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Biomedical subjects

H Sumi

Publications and source records attributed to H Sumi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate on immunohistochemical expression of estradiol in endometrial carcinoma.

The effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) on the immunohistochemical expression of estradiol (E2) was investigated in 25 cases of endometrial carcinoma. Twenty-three cases of the endometrial carcinomas showed positive immunoreactivity for E2. The immunohistochemical expression of E2 was more intensive in carcinoma cells than in stromal cells. Although the morphologic alterations induced by MPA treatment were observed only in 2 cases who were administered more than 30,000 mg of MPA, the staining intensity in most cases appeared to decrease after the treatment. The decrease in E2 immunoreactivities of cancer cells as well as of stromal cells in Grade 1 or Grade 2 was significant. These results suggest that MPA might decrease the E2 content in endometrial carcinoma cells as well as in stromal cells.

Endometrial Neoplasms

Purification and characterization of a cystatin-type cysteine proteinase inhibitor in the human hair shaft.

We found a cysteine proteinase inhibitor in human hair shaft extract treated with 0.01 M Tris HCl buffer, pH 8.0. A yield of 0.2 mg of purified cysteine proteinase inhibitor was obtained from 86 g of hair shaft. The cysteine proteinase inhibitor had a molecular mass of 13 kDa as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It was more stable to heat and pH than most proteins and had a pI of 4.7. Immunologically, its antigenicity was the same as that of cystatin A, but differed from that of cystatin B and C, and kininogen. The amino-acid sequence of the first 30 residues from the NH terminus of the inhibitor was identical to that of cystatin A from human epidermis. Hair shaft cysteine proteinase inhibitor is thus considered to be identical to epidermal cystatin A.

Cystatins

Fibrinolytic enzymes in ascites during experimental acute pancreatitis in rats.

The ascites accumulating during acute pancreatitis contain proteases that play a role in the progression of this disease. The proteases of the fibrinolytic system in the ascites were therefore studied in experimental acute pancreatitis induced in rats. Synthetic substrate assay and the fibrin plate method revealed high activities of proteases, including plasminogen activator, in the ascites. The plasminogen activator had a mol wt of about 50,000 by zymography. The plasminogen activator adsorbed on Lys-sepharose from the ascites was observed at the 100,000 mol wt position and in the 50,000-100,000 mol wt range on zymography and appeared at the 50,000 mol wt position after treatment by concentration. Its activity was enhanced by trypsin treatment. In other experiments, when incubated homogenate of normal pancreas lacking in zymographic activity was injected intraperitoneally into healthy rats, the recovered fluid displayed lytic zones between the 100,00 and 50,000 mol wt positions. These findings suggest that the ascites contained plasminogen activator, part of which was released by intrapancreatic substances and was present in the precursor form.

Acute Disease

Effect of various polyamino acids and D- and L-amino acids on the blood fibrinolytic system.

1. Comparative additional effects of 24 commercially obtained amino acids and their derivatives were studied by the whole blood clot lysis time (WBCLT) method. D-Arg and L-Lys (greater than 50 micrograms/ml) activated the fibrinolytic system, and poly-L-Glu (mol. wt 6000-90,000) (less than 50 micrograms/ml) were less effective. 2. Poly-L-Arg, poly-L-Lys and poly-(Lys-Ala-Glu-Tyr) accelerated the TPA inhibition in the presence of human plasma. 3. For in vivo experiments, 5 mg of poly-L-Glu were given intravenously to 10 rats. 4. The shortening of WBCLT and elevation of EFA (P less than 0.01) were found after 1 hr administration. 5. The main enzymes which increased in plasma were proved to be the endogenous plasminogen activators with mol. wt higher than 70,000, by zymography.

Amino Acid Sequence

Fibrinolysis relating substances in marine creatures.

1. Extracts with physiological saline solution were obtained from about 20 species of invertebrates and seaweed. Tosyl-L-Arg-MeOH hydrolysing and fibrin plate lytic activity were detected in the invertebrates Stichopus japonicus, Crassost gigas, Tapes japonica, and Kintai-gai as well as the seaweed Codiales codium. 2. These activities were all labile against heat (at 65 degrees C for 1 hr). Except for the extract from Stichopus japonicus, lytic activities against fibrin plates with and without plasminogen were similar. 3. The extract from S. japonicus showed plasminogen activating potency as well as the existence of urokinase (UK) activity enhancing factor. 4. On the other hand, the extract of the seaweed Hizikia fusiformis showed a strong UK inhibiting activity. 5. A fraction of fibrinolytic enzyme was obtained from the extract of S. japonicus by absorption to the celite affinity chromatography. It was orally administered to rabbits at a dosage of 40 mg/kg/day. 6. Fibrinolytic activity was determined periodically on the eugloblin fraction of plasma samples collected from these animals. 7. As compared with the pretreatment value, the activity increased about 2 times (P less than 0.01) and 3 times (P less than 0.005) after 4 and 8 weeks, respectively, of the treatment. 8. After 8 weeks of treatment, the kidney of treated rabbits was extracted with 2 M KCl. The activity of tissue plasminogen activator (free-type TPA) was revealed to be enhanced significantly (P less than 0.001) in the extracts. 9. The fibrinolytic enzyme increased in the blood was recognized by zymography to be mainly the UK type plasminogen activator with mol. wt of 53,000.

Animals

A rapid and strong increase of plasminogen activator induced by experimental anaphylaxis in rabbits.

Anaphylactic shock was induced in rabbits by injecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) as an antigen. Measurements of the enzyme activities in the fibrinolytic system confirmed that a rapid and strong increase of plasminogen activator (PA) was induced during anaphylaxis. The euglobulin fibrinolytic activity (EFA) as estimated by the plasminogen-rich fibrin plate method rose significantly, peaking at 15 min after the BSA injection (when the arterial pressure was minimum). However, EFA was not detected by the plasminogen-poor fibrin plate method. The tissue-type PA (t-PA) activity using the natural substrate plasminogen increased significantly with a peak at 15 min. The amidolytic activity also simultaneously increased significantly using the t-PA substrate, H-D-Ile-Pro-Arg-pNA. The plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) activity remained at baseline levels until 30 min, but rose fourfold at 90 min. The main plasma fibrinolytic enzyme which increased in anaphylaxis was proved by zymography to be t-PA with a molecular weight (MW) of 69,000.

Amino Acid Sequence

[Short-term incubation study on inhibitory effect of chemohyperthermia against hormone-independent human prostatic carcinoma cell line (PC-3)].

The sensitivity of a hormone-independent human prostatic carcinoma cell line (PC-3) to chemohyperthermia was evaluated in vitro. The anticancer drugs used here were vincristine sulfate (VCR), peplomycin sulfate (PLM) and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP). To evaluate cytotoxicity in short-term treatment, an inhibitory test on cell survival was more useful than a test on cell proliferation. With the inhibitory test on cell survival, the relationship of the administration method was examined to obtain better cell cytotoxicity, i.e., the cells were exposed to 1) the drug and heat at 43 degrees C simultaneously, 2) the drug followed by heat, or 3) heat followed by the drug. The combined treatment with drug and heat simultaneously produced more pronounced cytotoxicity than the treatment with heat followed by drug administration. The combined effect did not result from exposure to the drug followed by heat. Of the three drugs, the action of VCR and CDDP was potentiated with heat, but PLM was not.

Bleomycin

Novel thrombolytic therapy discovered from traditional oriental medicine using the earthworm.

Since a few thousand years ago, the earthworm has been used as a drug for various diseases in China and the Far East. However, modern scientific pharmacological studies have not so far been performed. We extracted a very strong fibrinolytic enzyme from the earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus. This enzyme was heat-stable and displayed a very broad optimal pH range. Purification of the enzyme was performed and three partially purified fractions were obtained. These three fractions were further subdivided, and six purified fractions (F-I-0, 1, 2, F-II, and F-III-1,2) were finally obtained. Based on results of their enzymatic activities against various substrates, the fraction I enzymes are thought to represent chymotrypsin-like enzymes and the fraction III enzymes to represent trypsin-like enzymes. The fraction II enzyme appears to be neither a trypsin-nor chymotrypsin-like enzyme nor an elastase. We therefore designed trials for in vivo experiments on human volunteers. 120 mg of lyophilized earthworm powder was administered orally to 7 healthy volunteers (aged 28-52 years old) three times after meals every day for 17 days. Blood was withdrawn once a day before and at 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 and 17 days after commencing the administration. The fibrin degradation products (FDP) value, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen level and t-PA activities were measured in the blood. Before the administration, the t-PA antigen level was 5.6 +/- 0.38 ng/ml, and it gradually increased until the 17th day. The FDP level was increased on the 1st and 2nd day after the administration, but had decreased and normalized by the 17th day. The fibrinolytic activities also tended to show an increase during the experiment. These results suggest that earthworm powder represents a possible oral thrombolytic agent. The earthworm enzyme may thus be applicable for treating patients with thalassemia.

Administration, Oral

Unstable chromosome aberrations in bladder and renal cell carcinoma.

Structural chromosome aberrations were investigated in 18 bladder carcinoma and 14 renal cell carcinoma patients. Unstable chromosome aberrations, such as breaks, gaps, minutes, and fragments, appeared in varying proportion. Double minutes (dmin) were also observed. In bladder carcinoma, 10 kinds of aberration were observed in 38.8% of the metaphase analyzed, and, in renal cell carcinoma, 7 kinds of aberrations were observed in 15.0%. The frequency of chromosome aberrations observed, and the occurrence of dmin and of aneuploidy, were correlated positively with histopathological grade and stage. From the results obtained here, we conclude that study of chromosome aberrations should be added as one of investigations for evaluating the malignant potential of the tumors.

Aged

Acid-stable protease inhibitor in chronic phase of carrageenin-induced inflammation in rats.

The activity and kinetics of acid-stable protease inhibitor (ASPI) were investigated in the chronic phase of carrageenin-induced inflammation in rats. The ASPI activity was 19.6 +/- 3.1 units/ml in the plasma and 15.4 +/- 2.1 units/ml in the inflammatory exudate. The plasma value was significantly higher than that of the control (11.6 +/- 1.3 units/ml). A kinetics study was performed using purified and radiolabeled rat plasma ASPI, whose NH2-terminal amino acid sequence was Ala-Val-Leu-Pro-Gln-Glu-Asn-Glu-Gly-X-Gly-Ser-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ile-Thr-Gly-Th r-Leu- Lys-Lys-Glu-Asp-Ser-Asn-Gln-Leu-Lys-Tyr-Ser-Glu-Gly-Pro. The half-life of the distributive phase was 4.3 +/- 0.4 min and that of the postdistributive phase (biological half-life) was 42.2 +/- 9.2 min in inflammation. There was no significant difference compared with the values in the control (3.9 +/- 0.4 min and 40.7 +/- 6.5 min, respectively). It appeared that the increase in ASPI in inflammation was not due to prolonged excretion of the inhibitor but to an increased production of it, and ASPI was rapidly distributed to the fluids and tissues.

Amino Acid Sequence

Distribution and localization of inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor and its active component acid-stable proteinase inhibitor: comparative immunohistochemical study.

Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (ITI) is a complex that consists of three components. One of these is the acid-stable proteinase inhibitor (ASPI), which is an acute-phase reactant and a broad-spectrum inhibitor. The tissue distribution of ITI and ASPI were investigated and compared using immunohistochemical methods. ITI immunoreactivity was revealed only in the liver and plasma, while ASPI immunoreactivity was found to be distributed in the brain, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, plasma, and urine. Both immunoreactivities were demonstrated in Kupffer cells of the liver, which is thought to be an ITI-producing organ. From these results, it seems unlikely that ASPI is distributed as a part of the ITI molecule. The residual component of ITI may act as a carrier protein of ASPI, or ASPI in the tissues may be produced independently of ITI.

Alpha-Globulins

Activated fibrinolytic enzymes in the synovial fluid during acute arthritis induced by urate crystal injection in dogs.

To identify the relationship of the severity of inflammation and fibrinolytic activity in arthritis, the fibrinolytic activity of synovial fluid was studied in acute experimental arthritis induced by injecting monosodium urate crystals into dogs' knee joints. The maximum activity in the synovial fluid was observed 6 h after crystal injection. It was inferred that the fibrinolytic activity was mainly due to plasminogen activator based on fibrin plate assays, substrate specificity, inhibitor effects and zymography. On the other hand, the activity of lysosomal enzymes (beta-glucuronidase and cathepsin G) reached a peak in the synovia after 12 h. Histological examination of the synovial membrane after 12 h also showed greater inflammation than at 6 h. The peak in fibrinolytic activity preceded the peak of lysosomal enzymes and histological changes. These results suggest that an increase in fibrinolytic activity by plasminogen activator may contribute to the development of an acute inflammatory response.

Acute Disease

Rapid accumulation of plasma acid-stable trypsin inhibitor in experimental acute renal injury.

Acid-stable trypsin inhibitor (ASTI) activity was measured during experimental acute renal tubular dysfunction and glomerulonephritis in rats. A marked elevation of ASTI activity occurred at a very early stage of acute renal tubular damage, and the changes were observed prior to histological abnormalities or elevation of blood creatinine. No alteration in ASTI activity was observed at an early stage of experimental glomerulonephritis. The data obtained confirm that ASTI is excreted through the renal tubules and that the plasma ASTI concentration is very sensitive to renal tubular dysfunction.

Animals

A novel fibrinolytic enzyme extracted from the earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus.

A strong fibrinolytic enzyme was readily obtained in saline extracts of the earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus. It hydrolyzed not only plasminogen-rich fibrin plates, but also plasminogen-free fibrin plates. The average fibrinolytic activity was about 100 CU (plasmin units) or 250 IU (urokinase units)/g wet weight. The molecular weight and isoelectric point were about 20,000 and 3.4, respectively. The enzyme was heat-stable and displayed a very broad optimal pH range. DFP and SBTI strongly inhibited the enzyme, but the anti-plasmin agent, t-AMCHA, exerted little effect under the same conditions. Purification of the enzyme was performed and three partially purified fractions were obtained. These three fractions were further subdivided. The first fraction (F-I) was divided into three fractions (F-I-0, F-I-1, and F-I-2), which exhibited similar biochemical characteristics. The second fraction (F-II) could not be subdivided. The third fraction (F-III) was divided into two fractions (F-III-1 and F-III-2). Based on results for their enzymatic activities against various substrates, the fraction I enzymes are thought to represent a chymotrypsin-like enzyme and the fraction III enzymes to represent a trypsin-like enzyme. The fraction II enzyme appears to be neither a trypsin- or chymotrypsin-like enzyme nor an elastase. The amino acid compositions of the six enzymes were estimated. Compared with other serine enzymes, these enzymes contained very abundant asparagine or aspartic acid, and there was very little proline or lysine. From the above data, these enzymes are regarded as novel fibrinolytic enzymes, and we name them collectively as Lumbrokinase from the generic name of the earthworm.

Amino Acids

Carboxypeptidase activity in human urine from healthy subjects and renal disease patients.

We have attempted to estimate the carboxypeptidase activity in unconcentrated human urine by means of a colorimetric method in which Bz-Gly-Lys is employed as a substrate. Upon addition of both 1.6 mmol/l CoCl2 and 0.18 g/l bovine serum albumin to the assay solution at pH 5.6, the carboxypeptidase activity in human urine can be evaluated. Using our method, the daily excretion of carboxypeptidase in both healthy subjects and patients with renal diseases has been examined. The level is increased in patients with nephrotic glomerulonephritis (24.9 +/- 14.9 (SD) U/day; n = 8) and patients with nephritic glomerulonephritis (11.4 +/- 7.55 (SD) U/day; n = 14) as compared to that in healthy subjects (5.10 +/- 1.88 (SD) U/day; n = 18). However, it is decreased in patients with chronic renal failure (2.70 +/- 2.13 (SD) U/day; n = 12).

Cadmium

Enhancement of the fibrinolytic activity in plasma by oral administration of nattokinase.

The existence of a potent fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase, NK) in the traditional fermented food called 'natto', was reported by us previously. It was confirmed that oral administration of NK (or natto) produced a mild and frequent enhancement of the fibrinolytic activity in the plasma, as indicated by the fibrinolytic parameters, and the production of tissue plasminogen activator. NK capsules were also administered orally to dogs with experimentally induced thrombosis, and lysis of the thrombi was observed by angiography. The results obtained suggest that NK represents a possible drug for use not only in the treatment of embolism but also in the prevention of the disease, since NK has a proven safety and can be massproduced.

Administration, Oral

Low molecular weight alanine aminopeptidase of human serum: separation and some characteristics.

An alanine aminopeptidase, which has characteristics different from those of known alanine cleaving aminopeptidases, was partially purified from human serum by Sephadex G-200 gel chromatography and DEAE Sepharose column chromatography. The enzyme exhibited a molecular weight of 58,000 by gel chromatography. The pI of the enzyme was 5.0, and it was inactivated at 60 degrees C in 20 min. The enzyme readily hydrolyzed L-alanine beta-naphthylamide, but hardly hydrolyzed the other tested beta-naphthylamides. The Km value for L-alanine beta-naphthylamide was 0.29 mM, the pH optimum 7.5. The activity of the enzyme was enhanced by chloride ions and by sulfhydryl ethylenediaminetetraacetic compounds, and was inhibited by sulfhydryl blocking ethylenediaminetetraacetic agents, and bestatin. Furthermore, 1.10 phenanthroline and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid were inhibitory, and the activity was restored by CoCl2 and ZnCl2. The enzyme is a chloride-enhanced thiol dependent metalloaminopeptidase.

Aminopeptidases