Bcl-2 protects against apoptosis induced by antimycin A and bongkrekic acid without restoring cellular ATP levels.

Several studies indicate that mitochondrial ATP production as well as ADP/ATP exchange across mitochondrial membranes are impaired during apoptosis. We investigated whether Bcl-2 could protect against cell death under conditions in which ATP metabolism is inhibited. Inhibition of ATP production using antimycin A (AA) (complex III inhibition) combined with inhibition of ADP/ATP exchange by bongkrekic acid (BA) (adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) inhibition) induced a sharp decrease in total cellular ATP in FL5.

Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine alter the nucleotide balance in endothelial cells.

Graft vascular disease after solid organ transplantation is a main complication that limits long-term survival of the graft. An injury of the endothelium and subsequent vascular response is considered to be responsible for smooth muscle cell hyperplasia with resulting luminal narrowing. What is less certain are the precise steps leading to endothelial injury and subsequent vessel disease.

Metabolism of intravenously administered high-dose 6-mercaptopurine with and without allopurinol treatment in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Purpose: We investigated the metabolism of high dose 6 mercaptopurine (HD-6MP) infusions and its influence on the metabolism by allopurinol, an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, the enzyme that catabolizes 6MP into thioxanthine and thiouric acid.

Patients And Methods: Nine patients (aged 2-11 years) with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) were treated with HD-6MP (1300 mg/m(2).24h) within a therapeutic window after diagnosis.

Prevention of neural tube defects by and toxicity of L-homocysteine in cultured postimplantation rat embryos.

Mild hyperhomocysteinemia is frequently observed in mothers who gave birth to a child with a neural tube defect (NTD). In a previous study we showed L-homocysteine was embryotoxic to gestational day 10 (GD10) rat embryos in culture, however, no NTDs were observed. We therefore investigated the effect of L-homocysteine on the development of neural plate stage (GD9.