Study of biochemical mechanism of action and toxic properties of a zinc-containing derivative of chlorophyll

Abstract

A key direction in the search for and designing of new prophylactic tools edible herbs rich in biologically active compounds [1]. For example, a group of preparations based on metal derivatives of chlorophyll has been extensively studied in the past years. These preparations, on the one hand, can compensate for the deficiency of one or another microelement in the body; on the other hand, they exhibit various biological activities [1][2][3]. To this end, or great interest is tsinkovit, a zinccontaining derivative of chlorophyll, which allows compensate for zinc deficiency in the body, which may cause may prepathological and pathological conditions [1,4].However, to make a decision to introduce tsinkovit in practice, with regard for its complex chemical composition, a comprehensive experimental study of the mechanism of its action and possible toxic properties should be performed. It should be emphasized that studies of the effect of this preparation on the enzymes involved in metabolism of neurotransmittersmonoamine oxidase (MAO) and acetylcholinesterase (ACE)-have not been performed earlier. It is known that MAO and ACE are the key enzymes in metabolism of endogenous amines, where they implement mediator and regulatory functions, and in the system of cholinergic nerve impulse transmission in the brain and muscles [5,6]. The constancy of ACE activity is essential for the maintenance of normal functioning of the body [5]. It was shown that some effectors, such as organophosphorous and carbamate compounds, sharply decrease ACE activity in different sections of the brain [5]. An increase in ACE activity is observed in poisoning with cocaine [7] and heavy metals [8] and in emotional stress [9]. The data on MAO activity derangement in different pathologies are very important for modern medicine [6].In view of this, we studied the effect of doses of tsinkovit on MAO and ACE activity in three brain sections-the striatum, hypothalamus, and medulla-and MAO activity in the liver and kidneys.The effect of different doses of tsinkovit was studied with male Wister rats weighing 180-200 g. Animals were divided into five groups: four experimental and one control (24 animals in each group). Animals of all groups were kept under equal conditions and received the same balanced diet. Rats of experimental groups received tsinkovit daily with food up to one month at doses of 0.75, 7.5, 100, and 500 mg/kg. Animals of the experimental and control groups (eight animals in each group) were decapitated 10, 20, and 30 days after the beginning of the experiment. Immediately after decapitation, the liver and kidneys were extracted. After opening the skull, and three sections of the brain (the striatum, hypothalamus, and medulla) were extracted as well. Extracted tissues were immediately frozen and stored in a refrigerator at -4°C for 1-2 days. To study the activity of ACE, brain tissues were homogenized in a glass homogenizer in nice volumes (w/v) of 0.05 M sodium-potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) (1 : 9 w/v). Before measuring ACE activity,...

A Comparative Study of the Effect of Iodine-Containing Extract of Laminaria (Laminaria saccharina) and Zinc-Containing Derivative of Chlorophyll on the Key Enzymes of the Cholinergic and Monoaminergic Nervous Systems

“…Among them, a special place is filled by element-containing complex organic compounds that perform two pivotal biological functions: on the one hand, they facilitate penetration of the key microelements to their targets (compared to inorganic physiologically active compounds); on the other hand, they compensate for the deficiency of these microelements in the body. However, there is a reverse in the use of such preparations: organic complexes may be more toxic than microelements themselves [1][2][3][4]. In this case, when studying the biochemical aspects of the mechanism of action of such biologically active compounds, their possible antienzyme effect should be taken into account [1,2].…”

“…In this case, when studying the biochemical aspects of the mechanism of action of such biologically active compounds, their possible antienzyme effect should be taken into account [1,2]. An illustration of such an approach is the study of some iodine-and zinc-containing preparations [3,4].…”

“…This preparation contains a number of microelements [3,4] that may be potential effectors of many enzymes, including those involved in the metabolism of neurotransmitters. The key representatives of such enzymes are monoamine oxidase and acetylcholinesterase; they are involved in the metabolism of biogenic amines (which implement mediator and hormonal functions) and in the system of cholinergic nerve impulse transmission in the brain and muscles [2,5].…”

“…Among these compounds, or great interest is tsinkovit, a zinc-containing derivative of chlorophyll, which allows compensate for zinc deficiency in the body-the cause of many prepathological and pathological conditions [9]. However, with regard for the complex chemical composition of tsinkovit, the mechanism of its action and possible toxic properties should be studied, including the study of its effect on the activity of monoamine oxidase and acetylcholinesterase (especially taking into account the sensitivity of these enzymes to some metal complexes [10,11]). …”

“…To determine the activity of enzymes in the specimens, brain tissues were homogenized in a glass homogenizer in nine volumes (w/v) of 0.05 M sodiumpotassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) (1 : 9 w/v). The activity of acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) was determined by the method of Ellman as described in [10,12]. The activity of monoamine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.4) was determined spectrophotometrically as described in [5,10].…”