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Biomolecules Feb 2023Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome derived from metabolic disorders due to various liver failures. Clinically, HE is characterized by... (Review)
Review
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome derived from metabolic disorders due to various liver failures. Clinically, HE is characterized by hyperammonemia, EEG abnormalities, and different degrees of disturbance in sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. The molecular mechanism of HE has not been fully elucidated, although it is generally accepted that HE occurs under the influence of miscellaneous factors, especially the synergistic effect of toxin accumulation and severe metabolism disturbance. This review summarizes the recently discovered cellular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of HE. Among the existing hypotheses, ammonia poisoning and the subsequent oxidative/nitrosative stress remain the mainstream theories, and reducing blood ammonia is thus the main strategy for the treatment of HE. Other pathological mechanisms mainly include manganese toxicity, autophagy inhibition, mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and senescence, proposing new avenues for future therapeutic interventions.
Topics: Humans; Hepatic Encephalopathy; Ammonia; Liver Failure; Autophagy; Hyperammonemia
PubMed: 36830765
DOI: 10.3390/biom13020396 -
Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and... Dec 2023Urease is a kind of nickel-dependent metalloenzyme, which exists in the biological world widely, and can catalyse the hydrolysis of urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide... (Review)
Review
Urease is a kind of nickel-dependent metalloenzyme, which exists in the biological world widely, and can catalyse the hydrolysis of urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide to provide a nitrogen source for organisms. Urease has important uses in agriculture and medicine because it can catalyse the production of ammonia. Therefore, in this review, metal-based inhibitors of urease will be summarised according to different transition metal ions. Including the urease inhibition, structure-activity relationship, and molecular docking. Importantly, among these reviewed effective urease inhibitors, most of copper metal complexes exhibited stronger urease inhibition with IC values ranging from 0.46 μM to 41.1 μM. Significantly, the collected comprehensive information looks forward to providing rational guidance and effective strategies for the development of novel, potent, and safe metal-based urease inhibitors, which are better for practical applications in the future.
Topics: Urease; Ammonia; Molecular Docking Simulation; Metals; Metalloproteins
PubMed: 36446640
DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2150182 -
Essays in Biochemistry Aug 2023Aerobic nitrification is a key process in the global nitrogen cycle mediated by microorganisms. While nitrification has primarily been studied in near-neutral... (Review)
Review
Aerobic nitrification is a key process in the global nitrogen cycle mediated by microorganisms. While nitrification has primarily been studied in near-neutral environments, this process occurs at a wide range of pH values, spanning ecosystems from acidic soils to soda lakes. Aerobic nitrification primarily occurs through the activities of ammonia-oxidising bacteria and archaea, nitrite-oxidising bacteria, and complete ammonia-oxidising (comammox) bacteria adapted to these environments. Here, we review the literature and identify knowledge gaps on the metabolic diversity, ecological distribution, and physiological adaptations of nitrifying microorganisms in acidic and alkaline environments. We emphasise that nitrifying microorganisms depend on a suite of physiological adaptations to maintain pH homeostasis, acquire energy and carbon sources, detoxify reactive nitrogen species, and generate a membrane potential at pH extremes. We also recognize the broader implications of their activities primarily in acidic environments, with a focus on agricultural productivity and nitrous oxide emissions, as well as promising applications in treating municipal wastewater.
Topics: Nitrification; Ammonia; Ecosystem; Oxidation-Reduction; Bacteria
PubMed: 37449414
DOI: 10.1042/EBC20220194 -
Microbiology (Reading, England) Jul 2022is a marine ammonia-oxidizing archaeon with a high affinity for ammonia. It fixes carbon via a modified hydroxypropionate/hydroxybutyrate cycle and shows weak...
is a marine ammonia-oxidizing archaeon with a high affinity for ammonia. It fixes carbon via a modified hydroxypropionate/hydroxybutyrate cycle and shows weak utilization of cyanate as a supplementary energy and nitrogen source. When oxygen is depleted, produces its own oxygen, which may explain its regular occurrence in anoxic waters. Several enzymes of the ammonia oxidation and oxygen production pathways remain to be identified.
Topics: Ammonia; Archaea; Carbon Cycle; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxygen
PubMed: 35852832
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001207 -
Chemical Reviews Jun 2020The reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia by nitrogenase reflects a complex choreography involving two component proteins, MgATP and reductant. At center stage of this... (Review)
Review
The reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia by nitrogenase reflects a complex choreography involving two component proteins, MgATP and reductant. At center stage of this process resides the active site cofactor, a complex metallocluster organized around a trigonal prismatic arrangement of iron sites surrounding an interstitial carbon. As a consequence of the choreography, electrons and protons are delivered to the active site for transfer to the bound N. While the detailed mechanism for the substrate reduction remains enigmatic, recent developments highlight the role of hydrides and the privileged role for two irons of the trigonal prism in the binding of exogenous ligands. Outstanding questions concern the precise nature of the intermediates between N and NH, and whether the cofactor undergoes significant rearrangement during turnover; resolution of these issues will require the convergence of biochemistry, structure, spectroscopy, computation, and model chemistry.
Topics: Ammonia; Crystallization; Metals, Heavy; Models, Molecular; Nitrogen; Nitrogenase; Protein Conformation
PubMed: 32538623
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00067 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry... Oct 2022Here we prove that, in addition to temperature and pressure, another important thermodynamic variable permits the exploration of the phase diagram of ammonia: the...
Here we prove that, in addition to temperature and pressure, another important thermodynamic variable permits the exploration of the phase diagram of ammonia: the electric field. By means of (path integral) molecular dynamics simulations, we predict that, upon applying intense electric fields on ammonia, the electrofreezing phenomenon occurs, leading the liquid toward a novel ferroelectric solid phase. This study proves that electric fields can generally be exploited as the access key to otherwise-unreachable regions in phase diagrams, unveiling the existence of new condensed-phase structures. Furthermore, the reported findings have manifold practical implications, from the safe storage and transportation of ammonia to the understanding of the solid structures this compound forms in planetary contexts.
Topics: Ammonia; Thermodynamics; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Temperature; Electricity
PubMed: 36255376
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02576 -
Journal of the American Society of... May 2021Two papers, one in 1986 and another one in 1988, reported a strong inverse correlation between urinary anion gap (UAG) and urine ammonia excretion (UNH) in patients with... (Review)
Review
Two papers, one in 1986 and another one in 1988, reported a strong inverse correlation between urinary anion gap (UAG) and urine ammonia excretion (UNH) in patients with metabolic acidosis and postulated that UAG could be used as an indirect measure of UNH This postulation has persisted until now and is widely accepted. In this review, we discuss factors regulating UAG and examine published evidence to uncover errors in the postulate and the design of the original studies. The essential fact is that, in the steady state, UAG reflects intake of Na, K, and Cl. Discrepancy between intake and urinary output of these electrolytes (, UAG) indicates selective extrarenal loss of these electrolytes or nonsteady state. UNH excretion, which depends, in the absence of renal dysfunction, mainly on the daily acid load, has no consistent relationship to UAG either theoretically or in reality. Any correlation between UAG and UNH, when observed, was a fortuitous correlation and cannot be extrapolated to other situations. Furthermore, the normal value of UAG has greatly increased over the past few decades, mainly due to increases in dietary intake of potassium and widespread use of sodium salts with anions other than chloride as food additives. The higher normal values of UAG must be taken into consideration in interpreting UAG.
Topics: Acid-Base Equilibrium; Acidosis; Ammonia; Humans
PubMed: 33769949
DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2020101509 -
Advances in Kidney Disease and Health Mar 2023Acid-base homeostasis is critical to the maintenance of normal health. The kidneys have a central role in bicarbonate generation, which occurs through the process of net... (Review)
Review
Acid-base homeostasis is critical to the maintenance of normal health. The kidneys have a central role in bicarbonate generation, which occurs through the process of net acid excretion. Renal ammonia excretion is the predominant component of renal net acid excretion under basal conditions and in response to acid-base disturbances. Ammonia produced in the kidney is selectively transported into the urine or the renal vein. The amount of ammonia produced by the kidney that is excreted in the urine varies dramatically in response to physiological stimuli. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of ammonia metabolism's molecular mechanisms and regulation. Ammonia transport has been advanced by recognizing that the specific transport of NH3 and NH by specific membrane proteins is critical to ammonia transport. Other studies show that proximal tubule protein, NBCe1, specifically the A variant, significantly regulates renal ammonia metabolism. This review discusses these critical aspects of the emerging features of ammonia metabolism and transport.
Topics: Ammonia; Kidney; Nephrons; Renal Veins; Ammonium Compounds
PubMed: 36868733
DOI: 10.1053/j.akdh.2022.12.005 -
Food Chemistry Nov 2022In an attempt to investigate the carbonyl-trapping abilities of 5-alkylresorcinols, this study describes the role of these compounds in inhibiting the formation of the...
In an attempt to investigate the carbonyl-trapping abilities of 5-alkylresorcinols, this study describes the role of these compounds in inhibiting the formation of the 2,5-dialkylpyridines (5-ethyl-2-methylpyridine, 5-butyl-2-propylpyridine, and 5-hexyl-2-pentylpyridine) produced by 2-alkenals (crotonaldehyde, 2-hexenal, and 2-octenal) in the presence of ammonia. 5-Alkylresorcinols (as well as orcinol and olivetol) inhibited the formation of pyridines to an extend that depended on the 2-alkenal involved and the reaction conditions. This inhibition was consequence of the trapping of 2-alkenals by the phenolics. Thus, the major adducts produced between the C21:0 alkylresorcinol and crotonaldehyde were isolated and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS). These results confirm that, in addition to their free radical scavenging abilities, 5-alkylresorcinols also trap reactive carbonyls. Because trapped carbonyls are involved in the formation of flavors and processing-induced antioxidants, 5-alkylresorcinols might be implied in some of the observed differences between whole and refined grain products.
Topics: Ammonia; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mass Spectrometry; Phenols
PubMed: 35661596
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.133372 -
Journal of Occupational Health Jan 2020With the increasing demand for the detection of occupational hazard factors in workplaces, the national standard determination method for ammonia (sampling with... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
With the increasing demand for the detection of occupational hazard factors in workplaces, the national standard determination method for ammonia (sampling with absorbing solution-analysis with Nessler reagent spectrophotometry) in the air of workplace presents many drawbacks during application in China. This review summarized the improvement and the alternate methods of the current sampling and analysis procedures for ammonia, aiming to provide reference to establish an appropriate method for the determination of ammonia in workplace air.
METHODS
Scientific publications in English and Chinese and the standard methods of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in Germany, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States, and Ministry of Health in China for airborne ammonia collection and analysis in the workplace were reviewed.
RESULTS
The measures to improve the current sampling and analysis procedures for ammonia in China were firstly summarized. For sampling, the decrease of absorbing solution concentration and the methanesulfonic acid solution as the alternate sampling solution were suggested. For analysis, the anti-interference measures and the optimum reaction condition between ammonia and Nessler reagent were discussed. The alternate methods including sampling conducted using solid sorbent tubes and analysis performed by ion chromatography were then considered for the determination of ammonia.
CONCLUSIONS
The methods-sampling with acid-treated solid sorbent tubes and analysis with ion chromatography-were more suitable for the determination of ammonia in workplace air. However, some details about ammonia sampling and analysis still need further investigation.
Topics: Air Pollutants, Occupational; Ammonia; China; Environmental Monitoring; Occupational Exposure; Reference Standards; Workplace
PubMed: 31763758
DOI: 10.1002/1348-9585.12100