 [3(S),3a(S)-3-methoxymethyl-7-[4,4,4-trifluorobutoxy]-3,3a,4,5-tetrahydro-1,3-oxazolo[3,4-a]quinolin-1-one], a new, reversible, and mixed inhibitor of monoamine oxidase-A and monoamine oxidase-B: biochemical and behavioral profile.

SL25.1131 [3(S),3a(S)-3-methoxymethyl-7-[4,4,4-trifluorobutoxy]-3,3a,4,5-tetrahydro-1,3-oxazolo[3,4-a]quinolin-1-one] is a new, nonselective, and reversible monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor, belonging to a oxazoloquinolinone series. In vitro studies showed that SL25.1131 inhibits rat brain MAO-A and MAO-B with IC50 values of 6.7 and 16.8 nM and substrate-dependent Ki values of 3.3 and 4.2 nM, respectively. In ex vivo conditions, the oral administration of SL25.1131 induced a dose-dependent inhibition of MAO-A and MAO-B activities in the rat brain with ED50 values of 0.67 and 0.52 mg/kg, respectively. In the rat brain, duodenum, and liver, the inhibition of MAO-A and MAO-B by SL25.1131 (3.5 mg/kg p.o.) was reversible, and the recovery of MAO-A and MAO-B activities was complete 16 h after administration. SL25.1131 (3.5 mg/kg p.o.) increased tissue levels of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine and decreased levels of their deaminated metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, homovanillic acid, and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid. In mice, SL25.1131 induced a dose-dependent potentiation of 5-hydroxytryptophan-induced tremors and phenylethylamine-induced stereotypies with ED50 values of 0.60 and 2.8 mg/kg p.o., respectively. SL25.1131 was able to reestablish normal striatal dopaminergic tone and locomotor activity in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-lesioned mice. In addition, when coadministered with L-DOPA, SL25.1131 increased the available DA in the striatum and the duration of L-DOPA-induced hyperactivity. The duration of the effect of L-DOPA on circling behavior in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats was also increased. The neurochemical profile of SL25.1131 demonstrates that this compound is a mixed, potent, and reversible MAO-A/B inhibitor in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo. SL25.1131 has therapeutic potential as a symptomatic treatment during the early phase of Parkinson's disease and as an adjunct to L-DOPA therapy during the early and late phases of the disease.

Comparison between the ventricular fibrillation thresholds of spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats--investigation of antidysrhythmic drugs.

Induction of ventricular fibrillation by intraventricular electric pulses is achieved with weaker currents in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) than in normotensive rats of the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) or Sprague-Dawley (SD) strains. The ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) is stable with time in SHR but not in WKY. Investigation of antidysrhythmic agents in SHR showed that most substances with membrane-stabilizing properties increase the VFT. There was no correlation between the elevation of VFT and the decrease in heart rate induced by the substances studied. Determination of the VFT in SHR may be useful for the screening of compounds with membrane-stabilizing properties.