Measurement of 14 Blood Components in Rats, Dogs, and Mice Using CentrifichemR Analyzer

Methods for determining 14 blood chemistry parameters in dogs, mice, and rats were established using an automated centrifugal analyzer methodologies for human samples. The precision of each method was determined to be satisfactory with the exception of the following; albumin and alanine aminotransferase in mice and creatinine in dogs. Based on these methods, normal values for 14 tests in these species were compiled.

The Interfering Effects of Hemolyzed Blood on Rat Serum Chemistry

The influence of Hb on 14 serum constituents was evaluated. Among the 7 enzymes for which analyses were conducted, LD and HBD values were elevated fivefold at the highest Hb concentration of 1500 mg/liter. Hb had less of an effect on the activities of other enzymes, i.e., AST activity was increased by only 30% whereas CK activity was decreased by 10%. Among the 7 nonenzymatic constituents of rat serum studied, a Hb concentration of 1500 mg/liter resulted in a fivefold increase in total bilirubin concentration. Creatinine and glucose values were negatively correlated to Hb concentrations but the dependence was not nearly as great as that with total bilirubin. The remaining serum constituents studied were not affected by Hb concentrations.

Albumin standards and the measurement of serum albumin with bromcresol green. 1971

A rapid and reliable method for measuring serum albumin employing bromcresol green is described. The addition of albumin to a solution of bromcresol green in a 0.075 M succinate buffer pH 4.20 results in an increase in absorbance at 628 nm. The absorbance-concentration relationship is linear for samples containing up to 6 g/dl albumin. Bilirubin, moderate lipemia, and salicylate do not interfere with the analysis. The use of nonionic surfactant (Brij-35) reduces the absorbance of the blank, prevents turbidity and provides linearity. The results by this method agree very well with those obtained by electrophoresis and salt fractionation. The method is simple, it has excellent precision and the reagents are stable. A protein standard is introduced which can be employed for both the total serum proteins and albumin determinations.

Ceftriaxone binding to human serum albumin. Indirect displacement by probenecid and diazepam

In vitro protein binding studies were conducted to examine the interaction between ceftriaxone (CEF), probenecid (PROB) and diazepam (DIAZ). The presence of PROB and DIAZ at concentrations equal to molar albumin concentration caused a decrease in CEF affinity from 3.7 x 10(4) M-1 (control) to 1.1 x 10(4) (PROB) and 2.6 x 10(4) (DIAZ) M-1, but not in binding capacity in pooled human plasma. PROB and DIAZ at five times the molar albumin concentration also caused a decrease in CEF affinity from 4.5 x 10(4) M-1 (control) to 0.45 x 10(4) (PROB) and 3.0 x 10(4) (DIAZ) M-1 in isolated human serum albumin. DIAZ and PROB displaced one another, confirming their common binding site (Site II, the benzodiazepine site) on serum albumin. By contrast, CEF was unable to displace either PROB or DIAZ from defatted albumin. In the presence of elevated free fatty acid concentrations (four times the albumin concentration), CEF decreased the binding of both drugs. CEF free fraction (fp) in isolated human serum albumin (CEF fp = 7.7%) was increased by drugs which bind to Site I: sulfisoxazole (CEF fp = 68.1%), warfarin (CEF fp = 56.0%) and furosemide (CEF fp = 55.0%). At ten times the molar concentration of albumin, CEF displaced both warfarin (warfarin fp from 0.99 to 2.20%) and phenytoin (phenytoin fp from 17.7 to 23.4%) from defatted albumin. CEF appeared to bind to Site I (the warfarin site) on human serum albumin, and was displaced by PROB and DIAZ via a mechanism which did not involve direct competition at a common binding site.

Automated quantification of rat plasma acute phase reactants in experimental inflammation

Methods are described for the quantification of certain acute phase reactants (albumin, iron, fibrinogen, seromucoid, haptoglobin, and ceruloplasmin) in small amounts of plasma using the COBAS-BIO centrifugal analyzer. These methods have been applied to determine the concentrations of these acute-phase reactants (APRs) in rat plasma during the first 5 days of adjuvant-induced arthritis. The levels of the APRs alter with the degree of inflammation in a dose-related manner. Administration of the antiinflammatory and antirheumatic drugs (indomethacin, dexamethasone, and clobuzarit [CLOZIC]) during the course of the adjuvant-induced arthritis reduced the inflammatory response as judged by the measurement of oedema. These compounds, however, show differential effects on the profile of APRs as systemic measurements of the inflammatory disease. The present study shows that specific classes of drug have defined effects on acute-phase protein concentration. We believe that the multiple analysis of APR levels during the course of inflammation may help to distinguish between and elucidate the mechanisms of action, of antiinflammatory and antirheumatic drugs.

Protein binding of ceftriaxone in extravascular fluids

Ceftriaxone binding in extravascular fluids and diluted plasma was characterized by equilibrium dialysis techniques and the data was subjected to Scatchard analysis. The extent of ceftriaxone binding in extravascular fluids (synovial, lymph, ascites, and pleural exudate) was less than plasma due primarily to lower albumin concentrations. Ceftriaxone capacity constants were highly correlated (r2 = 0.900, p less than 0.001) with measured albumin concentrations (range of 43 g/L for albumin to 4.7 g/L for one of the pleural exudate samples). The binding affinity constant (M-1 x 10(-4] was comparable for plasma (3.67), synovial fluid (4.14), and lymph (3.40), but was lower for ascites (2.37) and pleural fluid (range of 2.77 to 0.31). Plasma samples diluted with plasma water (range of 100 to 3%) exhibited a common affinity constant (mean value 4.03 x 10(4) M-1) and capacity constants which correlated directly with albumin concentration (r2 = 0.998, p less than 0.001). Analysis of these observations suggests that extravascular binding of ceftriaxone can readily be predicted if extravascular albumin concentration and corresponding disease-state plasma protein binding are known.

The use of serum albumin for further classification of Stage III non-oat cell lung cancer and its therapeutic implications

The use of the preadmission serum albumin level for predicting survival was evaluated in 81 patients with Stage III disease, 59 with unresectable and 22 with resectable primary tumors. A serum albumin of less than 3.4 gm/dl in a patient with unresectable Stage III disease indicates a poor prognosis with an accuracy that supersedes that obtained from a clinical assessment of the anatomical extent of disease. Seventeen of the 22 patients with resectable Stage III disease had a preadmission level of albumin of 3.4 gm/dl or greater. The median survival was 20.5 months, which was statistically longer than 9.9 months for 12 patients with unresectable Stage III M0 disease and an albumin level of 3.4 gm/dl or greater (p less than 0.05). Five of the 22 patients who underwent resection had a preadmission albumin level of less than 3.4 gm/dl. The median survival for these patients was 9.7 months compared with 20.5 months for those with a level of 3.4 gm/dl or greater. These findings suggest that resection of Stage III disease in patients with an albumin level of 3.4 gm/dl or greater prolongs survival. Another group of 5 patients with resectable Stage III disease and an albumin level of less than 3.4 gm/dl were force-fed an elemental diet while undergoing a regimen of preoperative radiation therapy. There was no improvement in survival, and 3 died of the disease prior to resection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Involvement of hemostasis during an autoimmune glomerulonephritis induced by mercuric chloride in brown Norway rats

Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) induces in Brown Norway (BN) rats an autoimmune disease characterized by a biphasic glomerulonephritis (GN). A transient nephrotic syndrome occurs during the third and fourth weeks after the first HgCl2 injection. Related to nephrotic syndrome, an hypercoagulable state develops with decreased factor XII and anti-thrombin III (AT III) levels and increased factor V activity and fibrinogen concentration. Moreover, during the same period, most of the rats were found thrombocytopenic. The presence of soluble fibrin monomer complexes and of fibrin degradation products (FDP) in the plasma of these rats associated with fibrin thrombi in glomerular capillary lumen proved the occurrence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). DIC was responsible for the death of several rats but most of these survived and clotting abnormalities were no longer found. Numerous factors can explain the occurrence of DIC in this model: anti glomerular basement membrane antibodies, circulating immune complexes, complement activation and/or glomerular endothelial cell detachment. The HgCl2 induced autoimmune disease appears as a good experimental model to study the relation between coagulation process and glomerulonephritis.

Zinc and protein status in the elderly

Protein and zinc status were assessed in 24 community based and 66 institutionalised elderly Australians, aged 60 to 99 years. Serum albumin concentrations were significantly related to both protein intake (r = 0.36, P less than 0.001) and zinc intake (r = 0.33, P less than 0.001). Plasma zinc concentrations were not related to zinc intake (r = 0.12, P greater than 0.05) or to protein intake (r = 0.007, P greater than 0.05). Thus in aged persons with low serum albumin, it would appear useful to consider both protein and zinc intake.