Harry Boström

Salicylate‐Induced Malformations in Mouse Embryos1

A single intramuscular injection of 10 mg of sodium salicylate was administered to pregnant mice of the A/Jax strain on one of the 7th to 13th days of gestation. A preliminary report is given of the gross anomalies observed in dissected‐out 18–day embryos. They consisted of severe disturbances in skeletal and vascular development. The embryos seemed to be most sensitive to injection given on the 12th and 13th days of gestation.

Uptake of sulfate by mucopolysaccharides in the rat cornea and sclera.

The cornea is an organ rich in mucopolysaccharides, which are of great importance for its water-binding capacity and transparency ( 1 ) . According to Meyer et al. 1954 (2 ) , the cornea contains two types of sulfated mucopolysaccharides, namely chondroitin sulfate and keratosulfate. The latter compound, which has so far been demonstrated only in the cornea and in the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral discs (3 ) , is found in excess. The sclera, on the other hand, contains mucopolysaccharide in much smaller concentrations than the cornea, and so far only chondroitin sulfate has been found (4) . In 1949 Dziewiatkowski (5 ) demonstrated that the major proportion of a dose of S35-labelled sodium sulfate administered to experimental animals was rapidly excreted, and that a minor amount was left deposited in the tissues. Especially organs rich in sulfated mucopolysaccharide retained SS and showed a slow elimination. Subsequent investigations by Dziewiatkowski (61, Bostrom ( 7 ) and Bostrom and Gardell (8) showed that most of the radioactive sulfate present in cartilage and skin was incorporated in chondroitin sulfate, which could be isolated. Also the rate of the uptake and disappearance of Ss in these tissues was studied in rats (7, 8). There is obviously a continuous enzymatic exchange of the sulfate groups of sulfomucopolysaccharides, possibly synchronously with the synthesis and breakdown of the total mucopolysaccharide molecule.

A quantitative autoradiographic study of the incorporation of S35 in tracheal cartilage.

Nine white albino rats were given S35 and autoradiographs were prepared from trachea. Controlled and standardized development of the film enabled quantitative measurement of S35 by autoradiography. The amount of S35 at different intervals after injection is given in Fig. 2. A sharp peak appeared 8 hr. after injection. After 24 hr. there was a slow decrease of the amount of S35. The first peak is thought to depend on the presence of labeled inorganic sulfate in the cartilage and the slow decrease of activity must be due to the presence of labeled chondroitin sulfuric acid. When comparing the autoradiographic curve with the curve obtained on chemically isolated chondroitin sulfuric acid, there was a satisfactory agreement between these two methods of investigation.

On the [35S]sulphate incorporation in fibrinopeptide B from rabbit fibrinogen☆

Abstract Two peptides, tentatively named A and B, are released during the coagulation of rabbit fibrinogen. Inorganic sulphate labelled with 35S has been shown to be utilized in vivo by the rabbit in the synthesis of tyrosine-O-sulphate in one of the fibrinopeptides from fibrinogen. The half-life of this group in fibrinogen is found to be 7o h. N-terminal analysis of rabbit fibrinogen and fibrin as well as of the fibrinopeptides has been performed, and the results compared with those found in other speiies.

AUTORADIOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS ON THE UPTAKE OF S35‐LABELLED SODIUM SULPHATE IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE ADULT RAT

Several autoradiographic studies have been published [Dziemiatkowski (7), Bostrom and Odeblad (3), Bostrom, Odeblad and Friberg ( 5 ) , Odeblad and Bostrom (8, 9 ) ] on the distribution of S35 in mammalian tissues after the administration of labelled sodium sulphate. In a previous investigation [Bostrom and Odeblad (4) ] of the sulphate fixation in the rabbit foetus, a low but distinctly differentiated uptake of sulphate in the nervous tissues was observed. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the sulphate fixation in different structures of the nervous system in the adult rat by means of autoradiography.

Studies on the biochemistry of heart valves II. The effect of aging and anti-inflammatory drugs on the synthesis of glucosamine 6-phosphate and phosphoadenosine phosphosulfate by bovine heart valves

1. 1. l-Glutamine-d-fructose 6-phosphate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16) has been isolated from liquid nitrogen-powdered aortic and pulmonary-valves of calves and cows. 2. 2. Young valves show greater enzymatic activity than older, while, in calves, the aortic-valve aminotransferase is more active than the pulmonary-valve enzyme. 3. 3. Sodium salicylate produces a marked inhibition of the aortic and pulmonary-valve aminotransferase, while its isomer, p-hydroxybenzoic acid has a much less inhibitory effect. Chloroquine diphosphate causes a marked inhibition only at high concentration. 4. 4. The aortic and pulmonary-valve 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulphate-synthesizing systems have been isolated and have been found to be unaffected by the drugs studied. 5. 5. The possibility of the enzymatic synthesis of glucosamine 6-phosphate being one control point for the action of some anti-inflammatory drugs is discussed.

A study on the effect of S35-labelled sodium sulphate on fertility in mice.

In earlier papers (BOSTROM and ODEBLAD, 1952, ODEBLAD and BOSTROM, 1953) it was shown that S35-labelled sulphate is accumulated in the ovaries of the rabbit and rat, especially in the granulosal cells and the follicular fluid. The egg cell did not accumulate much 835 (ODEBLAD, 1952). The same facts also hold for mice, as shown in fig. 1. Because 835 emits soft beta rays with a half range of about 40 p, and a maximum range of about 300 p, in tissue, it seemed possible to obtain a more or less selective irradiation of the follicular contents in the ovary. It was believed that this irradiation among other things might be reflected in decreased or completely inhibited fertility of animals injected with radioactive sulphate in appropriate dosage. Fig. 1. Autoradiograph of an ovary of a mouse injected with S35-Iabelled radiosulphate. The light areas correspond to heavy accumulation of radiosulphate. This is mainly situated in the follicles and the bursa ovarii. Magnification x 20.

On the extracorporeal survival of aortic segments; isotope and respiration studies.

1 From Chemistry Department II and the Department for Physical Cell Research, Karolinska Institutet, and the Department of Surgery, Sabbatsbergs Sjukhus, Stockholm. The technique of vascular surgery has developed rapidly in the past decade, and there has been a greatly increased need of suitable materials for the repair of vascular defects resulting from cardiovascular disease, operations for malignant growths, and inj uries. Initially, it seemed advisable to use autogenous vascular segments for this purpose, but in many cases it proved exceptionally difficult to obtain segments of appropriate size and shape, especially for grafting to the largest blood vessels. For this reason, homologous grafts came into widespread use. In the last few years synthetic materials as well, chiefly various types of plastics, have been tried experimentally and have been used clinically to some extent. At present, homologous arterial segments preserved in different ways constitute by far the most widely used material for arterial grafting. Numerous investigators (1-13) have worked on the problem of the viability of arterial grafts. A question that has received considerable attention is whether