PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Amin

Publications and source records attributed to S Amin.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea induced brain tumors in rats monitored by nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, plasma proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and microscopy.

Characteristic slow growing brain gliomas were induced in rats by a single subcutaneous injection of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) within 24 h of birth. A parallel control group of rats was injected with saline. Seven treated rats developed gliomas within 2 years. Periodic nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain in 3-mm slices at 1.5 Tesla and monthly plasma sampling for proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 360 MHz were started 6 months after the injection of ENU. In the MRS experiments, the Fossel index, average of the line widths of the methylene and methyl peaks at 360 MHz, was determined from half-line widths of methyl and methylene peaks at 0.8 ppm and 1.3 ppm. In five of the ENU injected animals that developed histologically verified brain tumors, these were also observed by MRI without contrast agents. There was no consistent correlation between the imaged tumors and the Fossel index obtained through MRS during the course of the study where repeated observations were performed on individual animals, nor was there any consistent statistical difference in the Fossel index between ENU-treated and control animals. The results of this study demonstrate that slowly developing carcinogen-induced brain tumors in rats can be successfully and reliably monitored noninvasively by MRI but not by MRS of plasma.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effect of caffeic acid esters on carcinogen-induced mutagenicity and human colon adenocarcinoma cell growth.

Propolis, a honey bee hive product, is thought to exhibit a broad spectrum of activities including antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and tumor growth inhibition; some of the observed biological activities may be due to caffeic acid (cinnamic acid) esters that are present in propolis. In the present study we synthesized three caffeic acid esters, namely methyl caffeate (MC), phenylethyl caffeate (PEC) and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate (PEDMC) and tested them against the 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl, (DMAB, a colon and mammary carcinogen)-induced mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100. Also, the effect of these agents on the growth of human colon adenocarcinoma, HT-29 cells and activities of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) was studied. Mutagenicity was induced in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100 plus S9 activation using 5 and 10 micrograms DMAB and antimutagenic activities of 0-150 microM MC, 0-60 microM PEC and 0-80 microM PEDMC were determined. The results indicate that MC, PEC and PEDMC were not mutagenic in the Salmonella tester system. DMAB-induced mutagenicity was significantly inhibited with 150 microM MC, 40-60 microM PEC and 40-80 microM PEDMC in both tester systems. Treatment of HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells with > 150 microM MC, 30 microM PEC and 20 microM PEDMC significantly inhibited the cell growth and syntheses of RNA, DNA and protein. ODC and PTK activities were also inhibited in HT-29 cells treated with different concentrations of MC, PEC and PEDMC. These results demonstrate that caffeic acid esters which are present in Propolis possess chemopreventive properties when tested in short-term assay systems.

Caffeic Acids↗
PubMed1992

Comparative tumorigenicity of nitrochrysene isomers in newborn mice.

6-Nitrochrysene (6-NC) is a potent lung and liver carcinogen in the newborn mouse assay. In this report, we extended our studies of the structure--tumorigenicity relationships of the mononitrochrysene isomers. We synthesized 1-NC, 2-NC and 3-NC by oxidation of the corresponding aminochrysenes with mCPBA; efforts to synthesize 4-NC and 5-NC from 4- and 5-aminochrysene were not successful. The tumorigenic activities of 1-NC, 2-NC, 3-NC and 6-NC were compared. Groups of mice were treated with the appropriate compounds in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) by i.p. injection on the 1st, 8th and 15th day of life. At a total dose of 100 nmol/mouse, 6-NC induced significant incidences and multiplicities of lung tumors in mice in both sexes; only males were susceptible to liver tumor induction. At 100 nmol/mouse, induction of lung and liver tumors by 1-NC, 2-NC and 3-NC was not significantly different from that observed in mice treated with DMSO. The results indicate that nitro substitution at the 6-position of chrysene is critical for strong tumorigenicity in the newborn mouse assay.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The prevalence, course, and characteristics of chronic anemia after heart and lung transplantation.

A retrospective study of the 99 surviving heart and lung transplant (HLT) recipients at one center showed that 31% had significant anemia (hemoglobin less than 100g/L) six months after transplantation. Chronic anemia persisted in 18% of HLT recipients two years posttransplantation. A similar study of 100 heart transplant recipients showed no unexplained anemic patients. The prevalence of anemia after HLT was unrelated to the original diagnosis, immunosuppression, or acute rejection. All HLT recipients appeared to be unduly sensitive to the myelosuppressive effects of azathioprine. Detailed studies in 16 representative patients showed a normochromic, anisocytotic anemia with normal reticulocyte counts, B12 and folate levels, and haptoglobin levels and appropriate erythropoietin levels--but increased ESRs, low/normal iron levels and low/normal total iron binding capacity, normal or raised ferritin levels, and autoantibodies in 4 (25%). Bone marrow aspirates in 10 patients showed dyshemopoiesis out of proportion to the degree of anemia and colonies of activated lymphoid cells. The cause for this anemia appears to be a combination of anemia of chronic disease and dyshemopoiesis, both of uncertain etiology.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Glutamate uptake disguises neurotoxic potency of glutamate agonists in cerebral cortex in dissociated cell culture.

The pharmacological properties of glutamate agonists were compared in astrocyte-rich and astrocyte-poor cultures derived from embryonic rat cerebral cortex. The object of this investigation was to determine the extent to which glutamate uptake might influence the receptor-mediated neurotoxic actions of these compounds. In astrocyte-rich cultures, using 30 min exposures, we observed that the potencies of the poorly transported agonists NMDA (35 microM) and D-glutamate (89 microM) were higher than that of L-glutamate (205 microM). In astrocyte-poor cultures, L-glutamate was much more potent, with an EC50 of 5 +/- 4 microM (3-12 microM), for a 30 min exposure, whereas the potencies of NMDA and D-glutamate were essentially unchanged. L- and D-aspartate were also more effective in astrocyte-poor cultures, again with EC50 values of approximately 6-10 microM, as compared with 130 and 108 microM, respectively, in astrocyte-rich cultures. In other experiments, blocking sodium-dependent glutamate uptake in astrocyte-rich cultures, by using a sodium-free medium, made glutamate as potent an agonist as in astrocyte-poor cultures. Finally, we directly assessed the glutamate uptake system in astrocyte-rich and astrocyte-poor cultures and found that uptake was reduced approximately 25-fold in the astrocyte-poor cultures. These results show that in the presence of abundant astrocytes the neurotoxic potencies of L-glutamate, L-aspartate, and D-aspartate are substantially under-estimated.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Effect of growth hormone on lymphocyte respiration and growth rate of children.

Oxygen consumption by circulating lymphocytes of children with isolated growth hormone deficiency was studied before and 6 mo after the start of growth hormone therapy. A plot of percent change in respiration (oxygen consumed per mg protein or microgram DNA) against height gain during the therapy showed a linear association (correlation coefficient 0.667--0.756).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Tumor initiating activity of 5,11-dimethylchrysene and the structural requirements favoring carcinogenicity of methylated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.

The tumor initiating activities of 5,11-dimethylchrysene and 5-methylchrysene on mouse skin were compared. After initiating doses of 30 microgram or 10 microgram, with promotion by 3 times weekly applications of tetradecanoylphorbol acetate, both compounds were highly tumorigenic, inducing tumors in 70--85% of the treated animals. Since 5,12-dimethylchrysene had previously been shown to be only a weak tumor initiator, these results support the generalization that the structural requirements favoring carcinogenicity among the methylated chrysenes and other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a bay region methyl group and a free peri position, both adjacent to an unsubstituted angular ring.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Synthesis and mutagenicity of 5,11-dimethylchrysene and some methyl-oxidized derivatives of 5-methylchrysene.

A series of compounds structurally related to the carcinogen and mutagen 5-methylchrysene (1) was synthesized and tested for mutagenicity toward S. typhimurium TA 100. The compounds prepared were 5,11-dimethylchrysene (2), 5-(hydroxymethyl)chrysene (3), 5-(acetoxymethyl)chrysene (4), 5-carbomethoxychrysene (5), 5-(hydroxymethyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochrysene (6), 5-carbomethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochrysene (7), and 5H-chryseno[4,5-bcd]pyran-5-one (31). When tested in the presence of rat liver homogenate, 1 and 2 were active while 3--7 were less mutagenic than 1; 31 was highly mutagenic. The mutagenicity of 1 and 2 contrasts with the low activity of 5,12-dimethylchrysene, which supports the generalization that the structural requirements favoring activity are a bay-region methyl group and a free peri position, both adjacent to an unsubstituted angular ring. The low activity of 3--7 indicates that methyl oxidation is not an important activation process for 1. This agrees with previous studies in which the major proximate mutagen and carcinogen of 1 was identified as 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-5-methylchrysene.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-5-methylchrysene, a major activated metabolite of the environmental carcinogen 5-methylchrysene.

The metabolic activation of the environmental carcinogen 5-methylchrysene was studied by combining high-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of metabolites formed in vitro with assays of these metabolites for mutagenic activity toward Salmonella typhimurium. Metabolites were formed by incubation of 5-methylchrysene with the 9000 x g supernatant from Aroclor-treated rat livers. With the use of reverse-phase columns, the metabolites were resolved into nine peaks, A to I. Each peak was collected and tested for mutagenicity with activiation. Significant mutagenic activity was observed primarily in peak E and to a lesser extent in peak D. None of the other metabolites showed significant mutagenic activity. The major mutagenic metabolite (peak E) was identified as 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-5-methylchrysene (7.0% from 5-methylchrysene); Peak D was 7,8-dihydro-7,8-dihydroxy-5-methylchrysene (2.6% from 5-methylchrysene). Other metabolites included 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dihydroxy-5-methylchrysene, 9-hydroxy-5-methylchrysene, 7-hydroxy-5-methylchrysene, 1-hydroxy-5-methylchrysene, and 5-hydroxymethylchrysene. These results indicate that 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-5-methylchrysene is a major proximate mutagen of 5-methylchrysene.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rat liver metabolism of benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene.

Thioarenes, sulfur-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, have been detected in a number of environmental sources. The metabolism of one thioarene, benzo[b]naphtho[2,1,d]thiophene ([2,1]BNT), by F344 rat liver 9000g supernatant (S-9) was studied. [2,1]BNT which is structurally analogous and has similar carcinogenic potency to chrysene, was metabolized to six ethyl acetate-extractable metabolites when incubated with S-9 from Aroclor 1254-treated F344 rats. Each metabolite was collected from reverse-phase HPLC, and their identities were determined by analysis of MS and NMR data. In order of elution from HPLC they are as follows: (1) trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydrobenzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene, (2) benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]-thiophene sulfone, (3) benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene sulfoxide, (4) trans-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydrobenzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene, (5) 8- or 9-hydroxybenzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene, and (6) 7-hydroxybenzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene. In addition, the identities of metabolites 1, 2, 3, and 4 were confirmed by comparison to standards. The syntheses of the sulfone and sulfoxide of [2,1]BNT are reported here. The syntheses of the dihydrodiols were reported previously. Metabolite 5, a hydroxy[2,1]BNT, was the major metabolite formed by liver S-9 from untreated F344 rats. Microsomal preparations from these rats also produced significant amounts of the dihydrodiols, 1 and 4, and the sulfoxide, 3. Microsomes prepared from Wistar rats produced dihydrodiols and the sulfone and sulfoxide of [2,1]BNT. Therefore, [2,1]BNT is metabolized by both ring oxidation and sulfur oxidation in these two strains of rats.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone pulmonary metabolism and tumorigenicity in mice by analogues of the investigational chemotherapeutic drug 4-ipomeanol.

4-Ipomeanol (IPO) is an investigational chemotherapeutic drug with specific toxicity toward the lung. It is metabolically activated to reactive intermediates by cytochrome P450 enzymes present in Clara cells. 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is a highly carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamine with organo-specificity for the lung. Like IPO, which it resembles structurally, it is metabolically activated by cytochrome P450 enzymes of rat Clara cells. We synthesized nontoxic analogues of IPO and tested their activities as inhibitors of the metabolism and tumorigenicity of NNK. The IPO analogues synthesized were 4-hydroxy-1-phenyl-1-pentanone (HPP), 7-hydroxy-1-phenyl-1-octanone (HPO), 4-hydroxy-1-(2-thienyl)-1-pentanone (HTP), and 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-pentanone (HPYP). When added to A/J mouse lung microsomal incubations, all compounds significantly inhibited the oxidative pathways of NNK metabolism--alpha-hydroxylation and pyridine N-oxidation--to varying extents. Inhibition of carbonyl reduction of NNK was generally less effective. Inhibition of alpha-hydroxylation by IPO, HPP, and HTP was more pronounced in incubations with lung microsomes than with liver microsomes. None of the IPO analogues showed significant toxicity when given to A/J mice at a dose of 25 mumol; IPO itself was lethal at this dose. HPP and HPO, at doses of 25 mumol, significantly inhibited lung tumor multiplicity in mice treated with NNK; the other analogues and IPO itself were ineffective. The results of this study provide new leads for development of inhibitors of NNK metabolism and chemical probes for the active site of P450 enzymes in Clara cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Distinct conformers of alkylchrysene diol epoxide-deoxyguanosine adducts detected by proton NMR.

Proton NMR spectra, obtained in MeOH-d4, of the major DNA adduct of 5,7-dimethylchrysene-1,2-diol 3,4-epoxide, identified as 1(R),2(S),3(S)-trihydroxy-4(S)-(N2-deoxyguanosyl)-1, 2,3,4-tetrahydro-5,7-dimethylchrysene, showed the presence of two distinct conformers. One conformer, similar to those observed previously in spectra of peracetates of related DNA adducts of anti-diol epoxides of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, had a chair-like conformation of the tetrahydrobenzo ring. The other conformer, which has not been previously observed, had a boat-like conformation of the tetrahydrobenzo ring. This conformer was converted to the chair-like conformer upon addition of D2O or trifluoroacetic acid to the MeOH-d4 solutions of the adduct. The new conformers were also observed in proton NMR spectra of major DNA adducts of 5-methylchrysene- and 5,6-dimethylchrysene-1,2-diol 3,4-epoxides.

Carcinogens↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reproductive and socioeconomic determinants of child survival: confounded, interactive, and age-dependent effects.

Studies of infant and child mortality have evolved to distinguish between two sets of explanatory variables-factors related to reproductive or maternal characteristics and socioeconomic factors, generally described as characteristics of the family or household. Almost all multivariate analyses include variables from each of these two sets, but there has been little consideration of the relationship between them. We examine how these two sets of variables jointly affect mortality. We test first for confounded effects by examining socioeconomic effects while excluding and then including reproductive variables in nested multivariate models. Next, we look for age-dependent effects among the explanatory variables and find that reproductive and socioeconomic factors affect mortality at differing ages of children. Finally, we examine interactive effects of the two sets of variables. We conclude that the higher mortality observed among the low status groups is not a result of greater concentration of poor reproductive patterns in those groups. Instead, higher status groups probably have more resources available for combating the negative effects of the same high-risk reproductive patterns.

Age Factors↗