In analogy with findings from animal experiments, people with low glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity could be expected to have altered sensitivities to effects of drugs, chemicals and possibly food. We have investigated GSH-Px activity in 12 patients with intrinsic asthma and food and aspirin intolerance. Ten of the 12 patients had very low or low GSH-Px activity and the frequency of low GSH-Px activity in this group was statistically significant (P less than 0.001) compared with the control material of age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Our finding of lowered GSH-Px activity in patients with aspirin intolerance may indicate the involvement of hitherto unknown mechanisms in the pathogenesis of asthmatic disorders.
There was no effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation during resistance training on post-polio syndrome symptoms. Thus, supplementation with coenzyme Q10 has no beneficial effect on muscle function in patients with post-polio syndrome.
The kinetics of the 5-HT-uptake by platelets in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and PRP diluted with autologous platelet-poor plasma (PRP/PPP) were determined in normal subjects, patients with asymptomatic exogenous asthma and those with symptomatic endogenous asthma.In normal subjects the 5-HT-uptake by platelets strictly obeyed Michaelis-Menten's kinetics. In patients with asymptomatic exogenous asthma, the active 5-HT-transport was moderately distorted in PRP and severely altered in PRP/PPP. Patients with symptomatic endogenous asthma exhibited already in PRP a dramatic transport disturbance.The alteration of the active 5-HT-transport was characterized by increasing uptake inhibition by rising 5-HT concentrations in plasma. This phenomenon could be due to changes in the platelet environment, defects in the platelet membrane or intrinsic platelet disorders. It is concluded that asthmatics have a genetically or later acquired platelet disorder, which is more clearly observed in patients with symptomatic endogenous asthma than in those with asymptomatic exogenous asthma.Kcy words: endogenous and exogenous asthmatics; platelets; serotonin transport.
Accepted for publicdon 22 August 1981
CLINICAL ASPECTSThe 5-€IT (serotonia) uptake by platelets from patients with nstbma WPB studied. J n patients with symptomatic endogenous nsthma, the 5-HT-uptake by platelets WM severely impaired, and aUghtly disturbed in platelets from patients with psymptomntic exogenous M -.Serum and whole blood from asthmatic patients haa proved to contain higher amounts of 5-HT than that of normal subjects, and elevated levels of 5-HT-metaboliterr ouch M kynureniae has been demonstrated in such patients. Furthermore, tryptophan load on psthmaties leads to abnormally higb urinary excretion of xnnthurenic acid.As tryptophan ia the main precursor in 5-HT synthesis, a reduced tryptophan intake might thus be of importance.It is reported that patients with allergic asthma have higher blood levels of 5-HT than normal persons (3, 9) and excrete more 5-HT metabolites in urine (21). Asthmatic patients also seem to be more sensitive to administration of 5-HT than healthy subjects (4). Since the circulating platelet is involved in the uptake, secretion, and transport of 5-HT (15), we have previously found reason to study platelets from asthmatic patients. It was demonstrated that such platelets have a reduced capacity to accumulate 5-HT (11) and a disturbed active 5-HT uptake mechanism (12).The experimental conditions, under which the 5-HT binding and uptake by platelets should be performed, have been further elaborated, as has the mathematical treatment of data for detecting abnormalities in kinetic pat-0 1054538/82/0 1002%l1 $02.50/0 0 1982 Munksgaard, Copenhagen
Twenty-three randomly selected plasma samples from apparently healthy, middle aged men were analysed for coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), alpha-tocopherol (AT) and free cholesterol (FC) in: 1) whole plasma, 2) the HDL lipoprotein fraction after LDL precipitation (VLDL + LDL). CoQ10, AT and FC in plasma averaged 0.69 +/- .11, 6.74 +/- 1.78 micrograms x ml-1 and 0.59 +/- .11 mg x ml-1 and in HDL 0.17, 3.24 micrograms x ml-1 and 0.17 mg x ml-1 or 29, 48 and 29% of plasma values. Amounts of CoQ10 and AT were correlated to that of FC in all pools. The amount of HDL-CoQ10 but not of HDL-AT fell, with the HDL-FC expressed as the fraction of plasma FC. In all pools, N-AT versus AT initially increased and then levelled off, indicating saturation like conditions in contrast to CoQ10. Thus, CoQ10 and AT are differently allocated in HDL and LDL. This might have a bearing both on the suggested lipoprotein protection against peroxidation by these two antioxidants, but also on the distribution and allocation in different organs of CoQ10 and AT by HDL and LDL transportation.
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