A rapid spectrophotometric test for assessing skin sensitization potential of chemicals by using -acetyl-L-cysteine methyl ester .

During the key event 1 of skin sensitization defined as covalent binding or haptenization of sensitizer to either thiol or amino group of skin proteins, a sensitizer not only covalently binds with skin proteins but also interacts with nucleophilic small molecules such as glutathione (GSH). Although GSH would not be directly associated with skin sensitization, this interaction may be applied for developing an alternative test method simulating key event 1, haptenization. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine whether -acetyl-L-cysteine methyl ester (NACME), a thiol-containing compound, was selected as an electron donor to determine whether NACME reacted with sensitizers.

A convenient spectrophotometric test for screening skin-sensitizing chemicals using reactivity with glutathione .

Unlabelled: To initiate skin sensitization, haptens react with endogenous proteins. During this process, skin sensitizers react with small endogenous molecules containing thiol or amino groups. In this study, a simple spectrophotometric method to identify skin sensitizers was developed using the reactivity of glutathione (GSH) with test chemicals in a 96-well plate.

Engineering of hybrid spheroids of mesenchymal stem cells and drug depots for immunomodulating effect in islet xenotransplantation.

Immunomodulation is an essential consideration for cell replacement procedures. Unfortunately, lifelong exposure to nonspecific systemic immunosuppression results in immunodeficiency and has toxic effects on nonimmune cells. Here, we engineered hybrid spheroids of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with rapamycin-releasing poly(lactic--glycolic acid) microparticles (RAP-MPs) to prevent immune rejection of islet xenografts in diabetic C57BL/6 mice.

Effect of concomitant oral administration of ethanol on the pharmacokinetics of nicardipine in rats.

Ethanol intake can alter pharmacokinetics by increasing the solubility or enhancing the absorption of concomitant drugs. Here, a selective, sensitive and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitative analysis of nicardipine in rat plasma was developed using simple protein precipitation. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 1-2,000 ng/ml (r  > 0.

A convenient fluorometric test method for skin sensitization using glutathione .

A convenient fluorometrical test method to identify skin sensitizers was developed using reactivity with glutathione (GSH), a low molecular weight endogenous substance. Following incubation of test chemicals with GSH, the remaining GSH was quantitated fluorometrically by using monobromobimane (mBBr), a thiol-detecting agent, for determining % depletion of this endogenous substance by test chemicals. The experimental conditions optimized were: (1) reactivity of thiol compounds including GSH with mBBr, (2) effects of vehicles on reactivity, (3) molar ratios of GSH to test chemicals, and (4) reactivity of endogenous substance with test substances under different incubation times.

Selective inhibitory effects of HYIpro-3-1 on CYP1A2 in human liver microsomes.

CYP1A2 is one of the main Cytochrome P450 enzymes in the human liver associated with the metabolism of several xenobiotics. CYP1A2 is especially involved in the metabolic activation of different procarcinogens. Therefore, the development of cancer may be inhibited by inhibiting CYP1A2 activity.

Effects of Intestinal Microbiota on Pharmacokinetics of Crocin and Crocetin in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats.

In addition to the hepatic metabolism, the role of intestinal microbiota in drug metabolism has been considered important in the biotransformation of xenobiotics. Crocin and its aglycone, crocetin, isolated from many plants, including the dried stigma of and the fruit of , have been used in treatment of inflammation, cancer, and metabolic disorders. In this study, the effect of intestinal microbiota on the pharmacokinetics of crocin was studied following single oral treatment with 600 mg/kg crocin to male rats pre-treated with a mixture of antibiotics, such as cefadroxil, oxytetracycline, and erythromycin, for three consecutive days.

Me-too validation study for in vitro skin irritation test with a reconstructed human epidermis model, KeraSkin™ for OECD test guideline 439.

We conducted a me-too validation study to confirm the reproducibility, reliability, and predictive capacity of KeraSkin™ skin irritation test (SIT) as a me-too method of OECD TG 439. With 20 reference chemicals, within-laboratory reproducibility (WLR) of KeraSkin™ SIT in the decision of irritant or non-irritant was 100%, 100%, and 95% while between-laboratory reproducibility (BLR) was 100%, which met the criteria of performance standard (PS, WLR≥90%, BLR≥80%). WLR and BLR were further confirmed with intra-class correlation (ICC, coefficients >0.

Role of Intestinal Microbiota in Metabolism of Voglibose In Vitro and In Vivo.

Background: Voglibose, an α-glucosidase inhibitor, inhibits breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugar units in intestine. Studies showed that voglibose metabolism in the liver might be negligible due to its poor intestinal absorption. Numerous microorganisms live in intestine and have several roles in metabolism and detoxification of various xenobiotics.

Deoxyshikonin reversibly inhibits cytochrome P450 2B6.

Deoxyshikonin, a natural shikonin derivative, is the major component of Lithospermum erythrorhizon and exhibits various pharmacological effects such as lymphangiogenetic, antibacterial, wound healing, and anticancer effects. To investigate the herb-drug interaction potential associated with deoxyshikonin, the inhibitory effects of deoxyshikonin on eight major cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes were examined using cocktail substrate-incubated human liver microsomes. Deoxyshikonin strongly inhibited CYP2B6-catalyzed bupropion hydroxylation, with a K value of 3.

Alternative Methods for Testing Botulinum Toxin: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

Botulinum toxins are neurotoxic modular proteins composed of a heavy chain and a light chain connected by a disulfide bond and are produced by . Although lethally toxic, botulinum toxin in low doses is clinically effective in numerous medical conditions, including muscle spasticity, strabismus, hyperactive urinary bladder, excessive sweating, and migraine. Globally, several companies are now producing products containing botulinum toxin for medical and cosmetic purposes, including the reduction of facial wrinkles.

Inflammation-triggered local drug release ameliorates colitis by inhibiting dendritic cell migration and Th1/Th17 differentiation.

Enteric-coated formulations using Eudragit® polymers have been extensively used for delivering drugs to the lower gastrointestinal tract. However, these drug-delivery systems cannot accurately deliver the therapeutic cargoes to colon because of early degradation of the polymers at alkaline pH of the small intestine. Here, we describe a precise method of delivering drugs to inflammation sites in colon using an oral drug delivery system.

Assessing Drug Interaction and Pharmacokinetics of Loxoprofen in Mice Treated with CYP3A Modulators.

Loxoprofen (LOX) is a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor that is widely used for the treatment of pain and inflammation caused by chronic and transitory conditions. Its alcoholic metabolites are formed by carbonyl reductase (CR) and they consist of trans-LOX, which is active, and cis-LOX, which is inactive. In addition, LOX can also be converted into an inactive hydroxylated metabolite (OH-LOXs) by cytochrome P450 (CYP).

Assessment of skin sensitizing potential of metals with β-galactosidase-expressing culture system.

It has been a challenge to develop alternative test methods for accurate prediction of metallic products which may exert skin sensitization, as several test methods adopted by OECD were relatively ineffective in assessing the capacity for metallic compounds to exert sensitizing reactions, compared with organic test substances. Based upon these findings, a system that incorporates β-galactosidase producing cultures was tested for its predictive capacity to well-known metallic sensitizers. In this system, cells were incubated with metal salts at various concentrations and β-galactosidase suppression by each test metal was determined.

Prediction of the skin sensitization potential of didecyldimethylammonium chloride and 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal and mixtures of these compounds with the excipient ethylene glycol through the human Cell Line Activation Test and the Direct Peptide Reactivity Assay.

In commercial products such as household deodorants or biocides, didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) often serves as an antimicrobial agent, citral serves as a fragrance agent, and the excipient ethylene glycol (EG) is used to dissolve the active ingredients. The skin sensitization (SS) potentials of each of these substances are still being debated. Moreover, mixtures of DDAC or citral with EG have not been evaluated for SS potency.

Discovery and Biological Evaluations of Halogenated 2,4-Diphenyl Indeno[1,2-]pyridinol Derivatives as Potent Topoisomerase IIα-Targeted Chemotherapeutic Agents for Breast Cancer.

With the aim of developing new effective topoisomerase IIα-targeted anticancer agents, we synthesized a series of hydroxy- and halogenated 2,4-diphenyl indeno[1,2-]pyridinols using a microwave-assisted single step synthetic method and investigated structure-activity relationships. The majority of compounds with chlorophenyl group at 2-position and phenol group at the 4-position of indeno[1,2-]pyridinols exhibited potent antiproliferative activity and topoisomerase IIα-selective inhibition. Of the 172 compounds tested, showed highly potent and selective topoisomerase IIα inhibition and antiproliferative activity in the nanomolar range against human T47D breast (2.

Identification of sulfonyl-loxoprofen as novel phase 2 conjugate in rat.

Loxoprofen is a prodrug that exerts strong analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects through its active trans-alcohol metabolite, which is produced in the liver by carbonyl reductase. Previous metabolic studies have evaluated loxoprofen, but its sulfate and taurine conjugates have not yet been studied. We characterized the metabolomic profile of loxoprofen in rat plasma, urine, and feces using high-resolution mass spectrometry.

characterization of glycyrol metabolites in human liver microsomes using HR-resolution MS spectrometer coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

1. Glycyrol is a coumestan derivative that is isolated from roots of . Glycyrol exhibits several biological effects, including anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.

Activation of Mevalonate Pathway via LKB1 Is Essential for Stability of T Cells.

The function of regulatory T (T) cells depends on lipid oxidation. However, the molecular mechanism by which T cells maintain lipid metabolism after activation remains elusive. Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) acts as a coordinator by linking cellular metabolism to substrate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

Identification of DNA and glutathione adducts in male Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to 1-bromopropane.

Occupational exposure of workers to 1-bromopropane (1-BP) has raised concerns in industry for many years. Despite the known toxicity of this chemical, molecular events attributed to exposure to 1-BP have not been extensively studied. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of 1-BP exposure on adduct formation with DNA and glutathione (GSH) in male Sprague-Dawley rats in an attempt to determine the early stages of toxicity.

Role of Intestinal Microbiota in Metabolism of Gastrodin In Vitro and In Vivo.

Alteration in the number and composition of intestinal microbiota affects the metabolism of several xenobiotics. Gastrodin, isolated from is prone to be hydrolyzed by intestinal microbiota. In the present study, the role of intestinal microbiota in gastrodin metabolism was investigated in vitro and in vivo.

Identification of pre- and pro-haptens with a β-galactosidase-expressing E. coli culture system for skin sensitization.

Although several in vitro approaches were successful in separating chemicals as skin sensitizers and non-sensitizers, none of the available methods completely mimics the absolute in vivo scenario of skin sensitization. One of the major challenges with currently available systems would be the limited or no metabolic capacity to activate pre- or pro-haptens to reactive metabolites in the system. In the present study, E.

Me-too validation study for in vitro eye irritation test with 3D-reconstructed human cornea epithelium, MCTT HCE.

The need for in vitro eye irritation test replacing in vivo is steadily increasing. The MCTT HCE™ eye irritation test (EIT) using 3D reconstructed human cornea-like epithelium, was developed to identify ocular irritants from non-irritants those that are not requiring classification and labelling for eye irritation. Here, we report the results of me-too validation study, which was conducted to evaluate the reliability and relevance of the MCTT HCE EIT, according to performance standards (PS) of OECD TG 492.

Optimizing the cutoff for the identification of skin sensitizers by the HaCaSens assay: Introducing an ROC-analysis-based cutoff approach.

The worldwide restricted use of animal testing makes it challenging to identify the skin sensitizing potentials of newly manufactured products. The HaCaSens assay has shown promise as an in vitro skin sensitizing assay comparable to existing assays, and is currently under pre-validation. However, there is little agreement on how to assess the results of the assay to discriminate sensitizers from non-sensitizers as the stimulation index (SI) cutoff value was arbitrarily chosen without appropriate statistical methods.