UNLABELLED Neopterin (NPT) (6-D-erythro-trihydroxypropyl pteridin) is one of the indicators of the immune system activity. Elevated neopterin concentration occurs in diseases mostly involving stimulation of cellular immunity. The determination of neopterin concentration, usually in blood serum and urine but also in many other bodily fluids, has already been applied in many areas of medicine, su...

We report an improved "high-performance" liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) method for measuring biopterin and neopterin in serum and urine. Specimens are acidified, treated with iodine in 0.2 mol/L trichloroacetic acid, party purified on Bio-Rad MP-50 cation-exchange columns, and analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorometric detection. The minimal concentration of biopterin detectable is 0.3 mi...

OBJECTIVE This preliminary study examined if baseline measures of stress-related biomarkers as measured by salivary secretions of specific autonomic [measured by salivary α-amylase (sAA)], endocrine (measured by salivary cortisol), and immune (measured by salivary neopterin) responses are greater in male subjects with tinnitus in response to an induced-stress task. METHOD Twenty male subjects...

The GTP cyclohydrolase activity of rat tissues has been studied by means of the measurement of formic acid release and neopterin synthesis from GTP. After gel filtration of a 45%-satd.-(NH4)2SO4 fraction of liver homogenates, three enzyme fractions were separated and named A1, A2 and A3 according to the order of their elution. Fractions A1 and A3 displayed an 8-formyl-GTP deformylase activity; ...

BACKGROUND In HIV-infected patients, elevated plasma concentrations of the endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor and cardiovascular risk factor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) are documented, and levels correlate with markers of immune activation, such as neopterin. METHODS In this study, the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on arginine, ADMA and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the impact of autologous transfusion on the status of perioperative immune activation in malignant tumor patients. The Serum Neopterin and Interleukin-2 (IL-2) were measured. METHODS Sixty patients undergoing elective radical resection for malignant stomach tumor were enrolled in the prospective study and assigned to the following groups: (1) Group A received autologous ...

BACKGROUND Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is a protozoan disease that affects rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Determination of the disease stage, essential for correct treatment, represents a key issue in the management of patients. In the present study we evaluated the potential of CXCL10, CXCL13, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, MMP-9, B2MG, neopterin and IgM to complement...

The aim of this study is to evaluate serum beta 2-microglobulin and neopterin levels in children with febrile illness and to clarify their relation to influenza and febrile seizures (FS). We studied 34 patients with febrile illness whose age was between 1 and 6 years. Influenza A antigen in the throat swab was positive in 17 patients (Flu group) and was negative in 17 (control group). Serum lev...

Background. Biomarkers to distinguish latent from active Mycobacterium (M.) tuberculosis infection in clinical practice are lacking. The urinary neopterin/creatinine ratio can quantify the systemic interferon-gamma effect in patients with M. tuberculosis infection. Methods. In a prospective observational study, urinary neopterin levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in patie...

In animal models, immune activation is often difficult to assess because of the limited availability of specific assays to detect cytokine activities. In human monocytes/macrophages, interferon-gamma induces increased production of neopterin and an enhanced activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, which degrades tryptophan via the kynurenine pathway. Therefore, monitoring of neopterin concentra...