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Lipopolysaccharide Induced Septicemia In Chronic Morphine Treated Rats, Frank Ocasio Aug 2003

Lipopolysaccharide Induced Septicemia In Chronic Morphine Treated Rats, Frank Ocasio

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Opiate-addicts have been known to show increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a cell wall component in gram-negative bacterial, is a potent stimulator of inflammation. We investigated how treatment with morphine alters LPS-induced inflammatory responses in the rat. Chronic morphine exposure alone elevated serum endotoxin levels. Animals treated with morphine and LPS (250 µglkg) developed hypothermia, decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP), increased plasma thrombin anti-thrombin III (TAT) complex, and approximately 67% exhibited progressive intramicrovascular coagulation. Morphine also enhanced LPS­ induced leukocyte endothelial adhesion (LEA), suppressed leukocyte flux and corticosterone production, and elevated interleukin- I�, tumor necrotic factor-a, …


Bcl-2 Down Regulating Ceramide De Novo Pathway, Ibrahim Abdelrahman Jan 2003

Bcl-2 Down Regulating Ceramide De Novo Pathway, Ibrahim Abdelrahman

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Ceramide is a sphingolipid second messenger that is involved in apoptosis and other cellular responses to stress. Ceramide generation occurs primarily by two methods: hydrolysis of sphingomyelin by sphingomyelinases or by de novo synthesis, which is initiated on the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum by serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT). The de novo synthesis of ceramide is activated in response to' retinoic acid, chemotherapeutic agents like etoposide or daunorubicin, and TNF-_ . We have shown previously that SPT is activated in response to chemotherapy and governs de novo ceramide production. To determine factors that regulate SPT and the de novo pathway we …