RESPONSES OF LIVER-ENZYMES TO CADMIUM ADMINISTRATION IN THE GOLDFISH (CARASSIUS-AURATUS) AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR

The activity of goldfish liver ornithine and adenosylmethionine decarboxylase increased upon cadmium chloride injection in April and November. Liver metal concentration increased after the injection and hepatic metallothionein was induced at all times independently of the responses of the two enzymes

RESPONSES OF POLYAMINE METABOLISM TO METAL TREATMENT (CO, CU, ZN, CD) IN THE LIVER OF THE GOLDFISH (CARASSIUS-AURATUS) - DISTINCT EFFECT OF SEASON AND TEMPERATURE

1. Cobalt, copper, zinc and cadmium injected into Carassius auratus in April (water temperature 16-degrees-C) increased liver ornithine decarboxylase and adrenosylmethionine decarboxylase and not tyrosine aminotransferase activities independently of their accumulation within the liver. 2. As previously shown, cadmium stimulated ornithine decarboxylase in November (16-degrees-C), but was ineffective in July (23-degrees-C). 3. Acclimation of fish at 23-degrees-C in April and November caused the metal to become ineffective, but acclimation at 15-degrees-C in July failed to restore the response to cadmium. 4. In February no significant changes occurred either at 14-degrees-C or at 23-degrees-C with any of the metals. 5. Putrescine and polyamine concentrations essentially followed the response of ornithine decarboxylase activity

Superoxide dismutase in gastric adenocarcinoma: is it a clinical biomarker in the development of cancer?

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the pathogenesis of gastric malignancies is well known. Many human tumours have shown significant changes in the activity and expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which might be correlated with clinical-pathological parameters for the prognosis of human carcinoma. The aim of this study is the detection of MnSOD and CuZnSOD activity and their expression in gastric adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues. Gastric samples (adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues) harvested during endoscopy or resected during surgery were used to determine MnSOD and CuZnSOD activity and expression by spectrophotometric and Western blotting assays. The total SOD activity was significantly higher (p<0.05) in healthy mucosa with respect to gastric adenocarcinomas. No differences were found in MnSOD activity and, on the contrary, CuZnSOD activity was significantly lower (p<0.001) in cancer samples with respect to normal mucosa. The rate of MnSOD/CuZnSOD activity in adenocarcinoma was over ninefold higher than that registered in healthy tissues (p<0.05). Moreover, in adenocarcinoma MnSOD activity represented the 83% of total SOD with respect to healthy tissues where the ratio was 52% (p<0.001). On the contrary, in cancer tissues, CuZnSOD activity accounted for only 17% of the total SOD (p<0.001 if compared with the values recorded in normal mucosa). After immunoblotting, MnSOD was more expressed in adenocarcinoma with respect to normal mucosa (p<0.001), while CuZnSOD was similarly expressed in adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues. The SOD activity assay might provide a specific and sensitive method of analysis that allows the differentiation of healthy tissue from tumour tissue. The MnSOD to CuZnSOD activity ratio, and the ratio between these two isoforms and total SOD, presented in this preliminary study might be considered in the identification of cancerous from healthy control tissue

The dual functions of sea urchin gonads are reflected in the temporal variations of their biochemistry

Fatty acid analyses are emerging as a powerful technique to probe trophic interactions between organisms. In this paper, the application of both this procedure and gonad index (GI) determination on two populations (intertidal and subtidal) of the echinoid Psammechinus miliaris is reported. The investigation spanned the 3-month spawning period of Scottish west coast populations. In both populations a progressive decrease in the GI was found, coupled with an increasing maturity stage (from mature to spent). Sexual maturation and decrease in GI was synchronous between the two populations. In conjunction, there were distinct changes in gonad biochemistry. Differences in the fatty acid composition of the gonad reflected the changes in sexual maturation. Mature males and females had significant differences in the fatty acid composition of their gonads, whereas post-spawned individuals showed no gender differences. Male urchins had higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) compared to females, and there was a dramatic reduction in the fatty acids 22:6(n−3) and 20:5(n−3) with increasing maturity stage. Using multivariate statistical techniques, these changes in the fatty acid composition of the sea urchin gonad were linked to habitat related diet differences combined with gender differences. These changes in the fatty acid signatures clearly reflect the dual function of the gonad as both a nutrient store and a reproductive organ