Correlation between bradykinin concentration and blood pressure during Rheocarna therapy: A single-center case series.

Introduction: A novel LDL (low-density lipoprotein) apheresis therapeutic option, Rheocarna, has garnered attention as an alternative therapy for chronic limb-threating ischemia (CLTI). Bradykinin-mediated vasodilation is involved in the effects of LDL apheresis and a decrease in blood pressure (BP), but the changes in bradykinin concentration during Rheocarna therapy are unknown.

Methods: The study involved patients with CLTI treated with Rheocarna at our hospital, from April 2022 to August 2023.

Improved method for drawing of a glycan map, and the first page of glycan atlas, which is a compilation of glycan maps for a whole organism.

Glycan Atlas is a set of glycan maps over the whole body of an organism. The glycan map that includes data of glycan structure and quantity displays micro-heterogeneity of the glycans in a tissue, an organ, or cells. The two-dimensional glycan mapping is widely used for structure analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides on glycoproteins.

Low catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in the brain and blood pressure regulation.

Catecholamines (CAs) are important hormones in regulating blood pressure both in centrally and peripheral sympathetic nerve endings. Production of CAs, release and inactivation are three components to regulate CAs level. We have reported that the inactivation of CAs by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) in the liver is important in high blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Familial Parkinson mutant alpha-synuclein causes dopamine neuron dysfunction in transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans.

Mutations in alpha-synuclein gene cause familial form of Parkinson disease, and deposition of wild-type alpha-synuclein as Lewy bodies occurs as a hallmark lesion of sporadic Parkinson disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, implicating alpha-synuclein in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease and related neurodegenerative diseases. Dopamine neurons in substantia nigra are the major site of neurodegeneration associated with alpha-synuclein deposition in Parkinson disease. Here we establish transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans (TG worms) that overexpresses wild-type or familial Parkinson mutant human alpha-synuclein in dopamine neurons.

An improved method for proteomics studies in C. elegans by fluorogenic derivatization, HPLC isolation, enzymatic digestion and liquid chromatography--tandem mass spectrometric identification.

An improved method for proteomics studies, which includes the fluorogenic derivertization of protein mixtures with 7-chloro-4-(dimethylaminoethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DAABD-Cl), followed by HPLC isolation, enzymatic digestion and identification of the derivatized proteins by HPLC-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS with the probability-based protein identification algorithm, identified 103 proteins in the soluble extract (10 microg protein) of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Fluorogenic derivatization reagents suitable for isolation and identification of cysteine-containing proteins utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The fluorogenic derivatization reagents with a positive charge, 4-(dimethylaminoethylaminosulfonyl)-7-chloro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DAABD-Cl) and 7-chloro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonylaminoethyltrimethylammonium chloride (TAABD-Cl), are proposed for use in proteomics studies. Following derivatization of protein mixtures with these reagents, a series of standard processes of isolation, digestion, and identification of the proteins were performed utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection and tandem mass spectrometry with the probability-based protein identification algorithm. Both DAABD and TAABD derivatives were detected fluorometrically at the femtomole level and showed more than 100-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to the underivatized original compounds with an electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometer analysis.

High-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescent assay of catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in rat brain.

A method to measure catechol- O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity using high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection with norepinephrine (NE) as a natural substrate was optimized for both soluble (S-) and membrane-bound (MB-) COMT activities in rat brain areas, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, brain stem, hypophysis, and hypothalamus. The highest S-COMT activity in Sprague-Dawley rat brain was found in hippocampus. MB-COMT activities in all brain areas were about 3-8 times lower than S-COMT activities.

Assay of catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in human erythrocytes using norepinephrine as a natural substrate.

Background: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyses the inactivation of catecholamines. It is widely distnbuted in most tissues in soluble (S-COMT) and membrane-bound (MB-COMT) forms. Recently, we used a new assay for COMT activity and demonstrated that COMT plays an important role in blood pressure regulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Rat liver and kidney catechol-O-methyltransferase activity measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

We have previously reported a highly sensitive method for the measurement of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activities in rat erythrocytes with norepinephrine (NE), an endogenous native substrate, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorescence or peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence reaction detection. Applying this method to COMT activities in rat liver and kidney, known to have the highest activities of all organs, the optimum reaction conditions were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, soluble (S)-COMT and membrane-bound (MB)-COMT activities in rat liver, with NE as a substrate, were 2.

Simultaneous determination of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid using high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection and application to rat kidney microdialysate.

We established a sensitive and simultaneous determination method of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) using HPLC-fluorescence detection. This method adopted the column-switching system, which included an on-line extraction of carboxylic acids by a strong anion-exchange column followed by separation on an ODS column, coulometric oxidation, fluorogenic reaction with ethylenediamine, and fluorescence detection. The detection limits were 50 and 100 fmol/injection for DOPAC and HVA, respectively (a signal-to-noise ratio of 3).