A mathematical model is developed for the folate cycle based on standard biochemical kinetics. We use the model to provide new insights into several different mechanisms of folate homeostasis. The model reproduces the known pool sizes of folate substrates and the fluxes through each of the loops of the folate cycle and has the qualitative behavior observed in a variety of experimental studies. ...

Data on the overall dietary folate intakes among high-risk groups in poor countries is very limited. Vegetables are considered good sources but the evaluation of their contribution is hampered by the lack of data on folate concentrations in many traditional foods. Data on the analysis of folate concentrations in 16 wild vegetables used in the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands in Vietnam an...

The folate receptor is an attractive target for selective tumor delivery of liposomal doxorubicin (DXR) because it is abundantly expressed in a large percentage of tumors. This study examined the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer length and folate ligand density on the targeting ability of folate-modified liposomes. Liposomes were modified with folate-derivatized PEG-distearoylphosphat...

In normal serum, saline dialysis for 48 hours in Visking casing resulted in folate clearance closely comparable to that produced by haemoglobin-coated charcoal adsorption, except in kwashiorkor where charcoal removed a greater proportion of folate. Pre- and post-dialysis values probably represented total and bound folate, respectively. Urinary folate consisted almost exclusively of dialyzable o...

Promastigotes of the protozoan parasite Leishmania major exhibit high affinity uptake of folate (Kt = 0.7 microM) and methotrexate (MTX) (Kt = 1.8 microM) which is saturable and sensitive to metabolic poisons. Influx of folate and MTX is competitively inhibited by 5-formyltetrahydrofolate and p-aminobenzoic acid-glutamate, but not by 4-deoxy-4-amino-10-methylpteroate, biopterin, or pteroate. A ...

Folic acid is an essential nutrient that is required for one-carbon biosynthetic processes and for methylation of biomolecules. Deficiency of this micronutrient leads to disturbances in normal physiology of cell. Chronic alcoholism is well known to be associated with folate deficiency which is due, in part to folate malabsorption. The present study deals with the mechanistic insights of reduced...

Green tea contains folate and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), which is suggested to be an antifolate. In this study, we examined whether green tea was a good source of folate in a folate depletion/repletion rat model. Rats fed a folate deficient diet for 4 weeks were supplied with folate for 7 days, and then folate repletion effects were evaluated in terms of increase in total folate level in ...

OBJECTIVE Assess the need for folate testing, frequency of corrective action, and determine reference level for serum folate. METHODS Serum folate levels in 5313 samples from 4448 patients, and clinical data were reviewed for patient characteristics and for (a) evidence of corrective action in patients with serum folate values <5.5 ng/mL, and (b) differences in patients with serum folate leve...

To investigate the relationship between folate status and dietary folate intake in the Taiwanese elderly, we analyzed plasma folate levels and dietary folate intake in 725 males and 705 females aged 65-90 years, sampled from the Elderly Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1999-2000) (Elderly NAHSIT). Results showed that the mean plasma folate levels were 22.9+/-1.4 nmol/L (10.1+/-0.6 ng/ml) ...

The folate status and dietary folate intake of Taiwanese schoolchildren was investigated by analysis of both serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate levels and dietary folate intake in 1105 boys and 958 girls aged 6-13 years sampled from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan Elementary School Children 2001-2002 (NAHSIT Children 2001-2002). Mean serum folate levels were 18.3+/-8.8 nmol/L (8.1+...