Biomedical subjects

Daiva Majiene

Publications and source records attributed to Daiva Majiene.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Influence of propolis water solution on heart mitochondrial function.

The effect of propolis water solution (PWS) on the respiration of rat heart mitochondria with NAD-linked (pyruvate + malate), FAD-linked (succinate) substrates and fatty acids (palmitoyl-L-carnitine) was investigated in this study. PWS at the lowest concentration of 4 microg mL(-1) of phenolic compounds (PC) had no effect on mitochondrial respiration with all investigated substrates. PWS at concentrations of 63 and 125 microg mL(-1) of PC caused a significant decrease of basal (24 and 54%) and maximal (58 and 70%) respiration rates with succinate as substrate. At these PWS concentrations the oxidation of pyruvate + malate and palmitoyl-L-carnitine was diminished to a lower degree: the basal respiration rate decreased by 13-18% and the maximal respiration rate by 15-28%. Succinate oxidation was affected, probably because of the inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase by the 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid esters found in PWS. The PWS-caused decrease in the mitochondrial respiration rate with pyruvate + malate and fatty acids could be due to diminished activities of respiratory chain complexes and/or ADP/ATP translocator.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

[Investigation of chemical composition of propolis extract].

Propolis is a natural product, produced by bees and containing exudates from plants, mixed with bee wax. Propolis and its ethanolic extract are usually used for treatment and prevention of different diseases. Propolis has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic and immunomodulating properties. Till now there is no data about chemical composition of Lithuanian propolis. Thus, the aim of our work was to investigate the chemical composition of Lithuanian propolis and its ethanolic extract by using gas chromatography / mass spectrometry. We found, that the main structural types of compounds were terpenoids, aromatic and aliphatic acid esters. The most of terpenoids were mono- and sesquiterpens: azulene, alpha-bisabolol, citral, valerenol, etc. Thus, our data show, that the composition of propolis is various and depends on the origin of plants, from where propolis was collected.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytochrome C effect on respiration of heart mitochondria: influence of various factors.

The effect of exogenous cytochrome c on respiration rate of the rat and human heart mitochondria was assessed in situ, using permeabilized fibers. It was (i) much more pronounced in State 2 and 4 than in State 3 with all the respiratory substrates (pyruvate+malate, succinate, palmitoyl-CoA+carnitine and octanoyl-L-carnitine), (ii) different with different substrates, (iii) much higher after ischemia in both metabolic states, particularly in the case of succinate oxidation compared to pyruvate+malate, (iv) the highest in State 4 with succinate as a substrate. Similar results were obtained with the isolated rat and rabbit heart mitochondria. The differences in the degree of stimulation of mitochondrial respiration by cytochrome c and, thus, sensitivity of cytochrome c test in evaluation of the intactness/injury of outer mitochondrial membrane are probably determined by the differences in the cytochrome c role in the control of mitochondrial respiration in the above-described conditions.

Animals↗