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Biomedical subjects

A O Stoppani

Publications and source records attributed to A O Stoppani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1978

Effect of beta-lapachone on superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide production in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Addition of beta-lapachone, an o-naphthoquinone endowed with trypanocidal properties to respiring Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes induced the release of O2- and H2O2 from the whole cells to the suspending medium. The same beta-lapachone concentration (4 micron) that released H2O2 at maximal rate completely inhibited T. cruzi growth in a liquid medium. The position isomer, alpha-lapachone, did not stimulate O2- and H2O2 release, and did not inhibit epimastigote growth. beta-Lapachone was able to stimulate H2O2 production by the epimastigote homogenate in the presence of NADH as reductant. The same effect was observed with the mitochondrial fraction supplemented with NADH, where beta-lapachone enhanced the generation of O2- and H2O2 4.5- and 2.5-fold respectively. beta-Lapachone also increased O2- and H2O2 production (2.5 and 2-fold respectively) by the microsomal fraction with NADPH as reductant. Cyanide-insensitive NADH and NADPH oxidation by the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions (quinone reductase activity) was stimulated to about the same extent by beta-lapachone. alpha-Lapachone was unable to increase O2- and H2O2 production and quinone reductase activity of the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Adenosine triphosphatase activities in Trypanosoma cruzi.

1. Subcellular fractions obtained from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, disrupted by three different procedures, contained in addition to the already known Mg2+-activated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase; E.C.3.6.1.4), a Ca2+-ATPase activity. 2. The Ca2+-ATPase (a) was activated by low concentrations of CaCl2 (apparent Ka, 80 microM); (b) had a Km for ATP of 0.6 mM (at 1 mM CaCl2, pH 8.0); (c) presented a broad pH curve (optimum 7.1-8.6); and (d) was insensitive to oligomycin concentrations which inhibited the Mg2+-ATPase present in the same preparations. 3. All attempts to find a (Na+-K+)-activated, ouabain-inhibited, ATPase have been unsuccessful, in spite of the fact that living epimastigoes of T. cruzi are able to concentrate K+ and exclude Na+ from the medium.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1978

Solubilization and some properties of the Mg2+-activated adenosine triphosphatase from Trypanosoma cruzi.

1. Grinding of epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi with glass powder in a mortar yielded a Mg2+-activated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) preparation which was highly sensitive to oligomycin. 2. Chloroform treatment of the particles resulted in the solubilization of an ATPase which was (a) activated by MgCl2; (b) slightly inhibited by CaCl2; (c) activated by sulphite and bisulphite; (d) had an optimum pH of 7.6; and (e) had a Km for ATP of 2.1 mM (in the presence of 4 mM MgCl2). 3. The solubilized enzyme was insensitive to oligomycin and leucinostatin, which inhibited the membrane-bound ATPase, though inhibited by efrapeptin and quercetin. 4. The results indicate that the chloroform-extracted enzyme is a soluble F1-ATPase similar to those isolated from mammalian mitochondria.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Ultrastructural and biochemical aspects of liver mitochondria during recovery from ethanol-induced alterations. Experimental evidence of mitochondrial division.

To study the morphologic and biochemical changes occuring in liver mitochondria during recovery from ethanol-induced injury, rats fed a 6-month high-alcohol regimen plus a nutritionally adequate diet which did not induce fatty liver were compared with isocalorically fed controls. After this period the alcohol-fed animals displayed striking ultrastructural changes of liver mitochondria and a decreased respiratory activity with succinate or malate-glutamate as substrate. On the contrary, the respiratory rate with I-glycerophosphate was 50% increased. Regression changes were studied after alcohol was withdrawn from the diet. Enlarged mitochondria rapidly disappeared (in 24 hours), although a few megamitochondria were still present after 8 days of abstinence. A similar recovery was observed for the functional alterations. At the end of the experimental period, only a slight decrease of the maximal respiratory rate using malate-glutamate as a substrate was noted. The ultrastructural findings and the morphometric data suggest that the way in which mitochondrial normalization takes place is based on partition of these organelles.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Hydrogen peroxide generation in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Homogenates from T. cruzi epimastigotes produced 3.4 pmoles H2O2/min 10(6) cells, as detected by the cytochrome c peroxidase assay. Addition of NADH or NADPH increased H2O2 production by a factor of 3 and 5, respectively. When supplemented with NADH and NADPH, the mitochondrial, microsomal and supernatant fractions produced H2O2, the soluble fraction and the mitochondrial membranes being apparently the main generators of H2O2. The epimastigote homogenates showed cyanide-sensitive superoxide dismutase activity, equivalent to 0.28 microgram bovine superoxide dismutase per mg homogenate protein.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Localization of peroxidase activity in Trypanosoma cruzi microbodies.

Electron microscopic observation of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes reveals the presence of microbody-like structures (microperoxisomes) in which 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) is peroxidized to electron-opaque material. The role of peroxidase in DAB peroxidation is supported by the enzyme demonstration in disrupted epimastigotes and the microbody-containing cell fractions.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Structural requirements for steroid binding and quenching of albumin fluorescence in bovine plasma albumin.

1. Steroids interact with bovine plasma albumin at a binding region that involves tryptophanyl, tyrosyl, arginyl and lysyl residues. The function of the tryptophanyl residues is demonstrated by: (a) the decrease of albumin binding affinity after modification of one tryptophanyl with 2-nitrophenylsulfenyl chloride; (b) steroid quenching of albumin tryptophanyl fluorescence; and (c) steroid quenching of 1-anilinonaphth-alene-8-sulfonate fluorescence, when it is excited by energy transfer from excited tryptophanyls. The function of tyrosyl residues is demonstrated by the decrease of albumin binding affinity after nitration of 30% tyrosyls with tetranitromethane, or deprotonation of tyrosyls by variation of pH. The function of arginyl and lysyl residues is demonstrated by the decrease of binding affinity after modification of these residues with glyoxal, formaldehyde or acetic anhydride. The presence of both apolar (Trp, Tyr and Lys (deprotonated)) and polar (Arg and Lys(protonated)) residues at the steroid binding site fits in well with the site relative apolarity, when expressed on the Kosower scale (Kosower, E.M. (1958) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80, 3253-3260). 2. The contribution of specific amino acid residues to steroid binding depends to some extent on the steroid structure, as exemplified by the quantitatively different role of arginyl (or lysyl) residues in albumin interaction with testosterone acetate and epitestosterone, respectively, or that of tyrosyl residues in albumin interaction with 11-deoxycorticosterone and epitestosterone, respectively. 3. The concerted action of polar and apolar amino acid residues is an essential requirement for steroid binding, since unfolding of albumin polypeptide chain by guanidine-HC1, urea, or by reduction of disulfide bridges with 2-mercaptoethanol, strongly decreases steroid binding to albumin while, conversely, reoxidation and refolding of the unfolded polypeptide chain restore albumin affinity for steroids. 4. Parallel determinations of steroid binding constants by equilibrium dialysis and fluorimetric titration, as well as the general pattern of the pH and temperature effects on steroid quenching of albumin fluorescence, confirm the validity of the fluorescence quenching titration as an effective method for measuring albumin-steroid molecular interactions.

Androgens↗
PubMed1976

Role of ubiquinone in the mitochondrial generation of hydrogen peroxide.

Antimycin-inhibited bovine heart submitochondrial particles generate O2- and H2O2 with succinate as electron donor. H2O2 generation involves the action of the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, in accordance with the McCord & Fridovich [(1969) j. biol. Chem. 244, 6049-6055] reaction mechanism. Removal of ubiquinone by acetone treatment decreases the ability of mitochondrial preparations to generate O2- and H2O2, whereas supplementation of the depleted membranes with ubiquinone enhances the peroxide-generating activity in the reconstituted membranes. Addition of superoxide dismutase to ubiquinone-reconstituted membranes is essential in order to obtain maximal rates of H2O2 generation since the acetone treatment of the membranes apparently inactivates (or removes) the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase. Parallel measurements of H2O2 production, succinate dehydrogenase and succinate-cytochrome c reductase activities show that peroxide generation by ubiquinone-supplemented membranes is a monotonous function of the reducible ubiquinone content, whereas the other two measured activities reach saturation at relatively low concentrations of reducible quinone. Alkaline treatment of submitochondrial particles causes a significant decrease in succinate dehydrogenase activity and succinate-dependent H2O2 production, which contrasts with the increase of peroxide production by the same particles with NADH as electron donor. Solubilized succinate dehydrogenase generates H2O2 at a much lower rate than the parent submitochondrial particles. It is postulated that ubisemiquinone (and ubiquinol) are chiefly responsible for the succinate-dependent peroxide production by the mitochondrial inner membrane.

Acetone↗