Search results for "inbred c57bl"
showing 10 items of 1287 documents
Gastric relaxation induced by apigenin and quercetin: Analysis of the mechanism of action
2009
Abstract Aims Recently, flavonoids have been shown to cause murine gastric relaxation. In the present study we examined the mechanism of action underlying gastric relaxation induced by apigenin and quercetin in isolated mouse stomach. Main methods The mechanical activity from the whole stomach was detected as changes in the endoluminal pressure and the response to increasing concentrations of both flavonoids were tested before and after different pharmacological treatments. Key findings Apigenin and quercetin-induced a concentration-dependent gastric relaxation, apigenin being more potent than quercetin. The responses were unaffected by 2′5′dideoxyadenosine, an inhibitor of adenylate cyclas…
Tetrodotoxin-dependent effects of menthol on mouse gastric motor function.
2013
Menthol, the main active constituent of peppermint oil, exerts gut spasmolytic effects, although its mechanism of action remains unclear. We investigated the effects of menthol on gastric emptying and spontaneous- or evoked- mechanical activity of whole murine stomach. Gastric emptying was calculated after i.p. administration of menthol (50mg/Kg). Responses induced by menthol on gastric intraluminal pressure and evoked-cholinergic contractions were analyzed in vitro. Menthol decreased the gastric emptying rate. In vitro, menthol (0.3-30 mM) produced a concentration-dependent relaxation of whole stomach, that was significantly reduced by tetrodotoxin or ω-conotoxin GVIA. The gastric relaxant…
Fetuin-B, a liver-derived plasma protein is essential for fertilization.
2013
SummaryThe zona pellucida (ZP) is a glycoprotein matrix surrounding mammalian oocytes. Upon fertilization, ZP hardening prevents sperm from binding to and penetrating the ZP. Here, we report that targeted gene deletion of the liver-derived plasma protein fetuin-B causes premature ZP hardening and, consequently, female infertility. Transplanting fetuin-B-deficient ovaries into wild-type recipients restores fertility, indicating that plasma fetuin-B is necessary and sufficient for fertilization. In vitro fertilization of oocytes from fetuin-B-deficient mice only worked after rendering the ZP penetrable by laser perforation. Mechanistically, fetuin-B sustains fertility by inhibiting ovastacin,…
Angiotensin II contractile effects in mouse colon: role for pre- and post-junctional AT1A receptors
2013
Aim This study investigates whether a local renin–angiotensin system (RAS) exists in mouse colon and whether angiotensin II (Ang II) may play a role in the regulation of the contractile activity. Methods Isometric recordings were performed in vitro on the longitudinal muscle of mouse proximal and distal colon. Transcripts encoding for RAS components were investigated by RT-PCR. Results Ang II caused, in both preparations, a concentration-dependent contractile effect, antagonized by losartan, AT1 receptor antagonist, but not by PD123319, AT2 receptor antagonist. The combination of losartan plus PD123319 caused no change on the Ang II-induced contraction than losartan alone. Tetrodotoxin, neu…
Pgc-1α and Nr4a1 Are Target Genes of Circadian Melatonin and Dopamine Release in Murine Retina
2015
Purpose The neurohormones melatonin and dopamine mediate clock-dependent/circadian regulation of inner retinal neurons and photoreceptor cells and in this way promote their functional adaptation to time of day and their survival. To fulfill this function they act on melatonin receptor type 1 (MT1 receptors) and dopamine D4 receptors (D4 receptors), respectively. The aim of the present study was to screen transcriptional regulators important for retinal physiology and/or pathology (Dbp, Egr-1, Fos, Nr1d1, Nr2e3, Nr4a1, Pgc-1α, Rorβ) for circadian regulation and dependence on melatonin signaling/MT1 receptors or dopamine signaling/D4 receptors. Methods This was done by gene profiling using qu…
Glucagon-like peptide-2 and mouse intestinal adaptation to a high-fat diet.
2013
Endogenous glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP2) is a key mediator of refeeding-induced and resection-induced intestinal adaptive growth. This study investigated the potential role of GLP2 in mediating the mucosal responses to a chronic high-fat diet (HFD). In this view, the murine small intestine adaptive response to a HFD was analyzed and a possible involvement of endogenous GLP2 was verified using GLP2 (3–33) as GLP2 receptor (GLP2R) antagonist. In comparison with animals fed a standard diet, mice fed a HFD for 14 weeks exhibited an increase in crypt–villus mean height (duodenum, 27.5±3.0%; jejunum, 36.5±2.9%;P<0.01), in the cell number per villus (duodenum, 28.4±2.2%; jejunum, 32.0±2.9%;P&l…
Lipid droplet-associated proteins in high-fat fed mice with the effects of voluntary running and diet change
2014
Abstract Objective The relation between lipid accumulation and influence of exercise on insulin sensitivity is not straightforward. A proper balance between lipid droplet synthesis, lipolysis, and oxidative metabolism would ensure low local intramyocellular fatty acid levels, thereby possibly protecting against lipotoxicity-associated insulin resistance. This study investigated whether the accumulation of triglycerides and lipid droplets in response to high availability of fatty acids after high-fat feeding would parallel the abundance of intramyocellular perilipin proteins, especially PLIN5. The effects on these variables after diet change or voluntary running exercise intervention in skel…
Evaluation of the therapeutic potential of PPARalpha agonists for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.
2003
Adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ABCD1), a peroxisomal membrane protein, is mutated in patients affected by X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD). Adrenoleukodystrophy-related protein (ABCD2) is the closest relative of ABCD1. Pharmacological induction of ABCD2 gene expression has been proposed as a novel therapy strategy for X-ALD. Fibrates induce peroxisome proliferation and Abcd2 expression in rodent liver. Here we evaluate the possibility of using peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) agonists for pharmacological induction of ABCD2 expression. In the liver of PPARalpha-deficient mice, both the constitutive and the fenofibrate-inducible Abcd2 gene expression was found …
Effect of circulating growth hormone on muscle IGF-I protein concentration in female mice with growth hormone receptor gene disruption.
2009
Growth hormone (GH) is a potent secretague for circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of circulating GH on muscle IGF-I protein expression using GH transgenic animal models. Three different models were used: mice that overexpress bovine GH (bGH; n=10), mice without a functional GH receptor (GHR-/-; n=10), and wildtype mice (n=10). All mice were 16-week old females and each group differed in their basic phenotypic characteristics. Immediately after euthanization the triceps surae muscle group (soleus, plantaris, and gastrocnemius muscles) was removed. IGF-I was extracted from the muscle with an acid-ethanol solution (12.5% 2N hyd…
Impaired Vitamin D Signaling in Endothelial Cell Leads to an Enhanced Leukocyte-Endothelium Interplay: Implications for Atherosclerosis Development
2015
Endothelial cell activation leading to leukocyte recruitment and adhesion plays an essential role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Vitamin D has cardioprotective actions, while its deficiency is a risk factor for the progression of cardiovascular damage. Our aim was to assess the role of basal levels of vitamin D receptor (VDR) on the early leukocyte recruitment and related endothelial cell-adhesion-molecule expression, as essential prerequisites for the onset of atherosclerosis. Knockdown of VDR in endothelial cells (shVDR) led to endothelial cell activation, characterized by upregulation of VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and IL-6, decreased peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) ro…