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Normal Chow (normal + chow)
Selected AbstractsEvaluation of intestinal mucosal function by measuring expired 14CO2 after oral administration of 14C-putrescineJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 9 2001Akira Sasaki Abstract Background: Diamine oxidase (DAO) is the enzyme that degrades putrescine, the key main product of polyamine metabolism, and reflects enterocytic maturity of absorption because diamine oxidase activity is highest in the small intestine. We have already shown that expired 14CO2 after oral administration of 14C-putrescine correlated with intestinal DAO activity. However, the influence of food composition and the mucosal adaptation after intestinal resection have not been elucidated. Methods: Male Wistar rats were fed normal chow or an elemental diet (ED) for 2 weeks. Resected rats underwent 50% jejunectomy or 50% ilectomy. Expired 14CO2 levels, following oral administration of 14C-putrescine were measured in all rats, and compared with the intestinal DAO activity and other mucosal parameters. Results: In the ED group, the 14CO2 levels reached a peak earlier, and values were 2.9-fold higher than in the group fed with normal chow. Mucosal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and DAO activity in the ED group were also higher than in the group fed normal chow, although the mucosal wet weight was significantly lower in the ED group. In the resection groups, all expired 14CO2 values increased during measurement. The peak 14CO2 values in the jejunectomy group shifted earlier in the postoperative period. The mucosal DAO activity in both the resection groups was higher than it was in the control group at the fifth and 10th postoperative day. However, there were no differences among the three groups at the 15th postoperative day. Conclusions: Our studies suggested that expired 14CO2 after oral administration of 14C-putrescine correlates with mucosal DAO activity, and that it also reflects intestinal function. [source] Troglitazone prevents fatty changes of the liver in obese diabetic ratsJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 10 2000Dong Mei Jia Abstract Background and Aims: Troglitazone is a newly developed antidiabetic drug and is indicated to be useful for the treatment of patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Recently, however, it became clear that troglitazone could cause liver dysfunction in some patients. In addition, a relationship between the activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma receptor by troglitazone and colon tumorigenesis has been suggested. The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of long-term administration of troglitazone on the liver and intestine in genetically obese and diabetic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) and control Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats. Methods: A troglitazone-rich diet (200 mg/100 g normal chow) or a standard rat chow, free of troglitazone (control), was given to OLETF and LETO rats from 12 or 28 weeks of age until 72 weeks of age. Serum levels of glucose, insulin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined at several time points. In addition, histology of the liver and intestine and serum levels of cholesterol and triglycerides were examined at 72 weeks of age. Results: Troglitazone prevented age-related increases in fasting glucose and insulin concentrations in OLETF rats, but had no significant influences on serum levels of AST and ALT in both strains of rats. The liver weights in the control OLETF rats were significantly heavier than in the LETO rats. Troglitazone significantly reduced serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and the liver weight. However, it had no influence on the large intestine weight and the number of colonic polyps in both OLETF and LETO rats. Sections of the liver from the untreated OLETF rats showed mild fatty changes in the central zone of the hepatic lobule, whereas those from the troglitazone-treated OLETF rats appeared normal with no fat deposition in the hepatocytes. Troglitazone in LETO rats also caused no significant histopathologic changes of the liver tissue. Conclusion: Our present study demonstrated that long-term administration of troglitazone prevents the progress of the metabolic derangement and fatty changes of the liver in genetically determined obese diabetes. [source] MRI of early- and late-stage arterial remodeling in a low-level cholesterol-fed rabbit model of atherosclerosisJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 4 2007John A. Ronald MS Abstract Purpose To monitor early- and late-stage arterial remodeling following low-level cholesterol (CH) feeding in rabbits using a standardized MRI protocol. Materials and Methods New Zealand White rabbits were fed a CH diet (0.25% w/w) (n = 15) or normal chow (n = 6) and imaged either at 0, 2, 6, 8, and 11 months ("early-stage") or 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 months ("late-stage"). T2-weighted fast-spin-echo images (,200 ,m in-plane resolution) of aortic lesions were collected using either a 1.5 or 3.0T MR scanner interfaced with a customized surface RF coil. Luminal (LA), outer vessel wall boundary (OVBA), and vessel wall areas (VWA) were assessed. Results Among CH-fed animals in the early-stage group, increased VWA associated with decreased OVBA and a more pronounced decrease in LA was first detectable at 8 months. These changes became more evident between 8 and 11 months. In the late-stage group, lesions continued to grow in response to CH-feeding, as VWA significantly increased at regular 2-month intervals. Beyond 16 months, signal intensity differences (reflecting increased lesion complexity) within the vessel wall were noted. Conclusion This often-overlooked rabbit model combined with customized MR technology holds tremendous promise for studying the natural progression, regression, and remodeling of atherosclerotic lesions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007;26:1010,1019. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Alcohol Consumption Attenuates Febrile Responses to Lipopolysaccharide and Interleukin-1, in Male RatsALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2002Anna N. Taylor Background: Chronic and acute alcohol use exert profound modulatory effects on the immune system which manifest as impaired host defense against infections. An important feature of this response is the interaction between the immune and the central nervous systems. This study investigated the effects of 14 days of alcohol exposure on cytokine-mediated neuroimmune interactions that affect the febrile component of the host-defense response. Methods: Adult male rats were fed a liquid diet containing ethanol (EtOH, 5% w/v) for 14 days. Pair-fed and normal chow- and water-fed rats served as controls. Continuous biotelemetric recordings of body temperature and locomotor activity commencing after 14 days of EtOH feeding were used to determine the effects of chronic EtOH on the circadian pattern of temperature and activity, on the febrile response to intraperitoneal (ip) administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interleukin (IL)-1,, and on fever induced by IL-1, administered intracerebroventricularly. We also examined the effects of EtOH consumption on LPS-induced hypothalamic production of the pyrogenic cytokines IL-1, and tumor necrosis factor-, (TNF,) and on the blood levels of IL-1,, TNF,, IL-6, adrenocorticotropin, and corticosterone at 2, 4, and 6 hr after ip LPS. Results: Fourteen days of EtOH consumption blunted the circadian increases in temperature and activity that normally occur in the dark phase of the light/dark cycle without affecting light-phase temperature or activity. EtOH consumption attenuated fever induced by LPS or IL-1, administered ip during the light phase and significantly reduced hypothalamic production of IL-1,. LPS-induced increases in hypothalamic TNF, and blood cytokines, adrenocorticotropin, and corticosterone were unaffected. Central administration of IL-1, produced a normal febrile response in chronic-EtOH rats. Conclusions: The attenuated LPS- and IL-1,,induced febrile responses in EtOH-consuming rats and the corresponding deficit in hypothalamic production of IL-1, suggest that alcohol may impair IL-1,,mediated neuroimmune communication. [source] Antioxidant effect of squeezed juice from black radish (Raphanus sativus L. var niger) in alimentary hyperlipidaemia in ratsPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2005Andrea Lugasi Abstract Black radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. niger) root has been used in folk medicine since antiquity as a natural drug for the stimulation of bile function. According to in vitro studies the squeezed juice from black radish root exhibited significant antioxidant properties. In the present study, the beneficial effect of the black radish juice on some free radical reactions in rats fed with a diet rich in lipids (20% sunflower oil, 2% cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid in normal chow) was examined. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and conjugated diene concentrations were significantly higher, while the antioxidant enzyme activities and the free radical scavenging capacity were lower in hyperlipidaemic rats compared with normal controls. Supplementation of the lipid-rich diet with black radish juice resulted in a significant improvement of the parameters mentioned above. Although the exact mechanism of the biologically active compounds in black radish on the lipid metabolism and lipid peroxidation is not clear yet, a beneficial effect of the drug was evident in alimentary hyperlipidaemia. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 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