Antitumor Activity of Clostridial Cell Components

Cell components of Clostridium sp. were tested for their antitumor activity, when given to ddN-mice by the intraperitoneal injections 10 times (2 times before and 8 times after the implantation of sarcoma-180). Extracellular insoluble polysaccharide (galactose : glucose=13.5 : 86.5) produced by Clostridium sp. No. 45 completely regressed the growth of sarcoma-180 in 17 of 20 mice. Lyophilized cells of C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum regressed in 7 of 10 mice. Cell walls of C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum, C. acetobutylicum and C. butylicum showed the complete regression ratios of 18, 17 and 20/20, respectively. The activity of cell wall derived mainly from peptidoglycan rather than polysaccharide layer. Acid- and alkali-extract of fresh cells of C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum showed the intensive antitumor activity. The acid-extract completely regressed in 10/10 and all mice survived over 100 days

Productions of Intracellular Melanoidin-decolorizing Enzyme and Extracellular Antitumor Polysaccharide by Coriolus sp. No.20

Coriolus sp. No. 20 produced an intracellular enzyme that could decolorize the darkness of melanoidin and 4.04g/liter of extracellular polysaccharide in the medium containing 10 % glucose and 1 % ammonium sulfate as carbon and nitrogen sources. The crude preparation of enzyme decolorized 1 % melanoidin to the extent of 72 %, at pH 1.5, 30℃ as optimal conditions. Maximum production of extracellular polysaccharide was obtained between 15 and 20 days incubation. This polysaccharide consisted of glucose, galactose, mannose, xylose and fucose (50.3 : 18.7 : 15.4 : 8.0 : 7.6). When 2mg of this polysaccharide was injected 10 times, 6 out of 18 mice regressed the growth of sarcoma-180 and survived over 100 days, whereas all control mice died in 25 days after sarcoma-180 implantation. When oxidized-reduced derivative of this polysaccharide with periodic acid was injected, complete regression was observed in 11 out of 20 mice. The degradation of the polysaccharide by macerozyme and cellulase increased the antitumor activity as well and the complete regression was recognized in 11 and 14 out of 20 mice, respectively

Morphological characteristics and peptidergic innervation in the carotid body of spontaneously hypertensive rats

We examined morphological characteristics of the carotid body of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), those of age-matched normotensive Wistar rats (NWR), and age-matched genetically comparable Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). We examined the distribution and abundance of four different regulatory neuropeptides: substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the carotid bodies of these three strains of rats. The carotid bodies of SHR were larger than those of NWR and WKY. The values of the long axis of the carotid bodies of SHR were significantly larger (1.3 times) than those of NWR and WKY. In the carotid bodies of SHR, the percentage of relatively large vessels was similar to that of the carotid bodies of WKY, although the carotid bodies themselves were significantly larger than in WKY. The density of VIP varicose fibers in the carotid bodies of SHR was lower than in the carotid bodies of WKY, although the density of SP, CGRP and NPY fibers was similar to that of the carotid bodies of NWR and WKY. These findings suggested that VIP was unrelated to enlargement of the carotid body of SHR, but it might modify the sensitivity of chemoreceptors in the carotid body