Total RNA extracted from a rat liver cell line (BRL 3A) that synthesizes rat insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) was translated in a reticulocyte lysate cell-free system. Incubation of the translation products with antisera to mature rat IGF-II (Mr 8700) selectively immunoprecipitated a Mr 21,600 protein. We propose that this protein represents pre-pro-IGF-II.

The in vitro inactivation of gentamicin by carbenicillin and a new semisynthetic penicillin, ticarcillin (BRL 2288), has been demonstrated. Gentamicin half-lives have been studied in eight patients with end-stage renal failure, and a 25 to 74% reduction in half-life has resulted from the concomitant administration of therapeutic doses of carbenicillin and ticarcillin.

The TLR4/NF-κB pathway had important roles in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, we reported a protective effect of curcumin against hepatic I/R injury via TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Curcumin significantly inhibited cell apoptosis, and decreased levels of LDH and production of TNF-a, IL-1b, and IL-6 in the cell supernatant. In addition, curcumin ameliorated elevated TLR4 and NF-...

All-trans retinoic acid (RA), which was recently identified as a morphogen, affects gap junctional permeability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In five different established mammalian cell lines (FL, BRL, BICR/M1Rk, HEL37, BT5C1) 100 mumol/liter RA reduced Lucifer yellow spreading within 30 min to 20-50% of the control. Ionic coupling, however, remained almost unaffected under the same co...

Stress can trigger the relapse of drug use in recovering cocaine addicts and reinstatement in rodent models through mechanisms that may involve norepinephrine release and β-adrenergic receptor activation. The present study examined the role of β-adrenergic receptor subtypes in the stressor-induced reinstatement of extinguished cocaine-induced (15 mg/kg i.p.) conditioned place preference in mice...

Epinephrine plays a key role in the control of vasomotor tone; however, the participation of the NO/cGMP pathway in response to beta-adrenoceptor activation remains controversial. To evaluate the involvement of the endothelium in the vascular response to epinephrine, we assessed NO production, endothelial NO synthase phosphorylation, and tissue accumulation of cGMP in the perfused arterial mese...

The internal mammary artery (IMA) is currently the preferred conduit for myocardial revascularization. However, pre-operative vasospasm and a hypoperfusion state during maximal exercise may limit its use as a bypass graft. The mechanism of spasm has not been clearly defined. Since β-adrenoceptor activation plays a major role in vasorelaxation, the present study was carried out to investigate th...

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common mediator of disease and organ injury. Although recent studies show that inducing mitochondrial biogenesis (MB) stimulates cell repair and regeneration, only a limited number of chemicals are known to induce MB. To examine the impact of the β-adrenoceptor (β-AR) signaling pathway on MB, primary renal proximal tubule cells (RPTC) and adult feline cardiomyocyt...

Secretion of interferon tau (IFN tau) by trophoblastic tissue has been shown to be the first embryonic signal for pregnancy recognition. Therefore we tried to derive biologically active trophoblastic tissue by in vitro techniques. Since conventional in vitro conditions for bovine embryo development were not sufficient for long-term culture, we tested more complex culture conditions, including M...