Search results for "Organ Culture Techniques"
showing 10 items of 70 documents
Anti-inflammatory and tight junction protective activity of the herbal preparation STW 5-II on mouse intestinal organoids
2021
Abstract Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder, in which recurrent abdominal pain is associated with defecation or a change in bowel habits. STW 5-II is a combination of six medicinal herbs with a clinically proven efficacy in managing IBS. Aim This study aims to establish an in vitro IBS model using mouse intestinal organoids and to explore the anti-inflammatory and tight junction protective activities of the multi-herbal preparation STW 5-II. Methods Intestinal organoids were cultured in 1:1 Matrigel™ and medium domes. Inflammation and tight junction disruption were induced by a cocktail of cytokines (TNFα, IFNγ, IL-1β, IL-6) and bacterial proteins (LPS,…
CD36 is involved in lycopene and lutein uptake by adipocytes and adipose tissue cultures
2011
International audience; Scope: Carotenoids are mainly stored in adipose tissue. However, nothing is known regarding the uptake of carotenoids by adipocytes. Thus, our study explored the mechanism by which lycopene and lutein, two major human plasma carotenoids, are transported. Methods and results: CD36 was a putative candidate for this uptake, 3T3-L1 cells were treated with sulfosuccinimidyl oleate, a CD36-specific inhibitor. sulfosuccinimidyl oleate-treated cells showed a significant decrease in both lycopene and lutein uptake as compared to control cells. Their uptake was also decreased by partial inhibition of CD36 expression using siRNA, whereas the overexpression of CD36 in Cos-1 cell…
Activity-Dependent Regulation of Neuronal Apoptosis in Neonatal Mouse Cerebral Cortex
2007
A massive neuronal loss during early postnatal development has been well documented in the murine cerebral cortex, but the factors that drive cells into apoptosis are largely unknown. The role of neuronal activity in developmental apoptosis was studied in organotypic neocortical slice cultures of newborn mice. Multielectrode array and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings revealed spontaneous network activity characterized by synchronized burst discharges, which could be blocked by tetrodotoxin and ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists. The identical neuropharmacological manipulations also caused a significant increase in the number of apoptotic neurons as early as 6 h after the start of dr…
Protective Effects of L- and D-Carnosine on R-Crystallin Amyloid Fibril Formation: Implications for Cataract Disease
2009
Mildly denaturing conditions induce bovine ?-crystallin, the major structural lens protein, to self-assemble into fibrillar structures in vitro. The natural dipeptide L-carnosine has been shown to have potential protective and therapeutic significance in many diseases. Carnosine derivatives have been proposed as potent agents for ophthalmic therapies of senile cataracts and diabetic ocular complications. Here we report the inhibitory effect induced by the peptide (L- and D-enantiomeric form) on ?-crystallin fibrillation and the almost complete restoration of the chaperone activity lost after denaturant and/or heat stress. Scanning force microscopy (SFM), thioflavin T, and a turbidimetry ass…
Inhibition of DNA synthesis in chick embryo retinas, in vitro, by a factor from fetal bovine serum
1989
Fetal bovine serum inhibited deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis in chick embryo retina explants. The inhibitory activity was precipitated from fetal bovine serum by 45% saturated ammonium sulfate and isolated by means of Sephadex G-100 and Bio-Gel P-60 columns as a peak with an apparent molecular weight of 7000 Da. DNA-inhibiting activity was heat- and acid-stable and was destroyed by dithiothreitol and alkaline treatment. The purified factor inhibited similarly both DNA synthesis and thymidine kinase activity; 50% inhibitory effect was found with 160 ng, 17 h after the addition into the incubation medium.
Drug-metabolizing enzymes in the skin of man, rat, and pig.
2007
The mammalian skin has long been considered to be poor in drug metabolism. However, many reports clearly show that most drug metabolizing enzymes also occur in the mammalian skin albeit at relatively low specific activities. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on drug metabolizing enzymes in the skin of human, rat, and pig, the latter, because it is often taken as a model for human skin on grounds of anatomical similarities. However only little is known about drug metabolizing enzymes in pig skin. Interestingly, some cytochromes P450 (CYP) have been observed in the rat skin which are not expressed in the rat liver, such as CYP 2B12 and CYP2D4. As far as investigated most d…
Glycine receptors influence radial migration in the embryonic mouse neocortex.
2011
To investigate whether glycine receptors influence radial migration in the neocortex, we analyzed the effect of glycine and the glycinergic antagonist strychnine, on the distribution of 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine-labeled neurons in organotypic slice cultures from embryonic mice cortices. Application of glycine impeded radial migration only in the presence of the glycine-transport blockers, ALX-5407 and ALX-1393. This effect was blocked by the specific glycine receptor antagonist strychnine, whereas application of strychnine in the absence of glycine was without effect. We conclude from these observations that an activation of glycine receptors can impede radial migration, but that the glycinerg…
Effects of chronic exercise on myocardial refractoriness: a study on isolated rabbit heart
2008
Aim: To determine whether chronic physical training increases atrial and ventricular refractoriness in isolated rabbit heart. Methods: Trained rabbits were submitted to a protocol of treadmill running. The electrophysiological parameters of refractoriness investigated in an isolated heart preparation were: (1) atrial effective refractory period (AERP) and atrial functional refractory period and ventricular effective and functional refractory periods (VERP and VFRP) using the extrastimulus technique at four different pacing cycle lengths; (2) the dominant frequency (DF) of ventricular fibrillation (VF). A multi-electrode plaque containing 256 electrodes and a spectral method were used to o…
Recent advances in 2D and 3D in vitro systems using primary hepatocytes, alternative hepatocyte sources and non-parenchymal liver cells and their use…
2013
This review encompasses the most important advances in liver functions and hepatotoxicity and analyzes which mechanisms can be studied in vitro. In a complex architecture of nested, zonated lobules, the liver consists of approximately 80 % hepatocytes and 20 % non-parenchymal cells, the latter being involved in a secondary phase that may dramatically aggravate the initial damage. Hepatotoxicity, as well as hepatic metabolism, is controlled by a set of nuclear receptors (including PXR, CAR, HNF-4α, FXR, LXR, SHP, VDR and PPAR) and signaling pathways. When isolating liver cells, some pathways are activated, e.g., the RAS/MEK/ERK pathway, whereas others are silenced (e.g. HNF-4α), resulting in…
Pathology-selective antiepileptic effects in the focal freeze-lesion rat model of malformation of cortical development
2021
Malformations of cortical development (MCD) represent a group of rare diseases with severe clinical presentation as epileptic and pharmacoresistant encephalopathies. Morphological studies in tissue from MCD patients have revealed reduced GABAergic efficacy and increased intracellular chloride concentration in neuronal cells as important pathophysiological mechanisms in MCD. Also, in various animal models, alterations of GABAergic inhibition have been postulated as a predominant factor contributing to perilesional hyperexcitability. Along with this line, the NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide has been postulated as a potential drug for treatment of epilepsy, mediating its antiepileptic effect by red…