Stig Henningsson

Alterations in the activities of ornithine and histidine decarboxylases provoked by testosterone in mice

1 The urinary excretion of putrescine has been determined in female mice before and during repeated injections of testosterone. 2 Testosterone administration effected a striking increase in the excretion of free putrescine. 3 Ornithine decarboxylase (l‐ornithine carboxy‐lyase; E.C. 4.1.1.17) and histidine decarboxylase (l‐histidine carboxy‐lyase; E.C. 4.1.1.22) activities of mouse kidney and liver were examined. In the kidney, following testosterone administration, ornithine decarboxylase activity was found to be substantially elevated, whereas that of histidine decarboxylase was depressed. In the liver, by contrast, the activity levels of these enzymes were not significantly altered by testosterone treatment. 4 The possibility of a functional interrelation between putrescine and histamine, via the two enzyme activities investigated, is discussed.

Diamines and polyamines in DMBA-induced breast carcinoma containing mast cells resistant to compound 48/80.

In female rats, mammary carcinoma were induced by DMBA (7,12-dimethylbenz(α)anthracene) administration. The activities of histidine and ornithine decarboxylases and the concentrations of histamine, putrescine and polyamines were determined in tumour extracts and urine. In the tumour tissue, formation of histamine and putrescine took place at much higher rates than in normal mammary tissue. Administration of compound 48/80 in doses that mobilized about 70% of histamine contained in the ear failed to release histamine contained in the tumour; 48/80 also failed to produce histological signs of degranulation of the tumour mast cells. It thus appears that these cells are different from mast cells in most normal tissues, a distinction that calls for further study.

Alterations of histamine metabolism after injections of sex hormones in mice

1 Urinary excretion of histamine in female mice was determined after the injection of oestradiol, progesterone or testosterone. Histamine excretion was increased by oestradiol but was not affected by progesterone. Testosterone administration, by contrast, effected a striking reduction of histamine excretion. 2 After injection of oestradiol, the kidney histamine forming capacity was greatly elevated, but in the other tissues investigated no significant change occurred. 3 Testosterone administered in vivo but not in vitro reduced the histidine decarboxylase activity of female mouse kidney to a small fraction of normal. 4 On thin‐layer chromatography, after extraction and coupling of the amines to 2,4‐dinitrofluorobenzene, the amount of histamine and to a lesser extent, methyl histamine in urine was reduced after testosterone administration. On the chromatogram of urine from untreated mice, an unidentified yellow spot appeared and the quantity of this spot was increased during testosterone treatment.

The effect of nandrolone, an anabolic steroid on putrescine metabolism in the mouse.

1 The catabolism of injected 14C‐putrescine was studied in mice treated with nandrolone phenpropionate, an anabolic steroid. 2 The putrescine was rapidly metabolized; almost 50% of the injected radioactivity was recovered within 2 h as 14CO2 in the expired air. 3 Considerable amounts of radioactive γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and an unidentified compound were found in the kidney and in the urine in addition to radioactive putrescine, spermidine and spermine both in controls and nandrolone‐treated mice. 4 Nandrolone elevated the concentration of endogenous putrescine in the kidney and urine, eightfold and twentyfold, respectively, and the concentrations of spermidine and spermine were also increased. 5 After the injection of 14C‐putrescine the incorporation of 14C into spermidine was significantly increased in the kidney of mice receiving nandrolone.

Automated liquid chromatography in research on histamine metabolism

ConclusionsFurther development of this technique will be the use of a fluorescence detection method developed bySidney Udenfriend [4]. This method is reported to make analysis of as little as 50 picomoles possible, that is increasing the sensitivity about 20 times.The technique reported appears to offer the most promising approach to analytical problems in diamine and polyamine research.

Activities of decarboxylases of histidine and ornithine in young mice after injection of epidermal growth factor

Nachweis, dass der epidermale Wachstumsfaktor EGF, in 6–9 Tage alte Mäuse s.c. injiziert, eine 3 fache Steigerung der Histidin-Dacarboxylase-Aktivität in der Haut, nicht aber in anderen Geweben hervorruft, während EGF die Ornithin-Decarboxylase gar nicht beeinflusst.

Affinity of putrescine, spermidine and spermine for pigmented tissues

Abstract Determinations of the amounts of putrescine, spermidine and spermine in tissues from mice and cows indicated that the eye melanocytes are very rich in these substances. The concentration of these di-and polyamines was also found to be much higher in pigmented than in albino hair of mice. The melanin polymer has the character of a polyanion — explaining the affinity of these cations for pigmented tissues. Further experiments indicated that these substances to a considerable extent may reach the melanin-containing tissues via the circulation.

Formation of GABA via oxidative deamination of putrescine in ovaries of immature rats after gonadotrophin stimulation.

The diamine oxidase catalyzed metabolism of14C-putrescine was studied in the ovaries of immature rats with and without stimulation by gonadotrophin. This stimulation resulted in a statistically significant increase in the deamination rate of putrescine with a very predominant production of γ-aminobutyric acid. No formation of polyamines was observed which indicated an importance of putrescine or of products of its oxidative deamination during this cellular activity.

Polyamine metabolism in the kidneys of castrated and testosterone-treated mice after administration of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone).

The effects of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) on S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.50) activity were studied in the mouse kidney stimulated to growth by testosterone administration. The drug was found a potent inhibitor of the enzyme in vitrol Administration of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) in vivo resulted in a transient inhibition followed by a strong enhancement of the enzyme activity. Dialysis of the kidney extract, to remove remaining methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone), revealed a great and rapid increase in the activity of S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase. Injections of testosterone to castrated mice resulted in a marked increase in kidney weight and an accumulation of renal putrescine, spermidine and spermine. These effects of testosterone could not be blocked by simultaneous injections of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone). It appears that due to secondary effects by which the inhibition of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) on S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase activity is circumvented the inhibitor seems to be of uncertain value in attempts to decrease selectively the in vivo levels of polyamines.

Comparative study of two isotopic methods determining histamine formation in vitro.

Abstract The merits of two isotopic procedures determining histamine formation, Schayers isotope dilution method (pipsyl method) and Kobayashis 14CO2 method, both adapted for use in our laboratory, were compared in various tissues of rats and mice. Histidine decarboxylase activity determined in rat gastric mucosa after sham operation, antrectomy or vagotomy, spleen and lung by both methods was in fairly good agreement. In these tissues, except for antrum resection, the 14CO2 estimate was approximately 20–30 per cent higher than with the pipsyl method. The higher values were presumably due to the production of 14CO2 without formation of corresponding amounts of histamine. In rat small intestine, the 14CO2 method was not reliable and with both rat and mouse liver the method entirely failed. In the mouse kidney, however, results obtained by the 14CO2 method were fairly reliable. In the 14CO2 method the incubation should be carried out under nitrogen as erratic results were obtained in some tissues under aerobic conditions. In conclusion the 14CO2 method is suitable for tissues with high or moderately high histidine decarboxylase activity.