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Biomedical subjects

R S Kelly

Publications and source records attributed to R S Kelly.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Benzo[a]pyrene cytotoxicity in right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) skin, testis and lung cell lines.

The North Atlantic right whale (NARW) is one of the most endangered great whales. The NARW population consists of only about 300 individuals and is reproducing at an insufficient rate. There is growing concern about the potential effects of environmental contaminants on the reproductive and overall health of NARW. High contaminant burdens can accumulate in tissues of great whales but toxicological studies of their effects are limited due to legal, logistical and ethical restrictions and specific in vitro models are critically needed. Cell lines from NARW skin and internal organs were previously created in our laboratory. In this study, skin, testis and lung primary fibroblast cell lines were exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BP) as part of a multi-chemical toxicity testing project in NARW. Cells were exposed for 24-72 h to 10 nM-10 microM BP dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide. Cytotoxicity was measured with a clonogenic assay using standard methods. Some cytotoxicity was observed after 24 h, the highest concentration (10 microM BP) resulting in 77, 74 and 51 percent relative survival in testis, skin and lung cells, respectively, and indicating a higher cytotoxicity in the lung (p < 0.05). After 48 and 72-h exposure, 10 microM BP resulted in 24 and 3, 74 and 27, and 42 and 23 percent relative survival in testis, skin and lung cells, respectively. Cytotoxicity significantly increased with exposure time in all three tissues (p < 0.05 for skin and p < 0.01 for lung and testis), suggesting metabolic activation of BP in the three organs. Fibroblast cytotoxicity observed in the testis was higher than that observed either in the skin or lung after 48 h (p < 0.01) and was close to 100% after 72 h, warranting further investigation of the potential effects of PAHs on reproductive health.

Animals↗

Fractured carbon fiber-based biosensor for glucose.

A microsensor for glucose was constructed using DuPont E120 fibers, which exhibit extensive fracturing upon severe anodic pretreatment. The fracturing is accompanied by an increase in the electrochemical surface area of several orders of magnitude, which is exploited here in the design of a microsensor. Following fracture, the fibers were platinized to enhance their ability to detect enzymatically produced hydrogen peroxide, and glucose oxidase was immobilized at the surface of the fiber in polypyrrole. When operated amperometrically in flow injection analysis, the treated electrodes showed a linear response to injected glucose concentration up to 10 mM, with an observed Km' near 20 mM. The sensors were found to be stable for up to 2 months when stored dry at 4 degrees C.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Detection of dopamine overflow and diffusion with voltammetry in slices of rat brain.

Voltammetric electrodes have been used to monitor extracellular dopamine in rat brain slices. The electrode tips are small enough to be immersed inside the slice. Specificity for dopamine is increased through the use of voltammetry and a cation exchange membrane at the electrode tip. Dopamine overflow is observed in the caudate nucleus following electrical stimulation (60 Hz, 1 s, 3 V) with an adjacent bipolar electrode. The amount of overflow observed is increased when the tissue is perfused with 10 microM cocaine or nomifensine, both recognized inhibitors of dopamine uptake. The ability of dopamine in the perfusion buffer to permeate the slice was monitored with two voltammetric electrodes, one in the cerebral cortex and the other in the caudate nucleus. At a high concentration (100 microM), dopamine rapidly appeared (2.7 +/- 0.4 min) in the interior of the cortex, but dopamine was not observed in the caudate until a significantly later time (8.9 +/- 1.0 min). To examine whether this difference is a reflection of the presence of different uptake systems in the two regions, pressure ejection was employed. In this experiment a double-barrelled pipette was used to eject dopamine or DOPAC at a fixed distance (approximately 70 micron) from the voltammetric electrode. Ejection of small amounts of both substances could be detected in the cortex. When the ejector-detector assembly was moved to the caudate, dopamine could only be observed following pressure ejection after perfusion of the slice with 10 microM nomifensine. Detection of DOPAC was unaffected. All of these experiments indicate that uptake systems in the caudate keep dopamine concentrations very low in the extracellular fluid of the slice.

Animals↗

Studies on osteoporosis I. Experimental models. Effect of age, sex, genetic background, diet, steroid and heparin treatment on calcium metabolism of mice.

C3H/St(Ha) and C57Bl/6(J) mice of both sexes and various ages were exposed to whole body neutron irradiation. The 49Ca generated (half life 8.8 minutes) was immediately determined in a whole body counter. Total body calcium content was calculated. It was assumed that 99% of this represented skeletal calcium. In females, significant decrease in calcium content occurred after 23 months of age. In C3H/St(Ha) mice, low calcium diet, heparin (500 i.u./Kg. b.i.d.) and prednisolone (50 mg/Kg) treatment accelerated calcium loss and produced significant decrease in 3 months. C57Bl/6(J) mice were less susceptible to the latter drugs.

Aging↗