A search for biomarkers as diagnostic tools for food allergy: a pilot study in peanut-allergic patients.

Background: The impact of peanut allergy is large and accidental ingestion of peanut can lead to severe reactions. Currently used diagnostic tests, such as skin prick tests (SPT) and determination of specific immunoglobulins (IgE) have, however, limited sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, new tools have to be developed to improve the accuracy of the diagnostic work-up of food-allergic patients.

Sensitivity of (1)H NMR analysis of rat urine in relation to toxicometabonomics. Part I: dose-dependent toxic effects of bromobenzene and paracetamol.

(1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of rat urine in combination with pattern recognition analysis was evaluated for early noninvasive detection of toxicity of investigational chemical entities. Bromobenzene (B) and paracetamol (P) were administered at five single oral dosages between 2 and 500 mg/kg and between 6 and 1800 mg/kg, respectively. The sensitivity of the proposed method to detect changes in the NMR spectra 24 and 48 h after single dosing was compared with histopathology and biochemical parameters in plasma and urine.

Uniform procedure of (1)H NMR analysis of rat urine and toxicometabonomics Part II: comparison of NMR profiles for classification of hepatotoxicity.

A procedure of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) urinalysis using pattern recognition is proposed for early detection of toxicity of investigational compounds in rats. The method is applied to detect toxicity upon administration of 13 toxic reference compounds and one nontoxic control compound (mianserine) in rats. The toxic compounds are expected to induce necrosis (bromobenzene, paracetamol, carbon tetrachloride, iproniazid, isoniazid, thioacetamide), cholestasis (alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT), chlorpromazine, ethinylestradiol, methyltestosterone, ibuprofen), or steatosis (phenobarbital, tetracycline).

Profiles of metabolites and gene expression in rats with chemically induced hepatic necrosis.

This study investigated whether integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics data increased the sensitivity of detection and provided new insight in the mechanisms of hepatotoxicity. Metabolite levels in plasma or urine were analyzed in relation to changes in hepatic gene expression in rats that received bromobenzene to induce acute hepatic centrilobular necrosis. Bromobenzene-induced lesions were only observed after treatment with the highest of 3 dose levels.

Identification of an urinary metabolite profile associated with osteoarthritis.

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common diseases among the elderly. The main characteristic is the progressive destruction of articular cartilage. We lack quantitative and sensitive biomarkers for OA to detect changes in the joints in an early stage of the disease.

Metabolomics in the context of systems biology: bridging traditional Chinese medicine and molecular pharmacology.

The introduction of the concept of systems biology, enabling the study of living systems from a holistic perspective based on the profiling of a multitude of biochemical components, opens up a unique and novel opportunity to reinvestigate natural products. In the study of their bioactivity, the necessary reductionistic approach on single active components has been successful in the discovery of new medicines, but at the same time the synergetic effects of components were lost. Systems biology, and especially metabolomics, is the ultimate phenotyping.

Evidence of the regulatory effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on skin blood flow and study of its effects on urinary metabolites in healthy humans.

Ginkgo biloba extract has been advocated for the improvement of blood circulation in circulatory disorders. This study investigated the effect of the Gingko biloba extract EGb 761 on skin blood flow in healthy volunteers and accompanying changes in urinary metabolites. Twenty-seven healthy middle-aged subjects participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

A pilot study to investigate effects of inulin on Caco-2 cells through in vitro metabolic fingerprinting.

Metabolic fingerprints are novel measurement tools to evaluate the biochemical status of a living organism by using 1H NMR and multivariate data analysis (MVDA). In this way, a quick evaluation of changes in health or diseased state can be made, reflected in alterations of metabolic patterns. Normally, metabolic fingerprinting is based on in vivo studies.

Identification of disease- and nutrient-related metabolic fingerprints in osteoarthritic Guinea pigs.

Osteoarthritis (OA), one of the most common diseases among the elderly, is characterized by the progressive destruction of joint tissues. Its etiology is largely unclear and no effective disease-modifying treatment is currently available. Metabolic fingerprinting provides a novel tool for the identification of biomarkers.

Comparison of renal toxicity after long-term oral administration of cadmium chloride and cadmium-metallothionein in rats.

There is a clear lack of information on the toxicological risk of dietary intake of cadmium-metallothionein (CdMt). The present study aimed at establishing dose-dependent cadmium (Cd) disposition and to investigate differences in renal toxicity after long-term dietary exposure to CdMt or cadmium chloride (CdCl2) in rats. Male Wistar rats were fed diets containing 0.

Correlations between presence of spontaneous lesions of the pituitary (adenohypophysis) and plasma prolactin concentration in aged Wistar rats.

The predictive value of elevated plasma prolactin concentrations for the presence of spontaneous pituitary lesions was studied in 40 male and 38 female Wistar (Cpb:WU) rats, all 30 months old. The pituitaries were examined light microscopically and stained for prolactin using immunohistochemical methods. Plasma prolactin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay.

Rat pituitary changes observed with magnetic resonance imaging following removal of estrogen stimulus: correlation with histopathology and immunohistology.

The effect of estrogen withdrawal on pituitary glands of rats treated with estradiol-17 beta for various lengths of time was monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological examination. Estrogen pellets were removed at seven different time points ranging from 4 to 206 days after pellet implantation. High-resolution mid-sagittal MR images of the rat head were made 1 day before pellet implantation, immediately following pellet withdrawal, and 14 and 28 days after pellet withdrawal.

Pathogenesis of blood-filled cavities in estrogen-induced anterior pituitary tumors in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

The formation of blood-filled cavities in developing tumors of the anterior pituitary of estrogen-treated male Sprague-Dawley rats was studied in a serial sacrifice experiment. Two treated and 2 control rats were killed at each of 15 time points ranging from 7-272 days after sc implantation of an estradiol-17 beta pellet. The pituitaries were examined using light and electron microscopy.

Magnetic resonance imaging compared with hormonal effects and histopathology of estrogen-induced pituitary lesions in the rat.

Estrogen-induced pituitary lesions in rats were studied in time-sequence experiments using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), hormone determinations and light microscopy. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of MRI in comparison with conventional biochemical and histopathological methods for detecting the pituitary lesions as early as possible and to follow their development. Measurements were made at 15 time points, ranging from 1 h to 272 days after s.

Gadolinium-DTPA-enhanced and digitally subtracted magnetic resonance imaging of estrogen-induced pituitary lesions in rats: correlation with pituitary anatomy.

Pituitary hypertrophy and tumors were induced in male Sprague Dawley rats using estradiol-17 beta. This tumor model generates a variety of pituitary lesions which are relevant to human pituitary disease. In order to characterize these lesions, gadolinium DTPA was injected intravenously into the tail vein of estrogen treated and control rats.

Magnetic resonance imaging of estrogen-induced pituitary hypertrophy in rats.

Estrogen-induced pituitary hypertrophy has been studied using magnetic resonance imaging in a group of 15 control and 30 experimental rats. Following the subcutaneous implantation of an estrogen pellet, differences in the anatomical appearance of the pituitary gland of the implanted rats can be detected in as little as 16 days, when compared to the control animals. The gland in the experimental animals appears diffusely enlarged with rounded margins, when viewed in sagittal T1-weighted magnetic resonance images.