Muscle, hypodermis and gastrointestinal epithelium from adult female Ascaris lumricoides var. summ were found to contain serotonin based upon glyoxylic acid induced histofluorescence and indirect immunolabeling with an anti-serotonin monoclonal antibody conjugated to protein A-colloidal gold.

Submitted by Isaac Francisco de Souza Dias (isaac.souzadias@ufpe.br) on 2016-03-31T17:58:12Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Roeckson MEDTROP.pdf: 1220007 bytes, checksum: 14de64602635da31ee8f293596dc60ea (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-31T17:58:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Roeckson MEDTROP.pdf: 1220007 bytes, checksum: 14de64602635da31ee8f293596dc60ea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-13 / CNPQ / O extrato de vermes adultos de Ascaris suum (Asc) possui efeito anti-inflamatório e imunossupressivo, entretanto durante a hepatite autoimune experimental foi capaz de induzir a produção colágeno. A N-acetil-L-cisteína (NAC), que apresenta propriedades antioxidantes e antifibróticas, pode melhorar a ação do Asc em modelos de desordens inflamatórias, reduzindo a síntese de colágeno. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do Asc e de sua associação com a NAC como estratégia de tratamento para hepatite autoimune, que apresenta a cirrose como principal complicação decorrente de falha na terapia convencional. A hepatite autoimune experimental foi induzida pela administração intravenosa da lectina concanavalina A em animais BALB/c (HAE). Após indução, um grupo foi tratado com Asc (HAE+Asc) e outro grupo com Asc e NAC (HAE+Asc+NAC). Como controle, um grupo foi tratado com salina (HAE). Foram quantificados e comparados entre os grupos o peso hepático e sua análise anatomohistopatológica, os níveis das transaminases e imunoglobulinas totais, a produção de óxido nítrico (NO) e das citocinas interleucina (IL)-5, IL-10, IL-13 e do fator de transformação do crescimento beta (TGF-β). Nos grupos tratados, o Asc ocasionou a redução dos níveis das transaminases, imunoglobulinas totais e do infiltrado inflamatório, bem como o aumento da produção de TGF-β quando comparados com o grupo HAE. Quando a NAC foi associada ao esquema terapêutico, a produção de colágeno foi controlada e acompanhada por níveis reduzidos de NO e IL-13. No grupo HAE+Asc+NAC também foi observada redução do peso hepático e níveis elevados de IL-5 e IL-10. Dessa forma, a estratégia de tratamento para HAE foi melhorada quando a NAC foi associada ao Asc no esquema terapêutico. / The adult worm extract of Ascaris suum (Asc) has potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effect, however during experimental autoimmune hepatitis was capable of inducing collagen production. The N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), which has antioxidants and antifibrotic properties, may enhance the action of Asc in models of inflammatory disorders, reducing collagen synthesis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Asc and its association with the NAC as a treatment strategy for autoimmune hepatitis, which exhibit the cirrhosis as main complication arising from failure to conventional therapy. Experimental autoimmune hepatitis was induced by intravenous administration of concanavalin A lectin in Balb/c animals (EAH). After induction, one group was treated with Asc (HAE+Asc) and another group with Asc and NAC (HAE+Asc+NAC). As a control, one group was treated with saline (HAE). Were quantified and compared between groups liver weight, aminotransferase levels and total immunoglobulins and anatomopathological analysis, nitric oxide (NO) production and cytokine interleukin(IL)-5, IL10, IL-13 and the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). In the treated groups, the ASC caused the reduction in levels of transaminases, total immunoglobulins and inflammatory infiltration, as well as increases TGF-β production compared with the group EAH. When the NAC was associated with the treatment regimen, collagen production was controlled and accompanied by reduced levels of NO and IL-13. In EAH+Asc+NAC group was also observed reductions in liver weight and high levels of IL-5 and IL-10. Thus, the treatment strategy for HAE were improved when NAC was associated with Asc the therapeutic regimen.

For this pseudoquadreactant enzymatic reaction (Mn2+ is a psuedoreactant), initial velocity patterns were obtained under conditions in which two substrates were maintained saturating while one reactant was varied at several fixed concentrations of the other.

During the purification of the enzyme glycogen synthase from the muscle of the nematode Ascaris suum, approximately 70% of the glycogen synthase activity can be separated from the bulk of cellular glycogen by centrifugation for 60 min at 105,000 x . The glycogen synthase in the supernatant fraction has an Mr of 1.2 x 106 as determined by Sepharose 4B gel filtration chromatography. The glycogen synthase in this high molecular weight complex (glycogen primer complex) can be further purified by ConA-Sepharose affinity chromatography; the enzyme activity was eluted with 100 .mM a-methylmannoside. The glycogen synthase in glycogen'primer complex is predominately in the glucose 6-phosphatedependent form. The glycogen primer complex can catalyze the transfer of glucosyl units from UDP-glucose to an endogenous acceptor in the absence of exogenous glycogen. Analysis by SDS-PAGE showed three proteins (Mr 140,000, 78,000 and 34,000) and a carbohydrate polymer. The carbohydrate polymer can be partially digested with a-amylase. The glycogen primer complex was further digested by acid hydrolysis, and upon descending paper chromatography analysis, eight different carbohydrates were isolated, two of which were tentatively identified as glucose and sialic acid. The [14 C]-autoradiograph showed that in vitro synthesis of a glycogen-like polysaccharide occurred on this carbohydrate polymer. Polyclonal antibodies have been made to the glycogen primer complex, and Western Blot analysis indicated that all three proteins of the glycogen primer complex were antigenic. Collectively, the data indicate that a glycogen-like polysaccharide is synthesized from a carbohydrate-associated protein primer in the muscle of this worm.