Use of Medaka Fish as Vertebrate Model to Study the Effect of Cocoa Polyphenols in the Resistance to Oxidative Stress and Life Span Extension.
Oxidative stress (OS) can induce cell apoptosis and thus plays an important role in aging. Antioxidant foods protect tissues from OS and contribute to a healthier lifestyle. In this study, we described the used of medaka embryos (Oryzias latipes) to study the putative antioxidant capacity of dietary cocoa extract in vertebrates. A polyphenol-enriched cocoa extract regulated the expression of several genes implicated in OS, thereby protecting fish embryos from induced OS. The cocoa extract activated superoxide dismutase enzyme activity in embryos and adult fish tissues, suggesting a common mechanism for protection during embryonic development and adulthood. Furthermore, long-term feeding of …
Analysis of the Ush2a Gene in Medaka Fish (Oryzias latipes)
Patients suffering from Usher syndrome (USH) exhibit sensorineural hearing loss, retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and, in some cases, vestibular dysfunction. USH is the most common genetic disorder affecting hearing and vision and is included in a group of hereditary pathologies associated with defects in ciliary function known as ciliopathies. This syndrome is clinically classified into three types: USH1, USH2 and USH3. USH2 accounts for well over one-half of all Usher cases and mutations in the USH2A gene are responsible for the majority of USH2 cases, but also for atypical Usher syndrome and recessive non-syndromic RP. Because medaka fish (Oryzias latypes) is an attractive model organism for ge…
Electrospun poly(hydroxybutyrate) scaffolds promote engraftment of human skin equivalents via macrophage M2 polarization and angiogenesis.
Human dermo-epidermal skin equivalents (DE) comprising in vitro expanded autologous keratinocytes and fibroblasts are a good option for massive burn treatment. However, the lengthy expansion time required to obtain sufficient surface to cover an extensive burn together with the challenging surgical procedure limits their clinical use. The integration of DE and biodegradable scaffolds has been proposed in an effort to enhance their mechanical properties. Here, it is shown that poly(hydroxybutyrate) electrospun scaffolds (PHB) present good biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo and are superior to poly-epsilon-caprolactone electrospun scaffolds as a substrate for skin reconstruction. Impl…
Metabolomic changes in the rat retina after optic nerve crush.
Purpose To identify metabolic pathways and metabolites affected by optic nerve crush that can act as predictors of the disease or therapeutic targets. Methods The left optic nerve of adult rats was intraorbitally crushed and retinas were dissected 24 hours or 14 days after the lesion (n = 10 per group). Metabolic profiling analysis was carried out by Metabolon, Inc. A total of 195 metabolites were unambiguously detected. Data were normalized and the regulated metabolites were identified after comparing the different conditions. Metabolite concentration changes were analyzed using single and multivariate statistical analysis to detect discriminatory metabolites. Functional clustering and met…