D-Mannitol is the predominant carbon compound in conidiospores of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger and makes up 10 to 15% of the dry weight. A number of physiological functions have been ascribed to mannitol, including serving as a reserve carbon source, as an antioxidant, and to store reducing power. In this study, we cloned and characterized the A. niger mpdA gene, which encodes manni...

We studied the ability of Cryptococcus neoformans to produce the hexitol D-mannitol in vitro and in rabbits with experimental meningitis. Twelve of twelve human isolates of C. neoformans produced D-mannitol in yeast nitrogen base plus 1% glucose and released D-mannitol into the medium. In a pilot study, pooled cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from cortisone-treated rabbits given 3 x 10(7) C. neoforman...

The commercial production of mannitol involves high-pressure hydrogenation of fructose using a nickel catalyst, a costly process. Mannitol can be produced through fermentation by microorganisms. Currently, a few Lactobacillus strains are used to develop an efficient process for mannitol bioproduction; most of the strains produce mannitol from fructose with other products. An approach toward imp...

Carum copticum L. is a medicinal plant of the Apiaceae family with medicinal properties. In this study, the effects of drought stress on the photosynthetic pigments and essential oils as well as the enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms of the seedlings and callus of C. copticum were investigated within the framework of a controlled experiment under in vitro conditions. For this purpose, the s...

Of 40 polyploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae screened for growth on D-mannitol (5%, w/v), half grew well (5-20 mg dry biomass ml-1). Certain of these strains were unable to grow on low concentrations of mannitol (1-2%, w/v) and others, initially unable to grow on mannitol, exhibited long-term adaptation to growth. An NAD+-dependent D-mannitol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.67) was detected in m...

A celery petiole phloem cDNA library was constructed and used to identify a cDNA that gives Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells the ability to grow on mannitol and transport radiolabeled mannitol in a manner consistent with a proton symport mechanism. This cDNA was named AgMaT1 (Apium graveolens mannitol transporter 1). The expression profile in source leaves and phloem was in agreement with a role ...

Until the introduction of intravenous mannitol therapy, treatment for ciguatera was only symptomatic and supportive. Mannitol was first used in the Marshall Islands (Palafox et al., 1988) and soon after in Australia (Pearn et al., 1989). These studies both reported dramatic and sustained improvement in many of the victims of ciguatera. Specifically mannitol appeared to reduce the duration and s...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study assesses the cytotoxicity of hyperosmolar mannitol on human endothelial and meningioma cells in vitro and summarizes the initial clinical experience of using mannitol as a liquid tumor embolization agent. METHODS Human umbilical vein endothelial cells and primary meningioma cells from surgical specimens were treated with 300, 600, 900, and 1200 mOsm of mannit...

BACKGROUND Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), a characteristic feature of asthma, can be assessed through standardized bronchial provocation tests (BPT). Exercise as a BPT is used in diagnosing and monitoring exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). Recently a novel osmotic BPT has been developed, using dry powder mannitol. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of t...