AIMS To determine the mechanism of action of antimicrobial protein, lactosporin, against Gardnerella vaginalis and to evaluate its safety in vitro. METHODS AND RESULTS Bacillus coagulans ATCC 7050 was grown at 37°C for 18 h. The cell-free supernatant was concentrated 10-fold and screened for antimicrobial activity against indicator strain Micrococcus luteus. The mode of action of lactosporin ...

The irradiation of blood components with X or gamma rays is necessary to prevent the graft-versus-host disease, but it also provokes untoward effects. In particular, red cells are damaged and have a decreased in vivo recovery, an increased in vitro haemolysis, and a leakage of potassium in the supernatant. The results of the clinical studies show that the loss of viability progressively increas...

The cellobiose lipid of Cryptococcus humicola, 16-(tetra-O-acetyl-β-cellobiosyloxy)-2-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid, is a natural fungicide. Sensitivity of the cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the fungicide depends on a carbon source. Cellobiose lipid concentrations inducing the leakage of potassium ions and ATP were similar for the cells grown in the medium with glucose and ethanol. However, th...

Maintenance of intracellular K(+) concentrations that are not growth-limiting, in an environment of high Na(+), is characteristic of NaCl-adapted cells of the glycophyte, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum/gossii). These cells exhibited a substantially greater uptake of (86)Rb(+) (i.e. an indicator of K(+)) relative to unadapted cells. Potassium uptake into NaCl-adapted cells was 1.5-fold greater than ...

The mode of action of cervinomycin, which is a new antibiotic active against Gram-positive bacteria including anaerobes, was studied in Staphylococcus aureus using triacetylcervinomycin A1 (ACVM), an acetyl derivative of cervinomycin A1. ACVM inhibited strongly the growth of the organism when it was added to a culture at the time of inoculation at a concentration of 1.0 micrograms/ml, but did n...

Boromycin is a boron-containing polyether macrolide antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces antibioticus. It was shown to be active against Gram positive bacteria and to act as an ionophore for potassium ions. The antibiotic is ineffective against Gram negative bacteria where the outer membrane appears to block access of the molecule to the cytoplasmic membrane. Here we asked whether boromycin is...

Endolymphatic hydrops (can only be diagnosed by postmortem histopathological examination of temporal bone) Immunological Mechanism Genetic Predisposition (AD inheritence) Viral Predisposition not proved Vascular Etiology (Migraine Association) (VIG viral vascular, immunological, genetic) RUPTURE THEORY Periodic ruptures of the membranous labyrinth, which result in leakage of the potassium-rich ...

Plants contain numerous components that are important sources of new bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are plant secondary metabolites found in cruciferous vegetables that are arising as promising antimicrobial agents in food industry. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity of two isothiocyanates (ITCs), allylisothiocyanate (AITC) ...

Arsine, the hydride of arsenic (AsH3), is the most acutely toxic form of arsenic, causing rapid and severe hemolysis upon exposure. The mechanism of action is not known, and there are few detailed investigations of the toxicity in a controlled system. To examine arsine hemolysis and understand the importance of various toxic responses, human erythrocytes were incubated with arsine in vitro, and...

Recently neuroinflammation has gained a particular focus as a key mechanism of ALS. Several studies in vivo as well as in vitro have nominated immunoglobulin G (IgG) isolated from ALS patients as an active contributor to disease onset and progression. We have shown that ALS IgG affects astroglial Ca(2+) excitability and induces downstream activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. These studi...