Daina Eze

Protective effect of adenylate deaminase (from Penicillium lanoso-viride) against acute infections in mice

We examined the effects of the immunomodulator-adenylate deaminase (E.C. 3.5.4.6) from Penicillium lanoso-viride on experimental mice infections. Prophylactic intraperitoneal administration of adenylate deaminase (ADA) increased survival time and numbers of survivors after infection with Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and influenza A (H3N2) virus. Protection against influenza virus after intranasal ADA application was also observed. The influence of ADA was time and dose dependent. The most pronounced protection was obtained by administration of 3 U ADA/mice 24 h prior to infection. ADA had no antibiotic effect against these bacterial strains. Protective effects of ADA were studied in immunosuppressed mice under different regimes of treatment including cyclosporin A and trypan blue. The results indicated, that the protective effect of ADA is of a complex nature and probably depends on both T-cell and macrophage components.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of lipid-like 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazole derivatives as potential anticancer and antimicrobial agents

A series of new lipid-like thiazole derivatives have been synthesized in good yields by O-alkylation of 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazole, a thiamine metabolite, under phase transfer catalysis conditions followed by N-alkylation with the aim to obtain potential anticancer and antimicrobial agents. The synthesized cationic amphiphiles and their ether precursors were subjected to in vitro cytotoxic evaluation against monolayer human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 and mouse hepatoma MG-22A tumour cell lines and normal mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and were screened for antimicrobial activity concerning gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial and fungal strains. The synthesized compounds possessed strong antimicrobial activity, significant selective cytotoxicity and high NO-induction ability. In vivo investigation of 3,4-dimethyl-5-(2-undecyloxyethyl)-1,3-thiazol-3-ium iodide confirmed anticancer action, reliably inhibiting mouse sarcoma S-180 tumour growth.