chondroitin-sulfates and calcium-phosphate--dibasic--anhydrous

Several HIV patients offer anecdotal reports in which they attribute significant viral load reductions to taking elderberry extract. Thy-Mate was also used. Case studies from six patients are presented. In an interview, Steven Rahn describes his self-imposed treatment and its effect on his viral load. Another case discusses reports of dicalcium phosphate, a binding agent found in some dietary supplements such as glucosamine, inhibiting absorption of the supplements. Other cases are described, and contact information is included.

Topics: AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Calcium Phosphates; Chondroitin Sulfates; Complementary Therapies; Drug Synergism; Drug Therapy, Combination; Glucosamine; HIV Infections; HIV Protease Inhibitors; Humans; Plant Extracts; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Viral Load

The major proteoglycan in cartilage (aggrecan) is a complex macromolecule with numerous chondroitin sulphate, keratan sulphate, and oligosaccharide substituents. It has been proposed that this macromolecule has an important role in regulating mineralization in this tissue, a process which is initiated by the deposition of apatite in matrix vesicles. We have used a liposome-centred endogenous precipitation method as a model for matrix vesicle mineralization to study the effect of the rat chondrosarcoma aggrecan and its chondroitin sulphate and core protein components on apatite formation from solution. Precipitation was initiated by encapsulating buffered (pH 7.4) 50 mmol/l KH2PO4 solutions in the aqueous centres of 7:2:1 phosphatidylcholine:dicetylphosphate:cholesterol liposomes, adding 2.25-2.65 mmol/l Ca2+ and 1.5 mmol/l total inorganic phosphate (PO4) to the suspending medium (pH 7.4, 22 degrees C), then making the intervening lipid membranes permeable to the Ca2+ ions with the calcium ionophore X-537A. Aggrecan (0.5%) in the suspending medium had no effect on intraliposomal precipitation, but severely reduced (approximately 70% reduction at 24 h) its subsequent spread into the medium. The chondroitin sulphate and core protein were similarly inhibitory. The degree to which aggrecan and its constituent parts inhibited precipitation correlated with their capacity to bind Ca2+ ions. These findings suggest that functional groups in aggrecan blocked apatite growth by linking via Ca2+ bridges to growth sites on the crystal surfaces. Similar Ca-mediated interactions may well have a critical regulatory role in cartilage mineralization.

Topics: Aggrecans; Animals; Calcification, Physiologic; Calcium Phosphates; Cell Membrane Permeability; Chemical Precipitation; Cholesterol; Chondroitin Sulfates; Chondrosarcoma; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Lectins, C-Type; Liposomes; Organophosphates; Phosphatidylcholines; Proteoglycans; Rats; Solutions; Viral Core Proteins

The possible inhibitors of heterogeneous nucleation were investigated. The effects of magnesium, pyrophosphate, citrate and Chondroitin Sulphate on calcium phosphate or uric acid heterogeneous nucleation of calcium oxalate were studied. It was found that whereas magnesium, pyrophosphate and citrate acted as effective inhibitors in the presence of calcium phosphate as heterogeneous nucleant, only chondroitin sulphate manifested important inhibitory effects when uric acid was the heterogeneous nucleant.

Topics: Calcium Oxalate; Calcium Phosphates; Chondroitin Sulfates; Citrates; Citric Acid; Crystallization; Diphosphates; Humans; Magnesium; Uric Acid; Urinary Calculi

Topics: Calcium Phosphates; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Chondroitin; Chondroitin Sulfates; Water