Search results for "Ley"

Polychlorinated biphenyls affect histone modification pattern in early development of rats: a role for androgen receptor-dependent modulation?

2012

Background: The epigenome represents an important target of environmental pollution. Early-life exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) modifies sex steroid enzymes and receptor transcription patterns. Steroid receptors, such as androgen receptor (AR), function as coregulators of histone modification enzymes. Aim: To clarify if a PCB early-life exposure might affect the epigenome in rat liver, we analyzed some histone post-translational modifications (H3K4me3 and H4K16Ac) and the corresponding histone remodeling enzymes, and the AR as a histone enzyme coregulator. Results: We observed a decrease of H4K16Ac and H3K4me3 levels, possibly linked to the induction of chromatin-modifying enz…

Localized hypothermia: impact on oxygenation, microregional perfusion, metabolic and bioenergetic status of subcutaneous rat tumours.

1998

The effect of localized hypothermia on microcirculatory and metabolic parameters in s.c. DS sarcomas on the hind foot dorsum of Sprague-Dawley rats was investigated. Tumours were cooled by superfusion of the tumour surface with cooled saline solution to 25 degrees C or 15 degrees C. Control tumours remained at 35 degrees C. These temperatures were maintained for 30 min. In tumour oxygenation measurements, hypothermia at 25 degrees C and 15 degrees C caused progressive decreases in the size of the fraction of pO2 measurements between 0 and 2.5 mmHg together with a reduction in pO2 variability. No significant changes in median or mean pO2 or in the fraction of pO2 measurements between 0 and 5…

Regional perfusion and oxygenation of tumors upon methylxanthine derivative administration

1998

Abstract Purpose: The use of methylxanthine derivatives has been postulated as a means of increasing tumor perfusion and thus ameliorating tumor hypoxia. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the effects of three methylxanthine derivatives: pentoxifylline (PX), torbafylline (TB), and HWA 138 (HW) on tumor perfusion and oxygenation. Methods and Materials: Anesthetized Sprague Dawley rats with DS-sarcomas implanted subcutaneously onto the hind foot dorsum were used in this study. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was measured throughout experiments. Regional red blood cell (RBC) flux was monitored using a multichannel laser Doppler device and tumor oxygenation on a more global l…

Protective activation of the endocannabinoid system during ischemia in dopamine neurons

2006

Endocannabinoids act as neuroprotective molecules promptly released in response to pathological stimuli. Hence, they may represent one component of protection and/or repair mechanisms mobilized by dopamine (DA) neurons under ischemia. Here, we show that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) plays a key role in protecting DA neurons from ischemia-induced altered spontaneous activity both in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, neuroprotection can be elicited through moderate cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) activation. Conversely, blockade of endocannabinoid actions through CB1 receptor antagonism worsens the outcome of transient ischemia on DA neuronal activity. These findings indi…

Fluorescent benzofurazan-cholic acid conjugates for in vitro assessment of bile acid uptake and its modulation by drugs.

2009

One of the most common mechanisms of hepatotoxicity is drug-induced cholestasis. Hence, new approaches for screening the cholestatic potential of drug candidates are desirable. In this context, we describe herein the use of synthetic 4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD) fluorescent conjugates of cholic acid (ChA) at positions 3alpha, 3beta, 7alpha, and 7beta for in vitro assessment of bile acid uptake. All the conjugates show a strong absorption band between 400 and 550 nm and have a fluorescence quantum yield of approximately 0.45, with an emission maximum centered at approximately 530 nm. After their photophysical characterization, 3alpha-, 3beta-, 7alpha-, and 7beta-NBD-ChA were used to …

Cultures with cryopreserved hepatocytes: applicability for studies of enzyme induction

2000

The use of hepatocyte cultures is well established for the study of drug-drug interactions. However, the major hindrance for the use of human hepatocyte cultures is that human hepatocytes are only occasionally available. This problem could be overcome by cryopreservation. Although cryopreserved hepatocytes have been recommended for short term applications in suspension, studies on induction of enzyme activity, requiring a more prolonged maintenance of cryopreserved hepatocytes in culture, represent a new field of research. In the present study, we established a technique that allows preparation of rat hepatocyte co-cultures, using cryopreserved hepatocytes. After incubation with phenobarbit…

Stimulation of Anaerobic Glycolysis Enhances Liver Cell Viability During Cold Hypoxic Incubation of Liver Slices

1998

Evaluation of drug-metabolizing and functional competence of human hepatocytes incubated under hypothermia in different media for clinical infusion.

2008

Hepatocyte transplantation has been proposed as a method to support patients with liver insufficiency. Key factors for clinical cell transplantation to progress is to prevent hepatocyte damage, loss of viability and cell functionality, factors that depend on the nature of the tissue used for isolation to a large extent. The main sources of tissue for hepatocyte isolation are marginal livers that are unsuitable for transplantation, and segments from reduced cadaveric grafts. Hepatocellular transplantation requires infusing human hepatocytes in Suspension over a period of minutes to hours. The beneficial effect of hypothermic preservation of hepatocytes in infusion medium has been reported, b…

CONNEXIN43 GAP JUNCTION LEVELS DURING DEVELOPMENT OF THE THORACIC AORTA ARE TEMPORALLY CORRELATED WITH ELASTIC LAMINAE DEPOSITION AND INCREASED BLOOD…

1997

A characteristic property of the vascular smooth muscle cell is its ability to modulate between a contractile phenotype, responsible for control of vascular tone, through to a synthetic phenotype, capable of migration and synthesis of extracellular matrix molecules. Smooth muscle cells are coupled by gap junctions, the membrane structures which permit direct intercelluar passage of ions and small molecules, and which play a role both in electrical coupling and intercellular communication during patterning and development. We have previously found that connexin43 type gap junction expression is upregulated in the synthetic phenotype smooth muscle cell in vitro and during atherosclerotic plaq…

A population of prenatally generated cells in the rat paleocortex maintains an immature neuronal phenotype into adulthood.

2008

New neurons in the adult brain transiently express molecules related to neuronal development, such as the polysialylated form of neural cell adhesion molecule, or doublecortin (DCX). These molecules are also expressed by a cell population in the rat paleocortex layer II, whose origin, phenotype, and function are not clearly understood. We have classified most of these cells as a new cell type termed tangled cell. Some cells with the morphology of semilunar-pyramidal transitional neurons were also found among this population, as well as some scarce cells resembling semilunar, pyramidal. and fusiform neurons. We have found that none of these cells in layer II express markers of glial cells, m…