The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) technique has been extensively used for the detection and quantification of apoptosis in histological tissue sections. However, the interpretation and specificity of this assay have been controversial. With accumulating knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of cell death and the discovery of the caspases as key mediators of apoptosis, more direct and earlier measurements of apoptosis in tissue sections have emerged. This study, using antibodies that specifically recognize activated caspase-3 and caspase-cleaved cytokeratin (CK) 18, evaluated whether immunohistochemical stains would improve the detection and quantification of apoptosis in tissue sections, compared with the TUNEL assay. Tumour xenografts of the prostate cancer cell line PC-3 were used as an example, since these tissues contain large numbers of cells undergoing apoptosis. Apoptotic cells were quantified and apoptotic indices were calculated by computer-assisted image analysis following identification of apoptotic cells by morphological analysis, the TUNEL assay, activated caspase-3 and cleaved CK18 immunohistochemistry. The results indicated that activated caspase-3 immunohistochemistry was an easy, sensitive, and reliable method for detecting and quantifying apoptosis in this model. An excellent correlation (R = 0.89) between the apoptotic indices obtained using activated caspase-3 and cleaved CK18 immunostaining was observed. A good correlation (R = 0.75) between the apoptotic indices obtained using activated caspase-3 immunostaining and the TUNEL assay was also found. Activated caspase-3 immunohistochemistry is therefore recommended for the detection and quantification of apoptosis in tissue sections.

The current 'fixed-dosage strategy' approach to medicine, means there is much inter-individual variation in drug response. Pharmacogenetics is the study of how inter-individual variations in the DNA sequence of specific genes affect drug responses. This article will highlight current pharmacogenetic knowledge on important drug metabolizing enzymes, drug transporters and drug targets to understand interindividual variability in drug clearance and responses in clinical practice and potential use in personalized medicine. Polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family may have had the most impact on the fate of pharmaceutical drugs. CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 gene polymorphisms and gene duplications account for the most frequent variations in phase I metabolism of drugs since nearly 80% of drugs in use today are metabolised by these enzymes. Approximately 5% of Europeans and 1% of Asians lack CYP2D6 activity, and these individuals are known as poor metabolizers. CYP2C9 is another clinically significant drug metabolising enzyme that demonstrates genetic variants. Studies into CYP2C9 polymorphism have highlighted the importance of the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 alleles. Extensive polymorphism also occurs in a majority of Phase II drug metabolizing enzymes. One of the most important polymorphisms is thiopurine S-methyl transferases (TPMT) that catalyzes the S-methylation of thiopurine drugs. With respect to drug transport polymorphism, the most extensively studied drug transporter is P-glycoprotein (P-gp/MDR1), but the current data on the clinical impact is limited. Polymorphisms in drug transporters may change drug's distribution, excretion and response. Recent advances in molecular research have revealed many of the genes that encode drug targets demonstrate genetic polymorphism. These variations, in many cases, have altered the targets sensitivity to the specific drug molecule and thus have a profound effect on drug efficacy and toxicity. For example, the beta (2)-adrenoreceptor, which is encoded by the ADRB2 gene, illustrates a clinically significant genetic variation in drug targets. The variable number tandem repeat polymorphisms in serotonin transporter (SERT/SLC6A4) gene are associated with response to antidepressants. The distribution of the common variant alleles of genes that encode drug metabolizing enzymes, drug transporters and drug targets has been found to vary among different populations. The promise of pharmacogenetics lies in its potential to identify the right drug at the right dose for the right individual. Drugs with a narrow therapeutic index are thought to benefit more from pharmacogenetic studies. For example, warfarin serves as a good practical example of how pharmacogenetics can be utilized prior to commencement of therapy in order to achieve maximum efficacy and minimum toxicity. As such, pharmacogenetics has the potential to achieve optimal quality use of medicines, and to improve the efficacy and safety of both prospective and licensed drugs.

The kidney was recognized as a dominant organ for uric acid excretion. The main aim of the study demonstrated intestinal tract was an even more important organ for serum uric acid (SUA) lowering. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated normally or with antibiotics, uric acid, adenine, or inosine of the same molar dose orally or intraperitoneally for 5 days. Rat’s intestinal tract was equally divided into 20 segments except the cecum. Uric acid in serum and intestinal segment juice was assayed. Total RNA in the initial intestinal tract and at the end ileum was extracted and sequenced. Protein expression of xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) and urate oxidase (UOX) was tested by Western blot analysis. The effect of oral UOX in lowering SUA was investigated in model rats treated with adenine and an inhibitor of uric oxidase for 5 days. SUA in the normal rats was 20.93±6.98 μg/ml, and total uric acid in the intestinal juice was 308.27±16.37 μg, which is two times more than the total SUA. The uric acid was very low in stomach juice, and attained maximum in the juice of the first segment (duodenum) and then declined all the way till the intestinal end. The level of uric acid in the initial intestinal tissue was very high, where XDH and most of the proteins associated with bicarbonate secretion were up-regulated. In addition, SUA was decreased by oral UOX in model rats. The results suggested that intestinal juice was an important pool for uric acid, and intestinal tract was an important organ for SUA lowering. The uric acid distribution was associated with uric acid synthesis and secretion in the upper intestinal tract, and reclamation in the lower.

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