PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Toccafondi

Publications and source records attributed to R Toccafondi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effect of prostaglandin E2 on adenylate cyclase system in human kidney cell cultures: interactions with parathormone and arginine-vasopressin.

We have used human kidney cortical and medullary cells in primary culture as an experimental model, in order to study the effect of prostaglandin E2 on the adenylate cyclase-cyclic AMP system at renal level, in comparison with that of parathormone and desamino 1-D-arginine 8-vasopressin. Prostaglandin E2 is a more potent stimulator of cyclic AMP accumulation in cortical cells than in medullary ones, the minimal effective dose being 3 nM in the cortex and 20 microM in the medulla. The maximal response was obtained with 30 microM in cortical cells and with 0.3 mM in medullary ones. The effects of combining submaximal and maximal active doses of the three hormones were always additive when tested on cortical cells. On the contrary, prostaglandin E2, at doses effective on the medullary cells adenylate cyclase system, produced an increase of cyclic AMP accumulation significantly lower than expected when incubated with submaximal and maximal amounts of desamino 1-D-arginine 8-vasopressin. Present data provide evidence for the existence of distinct receptors for parathormone, arginine-vasopressin and prostaglandin E2 at cortical level; the possible role of prostaglandin E2 in the counter-regulation of arginine-vasopressin action on medullary cells in unlikely, in view of the high prostaglandin E2 concentration which is necessary to exert this effect.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Characterization of the optimal stimulatory effects of graves' monoclonal and serum immunoglobulin G on adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate production in fRTL-5 thyroid cells: a potential clinical assay.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) preparations derived from the sera of patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease (TSAb) as well as a monoclonal IgG derived from heterohybridoma fusions of Graves' lymphocytes augmented cAMP levels in a continuous strain of functioning rat thyroid cells (clone FRTL-5) in culture. Optimal stimulation was the same for both types of IgG preparations when measured after 2 h of incubation with 5 X 10(4) cells/well and using cells maintained in a nongrowth, TSH-deficient medium for 7 days. At low IgG concentrations, the stimulatory activities of both preparations exhibited a linear dependence on concentration and similar Ka values (approximately 4 X 10(-8) M) despite the fact that 65% of the Graves' serum IgG preparations had a significantly better ability to inhibit TSH binding to membrane preparations. The Ka value for TSH in the same assay was about 5 X 10(-12) M. Using this cell assay, 90% of a series of hyperthyroid Graves' IgG preparations exhibited stimulating activity, a value comparable to the frequency of positive results found by ourselves and others using human thyroid cell and slice systems. In contrast, only 10% of patients who were euthyroid 1 yr after antithyroid drug withdrawal (n = 21) exhibited stimulating activity, and no stimulating activity was detected in patients with nontoxic nodular goiter (n = 11), toxic adenoma (n = 5), or thyroid carcinoma (n = 6). The studies suggest that an optimized rat FRTL-5 thyroid cell system is a clinically useful and convenient alternative to human thyroid cell and slice systems for detecting TSAbs.

Animals↗

Effects of TSH on cAMP levels and thyroid hormone release in human thyroid 'autonomous' nodules: relationship with iodothyronine and iodine content in thyroglobulin.

The effect of TSH on the adenylate cyclase-cAMP system and in vitro iodothyronine release, together with the iodothyronine and iodine content of 19s thyroglobulin, were studied in seven clinically euthyroid patients with autonomous thyroid nodules. Basal cAMP and cGMP content together with phosphodiesterase and protein-kinase activities were normal in nodular, and suppressed in extranodular tissue. TSH-dependent cAMP accumulation was reduced in nodular tissue, but normal in the suppressed extranodular tissue. In vitro TSH-dependent iodothyronine release from nodular and extranodular tissue was absent. Thyroxine and iodine content of thyroglobulin extracted from nodular tissue was reduced, while triiodothyronine content was normal but with a low T4/T3 ratio. In extranodular tissue T3, T4 and iodine contents were reduced. In conclusion, autonomous thyroid nodules produced a poorly iodinated thyroglobulin leading to preferential T3 secretion with increased circulating free thyroid hormones even in clinically euthyroid patients.

Adult↗

Parathyroid hormone bioassay using human kidney cortical cells in primary culture.

The biological activity of parathyroid hormone (PTH) has been investigated by measuring intracellular accumulation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in human kidney cortical cultures. Enzyme dispersed cortical cells from non-invaded kidney poles of patients undergoing nephrectomy for cancer were used after 5 days of primary culture. Bovine PTH (1-84) produced a significant increase of cAMP accumulation in cultured cells at a dose (53.7 ng/ml) 10-fold lower than that found for the minimal stimulatory effect when using preparations of human purified plasma membranes. The action of bovine PTH (1-84) was very rapid, a response was detected after 5 min and a ceiling effect after 30 min. Cortical cells showed a slightly lower sensitivity to synthetic bovine PTH (1-34) (half maximal increase dose: 0.66 microgram/ml), compared to bovine PTH (1-84) (half maximal increase dose: 0.32 microgram/ml), but revealed a higher sensitivity to human PTH purified from the medium of parathyroid cell cultures (half maximal increase dose: 11.2 ng/ml). Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) also increased the cAMP accumulation of kidney cortical cultured cells, with a potency and efficacy lower than that of human 'culture' PTH, while in kidney medullary cells in primary culture AVP exerted a strong response and the effect of PTH was poor or absent. Calcitonin and glucagon were weak stimulators of kidney cortical cell cAMP accumulation.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Studies on thyroid cell surface antigens using cultured human thyroid cells.

Human thyroid cells in primary culture were used for studies of thyroid cell surface antibodies in patients with thyroid autoimmune disorders. Radioiodinated IgG preparations containing thyroid microsomal antibody (TMAb), thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb) and/or thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) were tested for binding to thyroid cells. Binding was observed with radioiodinated IgG from patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and idiopathic myxoedema containing TMAb, irrespective of the presence of TSAb and TgAb, while negative results were obtained with normal IgG. A dose-dependent inhibition of binding to thyroid cells was produced by the addition of the corresponding unlabelled IgG preparations. Evidence for tissue specificity was provided by the absence of binding to human skin fibroblasts used as controls. Preabsorption with human thyroid microsomes completely abolished the binding to thyroid cells of a radioiodinated TMAb positive IgG preparation, while only incomplete removal of the reactivity to thyroid microsomes was produced by preabsorption with thyroid cells. These data suggest that some but not all microsomal antigenic determinants are expressed on the thyroid cell surface. Binding to thyroid cells was also observed with purified TgAb, indicating that thyroglobulin antigenic determinants are present on the surface of thyroid cells. No evidence of binding was obtained with a TSAb positive Graves' IgG preparation with undetectable TMAb and TgAb. Unlabelled IgG preparations containing TMAb from patients with either Hashimoto's thyroiditis or idiopathic myxoedema were shown to inhibit the binding to thyroid cells of radioiodinated TMAb positive Graves' IgG and vice versa. These data indicate that antibodies present in these thyroid autoimmune disorders share common thyroid cell surface antigens. However, the binding of radioiodinated IgG from a patient with idiopathic myxoedema was only partially inhibited by Graves' or Hashimoto's IgG, suggesting that some of the thyroid cell surface antibodies of idiopathic myxoedema may not be detectable in other thyroid autoimmune disorders.

Antibodies↗

Dissociation in the response of the adenylate cyclase system to thyrotropin and prostaglandin E2 in human thyroid carcinoma tissue.

Because the existence of a damaged thyrotropin (TSH) receptor in thyroid tumors may be relevant in the perspective of a correct postsurgical therapy, the effect of TSH on cAMP intracellular accumulation in thyroid carcinoma (N = 16), follicular adenoma (N = 27) and normal tissue (N = 30) slices was studied and compared with that of nonspecific stimulus of thyroid adenylate cyclase-cAMP system, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). While in all follicular adenomas a normal behavior of basal and post-TSH and -PGE2 stimulated cAMP accumulation was observed, basal cAMP levels were generally higher than in controls in 14 differentiated carcinomas, responses to TSH were reduced or absent, and response to PGE2 was close to normal. On the contrary, in two anaplastic carcinomas, both TSH and PGE2 produced a negligible modification of cAMP levels. Thus, in undifferentiated carcinomas, the adenylate cyclase-cAMP system seems to be altered; in differentiated carcinomas, the catalytic part of the system appears unaffected as it is PGE2-responsive. Therefore, some hypotheses are ruled out as an explanation for decreased sensitivity to TSH of differentiated carcinomatous cells.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

Plasma proinsulin-like components and insulin in chronic liver disease.

In order to explain the increase of total IRI frequently observed at basal status, and after glucose administration, in patients with chronic liver disease, plasma proinsulin-like component and insulin levels have been studied in fourteen patients with liver cirrhosis associated or not with clinical or subclinical diabetes mellitus. A significative increase of plasma insulin was observed at basal status and after a glucose load not only in subjects with clinical or subclinical diabetes but also in those patients without carbohydrate abnormalities. This increase is apparently not correlated to any clinical characteristic and is associated in fasting and after glucose load with increased proinsulin-like component levels especially in patients with clinical or subclinical diabetes.

Aged↗