N-(2,3-Dimercaptopropyl) phthalamidic acid (DMPA), meso-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), and 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS) are dithiol chelating agents with antidotal activity for lead, mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals. The biliary excretion of these compounds was studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats. After iv administration of DMPA, 72% of the injected dose was recovered i...

Reverse transcriptase-mediated PCR has been used to isolate two distinct metallothionein (MT) cDNA species from RNA extracted from icefish liver, namely MT-I and MT-II. Northern blot analysis with these cDNA species revealed that significant endogenous levels of MT mRNA were present in liver tissues of normal animals despite the fact that no MT protein could be found accumulating in the same ti...

Metallothionein (MT) is a protein which contains 20 cysteine residues but no aromatic amino acids. It was tested whether treatment of male rats with the hepatocarcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DENA) could ethylate nucleic acids in such a way that protein variants containing measurable amounts of aromatic amino acid residues could be isolated from the livers of treated animals. To give a low limit ...

AIM To investigate the effect of blueberry juice intake on rat liver fibrosis and its influence on hepatic antioxidant defense. METHODS Rabbiteye blueberry was used to prepare fresh juice to feed rats by daily gastric gavage. Dan-shao-hua-xian capsule (DSHX) was used as a positive control for liver fibrosis protection. Liver fibrosis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by subcutaneous inj...

In the present study, the toxic effects of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) to freshwater fish C. carpio were estimated at different median lethal concentration levels and its influences on the expression of metallothionein (MT) activity in liver and kidney were also observed. During this study, LC50 values were found to be 25.7, 27.4, 29.5, and 32 ppm for the period of 24, 48, 72, and 96 hrs respectiv...

The zinc-binding protein metallothionein (MT) is associated with resistance to apoptosis. We examined whether MT regulates the zinc-dependent antiapoptotic transcription factor nuclear factor B (NFB), which is up-regulated under many conditions that lead to elevated MT expression. NFB protein levels and NFB-dependent reporter gene activity were examined in clonal MT( ) (MT-WT) and MT( ) (MT-KO)...

As the limits of existing treatments for cancer are recognized, clearly novel therapies must be considered for successful treatment; cancer therapy using adenovirus vectors is a promising strategy. However tracking the biodistribution of adenovirus vectors in vivo is limited to invasive procedures such as biopsies, which are error prone, non-quantitative, and do not give a full representation o...

++Induction of metallothionein-I (MT-I) mRNA by bacterial endotoxin (LPS) was examined. A single injection of LPS induced MT-I mRNA accumulation in both liver and kidney comparable to that induced by heavy metals. Maximal message levels were achieved 6 hr after LPS administration, prior to any increase in either hepatic or renal Zn or Cu. Experiments in which LPS was administered to transgenic ...

The participation of renal metallothionein (MT) in the toxicity and antitumor activity of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cis-DDP) in male mice was examined. Preinduction of MT in the kidney by the s.c. administration of bismuth compounds decreased the lethality and renal and gastrointestinal toxicity caused by a single s.c. injection of cis-DDP. In the present study a correlation between the...