OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Trx-LHRH, a new GnRH crasis protein, on antibody production and male reproductive function.

METHODSTrx-LHRH produced in vitro with a new crasis gene which crasised Trx gene and GnRH gene together, was used as vaccine, and hydroalaminum base as adjuvant, in adult SD rats. After 5 weeks of the first treatment, the same dosage was used again to enhance the effect of vaccine. Antibody level was measured by ELISA, and androgen level by RIA.

RESULTSTrx-LHRH induced successfully the polycolonal antibody at the level of 1 :1 280 approximately 2 560 after 4 weeks of the first treatment, and 1 : 2 000 after 6 weeks of the enhanced treatment. Testosterone level was reduced significantly (P < 0.01) by ELISA, but there was reasonable variation among individuals. Sperm count was also reduced by Trx-LHRH treatment.

CONCLUSIONTrx-LHRH can be used as effective vaccine to induce antibody production, and at the same time, restrain the function of hypothatamas-pituitary-testis axis in vivo.

Animals ; Antibodies ; blood ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; immunology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; immunology ; Sperm Count ; Testosterone ; blood ; Thioredoxins ; immunology ; Vaccines, Synthetic ; immunology

Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) is one of important anti-oxidative molecules to overcome the oxidative stress. The aim of the present study is to investigate the clinical relationship between serum concentration of Trx-1 on the pre-percutaneous coronary intervention (prePCI) and myocardial damage amount in the patients with acute myocardial infarction with the culprit lesion in only the left anterior descending artery on coronary angiography (n = 100). Initial value of creatine kinase (CK) was 368.3 +/- 531.4 U/L, and MB isoenzyme of CK (CK-MB) level was 22.92 +/- 33.8 ng/mL, and cardiac specific troponin T (cTnT) level was 0.61 +/- 1.6 ng/mL. Positive correlations were observed between prePCI Trx-1 level and initial CK (P = 0.005, r = 0.281), and cTnT (P < 0.001, r = 0.453), peak CK (P = 0.001, r = 0.316) in all patients, but the statistical relation was observed only in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients (P = 0.008, r = 0.329 for initial CK, P = 0.001, r = 0.498 for initial cTnT, P = 0.005, r = 0.349 for peak CK), not in Non-STEMI patients. Conclusively, we consider prePCI serum Trx-1 as a predictor for myocardial damage amount in patients with STEMI.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; Coronary Angiography ; Creatine Kinase/blood ; Creatine Kinase, MB Form/blood ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction/*blood/pathology ; Myocardium/*pathology ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Thioredoxins/*blood ; Troponin T/blood

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of vitamin D3 upregulated protein-1 (VDUP1) in peripheral eosinophils at different stages of asthma and its correlation with clinical manifestations of asthma.

METHODSFourteen normal volunteers and 51 mild to moderate asthma patients, including 16 untreated patients with asthma attack and 35 with asthma remission by continuously corticosterone inhalation. The symptom severity and pulmonary function indices were evaluated and induced sputum eosinophil counts and blood eosinophil count measured. VDUP1 and beta-actin gene fragments were amplified simultaneously by RT-PCR from the total RNA of peripheral eosinophils, and 10 microl of the RT-PCR product underwent agarose gel electrophoresis and the VDUP1/beta-actin ratio was obtained by Gel-Pro software.

RESULTSVDUP1/beta-actin ratio significantly decreased in untreated patients with asthma attacks in comparison with normal volunteers (0.314+/-0.242 vs 0.532 +/-0.279) but not in patients with asthma remission (0.612+/-0.381). In the former patients, a positive correlation of VDUP1/beta-actin ratio was found with FEV1.0% (r=0.587, P=0.046) and %PEF (r=0.563, P=0.033), whereas an inverse one observed with sputum eosinophil count (r=-0.436, P=0.049).

CONCLUSIONVDUP1 expression in the eosinophils correlates to eosinophil activation and may influence the disease severity of asthma patients.

Actins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Asthma ; blood ; metabolism ; Carrier Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Eosinophils ; metabolism ; Humans ; Maximal Expiratory Flow-Volume Curves ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Thioredoxins ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of oxidative stress and the antioxidant protein thioredoxin in the tumorigenesis and progression of gastric cancer.

METHODSThe plasma levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) were determined by colorimetry, and the plasma levels of thioredoxin were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 48 gastric cancer patients and 30 healthy subjects. RT-PCR assay was employed to examine the expression levels of thioredoxin mRNA in the tissue samples of the patients.

RESULTSCompared with the healthy controls, patients with gastric cancer had significantly increased plasma levels of ADA and AOPP (P<0.05), decreased plasma GPX level (P<0.05), and similar plasma SOD levels. The plasma levels of thioredoxin were significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer than in the healthy controls (P<0.05). Thioredoxin levels was not associated with gender, age, degree of tumor cell differentiation, invasion depth, or lymph node metastasis (P>0.05), but was correlated to distant tumor metastasis (P<0.05). The expression of Trx mRNA was significantly higher in gastric carcinoma than in normal gastric tissue (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONGastric cancer patients have high levels of oxidative stress and thioredoxin expression, and the latter is related to distant metastasis of the tumor.

Adenosine Deaminase ; blood ; Adult ; Advanced Oxidation Protein Products ; blood ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Oxidative Stress ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Thioredoxins ; genetics ; metabolism

The aim of the present study is to investigate the change of thioredoxin (Trx) system in myocardial tissue of type 2 diabetic rats after myocardial injury and the underlying mechanism. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: normal control (NC) group and diabetes (DM) group. Rats in DM group were subjected to high-sugar, high-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ) injection. Rats in NC group were only given normal diet and equal amount of citric acid buffer injection. At week 1, 2, 4, 12, 21 after STZ injection, plasma glucose concentration and the concentrations of insulin, creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in serum were measured. Myocardial Trx and thioredoxin reductase (TR) activities, as well as caspase-3 activity, were determined by respective assay methods. Protein and mRNA levels of Trx, TR, Trx interacting protein (TXNIP) were determined by Western blot and real time PCR, respectively. The results showed that type 2 diabetic rat model was successfully established at week 1 after STZ injection, and myocardial injury was induced from week 2. Moreover, caspase-3 activity was significantly increased at week 4, 12 in diabetic rats. The activities of myocardial Trx and TR in diabetic rats was decreased from week 2, and continually aggravated as the disease developed. Compared with those in NC group, the mRNA levels of Trx1, Trx2, TR1, TR2 in DM group decreased at week 4, and then increased in week 12. In DM group, the protein levels of Trx1, Trx2, TR1 and TR2 increased significantly at week 12. The mRNA expressions of myocardial TXNIP in diabetic rats were significantly increased at week 4, 12, 24 and protein expression was increased at week 12. These results suggest diabetes can decrease myocardial Trx, TR activity, inducing myocardial cell apoptosis and heart injury. The inhibitory effect of diabetes is mainly associated with TXNIP up-regulation and Trx nitration.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Carrier Proteins ; metabolism ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Creatine Kinase, MB Form ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; physiopathology ; Diet, High-Fat ; Insulin ; blood ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Streptozocin ; Thioredoxin-Disulfide Reductase ; metabolism ; Thioredoxins ; metabolism ; Troponin I ; blood ; Up-Regulation