Biomedical subjects

C Sternini

Publications and source records attributed to C Sternini.

100 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMed1980

Serum immunoreactive trypsin in type IV hyperlipoproteinemia.

Serum immunoreactive trypsin (IRT) under basal conditions and after pancreatic stimulation with secretin was studied in 10 patients with type IV hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP) and in 10 control subjects. No significant difference was observed between basal values of the two groups (p = NS). The increase of serum IRT was already significant 5 minutes after secretin administration (p < 0.01) and persisted with significance for one hour in both groups. The integrated trypsin output (ITO) was significantly greater in type IV HLP than in controls (510.3 +/- 17.8 and 72.2 +/ 17.6 respectively, mean +/- SEM, p < 0.0125). Only 2 (20%) of 10 patients with HLP had an ITO in the range of the controls. No significant correlation was found between ITO and triglyceride levels (p = NS). The response of serum IRT to secretin in HLP patients appears comparable to that observed in alcoholics and in patients with chronic pancreatitis with mild to moderate exocrine dysfunction, in whom there may be an abnormal regurgitation of trypsin-like material into the blood stream after secretin stimulation, probably due to an obstruction to pancreatic secretory flow. A similar obstructive mechanism may be hypothesized also in patients with HLP, but no data concerning the exocrine pancreatic secretion and the histological features of the pancreas are available to confirm this hypothesis.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Effect of cimetidine on trypsin-like immunoreactivity in serum.

Serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI) was studied after administration of secretin (GIH, 75 CU i.v.) in 10 alcoholics and in 3 patients with type IV hyperlipoproteinemia. A significant increase of TLI was observed after secretin administration and persisted throughout the test. In order to assess the possibility of an acid-sensitive effect, the test was repeated on a different day, one hour after the administration of cimetidine (400 mg. p.o.). Cimetidine did not affect serum TLI for one hour, but did reduce significantly the response of serum TLI to injection of secretin (p < 0.01). Some studies were performed, which failed to show any effect of cimetidine on pancreatic exocrine function. However, they were based on the measurement of pancreatic secretion into the duodenum, which required aspiration of gastric secretion from the stomach before entering the duodenum. Therefore, the reduction of TLI response to injection of secretin may be tentatively attributed to the inhibition of gastric acid secretion and delivery to the duodenum caused by cimetidine. If an endogenous acid-sensitive mechanism is involved, it is unlikely to be mediated by secretin.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Structural characterization of calcitonin gene-related peptide purified from rabbit intestine.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactive material has been found in extracts of the intestine, however, the structure of intestinal CGRP is not known. Analytical reverse phase HPLC and ion-exchange FPLC revealed one predominant immunoreactive CGRP peak in rabbit intestinal extracts. This material was purified from rabbit intestine by sequential steps of reverse phase HPLC and ion-exchange FPLC. Microsequence and mass spectral analysis of the purified peptide and its chymotryptic fragments were consistent with the structure: GCNTATCVTHRLAGLLSRSGGMVKSNFVPTNVGSEAF-amide. Rabbit intestinal CGRP is identical to human CGRP-II in 35 of 37 amino acid residues. Two amino acid differences were detected at position 1, with Gly in rabbit CGRP instead of Ala in human CGRP-II, and at position 35, with Glu instead of Lys, respectively. Rabbit CGRP differed from human CGRP-I by three additional amino acids at positions 3, 22, and 25. This report shows that a CGRP form which closely resembles human CGRP-II, by means of chemical characterization, is the predominant form in rabbit intestine. Rabbit CGRP is the only CGRP form which has Gly as the amino terminal amino acid. Since the amino terminus of CGRP seems to be important for expression of bioactivity, the biological activity of rabbit CGRP may differ from human, rat and porcine CGRP.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Selective ablation of spinal afferent neurons containing CGRP attenuates gastric hyperemic response to acid.

The gastric mucosa, in particular submucosal blood vessels, are innervated by afferent neurons containing neuropeptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide. Stimulation of sensory neurons innervating the gastric mucosa increases submucosal blood flow. Since sensory neurons supplying the stomach are of dual origin from nodose and dorsal root ganglia, we examined the effect of selective ablation of either the vagal or spinal sensory innervation to the upper gastrointestinal tract on the increase in gastric mucosal blood flow in response to acid back diffusion into the gastric mucosa. Perineural application of capsaicin to the celiac/superior mesenteric ganglia, but not to the vagus nerves, significantly inhibited by 53% the hyperemic response to acid back diffusion. Tissue levels of immunoreactive calcitonin gene-related peptide in the gastric corpus were significantly reduced (by 73%) by periceliac capsaicin treatment, but unaffected by perivagal capsaicin treatment. These data suggest that spinal capsaicin-sensitive afferents containing calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity are involved in mediating increases in gastric mucosal blood flow. This increase in gastric mucosal blood flow mediated by sensory neurons may act as a protective mechanism against mucosal injury, similar to responses seen in other tissues such as skin.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tissue distribution and innervation pattern of peptide immunoreactivities in the rat pancreas.

The distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P/tachykinin (SP/TK), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) immunreactivities (IR) in the rat pancreas was investigated using radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemistry. CGRP, NPY and VIP tissue contents are much higher than GRP and SP/TK concentrations. Peptide-containing nerves are distributed to both the exocrine and endocrine pancreas. However, differences exist in terms of density and targets of innervation for each peptidergic system. In the acini and through the stroma, fibers IR for CGRP, NPY and VIP are greater than GRP- and SP/TK-containing processes. The vasculature is supplied by a prominent NPY, CGRP and, to a lesser extent, SP/TK innervation. VIP-IR is found occasionally, and GRP-IR is never detected, in fibers associated with blood vessels. Around ducts, CGRP- and NPY-positive neurites are greater than SP/TK- greater than or equal to VIP-IR fibers, whereas GRP-containing nerves are not visualized. In the islets, the density of peptidergic nerves is: VIP-, GRP- greater than or equal to CGRP-IR greater than NPY or SP/TK. In intrapancreatic ganglia. VIP- and, to a lesser extent, NPY-IRs are found in numerous neuronal cell bodies and in nerve fibers; GRP-IR is present in numerous nerve processes and in few cell bodies; CGRP- and SP/TK-IRs are detected only in fibers wrapping around unlabeled ganglion cells. The majority of CGRP-IR fibers contain SP/TK-IR. The existence of differential patterns of peptidergic nerves suggests that peptides exert their effects on pancreatic functions via different pathways.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the cat neocortex: evidence for a sparse but widespread network of immunoreactive fibers.

The morphology, and laminar and topographic distribution of fibers containing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactivity were studied by light and electron microscopic methods in the cerebral cortex of adult cats using a rabbit antiserum raised against the C-terminal region of the rat alpha-CGRP. At the light microscopic level, a sparse number of CGRP-positive fibers were observed in the frontal, parietal, and occipital cortices. They showed numerous irregularly spaced varicosities, were mostly oriented vertically, and in rare cases gave rise to boutons terminaux as they ascended toward the pial surface. At the border between layers I and II, they branched into horizontal fibers that could be followed for several hundred microns in layer I and gave rise to terminal clusters of boutons. In some sections, CGRP-positive fibers were seen in close association with blood vessels. At the electron microscopic level, CGRP immunoreactivity was found in axon terminals containing few mitochondria and clear synaptic vesicles. CGRP-positive axon terminals were very sparse, and mainly of small size. The majority formed conventional synapses, all of the asymmetric type. CGRP-positive fibers showed an uneven topographic distribution through the cortical mantle, with the frontal areas exhibiting the highest density and the occipital cortex the lowest. These results show that CGRP-containing axons are more widely distributed than previously thought since they were observed in all the cortical areas examined, and cast some doubts on the hypothesis that the functional role of this peptide is restricted to the processing of visceral sensory information.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied