Intake of tomato-enriched diet protects from 6-hydroxydopamine-induced degeneration of rat nigral dopaminergic neurons.

There is extensive evidence that oxidative damage of dopamine (DA)-containing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) may contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the potential neuroprotective effect of diets enriched with wild-type Red Setter (RS) tomato or transgenic High Carotene (HC) tomato, rich in beta-carotene, obtained by the activation of lycopene beta-cyclase (tlcy-b), in an animal model of PD. Male Fischer 344 rats were fed for 14 days with standard Altromin diet, 5% RS- or 5% HC-enriched diet.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 alpha regulates cell growth in RET/PTC-transformed thyroid cells.

Modulation of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) expression levels and production of its metabolites have been reported in several tumor types, indicating involvement of arachidonic acid and its derivatives in tumorigenesis. Following our demonstration that the PLA(2) group IV isoform alpha (PLA(2)IV alpha) controls TSH-independent growth of normal thyroid (PCCl(3)) cells, we have investigated the mitogenic role of PLA(2)IV alpha in rat thyroid cells transformed by the RET/PTC oncogenes (PC-PTC cells). We now report that PLA(2)IV alpha acts downstream of the RET/PTC oncogenes in a novel pathway controlling RET-dependent cell proliferation.

In vitro and in vivo stability of caffeic acid phenethyl ester, a bioactive compound of propolis.

The in vitro biochemical stability of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in rat and human plasma was investigated and compared with the stability of other caffeic acid esters (chlorogenic acid and rosmarinic acid). The incubation of the compounds in rat plasma for up to 6 h showed that caffeic acid phenethyl ester, but not the other compounds, was hydrolyzed, whereas human plasma did not affect the stability of all the assayed compounds. The products in rat plasma were caffeic acid and an unknown compound, which was identified by mass spectrometry as caffeic acid ethyl ester, produced by transesterification in the presence of ethanol used as vehicle for standard compounds.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in rat plasma and urine.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is one of the most bioactive compounds of propolis, a resinous substance collected and elaborated by honeybees. A new liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for its determination in rat plasma and urine, using taxifolin as internal standard. After sample preparation by liquid/liquid extraction with ethyl acetate, chromatographic separations were carried out with an ODS-RP column using a binary mobile phase gradient of acetonitrile in water.

Analysis of glycerophosphoinositol by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry using a beta-cyclodextrin-bonded column.

Glycerophosphoinositol (GroPIns) has been demonstrated to have important roles in many intracellular regulatory processes. GroPIns has been analysed for many years by anion-exchange HPLC after radiolabelling of cells in culture, but no method has been developed, to our knowledge, for the direct detection and quantitation of the unlabelled compound in such biological samples. Here is reported a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the direct quantitative analysis of GroPIns that can indeed be applied to cell extracts.