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Manfred Schubert-Zsilavecz

Publications and source records attributed to Manfred Schubert-Zsilavecz.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Coupling of boswellic acid-induced Ca2+ mobilisation and MAPK activation to lipid metabolism and peroxide formation in human leucocytes.

1. We have previously shown that 11-keto boswellic acids (11-keto-BAs), the active principles of Boswellia serrata gum resins, activate p38 MAPK and p42/44(MAPK) and stimulate Ca(2+) mobilisation in human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNL). 2. In this study, we attempted to connect the activation of MAPK and mobilisation of Ca(2+) to functional responses of PMNL, including the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), release of arachidonic acid (AA), and leukotriene (LT) biosynthesis. 3. We found that, in PMNL, 11-keto-BAs stimulate the formation of ROS and cause release of AA as well as its transformation to LTs via 5-lipoxygenase. 4. Based on inhibitor studies, 11-keto-BA-induced ROS formation is Ca(2+)-dependent and is mediated by NADPH oxidase involving PI 3-K and p42/44(MAPK) signalling pathways. Also, the release of AA depends on Ca(2+) and p42/44(MAPK), whereas the pathways stimulating 5-LO are not readily apparent. 5. Pertussis toxin, which inactivates G(i/0) protein subunits, prevents MAPK activation and Ca(2+) mobilisation induced by 11-keto-BAs, implying the involvement of a G(i/0) protein in BA signalling. 6. Expanding studies on differentiated haematopoietic cell lines (HL60, Mono Mac 6, BL41-E-95-A) demonstrate that the ability of BAs to activate MAPK and to mobilise Ca(2+) may depend on the cell type or the differentiation status. 7. In summary, we conclude that BAs act via G(i/0) protein(s) stimulating signalling pathways that control functional leucocyte responses, in a similar way as chemoattractants, that is, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine or platelet-activating factor.

Calcium Signaling↗
PubMed2003

Determination of hyperforin in mouse brain by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

Hyperforin is one of the essential active ingredients of St. John's wort extract, which is used as an antidepressant for mild to moderately severe depressions. In vitro and in vivo data as well as several clinical studies and meta analyses have confirmed the pharmacological effect of treatment with hyperforin-containing preparations. However, little is known about the brain availability of hyperforin until now. Accordingly, a highly sensitive and selective LC/MS method for this purpose was developed and validated. This method proved suitable for the determination of hyperforin in mouse brain, after oral administration of hyperforin sodium salt and St. John's wort extract. This method involves liquid-liquid extraction of hyperforin with ethyl acetate followed by separation with rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry detection using electrospray ionization. Excellent linearity was obtained for the entire calibration range from 0.25 to 10 ng/mL (corresponding to 2.5-100 ng/g brain tissue concentration, calculated with the factor derived from sample processing) with an average coefficient of correlation of 0.9992. The recovery of hyperforin from mouse brain homogenates was between 71.4 and 75.3% with a relative standard deviation of less than 3%. Validation assays for the lower limit of quantitation yielded an accuracy of 5.8%. Intraday accuracy and precision for the developed method were between 4.6 and 10.6% and 4.3-8.4%, respectively, while the interday parameters varied between 6.7 and 12.2% for accuracy and 2.0-5.0% for precision. After the method validation, hyperforin brain levels in mice, treated with 15 mg/kg hyperforin (either as the sodium salt or as 5% St. John's wort extract), were investigated. The average concentration of hyperforin found for the sodium salt group was 28.8+/-10.1 ng/g of brain (n = 8), which was somewhat higher than the hyperforin concentration of 15.8+/-10.9 ng/g of brain (n = 8), determined in the extract-treated group. This method is robust, selective, and highly sensitive and represents an appropriate tool to further prove the occurrence and distribution of hyperforin in mouse brain.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2003

Degradation of ginsenosides in humans after oral administration.

Even though the degradation of ginsenosides has been thoroughly studied in animals and in vitro using acids, enzymes, and intestinal bacteria, knowledge concerning the systemic availability of ginsenosides and their degradation products in humans is generally lacking. Therefore, the attention in this article is focused on the identification of ginsenosides and their hydrolysis products reaching the systemic circulation in man. This is of great importance in understanding clinical effects, preventing herb-drug interactions, and optimizing the biopharmaceutical properties of ginseng preparations. Using a sensitive mass spectrometric method, which is specific for the identification of ginsenosides in complex biological matrices, the degradation pathway of ginsenosides in the gastrointestinal tract of humans could be elucidated following the oral administration of ginseng. Within the frame of a pilot study, human plasma and urine samples of two subjects were screened for ginsenosides and their possible degradation products. In general, the urine data coincided well with the plasma data. In both volunteers the same hydrolysis products, which are not originally present in the Ginsana extract (Pharmaton S.A., Lugano, Switzerland) ingested, were identified in plasma and urine. It was shown that two hydrolysis products of the protopanaxatriol ginsenosides, namely G-Rh1 and G-F1 may reach the systemic circulation. In addition, compound-K, the main intestinal bacterial metabolite of the protopanaxadiol ginsenosides, was detected in plasma and urine. These products are probably responsible for the action of ginseng in humans. In opposition to previous reports, G-Rb1 was identified in plasma and urine of one subject.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2002

Determination of 11-keto-boswellic acid in human plasma.

A sensitive, specific, accurate, fast and reproducible GC/MS-method for the quantitative determination of 11-keto-boswellic acid in human plasma using 18alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid as the internal standard was developed and validated. 11-Keto-boswellic acid and the internal standard were separated from acidified plasma by liquid/liquid extraction. The extracted samples were methylated and analyzed by GC/MS in the negative ion chemical ionization mode (NICI) and selected ion monitoring (SIM). The total run time was 8 min between injections. The assay described in this paper demonstrates a validated lower limit of quantification of 0.0100 microg/ml using 1 ml of plasma. The calibration curves are linear in the measured range between 10.0 and 2000 ng/ml plasma. The overall precision (expressed as CV) and accuracy (expressed as bias) for all concentrations of quality controls and standards is better than 15%. No indications were found for possible instabilities of 11-keto-boswellic acid in plasma, in whole blood, in the extraction solvent or after repeated thawing/freezing cycles. The recovery of the extraction method is calculated as 84%. The assay was applied successfully to determine the plasma level of 11-keto-boswellic acid in a clinical pilot study.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Boswellic acids activate p42(MAPK) and p38 MAPK and stimulate Ca(2+) mobilization.

Here we show that extracts of Boswellia serrata gum resins and its constituents, the boswellic acids (BAs), activate the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) p42(MAPK) and p38 in isolated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). MAPK activation was rapid and transient with maximal activation after 1-2.5 min of exposure and occurred in a dose-dependent manner. The keto-BAs (11-keto-beta-BA and 3-O-acetyl-11-beta-keto-BA) gave substantial kinase activation at 30 microM, whereas other BAs lacking the 11-keto group were less effective. Moreover, 11-keto-BAs induced rapid and prominent mobilization of free Ca(2+) in PMNL. Inhibitor studies revealed that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) is involved in BA-induced MAPK activation, whereas a minor role was apparent for protein kinase C. MAPK activation by 3-O-acetyl-11-beta-keto-BA was partially inhibited when Ca(2+) was removed by chelation. Our results suggest that 11-keto-BAs might function as potent activators of PMNL by stimulation of MAPK and mobilization of intracellular Ca(2+).

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Biorelevant dissolution testing of St John's wort products.

In contrast to chemically defined drugs, most herbal medicinal products (HMPs) are poorly characterized in terms of their pharmaceutical properties. In many cases it is assumed that the plant extract as a whole is the active moiety, since it is often difficult to identify the individual components responsible for the pharmacological activity and even more difficult to assess synergies among the various components. However, where the active components have been identified, it should be possible to compare products with respect not only to content uniformity but also to their biopharmaceutical properties. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the dissolution characteristics of several St John's wort products under biorelevant conditions. Components of St John's wort known, or suspected, to play a role in its antidepressant activity include phloroglucines, naphthodianthrones and the flavonoids. Since these groups have a broad spectrum of polarity and solubility, dissolution was studied for representative compounds from each group. Although the labelling indicates that several of the products studied should be pharmaceutically equivalent, dissolution under biorelevant conditions revealed that they have quite different release profiles and cannot be considered switchable. It was concluded that biorelevant dissolution testing can be a powerful tool for comparing HMPs as well as synthetically produced drug products.

Antidepressive Agents↗