0000000001061320
AUTHOR
Belluardo Natale
Lack of Dystrophin Affects Bronchial Epithelium in mdx Mice
Mild exercise training may positively affect the course of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Training causes mild bronchial epithelial injury in both humans and mice, but no study assessed the effects of exercise in mdx mice, a well known model of DMD. The airway epithelium was examined in mdx (C57BL/10ScSn-Dmdmdx) mice, and in wild type (WT, C57BL/10ScSc) mice either under sedentary conditions (mdx-SD, WT-SD) or during mild exercise training (mdx-EX, WT-EX). At baseline, and after 30 and 45 days of training (5 d/wk for 6 weeks), epithelial morphology and markers of regeneration, apoptosis, and cellular stress were assessed. The number of goblet cells in bronchial epithelium was much lower…
Antiabsence effects of carbenoxolone in two genetic animal models of absence epilepsy (WAG/Rij rats and lh/lh mice).
Carbenoxolone (CBX), the succinyl ester of glycyrrhetinic acid, is an inhibitor of gap junctional intercellular communication. We have tested its possible effects upon two genetic animal models of epilepsy (WAG/Rij rats and lethargic (lh/lh) mice). Systemic administration of CBX was unable to significantly affect the occurrence of absence seizures in WAG/Rij rats. In particular, intravenous (5-40 mg/kg) or intraperitoneal (i.p.; 10-80 mg/kg) administration of CBX was unable to significantly modify the number and duration of spike-wave discharges (SWDs) in WAG/Rij rats, whereas the bilateral microinjection (0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1 microg/0.5 microl) of CBX into nucleus reticularis thalami (NRT)…
Anticonvulsant effects of carbenoxolone in genetically epilepsy prone rats (GEPRs).
Carbenoxolone (CBX), the succinyl ester of glycyrrhetinic acid, is an inhibitor of gap junctional intercellular communication. Systemic administration of CBX was able to decrease the seizure severity score and to increase the latency time of seizure onset in genetically epilepsy prone rats (GEPRs). In particular, intravenous or intraperitoneal administration of carbenoxolone (5-30 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent and significant reduction in the clonic and tonic phases of the audiogenic seizures in GEPRs. The anticonvulsant doses were not associated with an impairment of motor coordination. The bilateral microinjection of CBX (0.001-0.50 microg/0.5 microl) into the inferior colliculi, the s…
Mild Aerobic Exercise Training Hardly Affects the Diaphragm of mdx Mice
In the mdx mice model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), mild endurance exercise training positively affected limb skeletal muscles, whereas few and controversial data exist on the effects of training on the diaphragm. The diaphragm was examined in mdx (C57BL/10ScSn-Dmdmdx) and wild-type (WT, C57BL/10ScSc) mice under sedentary conditions (mdx-SD, WT-SD) and during mild exercise training (mdx-EX, WT-EX). At baseline, and after 30 and 45 days (training: 5 d/wk for 6 weeks), diaphragm muscle morphology and Cx39 protein were assessed. In addition, tissue levels of the chaperonins Hsp60 and Hsp70 and the p65 subunit of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) were measured in diaphragm, gastrocnemius, and q…
PROTEOMIC CHANGES INDUCED BY LOW-INTENSITY ENDURANCE EXERCISE IN MDX MOUSE QUADRICEPS: CORRELATION WITH REDUCTION OF MUSCLE DEGENERATION.
Previous study showed that low-intensity endurance exercise induced a significant recovery of damaged skeletal muscle in mdx mice, probably by reducing the degeneration of dystrophic muscle1. In order to explore the molecular basis of this observation, we perfomed a proteomic analysis to evaluate changes in proteins profiling of quadriceps dystrophic muscles of exercised versus sedentary mdx mice. Four protein spots were found significantly changed and were identified as three isoforms of Carbonic anhydrase 3 (CA3) and as superoxide dismutase [Cu-Zn] (SODC). Protein levels of CA3 isoforms were found significantly up-regulated in quadriceps of sedentary mdx mice (MDX-Sed) and were completely…