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PubMed1996

Analysis of pathogenesis of autoimmune insulitis in NOD mice: adoptive transfer experiments of insulitis in ILI and NOD nude mice.

In an effort to study the pathophysiological events in the development of insulitis in NOD mice, we have developed ILI- and NOD-nu/nu mice. ILI mice are a nondiabetic inbred strain but are derived from the same JcI:ICR mouse as NOD mice and share the same H-2 allotype with NOD mice. Splenocytes and CD4+ cells from diabetic NOD mice appeared to transfer insulitis to ILI-nu/nu mice, suggesting that ILI mice already express autoantigen(s) responsible for insulitis. But reciprocal thymic grafts from NOD mice into ILI-nu/ nu mice and those from ILI mice into NOD-nu/nu mice failed to allow the development of insulitis, implying that ILI mice possess neither precursor T cells nor the thymic environment responsible for the development of insulitis. In addition, splenocytes from ILI mice appeared to contain regulatory cells which suppress the development of diabetes but not that of insulitis in NOD mice. The use of these nude mice should provide more information on the products of insulitis-susceptibility genes of NOD mice.

Adoptive Transfer↗
PubMed1997

NTP Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of 1,2-Dihydro-2,2,4-Trimethylquinoline (CAS No. 147-47-7) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Dermal Studies) and the Dermal Initiation/Promotion Study in Female Sencar Mice.

1,2-Dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline (monomer) is used as an antioxidant in styrene-butadiene and nitrile-butadiene rubbers and latexes. It was nominated by the National Cancer Institute as part of a review of chemicals used in the manufacture and processing of rubber, during which potential occupational and consumer exposure to this compound can occur. It was selected for evaluation because it is a derivative of quinoline, a known rodent carcinogen, and was regarded as having potential carcinogenic activity. Because of the pattern of use and exposure, dermal administration was considered most appropriate. Male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice received topical applications of 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline in acetone (greater than 90% pure) for 13 weeks or 2 years. Groups of female SENCAR mice received 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline (greater than 90% pure) during a 1-year dermal initiation/promotion study to determine the tumor initiation or promotion potential of the chemical. Genetic toxicology studies were conducted in Salmonella typhimurium, cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells, and mouse peripheral blood cells. 13-WEEK STUDY IN RATS: Groups of 10 male and 10 female F344/N rats were topically administered 0, 5, 20, 50, 100, or 200 mg 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline/kg body weight in acetone, 5 days per week for 13 weeks. In addition, there were 10 male and 10 female untreated controls. All rats survived to the end of the study. Final mean body weights and mean body weight gains of treated male and female rats were similar to those of the vehicle controls except those of 200 mg/kg males, which were significantly lower than those of the vehicle controls. The only notable clinical observation was skin discoloration of treated rats. In the 200 mg/kg groups, absolute and relative liver weights of males and absolute liver weights of females were significantly greater than those of the vehicle controls. There were no significant differences in hematology or clinical chemistry parameters, reproductive tissue parameters, or estrous cycle characterization between treated and control groups. Histopathologic lesions of the skin at the site of application included acanthosis and hyperkeratosis in 100 and 200 mg/kg males and 200 mg/kg females. Cytoplasmic vacuolization of hepatocytes of mild to moderate severity was observed in the livers of all 200 mg/kg males and was considered treatment related. Based on the incidence and severity of skin and liver lesions observed in 200 mg/kg rats in the 13-week study, 100 mg/kg was selected as the high dose for the 2-year rat study. 13-WEEK STUDY IN MICE: Groups of 10 male and 10 female B6C3F1 mice were topically administered 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, or 50 mg 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline/kg body weight in acetone, 5 days per week for 13 weeks. In addition, there were 10 male and 10 female untreated controls. All mice except one 2.5 mg/kg female survived to the end of the study. Final mean body weights and mean body weight gains of male and female mice were similar to those of the vehicle controls. There were no treatment-related clinical observations. There were no significant differences between treated and control groups in organ weights, hematology and clinical chemistry parameters, reproductive tissue parameters, or estrous cycle characterization. Histopathologic lesions of the skin at the site of application included acanthosis (epidermal hyperplasia), hyperkeratosis, and parakeratosis, all ranging from minimal to mild in severity. Minimal to mild fibrosis and subchronic inflammation were observed in the dermis. Based on the incidences and severities of skin lesions observed in 20 and 50 mg/kg mice in the 13-week study, 10 mg/kg was selected as the high dose for the 2-year mouse study. 2-YEAR STUDY IN RATS: Groups of 60 male and 60 female F344/N rats were topically administered 0, 36, 60, or 100 mg 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline/kg body weight in acetone, 5 days per week for 103 (males) or 104 (females) weeks. Ten rats per group were evaluated after 15 moed after 15 months of treatment. Survival and Body Weights Survival of treated rats was similar to that of controls. Mean body weights of 60 mg/kg males and 100 mg/kg males and females were slightly lower than those of the controls after week 21. Mean body weights of 36 mg/kg males and females and 60 mg/kg females were generally similar to those of the controls throughout the study. Pathology Findings: No skin neoplasms were attributed to treatment with 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline. Several nonneoplastic skin lesions were determined to be treatment related. Incidences of acanthosis at the site of application in all treated groups of males and in 100 mg/kg females at the 15-month interim evaluation were significantly greater than those in the controls. At the end of the 2-year study, incidences of acanthosis at the site of application in 60 and 100 mg/kg males and females and hyperkeratosis at the site of application in 60 mg/kg females were significantly greater than those in the controls. Absolute and relative right kidney weights of 60 and 100 mg/kg male rats were significantly greater than those of the controls at the 15-month interim evaluation. Incidences of renal tubule adenoma and adenoma or carcinoma (combined) in all treated groups of males were significantly greater than those in the controls. These incidences exceeded the range from the historical controls in 2-year NTP feed studies. An extended (step section) evaluation of the kidneys of male rats did not reveal an additional increase in neoplastic response because additional adenomas and hyperplasias were observed in the controls as well as in treated groups. 2-YEAR STUDY IN MICE: Groups of 60 male and 60 female B6C3F1 mice were topically administered 0, 3.6, 6, or 10 mg 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline/kg body weight in acetone, 5 days per week for 103 (males) or 104 (females) weeks. Nine or ten mice per group were evaluated after 15 months of treatment. Survival and Body Weights: Survival of treated mice was similar to that of controls. Mean body weights of treated male and female mice were similar to those of the controls throughout the study. Pathology Findings: No neoplasms or nonneoplastic lesions were attributed to treatment with 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline. 1-YEAR INITIATION/PROMOTION STUDY IN FEMALE SENCAR MICE: Groups of 30 female SENCAR mice were topically administered varying initiation/promotion treatments as outlined in the table below. Survival, Body Weights, and Clinical Findings: Survival in all treated groups was similar to that of the respective controls, except in the 2.5 mg 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)/0.5 mg 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) group in which survival was significantly lower than that of the controls. Mean body weights of all treated groups were similar to those of the respective controls throughout the study. No clinical observations were associated with 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline treatment; however, mice promoted with TPA showed signs of irritation and papilloma at the site of application. Pathology Findings: Initiation and promotion with acetone alone was not associated with any skin lesions at the site of application. The incidences of acanthosis and chronic inflammation were increased in all groups promoted with TPA regardless of the initiator treatment; however, the incidences of nonneoplastic lesions were low in all other groups. Incidences of squamous cell papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas were markedly increased in the DMBA/TPA positive control group; however, no response was observed in groups initiated with DMBA and promoted with 5, 10, or 25 mg/kg 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline or in the group initiated with 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline and promoted with TPA. GENETIC TOXICOLOGY: 1,2-Dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline was not mutagenic in any of several strains of Salmonella typhimurium, with or without S9 metabolic activation. 1,2-Dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline induced sister chromatid exchanges in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells in the absence of S9, but not in the presence of S9. However, no increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations was observed in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells treated with 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline, with or without S9. No increase in the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes was noted in peripheral blood of male or female mice exposed topically to 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline for 13 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Under the conditions of these 2-year dermal studies, there was some evidence of carcinogenic activity of 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline in male F344/N rats, based on increased incidences of renal tubule adenoma and adenoma or carcinoma (combined). There was no evidence of carcinogenic activity of 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline in female F344/N rats receiving 36, 60, or 100 mg/kg, or in male or female B6C3F1 mice receiving 3.6, 6, or 10 mg/kg. Exposure of rats to 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline by dermal application in acetone for 2 years resulted in acanthosis in males and females and hyperkeratosis in females at the site of application. No nonneoplastic lesions in male or female mice were attributed to treatment with 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline. Synonyms: 2,2,4-Trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline; acetone anil; methylquinoline Trade names: Agerite Resin D; Flectol A; Flectol H; Flectol Pastilles; Vulkanox HS/LG; Vulkanox HS/Powder

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Differences in circadian photosensitivity between retinally degenerate CBA/J mice (rd/rd) and normal CBA/N mice (+/+).

Using the magnitude of phase shift of circadian locomotor rhythms induced by a single pulse of white fluorescent light, we compared the sensitivity of the circadian system to light in retinally degenerate mice and in normal mice. In the first experiment, phase response curves (PRCs) for 10-lux white light were generated in CBA/J mice with retinal degeneration (rd/rd) and CBA/N mice with normal retinas (+/+). Although large phase delays early in the subjective night and small phase advances in the late subjective night were observed in CBA/N mice, CBA/J mice showed only small phase delays early in the subjective night. In the second experiment, we found that the magnitude of phase shifts at circadian time (CT) 16 for delays and CT 24 for advances in CBA/J mice became larger with increasing light intensity, and that CBA/J mice could show the same amount of phase shift as CBA/N mice when higher intensities were used. These findings indicate that the differences in the shapes of PRCs are not due to differences in the nature of the oscillating system, but to differences in circadian photosensitivity between these strains. Because the genetic background for the rd loci was not completely identical in the CBA/N and CBA/J mice, it was possible that genes other than the rd gene might have caused different photosensitivity in these mice. Therefore, in the last experiment, we studied the circadian photosensitivity in F1 hybrids between CBA/N and CBA/J mice and in the backcross progeny with different genotypes (+/rd and rd/rd) obtained from the crossing between F1 hybrids between CBA/N and CBA/J mice and in the backcross progeny with different genotypes (+/rd and rd/rd) obtained from the crossing between F1 and CBA/J mice. In these mice with heterogeneous genetic backgrounds as well, mice with retinal degeneration were always less sensitive to light, suggesting that reduced circadian photosensitivity is caused by retinal degeneration. These results are discussed in relation to recent findings in retinally degenerate C57BL mice, which have been found to have normal circadian sensitivity to light.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Adoptive transfer of experimental autoimmune hepatitis in mice--cellular interaction between donor and recipient mice.

This report extends our previous study on experimental autoimmune hepatitis in C57BL/6(B6) mice. Cellular immunity involved in the induction of liver injury in this model was studied by transfer of primed spleen cells from hepatitis donor mice to syngeneic normal recipient mice. The most prominent liver damage in recipient B6 mice was induced by transfer of nylon wool adherent spleen cells from hepatitis donor mice, and T cells in this fraction were the essential requirement for the liver damage in the recipient mice. Nylon wool adherent spleen cells from hepatitis donor mice after depletion of the suppressor T-cell function by low-dose (300 rad) irradiation induced more severe liver injury compared to the same cells without irradiation. When the recipient mice were depleted of lymphocytes by low or high dose (700 rad) whole body irradiation, transfer of primed spleen cells from hepatitis donor mice did not induce liver lesion in the lymphocyte-depleted mice. This low susceptibility of lymphocyte-depleted recipient mice to primed spleen cells of hepatitis mice was no longer demonstrated after reconstitution with normal spleen cells. In a cell-migration study using 51Cr-labelled spleen cells, it was shown that a considerable number of infiltrating cells in the liver of recipient mice were derived from recipient mice themselves. These results seem to indicate that cell-to-cell interaction between radiosensitive precursor cells of recipient mice and liver-antigen-primed T cells from hepatitis donor mice play an essential role in the induction of liver injury in the recipient mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

In vivo mutagenicity and DNA adduct levels of heterocyclic amines in Muta mice and c-myc/lacZ double transgenic mice.

The cooked meat derived heterocyclic amines (HCAs) 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), and 2-amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (A alpha C) are established mutagens in the Salmonella assay and hepatocarcinogens in mice. The current study uses transgenic mice to examine hepatic HCA-DNA adduct formation and mutagenesis in vivo and the impact of hepatic overexpression of the c-myc oncogene on HCA-induced mutagenesis. C57B1/lacZ and c-myc/lacZ mice strains, produced by crossbreeding Muta Mice (carrying the lacZ mutation target gene) with either C57B1 control or c-myc transgenic mice, respectively, were treated with 10 daily doses of IQ, MelQx or A alpha C (20 micrograms/g, p.o.). Four weeks after dosing, the frequency of mutations in the lacZ gene in liver of either C57B1/lacZ or c-myc/lacZ mice was significantly higher in mice treated with any one of the three HCAs than in mice given vehicle only. In addition, all three HCAs formed hepatic DNA adducts, as measured by the 32P-postlabeling analysis 24 h after dosing. In both strains of mice, hepatic DNA adduct levels were 2-3-fold higher with A alpha C than with either IQ or MeIQx, although the mutant frequencies in the lacZ gene were 30-40% lower in mice dosed with A alpha C. These results suggest that A alpha C-DNA adducts may be less mutagenic in vivo than either IQ- or MeIQx-DNA adducts. The lacZ mutant frequencies observed with all three HCAs appeared to be influenced by c-myc transgene expression: after HCA treatment, transgenic mice carrying the c-myc gene showed a 30-40% higher lacZ mutant frequency than mice not carrying this transgene. Notably, lacZ mutant frequencies were not different among C57B1/lacZ and c-myc/lacZ mice that received vehicle control. DNA adduct studies showed that the levels of IQ- and MeIQx-DNA adducts were 2-3-fold higher in c-myc/lacZ mice than in C57B1/lacZ mice; however, A alpha C DNA adducts were not statistically different between the two strains. In addition, phase 1 metabolic activation of these HCAs, as assessed by hepatic microsomal mutagenic activation, was also similar in both strains of mice. These results support the notion that overexpression of the c-myc oncogene cooperates with the HCAs to enhance in vivo mutagenicity. Further studies are needed to assess the mechanisms of this cooperative effect.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Inhibitory avoidance and appetitive learning in aged normal mice: comparison with transgenic mice having elevated plasma growth hormone levels.

Groups of 25-month-old ("old") B6C3 hybrid male mice, 6-month-old ("young") normal males, and their age-matched transgenic (TG) siblings overexpressing the bovine growth hormone gene were given an inhibitory avoidance training trial (0.20-mA electric shock, 1.0-s duration). The old B6C3 hybrids and the young TG mice displayed poorer retention (shorter latencies to enter the shock compartment) 24 h and 42 days after training than did the young normal mice. In a subsequent multiple-trial acquisition test, young TG and old normal mice required more trials to reach the criterion of complete inhibition of step-through responding for 300 s than did young normal mice. Young normal and young TG mice did not differ in trials to extinction, but TG mice met the extinction criterion sooner than did old normal mice, suggesting poorer longterm retention. In tests of T-maze appetitive learning, young normal, old normal, and young TG mice did not differ in acquisition or 24-h retention. Contrary to expectation, TG mice acquired T-maze reversal learning in fewer trials than did young normal or old normal mice. The TG and young normal mice did not differ in retention when retested 44 days after initial training, but old normal mice showed poorer retention than did the young normals. Results of locomotor activity and shock response tests suggested that learning impairments were not due to differences in locomotor activity or shock response thresholds in these animals. Tests in an elevated plus maze indicated that young TG mice were less anxious in a novel environment than their normal siblings, which may contribute to their impaired inhibitory avoidance learning. These findings suggest that 6-month-old TG mice overexpressing the bovine growth hormone gene display alterations in inhibitory avoidance (but not appetitive) learning similar to those occurring in 25-month-old normal mice. The neurobiological mechanisms mediating inhibitory avoidance and T-maze appetitive learning in these animals may be largely dissociated.

Aging↗
PubMed1999

Age-dependent increase in ischemic brain injury in wild-type mice and in mice lacking the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene.

The authors investigated the influence of age on the outcome of cerebral ischemia in wild-type mice and in mice with a deletion of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene. The middle cerebral artery was permanently occluded in iNOS-null mice and in wild-type (C57BL/6) controls aged 4, 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Infarct volume was determined in thionin-stained brain sections 4 days after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. No differences in forebrain volume were found among wild-type and iNOS-null mice at the ages studied (P > 0.05). In C57BL/6 mice (n = 5 to 6/group), neocortical infarct volume corrected for swelling was 28 +/- 5 mm3 in 4-week-old mice, 28 +/- 3 at 8 weeks, 35 +/- 4 at 16 weeks, and 37 +/- 6 at 24 weeks (mean +/- SD). iNOS-null mice (n = 5 to 6/group) had smaller infarcts than wild-type controls at all ages (P < 0.05). However, the magnitude of the reduction was greater in 4-week-old (-29% +/- 10%) or 8-week-old mice (-24% +/- 8%), than in 16-week-old (-14% +/- 10%) or 24-week-old mice (-11% +/- 6%). Neurologic deficit scores improved significantly between 24 and 96 hours in 4- and 8-week-old iNOS-null mice compared with age-matched wild-type mice (P < 0.05). However, in 16- or 24-week-old iNOS-null mice, neurologic deficits did not improve (P > 0.05). The authors conclude that in iNOS-/- and in wild-type mice, the size of the infarct produced by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery is larger in older than in younger mice. However, the reduction in infarct volume observed in iNOS-null mice is age-dependent and is greatest at 1 to 2 months of age. Therefore, age is a critical variable in studies of focal cerebral ischemic damage, both in wild-type mice and in mouse mutants.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

Anti-tumor cytostatic mechanism and delayed-type hypersensitivity against a syngeneic murine tumor. Comparison between neonatally thymectomized mice and congenitally athymic nude mice.

We studied the anti-tumor mechanism against a syngeneic tumor using a BALB/c-MA tumor system by cytolysis and cytostasis assays in vitro comparing mice neonatally thymectomized at 1 day or 7 days after birth (NTx-1, NTx-7), sham-operated (sham) mice, and congenitally athymic nude BALB/c mice. NTx-1 mice showed more rapid tumor growth and a slightly lower degree of strong cytostatic activity in peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) than NTx-7 or sham mice. Nude mice showed more rapid MA growth than NTx-1 mice and no cytostatic activity in PEC. After immunization with mitomycin C-treated MA (MMC-MA), NTx-1 mice acquired an immunoprophylactic capacity against MA and showed cytostatic activity and delayed footpad reaction (DFR) to MA, however, nude mice showed no acquisition of such an immunity, or cytostatic activity, or DFR to MA. These differences between NTx-1 and nude mice could be well-explained by less capacity of nude mice to produce a macrophage-activating factor, which activates macrophages to exert cytostasis and DFR. However, NTx-1 mice could not reject MA by immunization with MMC-MA in CFA (MMC-MA/CFA), although such immunized sham mice could eliminate MA completely. Both PEC and spleen cells from Sham mice immunized with MMC-MA/CFA showed cytostatic activity, whereas NTx-1 mice showed cytostatic activity of the same level in PEC and less in spleen cells compared to Sham mice. Cytolytic activity was never detected throughout this study in a BALB/c-MA system. These data suggest that cytostasis plays an important role in antitumor immunity against a syngeneic MA tumor and that two types of cytostasis is included from the standpoint of thymus-dependency of ontogenic development, relatively low and high.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Differential effect of host microenvironment and systemic humoral factors on the implantation and the growth rate of metastatic tumor in parabiotic mice constructed between young and old mice.

B16 melanoma cells were injected into the tail vein of young mice, old mice and parabiotic mice constructed between young and old mice, and the number and shape of pulmonary metastases were compared among three experimental groups. In unpaired mice, the number of metastatic colonies in the lungs was 10-fold larger in young than in old mice. In parabiotic mice, the number in young mice was almost comparable with that of unpaired young mice, but the number in old mice approached the level of young mice. Metastatic colonies on the pulmonary surface of young mice were mostly nodular in shape, while those of old mice were flat in shape. The shape of colonies reflecting the tumor growth rate did not change in parabiotic old mice in spite of an increase in number. In young parabiotic mice, the large and intermediate colonies decreased with a concomitant increase of small ones as compared with unpaired young mice. These results suggest that the implantation of metastatic colonies in the lung is mainly dependent on systemic humoral factors and their growth is mainly dependent on the host local factors in the microenvironment, and distinct age changes of both factors greatly influence the metastatic mode of tumors, respectively.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Blood pressure of endothelin-3 null (-/-) knockout mice and endothelin A receptor null (-/-) knockout mice under anaesthesia.

Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in endothelin-3 (ET-3) null (-/-) knockout mice and ET(A) receptor (-/-) mice were measured using the servo null pressure measuring technique under halothane anaesthesia. In infant ET-3 (-/-) mice (2-3 weeks old), mean BP and HR were 55+/-2 mmHg and 436+/-30 beats/min respectively. These values were not different from those in age-matched wild-type mice (53+/-3 mmHg and 430+/-18 beats/min respectively). Baroreflex sensitivity, which was calculated as the slope of the relationship between systolic BP and RR interval on an ECG, was also similar in ET-3 (-/-) mice (0.84+/-0.20 ms/mmHg) and wild-type mice (1.07+/-0.38 ms/mmHg). ET(A) receptor (-/-) mice were obtained by caesarean section on the expected day of delivery and tracheotomized, so that they would live for more than 24 h. Mean BP and HR in ET(A) receptor (-/-) mice were 15+/-1 mmHg and 333+/-6 beats/min respectively. These values were not different from those in age-matched, similarly treated wild-type mice (16+/-3 mmHg and 308+/-10 beats/min respectively). Baroreflex sensitivity in the newborn ET(A) receptor (-/-) mice (0.45+/-0.15 ms/mmHg) and wild-type mice (0.31+/-0.06 ms/mmHg) were very low compared with the values in infant wild-type mice, but not different between the mutant mice and their littermates. Moreover, HR in awake ET(A) receptor (-/-) mice (396+/-13 beats/min) was not different from that in wild-type mice (409+/-13 beats/min). These results show that the ET(A) receptor and ET-3 are not involved in cardiovascular regulation, at least during the very early life of the mice. A possible involvement of the ET(A) receptor in BP regulation, if any, seems to occur at later times and/or in some pathological settings.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of antidepressant activity in 4- and 40-week-old male mice in the forced swimming test: involvement of 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors in old mice.

RATIONALE: A recent study suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were inactive in 40-week-old male mice in the mouse forced swimming test, possibly because of alteration of 5-HT1 receptors. OBJECTIVES: The present study was aimed at investigating the action of various antidepressant drugs in 4- and 40-week-old male mice using the mouse forced swimming test and determining the involvement of 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors mediating the effects. METHODS: Different classes of antidepressants [imipramine (tricyclic), maprotiline (noradrenline reuptake inhibitor), venlafaxine (mixed serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors), fluvoxamine and sertraline (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)] were tested in the same randomised experimental session, alone and in combination with 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptor agonists [buspirone (partial 5-HT1A agonist), anpirtoline (5-HT1B agonist)] in the mouse forced swimming test. RESULTS: All antidepressants were found to be active in the mouse forced swimming test in 4-week-old mice and 40-week-old mice, with the exception of fluvoxamine in the 40-week-old mice. The anti-immobility effect after antidepressant administration was higher in 4-week-old male mice than in 40-week-old male mice. Venlafaxine is the most active antidepressant drug in 40-week-old mice. Prior administration of buspirone (0.06 mg/kg, i.p.) or anpirtoline (1 mg/kg, i.p.) enhanced the antidepressant-like effects in 4-week-old mice (except in the case of sertraline, 8 mg/kg). In elderly mice, only prior administration of buspirone enhanced the antidepressant-like effects of fluvoxamine. A neurochemical study showed that significantly higher serotonin and dopamine concentrations were found in 40-week-old control mice brains than 4-week-old control mice brains but that the noradrenaline concentration is higher in 4-week-old mice. CONCLUSION: Tricyclic, noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors and serotonin reuptake inhibitors are more active in 4-week-old mice than 40-week-old mice. Our results suggested that 5-HT1B receptors may be more altered than 5-HT1A receptors in 40-week-old mice.

Aging↗
PubMed1995

CD4+ T cells determine the ability of spleen cells from F1 hybrid mice to induce neonatal tolerance to alloantigens and autoimmunity in parental mice.

Spleen cells from F1 hybrid mice injected into newborn parental mice induce a state of cytolytic unresponsiveness to the corresponding alloantigens. However, these mice develop a transient autoimmune syndrome characterized by the production of multiple autoantibodies and glomerulonephritis. Previous reports indicated that the depletion of F1 donor T cells, shortly prior the injection into parental mice, does not interfere with any of these events. Here, we have explored whether the continuous absence of T cells in F1 mice influences the ability of their spleen cells to induce neonatal tolerance to alloantigens and the associated autoimmune manifestations. Our results revealed that spleen cells from athymic (BALB/c x C57BL/6) F1 hybrid (CB6F1) nu/nu mice or from euthymic CB6F1 mice depleted from birth of CD4+ T cells, but not of CD8+ T cells, are unable to induce neonatal tolerance to alloantigens and autoimmune manifestations. By contrast, the partial reconstitution of T cells in CB6F1 nu/nu mice, after the neonatal graft of a syngeneic thymus, restored the capacity of spleen cells from these mice to induce tolerance and autoimmunity when injected into newborn BALB/c mice. These results demonstrate that the functional defect of spleen cells from athymic CB6F1 nu/nu mice to induce neonatal tolerance to alloantigens is directly related to the long-term absence of mature CD4+ T cells. Interestingly, a new increase in the titers of anti-DNA Ab was observed when spleen cells from athymic CB6F1 nu/nu mice were injected into adult BALB/c mice that had been tolerized at birth with normal CB6F1 spleen cells. This finding indicates that B cells from CB6F1 nu/nu mice recover their capacity to interact with alloreactive Th2 cells when they are placed into mice having functional CD4+ T cells. These data indicate that the continuous absence of CD4+ T cells causes a reversible functional defect in F1 spleen cells that determines their inability to induce neonatal tolerance and autoimmunity.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Chemotherapy of mice bearing syngeneic tumors with 1,3-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea is effective only in normal, but not in irradiated or nude, mice: role of L3T4+ (CD4+) and Lyt-2+ (CD8+) T cells.

We earlier demonstrated that treatment of C57BL/6 mice bearing a syngeneic tumor, LSA, with 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) resulted in over 90% survival of the mice, and 100% of the cured mice rejected secondary rechallenge with the homologous tumor but not with a heterologous syngeneic tumor such as EL-4. In the present study we investigated whether the host's immune system was also essential for successful chemotherapy with BCNU. It was observed that BCNU treatment was effective only in normal tumor-bearing mice (100% survival) but not in irradiated or nude tumor-bearing mice (0% survival), thereby suggesting that the immune system, particularly the T cells, was essential for effective treatment with BCNU. Since BCNU-cured mice lack demonstrable T suppressor (Ts) cells, these mice were next used as a model to investigate the phenotype of the T cells mediating tumor rejection. It was observed that L3T4+ (CD4+) or Lyt-2+ (CD8+) T cells from BCNU-cured mice could provide significant protection (80 and 40% survival, respectively) in irradiated or nude mice but not in normal mice. It was also observed that BCNU-cured LSA mice elicited tumor-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction, while, normal mice or LSA tumor-bearing mice failed to elicit DTH reaction. Also, only L3T4+ but not Lyt-2+ T cells from BCNU-cured mice when adoptively transferred into nude mice could elicit a DTH reaction. The present study suggests that for effective chemotherapy against a syngeneic tumor, with a tumoricidal drug such as BCNU, the presence of L3T4+ and Lyt-2+ T cells in the host is essential.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Effects of immunoneutralization of substance P on hypothalamic neurotransmitters in normal mice and in transgenic mice expressing bovine growth hormone.

It is well known that transgenic mice expressing bovine growth hormone have altered neuroendocrine functions. Substance P was shown to influence the secretion of gonadotropins. In this investigation, the effect of a single injection of an antiserum to substance P was investigated in intact and castrated transgenic (MT-bGH) mice and in their normal litter mates. In the median eminence, the administration of antisubstance P serum resulted in a decreased dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid/dopamine index in intact and castrated normal mice but was without effect in transgenics. The homovanillic/dopamine index was decreased in normal mice (intact or castrated) but unchanged in transgenics. Norepinephrine and epinephrine were increased in normal mice (intact and castrated) treated with the anti-SP serum, but in transgenic mice, the anti-SP serum induced significant changes of norepinephrine only in intact animals, with no modifications in epinephrine levels. In the whole hypothalamus (minus the median eminence), the injection of antisubstance P serum resulted in an increased dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid/dopamine index in castrated, but not in intact, normal mice. In transgenic mice, this index was increased in intact but decreased in castrated animals. The homovanillic/dopamine index was decreased in normal intact mice treated with the antiserum but increased in intact transgenic mice. Norepinephrine and epinephrine were decreased by the antiserum treatment in normal intact mice but were unchanged in transgenics, except for norepinephrine in castrated transgenics, in which it was found increased. The administration of the antiserum did not affect plasma LH, FSH, or prolactin in normal mice but it reduced LH levels in intact transgenic mice. These results indicate that the response to the treatment with the antiserum to substance P shows considerable alterations in transgenic mice as compared with their litter-mate, normal controls, producing divergent effects on hypothalamic catecholamine metabolism. The present findings confirm that transgenic mice overexpressing the bGH gene have marked neuroendocrine alterations as compared with their normal litter mates.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Prolonged allograft survival in anti-CD4 antibody transgenic mice: lack of residual helper T cells compared with other CD4-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND: Investigations of the role of CD4 T lymphocytes in allograft rejection and tolerance have relied on the use of mouse models with a deficiency in CD4 cells. However, in mice treated with depleting monoclonal antibody (mAb) and in MHC class II knockout (KO) mice, there are residual populations of CD4 cells. CD4 KO mice had increased CD4- CD8-TCRalphabeta+ helper T cells, and both strains of KO mice could reject skin allografts at the normal rate. In this study, transgenic mice with no peripheral CD4 cells were the recipients of skin and heart allografts. Results were compared with allograft survival in CD4 and MHC class II KO mice. METHODS: GK5 (C57BL/6 bml mice transgenic for a chimeric anti-CD4 antibody) had no peripheral CD4 cells. These mice, and CD4 and class II KO mice, received BALB/c or CBA skin or cardiac allografts. Some GK5 mice were treated with anti-CD8 mAb to investigate the role of CD8 cells in rejection. CD4 and CD8 cells were assessed by FACS and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: BALB/c skin on GK5 mice had a mean survival time +/- SD of 24+/-6 days, compared with 9+/-2 days in wild-type mice. Anti-CD8 mAb prolonged this to 66+/-7 days. BALB/c skin survived 10+/-2 days on class II KO and 14+/-2 days on CD4 KO, both significantly less than the survival seen on GK5 recipients (P<0.001). BALB/c hearts survived >100 days in GK5 recipients and in wild-type recipients treated with anti-CD4 mAb at the time of grafting, in contrast to a mean survival time of 10+/-2 days in untreated wild-type mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that long-term surviving heart allografts from the GK5 recipients had CD8 but no CD4 cellular infiltrate. These hearts showed evidence of transplant vasculopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The GK5 mice, with a complete absence of peripheral CD4 cells, provide the cleanest available model for investigating the role of CD4 lymphocytes in allograft rejection. Prolonged skin allograft survival in these mice compared with CD4 and MHC class II KO recipients was clearly the result of improved CD4 depletion. Nevertheless, skin allograft rejection, heart allograft infiltration, and vascular disease, mediated by CD8 cells, developed in the absence of peripheral CD4 T cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Metallothionein-I/II null mice are more sensitive than wild-type mice to the hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects of chronic oral or injected inorganic arsenicals.

Metallothionein (MT) is a low-molecular-weight, sulfhydryl-rich, metal-binding protein that can protect against the toxicity of cadmium, mercury, and copper. However, the role of MT in arsenic (As)-induced toxicity is less certain. To better define the ability of MT to modify As toxicity, MT-I/II knockout (MT-null) mice and the corresponding wild-type mice (WT) were exposed to arsenite [As(III)] or arsenate [As(V)] either through the drinking water for 48 weeks, or through repeated sc injections (5 days/week) for 15 weeks. Chronic As exposure increased tissue MT concentrations (2-5-fold) in the WT but not in MT-null mice. Arsenic by both routes produced damage to the liver (fatty infiltration, inflammation, and focal necrosis) and kidney (tubular cell vacuolization, inflammatory cell infiltration, and interstitial fibrosis) in both MT-null and WT mice. However, in MT-null mice, the pathological lesions were more frequent and severe when compared to WT mice. This was confirmed biochemically, in that, at the higher oral doses of As, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were increased more in MT-null mice (60%) than in WT mice (30%). Chronic As exposures produced 2-10 fold elevation of serum interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels, with greater increases seen by repeated injections than by oral exposure, and again, MT-null mice had higher serum cytokines than WT mice after As exposure. Repeated As injections also decreased hepatic glutathione (GSH) by 35%, but GSH-peroxidase and GSH-reductase were minimally affected. MT-null mice were more sensitive than WT mice to the effect of GSH depletion by As(V). Hepatic caspase-3 activity was increased (2-3-fold) in both WT and MT-null mice, indicative of apoptotic cell death. In summary, chronic inorganic As exposure produced injuries to multiple organs, and MT-null mice are generally more susceptible than WT mice to As-induced toxicity regardless of route of exposure, suggesting that MT could be a cellular factor in protecting against chronic As toxicity.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2005

Characterization of hippocampal theta rhythm in wild-type mice and glutamate receptor subunit delta2 mutant mice during eyeblink conditioning with a short trace interval.

We have shown that glutamate receptor subunit delta2 (GluRdelta2) null mutant mice, which have serious morphological and functional deficiencies in the cerebellar cortex, are severely impaired in delay eyeblink conditioning but not in trace eyeblink conditioning, even with a 0-trace interval. Such 0-trace conditioning does not depend critically on the hippocampus in wild-type mice, but it does in GluRdelta2 mutant mice. Here we examined the hippocampal electroencephalogram (EEG) during 0-trace conditioning in GluRdelta2 mutant and wild-type mice. During the apparatus habituation sessions, the total hippocampal theta activity (4-12 Hz) of GluRdelta2 mutant mice was less than that of wild-type mice. Activity in the higher frequency band (8-12 Hz, type 1) in GluRdelta2 mutant mice was significantly less than it was in wild-type mice, but activity in the lower frequency band (4-8 Hz, type 2) was not. As learning proceeded during the acquisition sessions, the total theta activity decreased in many of the wild-type mice, while this phenomenon was less prominent in GluRdelta2 mutant mice. Further analysis showed that the type 1 activity in wild-type mice increased in the early sessions and then decreased, while that in GluRdelta2 mutant mice did not change. Type 2 activity tended to decrease in both types of mice as the conditioning proceeded. These results indicate that the distribution of hippocampal EEG frequency and its properties during conditioning are different between wild-type and GluRdelta2 mutant mice, suggesting that the cerebellar cortical dysfunction may cause an alteration in the electrophysiological characteristics of the hippocampus.

Animals↗