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A Winiski

Publications and source records attributed to A Winiski.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

A novel anti-inflammatory drug, SDZ ASM 981, for the treatment of skin diseases: in vitro pharmacology.

SDZ ASM 981, a novel ascomycin macrolactam derivative, has high anti-inflammatory activity in animal models of allergic contact dermatitis and shows clinical efficacy in atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis and psoriasis, after topical application. Here we report on the in vitro activities of this promising new drug. SDZ ASM 981 inhibits the proliferation of human T cells after antigen-specific or non-specific stimulation. It downregulates the production of Th1 [interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-gamma] and Th2 (IL-4, IL-10) type cytokines after antigen-specific stimulation of a human T-helper cell clone isolated from the skin of an atopic dermatitis patient. SDZ ASM 981 inhibits the phorbol myristate acetate/phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated transcription of a reporter gene coupled to the human IL-2 promoter in the human T-cell line Jurkat and the IgE/antigen-mediated transcription of a reporter gene coupled to the human tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha promoter in the murine mast-cell line CPII. It does not, however, affect the human TNF-alpha promoter controlled transcription of a reporter gene in a murine dendritic cell line (DC18 RGA) after stimulation via the FcgammaRIII receptor. SDZ ASM 981 also prevents the release of preformed pro-inflammatory mediators from mast cells, as shown in the murine cell line CPII after stimulation with IgE/antigen. In summary, these results demonstrate that SDZ ASM 981 is a specific inhibitor of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines from T cells and mast cells in vitro.

Animals↗

SDZ 281-977: a modified partial structure of lavendustin A that exerts potent and selective antiproliferative activities in vitro and in vivo.

The chemical derivatization of biologically active microbial metabolites continues to be a promising approach to the identification of new drugs. We recently synthesized the novel antiproliferative compound SDZ 281-977, 5-[2-(2,5-dimethoxy-phenyl)ethyl]-2-hydroxy-benzoic acid methylester, a derivative of the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor lavendustin A. Here we report on our studies of the anticancer efficacy and the mode of action of SDZ 281-977. The growth of both the human pancreatic tumor cells MIA PaCa-2 and the human vulvar carcinoma cells A431 was inhibited in the low micromolar range. Tumors from these cells were induced in nude mice and were shown to respond to orally or intravenously administered SDZ 281-977. In contrast, no antitumor effect was detected in rats bearing dimethylbenzanthracene-induced mammary tumors. Studies in mice indicated that SDZ 281-977 was neither immunosuppressive nor hematosuppressive at doses effectively inhibiting tumor growth. Surprisingly, the mode of action of SDZ 281-977 apparently does not involve inhibition of EGF receptor tryosine kinase, because, in contrast to lavendustin A, SDZ 281-977 failed to inhibit this enzyme in a cell-free assay. The mechanism of the antiproliferative effect can be explained on a cellular level by the ability of the compound to arrest cells in mitosis. SDZ 281-977 is thus the first example of an antimitotic agent derived from the potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor lavendustin A. The therapeutic potential of SDZ 281-977 is enhanced by the fact that it is not subject to multidrug resistance, because tumor cells expressing the multidrug resistance phenotype were as sensitive to SDZ 281-977 as their nonresistant counterparts. In conclusion, SDZ 281-977 represents a novel lavendustin A derivative with potent antiproliferative properties in vitro and in vivo that may be explained on the basis of its antimitotic effects. SDZ 281-977 may be a candidate drug for the treatment of selected cancers, including those expressing the multidrug resistance phenotype.

Animals↗

An experimental test of new theoretical models for the electrokinetic properties of biological membranes. The effect of UO2++ and tetracaine on the electrophoretic mobility of bilayer membranes and human erythrocytes.

For a large smooth particle with charges at the surface, the electrophoretic mobility is proportional to the zeta potential, which is related to the charge density by the Gouy-Chapman theory of the diffuse double layer. This classical model adequately describes the dependence of the electrophoretic mobility of phospholipid vesicles on charge density and salt concentration, but it is not applicable to most biological cells, for which new theoretical models have been developed. We tested these new models experimentally by measuring the effect of UO2++ on the electrophoretic mobility of model membranes and human erythrocytes in 0.15 M NaCl at pH 5. We used UO2++ for these studies because it should adsorb specifically to the bilayer surface of the erythrocyte and should not change the density of fixed charges in the glycocalyx. Our experiments demonstrate that it forms high-affinity complexes with the phosphate groups of several phospholipids in a bilayer but does not bind significantly to sialic acid residues. As observed previously, UO2++ adsorbs strongly to egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles: 0.1 mM UO2++ changes the zeta potential of PC vesicles from 0 to +40 mV. It also has a large effect on the electrophoretic mobility of vesicles formed from mixtures of PC and the negative phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS): 0.1 mM UO2++ changes the zeta potential of PC/PS vesicles (10 mol % PS) from -13 to +37 mV. In contrast, UO2++ has only a small effect on the electrophoretic mobility of either vesicles formed from mixtures of PC and the negative ganglioside GM1 or erythrocytes: 0.1 mM UO2++ changes the apparent zeta potential of PC/GM1 vesicles (17 mol % GM1) from -11 to +5 mV and the apparent zeta potential of erythrocytes from -12 to -4 mV. The new theoretical models suggest why UO2++ has a small effect on PC/GM1 vesicles and erythrocytes. First, large groups (e.g., sugar moieties) protruding from the surface of the PC/GM1 vesicles and erythrocytes exert hydrodynamic drag. Second, charges at the surface of a particle (e.g., adsorbed UO2++) exert a smaller effect on the mobility than charges located some distance from the surface (e.g., sialic acid residues).

Electrophoresis↗