Browsing by Author "AMIGO, L"

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    ACTIVATION OF HYPOLIPEMIC DRUGS TO ACYL-COENZYME-A THIOESTERS
    (1986) BRONFMAN, M; AMIGO, L; MORALES, MN
    Compounds possessing the characteristics of CoA thioesters of the hypolipidaemic peroxisome proliferators clofibric acid, nafenopin and ciprofibrate were formed on incubation of the drugs with rat liver microsomal fractions, ATP and CoA. The reactivity of the drugs correlated with their pharmacological potency. It is proposed that the active species of these compounds are their acyl-CoA thioesters.
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    BILIARY LIPID SECRETION - IMMUNOLOCALIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF A PROTEIN ASSOCIATED WITH LAMELLAR CHOLESTEROL CARRIERS IN SUPERSATURATED RAT AND HUMAN BILE
    (1993) RIGOTTI, A; NUNEZ, L; AMIGO, L; PUGLIELLI, L; GARRIDO, J; SANTOS, M; GONZALEZ, S; MINGRONE, G; GRECO, A; NERVI, F
    Feeding a 0.5% diosgenin plus 0.02% simvastatin diet to rats increases biliary cholesterol concentration and saturation to levels generally found in human native supersaturated bile. By using preparative ultracentrifugation, gel filtration chromatography, and electron microscopy, we isolated, purified, and identified lamellar structures (unilamellar vesicles and multilamellae) as a major biliary cholesterol transport in supersaturated human and rat bile. It was estimated that more than 60% of biliary cholesterol is transported in these lamellar carriers, which were identified by transmission electron microscopy as unilamellar vesicles and multilamellar bodies within bile canaliculi of rats with cholesterol supersaturated bile. By SDS-PAGE, a characteristic and constant protein profile was found associated to the purified lamellar carriers. One of these proteins, a 130-kDa protein, was isolated from human biliary lamellae and used for preparation of a rabbit polyclonal antibody, which cross-reacted with the homologous rat protein. By Western blotting, it was established that the purified low density fraction of bile-Metrizamide gradients, containing lamellae, was enriched with the 130-kDa protein. The 130-kDa protein was characteristically detected at the canalicular membrane by Western blotting of hepatic subcellular fractions and by immunohistochemistry of rat and human liver biopsies. Amino acid sequencing of the amino terminus of the 130-kDa protein demonstrated a complete identity with aminopeptidase N, a canalicular transmembrane hydrophobic glycoprotein. These studies show that biliary lipids may acquire an ordered multilamellar structure that is present in the canaliculi of rats with supersaturated bile. These biliary lamellae are similar to lamellar bodies and surfactant-like material frequently found in other epithelia, suggesting common biogenetic, structural, and functional properties. The identification of aminopeptidase N associated with biliary lamellae is consistent with the involvement of the canalicular membrane in the secretory mechanism of biliary lipids.
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    CHOLESTEROL CRYSTALLIZATION-PROMOTING ACTIVITY OF AMINOPEPTIDASE-N ISOLATED FROM THE VESICULAR CARRIER OF BILIARY LIPIDS
    (WILEY, 1993) NUNEZ, L; AMIGO, L; RIGOTTI, A; PUGLIELLI, L; MINGRONE, G; GRECO, AV; NERVI, F
    Different hydrophobic glycoproteins are associated to native biliary vesicles, which are the major carrier of biliary cholesterol. Some of these proteins promote cholesterol crystallization, a key step in cholesterol gallstone formation. This study was specifically conducted to identify the 130 kDa biliary vesicle-associated glycoprotein and to determine its in vitro effect on the cholesterol crystal formation time. The 130 kDa vesicular glycoprotein was identified as aminopeptidase-N by amino acid sequencing and specific enzymatic assay. Polyclonal antibodies raised against aminopeptidase-N allowed us to determine its concentration in human hepatic bile, which varied from 17.3 to 57.6 mug/ml. Aminopeptidase-N showed a concentration-dependent cholesterol crystallization activity when it was added to supersaturated model bile at a concentration range usually found in native bile. Because of this promoting effect on in vitro cholesterol crystal formation, we suggest that biliary aminopeptidase-N may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstone disease.
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    HEPATIC PRODUCTION OF VERY-LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, CATABOLISM OF LOW-DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN, BILIARY LIPID SECRETION, AND BILE-SALT SYNTHESIS IN RATS FED A BEAN (PHASEOLUS-VULGARIS) DIET
    (1993) MARZOLO, MP; AMIGO, L; NERVI, F
    Rats fed a bean diet develop a significant hypocholesterolemia. The catabolism of low density lipoprotein (LDL; d 1.019-1.063 g/ml) was studied in vivo and in vitro in the isolated perfused liver of rats fed either a casein or a bean diet. The clearance of LDL was significantly increased by 100% from 0.38 +/- 0.04 to 0.63 +/- 0.04 ml/h x 100 g body wt in vivo in the bean-fed rat. Similarly, the clearance of homologous and heterologous (human) LDL was also increased by 100% in the isolated perfused liver of bean-fed animals. Spleen, kidney, and hepatic cholesterogenesis was increased by 150% in these animals. Bile salt synthesis was increased from 1.54 +/- 0.02 to 2.84 +/- 0.09 nmol/min x g liver wt (P < 0.02) and biliary cholesterol output by 200% from 0.81 +/- 0.03 to 2.18 +/- 0.04 nmol/min x g (P < 0.02) in the isolated perfused liver of rats fed a bean diet. These results explained the depletion of hepatic cholesterol and were consistent with the LDL turnover studies, suggesting that apoB/E receptor activity was increased in these animals. ApoB and triglyceride secretion in the d < 1.060 g/ml lipoprotein fraction of liver perfusates remained normal in the bean-fed rats. In contrast, total sinusoidal cholesterol output isolated in the d < 1.060 g/ml fraction significantly decreased by 100% after 90 min of perfusion. Cholesterol output in the d > 1.060 g/ml lipoprotein fraction was unmodified by the bean diet. These data demonstrate that key metabolic pathways of hepatic cholesterol are modified in the bean-fed rat. These modifications are consistent with hypocholesterolemia induced by this legume. The marked excretion of hepatic cholesterol into the bile associated with a decreased output of sinusoidal cholesterol in apoB-containing lipoproteins suggest a functional reciprocal interrelationship between both cholesterol secretory pathways in the bean-fed animals.
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    HYPOLIPEMIC DRUGS ARE ACTIVATED TO ACYL-COA ESTERS IN ISOLATED RAT HEPATOCYTES - DETECTION OF DRUG ACTIVATION BY HUMAN LIVER HOMOGENATES AND BY HUMAN PLATELETS
    (1992) BRONFMAN, M; MORALES, MN; AMIGO, L; ORELLANA, A; NUNEZ, L; CARDENAS, L; HIDALGO, PC
    The formation of acyl-CoA esters of the hypolipidaemic peroxisome proliferators clofibric acid, ciprofibrate and nafenopin was studied in isolated rat hepatocytes. The concentration of ciprofibroyl-CoA in the liver of ciprofibrate-treated rats was in the range of 10-30-mu-M. The three drugs formed acyl-CoA esters when incubated with isolated hepatocytes. Their formation was saturable and reached a plateau after 30 min incubation. Maximal intracellular concentrations of ciprofibroyl-CoA and clofibroyl-CoA (100-mu-M and 55-mu-M respectively) were attained at 0.5 mM of the free drugs in the incubation medium, whereas for nafenopin-CoA, the maximal intracellular concentration (9-mu-M) was reached at 1 mM-nafenopin. At low concentrations of the hypolipidaemic compounds in the incubation medium a significant proportion of the total intracellular drug was present as its acyl-CoA ester (25-35% for ciprofibrate). When isolated hepatocytes were incubated with a ciprofibrate concentration comparable with that observed in the blood of drug-treated rats (0.1 mM), ciprofibroyl-CoA attained an intracellular concentration similar to that previously observed in the liver of treated rats. The formation of ciprofibroyl-CoA by isolated rat hepatocytes was stimulated by the addition of carnitine and partially inhibited by the addition of palmitate. Further, it was shown that human liver homogenates synthesized ciprofibroyl-CoA at a rate similar to that observed for rat liver homogenates. Solubilized human platelets also formed ciprofibroyl-CoA, although at a rate two orders of magnitude lower than that of liver. The results support the view that acyl-CoA esters of hypolipidaemic peroxisome proliferators may be the pharmacologically active species of the drugs.
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    PROTECTIVE ROLE OF BILIARY CHOLESTEROL AND PHOSPHOLIPID LAMELLAE AGAINST BILE ACID-INDUCED CELL-DAMAGE
    (W B SAUNDERS CO-ELSEVIER INC, 1994) PUGLIELLI, L; AMIGO, L; ARRESE, M; NUNEZ, L; RIGOTTI, A; GARRIDO, J; GONZALEZ, S; MINGRONE, G; GRECO, AV; ACCATINO, L; NERVI, F
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    RAPID ISOLATION OF VESICULAR AND MICELLAR CARRIERS OF BILIARY LIPIDS BY ULTRACENTRIFUGATION
    (LIPID RESEARCH INC, 1990) AMIGO, L; COVARRUBIAS, C; NERVI, F
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    SUBCELLULAR-DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CIPROFIBROYL-COA SYNTHETASE IN RAT-LIVER - ITS POSSIBLE IDENTITY WITH LONG-CHAIN ACYL-COA SYNTHETASE
    (1992) AMIGO, L; MCELROY, MC; MORALES, MN; BRONFMAN, M
    The subcellular distribution and characteristics of ciprofibroyl-CoA synthetase were studied in rat liver and compared with those of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (palmitate as substrate) which, as already known, is distributed among mitochondria, microsomes and peroxisomes. Upon differential centrifugation, the subcellular distribution of ciprofibroyl-CoA synthetase followed closely that of palmitoyl-CoA synthetase and was specifically inactivated in the mitochondrial fraction by freezing and thawing, a behaviour already described for palmitoyl-CoA synthetase. Both enzyme activities were found to co-purify through several steps from rat liver microsomes. By using a partially purified enzyme, the activation of ciprofibrate to its acyl-CoA ester followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an apparent K(m) of 0.63 +/- 0.1 mM. Ciprofibroyl-CoA synthetase was competitively inhibited by 25 and 50-mu-M-palmitic acid. Higher concentrations of the fatty acid resulted in a mixed type of inhibition. Conversely, ciprofibrate up to 0.5 mM was found to inhibit competitively palmitoyl-CoA synthetase, whereas higher concentrations also resulted in a mixed inhibition. The highest activity of ciprofibroyl-CoA synthetase was found in fat and liver homogenates. The distribution of the enzyme in different rat tissues was similar to that of palmitoyl-CoA synthetase. The present results suggest that long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase and ciprofibroyl-CoA synthetase activities reside in identical or closely related proteins.