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Calorie restriction in nonhuman primates: effects on diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk.

The effects of calorie restriction (CR) on life span, disease, and aging in physiological systems have been documented extensively in rodent models. However, whether CR has similar effects in longer-lived species more closely related to humans remains unknown. Studies of CR and aging using nonhuman primates (rhesus monkeys) have been ongoing for several years at the National Institute on Aging and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The majority of data published from these studies are consistent with the extensive findings reported in rodents. For example, monkeys on CR weigh less and have less body fat. Monkeys on CR also exhibit lower body temperature, fasting blood glucose and insulin, and serum lipids. In addition, insulin sensitivity is increased in monkeys on CR. Recent efforts in the NIA study have focused on the effect of this intervention on risk factors for various age-related diseases, in particular for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We have shown that monkeys on CR have lower blood pressure, reduced body fat, and a reduced trunk:leg fat ratio. Also, monkeys on CR have reduced triglycerides and cholesterol and have increased levels of HDL2B. Low levels of this HDL subfraction have been associated with increased cardiovascular disease in humans. In short-term studies, older (> 18 years) monkeys on CR exhibit reductions in insulin and triglycerides before changes in body composition and fat distribution became evident. These and other findings have suggested that CR might have beneficial effects on certain disease risk factors independent of reductions in body weight or prevention of obesity.

Aging↗

Pharmacokinetics and cerebrospinal fluid penetration of daunorubicin, idarubicin, and their metabolites in the nonhuman primate model.

PURPOSE: Idarubicin (4-demethoxy-daunorubicin) is more potent and less cardiotoxic than the commonly used anthracyclines, doxorubicin and daunorubicin. In addition, idarubicin is metabolized to an active metabolite, idarubicinol, in contrast to other anthracyclines whose alcohol metabolites are much less active than the parent drug. The current study was performed in nonhuman primates to determine the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pharmacokinetics of idarubicin and idarubicinol and to compare them to the pharmacokinetics of daunorubicin and daunorubicinol. METHODS: A dose of 30 mg/m2 of daunorubicin or 8 mg/m2 of idarubicin was administered intravenously over 15 minutes. Plasma and CSF were sampled frequently from the end of the infusion to 72 to 96 hours after infusion. Drug and metabolite concentrations were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: Daunorubicin elimination from plasma was triphasic with a terminal half-life of 5.9 +/- 1.8 hours, area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) 22.5 +/- 9.2 mumol/L.min, and clearance 2790 +/- 960 mL/min/m2. Daunorubicinol elimination was biphasic with a terminal half-life 10.2 +/- 2.3 hours and an AUC 74.5 +/- 5.3 mumol/L.min. Idarubicin elimination was triphasic with terminal half-life of 12.3 +/- 11.4 hours, a AUC 10.8 +/- 3.7 mumol/L.min, and clearance 1650 +/- 610 mL/min/m2. Idarubicinol elimination was biphasic with a terminal half-life 28.7 +/- 4.2 hours and AUC 67 +/- 9.8 mumol/L.min. CSF penetration was low for both parent drugs and their metabolites. CSF idarubicin was measurable at a single time point (1 hour after administration) for 2 animals, and was not measurable for the third. The CSF to plasma concentration ratio at that time point was 8% in 1 animal and 15% in the other. Idarubicinol was detected in 2 to 4 samples at various times, appearing as early as 1 hour in 1 animal and persisting as late as 48 hours in another. The CSF to plasma concentration ratio at corresponding time points was 1.9 +/- 0.6%. Daunorubicin was measurable for < 6 hours after intravenous administration. For individual animals, the mean CSF to plasma concentration ranged from 4% to 12%. Daunorubicinol was detectable by 1 hour in 2 of 3 animals and by 3 hours in the other, and remained detectable at 24 hours in 2 of 3. The terminal half-life of daunorubicinol in CSF was 8.8 +/- 1.3 hours, the AUC was 1.8 +/- 1.5 mumol/L.min, and the AUCCSF to AUCplasma ratio was 2.4 +/- 1.9%. CONCLUSION: Idarubicin, idarubicinol, daunorubicin, and daunorubicinol penetrate poorly into the CSF after intravenous administration.

Animals↗

A comparison of therapeutic schedules for administering granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to nonhuman primates after high-dose chemotherapy.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been shown to be effective in clinical trials for reducing the period of neutropenia after chemotherapy. In this study, we compared the timing for initiating G-CSF administration after chemotherapy with the duration of neutropenia and hematopoietic regeneration. Nonhuman primates treated with high-dose chemotherapy (mechloroethamine, 1.5 mg/kg, intravenously) and not administered G-CSF therapy experienced 8 days of neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count [ANC] less than 1,000/mm3) and had an ANC nadir of 124 +/- 64/mm3 at day 7. Monkeys receiving G-CSF (5 micrograms/kg/d, subcutaneously) began treatment on either days 1, 3, 5, or 7 after chemotherapy. Monkeys treated with G-CSF had an earlier ANC recovery and the number of days with an ANC less than 500/mm3 and ANC less than 1,000/mm3 was reduced by approximately 50% in all treatment strategies. All G-CSF-treated animals, irrespective of the time that G-CSF was initiated, reached an ANC of 10,000/mm3 on day 13 +/- 1 day after chemotherapy. These results demonstrated that the duration of G-CSF therapy was almost twice as long for monkeys treated on day 1 as it was for monkeys that received therapy beginning on day 7. A comparison of the results for all treated monkeys identified a distinct difference in the responses of monkeys treated on day 1 from that of animals treated with G-CSF at later times. G-CSF initiated 1 day after chemotherapy led to an earlier onset of neutropenia and a more rapid and augmented recovery of myeloid progenitor cells in the peripheral blood when compared with control and delayed therapy groups. This study demonstrates that neutropenia due to a single dose of mechloroethamine can be equally reduced with both early and delayed initiation of G-CSF. Further, initiating G-CSF therapy after 7 days required approximately 50% less days of therapy to reach an appropriate termination point. The applicability of these findings to other chemotherapy regimens and for repeated cycles is uncertain and needs to be further evaluated. This is a US government work. There are no restrictions on its use.

Animals↗

T cells in inductive and effector compartments of the intestinal mucosal immune system of nonhuman primates differ in lymphokine mRNA expression, lymphokine utilization, and regulatory function.

To define further the basis of T cell function in the inductive and effector limbs of the normal intestinal immune system, the capacity of mucosal lymphocytes to produce and use lymphokines and their effects on regulation of Ig production were determined in normal nonhuman primates. Northern blots of RNA from mitogen-activated lamina propria T cells contained more mRNA for IL-2 and IFN-gamma than did mesenteric lymph node T cells. In comparison with lymphocytes from peripheral sites, there was high expression of IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA in both mesenteric lymph node and lamina propria T cells. In studies of lymphokine utilization, T cells from lamina propria had high IL-2-induced but no IL-4-induced proliferative responses. In contrast, mesenteric lymph node T cells had high IL-4-induced and lower IL-2-induced proliferative responses compared with lamina propria T cells. Lamina propria T cells had higher helper activity in PWM-stimulated cultures and exhibited less inhibition by IL-4 than did mesenteric lymph node T cells. These data and previous studies suggest that T cells in an inductive site such as the mesenteric lymph node are a mixed population containing both "naive" cells with low potential for IFN-gamma and IL-2 production and differentiated cells with high potential for IL-4 and IL-5 production. In contrast, the data suggest that T cells in the effector compartment of the lamina propria are comprised primarily of differentiated "memory" cells that produce high levels of IL-2, IFN-gamma, IL-4, and IL-5, have high helper activity, and have a more limited ability to proliferate in response to lymphokines such as IL-4.

Animals↗

Enterohepatic circulation of cobalamin in the nonhuman primate.

Biliary excretion of cobalamin was studied in baboons after intravenous injection of 57Co-radiolabeled cyanocobalamin. Radioactivity appeared in bile after 20 min, and up to 4.4% of the dose was recovered in 6 h. It was estimated that 4 microgram cobalamin traverses the baboon biliary tract each day. These studies in the nonhuman primate confirm that there is considerable biliary excretion of cobalamin and that enterohepatic circulation of the vitamin is important for maintenance of normal cobalamin balance.

Animals↗

Rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction and sirolimus monotherapy supports prolonged islet allograft function in a nonhuman primate islet transplantation model.

BACKGROUND: We reported that rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (RATG) induction followed by maintenance immunosuppression with sirolimus supports human kidney allograft survival and asked if this combination would promote islet allograft survival in our primate model. METHODS: Using intra-arterial streptozotocin infusion, we rendered four cynomolgus primates diabetic with undetectable C-peptide levels. Animals were maintained on insulin therapy for at least 1 month, and then islets from mixed lymphocyte reaction mismatched primates were infused into the portal vein. Immediately before the islet allotransplant and for 6 additional days, primates were infused with RATG (20 mg/kg) and given a sirolimus dose to achieve a 24-hr trough level of 8 to 14 ng/mL. RESULTS: The regimen resulted in profound peripheral and lymph node lymphocyte depletion for up to 1 month. Repopulation was gradual thereafter. One primate remained insulin-independent for 169 days and rejected after a sirolimus-dose reduction. Two primates died on day 23 while insulin independent because of wound dehiscence, and a third died on day 30 with high sirolimus levels. Liver sections revealed well-vascularized islets with no signs of inflammation. CONCLUSION: Using a nonhuman primate islet transplant model, RATG plus sirolimus supports islet survival as long as proper sirolimus levels are maintained, but the therapy is limited by sirolimus toxicity. Our findings suggest that RATG is not toxic for islets and thus may be considered in future clinical trails while recognizing that sirolimus monotherapy, with its difficult-to-achieve therapeutic dosing, may not be sufficient to maintain long-term islet allograft function in an autoimmune environment.

Animals↗

Simplified reference region model for the kinetic analysis of [99mTc]TRODAT-1 binding to dopamine transporters in nonhuman primates using single-photon emission tomography.

Accurate quantification of neuroreceptors requires full kinetic modeling of the dynamic single-photon emission tomography (SPET) or positron emission tomography (PET) images, with highly invasive arterial blood sampling. This study investigated the application of a reference region kinetic model to the dynamics of [99mTc]TRODAT-1 in nonhuman primates, obviating the need for blood sampling. A series of dynamic SPET scans were performed on two baboons following the injection of approximately 700 MBq of [99mTc]TRODAT-1. Rapid arterial blood samples were taken automatically during scanning. Reconstructed SPET images were coregistered with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the baboons, and regions of interest (ROIs) placed on the striatum, cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres. The ROI data were combined with metabolite-corrected blood data, and fitted to a three-compartment kinetic model using nonlinear least squares techniques. The same data were also used in a simplified reference region model, in which the input function was derived from the nondisplaceable tissue compartment. In addition, semiquantitative blinded analysis was performed by three raters to determine the point of transient equilibrium in the specific binding curves. All methods generated values for the ratio of the kinetic rate constants k3/k4, which gives an estimate of the binding potential, BP. These were compared with the full kinetic model. The mean values of k3/k4 for the three different analysis techniques for each baboon were: 1.17 +/- 0.21 and 1.12 +/- 0.13 (full kinetic model), 0.93 +/- 0.13 and 0.90 +/- 0.07 (reference region model), and 0.97 +/- 0.18 and 0.92 +/- 0.08 (equilibrium method). The reference region method gave significantly lower results than the full kinetic model (P = 0.01), but it also produced a much smaller spread and better quality fits to the kinetic data. The reference region model results for k3/k4 correlated very strongly with the full kinetic analysis (r2 = 0.992, P < 0.001), and with the equilibrium model (r2 = 0.88, P = 0.002). The subjectivity inherent in the equilibrium method produces inferior results compared with both kinetic analyses. It is suggested that the self-consistency of the reference region model, which requires no arterial blood sampling, provides a more precise and reliable estimate of the binding of [99mTc]TRODAT-1 to dopamine transporters than full kinetic modeling. The reference region method is also better suited to a routine clinical environment, and would be able to distinguish smaller differences in dopaminergic function between patient groups.

Animals↗

Protection against cutaneous leishmaniasis induced by recombinant antigens in murine and nonhuman primate models of the human disease.

Leishmaniasis affects approximately 2 million people each year throughout the world. This high incidence is due in part to the lack of an efficacious vaccine. We present evidence that the recombinant leishmanial antigens LmSTI1 and TSA, which we identified and characterized previously, induce excellent protection in both murine and nonhuman primate (rhesus monkey) models of human cutaneous leishmaniasis. The remarkable protection induced by LmSTI1 and TSA in an animal model that is evolutionarily close to humans qualifies this antigen combination as a promising candidate subunit vaccine against human leishmaniasis.

Animals↗

NO modulates myocardial O2 consumption in the nonhuman primate: an additional mechanism of action of amlodipine.

Recent evidence from our laboratory and others suggests that nitric oxide (NO) is a modulator of in vivo and in vitro oxygen consumption in the murine and canine heart. Therefore, the goal of our study was twofold: to determine whether NO modulates myocardial oxygen consumption in the nonhuman primate heart in vitro and to evaluate whether the seemingly cardioprotective actions of amlodipine may involve an NO-mediated mechanism. Using a Clark-type O2 electrode, we measured oxygen consumption in cynomologous monkey heart at baseline and after increasing doses of S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP; 10(-7)-10(-4) M), bradykinin (10(-7)-10(-4) M), ramiprilat (10(-7)-10(-4) M), and amlodipine (10(-7)-10(-5) M). SNAP (-38 +/- 5.8%), bradykinin (-19 +/- 3.9%), ramiprilat (-28 +/- 2.3%), and amlodipine (-23 +/- 4.5%) each caused significant (P < 0.05) reductions in myocardial oxygen consumption at their highest dose. Preincubation of tissue with nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10(-4) M) blunted the effects of bradykinin (-5.4 +/- 3.2%), ramiprilat (-4.8 +/- 5.0%), and amlodipine (-5.3 +/- 5.0%) but had no effect on the tissue response to SNAP (-38 +/- 5.8%). Our results indicate that NO can reduce oxygen consumption in the primate myocardium in vitro, and they support a role for the calcium-channel blocker amlodipine as a modulator of myocardial oxygen consumption via a kinin-NO mediated mechanism.

Amlodipine↗

Suppression of ongoing disease in a nonhuman primate model of multiple sclerosis by a human-anti-human IL-12p40 antibody.

IL-12p40 is a shared subunit of two cytokines with overlapping activities in the induction of autoreactive Th1 cells and therefore a potential target of therapy in Th1-mediated diseases. We have examined whether ongoing disease in a nonhuman primate model of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be suppressed with a new human IgG1kappa Ab against human IL-12p40. Lesions developing in the brain white matter were visualized and characterized with standard magnetic resonance imaging techniques. To reflect the treatment of MS patients, treatment with the Ab was initiated after active brain white matter lesions were detected in T2-weighted images. In placebo-treated control monkeys we observed the expected progressive increase in the total T2 lesion volume and markedly increased T2 relaxation times, a magnetic resonance imaging marker of inflammation. In contrast, in monkeys treated with anti-IL-12p40 Ab, changes in the total T2 lesion volume and T2 relaxation times were significantly suppressed. Moreover, the time interval to serious neurological deficit was delayed from 31 +/- 10 to 64 +/- 20 days (odds ratio, 0.312). These results, in a disease model with high similarity to MS, are important for ongoing and planned trials of therapies that target IL-12 and/or IL-23.

Animals↗

A nonhuman primate model of risk for deviant development.

Delayed development and permanent retardation can result from genetic, prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors often acting through complex interactions. For human subjects experimental study of such developmental systems is often impossible due to confounding of variables and ethical considerations. One alternative is to study an animal model. A nonhuman primate model for studying genetic, physiological, and psychosocial processes producing delayed development was described in this paper. The model focuses on parental risk for poor reproductive outcomes using pigtailed monkey (Macaca nemestrina) subjects. In initial experiments subjects were offspring from high- and low-risk breeders who were nursery-reared with no postnatal contact with their parents. Results showed that both maternal and paternal factors are associated with delayed development in systems ranging from tooth eruption to concept learning ability.

Animals↗

Regulation of platelet production and function by megakaryocyte growth and development factor in nonhuman primates.

The primary physiologic regulator of platelet production, Mpl ligand, has recently been cloned and characterized. To define the regulatory role of Mpl ligand on platelet production and function we measured the effects of a recombinant truncated human Mpl ligand, megakaryocyte growth and development factor (rHu-MGDF) on megakaryocytopoiesis, platelet function, and thrombogenesis in nonhuman primates. rHu-MGDF was administered to 10 baboons for 28 days while performing pharmacokinetics and repeated measurements of the following: (1) platelet count, volume, turnover, and function ex vivo and in vitro; (2) marrow megakaryocyte number, volume, and ploidy; and (3) platelet deposition and fibrin accumulation on segments of vascular graft and endarterectomized aorta in vivo. Daily subcutaneous injections of rHu-MGDF (5 microgram/kg/d) attained plasma concentrations averaging 1,300 +/- 300 pg/mL 2 hours after injection with trough levels of 300 +/- 65 pg/mL before the next dose. These levels of rHu-MGDF incrementally increased the peripheral platelet concentration threefold by day 7 and fivefold by day 28 (P < 10(-4)) associated with a reciprocal decrease of 25% in mean platelet volumes (P < 10(-3)). Platelet mass turnover, a steady-state measure of platelet production, increased fivefold (P < 10(-4)). Platelet morphology, life span, and recovery were normal. No significant change occurred in peripheral leukocyte, neutrophil, or erythrocyte counts (P > .1 in all cases). The platelet count gradually returned to baseline within 2 weeks after discontinuing rHu-MGDF infections. Marrow megakaryocyte volume doubled (P < 10(-3)) three days after initiating rHu-MGDF therapy and the modal ploidy shifted from 16N to 64N (P < 10(-4)). Marrow megakaryocyte number increased twofold by day 7, and nearly fourfold by day 28 (P < 10(-4)), resulting in a 6.5-fold increase in marrow megakaryocyte mass (P < 10(-3)). The effects of rHu-MGDF on thrombosis were determined by comparing baseline, day 5, and day 28 rHu-MGDF-treatment measurements of 111In-platelet deposition and 125I-fibrin accumulation on segments of homologous endarterectomized aorta (EA) and vascular graft (VG) interposed in arteriovenous femoral shunts. rHu-MGDF increased 111In-platelet deposition in direct proportion to the circulating concentration of platelets for both EA and VG (r=.98 in both cases), without significant changes in fibrin accumulation (P > .5 in both cases). During the first week of rHu-MGDF treatment ex vivo platelet aggregatory responsiveness was enhanced to physiologic agonists (adenosine diphosphate, collagen, and thrombin receptor agonist peptide, TRAP1-6) (P < .05 in all cases). Although in vitro platelet aggregation was not induced by any concentration of rHu-MGDF tested (P > .5), rHu-MGDF enhanced aggregatory responses to low doses of physiologic agonists, effects that were maximal at 10 ng/mL for baboon platelets and 100 ng/mL for human platelets, and were blocked by excess soluble c-Mpl receptor. Flow cytometric expression of platelet activation epitopes was not increased on resting platelets (ligand-induced binding sites, P-selectin, or Annexin V binding sites; P > .1 in all cases). Megakaryocyte growth and development factor regulates platelet production and function by stimulating endoreduplication and megakaryocyte formation from marrow progenitor cells, and transiently enhancing platelet functional responses ex vivo. rHu-MGDF has the potential for achieving platelet hemostatic protection with minimal thrombo-occlusive risk.

Animals↗

Persistent elevations of cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of corticotropin-releasing factor in adult nonhuman primates exposed to early-life stressors: implications for the pathophysiology of mood and anxiety disorders.

There is increasing evidence for an important role of adverse early experience on the development of major psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), an endogenous neuropeptide, is the primary physiological regulator of the mammalian stress response. Grown nonhuman primates who were exposed as infants to adverse early rearing conditions were studied to determine if long-term alterations of CRF neuronal systems had occurred following the early stressor. In comparison to monkeys reared by mothers foraging under predictable conditions, infant monkeys raised by mothers foraging under unpredictable conditions exhibited persistently elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of CRF. Because hyperactivity of CRF-releasing neurons has been implicated in the pathophysiology of certain human affective and anxiety disorders, the present finding provides a potential neurobiological mechanism by which early-life stressors may contribute to adult psychopathology.

Animals↗

Antiplatelet therapy reduces aortic intimal hyperplasia distal to small diameter vascular prostheses (PTFE) in nonhuman primates.

While the use of prosthetic grafts in small diameter arterial reconstruction is required when suitable autogenous graft material is unavailable, late occlusion of prosthetic grafts caused by proliferative lesions has been described. This study evaluated the suitability of 3-mm (ID) microporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Gore-Tex grafts inserted in the abdominal aorta of eight nonhuman primates (Macaca fascicularis), and the effects of prolonged antiplatelet treatment on both graft patency and the development of intimal hyperplasia in the adjacent vasculature. Four monkeys received antiplatelet medication consisting of aspirin (163 mg twice daily) and dipyridamole (25 mg twice daily). When killed at four months following graft insertion, all four grafts in the antiplatelet medicated group were patent, while in the control group, only two of four grafts were patent. Histologic examination and quantitative photogravitometric evaluation of the degree of luminal narrowing were performed on all grafts and the adjacent vasculature. These studies revealed that while all graft and aortic segments showed varying amounts of intimal thickening, occlusions in the control animals were related to intimal hyperplasia in the host aorta at the site of the distal anastomosis. Intimal hyperplasia in all aortic segments examined distal to the graft was significantly reduced by antiplatelet therapy. Electronmicroscopy showed that smooth muscle cells were the predominant cells of the intimal thickening of the aorta (intimal hyperplasia), and that proliferation of these cells did not extend into the graft itself. The predominant cell population of the intimal thickening of the graft were of the myofibroblast type (neointimal hyperplasis). The luminal surface of the graft was lined with cells that had some but not all of the characteristics of mature endothelial cells. In vitro studies confirmed global interference with platelet function and arachidonic acid metabolism in medicated animals. Medication inhibited platelet cyclo-oxygenase without affecting platelet lipoxygenase, thromboxane synthetase, or prostacyclin-like activity in undisturbed arteries. This study shows that severe intimal hyperplasia develops rapidly in the recipient vessel adjacent to small diameter Gore-Tex grafts, and that the severity of the response is reduced by antiplatelet agents. Histologic examination revealed that the intimal thickening in the graft and the adjacent aortic segments were composed of cells that were not morphologically identical, suggesting two separate aetiologies and the possible need to use different approaches in their prevention.

Animals↗

Child abuse: evidence from nonhuman primates.

Horenstein (1977) recently examined laboratory research on infant abuse among rhesus monkeys for implications regarding the related problem in our own species. His analysis supported a psychiatric interpretation of human child abuse, for which specific measures at rehabilitation of both the parent and the child were proposed. In this paper, additional evidence regarding infant abuse in nonhuman primates is presented and implications of a social-psychological interpretation of the problem are discussed.

Animals↗

Early healing after carotid endarterectomy: effect of high- and low-dose aspirin on thrombosis and early neointimal hyperplasia in a nonhuman primate model.

Platelet aggregation and release phenomena are central to most postulated mechanisms of thrombosis and neointimal hyperplasia after carotid endarterectomy. Therefore high-dose aspirin (HDA) has been advocated to minimize these sources of endarterectomy failure. We have defined low-dose aspirin (LDA) that selectively blocks platelet cyclooxygenase but preserves arterial wall cyclooxygenase in the nonhuman primate, Macaca fascicularis. We compared this theoretically optimal aspirin dose with HDA and no treatment (control) in a model of carotid endarterectomy. The aspirin was started before operation and continued for 6 weeks after operation, at which time the endarterectomized vessels were excised. The patency and morphologic findings of the arteries were measured. Platelet function was monitored by bleeding time and serum thromboxane A2 determinations. LDA and HDA were associated with 100% patency, whereas the control group had 50% patency. However, HDA did not protect the vessel from developing neointimal hyperplasia, which was seen in the control group and was associated with platelet adherence to the flow surface at 6 weeks. At 6 weeks, LDA significantly decreased but did not totally prevent neointimal hyperplasia and the flow surface was healed. Therefore the genesis of neointimal hyperplasia after endarterectomy may be more complex than simply a function of platelet-vessel wall interaction.

Animals↗

Infiltrating angiolipoma of skeletal muscle. Transplacental induction in nonhuman primates by N-nitrosoethylurea.

BACKGROUND: In humans, relatively little is known on the association of prenatal exposure to cancer-causing agents and the development of specific tumors later in life as a consequence. Therefore, the effects on the offspring of carcinogen exposure during gestation and the development of tumors later in life were studied in nonhuman primates. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Pregnancy was confirmed in Erythrocebus patas (patas) and Macaca mulatta (rhesus) by palpation at 27 to 40 days of gestation. Pregnant animals were treated once weekly intravenously from that time with N-nitrosoethylurea according to different dosing regimens for 6 to 19 weeks with 0.05 to 0.2 mmol/kg/injection. RESULTS: A common lesion developing in only the offspring of mothers treated early in pregnancy was identical with the human condition referred to as intramuscular angioma, hemangioma, or infiltrating angiolipoma of skeletal muscle. In the rhesus, one of 7 animals, and in the patas, 18 of 78 monkeys developed these processes (10 to 40% per group). The lesions typically arose within, infiltrated and displaced skeletal muscle. They occurred most commonly in the lower extremities, followed by the upper extremities and the head; they recurred in three cases of incomplete resection but did not metastasize. The tumors were seen mainly in young adults of both sexes (latency range: 4 to 76 months) and consisted of vessels of variable caliber, and to varying degrees, mature adipose and connective tissue, undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, and lymphoid cell aggregates. Ultrastructurally, the endothelium possessed numerous Weibel-Palade bodies and showed strong immunoreactivity for von Willebrand factor by immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: The present investigation suggests a classification of these lesions as infiltrating angiolipoma of skeletal muscle originating from a pluripotent mesenchymal stem cell, caused by exposure to carcinogens during early pregnancy. The great clinical and morphologic similarity of this condition with that observed in humans suggests that it may likewise be caused by exposure to an agent during pregnancy.

Animals↗

The role of the adenylyl cyclase system in the regulation of corpus luteum function in the human and in nonhuman primates.

We have reviewed the properties of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropic (LH/hCG)-sensitive adenylyl cyclase (AC) of human corpus luteum (CL) and its regulation by several hormones and nonhormonal activators. We have also described the changes in enzyme activity in membrane preparations of human and cynomolgus monkey CL obtained at various stages of the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. The data have been analyzed with respect to the functional status of the luteal tissue and to the species differences among primate CL. In the menstrual cycle, luteal AC responsiveness to LH/hCG was detectable during the midluteal phase, but not during the late luteal phase or in the follicular phase of the following cycle. In addition, nonhormonal stimulation was high in CL obtained during the midluteal and late luteal phases, but declined drastically by the follicular phase of the next cycle. In early pregnancy, the enzyme was unresponsive to LH/hCG stimulation, yet its sensitivity to nonhormonal stimulation was similar, if not identical, to that of midluteal phase CL. Functional activity was also evident at the end of pregnancy. These results demonstrate that expression of AC activity in primate luteal membrane changes significantly with varying hormonal status under physiologic conditions. It is concluded that the AC system in luteal membranes is an effective model to study the mechanisms that regulate function and life span of the human and nonhuman primate CL.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗