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The opossum as an animal model for studying radiation esophagitis.

Six opossums were evaluated as a possible animal model of radiation esophagitis. In a single exposure to the esophagus, four animals received 60Co radiation of various doses; two served as controls. Pre- and postirradiation evaluations using fiberoptic endoscopy, mucosal biopsy, barium esophagography, and manometry were performed. Esophagitis developed at one week in irradiated animals. Opossums receiving 17.5, 20, and 22.5 Gy (1,750; 2,000; and 2,250 rad) became anorexic one week postirradiation, and abnormal motility subsequently developed. The controls and the animal receiving 15 Gy (1,500 rad) remained normal. Histological changes in the irradiated opossum esophagus resembled those found in humans.

Animals

Animal models: importance in research on hemorrhage and thrombosis.

Despite some sentiments against animal research, animal models continue to be important in studying hemorrhage and thrombosis. Examples of genetic models are dogs and pigs with von Willebrand's disease. The homozygous von Willebrand pig appears to be resistant to arteriosclerosis, presumably due to impairment of the platelet aggregating function. Among acquired models, pigs are gaining in favor, perhaps because their clotting and platelet characteristics resemble those in humans. Species vary markedly in their normal plasma levels of platelet aggregating factor/von Willebrand factor (PAF/vWF). One promising approach to the study of thrombosis is using platelet anti-aggregating drugs to inhibit PAF/vWF dependent platelet thrombus formation; a drug-induced von Willebrand state seems feasible.

Animals

Palmerston North mice, a new animal model of systemic lupus erythematosus.

This report describes a previously unrecognized animal model of SLE, the PN mouse. Although outbred PN mice were studied originally as models of polyarteritis nodosa, their inbred descendants have autoimmune disease which closely resembles SLE. In the current study, positive indirect immunofluorescence tests for ANA appeared when the mice were 5 months old, and 80% of mice were ANA-positive at 10 months of age. Anti-DNA were detected in sera from newborn mice and from 53% of mice under 2 months of age. Seventy-six percent of PN mice developed anti-DNA at the age of 10 months. Glomerular deposits of IgG, IgM, IgA, and complement appeared at 2 to 4 weeks of age, and examination of renal tissue by electron microscopy showed basement membrane thickening and dense intramembranous deposits. Neoplasms arose in 14% of PN mice. Female mice died earlier than male mice, and the most common causes of death were glomerulonephritis and arteritis. It was concluded that the serologic and histologic characteristics of disease in PN mice resembled SLE.

Animals

The use of organ cultures and animal models in the study of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections.

Organ cultures of ciliated tracheal epithelium derived from various animal species have been used to study several different mycoplasma infections. Human and hamster tracheal cultures have been used in particular to study Mycoplasma pneumoniae which, of all the human mycoplasmas, is the only one which damages the cultures. One reason for this is the capacity of the virulent organisms to attach to the cells; strains which are prevented from attaching or have lost this capacity do not damage the cultures. The organ culture system is therefore valuable in looking at the organisms-cell relationship but it is necessary to use animal models to study immunological processes. Hamsters, and more recently guinea pigs, have been used in this respect. The hamster model has been used to study the pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae pneumonia and also recovery from and resistance to infection. Humoral immune mechanisms seem more important than cell-mediated mechanisms in resistance, and the probable importance of local immunity is discussed. It is pointed out that it should be possible to establish the mechanisms underlying the development of M. pneumoniae sequelae where conditions, similar to those seen in man, occur in animals. Finally, the way in which the hamster model has been used to study the effect of tetracycline and erythromycin on the course of disease is discussed. As in man, therapy often improves the pneumonia but does not eradicate the organisms. This is probably due, at least in part, to the fact that the antibiotics are only mycoplasmastatic. Drugs with mycoplasmacidal properties are needed and the animal model would obviously prove helpful in evaluating these.

Animals

An animal model for the study of regional lung function.

An animal model for the study of regional lung function is described. In sheep, the bronchus to the right apical lobe (RAL) of the lung arises directly from the trachea. A tracheal divider, inserted under local anesthesia via a permanent tracheostomy, was used to separate the ventilation of the RAL from that of the rest of the lung. Lobar blood flow was estimated from the RAL contribution to the pulmonary clearance of an intravenous bolus of 85Kr. Gas exchange was measured by conventional methods. Expressed as a percentage of the value obtained for the whole lung, lobar expired volume was 14.7 +/- 4.3%, capillary perfusion was 12.3 +/- 4.2%, oxygen uptake was 14.7 +/- 4.9%, and carbon dioxide production was 13.4 +/- 5.5% (mean +/- SD of 25 studies in 11 animals breathing air). The model permits the study of experimental conditions confined to a single lobe of the lung and offers the advantages of an intact chest wall, spontaneous ventilation and an unanesthetized animal.

Animals

Pathogenesis of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Insights from animal models and single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses of skin, synovium and entheses.

Psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are immune-mediated diseases characterized by chronic systemic inflammation, including inflammation of the skin and joints. Recent advances in animal models, single-cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, and proteomics have greatly enhanced our understanding of disease pathogenesis. Mouse models exhibit key features of skin and joint inflammation, facilitating analysis of molecular pathways, and identification of therapeutic targets. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses have revealed cell-type-specific contributions to inflammation, highlighting interactions between keratinocytes, T cells, fibroblasts, and dendritic cells that drive psoriatic pathology. In psoriatic synovium, type 17 tissue-resident memory T cells, monocytes, and fibroblasts contribute to local inflammation and joint damage, whereas the roles of B cells and plasma cells are less clear. Proteomic and metabolomic profiling in patients with PsA has identified circulating protein signatures and metabolites associated with disease progression, sex-specific differences, and response to therapy. The integration of these multiomic approaches provides a detailed map of immune-stromal-epithelial crosstalk across skin, synovium, and entheses, uncovering mechanisms that were previously inaccessible. These insights have implications for predicting disease progression, identifying novel therapeutic targets, and optimizing treatment strategies. Collectively, advances in animal models and multiomic profiling are reshaping our understanding of PsO and PsA, providing a framework for future research, disease monitoring, and therapeutic development.

Animals

Animal model of depression.

A behavioural procedure is described which may provide an animal model for some aspects of human depression. Rats or mice when forced to swim in a restricted space will rapidly cease attempts to escape and become immobile. Immobility is reduced by many clinically effective antidepressant treatments suggesting that the immobile behaviour may reflect a state of lowered mood in the animal. If so the method could be useful as a simple experimental tool for research into the biology and therapeutics of depression.

Animals

Kefir and Its By-Products Supplementation Reduces Inflammation and Oxidative Stress, Improves Intestinal Barrier Integrity, and Modulates the Gut Microbiota in Animal Models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review.

UNLABELLED: Kefir is a beverage obtained by fermenting milk or sugary solutions with a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeasts, presenting promising antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence from preclinical studies evaluating the effects of kefir or its by-products on biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut health in animal models of IBD. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, utilizing the PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases. The quality of the studies was assessed using SYRCLE’s Risk of Bias tool. Sixteen experimental studies were included, comprising 585 rodents with chemically induced colitis. The interventions included traditional milk kefir, rice and water kefir, as well as isolated microorganisms and kefir-derived supernatants. Most studies reported reductions in inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and inflammatory enzymes (iNOS, COX-2, MPO), along with increases in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-4). Reductions in MDA and H₂O₂ were reported, supporting the antioxidant effects of kefir and its derivatives. Changes in antioxidant enzyme activity, including SOD, were also observed. In addition, kefir modulated gut microbiota composition, upregulated the expression of tight junction proteins, and influenced immune and molecular signaling pathways. Improvements were also observed in clinical parameters of IBD models, including disease activity index, rectal bleeding, and histological damage. Kefir and its derivatives exhibit beneficial effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, gut permeability, and immune modulation in animal models of IBD, suggesting a potential alternative for treating these diseases in humans. Although the findings are promising, heterogeneity among study protocols and methodological limitations highlight the need for further studies. Registration PROSPERO number: CRD420251062931. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-026-10948-5.

Animal model

Animal models of diabetes and obesity, including the PBB/Ld mouse.

Diabetes mellitus occurs in many animals species. However, only a few have been utilized in systematic studies designed to answer unsolved problems associated with the disorder in man such as molecular basis, pathogenesis of the vascular and neural lesions, and the roles of diet, exercise and obesity. Among the animal models available, rodents have been studied most thoroughly for a number of reasons: a) short generation time (sexually mature at about 3 mo of age, gestation time 21 days) and life-span is approximately 3 yr; b) hyperglycemia and/or obesity is known to be inherited in several species; c) environmental factors can be controlled easily in the laboratory because of small size; and d) economic considerations. The better-known rodent diabetes/obesity syndromes may be categorized as follows: 1) hyperglycemic with ketoacidosis, nonobese (Chinese hamster, South African hamster); 2) hyperglycemic with insulin hypersecretion, moderate obesity and may develop ketoacidosis (diabetic mouse (db/db), spiny mouse, sand rat); and 3) less pronounced hyperglycemia with hyperinsulinemia, insulin "resistance" and marked obesity (obese (ob/ob), yellow (Ay) and New Zealand obese (NZO) mice, and the Zucker "fatty" rat). The PBB/Ld mouse, described here in detail for the first time, is a new strain of mouse that also fits into the latter category. Members of this strain following maturity develop an obesity that is characterized by increasing cellularity of adipose tissue, increased serum immunoreactive insulin, reduced glucose tolerance, fatty liver, and hyperlipidemia. Therefore, this strain of mouse represents another model for study of adult onset obesity.

Adipose Tissue

The rabbit as an animal model to study pharmacokinetics of norethindrone in women.

The pharmacokinetics of norethindrone (NET) were studied in adult female rabbits and rhesus monkeys with a view to developing an animal model closely resembling humans in the handling of NET. Plasma levels of NET were determined in rabbits and monkeys after administering either labelled NET or a NET minipill. Pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated by using a two-compartment open model and by graphical and regression analysis of plasma NET data. In rabbits, the drug absorption was found to be rapid and NET peak levels were attained within 0.5 to 1.0 hour. The clearance half-lives were 1.3 hours for 'alpha' and 10.0 hours for 'beta'. In monkeys, plasma NET values showed an inconsistent pattern and the approximate t 1/2 was found to lie between 4 and 6 hours. The observed pharmacokinetics of NET in rabbits rather than in monkeys were closer to those in humans. On this basis, it would appear that the rabbit is a suitable animal model for studying effects of nutritional factors on the pharmacokinetics of NET.

Animals

Animal models for an integrated approach to the pharmacologic control of atherosclerosis.

A system of animal models potentially useful for the discovery and evaluation of new effective antiatherosclerotic agents is described. The models consist of a series of lipoprotein and atherosclerosis assays in rats, SEA Japanese quail and cynomolgus monkeys. SEA quail are particularly useful for detecting compounds that inhibit arterial cholesterol deposition. The use of this integrated system of models is illustrated with data on clofibrate, adamantyloxyaniline (a hypobetalipoproteinemic agent), and o,p'-DDD. Male SEA quail appear to be a quite satisfactory model for testing the effects of large numbers of compounds on atherosclerosis and are available in limited numbers to all qualified investigators in the field of atherosclerosis research for evaluation in their laboratories.

Adamantane

Biochemical basis of an animal model of depressive illness--a preliminary report--.

Biochemical analyses of brain samples of an Animal Model of Depression indicate the state of motionlessness observed in response to a conditioned stimulus was due to an excess in functional activity of serotonin. An excess functional activity of serotonin may be directly responsible for human depressive illness. This conflicting conclusion to the currently popular theories of serotonin deficiency was discussed with reference to the animal and clinical data in the literature which are consistent with the conclusion.

Adjustment Disorders

An animal model for Huntington's disease.

In review is concerned with research done on an animal model for the hereditary neuropsychiatric disorder, Huntington's disease (HD). The neuropathology of HD involves primarily a selective degeneration of neurons with cell bodies in the striatum. Injection of kainic acid, a potent neuroexcitant structurally related to glutamic acid, into the rat striatum causes a selective neuronal degeneration resembling that of HD. Striatal cholinergic and GABAergic neurons, including their terminal projections in the substantia nigra, are affected by kainate; dopaminergic axons innervating the striatum as well as corticofugal fibers passing through the region are spared. The striatal kainate lesion has aided in the characterization of the neuronal circuitry in the nigrostriatal axis including the neuronal localization of dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase, neuroleptic binding sites, and GABA receptors. Studies in vivo and in vitro with kainate and its analogues suggest that the potent neurotoxicity of kainate involves a cooperative interaction between synaptically released glutamate and injected kainate on vulnerable neurons; prior destruction of cortico-striatal glutamatergic afferents attenuates kainate's neurotoxicity. The kainate model has been used to test drugs that may be of therapeutic benefit for HD. A better understanding of the mechanism of neurotoxicity of kainate may shed light on the cause of neuronal degeneration in HD.

Animals

Studies on the role of ACTH and of 5-HT in anxiety, using an animal model.

The effects of ACTH (5 & 7.5 microgram/100 g) were studied using a new animal model of anxiety. ACTH had an anxiogenic effect that was maximal during a 10 min test period starting 3 min after injection. The behavioural effects of ACTH were counteracted by chronic administration of chlordiazepoxide (5 mg kg-1 for 5 days) and by acute administration of ethanol (0.4 g kl-1). These anxiolytic drugs decreased the turnover of 5-HT in the midbrain, hypothalamus and cerebral cortex, whereas ACTH increased 5-HT turnover in the midbrain and hypothalamus. Is it therefore proposed that anxiety results from the action of ACTH, possibly on 5-HT pathways in the midbrain and hypothalamus.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone

Characterization of the Dunning R3327H prostatic adenocarcinoma: an appropriate animal model for prostatic cancer.

The Dunning R3327H rat prostatic adenocarcinoma appears to be an appropriate animal model for studying prostatic cancer. This report contains a detailed characterization of this tumor at the morphologic, biochemical, and therapeutic levels. Electron micrographic, histologic, and histochemical studies clearly establish the adenocarcinoma nature of this tumor. The histology of the R3327H tumor is similar to well-differentiated human prostatic cancer. The biochemical and enzymatic profile of the tumor indicates its origin from the rat dorsolateral prostate. The cell kinetics and growth rates of this tumor following a variety of hormonal manipulations (castration, estrogens, androgens, and antiandrogens) have established that 70%-90% of the cells in this tumor require androgens for their growth. However, 10%-30% of the cells are capable of growth in the absence of androgens. Both cell types are present in the initial tumor inoculum and these different cell types possess similar growth rates. The predominance of the androgen-sensitive cells accounts for the relatively greater size of the tumor achieved in the intact male animal at a given growth time. After the tumor is well established in an intact animal, subsequent estrogen therapy or castration resulted in a marked diminution in tumro volume. This was followed by a subsequent relapse. In addition, estramustine phosphate was also shown to cause shrinkage in the tumor volume.

Adenocarcinoma