Alterations in the antioxidant enzyme activities in the neurodevelopmental rat model of schizophrenia induced by glutathione deficiency during early postnatal life

The aim of the present study was to assess the e ects of l-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), a glutathione (GSH) synthesis inhibitor, and GBR 12909, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, administered alone or in combination to Sprague-Dawley rats during early postnatal development (p5–p16), on the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LP) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione disulfide reductase (GR) in peripheral tissues (liver, kidney) and selected brain structures (prefrontal cortex, PFC; hippocampus, HIP; and striatum, STR) of 16-day-old rats. The studied parameters were analyzed with reference to the content of GSH and sulfur amino acids, methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys) described in our previous study. This analysis showed that treatment with a BSO + GBR 12909 combination caused significant decreases in the lipid peroxidation levels in the PFC and HIP, in spite of there being no changes in ROS. The reduction of lipid peroxidation indicates a weakening of the oxidative power of the cells, and a shift in balance in favor of reducing processes. Such changes in cellular redox signaling in the PFC and HIP during early postnatal development may result in functional changes in adulthood

Glutathione deficiency and alterations in the sulfur amino acid homeostasis during early postnatal development as potential triggering factors for schizophrenia-like behavior in adult rats

Impaired glutathione (GSH) synthesis and dopaminergic transmission are important factors in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Our research aimed to assess the effects of l-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), a GSH synthesis inhibitor, and GBR 12909, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, administered alone or in combination, to Sprague-Dawley rats during early postnatal development (p5-p16), on the levels of GSH, sulfur amino acids, global DNA methylation, and schizophrenia-like behavior. GSH, methionine (Met), homocysteine (Hcy), and cysteine (Cys) contents were determined in the liver, kidney, and in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP) of 16-day-old rats. DNA methylation in the PFC and HIP and schizophrenia-like behavior were assessed in adulthood (p90-p93). BSO caused the tissue-dependent decreases in GSH content and alterations in Met, Hcy, and Cys levels in the peripheral tissues and in the PFC and HIP. The changes in these parameters were accompanied by alterations in the global DNA methylation in the studied brain structures. Parallel to changes in the global DNA methylation, deficits in the social behaviors and cognitive functions were observed in adulthood. Only BSO + GBR 12909-treated rats exhibited behavioral alterations resembling positive symptoms in schizophrenia patients. Our results suggest the usefulness of this neurodevelopmental model for research on the pathomechanism of schizophrenia

Determination of lipoic acid in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

AbstractThis paper describes the development and validation of an HPLC method for the determination of protein bound and total lipoic acid in human plasma. The essential steps in the total lipoic acid assay include reduction of disulfide bridge with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, derivatization via thiol group with 1-benzyl-2-chloropyridinium bromide and HPLC analysis of S-pyridinium derivative. Protein-bound lipoic acid is first separated from free lipoic acid with the use of liquid extraction, converted to its reduced counterpart then processed as total lipoic acid. The method is reproducible, precise and accurate. The inter- and intraday related standard deviation varied from 1.5% to 11.5% and from 1.8% to 19.6%, respectively, while recovery is in the range of 80.0–106.0% and 80.4–110.8%, respectively. The mean concentration of total lipoic acid in healthy donors after supplementation with 600mg and 1200mg was 0.67±0.40μmolL−1 (137.6±82.1μgL−1) and 1.57±0.34μmolL−1 (323.34±70.07μgL−1), respectively

Determination of lipoic acid in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

This paper describes the development and validation of an HPLC method for the determination of protein bound and total lipoic acid in human plasma. The essential steps in the total lipoic acid assay include reduction of disulfide bridge with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, derivatization via thiol group with 1-benzyl-2-chloropyridinium bromide and HPLC analysis of S-pyridinium derivative. Protein-bound lipoic acid is first separated from free lipoic acid with the use of liquid extraction, converted to its reduced counterpart then processed as total lipoic acid. The method is reproducible, precise and accurate. The inter- and intraday related standard deviation varied from 1.5% to 11.5% and from 1.8% to 19.6%, respectively, while recovery is in the range of 80.0–106.0% and 80.4–110.8%, respectively. The mean concentration of total lipoic acid in healthy donors after supplementation with 600 mg and 1200 mg was 0.67 ±0.40 lmol L -1 (137.6± 82.1 lg L -1) and 1.57 ± 0.34 lmol L -1 (323.34 ± 70.07 lg L -1), respectively

CO2 Adsorption on Activated Carbons Prepared from Molasses: A Comparison of Two and Three Parametric Models

Activated carbons with different textural characteristic were derived by the chemical activation of raw beet molasses with solid KOH, while the activation temperature was changed in the range 650 °C to 800 °C. The adsorption of CO2 on activated carbons was investigated. Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips, Toth, Unilan, Fritz-Schlunder, Radke-Prausnitz, Temkin-Pyzhev, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Jovanovich equations were selected to fit the experimental data of CO2 adsorption. An error analysis (the sum of the squares of errors, the hybrid fractional error function, the average relative error, the Marquardt’s percent standard deviation, and the sum of the absolute errors) was conducted to examine the effect of using various error standards for the isotherm model parameter calculation. The best fit was observed to the Radke-Prausnitz model

Chemical Activation of Banana Peel Waste-Derived Biochar Using KOH and Urea for CO₂ Capture

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of porous carbon derived from waste banana peels by chemical activation with KOH or by activation KOH and urea modification. The as-synthesized samples were carefully characterized by various techniques. The prepared carbonaceous materials possess highly developed micropore and mesopore structures and high specific surface area (up to 2795 cm2/g for materials synthetized with KOH and 2718 cm2/g for activated carbons prepared with KOH and urea). A series of KOH-activated samples showed CO2 adsorption at 1 bar to 5.75 mmol/g at 0 °C and 3.74 mmol/g at 25 °C. The incorporation of nitrogen into the carbon sorbent structure increased the carbon uptake capacity of the resulting materials at 1 bar to 6.28 mmol/g and to 3.86 mmol/g at 0 °C and 25 °C, respectively. It was demonstrated that treatment with urea leads to a significant increase in nitrogen content and, consequently, CO2 adsorption, except for the material carbonized at 900 °C. At such a high temperature, almost complete decomposition of urea occurs. The results presented in this work could be used in the future for utilization of biomass such as banana peels as a low-cost adsorbent for CO2 capture, which could have a positive impact on the environment and human health protection

Application of Butylamine as a Conjugative Reagent to On-Column Derivatization for the Determination of Antioxidant Amino Acids in Brain Tissue, Plasma, and Urine Samples

(1) Antioxidants are involved in body protection mechanisms against reactive oxygen species. Amino acids such as glutathione (GSH) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) are known to be involved in providing protection against oxidative lethality. A quick and simple method for the determination of NAC and GSH in various biological matrices such as urine, plasma, and homogenates of brain tissues has been developed and described in this work. (2) The assay is based on reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography with spectrofluorimetric detection and on-column derivatization. Butylamine and o-phthaldialdehyde have been used as derivatization reagents. Since o-phthaldialdehyde constitutes a part of the mobile phase, the derivatization reaction and chromatographic separation occur simultaneously. (3) Linearity in the detector response for NAC in human urine was observed in the range of 5–200 nmol mL−1, and NAC and GSH in the brain tissue homogenates were observed in the range of 0.5–5 nmol mL−1 and 0.5–15 nmol mL−1, respectively. Human plasma linearity ranges covered 0.25–5.00 nmol mL−1 and 0.5–15 nmol mL−1 for NAC and GSH, respectively. The LODs for NAC and GSH were 0.01 and 0.02 nmol mL−1 while the LOQs were 0.02 and 0.05 nmol mL−1, respectively. The usefulness of the proposed method was proven through its application to real samples

Fabrication of Antibacterial Metal Surfaces Using Magnetron-Sputtering Method

One-hundred-nanometer films consisting of silver, copper, and gold nanocrystallites were prepared, and their antibacterial properties were quantitatively measured. The magnetron-sputtering method was used for the preparation of the metallic films over the glass plate. Single- and double-layer films were manufactured. The films were thoroughly characterized with the XRD, SEM, EDS, and XPS methods. The antibacterial activity of the samples was investigated. Gram-negative Escherichia coli, strain K12 ATCC 25922 (E. coli), and Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis, ATCC 49461 (S. epidermidis), were used in the microbial tests. The crystallite size was about 30 nm in the cases of silver and gold and a few nanometers in the case of copper. Significant oxidation of the copper films was proven. The antibacterial efficacy of the tested samples followed the order: Ag/Cu > Au/Cu > Cu. It was concluded that such metallic surfaces may be applied as contact-killing materials for a more effective fight against bacteria and viruses

Epoxidation of 1,5,9-Cyclododecatriene with Hydrogen Peroxide over Ti-MCM-41 Catalyst

This work presents the results of our research on the epoxidation of 1,5,9-cyclododecatriene (CDT) with hydrogen peroxide over the Ti-MCM-41 catalyst. The influence of the following parameters on the course of the process was investigated: temperature, CDT:H2O2 molar ratio, solvent composition and its type, and catalyst content. The highest selectivity of CDT transformation to 1,2-epoxy-5,9-cyclododecadiene (ECDD)—approximately 100 mol%, the highest yet reported—was obtained at the CDT conversion of 13 mol% and with the following parameter values: a catalyst content of 5 wt%; a molar ratio of CDT:H2O2 = 2; isopropyl alcohol (i-PrOH) as the solvent, with a composition of 80 wt% in the reaction mixture; a temperature of 80 °C; and a reaction time of 240 min. The highest conversion of CDT (37 mol%) was obtained at the ECDD selectivity of 56 mol% and using the following process parameters: a catalyst content of 5 wt%; a molar ratio of CDT:H2O2 = 0.5; i-PrOH used as the solvent, with solvent composition of 80 wt%; a temperature of 80 °C; and a reaction time of 60 min. It should be emphasized that the CDT conversion obtained in the current study is higher (by 9 mol%) than that described in the literature on heterogeneous catalysts

Fe-modified activated carbon obtained from biomass as a catalyst for α-pinene autoxidation

The presented work describes the autoxidation of alpha-pinene for the first time using a catalyst based on activated carbon from biomass with introduced Fe. The raw material for the preparation of the carbon material was waste orange peel, which was activated with a KOH solution. The following instrumental methods characterized the obtained catalyst (Fe/O_AC):N2 adsorption at 77 K, XRD, UV, SEM, TEM, X-ray microanalysis, and catalytic studies. It was shown that the Fe/O_AC catalyst was very active in the autoxidation of alpha-pinene. The main reaction products were: alpha-pinene oxide, verbenone, verbenol, and campholenic aldehyde