Alkaline phosphatase

About: Alkaline phosphatase is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 20218 publications have been published within this topic receiving 540547 citations. The topic is also known as: Alkaline_phosphatase & IPR001952.

Curcumin induces changes in expression of genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis.

Abstract: Curcuminoids, the yellow pigments of curcuma, exhibit anticarcinogenic, antioxidative and hypocholesterolemic activities. To understand the molecular basis for the hypocholesterolemic effects, we examined the effects of curcumin on hepatic gene expression, using the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 as a model system. Curcumin treatment caused an up to sevenfold, concentration-dependent increase in LDL-receptor mRNA, whereas mRNAs of the genes encoding the sterol biosynthetic enzymes HMG CoA reductase and farnesyl diphosphate synthase were only slightly increased at high curcumin concentrations where cell viability was reduced. Expression of the regulatory SREBP genes was moderately increased, whereas mRNAs of the PPARα target genes CD36/fatty acid translocase and fatty acid binding protein 1 were down-regulated. LXRα expression and accumulation of mRNA of the LXRα target gene ABCg1 were increased at low curcumin concentrations. Although curcumin strongly inhibited alkaline phosphatase activity, an activation of a retinoic acid response element reporter employing secreted alkaline phosphatase was observed. These changes in gene expression are consistent with the proposed hypocholesterolemic effect of curcumin.

Identification of intracellular sites of superoxide production in stimulated neutrophils

Abstract: In this study, we show that superoxide production is carried out within intracellular compartments of human neutrophils and not at the plasma membrane following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate. Oxidant production was not observed in unstimulated cells. Stimulated cells exhibited superoxide production in two distinct types of intracellular organelles. Initially, activity was detected in slender rod-shaped granules and in spherical or elliptical granules. The oxidant-producing granules fused directly with the plasma membrane or fused to form larger intracellular vesicles which then became associated with the plasma membrane. Longer periods of stimulation with PMA resulted in a decrease in the number of vesicles containing oxidant reaction product only, and an increase in structures containing both the oxidant-reaction product and ferritin particles; the latter was used herein as a marker for endocytosis. Thus a complex pattern of intracellular vesicular trafficking occurs in stimulated neutrophils. Alkaline phosphatase activity, a marker enzyme for a type of intracellular neutrophil granule was co-localized in the oxidant reaction-positive intracellular compartments. The time course of up-regulation of alkaline phosphatase activity to the cell surface parallelled the release of superoxide from stimulated cells. Results from this study demonstrate for the first time cytochemical and morphological evidence that superoxide is released from stimulated neutrophils through exocytosis of an oxidant-producing intracellular granule.

Liver Histopathology and Liver and Serum Alanine Aminotransferase and Alkaline Phosphatase Activities in Epileptic Dogs Receiving Phenobarbital

Abstract: Phenobarbital (PB) therapy is frequently associated with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activities in dogs without clinical signs of liver disease. The goal of this study was to determine if increased serum ALT and AP activities in clinically healthy PB-treated epileptic dogs are due to hepatic enzyme induction or to subclinical liver injury. Liver biopsies were obtained from 12 PB-treated dogs without clinical signs of liver disease but with elevated serum ALT and/or AP activities or both. Liver biopsies were obtained from eight healthy control dogs not receiving PB. Biopsies were evaluated histopathologically (all dogs) and liver homogenates were assayed for ALT (all dogs) and AP (six treated dogs, all controls) activities. As a positive control, liver cytochrome P4502B, an enzyme known to be induced by PB, was measured by benzyloxyresorufin-O-dealkylase activity and immunoblotting (five treated dogs, all controls). Serum AP isoenzyme analyses were performed. Results showed that ALT and AP activities in liver homogenates were not increased in treated dogs compared with controls, whereas the positive control for induction, CYP2B, was dramatically increased in treated dogs. Histopathological examination of liver biopsies revealed more severe and frequent abnormalities in treated dogs compared to controls, but similar types of abnormalities were found in both groups. Serum AP isoenzyme analyses in treated dogs demonstrated increased corticosteroid-induced and liver isoenzyme activities compared to controls. Results do not support induction of ALT or AP in the liver as the cause of elevated serum activities of these enzymes due to PB.