Stability of Methylphenidate under Various pH Conditions in the Presence or Absence of Gut Microbiota.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Aresti-Sanz J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8398889 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BACKGROUND:Early gut colonization events are purported to have a major impact on the incidence of infectious, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in later life. Hence, factors which influence this process may have important implications for both human and animal health. Previously, we demonstrated strong influences of early-life environment on gut microbiota composition in adult pigs. Here, we sought to further investigate the impact of limiting microbial exposure during early life on the development of the pig gut microbiota. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Outdoor- and indoor-reared animals, exposed to the microbiota in their natural rearing environment for the first two days of life, were transferred to an isolator facility and adult gut microbial diversity was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. From a total of 2,196 high-quality 16S rRNA gene sequences, 440 phylotypes were identified in the outdoor group and 431 phylotypes in the indoor group. The majority of clones were assigned to the four phyla Firmicutes (67.5% of all sequences), Proteobacteria (17.7%), Bacteroidetes (13.5%) and to a lesser extent, Actinobacteria (0.1%). Although the initial maternal and environmental microbial inoculum of isolator-reared animals was identical to that of their naturally-reared littermates, the microbial succession and stabilization events reported previously in naturally-reared outdoor animals did not occur. In contrast, the gut microbiota of isolator-reared animals remained highly diverse containing a large number of distinct phylotypes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:The results documented here indicate that establishment and development of the normal gut microbiota requires continuous microbial exposure during the early stages of life and this process is compromised under conditions of excessive hygiene.
| S-EPMC3229561 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Metronidazole is a drug widely used in the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections. Due to its possibility of the formation of stable metal complexes, it was decided to broaden its activity spectrum by introducing the silver(I) coordination compounds i.e., [Ag(MTZ)2NO3] and [(Ag(MTZ)2)2]SO4, which have significant antibacterial properties. The paper presents a description of a new qualitative and quantitative analysis of metronidazole in bulk and possible pharmaceutical preparations by thin-layer chromatography with densitometric detection. Optimal separation conditions were selected, and the analytical procedure was validated according to the ICH guidelines. The obtained data indicate that the method is sufficiently sensitive, precise, and accurate. The stability of the metronidazole solutions obtained from tablets, pure metronidazole, and its silver(I) complexes was tested. The research was carried out in various environments, at different temperatures, in H2O2 solution, and during exposure to radiation (UV, sunlight). The greatest degradation was found in the alkaline environment and at higher temperatures. The silver(I) complexes exhibited relatively high stability under analyzed conditions that are higher than standard metronidazole solutions and tablets. The observations were confirmed by the kinetic and thermodynamic analysis. The described studies of new metronidazole silver(I) complexes increase the potential for their application in infections both in humans and animals.
| S-EPMC8230755 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) has gained increasing attention owing to its role in replication of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in HBV. This marker has the potential to be used in clinical programs aimed to manage HBV infections. However, several reports on HBV pgRNA levels in clinical cases have conflicting results. RNA is easily degraded when exposed to heat and other environmental stressors. However, the stability of HBV pgRNA, during blood sample collection before the standard automated quantification, has never been estimated. This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of two different temperature conditions and storage durations on the stability of HBV pgRNA.MethodBlood from forty patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, who also showed evidence of active HBV DNA replication, was collected and processed within 2 h of collection. Plasma from each patient was divided and stored at 4 °C and 25 °C (room temperature) for six different storage durations (0, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h) and subsequently transferred to -80 °C for storage. The effect of multiple cycles of freezing and thawing of plasma at -20 °C or -80 °C was evaluated using samples from ten patients. Quantification of pgRNA from the samples was performed simultaneously, using the digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) method. The differences in pgRNA levels at baseline and each time point were compared using generalized estimating equation (GEE). A change greater than 0.5 log10 copies/mL of pgRNA is considered clinically significant. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata 16.0.ResultsThe mean HBV pgRNA level in the initially collected plasma samples was 5.58 log10copies/mL (ranging from 3.08 to 8.04 log10 copies/mL). The mean pgRNA levels in samples stored for different time periods compared with the initial reference sample (time 0) significantly decreased. The levels of pgRNA for 6, 12, 24, and 48 h of storage reduced by -0.05 log10 copies/mL (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.095 to -0.005, p = 0.03), -0.075 log10 copies/mL (95% CI [-0.12 to -0.03], p = 0.001), -0.084 log10 copies/mL (95% CI [-0.13 to -0.039], p = < 0.001), and -0.120 log10 copies/mL (95% CI [-0.17 to -0.076], p = < 0.001), respectively. However, these changes were below 0.5 log10 copies/mL and thus were not clinically significant. Compared with the samples stored at 4 °C, there were no significant differences in pgRNA levels in samples stored at 25 °C for any of the storage durations (-0.01 log10 copies/mL; 95% CI [-0.708 to 0.689], p = 0.98). No significant difference in the levels of pgRNA was observed in the plasma samples, following four freeze-thaw cycles at -20 °C and -80 °C.ConclusionThe plasma HBV pgRNA level was stable at 4 °C and at room temperature for at least 48 h and under multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Our results suggest that pgRNA is stable during the process of blood collection, and therefore results of pgRNA quantification are reliable.
| S-EPMC8052958 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The gut microbiome has been implicated as a key regulator of brain function in health and disease. But the impact of gut microbiota on functional brain connectivity is unknown. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in germ-free and normally colonized mice under naive conditions and after ischemic stroke. We observed a strong, brain-wide increase of functional connectivity in germ-free animals. Graph theoretical analysis revealed significant higher values in germ-free animals, indicating a stronger and denser global network but with less structural organization. Breakdown of network function after stroke equally affected germ-free and colonized mice. Results from histological analyses showed changes in dendritic spine densities, as well as an immature microglial phenotype, indicating impaired microglia-neuron interaction in germ-free mice as potential cause of this phenomenon. These results demonstrate the substantial impact of bacterial colonization on brain-wide function and extend our so far mainly (sub) cellular understanding of the gut-brain axis.
| S-EPMC8479691 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Under normal viewing conditions, the image on the retina is always in motion. Images fade and may eventually disappear when the physiological motion of the retinal stimulus is reduced or eliminated. According to a widespread theory, microsaccades are responsible for maintaining visibility during fixation. However, while it is clear that the sudden changes in visual input caused by microsaccades are sufficient to restore visibility, it has long been questioned whether this effect might be an epiphenomenon, rather than an important function of microsaccades. In this study, we compared the eye movements measured under conditions that either simulated or induced loss of visibility to those recorded when fading did not occur. Both drifts and microsaccades were unaffected by changes in the stimulus contrast and bandwidth that recreated the percept experienced during image fading. Under retinal stabilization, a condition in which observers reported fading, microsaccade rates decreased, instead of increasing as predicted by the fading prevention hypothesis. While image fading had no influence on oculomotor activity, eye movements were instead strongly modulated by the onset of the stimulus and by the requested precision of fixation. Microsaccades occurred more frequently and were more corrective for preceding drifts during accurate fixation on a cue than during relaxed fixation on a region of the screen. These results do not support a causal relationship between image fading and microsaccade production and show that the precision of required fixation is a major contributor to microsaccades.
| S-EPMC2951333 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background:Iron deficiency is an enduring global health problem that requires new remedial approaches. Iron absorption from soybean-derived ferritin, an ?550-kDa iron storage protein, is comparable to bioavailable ferrous sulfate (FeSO4). However, the absorption of ferritin is reported to involve an endocytic mechanism, independent of divalent metal ion transporter 1 (DMT-1), the transporter for nonheme iron. Objective:Our overall aim was to examine the potential of purified ferritin from peas (Pisum sativum) as a food supplement by measuring its stability under gastric pH treatment and the mechanisms of iron uptake into Caco-2 cells. Methods:Caco-2 cells were treated with native or gastric pH-treated pea ferritin in combination with dietary modulators of nonheme iron uptake, small interfering RNA targeting DMT-1, or chemical inhibitors of endocytosis. Cellular ferritin formation, a surrogate measure of iron uptake, and internalization of pea ferritin with the use of specific antibodies were measured. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to equimolar concentrations of native pea ferritin and FeSO4 was also compared. Results:Pea ferritin exposed to gastric pH treatment was degraded, and the released iron was transported into Caco-2 cells by DMT-1. Inhibitors of DMT-1 and nonheme iron absorption reduced iron uptake by 26-40%. Conversely, in the absence of gastric pH treatment, the iron uptake of native pea ferritin was unaffected by inhibitors of nonheme iron absorption, and the protein was observed to be internalized in Caco-2 cells. Chlorpromazine (clathrin-mediated endocytosis inhibitor) reduced the native pea ferritin content within cells by ?30%, which confirmed that the native pea ferritin was transported into cells via a clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway. In addition, 60% less ROS production resulted from native pea ferritin in comparison to FeSO4. Conclusion:With consideration that nonheme dietary inhibitors display no effect on iron uptake and the low oxidative potential relative to FeSO4, intact pea ferritin appears to be a promising iron supplement.
| S-EPMC6074850 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Understanding the role of electrostatics in protein stability requires knowledge of these interactions in both the folded and unfolded states. Electrostatic interactions can be probed experimentally by characterizing ionization equilibria of titrating groups, parameterized as pK(a) values. However, pK(a) values of the unfolded state are rarely accessible under native conditions, where the unfolded state has a very low population. Here, we report pK(a) values under nondenaturing conditions for two unfolded fragments of the protein G B1 domain that mimic the unfolded state of the intact protein. pK(a) values were determined for carboxyl groups by monitoring their pH-dependent (13)C chemical shifts. Monte Carlo simulations using a Gaussian chain model provide corrections for changes in electrostatic interactions that arise from fragmentation of the protein. Most pK(a) values for the unfolded state agree well with model values, but some residues show significant perturbations that can be rationalized by local electrostatic interactions. The pH-dependent stability was calculated from the experimental pK(a) values of the folded and unfolded states and compared to experimental stability data. The use of experimental pK(a) values for the unfolded state results in significantly improved agreement with experimental data, as compared to calculations based on model data alone.
| S-EPMC2980744 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recent findings have revealed that gut microbiota plays a substantial role in modulating diseases such as autism, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, and cancer that occur at sites distant to the gut. Athymic nude mice have been employed for tumorigenic research for decades; however, the relationships between the gut microbiome and host's response in drug treatment to the grafted tumors have not been explored. In this study, we analyzed the fecal microbiome of nonxenograft and xenograft nude mice treated with phytosaponins from a popular medicinal plant, Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Gp). Analysis of enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR data showed that the microbiota profile of xenograft mice departed from that of the nonxenograft mice. After ten days of treatment with Gp saponins (GpS), the microbiota of the treated mice was closer to the microbiota at Day 0 before the implantation of the tumor. Data obtained from 16S pyrosequencing of fecal samples reiterates the differences in microbiome between the nonxenograft and xenograft mice. GpS markedly increased the relative abundance of Clostridium cocleatum and Bacteroides acidifaciens, for which the beneficial effects on the host have been well documented. This study, for the first time, characterizes the properties of gut microbiome in nude mice responding to tumor implant and drug treatment. We also demonstrate that dietary saponins such as GpS can potentially regulate the gut microbial ecosystem by increasing the number of symbionts. Interestingly, this regulation of the gut ecosystem might, at least in part, be responsible for or contribute to the anticancer effect of GpS.
| S-EPMC4439139 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) the causative agent of paratuberculosis, produces a chronic granulomatous inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants. It has been recently suggested that MAP infection may be associated with dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota in ruminants. Since diet is one of the key factors affecting the balance of microbial populations in the digestive tract, we intended to evaluate the effect of MAP infection in a rabbit model fed a regular or high fiber diet during challenge. The composition of microbiota of the cecal content and the sacculus rotundus was studied in 20 New Zealand white female rabbits. The extracted DNA was subjected to paired-end Illumina sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene for microbiota analysis. Microbial richness (Chao1) in the cecal content was significantly increased by MAP infection in regular diet rabbits (p = 0.0043) and marginally increased (p = 0.0503) in the high fiber group. Analysis of beta-diversity showed that MAP infection produces deeper changes in the microbiota of sacculus rotundus than in the cecal content. A lower abundance of Proteobacteria in the cecal content of infected animals fed the high fiber diet and also lower abundance of Bacteroidetes in the sacculus rotundus of infected animals fed the regular diet were observed. Based on OPLS-DA analysis, we observed that some bacteria repeatedly appear to be positively associated with infection in different samples under different diets (families Dehalobacteriaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, and Mogibacteriaceae; genus Anaerofustis). The same phenomenon was observed with some of the bacteria negatively associated with MAP infection (genera Anaerostipes and Coprobacillus). However, other groups of bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae family and ML615J-28 order) were positively associated with infection in some circumstances and negatively associated with infection in others. Data demonstrate that MAP infection and diet changes do interact and result in shifts in the microbiota of the cecal content and sacculus rotundus of rabbits.
| S-EPMC4815054 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The thermodynamic stability of proteins is typically measured at high denaturant concentrations and then extrapolated back to zero denaturant conditions to obtain unfolding free energies under native conditions. For membrane proteins, the extrapolations are fraught with considerable uncertainty as the denaturants may have complex effects on the membrane or micellar structure. We therefore sought to measure stability under native conditions, using a method that does not perturb the properties of the membrane or membrane mimetics. We use a technique called steric trapping to measure the thermodynamic stability of bacteriorhodopsin in bicelles and micelles. We find that bacteriorhodopsin has a high thermodynamic stability, with an unfolding free energy of ?11 kcal/mol in dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine bicelles. Nevertheless, the stability is much lower than predicted by extrapolation of measurements made at high denaturant concentrations. We investigated the discrepancy and found that unfolding free energy is not linear with denaturant concentration. Apparently, long extrapolations of helical membrane protein unfolding free energies must be treated with caution. Steric trapping, however, provides a method for making these measurements.
| S-EPMC3890813 | biostudies-other