Effect of Bakumondo-to on cytochrome P450 activities in rat liver microsomes

AbstractBakumondo-to is a traditional herbal medicine. It has been widely used for the treatment of chronic airway diseases. Recently, it was reported that several herbal medicines affected cytochrome P450 (CYP). However, there is little information about the effects of Bakumondo-to on CYP activities. In this study, we evaluated the effects of Bakumondo-to on CYP activities in rat liver microsomes. Rats were orally treated twice a day with Bakumondo-to at doses of 2.0g/kg body weight/day for 4days. CYP activities were determined in liver microsomes isolated from treated rats. CYP1A2, CYP2C, and CYP3A activities were measured using their specific substrates [7-methoxyresorufin, 7-methoxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)-coumarin, and 7-benzyloxyquinoline, respectively]. Bakumondo-to decreased CYP1A2 activity by 42.5±7.8%, increased CYP2C activity by 158.0±29.6%, and decreased CYP3A activity to 81.5±7.8% of the control level. Activities were expressed as percentages of the control.Bakumondo-to induced CYP2C activity and decreased CYP1A2 activity; it may cause drug-herbal interactions. It is suggested that combinations of Bakumondo-to and drugs that are metabolized by CYP1A2 and CYP2C should be carefully used in clinical settings

Visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor: A unique insulin-sensitizing adipocytokine in obesity

There is a rapid global rise in obesity, and the link between obesity and diabetes remains somewhat obscure. We identified an adipocytokine, designated as visceral adipose tissue-derived serpin (vaspin), which is a member of serine protease inhibitor family. Vaspin cDNA was isolated by from visceral white adipose tissues (WATs) of Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rat, an animal model of abdominal obesity with type 2 diabetes. Rat, mouse, and human vaspins are made up of 392, 394, and 395 amino acids, respectively; exhibit ≈40% homology with α(1)-antitrypsin; and are related to serine protease inhibitor family. Vaspin was barely detectable in rats at 6 wk and was highly expressed in adipocytes of visceral WATs at 30 wk, the age when obesity, body weight, and insulin levels peak in OLETF rats. The tissue expression of vaspin and its serum levels decrease with worsening of diabetes and body weight loss at 50 wk. The expression and serum levels were normalized with the treatment of insulin or insulin-sensitizing agent, pioglitazone, in OLETF rats. Administration of vaspin to obese CRL:CD-1 (ICR) (ICR) mice fed with high-fat high-sucrose chow improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity reflected by normalized serum glucose levels. It also led to the reversal of altered expression of genes relevant to insulin resistance, e.g., leptin, resistin, TNFα, glucose transporter-4, and adiponectin. In DNA chip analyses, vaspin treatment resulted in the reversal of expression in ≈50% of the high-fat high-sucrose-induced genes in WATs. These findings indicate that vaspin exerts an insulin-sensitizing effect targeted toward WATs in states of obesity

Geophysics Field Camp 1995

The Geophysics Field Camp Reports are made available by the Laboratory for Advanced Subsurface Imaging (LASI) and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit the LASI website for more information http://www.lasi.arizona.edu