We report the isolation of several coumarins and the stereochemical assessment of some pyranocoumarins, as well as the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the three most abundant ones (grandivittin, agasyllin and aegelinol benzoate) isolated from the roots of Ferulago campestris collected in Sicily and of the hydrolysis product (aegelinol). Aegelinol and agasyllin showed antibacterial activity against nine ATCC and the same clinically isolated Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. At a concentration between 16 and 125 mg/mL both coumarins showed a significant antibacterial effect against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In particular the ATCC strains Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella thypii, Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter earogenes (MIC = 16 and 32 mg/mL for aegelinol and agasyllin, respectively) were the most inhibited. Antibacterial activity was also found against Helicobacter pylori: a dose-dependent inhibition was shown between 5 and 25 mg/mL. The antioxidant activity of the coumarins was evaluated by their effects on human whole blood leukocytes (WB) and on isolated polymorphonucleate (PMN) chemiluminescence (CL), PMA-stimulated and resting.

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Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of coumarins from the roots of Ferulago Campestris (Apiaceae)

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Feijoa sellowiana fruit

Antibacterial and antioxidant activities in Sideritis italica (Miller) Greuter et Burdet essential oils.

Immunopharmacological properties of flavonoids.

In vitro determination of phagocyte activity by luminol- and lucigenin-amplified chemiluminescence.

Summary. The aim of the present study was to investigate chemiluminescence (CL) of stimulated peripheral phagocytic cells (PC, i.e. granulocytes and monocytes) in patients with malignant disease at various stages. As a first step the zymosan-induced and luminol-amplified CL was determined in diluted whole blood samples from healthy volunteers. A characteristic daytime dependence of the CL activity was observed in six volunteers which had to be taken into account for blood sampling. The detectable CL was demonstrated to depend on the number of erythrocytes in the assay, but correction for this is not neccessary for clinical investigation. The specific CL activity (activity related to 10 3 PC, was significantly but identically increased both in 1) patients with acute inflammatory disease and 2) in patients with carcinoma. The total CL activity (activity/gl whole blood), however, was significantly increased in patients with acute inflammation as compared to the tumour~ group. This greatly reflects the leucocytosis of patients with acute inflammation. In a small number of patients with benign and malignant disease the CL of PC was measured both pre- and postoperatively. Operations in benign disease and palliative operations in malignancy did not influence the CL activity. In contrast, CL activity returned to normal after clinical cure by radical tumour resection.

Measurement of chemiluminescence in freshly drawn human blood. II. Clinical application of zymosan-induced chemiluminescence.

Since the initial observation of chemiluminescence associated with metabolic stimulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes a multitude of studies have confirmed that chemiluminescence is a) dependent on the generation of activated oxygen species and b) intimately correlated to the paramount function of granulocytes: to kill bacteria and to cause tissue damage at sites of chronic inflammation. Chemiluminescence is not exclusively generated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes and certainly not only generated by phagocytic stimuli. Besides phagocytic stimuli, surface active reagents (e.g. phorbol myristate acetate), lectins, antigen-antibody complexes, complement components, and some lymphokines are able to evoke chemiluminescence responses in polymorphonuclear leukocytes, monocytes, and macrophages. In this contribution we present evidence for a dependence of macrophage chemiluminescence during phagocytosis on the calcium binding protein calmodulin. In a second example of macrophage chemiluminescence we demonstrate that macrophage chemiluminescence is a good tool for testing the mediator function of a lymphokine, namely macrophage cytotoxicity factor. In a clinical application we determined the zymosan-induced and luminol-amplified chemiluminescence in diluted whole blood samples from healthy volunteers to establish the normal range of chemiluminescence activity of phagocytic cells. A significant day time variability of the chemiluminescence activity was observed in 6 volunteers. Therefore, blood sampling for the chemiluminescence measurements was standardized. Compared with the control group the specific chemiluminescence activity (activity related to 10(3) phagocytic cells) was significantly increased in both 1) patients with acute inflammatory disease and 2) in patients with carcinoma. The specific chemiluminescence activity of the two groups of patients did not differ.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

H. Fischer

Papers

Measurement of chemiluminescence in freshly drawn human blood. II. Clinical application of zymosan-induced chemiluminescence.

Chemiluminescence measurements of immune cells--a tool in immunobiology and clinical research.