Equine inflammatory disease is accompanied by a neutrophil activation resulting in the release of granulocytic enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO). To measure MPO in horse plasma as marker of neutrophil activation, the authors purified equine neutrophil MPO and developed a specific enzyme immunoassay using 2 specific polyclonal antibodies obtained from rabbit (primary antibody) and guinea pig (secondary antibody). The sandwich complex "primary antibody-MPO-secondary antibody" was detected using a goat anti-guinea pig immunoglobulin antibody conjugated to alkaline phosphatase. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed good precision and accuracy, with intra- and interassay coefficients of variation below 10% for MPO concentrations ranging from 0.78 to 50 ng/ml. A stable plasma MPO value, unaffected by time elapsed between blood collection and centrifugation, was obtained with plasma from EDTA anticoagulated blood. The mean MPO value measured in 38 healthy horses was 181.80 +/- 64.74 ng/ml. In 20 horses suffering from obstruction of the large or small intestine, MPO concentrations measured at the time of arrival at the intensive care unit were significantly higher than mean normal value, ranging from 477.88 to 2,748.13 ng/ml. Work is in progress to apply this MPO ELISA technique to other biological fluids and other equine diseases.

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An original method called SIEFED (specific immunological extraction followed by enzymatic detection) was developed for the specific detection of the activity of equine myeloperoxidase (MPO). The method consists of the extraction of MPO from aqueous solutions by immobilized anti-MPO antibodies followed by washing (to eliminate proteins and interfering molecules) and measurement of MPO activity using a detection system containing a fluorogenic substrate, hydrogen peroxide, and nitrite as reaction enhancer. The SIEFED technique was applied to study active MPO in horse biological fluids and the effects of 2 polyphenolic molecules, curcumin and resveratrol, on MPO activity. The detection limit of the SIEFED was 0.23 mU/ml. The SIEFED exhibited good precision with intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation below 10% and 20%, respectively, for MPO activities ranging from 0.25 to 6.4 mU/ml. The activity of MPO was generally higher than 1 mU/ml in the fluids collected from horses with inflammatory diseases. Curcumin and resveratrol exerted a dose-dependent inhibition on MPO activity and, as they were removed before the enzymatic detection of MPO, the results suggest a direct drug-nzyme interaction or an enzyme structure modification by the drug. The SIEFED is a new tool that would be useful for specific detection of active MPO in complex media and for selection of MPO activity modulators.

Abelmoschus esculentus (Malvaceae), Hibiscus acetosella (Malvaceae), Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae) and Pteridium aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) leaves are currently consumed as vegetables by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Western Europe and by the people in the origin countries, where these plants are also used in the folk medicine. Manihot leaves are also eaten in Latin America and some Asian countries. This work investigated the capacity of aqueous extracts prepared from those vegetables to inhibit the peroxidation of a linoleic acid emulsion. Short chain, volatile C-compounds as markers of advanced lipid peroxidation were measured by gas chromatography by following the ethylene production. The generation of lipid hydroperoxides, was monitored by spectroscopy using N-N′-dimethyl-p-phenylene-diamine (DMPD). The formation of intermediate peroxyl, and other free radicals, at the initiation of the lipid peroxidation was investigated by electron spin resonance, using α-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone as spin trap agent. The ability of the extracts to decrease the cellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in “inflammation like” conditions was studied by fluorescence technique using 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescine-diacetate as fluorogenic probe, in a cell model of human monocytes (HL-60 cells) activated with phorbol ester. Overall the extracts displayed efficient concentration-dependent inhibitory effects. Their total polyphenol and flavonoid content was determined by classic colorimetric methods. An HPLC-UV/DAD analysis has clearly identified the presence of some polyphenolic compounds, which explains at least partially the inhibitions observed in our models. The role of these plants in the folk medicine by sub-Saharan peoples as well as in the prevention of oxidative stress and ROS related diseases requires further consideration.

a b s t r a c tThe SIEFED ("Specific Immunological Extraction Followed by Enzymatic Detection") method already developed for the specific detection of the activity of equine myeloperoxidase (MPO) was adapted for the specific measurement of active human MPO in biological fluids or tissue extracts. The method consists of the extraction of MPO from aqueous solutions by immobilized anti-MPO antibodies followed by a washing (to eliminate the extraction medium and the biological fluid with their possible interfering molecules) and the measurement of the activity of MPO with a detection system containing a fluorogenic substrate, H 2 O 2 and nitrite ions as reaction enhancer. The SIEFED was applied to study active MPO in human biological fluids (plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and supernatant from carotids extracts). The SIEFED for human MPO has a sensitivity limit of 0.080 mU/mL and showed good precision with intra-and inter-assay coefficients of variation below 10 and 20% respectively within a broad range of MPO activities establish from 0.156 to 473 mU/mL. The SIEFED for human MPO will be useful for the specific detection of active MPO in complex fluids and can be complementary to an ELISA to determine an active/total MPO ratio in healthy volunteers and patients especially in case of chronic or acute inflammatory diseases.