Lack of increased oxidative stress in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)-deficient mice.

The effect of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) deficiency on methamphetamine-induced hydroxyl radical production in the brain was assessed by the salicylate trapping method. Methamphetamine-induced hyperthermia was also studied. Furthermore, the effect of COMT deficiency on the activities of glutathione S-transferase, quinone reductase and liver mono-oxygenases was assessed with and without l-dopa challenge.

Focal dermal-epidermal separation and fibronectin cleavage in basement membrane by human mast cell tryptase.

Mast cell proteases are believed to participate in the basement membrane destruction in blistering diseases. Thus, normal human skin specimens were incubated with purified human skin tryptase or compound 48/80 (a mast cell degranulator) for up to 24 h. Thereafter, the specimens were studied immunohistochemically.