Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Akzo Nobel N.v.

Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek

Other

Nederlandse Centrale Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk

N.v. Nutricia

Willem Ferdinand Nieuwenhuizen

Günther Boehm

Eline Marleen Van Der Beek

Jan Knol

Gelske Speelmans

Christopher Beermann

Louis Hartog Cohen

Aloysius Maria Havekes

Johan H Verheijen

Kaouther Ben Amor

The present invention relates to a method for improving the composition of the intestinal flora, to a food comprising a sphingolipid for use in such a method, to methods for the preparation of such a food and to the use of sphingolipids for the preparation of a medicine for improving the composition of the intestinal flora. More in particular, the present invention relates to a method and food in which a sphingolipid chosen from the group consisting of phytosphingosine, sphingosine, lysosphingomyelin and sphinganine, or a precursor, a derivative, or suitable salt thereof is used.

Sphingolipids for improvement of the composition of the intestinal flora

The present invention is in the field of cholesterol and triglyceride-lowering methods and compositions. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of sphingolipids, more preferably phytosphingosine, sphingosine, sphinganine, ceramide, cerebroside and/or sphingomyelin for lowering the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in a subject and to the use of sphingolipids as a plasma and/or serum cholesterol and triglyceride lowering agent. The invention also encompasses methods of treatment of subjects suffering from high plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as food items and supplements with increased sphingolipid levels.

Use of sphingolipids for reducing high plasma cholesterol and high triacylglycerol levels

The present invention relates to the use of sphingolipids for the preparation of a food item, a food supplement and/or a medicament for the prevention and/or treatment of elevated blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides related to steatosis and hepatotoxic effects of medicaments and viral infections. In particular, the invention relates to the use of a sphingolipid such as phytosphingosine, sphingosine, sphinganine, ceramide, glycosylceramide and/or sphingomyelin, or a precursor or a derivative of a sphingolipid, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, for the prevention and/or treatment of hepatotoxic effects such as hepatic steatosis, fibrosis and/or cirrhosis. 

Sphingolipids in treatment and prevention of steatosis and of steatosis or of hepatotoxicity and its sequelae

The invention provides an immobilised oligopeptide for detecting protein prenylation consisting of an oligopeptide containing the amino acid sequence Xad-Xac-Xab-Xaa-OH at its carboxyl-terminus, at least one of Xaa, Xab, Xac and Xad representing cysteine (Cys), said sequence being capable of acting as a substrate for a prenyl transferase catalysing protein prenylation, and being bonded to a solid carrier, preferably at its amino-terminus. The invention further provides a kit for detecting protein prenylation comprising a first immobilised oligopeptide as mentioned above and a second immobilised oligopeptide which differs from said first immobilised oligopeptide in that the cysteine residue is substituted by another amino acid. Also provided are antibodies against the prenylated oligopeptides.

Reagent and kit for determining isoprenylating activity and inhibition

The invention relates to a composition comprising among others a fibrinopeptide A releasing compound. Furthermore the invention relates to the use of the composition as calibrator in plasma containing fibrinogen. A test kit comprising the said composition and a method to determine soluble fibrin also belong to the invention.

Calibrator and use thereof in an immunoassay

Quantification of active plasminogen-activator-inhibitor-type-1

Antibodies are provided which are directed against a sequence of amino acids corresponding to amino acids from the sequence 311-379 in particular 311-336 of the .gamma.-chain of fibrinogen. These novel antibodies react specifically with fibrin, both type I and type II. They are effective in detecting, preventing and treating blood clot formation.

Antibodies against fibrin; immunogenic peptides suitable for preparing

Antibodies are provided, which are directed against a sequence of amino acids corresponding to amino acids from the sequence 111-207, in particular 148-161, of the A.alpha.-chain of fibrinogen. These novel antibodies react specifically with fibrin, both type I and type II, and not with fibrinogen. They are effective in detecting, preventing and treating blood clot formation.

Antibodies against fibrin: immunogen to be used for the preparation of

The invention relates to a process for assaying the activity of tissue plasminogen activator (TA), in which a sample is incubated with plasminogen, a substrate for plasmin giving a detectable reaction product on reaction with plasmin, preferably H-D-Val-Leu-Lys-pNA, and, as a stimulator for the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin by TA, water-soluble fibrinogen or fibrin fragments comprising at least partially the D-domains of the fibrinogen or fibrin molecule. The amount of the detectable reaction product of the plasmin substrate is measured. Preferably, said fibrinogen or fibrin fragments have been obtained by reacting fibrinogen or fibrin with CNBr and removing lower molecular components from the reaction product. The invention also relates to kits for performing the assay and comprising the reagents to be used.

Growing community of inventors

Bunnik, Netherlands

Willem Ferdinand Nieuwenhuizen