The vigilance promoting drug modafinil increases extracellular glutamate levels in the medial preoptic area and the posterior hypothalamus of the conscious rat: prevention by local GABAA receptor blockade. (1/1043)

The effects of modafinil on glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission in the rat medial preoptic area (MPA) and posterior hypothalamus (PH), are analysed. Modafinil (30-300 mg/kg) increased glutamate and decreased GABA levels in the MPA and PH. Local perfusion with the GABAA agonist muscimol (10 microM), reduced, while the GABAA antagonist bicuculline (1 microM and 10 microM) increased glutamate levels. The modafinil (100 mg/kg)-induced increase of glutamate levels was antagonized by local perfusion with bicuculline (1 microM). When glutamate levels were increased by the local perfusion with the glutamate uptake inhibitor L-trans-PDC (0.5 mM), modafinil produced an additional enhancement of glutamate levels. Modafinil (1-33 microM) failed to affect [3H]glutamate uptake in hypothalamic synaptosomes and slices. These findings show that modafinil increases glutamate and decreases GABA levels in MPA and PH. The evidence that bicuculline counteracts the modafinil-induced increase of glutamate levels strengthens the evidence for an inhibitory GABA/glutamate interaction in the above regions controlling the sleep-wakefulness cycle.  (+info)

Inhibition by a coantioxidant of aortic lipoprotein lipid peroxidation and atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E and low density lipoprotein receptor gene double knockout mice. (2/1043)

Antioxidants can inhibit atherosclerosis in animals, though it is not clear whether this is due to the inhibition of aortic lipoprotein lipid (per)oxidation. Coantioxidants inhibit radical-induced, tocopherol-mediated peroxidation of lipids in lipoproteins through elimination of tocopheroxyl radical. Here we tested the effect of the bisphenolic probucol metabolite and coantioxidant H 212/43 on atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E and low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene double knockout (apoE-/-;LDLr-/-) mice, and how this related to aortic lipid (per)oxidation measured by specific HPLC analyses. Dietary supplementation with H 212/43 resulted in circulating drug levels of approximately 200 microM, increased plasma total cholesterol slightly and decreased plasma and aortic alpha-tocopherol significantly relative to age-matched control mice. Treatment with H 212/43 increased the antioxidant capacity of plasma, as indicated by prolonged inhibition of peroxyl radical-induced, ex vivo lipid peroxidation. Aortic tissue from control apoE-/-;LDLr-/- mice contained lipid hydro(pero)xides and substantial atherosclerotic lesions, both of which were decreased strongly by supplementation of the animals with H 212/43. The results show that a coantioxidant effectively inhibits in vivo lipid peroxidation and atherosclerosis in apoE-/-;LDLr-/- mice, consistent with though not proving a causal relationship between aortic lipoprotein lipid oxidation and atherosclerosis in this model of the disease.  (+info)

Comparative formation, distribution, and elimination kinetics of diphenylmethoxyacetic acid (a diphenhydramine metabolite) in maternal and fetal sheep. (3/1043)

Deamination to diphenylmethoxyacetic acid (DPMA) is the major route of diphenhydramine (DPHM) clearance in many species. In this study, we assessed the contribution of this pathway to nonplacental DPHM elimination and disposition of DPMA in maternal and fetal sheep. Paired maternal-fetal experiments were conducted in five chronically catheterized pregnant sheep (124-140 days gestation) with an appropriate washout period in between. Both maternal and fetal dosing experiments involved administration of an i.v bolus of deuterium-labeled DPMA ([2H10]-DPMA) combined with a 6-h infusion of DPHM (or a bolus of unlabeled DPMA with an infusion of deuterium-labeled DPHM). Maternal and fetal arterial plasma and urine samples were collected and analyzed for DPMA, [2H10]-DPMA, DPHM, and deuterium-labeled DPHM concentrations using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The preformed DPMA (or [2H10]-DPMA) had a substantially lower clearance (maternal: 0.55 +/- 0.18 versus 40.9 +/- 14.0 ml/min/kg; fetal: 0.37 +/- 0.11 versus 285. 6 +/- 122.2 ml/min/kg) and steady-state volume of distribution (Vdss, maternal: 0.10 +/- 0.02 versus 2.1 +/- 1.1 l/kg; fetal: 0.40 +/- 0. 06 versus 13.1 +/- 3.1 l/kg) as compared with the parent drug. The contribution of DPMA formation to maternal and fetal DPHM nonplacental clearance in vivo was 1.78 +/- 2.12% and 0.87 +/- 0.56%, respectively, indicating that DPMA formation is not a major route of DPHM clearance in fetal or maternal sheep. The recoveries of DPMA (or [2H10]-DPMA) in maternal urine were 88.0 +/- 6.5 and 92.1 +/- 7. 4% of the administered dose during maternal and fetal dosing experiments, respectively. Thus, this metabolite does not appear to be secondarily metabolized in fetal or maternal sheep. These findings are in contrast to other species (dog, rhesus monkey, human) where DPMA and its conjugates constitute approximately 40 to 60% of the total DPHM metabolites.  (+info)

Tolterodine does not affect the human in vivo metabolism of the probe drugs caffeine, debrisoquine and omeprazole. (4/1043)

AIM: To investigate the in vivo effect of treatment with tolterodine on debrisoquine 4-hydroxylation (an index of CYP2D6 activity), omeprazole 5-hydroxylation (CYP2C19), omeprazole sulphoxidation (CYP3A4) and caffeine N3-demethylation (CYP1A2). METHODS: Twelve healthy male volunteers (eight extensive metabolisers [EMs] and four poor metabolisers [PMs] with respect to CYP2D6) received 4 mg tolterodine L-tartrate orally twice daily for 6 days. All subjects were EMs with respect to CYP2C19. The subjects received single oral doses of debrisoquine (10 mg), omeprazole (20 mg) and caffeine (100 mg) for determination of the appropriate metabolic ratios (MR). The drugs were given on separate consecutive days, before, during and after the co-administration of tolterodine. RESULTS: Mean serum tolterodine concentrations were 5-10 times higher in PMs than in EMs. Serum concentrations of the active 5-hydroxymethyl metabolite of tolterodine, 5-HM, were not quantifiable in PMs. The mean MR of debrisoquine (95% confidence interval) during tolterodine treatment was 0.50 (0.25-0.99) and did not differ statistically from the values before [0.49 (0.20-1.2)] and after tolterodine administration [0.46 (0.14-1.6)] in EMs. The mean MR of omeprazole hydroxylation and sulphoxidation or caffeine metabolism were not changed in the presence of tolterodine in either EMs or PMs. Debrisoquine and caffeine had no significant effect on the AUC(1,3 h) of either tolterodine or 5-HM, but during omeprazole administration small decreases (13-19%) in these parameters were seen. CONCLUSIONS: Tolterodine, administered at twice the expected therapeutic dosage, did not change the disposition of the probe drugs debrisoquine, omeprazole and caffeine and thus had no detectable effect on the activities of CYPs 2D6, 2C19, 3A4 and 1A2. Alteration of the metabolism of substrates of these enzymes by tolterodine is unlikely to occur.  (+info)

Effect of neonatal exposure to estrogenic compounds on development of the excurrent ducts of the rat testis through puberty to adulthood. (5/1043)

Neonatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) can alter the structure of the testicular excurrent ducts in rats. We characterized these changes according to dose and time posttreatment and established whether potent estrogens (ethinyl estradiol), environmental estrogens (genistein, octylphenol, bisphenol A, parabens), and tamoxifen induce such changes. Rats were administered these compounds neonatally and assessed at several time points during (day 10, or day 18 for some treatments) and after (days 18, 25, 35, and 75) the treatment period to detect any changes in testis weight, distension of the rete testis and efferent ducts, epithelial cell height in the efferent ducts, and immunoexpression of the water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP-1). Treatment with DES (10, 1, or 0.1 microg/injection; equivalent to 0.37, 0.037, or 0.0037 mg/kg/day, respectively) induced dose-dependent changes in testis weight and all parameters. These effects were most pronounced at days 18 and 25 and appeared to lessen with time, although some persisted into adulthood. Neonatal treatment with ethinyl estradiol (10 microg/injection; equivalent to 0.37 mg/kg/day) caused changes broadly similar to those induced by 10 mg DES. Administration of tamoxifen (2 mg/kg/day) caused changes at 18 days that were similar to those induced by 1 microg DES. Treatment with genistein (4 mg/kg/day), octylphenol (2 mg/injection; equivalent to 150 mg/kg/day), or bisphenol A (0.5 mg/injection; equivalent to 37 mg/kg/day) caused minor but significant (p<0.05) decreases in epithelial cell height of the efferent ducts at days 18 and/or 25. In animals that were followed through to 35 days and/or adulthood, these changes were no longer obvious; other parameters were either unaffected or were affected only marginally and transiently. Administration of parabens (2 mg/kg/day) had no detectable effect on any parameter at day 18. To establish whether these effects of estrogens were direct or indirect (i.e., resulting from reduced follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone secretion), the above end points were assessed in animals in which gonadotropin secretion was suppressed neonatally by administration of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist. This treatment permanently reduced testis weight, but did not affect any of the other end points, apart from a minor transient reduction in efferent duct epithelial cell height at 18 days. This study suggests that structural and functional (expression of AQP-1) development of the excurrent ducts is susceptible to impairment by neonatal estrogen exposure, probably as a consequence of direct effects. The magnitude and duration of adverse changes induced by treatment with a range of estrogenic compounds was broadly comparable to their estrogenic potencies reported from in vitro assays.  (+info)

Glucuronidation of the environmental oestrogen bisphenol A by an isoform of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, UGT2B1, in the rat liver. (6/1043)

Bisphenol A, an environmental oestrogenic chemical, was found to conjugate highly with glucuronic acid in male rat liver microsomes studied in vitro. In the various isoforms tested (1A1, 1A3, 1A5, 1A6, 1A7 and 2B1), glucuronidation of bisphenol A and of diethylstilboestrol, a synthetic crystalline compound possessing oestrogenic activity and known to be glucuronidated by liver microsomes, was catalysed by an isoform of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), namely UGT2B1, which glucuronidates some endogenous androgens. UGT activity towards bisphenol A in liver microsomes and in UGT2B1 expressed in yeast AH22 cells (22.9 and 0.58 nmol/min per mg of microsomal proteins respectively) was higher than that towards diethylstilboestrol (75.0 and 4.66 pmol/min per mg of microsomal proteins respectively). UGT activities towards both bisphenol A and diethylstilboestrol were distributed mainly in the liver but were also observed at substantial levels in the kidney and testis. Northern blot analysis disclosed the presence of UGT2B1 solely in the liver, and about 65% of the male rat liver microsomal UGT activities towards bisphenol A were absorbed by the anti-UGT2B1 antibody. These results indicate that bisphenol A, in male rat liver, is glucuronidated by UGT2B1, an isoform of UGT.  (+info)

UK-78,282, a novel piperidine compound that potently blocks the Kv1.3 voltage-gated potassium channel and inhibits human T cell activation. (7/1043)

1. UK-78,282, a novel piperidine blocker of the T lymphocyte voltage-gated K+ channel, Kv1.3, was discovered by screening a large compound file using a high-throughput 86Rb efflux assay. This compound blocks Kv1.3 with a IC50 of approximately 200 nM and 1:1 stoichiometry. A closely related compound, CP-190,325, containing a benzyl moiety in place of the benzhydryl in UK-78,282, is significantly less potent. 2 Three lines of evidence indicate that UK-78,282 inhibits Kv1.3 in a use-dependent manner by preferentially blocking and binding to the C-type inactivated state of the channel. Increasing the fraction of inactivated channels by holding the membrane potential at - 50 mV enhances the channel's sensitivity to UK-78,282. Decreasing the number of inactivated channels by exposure to approximately 160 mM external K+ decreases the sensitivity to UK-78,282. Mutations that alter the rate of C-type inactivation also change the channel's sensitivity to UK-78,282 and there is a direct correlation between tau(h) and IC50 values. 3. Competition experiments suggest that UK-78,282 binds to residues at the inner surface of the channel overlapping the site of action of verapamil. Internal tetraethylammonium and external charybdotoxin do not compete UK-78,282's action on the channel. 4. UK-78,282 displays marked selectivity for Kv1.3 over several other closely related K+ channels, the only exception being the rapidly inactivating voltage-gated K+ channel, Kv1.4. 5. UK-78,282 effectively suppresses human T-lymphocyte activation.  (+info)

Functional magnetic resonance imaging neuroactivation studies in normal subjects and subjects with the narcoleptic syndrome. Actions of modafinil. (8/1043)

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used to detect regional brain responses to changes in sensory stimuli. We have used fMRI to determine the amount of visual and auditory cortical activation in 12 normal subjects and 12 subjects with the narcoleptic syndrome, using a multiplexed visual and auditory stimulation paradigm. In both normal and narcoleptic subjects, mean cortical activation levels during the presentation of periodic visual and auditory stimulation showed no appreciable differences with either age or sex. Normal subjects showed higher levels of visual activation at 10:00 hours than 15:00 hours, with a reverse pattern in narcoleptic subjects (P = 0.007). The group differences in spatial extent of cortical activation between control and narcoleptic subjects were small and statistically insignificant. The alerting action, and imaging response, to a single oral dose of the sleep-preventing drug modafinil 400 mg were then determined and compared with placebo in both the 12 normal (8 given modafinil, 4 placebo) and 12 narcoleptic subjects (8 modafinil, 4 placebo). Modafinil caused an increase in self-reported levels of alertness in 7 of 8 narcoleptic subjects, but there was no significant difference between mean pretreatment and post-treatment activation levels as determined by fMRI for either normal or narcoleptic syndrome subjects given modafinil. However, in the modafinil-treated group of 8 normal and 8 narcoleptic subjects, there was a clock time independent correlation between the initial level of activation as determined by the pretreatment scan and the post-treatment change in activation (visual, P = 0.002; and auditory, P = 0.001). No correlation was observed in placebo-treated subjects (P = 0.99 and 0.77, respectively). Although limited by the small number of subjects, and the lack of an objective measure of alertness, the findings of this study suggest that low cortical activation levels in both normal and narcoleptic subjects are increased following the administration of modafinil. Functional magnetic resonance imaging may be a valuable addition to established studies of attention.  (+info)

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