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M A Mehlman

Publications and source records attributed to M A Mehlman.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Estimation of the dermal carcinogenic activity of petroleum fractions using a modified Ames assay.

The Ames Salmonella/microsomal activation mutagenesis assay has been adapted to improve sensitivity to complex hydrocarbon mixtures produced by the refining of petroleum. Extraction of oil samples with dimethyl sulfoxide produces aqueous-compatible solutions that more easily interact with the tester bacteria. These extracts, therefore, produce higher revertant values than do equivalent volumes of oil delivered neat or dissolved in organic solvent. Parallel increases in the liver microsomal S-9 concentration further improve the sensitivity of the assay, allowing detection of mutagenicity in otherwise inactive samples. The effect of increased microsomal fraction from rodent liver is apparently attributable to the higher levels of activating enzymes rather than to the concomitant increase in the overall hydrophobicity of the test system. The modified assay has been used to rank thirteen petroleum-derived oils and a corn oil control for relative mutagenic activity. This ranking closely correlates (r = 0.97) with potency rankings of the same samples previously determined from dermal carcinogenicity bioassays.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Teratological evaluation of trimethyl phosphite in the rat.

Trimethyl phosphite (TMP) is an organophosphorus alkylating agent used primarily in the synthesis of organophosphate compounds. To evaluate teratogenic potential, TMP was administered by gavage to pregnant rats at rates of 16, 49, or 164 mg/kg/day, on gestation Days 6 through 15. Acetyl salicylic acid (250 mg/kg/day) was also administered to a group of rats as a positive control. Teratologic evaluation revealed gross fetal abnormalities, skeletal defects, and soft tissue defects at a dose rate of 164 mg/kg/day of trimethyl phosphite, but not at the two lesser rates. An increased frequency of fetal resorption was also observed at 164 mg/kg/day.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1983

Current toxicological information as the basis for sulfur oxide standards.

The ambient air quality standard established in 1973 is 0.03 ppm annual average for sulfur dioxide and 0.075 mg/m3 for particulates. It is now generally believed that the toxicity of sulfur oxides in ambient air is significantly influenced by the coincident presence of particulates. Inhalation of 1 ppm of sulfur dioxide for 2 hr may produce alterations in pulmonary ventilatory function, both in normal and asthmatic subjects. Effects obtained at 0.5 ppm of sulfur dioxide are controversial and of questionable biological significance. No clear evidence exists that sulfur dioxide or bisulfite causes mutagenicity in mammals, and it is concluded from a variety of animal experiments that long-term exposure to sulfur dioxide alone does not cause cancer.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1980

Current status of benzene teratology: a brief review.

This article summarizes the results of experimental studies on teratogenesis associated with exposure to benzene by oral, parenteral or inhalation routes. Administration of benzene to pregnant experimental animals did not produce marked developmental effects in the fetus at concentrations which did not cause concomitant maternal toxicity. Thus, at maternally nontoxic levels, benzene does not constitute a teratogenic hazard.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1977

Assessment of diabetogenic drug activity in the rat: 5,5-diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin.

The diabetogenic activity of 5,5-diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin (DPTH) via oral administration was assessed in both normal and streptozotocin diabetic rats. Rats were fed powdered chow diet with and without 0.1% (w/w) DPTH. Food consumption and body weight were recorded every other day; whole blood glucose concentrations were determined at the start of the study and at the midpoint. At sacrifice, liver and pancreas were excised and blood samples were collected. Protein and lipid levels were determined in liver; insulin in pancreas; and glucose, insulin, and lipid in blood. DPTH treatment caused decreased food consumption and body weight gain. The drug dose, calculated from the food consumption data, was 76.5 mg/kg/day for the normal rats and 107 mg/kg/day for the diabetic rats. DPTH increased liver weight and liver lipid content in both normal and diabetic rats, and markedly lowered serum triglyceride concentration in normal rats but not in diabetic rats. Serum fatty acid concentration was not altered by DPTH. DPTH produced a significant elevation of blood glucose concentration of the diabetic rats that was not, however, correlated with altered pancreatic insulin concentration. In vitro, DPTH infusion inhibited insulin secretion by the perfused pancreas.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Metabolic responses of rats to chronic theophylline ingestion.

Studies of the metabolic responses of rats to 0.2% dietary theophylline were conducted. Young male rats were fed theophylline-containing diets or control diets for 8 wk and killed after 22 hr without food. Levels of serum lipids, glucose, and ketones were determined as were hepatic glycogen, lipid, calcium, magnesium, and zinc levels. Epididymal fat pad lipid content, as well as kidney cation levels and hepatic mitochondrial respiration, was also determined. Chronic theophylline feeding lowered blood glucose levels, serum triglyceride levels, hepatic lipid and calcium levels, and the state III respiration with succinate as the substrate. Kidney calcium and magnesium levels were elevated in theophylline-fed rats as were the serum cholesterol levels. The relationship of these metabolic responses to theophylline feeding is discussed as a function of the theophylline effect on tissue cation levels.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1975

Effects of 5,5'-diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin on respiration and oxidative phosphorylation of rat liver mitochondria.

5,5'-Diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin (DPTH) administered in vitro, inhibited state 3 oxidation, stimulated state 4 oxidation and decreased ADP:O ratio when 3-hydroxybutyrate and succinate were used as substrates. Considerably lower DPTH concentrations were required for the inhibition of 3-hydroxybutyrate oxidation (50% inhibition occurred at approximately 0.17 mumoles DPTH/mg protein) than were needed for inhibition of succinate oxidation (50% inhibition occurred at about 0.62 mumoles DPTH/mg protein). DPTH showed no inhibitory effects when ascorbate plus tetramethylphenylenediamine (TMPD) served as the substrate. The inhibition of state 3 respiration was not reversed by 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), although there was a slight increase in the DNP rate:state 3 rate suggesting the presence of a weak DPTH inhibotory site located within the Site I energy transport chain. Uncoupling, in the presence of DPTH, was observed with all substrates. In experiments utilizing sonicated mitochondria, DPTH inhibited NADH-linked oxidation, but did not inhibit succinate or ascorbate plus TMPD oxidation. The effects of DPTH were reversed by dilution and by addition of albumin. DPTH concentrations which produced inhibition of state 3 respiration in vitro were reached, in vivo, in the livers of rats receiving a single oral dose of 40 mg/kg of DPTH.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

The effects of a polychlorinated biphenyl mixture (Aroclor 1254) on liver gluconeogenic enzymes of normal and alloxan-diabetic rats.

Normal and alloxan-diabetic rats were fed ground Purina Laboratory Chow with or without 500 ppm of Aroclor 1254 (AR) ad lib for 2 weeks. In both normal and diabetic rats, AR administration decreased food consumption, weight gain and blood glucose concentration, and increased liver weight, liver:body weight ratio, total liver lipid, liver protein and malic enzyme (ME) activity. In the normal rat, AR increased the concentrations of acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate in blood, but in the diabetic rat the concentrations were markedly reduced. AR administration decreased the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPck) in normal liver and the activities of pyruvate carboxylase (PC), PEPck and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) in diabetic liver.

Acetoacetates↗
PubMed1975

Nutritional and metabolic studies in humans with 1,3-butanediol.

Three studies of the role of 1,3-butanediol (BD) in human nutrition are described. Isocaloric substitution of BD for starch in the diets of volunteers caused less negative nitrogen balance. Ingestion of urea also decreased negative nitrogen balance, and the effect of BD plus urea in the diets seemed to be additive. No effects were detected on many blood parameters measured during and after the study, except that BD feeding decreased blood glucose significantly. 1,3-Butanediol was shown to be a nontoxic metabolite providing a source of calories for human nutrition. In a second study, ingestion of BD was shown to cause slight increases in serum insulin and growth hormone concentrations in the fasting state. We next studied the effects of prior ingestion of BD on serum insulin, growth hormone, glucose, and lipids during glucose tolerance tests. No significant differences in these parameters were noted when prior ingestion of sucrose or an isocaloric quantity of BD were compared. Possible mechanisms whereby ingestion of BD spared nitrogen and caused decreased blood glucose are discussed.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1975

Influence of 1,3-butanediol on blood glucose concentration and pancreatic insulin content of streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Male rats were made diabetic by intravenous administration of 75 mg/kg of streptozotocin and were fed, via a pair-feeding regimen, high-fat diets +/- 1,3-butanediol (BD) at 13.5 and 27% of the dietary calories for 30 days and 31 days, respectively. 1,3-Butanediol was added to the diets primarily as a replacement for fat. Food consumption and rat weight were recorded daily. Whole blood glucose concentrations were determined weekly. At sacrifice, liver, pancreas and epididymal fat pads were excised and blood samples were collected. Liver was analyzed for protein and lipid; pancreas was weighed and analyzed for insulin; fat pads were weighed and discarded; and blood was analyzed for glucose and lipid. The 13.5% BD diet increased the beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and cholesterol concentrations, decreased the glucose concentration in blood, and increased the insulin content of the pancreas. The BD diets did not affect the concentrations of phospholipid, triglyceride, cholesterol and fatty acid in the liver; fatty acid concentrations in the blood; or the epididymal fat pad weight. The results suggest that BD produced a slight amelioration of the diabetic condition, which may have resulted from an increased capacity of the pancreas to synthesize insulin. In addition, the data provide further evidence suggesting that in the rat BD is oxidized to the ketone bodies, beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate.

Acetoacetates↗