Effect of vitamin E on the blood-brain barrier permeability in aged rats with ptz-induced convulsions

The effect of vitamin E on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability was studied under conditions of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced convulsions in aged (23- to 24-month-old) male albino rats; Evans Blue was used as a tracer. The BBB permeability was found to considerably increase in rats with PTZ-evoked seizures; the Evans Blue contents in the left and right hemispheres and cerebellum + brainstem region were significantly higher than those in the control. Vitamin E used in the dose of 70 mg/kg exerted practically no beneficial effect on the increased BBB permeability in rats with seizures, while a greater dose of vitamin E (700 mg/kg) exerted a significant protective effect, especially with respect to the cerebellum + brainstem regions (P < 0.01). The seizure-related rise in the arterial blood pressure was also smaller in the latter experimental group. Thus, our observations confirm the importance of the dose of vitamin E as a protective factor for the BBB permeability and demonstrate that the dose dependence of this antioxidant in aged animals dif fers from that in younger or ganisms.На старих (вік 23–24 місяці) самцях білих щурів досліджували вплив вітаміну Е на розлади проникності гематоенцефалічного бар’єра (ГЕБ), пов’язані з розвитком судомної активності, котра була індукована введенням пентилентетразолу (ПТЗ); як трасер використовували барвник Еванс блакитний. У тварин із ПТЗ-викликаними судомами проникність ГЕБ значно збільшувалася; вміст барвника в тканинах лівої та правої мозкових півкуль, мозочка та стовбура мозку вірогідно перевищував відповідні значення в контролі. Вітамін Е в дозі 70 мг/кг практично не справляв позитивного впливу на збільшену проникність ГЕБ у тварин із судомною активністю. Застосування ж вітаміну Е в більших дозах (700 мг/кг) забезпечувало істотний протективний ефект, особливо щодо зразків тканин мозочка та стовбура мозку (P < 0.01). Підвищення артеріального кров’яного тиску, пов’язане з розвитком судом, в останній з експериментальних серій було помірнішим, ніж у двох інших серіях. Отже, наші спостереження підтверджують важливість дозування вітаміну Е як протективного фактора щодо проникності ГЕБ та вказують на те, що залежність від дози цього вітаміну, використовуваного як антиоксидант, у старих тварин істотно відрізняється від такої у молодших організмів

Peningkatan Nilai Kalori pada Batubara Lignit dengan Metode Aglomerasi Air dan Minyak Sawit pada PT. Indonesia Power Ujp Pltu Barru

Penggunaan batubara di PLTU sangat bergantung kepada kualitas batubara yang digunakan, karena semakin tinggi kualitas batubara maka akan memaksimalkan pembakaran dan secara langsung akan berdampak pada produksi listrik yang dihasilkan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peningkatan nilai kalori pada batubara lignit. Pada penelitian ini digunakan metode aglomerasi dengan media air dan minyak sawit yang pada setiap sampel diberi perlakukan yang sama namun mengalami peningkatan yang berbeda. Ada tiga sampel yang digunakan pada penelitian ini dimana pada setiap sampel memiliki komposisi batubara lignit seberat 1 gram, minyak sawit sebanyak 10,20,30 ml dan air sebanyak 100 ml. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa semakin banyak konsentrasi minyak maka semakin tinggi kadar karbon yang diikat, sehingga dapat meningkatkan nilai kalori batubara. Dilihat dari konsentrasi 30% pada setiap sampel batubara mengalami peningkatan nilai kalori yang sebelumnya 3.765,23 cal/gr menjadi 5.279,46 cal/gr pada sampel pertama, 3.567,44 cal/gr menjadi 4.989,07 cal/gr pada sampel kedua dan 4.026,07 cal/gr menjadi 5.166,98 cal/gr pada sampel ketiga. Dari hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa batubara lignit yang digunakan di PLTU dapat ditingkatkan nilai kalorinya menggunakan metode aglomerasi air dan minyak sawit

The impact of pretreatment with simvastatin on kidney tissue of rats with acute sepsis

It has been reported that changes in cytokine levels affect mitochondrial functions, levels of hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIF-1α), and tissue damage during sepsis. We aimed to investigate the effects of simvastatin pretreatment on mitochondrial enzyme activities, and on levels of ghrelin, HIF-1α, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in kidney tissue during sepsis. Rats were separated into four groups, namely, control, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (20 mg/kg), simvastatin (20 mg/kg), and simvastatin + LPS. We measured the levels of mitochondrial enzyme activities and TBARS in the kidney using spectrophotometry. The histological structure of the kidney sections was examined after staining with hematoxylin and eosin. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), IL-10, HIF-1α, and ghrelin immunoreactivity were examined using proper antibodies. In tissue, TNF-α (p  0.05). Ghrelin immunoreactivity was lower in the LPS group (p  0.05). We observed that pretreatment of simvastatin caused favorable changes on ghrelin and TBARS levels in rats with sepsis

Single-molecule kinetics of pore assembly by the membrane attack complex

The membrane attack complex (MAC) is a hetero-oligomeric protein assembly that kills pathogens by perforating their cell envelopes. The MAC is formed by sequential assembly of soluble complement proteins C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9, but little is known about the rate-limiting steps in this process. Here, we use rapid atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging to show that MAC proteins oligomerize within the membrane, unlike structurally homologous bacterial pore-forming toxins. C5b-7 interacts with the lipid bilayer prior to recruiting C8. We discover that incorporation of the first C9 is the kinetic bottleneck of MAC formation, after which rapid C9 oligomerization completes the pore. This defines the kinetic basis for MAC assembly and provides insight into how human cells are protected from bystander damage by the cell surface receptor CD59, which is offered a maximum temporal window to halt the assembly at the point of C9 insertion

Effect of Vitamin E on Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in Aged Rats with PTZ-Induced Convulsions

The effect of vitamin E on blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability was studied under conditions of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced convulsions in aged (23- to 24-month-old) male albino rats; Evans Blue was used as a tracer. The BBB permeability was found to increase considerably in rats with PTZ-evoked seizures; the Evans Blue contents in the left and right hemispheres and cerebellum + brainstem region were significantly higher than those in the control. Vitamin E at a dose of 70 mg/kg exerted practically no beneficial effect on the increased BBB permeability in rats with seizures, while a greater dose of vitamin E (700 mg/kg) exerted a significant protective effect, especially with respect to the cerebellum + brainstem regions (P < < 0.01). The seizure-related rise in the arterial blood pressure was also smaller in the latter experimental group. Thus, our observations confirm the importance of the vitamin E dose as a protective factor for BBB permeability and demonstrate that the dose dependence of this antioxidant in aged animals differs from that in younger organisms