Publications by authors named "Donald J Macdonald"

An immunoassay for IVA phospholipase A2 in human red blood cells is described. The assay is a non-competitive sandwich assay in which increasing amounts of the measured protein produce increased luminescence. The antibodies used in the assay are directed against two unique epitopes of the molecule, which sequentially trap and detect the protein.

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The erythrocyte and plasma fatty acid compositions of children with autism were compared in a case-control study with typically developing (TD) children and with children showing developmental delay (DD). Forty-five autism subjects were age-matched with TD controls and thirty-eight with DD controls. Fatty acid data were compared using paired t tests.

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The use of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as found in fish-oil derived dietary supplements, as anti-inflammatory agents is supported by a variety of biochemical and physiological data. Recent studies investigating the therapeutic potential of long chain (>C20) n-3 fatty acids in mental illness have lead to the conclusion, however, that not all n-3 fatty acid types are equally efficacious. In particular eicosapentaeoic acid (EPA) appears to possess antidepressant and antipsychotic activity, while docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) does not, an effect suggested to be due to a differential ability to antagonize arachidonic acid (AA)-dependent cell signalling.

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Two studies of the behaviour of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) in the red blood cell (RBC), as measured by ELISA, are described. In the first study we show a significant increase in cPLA(2) in patients with schizophrenia compared to controls and suggest that this measure, if corroborated, could be used as a diagnostic marker. In a second study we found that washing the RBC introduced an unknown confounding variable which led us to reject this study.

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Phospholipase A(2) type IVA (IVAPLA(2)) is a cytosolic enzyme that on activation selectively releases arachidonic acid (AA) from cell membrane phospholipids. Both AA and lysophospholipid, products of the enzymic reaction, can function as signal transducers in cellular interactions. The enzyme is present in most cells, including polymorphs, eosinophils, and platelets.

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