kazunao kondo

Increasing evidence suggests the involvement of peripheral amino acid metabolism in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders, whereas the molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is a cofactor for enzymes that catalyze phenylalanine metabolism, monoamine synthesis, nitric oxide production, and lipid metabolism. BH4 is synthesized from guanosine triphosphate and regenerated by quinonoid dihydropteridine reductase (QDPR), which catalyzes the reduction of quinonoid dihydrobiopterin. We analyzed Qdpr-/- mice to elucidate the physiological significance of the regeneration of BH4. We found that the Qdpr-/- mice exhibited mild hyperphenylalaninemia and monoamine deficiency in the brain, despite the presence of substantial amounts of BH4 in the liver and brain. Hyperphenylalaninemia was ameliorated by exogenously administered BH4, and dietary phenylalanine restriction was effective for restoring the decreased monoamine contents in the brain of the Qdpr-/- mice, suggesting that monoamine deficiency was caused by the secondary effect of hyperphenylalaninemia. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that QDPR was primarily distributed in oligodendrocytes but hardly detectable in monoaminergic neurons in the brain. Finally, we performed a behavioral assessment using a test battery. The Qdpr-/- mice exhibited enhanced fear responses after electrical foot shock. Taken together, our data suggest that the perturbation of BH4 metabolism should affect brain monoamine levels through alterations in peripheral amino acid metabolism, and might contribute to the development of anxiety-related psychiatric disorders. Cover Image for this issue: https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15398.

<title>Abstract</title> Neopterin (NP), biopterin (BP) and monapterin (MP) exist in saliva. The physiological role of salivary NP as well as the pathophysiological role of increased NP in the immune-activated state has been unclear. Saliva is a characteristic specimen different from other body fluids. In this study, we analysed salivary NP and related pterin compounds, BP and MP and revealed some of its feature. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of saliva and plasma obtained from 26 volunteers revealed that salivary NP existed mostly in its fully oxidized form. The results suggested that salivary NP as well as BP would mostly originate from the oral cavity, perhaps the salivary glands, and that salivary NP levels might not reflect those in the plasma. We also found that a gender difference existed in correlations between concentrations of salivary total concentrations of NP (tNP) and BP (tBP). HPLC analysis of saliva obtained from 5 volunteers revealed that the concentrations of salivary tNP as well as tBP fluctuated in an irregular fashion in various individuals. MP, a diastereomer of NP, might have come from oral cavity NP itself or its precursor. These results indicated that the nature of salivary NP might be different from that of NP in the blood or urine.

Quinonoid dihydropteridine reductase (QDPR) catalyzes the regeneration of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), a cofactor for monoamine synthesis, phenylalanine hydroxylation and nitric oxide production. Here, we produced and analyzed a transgenic Qdpr(-/-) mouse model. Unexpectedly, the BH4 contents in the Qdpr(-/-) mice were not decreased and even increased in some tissues, whereas those of the oxidized form dihydrobiopterin (BH2) were significantly increased. We demonstrated that unlike the wild-type mice, dihydrofolate reductase regenerated BH4 from BH2 in the mutants. Furthermore, we revealed wide alterations in folate-associated metabolism in the Qdpr(-/-) mice, which suggests an interconnection between folate and biopterin metabolism in the transgenic mouse model.

カルシウム拮抗薬であるアムロジピンベシル酸塩2.5mg及び5mgを含有する先発医薬品(標準製剤)「ノルバスク錠2.5mg」・「ノルバスク錠5mg」と同一成分を含有する後発医薬品(試験製剤)「アムロジピン錠2.5mgサワイ」・「アムロジピン錠5mgサワイ」の生物学的同等性試験を、「後発医薬品の生物学的同等性試験ガイドライン」にしたがって日本人健常成人男性を対象に実施した。被験者は2.5mg錠投与試験10例(22〜33歳・体重;54.1〜77.4kg・BMI;18.8〜24.4)、5mg錠投与試験10例(21〜32歳・体重;52.7〜78.9kg・BMI;18.5〜24.9)を選択し、治験デザインは無作為割付けによる2剤2期クロスオーバー法とした。安全性では2.5mg錠投与で有害事象が3例7件に認められ、内訳は頭痛(1例2件)、鼻出血(1例1件)、AST・ALT上昇(1例各2件)で、いずれも治験薬との関連性の可能性が示唆された。5mg錠投与は1例1件に尿潜血が認められたが治験薬との関連はなしと判断された。薬物動態では血漿中アムロジピン濃度は投与後速やかに上昇し、標準製剤2.5mg錠は6.90時間・試験製剤2.5mg錠は6.70時間、標準製剤5mg錠は6.33時間・試験製剤5mg錠は6.44時間でCmaxに到達し、その後漸次減少した。参考パラメータの分散分析結果では両製剤間に有意差は認められなかった。AUCt及びCmaxの対数値の平均値の差の90%信頼区間は、2.5mg錠ではAUCtはlog(0.93)〜log(1.11)、Cmaxはlog(0.92)〜log(1.15)、5mg錠(1例脱落のため対象9例)ではAUCtはlog(0.99)〜log(1.10)、Cmaxはlog(0.99)〜log(1.11)、いずれもlog(0.8)〜log(1.25)の範囲内であり、両製剤は生物学的に同等と判定された。

N-[3-(4-Oxo-3,4-dihydro-phthalazin-1-yl)phenyl]-4-(morpholin-4-yl) butanamide methanesulfonate monohydrate (ONO-1924H) is a novel inhibitor of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). In this study, we examined the effects of ONO-1924H on cytotoxicity induced by hydrogen peroxide in PC12 cells in vitro and cerebral damage and neurological deficits induced by middle cerebral artery (MCA) thrombus occlusion in vivo in rat. In the in vitro cytotoxicity assay, exposure to 0.5 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide induced cell death in differentiated PC12 cells. ONO-1924H, a PARP inhibitor (Ki=0.21 micromol/L), reduced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner that was correlated with inhibition of PARP activation. A 50% reduction in cell death (EC50) was achieved with 2.4 micromol/L ONO-1924H. In the MCA occlusion model, ONO-1924H was injected intravenously at doses of 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg/h for 3 h, and cerebral damage and neurological deficits were estimated 24 h after MCA occlusion. ONO-1924H treatment led to a significant decrease in cerebral damage in the 10 mg/kg/h-treated group (P < 0.05) and the 30 mg/kg/h-treated group (P < 0.01). Further, ONO-1924H at doses of 30 mg/kg/h significantly (P < 0.05) improved neurological deficits. These findings suggest that the novel PARP inhibitor, ONO-1924H, affords effective neuroprotection and is a useful therapeutic candidate for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Cerebral hemorrhage associated with antithrombotic and thrombolytic therapy in acute stroke continues to present a major clinical problem. Rupture of the cerebral microvasculature involves the degradation and remodeling of extracellular matrix. Here we demonstrated that the delayed administration of heparin 3 hours after photothrombotic middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) caused cerebral hemorrhage in wild-type (WT) mice but not in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-deficient knockout (KO) mice. Heparin administration increased tPA activity and its mRNA expression at 6 and 12 hours after MCAO in the ischemic hemispheres of WT mice. The expression of tPA was enhanced in microglial cells in the ischemic border zone. We also observed an exacerbation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 expression at the mRNA level and its conversion to an active form after heparin administration in the ischemic hemisphere in WT mice but not in tPA KO mice. The increased MMP 9 expression was localized in microglial cells and endothelial cells. These findings suggest that endogenous tPA, through the enhancement of MMP 9 expression and proteolytic activation, plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of heparin-produced cerebral hemorrhage. Targeting tPA, MMP 9, or both may provide a new approach for preventing cerebral hemorrhage associated with antithrombotic therapy for stroke in humans.