title: Plasma homocysteine concentrations in novel microminipigs.
abstract: A novel microminipig has been recently developed for use in biomedical research. In the present study, age- and sex-related differences, as well as 24-h fluctuations in plasma total homocysteine concentrations (tHcy), were investigated in these microminipigs. tHcy (mean±SD) was 10.2±3.4 μM and significantly correlated with age. By contrast, neither the differences in tHcy between sexes nor the 24-h fluctuations in tHcy after feeding were significant. The kinetics of plasma tHcy after intravenous injection of reduced Hcy showed that its levels peaked within 5 min post-injection, as did the levels of tHcy. These results suggested that reduced Hcy is rapidly oxidized or metabolized. The half-lives of reduced Hcy, tHcy, and reduced cysteine in the blood were 47, 71, and 141 min, respectively. In conclusion, there was a significantly positive correlation between age and plasma tHcy in microminipigs. After intravenous injection of reduced Hcy, plasma tHcy quickly returned to pre-injection levels.
authors: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Toshiaki
authors: T
authors: Kakimoto
authors: Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Otsuka
authors: Department of Veterinary Histopathology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Hiroaki
authors: H
authors: Kawaguchi
authors: Second Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan.
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Ogata
authors: Department of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Akihide
authors: A
authors: Tanimoto
authors: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan kano@agri.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
authors: Hiroaki
authors: H
authors: Kanouchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003545:Cysteine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000097:blood; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D008715:Methionine; D003545:Cysteine
keywords: Swine; homocysteine; microminipig; pharmacokinetics test