scholarly journals The Timecourses of Functional, Morphological, and Molecular Changes Triggered by Light Exposure in Sprague–Dawley Rat Retinas

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1561
Author(s):  
Serena Riccitelli ◽  
Mattia Di Paolo ◽  
James Ashley ◽  
Silvia Bisti ◽  
Stefano Di Marco

Retinal neurodegeneration can impair visual perception at different levels, involving not only photoreceptors, which are the most metabolically active cells, but also the inner retina. Compensatory mechanisms may hide the first signs of these impairments and reduce the likelihood of receiving timely treatments. Therefore, it is essential to characterize the early critical steps in the neurodegenerative progression to design adequate therapies. This paper describes and correlates early morphological and biochemical changes in the degenerating retina with in vivo functional analysis of retinal activity and investigates the progression of neurodegenerative stages for up to 7 months. For these purposes, Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to 1000 lux light either for different durations (12 h to 24 h) and examined seven days afterward (7d) or for a fixed duration (24 h) and monitored at various time points following the exposure (up to 210d). Flash electroretinogram (fERG) recordings were correlated with morphological and histological analyses to evaluate outer and inner retinal disruptions, gliosis, trophic factor release, and microglial activation. Twelve hours or fifteen hours of exposure to constant light led to a severe retinal dysfunction with only minor morphological changes. Therefore, early pathological signs might be hidden by compensatory mechanisms that silence retinal dysfunction, accounting for the discrepancy between photoreceptor loss and retinal functional output. The long-term analysis showed a transient functional recovery, maximum at 45 days, despite a progressive loss of photoreceptors and coincident increases in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and basic fibroblast growth factor-2 (bFGF-2) expression. Interestingly, the progression of the disease presented different patterns in the dorsal and ventral retina. The information acquired gives us the potential to develop a specific diagnostic tool to monitor the disease’s progression and treatment efficacy.

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Quaglino ◽  
Miriam Capri ◽  
Luigi Zecca ◽  
Claudio Franceschi ◽  
Ivonne P. Ronchetti

Thymus plays an important role in the immune system and can be modulated by numerous environmental factors, including electromagnetic fields (EMF). The present study has been undertaken with the aim to investigate the role of long-term exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on thymocytes of rats housed in a regular dark/light cycle or under continuous light. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, 2 months old, were exposed or sham exposed for 8 months to 50-Hz sinusoidal EMF at two levels of field strength (1 kV/m, 5 μT and 5 kV/m, 100 μT, respectively). Thymus from adult animals exhibits signs of gradual atrophy mainly due to collagen deposition and fat substitution. This physiological involution may be accelerated by continuous light exposure that induces a massive death of thymocytes. The concurrent exposure to continuous light and to ELF-EMF did not change significantly the rate of mitoses compared to sham-exposed rats, whereas the amount of cell death was significantly increased, also in comparison with animals exposed to EMF in a 12-h dark-light cycle. In conclusion, long-term exposure to ELF-EMF, in animals housed under continuous light, may reinforce the alterations due to a photic stress, suggesting that,in vivo, stress and ELF-EMF exposure can act in synergy determining a more rapid involution of the thymus and might be responsible for an increased susceptibility to the potentially hazardous effects of ELF-EMF.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (5) ◽  
pp. E682-E685 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kalimi

This study was conducted to investigate whether hypertension induced by long-term in vivo administration of dexamethasone in rats could be prevented by the newly synthesized potent antiglucocorticoid drug RU 486. Subcutaneous implantation of 5 mg of dexamethasone pellets in Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in a rapid increase in the blood pressure that remained elevated during the 3 wk of experimental observation. RU 486 (50 mg) administered alone surprisingly showed slight elevation of blood pressure over untreated control animals. However, the blood pressure leveled off to control levels over the next 2 wk. Interestingly, a 50-mg RU 486 pellet implanted along with 5 mg of dexamethasone effectively prevented the dexamethasone-induced increase in blood pressure. RU 486 administered together with dexamethasone prevented dexamethasone-induced diuresis and urinary Na+ excretion. However, RU 486 was unable to reverse the weight loss or involution of thymus observed by long-term treatment with dexamethasone alone. No abnormalities were found in either kidneys or hearts in any of the treated groups under microscopic examination. These results suggest that RU 486 successfully prevented the hypertension produced by the long-term administration of dexamethasone in male Sprague-Dawley rats.


1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (5) ◽  
pp. E737-E739
Author(s):  
M. Kalimi ◽  
J. Opoku ◽  
M. Agarwal ◽  
K. Corley

The effect of mineralocorticoid antagonist RU 26752 on the development and maintenance of hypertension produced by long-term administration of mineralocorticoid agonist aldosterone has been investigated. Uninephrectomized, saline-drinking male Sprague-Dawley rats were subcutaneously implanted with either placebo (control) pellets or pellets containing 100 micrograms aldosterone, 50 mg RU 26752, or 100 micrograms aldosterone plus 50 mg RU 26752. Aldosterone treatment resulted in an increase in blood pressure to 165 +/- 5 mmHg over the control value of 105 +/- 2 mmHg within 3 wk of experimental period. RU 26752 given alone had no observable hypertensinogenic effect. However, RU 26752 administered with aldosterone significantly prevented the hypertension produced by aldosterone alone. RU 26752 when given with aldosterone was able to prevent the aldosterone-induced increase in saline consumption, increase urine output, and reduce urinary Na+ excretion. The results presented suggest that long-term administration of antimineralocorticoid RU 26752 in vivo to Sprague-Dawley rats prevents the aldosterone-induced hypertension.


1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (S2) ◽  
pp. 51-52
Author(s):  
B.J. Cornell ◽  
A. Singh ◽  
I. Chu

Polyhalogenated aromatic compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) continue to be environmental contaminants because of their bioaccumulation in the food chain and high resistance to biodegradation. The current study was undertaken to determine if a mixture of PCB congeners (WHO-IPCS) were interactive with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in producing morphological changes in the rat liver. Both compounds are known to produce a broad range of biochemical and morphological alterations including enzyme induction.Groups (N=5) of female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered TCDD (0, 2.5, 25, 250, 1000 ng/kg bw/day) or PCB (0, 2, 20 μg/kg bw/day) alone, or in combination with each concentration of both compounds. Incorrect concentrations were published in a previous abstract. The test substance was mixed with corn oil and given by gavage at 2 ml/kg daily for 28 days. At the end of the experiment, the rats were killed and liver samples were prepared for transmission electron microscopy.


Author(s):  
Shu-Chieh Hu ◽  
Matthew S Bryant ◽  
Estatira Sepehr ◽  
Hyun-Ki Kang ◽  
Raul Trbojevich ◽  
...  

Abstract The tobacco-specific nitrosamine NNK [4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone] is found in tobacco products and tobacco smoke. NNK is a potent genotoxin and human lung carcinogen; however, there are limited inhalation data for the toxicokinetics (TK) and genotoxicity of NNK in vivo. In the present study, a single dose of 5x10−5, 5x10−3, 0.1, or 50 mg/kg body weight (BW) of NNK, 75% propylene glycol (vehicle control), or air (sham control) was administered to male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (9-10 weeks age) via nose-only inhalation (INH) exposure for 1 hour. For comparison, the same doses of NNK were administered to male SD rats via intraperitoneal (IP) injection and oral gavage (PO). Plasma, urine, and tissue specimens were collected at designated timepoints and analyzed for levels of NNK and its major metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) and tissue levels of DNA adduct O6-methylguanine by LC/MS/MS. TK data analysis was performed using a non-linear regression program. For the genotoxicity subgroup, tissues were collected at 3 hours post-dosing for comet assay analysis. Overall, the TK data indicated that NNK was rapidly absorbed and metabolized extensively to NNAL after NNK administration via the three routes. The IP route had the greatest systemic exposure to NNK. NNK metabolism to NNAL appeared to be more efficient via INH than IP or PO. NNK induced significant increases in DNA damage in multiple tissues via the three routes. The results of this study provide new information and understanding of the toxicokinetics and genotoxicity of NNK.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Kushwah ◽  
Nidhi Sandal ◽  
Meenakshi Chauhan ◽  
Gaurav Mittal

Abstract Background Uncontrolled bleeding is one of the primary reasons for preventable death in both civilian trauma and military battle field. This study evaluates in vitro and in vivo hemostatic potential of four biopolymeric natural gums, namely, gum tragacanth, guar gum, xanthan gum, and gum acacia. In vitro evaluation of whole blood clotting time and erythrocyte agglutination assay were carried out. In vitro cytotoxicity studies with respect to each gum were done in human lymphocytes to ascertain percent cell viability. In vivo hemostatic potential of each gum (as sponge dressing and powder form) was evaluated in Sprague Dawley rats using tail bleeding assay and compared with commercially available hemostatic sponge. Other important parameters like (a) time taken for complete hemostasis, (b) amount of blood absorbed, (c) adherence strength of developed hemostatic dressing(s), (d) incidence of re-bleeding, and (e) survival of animals were also studied. Results Of the four test gums studied, xanthan gum (@3mg/ml of blood) and gum tragacanth (@35mg/ml of blood) were able to clot blood in least time (58.75±6.408 s and 59.00±2.082 s, respectively) and exhibited very good hemostatic potential in vitro. Except for xanthan gum, all other test gums did not exhibit any significant cytotoxicity at different time points till 24 h. In rat tail bleeding experiments, gum tragacanth sponge dressing and powder achieved hemostasis in least time (156.2±12.86 s and 76±12.55 s, respectively) and much earlier than commercially available product (333.3±38.84 s; p˂0.01). Conclusion Results indicate potential of gum tragacanth to be developed into a suitable hemostatic product.


1991 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Bevan ◽  
David M. Ruggio

To evaluate health risks associated with exposure to particulates in the environment, it is necessary to quantify the bioavailability of carcinogens associated with the particulates. Direct analysis of bioavailability in vivo is most readily accomplished by adsorbing a radiolabeled form of the carcinogen to the particulate. A sam ple of native diesel particulate collected from an Oldsmobile die sel engine that contained 1.03 μ g benzo[ a] pyrene ( BaP)/ g particulate was supplemented with exogenous [ 3 H]- BaP to pro duce a particulate containing 2.62 μ g BaP/g. To insure that elu tion of BaP from native and [3 H] -BaP-supplemented particulate was similar, in vitro analyses were performed. When using phos pholipid vesicles composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), 1.52% of total BaP was eluted from native particulate into the vesicles in 18 hrs; from [ 3 H] -BaP supplemented particu late, 1.68% was eluted. Using toluene as eluent, 2.55% was eluted from native particulate, and 8.25% from supplemented particulate, in 6 hrs. Supplemented particulate was then instilled intratracheally into male Sprague-Dawley rats and distribution of radioactivity was analyzed at selected times over 3 days. About 50% of radioactivity remained in lungs at 3 days following instil lation, with 30% being excreted into feces and the remainder dis tributed throughout the organs of the rats. To estimate the amount of radioactivity that entered feces through swallowing of a portion of the instilled dose, [3 H] -BaP-supplemented particu late was instilled intratracheally into rats that had a cannula sur gically implanted in the bile duct. Rate of elimination of radio activity into bile was monitored; 10.6% of radioactivity was re covered in 6 hr, an amount slightly lower than the 12.8% ex creted in 6 hrs into feces of animals with intact bile ducts. Our studies provide a quantitative description of the distribution of BaP and its metabolites following intratracheal instillation of diesel particulate. Because rates of elution of BaP in vitro are similar for native diesel particulate and particulate with supple mental [ 3H] -BaP, our results provide a reasonable estimate of the bioavailability in vivo of BaP associated with diesel particu late.


2015 ◽  
Vol 210 (5) ◽  
pp. 771-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Bencsik ◽  
Zsófia Szíber ◽  
Hanna Liliom ◽  
Krisztián Tárnok ◽  
Sándor Borbély ◽  
...  

Actin turnover in dendritic spines influences spine development, morphology, and plasticity, with functional consequences on learning and memory formation. In nonneuronal cells, protein kinase D (PKD) has an important role in stabilizing F-actin via multiple molecular pathways. Using in vitro models of neuronal plasticity, such as glycine-induced chemical long-term potentiation (LTP), known to evoke synaptic plasticity, or long-term depolarization block by KCl, leading to homeostatic morphological changes, we show that actin stabilization needed for the enlargement of dendritic spines is dependent on PKD activity. Consequently, impaired PKD functions attenuate activity-dependent changes in hippocampal dendritic spines, including LTP formation, cause morphological alterations in vivo, and have deleterious consequences on spatial memory formation. We thus provide compelling evidence that PKD controls synaptic plasticity and learning by regulating actin stability in dendritic spines.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 167-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiang Pu ◽  
Yuanyuan Deng ◽  
Xiaoyan Tan ◽  
Gaofeng Chen ◽  
Cong Zhu ◽  
...  

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