Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0038002 (splenomegaly)
 9,873 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Growth on Trypanosoma musculi in the murine host was limited by the availability of host purines. A portion of the spleen cells of infected mice (many of them granulocytes) displayed high levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and purine nucleoside phosphorylase, probably as a compensatory response to extracellular purine deficiency. Injections of adenosine or 2-deoxycoformycin stimulated significant increases in the growth of parasites. 2-Deoxycoformycin treatment also diminished parasite-induced splenomegaly. Treatment of mice with polyethylene glycol-modified ADA, a slowly catabolized form of ADA, had no effect on the course of T. musculi infection, indicating that the parasites can utilize purines other than adenosine. The apparent competition between parasites and host cells for available purines suggests that depletion of extracellular purines should be considered as an approach to treating extracellular trypanosome infections.
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PMID:The availability of purines influences both the number of parasites and the splenocyte levels of purine-metabolizing enzymes in trypanosome-infected mice. 312 45

Three isomers of trifluoromethylaniline (TFMA) were investigated for their possible different toxic effects on the hematopoietic system in male Wistar rats. The effects of isomeric 2-, 3- and 4-TFMA were compared with those of aniline, the prototypic drug. Strong leukocytosis manifested by considerable increase in the number of all respective white blood elements was observed in the peripheral blood 1 day after the administration of 4-TFMA. In contrast, erythropoiesis, as ascertained by erythrocyte count and hemoglobin concentration, was inhibited by 4-TFMA. The determination of the ED50 revealed lymphocytes to be the most responsive elements towards 4-TFMA administration. Besides hyperemic and proliferative splenomegaly the histological changes in maturation of immunocompetent cells following the 4-TFMA administration were found also in thymus. In accord with an enhanced incorporation of [3H]thymidine, the specific activity of thymidine kinase (TdK) in spleen was increased after a single dose of 4-TFMA. Activities of the catabolic enzymes adenosine deaminase (ADA) and inosine phosphorylase (IP) decreased in both organs with the exception of IP activity in thymus. The effects evoked by the 3-TFMA isomer were regularly less pronounced, and 2-TFMA was nearly inactive.
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PMID:Effects of trifluoromethylaniline isomers on enzyme activities in lymphatic organs and hematology of the rat. 794 May 66

Patients with purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) deficiency present a selective T-cell immunodeficiency. Inhibitors of PNP are, therefore, of interest as potential T-cell selective immunosuppressive agents. BCX-1777 is a potent inhibitor of PNP from various species including human, mouse, rat, monkey and dog, with IC50 values ranging from 0.48 to 1.57 nM. BCX-1777, in the presence of 2'-deoxyguanosine (dGuo, 3-10 microM), inhibits human lymphocyte proliferation activated by various agents such as interleukin-2 (IL-2), mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) (IC50 values < 0.1-0.38 microM). BCX-1777 is a 10-100-fold more potent inhibitor of human lymphocyte proliferation than other known PNP inhibitors like PD141955 and BCX-34. Nucleotide analysis of human lymphocytes indicate that inhibition of proliferation by BCX-1777 correlates with dGTP levels in the cells. BCX-1777 has excellent oral bioavailability (63%) in mice. At a single dose of 10 mg/kg in mice, BCX-1777 elevates dGuo to approximately 5 microM. BCX-1777 was not effective in mouse T-cell models such as delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and splenomegaly because mouse T-cells do not accumulate dGTP as do human T-cells. However, in the human peripheral blood lymphocyte severe combined immunodeficiency (hu-PBL-SCID) mouse model, BCX-1777 was effective in prolonging the life span 2-fold or more. This is the first known example of a PNP inhibitor that elevates dGuo in mice similar to the levels observed in PNP-deficient patients. Furthermore, these dGuo levels are also required for in vitro T-cell inhibition by BCX-1777. Thus, BCX-1777 represents a novel class of selective immunosuppressive agents that could have therapeutic utility in various T-cell disorders.
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PMID:Purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitor BCX-1777 (Immucillin-H)--a novel potent and orally active immunosuppressive agent. 1140 14