We studied the pretreatment of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) with purified preparations of the anthrax toxin components--protective antigen (PA), edema factor (EF), and lethal factor (LF)--and their effects on release of superoxide anion (O-2) after stimulation with the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP). PMN isolated in the absence of lipopolysacchar...

T-2 toxin, a trichothecene mycotoxin, is considered to be one of the most toxic compounds that are produced by molds, particularly the Fusarium species. Fusarium species have been recognized as a great agricultural problem. They occur worldwide on a variety of plant hosts and cereal grains. The aim of this study was to investigate T-2 toxin-induced liver injury using in situ perfused rat liver....

Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin (PA toxin) inhibits protein synthesis in a reticulocyte cell-free system. The inhibition requires NAD and results in a block at an elongation step of polypeptide assembly. PA toxin was found to act like diphtheria toxin fragment A. Both toxins catalyze the transfer of radioactivity from nicotinamide(U-14-C)adenine dinucleotide ((14-C)NAD) into covalent linkage with ...

BACKGROUND: Clostridium septicum has played a significant role as a causative agent of many acute fetal diseases in man and animals. Alpha- toxin is the main factor in the pathogenesis of C. septicum with hemolytic, necrotic and lethal activities. OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to evaluate alpha-toxin purification and antibody production rate against a local strain of C. septicum NH2 which ...

The characteristics of cell adsorption and pinocytotic uptake of diphtheria toxin by several mammalian cell types were studied. Purified toxin iodinated by a solid-state lactoperoxidase method provided preparations of high specific activity and unaltered biological activity. Dephtheria toxin-sensitive HEp-2 cells and guinea pig macrophage cultures were compared with resistant mouse L-929 cells....

Neutrophil infiltration of the colonic mucosa is a hallmark of Clostridium difficile toxin A-mediated enterocolitis. Macrophage-inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) is a potent neutrophil chemoattractant secreted by rat macrophages and epithelial cells in response to inflammatory stimuli. In this work, we report that administration of toxin A into rat ileal loops increased mucosal levels of MIP-2 bef...