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Biomedical subjects

J Beckmann

Publications and source records attributed to J Beckmann.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Redefining cooling rate in terms of ice front velocity and thermal gradient: first evidence of relevance to freezing injury of lymphocytes.

A freezing process and the resulting injury or survival of biological cells is commonly characterized in terms of the cooling rate, B. Under certain circumstances, the cooling rate can be expressed as B = G.v, where G denotes the thermal gradient at the ice-liquid interface and v its velocity, respectively. To determine the influence of G and v on the morphology of the ice-liquid interface and on cell survival, a gradient freezing stage was designed. Flat capillaries could be pushed with constant velocity from a warm to a cold heat reservoir. With this setup both parameters, G and v, are independently adjustable and the resulting process of directional solidification can be observed dynamically in a light microscope. Human lymphocytes in phosphate-buffered saline with 10 vol% of dimethyl sulfoxide were used as biological test material. Viability was assessed by a membrane integrity test with fluorescein diacetate and ethidium bromide. All cells were cooled down to a final temperature of -196 degrees C and then rapidly thawed. The results obtained with this technique show that the viability determined after freezing and thawing with a certain cooling rate, B = G.v, may vary considerably depending on the imposed values of the thermal gradient, G, and the ice front velocity, v. In addition, the data seem to suggest that, first, the maximum viability which can be reached is governed by the cooling rate, and, second, this maximum for a given cooling rate could be achieved by establishing small temperature gradients and high interface velocities (about 30 degrees K/cm and 500 microns/sec, respectively, for the range of values of G and v tested).

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed1990

[Double blind biometric study on postoperative effects of analgesics].

A double blind trial to study the effects of analgetics was carried out in patients suffering from pain after third molar osteotomy. 204 patients were evaluated after random allocation to treatment with paracetamol 500 mg and paracetamol 500 mg plus codeine 30 mg. Statistical evaluation revealed a tendency for better analgesia using the combination of paracetamol and codeine. For further studies an exact stratification for sex and age is necessary. Sample sizes of 150 patients are necessary for each parameter.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed1989

Semisynthetic aprotinin derivatives with specific alterations at the reactive-site peptide bond can be used to study structure-function relationships.

Aprotinin derivatives with decarboxylated lysine, arginine or valine at position 15, the P1 position of modified aprotinin, were produced semisynthetically. Modified aprotinin with oxidatively deaminated Arg1 and Ala16 was also synthesized. Specific reduction of this derivative yielded a modified aprotinin with lactic acid at position 16, the P'1 position. Only the aprotinin derivatives with decarboxylated Lys15 or Arg15 showed moderate inhibitory activity against trypsin and kallikrein, despite the absence of the carboxyl group. The KD values measured were in the range of 10(-7) M. The aprotinin derivative with decarboxylated valine showed no inhibitory activity; neither against trypsin, kallikrein and chymotrypsin, nor against the human leukocyte elastase. From these data it was concluded that the ion-pair interaction of the Lys15, or the Arg15 inhibitor side-chain with the aspartate in the trypsin specificity pocket is important for the inhibitory activity. Furthermore, the KD values indicated that the interaction of the reactive-site's carbonyl group with the enzyme's oxyanion hole also contributes to the inhibitory activity. These two interactions are important, but not essential for inhibitory activity. In contrast to these findings, the existence of an alpha-amino group at the P'1 position seems to be essential for inhibitory activity. The synthesized aprotinin derivatives lacking an alpha-amino group at this position were without any inhibitory activity against serine proteinases.

Amines↗
PubMed1989

Semisynthesis of Arg15, Glu15, Met15, and Nle15-aprotinin involving enzymatic peptide bond resynthesis.

The semisynthesis of homologues of aprotinin, the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, is described. The P1 lysine15 residue was replaced by two methods. The first procedure, which consisted of two enzymatic steps for the incorporation of other amino acids has previously been described. The second approach consisted of six steps of both enzymatic and chemical nature. The modified inhibitor, in which the lysine15-alanine16 peptide bond is hydrolyzed, was used as the starting material. All carboxyl groups of the modified inhibitor were esterified with methanol; the lysine15 methylester group was then selectively hydrolyzed. Afterward, lysine15 itself was split off. Arginine, glutamic acid, methionine, and L-2-aminohexanoic acid (norleucine, Nle) were incorporated using water-soluble carbodiimide combined with an acylation catalyst. The methylester group was used to prevent polymerization. The reactive-site peptide bonds were resynthesized using either chymotrypsin or trypsin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

The influence of the sparteine/debrisoquin phenotype on the disposition of flecainide.

The pharmacokinetics and urinary excretion of flecainide (50 mg administered orally) were investigated in five extensive metabolizers (EMs) and five poor metabolizers (PMs) of the sparteine/debrisoquin type of polymorphism under conditions of controlled urinary pH. Flecainide disposition was altered in the PMs. The AUC was higher (1462 +/- 407 versus 860 +/- 256 hr ng/ml), the elimination half-life prolonged (11.8 versus 6.8 hours), and the amount excreted in the urine was higher (26.7 +/- 7.2 versus 15.4 +/- 1.3 mg) in PMs compared with EMs (p less than 0.05). Oral clearance of flecainide was reduced (p less than 0.019) in PMs (600 +/- 139 versus 1041 +/- 307 ml/min in EMs). The renal clearance was similar (p greater than 0.05) in PMs (308 +/- 70 ml/min) and EMs (315 +/- 69 ml/min) and, consequently, PMs had a lower (p less than 0.008) metabolic clearance of flecainide (292 +/- 136 versus 726 +/- 240 ml/min in EMs). Under conditions of uncontrolled urinary flow and pH, renal excretion of flecainide will be reduced and the difference in disposition will be greater. In PMs with renal impairment, accumulation of flecainide to very high serum concentrations may be anticipated, and this may result in proarrhythmic effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Aprotinin derivatives with chromophoric leaving groups can be used as highly selective active-site titrants for serine proteinases and permit the determination of kinetic constants of enzyme-inhibitor complexes.

This paper reports a novel and valuable approach to active-site titration. The starting substance for the preparation of the active-site titrants is aprotinin (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor) in which the reactive-site peptide bond, Lys15-Ala16, is split. Two cystine disulfide bonds hold together the two peptide chains. The Lys15 of the reactive site is substituted by arginine-, phenylalanine- and valine-4-nitroanilide or by valine-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin. The different incorporated amino acid residues correspond to different specificities against serine proteinases. Serine proteinases with suitable specificity are able to remove 4-nitroaniline or 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin from these aprotinin derivatives while at the same time resynthesis of the reactive-site peptide bond occurs. The proteinase is then trapped in a stable enzyme-inhibitor complex, which prevents the proteinase from releasing further leaving groups. The quantity of 4-nitroaniline or 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin, which can be assayed spectrophotometrically or fluorometrically is equimolar to the quantity of proteinase used and trapped. The aprotinin derivatives with an incorporated Phe15 or Val15 residue are highly specific for chymotrypsin or for elastase from human leukocytes, respectively. The kinetic constants kon and koff of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes, and hence the equilibrium dissociation constants, can be calculated from the respective titration curves.

Alanine↗
PubMed1988

Preparation of chemically 'mutated' aprotinin homologues by semisynthesis. P1 substitutions change inhibitory specificity.

The semisynthesis of homologues of aprotinin (BPTI) is described. The P1 amino acid residue of these homologues was substituted by other amino acids using peptide synthetic methods. The reactive-site-modified inhibitor (with the Lys15-Ala16 peptide bond hydrolyzed) was used as starting material. All carboxyl groups of the modified inhibitor were esterified with methanol, then the Lys15 methyl ester group was hydrolyzed selectively. Afterwards, Lys15 itself was split off. A new amino acid residue was incorporated by using water-soluble carbodiimide combined with an acylation catalyst. tert-Butyl-ester-protected amino acids were used for reinsertion. The method was tested by re-insertion of Lys15 to reconstitute the original inhibitor. Thirteen BPTI homologues with coded (Lys, Glu, Gly, Ala, Val, Ile, Leu) or uncoded amino acids (Abu, Ape, aIle, Ahx, tLeu, Neo) in position 15 were synthesized and the specificity of the inhibitors investigated. Amongst these, [Val15]BPTI was shown to be an excellent inhibitor for human polymorphonuclear leukocyte elastase having a complex dissociation constant of 0.11 nM. This inhibitor showed no detectable affinity to bovine pancreatic trypsin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Semisynthetic engineering of proteinase inhibitor homologues.

A semisynthetic approach to modulate the inhibitory specificity of aprotinin, the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor from bovine mast cells, is described. By the use of peptide-chemical procedures a single amino acid of its reactive site can be replaced by any other coded or non-coded amino acid. Thus, a series of aprotinin homologues have been prepared which demonstrate the individual contribution of a single side chain to the inhibition of a particular target proteinase and enable specific inhibitors to be designed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Enoxacin--a potent inhibitor of theophylline metabolism.

The mechanism of the theophylline-enoxacin interaction has been studied in six healthy subjects. Theophylline 250 mg was administered p.o., twice daily for 11 days in a sustained release dosage form. On the 4th day of treatment, blood samples were taken every 2 h and urine was collected over 1 dose interval. From Days 5 to 11 coated tablets of enoxacin 400 mg b.i.d. were coadministered. On Day 11 blood and urine were collected as on Day 4. The mean plasma theophylline concentration rose from 4.4 to 15.1 mg/l, corresponding to a 73.6% reduction in total clearance. The urinary excretion of unchanged theophylline increased from 12.7 to 35.3%, whereas the production of metabolites was reduced (1-demethylation 81.4%; 3-demethylation 83.1%, 8-hydroxylation 74.6%). The results indicate that the theophylline-enoxacin interaction may be due to inhibition of the cytochrome P-450 isozymes responsible for theophylline metabolism. Unexpectedly, the renal clearance of theophylline metabolites was found to be drastically reduced when enoxacin was coadministered. This led to unchanged or even to elevated plasma levels of the metabolites. The mechanism of this interaction is still to be elucidated, but it may be due to competition for renal tubular secretion.

Adult↗