The capacity of tobacco infusions of Korean cigarettes to activate the complement pathway was investigated in vitro by hemolytic assay. Complement activity was studied using samples of normal rabbit serum incubated at 37 degrees C with tobacco infusions. In all mixtures containing tobacco infusion A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I at a concentration of 0.1 : 1, total hemolytic complement showed a progressive decrease of 55.92%, 48.62%, 42.89%, 49.12%, 42.26%, 52.26%, 71.96%, 60.90%, and 61.14% respectively, after 60min of incubation. This study suggests that all tobacco infusions of Korean cigarettes are activators of complement.
Complement Activation* ; Complement Hemolytic Activity Assay ; Complement System Proteins* ; Tobacco Products ; Tobacco*

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to investigate 1) the difference of the immune function between schizophrenic patients and healthy normal control:2) the correlation between the severity of symptoms and immune functions in schizophrenia:and 3) the differences between the positive and negative symptom group of schizophrenia and conrols, respectively. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The subjects were thirty patients who met the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and had undergone 2 weeks of drug free period before this study. Thirty-two healthy young adults were recruited for control. The following immunological functions were observed in the patients on admission and the normal control at the same day: WBC count, lymphocyte subpopulations(T cell, B cell, CD4+ cell, CD8+ cell, CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio), natural killer(NK) cell count and percentage, serum immunoglobulin levels(Ig G, Ig A, Ig M), total hemolytic complement activity(CH50). The schizophrenic patients were classified into positive and negative symptom group by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS) on the sampling day. The severity of symptoms was assessed by using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale(BPRS) in each day of immunological examinations. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed by measuring several immunological fuctions from schizophrenic patients and normal controls. A significant positive correlation was established between symptom severity and Ig A, the number and percentage of total lymphocyte. In contrast a negative correlation between symptom severity and number of CD8+ cell was found. In the positive symptom group, the percentage of T cell and number of CD8+ cell were significantly reduced and Ig M level increased as compared to normal controls. In the negative symptom group, number and percentage of NK cell were decreased as compared to controls. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that alterations in immune system in schizophrenia do not appear to be a specific biological correlate of this disorder, but, rather, may be associated to severity of symptoms and homogenous symptom subgroup. Also more specific marker of immune function for the homogenous patients group will be required to assess some identified changes of immune system in schizophrenia.
Cell Count ; Complement Hemolytic Activity Assay ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Immune System ; Immunoglobulins ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphocytes ; Schizophrenia* ; Young Adult

To study the chemical constituents of Rabdosia japonica var. glaucocalyx and their anti-complementary activity on the basis of preliminary studies. Target isolation guided by anti-complementary activity test, compounds in the chloroform and n-butanol fractions were isolated and purified by silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies, and preparative HPLC. The structures were identified by various spectroscopic data including ESI-MS, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR data. The compounds were evaluated for anti-complementary activity in vitro. Eleven compounds were isolated from the chloroform and n-butanol soluble fractions and identified as stigmasterol (1), stigmas-9 (11) -en-3-ol (2), glaucocalyxin D (3), kamebakaurin (4), maslinic acid (5), corosolic acid (6), minheryins I (7), diosmetin (8), caffeic acid ethylene ester (9), caffeic acid (10) and vitexin (11). Isoquercetrin, rutin, quercetin, 3-methylquercetin, luteolin, 7-methylluteolin, and apigenin which were isolated from the preliminary studies together with compounds 9 and 10 showed inhibition of the complement system by the classical pathway. Compounds 2, 4, 6-9 and 11 were obtained from this plant for the first time. Caffeic acid (10) showed the strongest activity in vitro with a CH50 value of 0.041 g x L(-1).
Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Caffeic Acids ; pharmacology ; Chromatography ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Complement Hemolytic Activity Assay ; methods ; Complement Inactivating Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cricetinae ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Erythrocytes ; drug effects ; Esters ; Ethylenes ; pharmacology ; Female ; Isodon ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Male ; Plant Components, Aerial ; chemistry ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology ; Sheep ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization