Fenton reactions in lipid phases

Metal catalysis of membrane lipid oxidation has been thought to occur only at cell surfaces. However, conflicting observations of the pro-oxidant activity of ferric (Fe³⁺) vs ferrous (Fe²⁺) forms of various chelates have raised questions regarding this dogma. This paper suggests that the solubilities of iron complexes in lipid phases and the corresponding abilities to initiate lipid oxidation there, either directly or via Fenton-like production of reactive hydroxyl radicals, are critical determinants of initial catalytic effectiveness. Partitioning of Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ complexes and chelates into bulk phases of purified lipids was quantified by atomic absorption spectroscopy. mM solutions of iron salts partitioned into oleic acid at levels of about micromolar. Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) chelates were somewhat less soluble, while adenosine diphosphate (ADP) chelates, and ferrioxamine were soluble as chelates at greater than 10⁻⁵ M. Solubilities of all iron compounds in methyl linoleate were 10- to 100-fold lower. To determine whether Fenton-like reactions occur in lipid phases, H₂O₂ and either Fe²⁺ or Fe³⁺ and a reducing agent were partitioned into the lipid along with the spintrap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO), and free radical adducts were recorded by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Hydroxyl radicals (OH^.) adducts were observed in oleic acid, but in lipid esters secondary peroxyl radicals predominated, and the presence of OH^. adducts was uncertain. Presented at the symposium “Free Radicals, Antioxidants, Skin Cancer and Related Diseases” at the 78th AOCS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, May 1987     

Editor's Introduction

This paper reviews the state of the art in processing and extraction of ocean floor manganese nodules. It briefly reviews the mining sites where the abundant rich nodules occur and also discusses the metal distribution in nodules in view of economical processing and extraction of these metal values.

The paper discloses in a detailed manner the physical and chemical characteristics of nodules, including porosity, surface area, water content and the effect of temperature on crystal structure of major constituents of nodules.

In the extraction aspect of nodules, the paper reviews two different extraction schemes revealed in the literature, namely hydrometallurgical treatment and pyrometallurgical treatment. The hydrometallurgical treatments include acid leaching, ammonia leaching, leaching with reducing agents and leaching after high temperature pre-treatments such as in sulfating rousting, while the pyrometallurgical processes include smelting, chlorination-vaporization and segregation. The paper also covers metal recovery processes from leach liquor.

An economic survey of processing nodules has been made in terms of problems associated with metal-marketing, and impact of metal production from nodules on mineral industries.     

Adiponectin Deficiency Alters Placenta Function but Does Not Affect Fetal Growth in Mice

Adiponectin administration to pregnant mice decreases nutrient transport and fetal growth. An adiponectin deficiency, on the other hand, as seen in obese women during pregnancy, alters fetal growth; however, the mechanism is unclear. To determine the role of adiponectin on placenta function and fetal growth, we used adiponectin knockout, adiponectin heterozygote that displays reduced adiponectin levels, and wild-type mice on a control diet or high fat/high sucrose (HF/HS) diet. Triglycerides (TGs) in the serum, liver, and placenta were measured using colorimetric assays. Gene expression was measured using quantitative RT-PCR. Adiponectin levels did not affect fetal weight, but it reduced adiponectin levels, increased fetal serum and placenta TG content. Wildtype dams on a HF/HS diet protected the fetuses from fatty acid overload as judged by increased liver TGs in dams and normal serum and liver TG levels in fetuses, while low adiponectin was associated with increased fetal liver TGs. Low maternal adiponectin increased the expression of genes involved in fatty acid transport; Lpl and Cd36 in the placenta. Adiponectin deficiency does not affect fetal growth but induces placental dysfunction and increases fetal TG load, which is enhanced with obesity. This could lead to imprinting effects on the fetus and the development of metabolic dysfunction in the offspring.     

Progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 35(2) of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes (see record 2009-05154-003). The URL provided for the supplemental material was incomplete. The complete URL is http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0012497.supp] Pigeons' pecks produced grain under progressive ratio (PR) schedules, whose response requirements increased systematically within sessions. Experiment 1 compared arithmetic (AP) and geometric (GP) progressions. Response rates increased as a function of the component ratio requirement, then decreased linearly (AP) or asymptotically (GP). Experiment 2 found the linear decrease in AP rates to be relatively independent of step size. Experiment 3 showed pausing to be controlled by the prior component length, which predicted the differences between PR and regressive ratio schedules found in Experiment 4. When the longest component ratios were signaled by different key colors, rates at moderate ratios increased, demonstrating control by forthcoming context. Models for response rate and pause duration based on Bizo and Killeen (1997) described performance on AP schedules; GP schedules required an additional parameter representing the contextual reinforcement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new colorimetric assay for antioxidant capacity and photostability

The antioxidant capacity of cysteine, glutathione, N‐acetylcysteine, and ascorbic acid to reduce Methylene Blue to colourless Leucomethylene Blue was analysed. Interestingly, transient exposure of Leucomethylene Blue to sunlight resulted in a reversible oxidation reaction and thus, provided a fast, easy, and simple quantitative assay to determine antioxidant capacity and photostability of biologically relevant antioxidants.     

Possible Role of Circulating Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Progenitors in Modulating Inflammation and Promoting Wound Repair

Circulating bone marrow mesenchymal progenitors (BMMPs) are known to be potent antigen-presenting cells that migrate to damaged tissue to secrete cytokines and growth factors. An altered or dysregulated inflammatory cascade leads to a poor healing outcome. A skin model developed in our previous study was used to observe the immuno-modulatory properties of circulating BMMP cells in inflammatory chronic wounds in a scenario of low skin perfusion. BMMPs were analysed exclusively and in conjunction with recombinant tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and recombinant hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) supplementation. We analysed the expression levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73), together with protein levels for IL-8, stem cell factor (SCF), and fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1). The successfully isolated BMMPs were positive for both hemopoietic and mesenchymal markers and showed the ability to differentiate into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. Significant differences were found in IL-8 and CD73 expressions and IL-8 and SCF concentrations, for all conditions studied over the three time points taken into consideration. Our data suggests that BMMPs may modulate the inflammatory response by regulating IL-8 and CD73 and influencing IL-8 and SCF protein secretions. In conclusion, we suggest that BMMPs play a role in wound repair and that their induced application might be suitable for scenarios with a low skin perfusion.