Background: Cobalt (Co) is an essential trace element for mammals required for the synthesis of vitamin B12. It is not a cumulative toxin but chronic exposure induces negative effects on the organism. It was proven that cobalt passes via placenta appearing in the fetal blood and amniotic fluid and it is shown to possess an embryotoxic effect. Also, chromium (Cr) is recognized as a trace element...

Chloride channels in the kidney are involved in important physiological functions such as cell volume regulation, acidification of intracellular vesicles, and transepithelial chloride transport. Among eight mammalian CLC chloride channels expressed in the kidney, three (CLC-K1, CLC-K2, and CLC-5) were identified to be related to kidney diseases in humans or mice. CLC-K1 mediates a transepitheli...

-Renal vascular reactivity is influenced by the level of dietary salt intake. Recent in vitro data suggest that afferent arteriolar contractility is modulated by extracellular chloride. In the present study, we assessed the influence of chloride on K+-induced contraction in isolated perfused rabbit afferent arterioles. In 70% of vessels examined, K+-induced contraction was abolished by acute su...

Anthocyanins, flavonoid compounds present in grapes and wines, were determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with electrochemical detection (RP-HPLC-ED). The method developed consists of RP-HPLC gradient elution with voltammetric detection using a glassy carbon electrode after separation in an Inertsil ODS-3V analytical column. Good peak resolution was obtain...