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Murine Colon (murine + colon)
Selected AbstractsBridging Mucosal Vessels Associated with Rhythmically Oscillating Blood Flow in Murine ColitisTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Aslihan Turhan Abstract Oscillatory blood flow in the microcirculation is generally considered to be the result of cardiopulmonary influences or active vasomotion. In this report, we describe rhythmically oscillating blood flow in the bridging vessels of the mouse colon that appeared to be independent of known biological control mechanisms. Corrosion casting and scanning electron microscopy of the mouse colon demonstrated highly branched bridging vessels that connected the submucosal vessels with the mucosal plexus. Because of similar morphometric characteristics (19 ± 11 ,m vs. 28 ± 16 ,m), bridging arterioles and venules were distinguished by tracking fluorescent nanoparticles through the microcirculation using intravital fluorescence videomicroscopy. In control mice, the blood flow through the bridging vessels was typically continuous and unidirectional. In contrast, two models of chemically induced inflammation (trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid and dextran sodium sulfate) were associated with a twofold reduction in flow velocity and the prominence of rhythmically oscillating blood flow. The blood oscillation was characterized by tracking the bidirectional displacement of fluorescent nanoparticles. Space,time plots and particle tracking of the oscillating segments demonstrated an oscillation frequency between 0.2 and 5.1 cycles per second. Discrete Fourier transforms demonstrated a power spectrum composed of several base frequencies. These observations suggest that inflammation-inducible changes in blood flow patterns in the murine colon resulted in both reduced blood flow velocity and rhythmic oscillations within the bridging vessels of the mouse colon. Anat Rec, 291:74,82, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effects of female steroid hormones on A-type K+ currents in murine colonTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Elizabeth A. H. Beckett Idiopathic constipation is higher in women of reproductive age than postmenopausal women or men, suggesting that female steroid hormones influence gastrointestinal motility. How female hormones affect motility is unclear. Colonic motility is regulated by ion channels in colonic myocytes. Voltage-dependent K+ channels serve to set the excitability of colonic muscles. We investigated regulation of Kv4.3 channel expression in response to acute or chronic changes in female hormones. Patch clamp experiments and quantitative PCR were used to compare outward currents and transcript expression in colonic myocytes from male, non-pregnant, pregnant and ovariectomized mice. Groups of ovariectomized mice received injections of oestrogen or progesterone to investigate the effects of hormone replacement. The capacitance of colonic myocytes from non-pregnant females was larger than in males. Net outward current density in male and ovariectomized mice was higher than in non-pregnant females and oestrogen-treated ovariectomized mice. Current densities in late pregnancy were lower than in female controls. Progesterone had no effect on outward currents. A-type currents were decreased in non-pregnant females compared with ovariectomized mice, and were further decreased by pregnancy or oestrogen replacement. Kv4.3 transcripts did not differ significantly between groups; however, expression of the potassium channel interacting protein KChIP1 was elevated in ovariectomized mice compared with female controls and oestrogen-treated ovariectomized mice. Delayed rectifier currents were not affected by oestrogen. In the mouse colon, oestrogen suppresses A-type currents, which are important for regulating excitability. These observations suggest a possible link between female hormones and altered colonic motility associated with menses, pregnancy and menopause. [source] Contribution of Kv4 channels toward the A-type potassium current in murine colonic myocytesTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Gregory C. Amberg A rapidly inactivating K+ current (A-type current; IA) present in murine colonic myocytes is important in maintaining physiological patterns of slow wave electrical activity. The kinetic profile of colonic IA resembles that of Kv4-derived currents. We examined the contribution of Kv4 ,-subunits to IA in the murine colon using pharmacological, molecular and immunohistochemical approaches. The divalent cation Cd2+ decreased peak IA and shifted the voltage dependence of activation and inactivation to more depolarized potentials. Similar results were observed with La3+. Colonic IA was sensitive to low micromolar concentrations of flecainide (IC50= 11 ,M). Quantitative PCR indicated that in colonic and jejunal tissue, Kv4.3 transcripts demonstrate greater relative abundance than transcripts encoding Kv4.1 or Kv4.2. Antibodies revealed greater Kv4.3-like immunoreactivity than Kv4.2-like immunoreactivity in colonic myocytes. Kv4-like immunoreactivity was less evident in jejunal myocytes. To address this finding, we examined the expression of K+ channel-interacting proteins (KChIPs), which act as positive modulators of Kv4-mediated currents. Qualitative PCR identified transcripts encoding the four known members of the KChIP family in isolated colonic and jejunal myocytes. However, the relative abundance of KChIP transcript was 2.6-fold greater in colon tissue than in jejunum, as assessed by quantitative PCR, with KChIP1 showing predominance. This observation is in accordance with the amplitude of the A-type current present in these two tissues, where colonic myocytes possess densities twice that of jejunal myocytes. From this we conclude that Kv4.3, in association with KChIP1, is the major molecular determinant of IA in murine colonic myocytes. [source] Combination effect of AC-7700, a novel combretastatin A-4 derivative, and cisplatin against murine and human tumors in vivoCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 2 2003Yoshihiro Morinaga The in vivo combination effect of AC-7700, a novel combretastatin A-4 derivative, and cisplatin (CDDP) was examined. The combination of AC-7700 and CDDP increased antitumor activity against murine colon 26 tumor in mice and cured the mice. This combination effect was found over wide dosage ranges of AC-7700 (20,80 mg/kg) and CDDP (2.5,5 mg/kg). Moreover, this combination augmented antitumor activity against murine S180 and M109 tumors, and human LX-1 and LS180 tumor xenografts in mice. The effect was the strongest when AC-7700 and CDDP were administered simultaneously. To study this combination effect we measured the concentrations of CDDP in tumors, plasma and kidneys of the mice with colon 26 tumor. In the combination with AC-7700, the concentration of CDDP in the tumors increased from 0.5 to 96 h after administration, but did not change or decrease in plasma or kidneys. Against human LS180 xenografts in mice, the combination similarly increased the concentration of CDDP in the tumors. These results suggest that AC-7700 may specifically augment the accumulation of CDDP in tumors, and thus has the potential to be useful in combination chemotherapy with CDDP. (Cancer Sci 2003; 94: 200,204) [source] | ||||||||||