Startseite Medizin Dexamethasone decreases the spermidine and spermine concentrations and polyamine oxidase activity in rat thymus
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Dexamethasone decreases the spermidine and spermine concentrations and polyamine oxidase activity in rat thymus

  • Gordana Bjelaković EMAIL logo , Dusica Pavlovic , Gordana Kocic , Ivana Stojanović , Tatjana Jevtović-Stoimenov , Jelenka Nikolić , Dusan Sokolovic und Jelena Basic
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 14. Januar 2013

Abstract

Background: Glucocorticoids (GCs) exert a wide range of anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and antineoplastic activities. The aim of our investigation was to elucidate the effect of dexamethasone, a synthetic GC, on polyamine metabolism in the rat thymus.

Methods: Male albino Wistar rats, weighing 180–230 g, were divided into two groups: control and experimental. The experimental group received dexamethasone intraperitoneally for 3 days, in a daily dose of 4 mg/animal. The last dose of the hormone was applied on the 3rd day, 1 h before killing. The control group received 0.9% NaCl instead of the hormone. The animals were killed by decapitation. The thymus was removed quickly and rinsed with ice-cold saline. Polyamines were extracted using butanol. The amount of polyamines was investigated by electrophoresis. For the estimation of polyamine oxidase (PAO) activity, 10% water homogenate was prepared.

Results: Our results suggested that dexamethasone supplementation of experimental animals for 3 days significantly decreased the spermine (Sp) and spermidine (Spd) levels in rat thymus tissue (Sp Control, 362.56±25.33 nmol/g wet weight; Sp Exp. Group, 313.01±21.16 nmol/g wet weight; Spd Control, 673.81±30.95 nmol/g wet weight; Spd Exp. Group, 410.21±17.26 nmol/g wet weight). PAO activity significantly decreased under hormone influence in comparison with the control group (PAO Control, 0.449±0.121 U/mg prot.; PAO Exp. Group, 0.312±0.096 U/mg prot.).

Conclusions: The decrease in polyamine amounts in the rat thymus is not due to the change in PAO activity.


Corresponding author: Prof. Dr. Gordana Bjelakovic, Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Biochemistry, University of Niš, Blvd. dr Zorana Djindjica 81, 18000 Niš, Serbia

Received: 2012-9-1
Accepted: 2012-11-22
Published Online: 2013-01-14
Published in Print: 2013-02-01

©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

Heruntergeladen am 6.2.2026 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/jbcpp-2012-0047/html
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