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An animal model of hypoxia-induced perinatal seizures.

Clinically, neonatal hypoxic encephalopathy is commonly associated with seizure activity. Here we describe a rodent model of cerebral hypoxia in which there is are age dependent effects of hypoxia, with hypoxia inducing seizure activity in the immature rat, but not in the adult. Global hypoxia (3-4% O2) induced acute seizure activity during a window of development between postnatal day (P5-17), peaking at P10-12. Animals which had been rendered hypoxic between P10-12 had long term decreases in seizure threshold, while animals exposed at younger (P5) or older (P60) ages did not. Antagonists of excitatory amino acid (EAA) transmission appear to be superior to benzodiazepines in suppressing the acute and long term effects of perinatal hypoxia, suggesting involvement of the EAA system in these phenomena. No significant histologic damage occurs in this model, suggesting that functional alterations take place in neurons when exposed to an hypoxic insult at a critical developmental stage. Future work is directed at evaluating molecular and cellular events underlying the permanent increase in seizure susceptibility produced by this model.

Aging↗

The preventative role of antioxidants (selegiline and vitamin E) in a rat model of tardive dyskinesia.

BACKGROUND: We examined the potential protective effects of two potent antioxidants, selegiline and vitamin E, in a rodent model of tardive dyskinesia (TD), viz. neuroleptic-induced spontaneous orofacial movements. METHODS: Rats were treated with fortnightly injections of fluphenazine decanoate for 12 weeks, and examined at baseline and at fortnightly intervals for vacuous chewing movements, mouth tremors and tongue protrusions. RESULTS: The administration of fluphenazine led to a progressive increase of all three types of orofacial movements. In the first study, the impact of the concomitant administration of selegiline on orofacial movements was examined. Selegiline led to a reduction in orofacial movements in neuroleptic-treated rats to the level of control rats not being administered a neuroleptic drug. In the second study, rats were fed diets either high or low in their vitamin E content. High and low vitamin E diets did not significantly affect neuroleptic-induced orofacial movements. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies provide some support for the hypothesis that oxidative injury may play a role in the genesis of neuroleptic-induced movement disorder, and prompt further examination of this hypothesis in both animals and humans.

Animals↗

FK506 attenuates early ischemic neuronal death in a monkey model of stroke.

UNLABELLED: FK506 is an immunosuppressive agent that has been reported to have neuroprotective effects in several kinds of rodent models of stroke. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of FK506 in a monkey model of stroke. METHODS: Cynomolgus monkeys underwent 3 h of occlusion followed by 5 h of reperfusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) through a transorbital approach. A single bolus dose of FK506 (0.1 mg/kg) was injected intravenously 5 or 175 min after MCA occlusion. Eight hours after ischemia, a neuropathologic study was performed and the volume of ischemic damage was determined. To measure local cerebral blood flow (CBF), the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO(2)), and the oxygen extraction fraction during the experiments, PET scans were obtained using a steady-state (15)O continuous-inhalation method. Four consecutive PET scans (before and 2 h after ischemia and immediately and 3 h after reperfusion) were obtained on each monkey. RESULTS: Treatment with FK506 (0.1 mg/kg) 5 or 175 min after ischemia significantly reduced cortical damage 8 h after ischemia by 82% (P < 0.05) and 73% (P < 0.05), respectively. In PET studies, FK506 did not affect CBF or physiologic parameters in any treatments. In the FK506-treated group, a volume of >40% CMRO(2) reduction 3 h after reperfusion decreased significantly (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study showed that FK506 showed a powerful neuroprotective effect in a nonhuman primate model of stroke. The therapeutic time window of FK506 was at least 3 h after onset. PET studies detected neuroprotective effects only in areas with >40% CMRO(2) reduction 3 h after reperfusion.

Animals↗

A novel rat model of thrombogenicity: its use in evaluation of prothrombin complex concentrates and high purity factor IX concentrates.

A non-stasis rodent model of thrombogenicity has been used for dose-ranging studies with a conventional prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) and to evaluate high purity factor IX concentrates from different manufacturers. Fibrin monomer (soluble fibrin) and fibrinopeptide A (FPA) were monitored before and after infusion of test solution. FPA was found to be the more sensitive and reproducible indicator of thrombogenicity and exhibited a dose-related elevation after infusion of the PCC at doses of between 100-300 IU/kg. In contrast the amounts of FPA generated after 300 IU/kg of the high purity factor IX products were similar to control infusions of albumin.

Animals↗

Effects of estrogen on platelet reactivity after transient forebrain ischemia in rats.

Estrogen's prothrombotic effects are of increasing concern, particularly in stroke risk and recovery. Using an ischemic rodent model, the authors sought to determine (a) if estrogen replacement increases postischemic platelet reactivity, (b) if changes in estrogen status alter intraplatelet endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) synthesis, and (c) if estrogen-mediated effects on platelets alter cerebral blood flow during reperfusion. Intact (I), ovariectomized (OVX), and OVX + 17 beta-estradiol (E50) rats were subjected to 30 min of forebrain ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion. Using the platelet activation marker P-selectin, postischemic platelet reactivity was quantified by flow cytometry. In a separate cohort (I, OVX, E50), the authors quantified platelet eNOS by Western blot. Another cohort (OVX, E50) was subjected to ischemia/reperfusion, and cerebral blood flow was determined using the iodoantipyrine technique. Collagen-stimulated platelet P-selectin expression was increased in the OVX rats at 60 min of reperfusion, and this effect was reversed by estrogen treatment. No differences in platelet eNOS expression were detected among groups. Cerebral blood flow at 60 min reperfusion was comparable between the OVX and the E50 rats. The authors conclude that during reper-fusion, estrogen deficiency increases postischemic platelet sensitivity to stimuli in estrogen-deficient rats. Estrogen treatment mitigates effects of estrogen loss on platelets, but this early effect is apparently not caused by intraplatelet eNOS depression. Neither estrogen deficiency nor estrogen treatment changes early postischemic regional brain blood flow. In this rodent global cerebral ischemic model, physiologic doses of estrogen are not deleterious to platelet reactivity and may initially reduce postischemic platelet reactivity.

Analysis of Variance↗

Transplantation of fetal neocortex ameliorates sensorimotor and locomotor deficits following neonatal ischemic-hypoxic brain injury in rats.

Ischemic brain injury in neonates can result in the degeneration of cortical and subcortical areas of brain and is associated with neurologic deficits. One approach to restoring function in conditions of ischemic brain injury is the use of neural transplants to repair damaged connections. This approach has been shown to reestablish neural circuitry and to ameliorate associated motor deficits in models of neonatal sensorimotor cortex damage. In this study, we utilized the Rice et al. rodent model of neonatal ischemic-hypoxic (IH) brain injury to assess whether transplantation of fetal neocortical tissue can promote functional recovery in tests of sensorimotor and locomotor ability throughout development and as adults. We show that animals that received neocortical grafts 3 days following the IH injury performed significantly better as adults on two measures of motor ability, the Rota-Rod treadmill and apomorphine-induced rotations, than did control animals that received sham transplants after the IH injury. Transplants were identifiable in 72% of the animals 10-12 weeks after implantation. Histochemical studies revealed that while the transplanted tissue did not establish normal cortical cytoarchitecture, cells and fibers within the grafts stained for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d), choline acetyl transferase (ChAT), cholecystokinin (CCK), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). These results suggest that transplantation of fetal neocortical tissue following IH injury in the neonatal period is associated with amelioration of motor deficits and that the grafted tissue demonstrated a neurochemical phenotype that resembled normal neocortex. This approach warrants continued investigation in light of potential therapeutic uses.

Animals↗

Mechanisms of Disease: what factors limit the success of peripheral nerve regeneration in humans?

Functional recovery after repair of peripheral nerve injury in humans is often suboptimal. Over the past quarter of a century, there have been significant advances in human nerve repair, but most of the developments have been in the optimization of surgical techniques. Despite extensive research, there are no current therapies directed at the molecular mechanisms of nerve regeneration. Multiple interventions have been shown to improve nerve regeneration in small animal models, but have not yet translated into clinical therapies for human nerve injuries. In many rodent models, regeneration occurs over relatively short distances, so the duration of denervation is short. By contrast, in humans, nerves often have to regrow over long distances, and the distal portion of the nerve progressively loses its ability to support regeneration during this process. This can be largely attributed to atrophy of Schwann cells and loss of a Schwann cell basal lamina tube, which results in an extracellular environment that is inhibitory to nerve regeneration. To develop successful molecular therapies for nerve regeneration, we need to generate animal models that can be used to address the following issues: improving the intrinsic ability of neurons to regenerate to increase the speed of axonal outgrowth; preventing loss of basal lamina and chronic denervation changes in the denervated Schwann cells; and overcoming inhibitory cues in the extracellular matrix.

Animals↗

Comparative pathology of proliferative lesions of the urinary bladder.

Bladder neoplasia in humans consists of 2 diseases, a low-grade papillary tumor that does not invade or metastasize, and a high-grade lesion that usually invades and metastasizes. Bladder carcinogenesis in rats is most like the low-grade, papillary tumor, although it eventually does progress and invade. In the mouse, models are available that mimic each of these disease processes. Preneoplastic lesions in humans and rodents include various types of hyperplasia, proliferative cystitis, and dysplasia. These preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions arise throughout the urothelium, from the renal pelvis to the urethra, although most commonly in the bladder. Rarely, benign and malignant mesenchymal lesions occur in rats and mice, with a unique submucosal mesenchymal lesion present in some strains of mice. In addition, eosinophilic and clear inclusions in the superficial layer of urothelium in mice, which do not appear to be associated with toxicity or carcinogenesis, have been reported. An approach to evaluation of carcinogenic mechanisms involved in the urothelium is presented. It focuses on distinguishing between DNA reactive carcinogens vs those that act by increasing cell proliferation. Although rodent models do not precisely mimic the human disease, they have provided useful models for furthering our understanding of the carcinogenic process in the urothelium as it pertains to human diseases.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Fluvastatin in combination with rad significantly reduces graft vascular disease in rat cardiac allografts.

BACKGROUND: RAD is a potent immunosuppressive agent that has been shown to be effective in preventing acute and chronic allograft rejection in animal models. The HMGCoA reductase inhibitors have been found to reduce the incidence of graft vascular disease (GVD) in heart transplant patients and in animal models. This study was designed to investigate the effects of fluvastatin or pravastatin in a rodent model of GVD produced using low doses of RAD to prevent acute rejection. METHODS: Hearts from Fisher 344 rats were heterotopically transplanted to Lewis rat recipients. RAD was administered orally at 0.5 mg/kg per day for days 0 to 14 and then 0.25 mg/kg per day for an additional 85 days to prevent acute rejection but allow for the development of GVD. Pravastatin (20 mg/kg per day) or fluvastatin (2 or 6 mg/kg per day) was added to the RAD treatment. At the end of a 100-day treatment period, the hearts were harvested for morphometric and histopathologic examinations. RESULTS: Rats treated with fluvastatin, at either dose, had a significant (P< or =0.0239) decrease in coronary arterial intimal thickening (GVD) of approximately 43%. Rats treated with pravastatin had a 22% reduction in GVD that did not reach statistical significance. Treatment with fluvastatin, but not pravastatin, decreased the degree of endomyocardial mononuclear cell infiltration seen with RAD administered alone. CONCLUSIONS: Fluvastatin significantly decreased GVD in a rat model produced using low-dose RAD immunosuppression. To a lesser extent, pravastatin also decreased GVD in this model. These data lend further support for the study of fluvastatin, pravastatin, and other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors for the prevention of GVD in cardiac transplant patients.

Animals↗

[Embryonic stem cell therapy in experimental stroke: host-dependent malignant transformation].

INTRODUCTION: Therapeutic application of embryonic stem cells in neurodegenerative disorders like stroke is widely investigated in preclinical animal models. AIM: The authors studied the therapeutic potential of murine embryonic stem cells in two rodent models of stroke. METHODS: Undifferentiated and predifferentiated stem cells were implanted into the non-ischemic hemisphere of mice and rats following focal brain ischemia. The brains were analysed by immunohistochemistry and histology. The in vitro differentiation of the cells was checked by immunocytochemistry and Western-blot. RESULTS: After xenotransplantation in rats undifferentiated cells migrated along the corpus callosum towards the ischemic injury. Later stem cells differentiated into neurons in the border zone of the lesion. In the homologous mouse brain, the same murine embryonic stem cells did not migrate, but produced highly malignant teratocarcinomas at the site of implantation, independent of whether they were predifferentiated in vitro to neural progenitor cells. These experiments demonstrated a hitherto unrecognized adverse outcome after xenotransplantation and homologous transplantation of embryonic stem cells. CONCLUSION: This observation raises serious concerns about safety provisions when the therapeutic potential of human embryonic stem cells is tested in preclinical animal models. The clinical trials are based on the positive outcome of the xenologous experiments.

Animals↗

Energy expenditure and thermogenesis: animal studies on brown adipose tissue.

Thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue is now regarded as being a major component in the normal energy expenditure of laboratory rodents, and variations in the level of thermogenesis in the tissue are important in the regulation of energy balance. Defective thermogenic responses to diet or to cold have been shown to be central to the development of obesity in various rodent models. The quantitative importance of brown adipose tissue thermogenesis to energy expenditure in species other than rodents has not been established, but it is clear that the tissue is present in a wide range of mammals. In particular, active brown adipose tissue has now been identified in adult humans, as well as in newborn infants.

Adipose Tissue↗

The beta3-adrenergic receptor in the obesity and diabetes prone rhesus monkey is very similar to human and contains arginine at codon 64.

The beta3-adrenergic receptor (ADRbeta3) is a seven-membrane spanning, G-protein linked receptor expressed in brown adipose tissue in rodents, and visceral adipose tissue in humans. Stimulation of the receptor by norepinephrine leads to lipolysis and thermogenesis. In rodent models of obesity and diabetes, administration of beta3-agonists results in weight loss and improved glucose tolerance. Studies indicate that the pharmacological properties of the ADRbeta3 differ markedly between rodents and humans, making generalizations of rodent studies to humans difficult. We hypothesized that the obesity and diabetes prone rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) would provide an excellent animal model to study the role of the ADRbeta3 in the development of obesity and diabetes as well as for assessment of the therapeutic efficacy of beta3-agonists. We sequenced the entire coding region of the rhesus ADRbeta3 gene. Like humans, the rhesus ADRbeta3 has two exons. There is 89% amino acid (aa) identity between human and rhesus compared to 82% aa identity between human and mouse. A single base deletion results in divergence of the intracellular carboxy terminus accounting for 26 of the 45 aa changes and 10 additional aa. Of the 15 rhesus monkeys studied, all were homozygous for Arg64. In humans, Arg64 (rather than Trp) is associated with increased body mass index, insulin resistance, and an earlier onset of type II diabetes mellitus. We conclude that the rhesus ADRbeta3 is more similar to the human ADRbeta3 than to the rodent ADRbeta3 suggesting that this primate model may be more appropriate for physiologic and therapeutic studies of the ADRbeta3 axis, and that Arg64 may influence susceptibility in this species to obesity, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Preclinical mouse models for cancer chemoprevention studies.

To aid in identifying the ability of chemopreventive agents to inhibit tumor development, new preclinical in vivo rodent models have recently been developed. Some of the models contain targeted mutations capable of increasing the incidence and progression of neoplastic lesions, whereas in other models dietary nutrients induce preneoplastic lesions in normal mice. These new preclinical models are assisting the analysis of genetic and environmental factors leading to neoplasia, and clinical studies to evaluate the chemopreventive efficacy of specific nutrients and pharmacological agents.

Animals↗

Pharmacological assessment of the nitric-oxide synthase isoform involved in eosinophilic inflammation in a rat model of sephadex-induced airway inflammation.

Excessive local production of nitric oxide (NO) has been suggested to play a role in rodent models of airway inflammation and in pulmonary diseases such as asthma. However, even given the plethora of data available including gene expression data, pharmacological data, and gene deletion studies in animal models, it is still not clear which nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) isoform is involved in eosinophilic airway inflammation. In this rat study, the nonselective NOS inhibitor L-NAME (N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester), but not a selective inducible NOS (iNOS) inhibitor 1400W (N-3-(aminomethyl)benzyl)acetamidine), impacted on Sephadex-induced inflammation by significantly inhibiting lung edema, eosinophil infiltration, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-13, and eotaxin levels in the lung tissue. Furthermore, iNOS gene expression was not induced following Sephadex administration, which confirms that iNOS does not play a role in this model. To demonstrate that this phenomenon was not restricted to this model of asthma, L-NAME, but not 1400W, was shown to reduce eosinophilia in an antigen-induced model. However, in contrast to the Sephadex model, there was an induction of iNOS gene expression after antigen challenge. In a model of aerosolized lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation, where iNOS gene expression is increased, 1400W inhibited the increased neutrophilia. These data suggest that the compound has been administered using an appropriate dosing regimen for iNOS inhibition in the rat lung. In conclusion, it appears that constitutive, not inducible, NOS isoforms are important in NO production in models of allergic inflammation, which questions whether there is a role for iNOS inhibitors as therapy for the treatment of asthma.

Amidines↗

The osteogenic potential of two human demineralized bone preparations using a xenogeneic model.

The relative osteogenic potential of two different preparations of lyophilized human demineralized bone were evaluated using a heterotopic site in a rodent model. Human diaphyseal cortical bone (75-850 microns) was demineralized according to two different protocols for decalcified bone allograft (A.H. Reddi and M.R. Urist). Equal volumes of mineralized lyophilized human bone and a proprietary hydroxylapatite served as controls. Thirty-two Long-Evans rats divided into four groups received subcutaneous implants of one of these four preparations. Implants were harvested at two, four, and six weeks. Histometric analysis of limited serial sections at six weeks demonstrated new bone formation by the two demineralized preparations only. The Reddi protocol produced significantly more bone formation (1.13 +/- 1.21%) than the Urist preparation (0.53 +/- 0.31%). Although bone induction by both the Reddi and Urist protocol was sparse within this xenogeneic system, the Reddi preparation may offer some slight advantage of greater osteogenic potential and ease of preparation. The low yields of induced bone in response to implants of human demineralized bone would limit the use of this model system in assessing osteogenic potential prior to clinical use.

Animals↗

Islet hyperperfusion during prediabetic phase in OLETF rats, a model of type 2 diabetes.

Although it has been hypothesized that initial hyperperfusion followed by late hypoperfusion in islet circulation occurs in rodent models of type 2 diabetes, islet blood flow has not been measured during prediabetic phase. We studied islet blood flow in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, a model of slowly progressive obese type 2 diabetes. Islet blood flow was measured by the two-color microsphere method under anesthesia at different ages. Islet blood flow was significantly higher in young OLETF rats compared with control Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats when the former were not obese or diabetic and had normal insulin secretion at 5 weeks of age (LETO 4.6 +/- 1.1, OLETF 8.8 +/- 1.2 ml. min(-1). mg(- 1), P < 0.01). At 6 months of age, islet hyperperfusion was observed in OLETF rats, and >40% of whole pancreatic blood flow was diverted into islets in OLETF rats. Prevention of obesity by food restriction increased basal islet blood flow. On the other hand, long-term hyperglycemia induced by sucrose feeding decreased fractional islet blood flow as well as glucose-stimulated islet blood flow. Our results indicate that hyperperfusion is present during the preobese and prediabetic phase in our type 2 diabetes rats.

Animals↗

Multiple sclerosis and glutamate.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis reproduces in rodents the features of multiple sclerosis, an immune-mediated, disabling disorder of the human nervous system. No adequate therapy is available for multiple sclerosis, despite anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and immunomodulatory measures. Increasingly glutamate is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we (1) review changes in the glutamatergic system in multiple sclerosis and (2) reveal the effects of glutamate AMPA antagonists in acute and chronic rodent models of multiple sclerosis. Administration of structurally diverse competitive and non-competitive AMPA antagonists reduces neurologic disability in rodents subjected to acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. In addition, AMPA antagonists are active in both the adoptive transfer and in chronic models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in rats and mice and affect both the acute and chronic relapsing phases. Moreover, short-term therapy with AMPA antagonists leads to sustained benefit well into the progressive phases. These results imply that therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis should be complemented by glutamate AMPA antagonists to reduce neurologic disability.

Animals↗

Ink4a/Arf expression is a biomarker of aging.

The Ink4a/Arf locus encodes 2 tumor suppressor molecules, p16INK4a and Arf, which are principal mediators of cellular senescence. To study the links between senescence and aging in vivo, we examined Ink4a/Arf expression in rodent models of aging. We show that expression of p16INK4a and Arf markedly increases in almost all rodent tissues with advancing age, while there is little or no change in the expression of other related cell cycle inhibitors. The increase in expression is restricted to well-defined compartments within each organ studied and occurs in both epithelial and stromal cells of diverse lineages. The age-associated increase in expression of p16INK4a and Arf is attenuated in the kidney, ovary, and heart by caloric restriction, and this decrease correlates with diminished expression of an in vivo marker of senescence, as well as decreased pathology of those organs. Last, the age-related increase in Ink4a/Arf expression can be independently attributed to the expression of Ets-1, a known p16INK4a transcriptional activator, as well as unknown Ink4a/Arf coregulatory molecules. These data suggest that expression of the Ink4a/Arf tumor suppressor locus is a robust biomarker, and possible effector, of mammalian aging.

ADP-Ribosylation Factor 1↗