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Liver function and plasma protein metabolism in rodent model of filariasis.

Rodent model of filariasis was developed by infecting Wistar rats with Litomosoides carinii. Liver function tests, plasma protein concentrations, and synthesis rates of liver-formed proteins were estimated in these rats at 63 and 90 days post-infection. At 63 days post-infection, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were significantly increased. Alanine aminotransferase, plasma total proteins and plasma albumin were in the normal range. However, at 90 days post-infection all these parameters were affected, reflecting progressive liver involvement. Hypoalbuminemia at 90 days post-infection did not appear to be due to decreased synthesis rate, indicating higher catabolism and/or altered distribution in pools.

Animals

Rodent models of aggressive behavior and serotonergic drugs.

Various models of rodent agonistic behaviour are described, which differentiate between offensive and defensive/flight models. Particular attention is given to one male and one female paradigm for offensive aggression, viz. resident-intruder or territorial (RI) and maternal aggression (MA). After an overview of the serotonin (5-HT) system in the CNS, a description is given of the ligands available. Subsequently the effects of various drugs affecting serotonergic transmission in the RI- and MA-paradigms are described. The 5-HT1A agonists buspirone, ipsapirone and 8-OH-DPAT decreased aggression in RI and MA, but simultaneously led to a marked decrease in social interest and activity, indicative of a non-specific anti-aggressive profile. Non-selective 5-HT1 agonists, such as RU 24969, eltoprazine (DU 28853), and TFMPP reduced aggression quite specific and did not decrease social interest or exploration, but sometimes even increased these behaviours. In RI and MA the behavioural effects of these drugs were roughly similar. In contrast, MA was more sensitive to the treatment with the 5-HT reuptake blocker fluvoxamine, which blocked RI aggression only non-specifically at the highest dose. DOI, a 5-HT2 and 5-HT1C agonist, decreased aggressive behaviour and increased inactivity, without affecting social interest and exploration in RI as well as MA. This was, however, accompanied by 'wet dog shaking', characteristic of 5-HT2-receptor stimulation. The non-specific 5-HT agonist (and 5-HT3 antagonist) quipazine also induced 'wet dog shaking' at doses which suppressed aggression, social interest and exploration but increased inactive behaviours (sitting and lying). The discussion attempts to delineate a role for 5-HT receptor subtype involvement in the modulation of aggression, with the restrictions we clearly face with regard to the lack of specific serotonergic agonists and antagonists for certain receptor subtypes. By and large, male and female rats react similarly to treatment with serotonergic drugs stressing the consistent role of 5-HT in different forms of aggression.

Aggression

Chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. A rodent model.

The lack of a suitable rodent model has hampered the study of chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. Proximal tubule vacuolization and inclusions are consistently reported in rat studies, but changes associated with chronic CsA nephrotoxicity in humans (interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, arteriolopathy) are difficult to reproduce. Using male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats we have administered CsA in olive oil (o.o.) at 25 mg/kg/d i.p. for 28 consecutive days. This protocol consistently results in a lesion of patchy interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, interstitial inflammation, and marked juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA) hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Control animals were pair-fed and received only o.o. i.p. Despite pair feeding, CsA-treated animals gained only 9.4 +/- 12 g, while controls gained 69 +/- 18 g. Minimal JGA hypertrophy was noted in some control animals, but no other significant changes were identified. The protocol was well tolerated and did not result in peritonitis. GFR was significantly depressed in the CsA-treated animals at the end of the 28-day period (0.44 +/- .26 vs. 1.12 +/- .13 ml/min) and BP tended to be lower, but this difference did not achieve statistical significance. We conclude that this model results in a reproducible lesion with many of the features of chronic CsA nephrotoxicity in humans, and that it will permit study of this problem to advance.

Animals

A rodent model of cirrhosis, ascites, and bacterial peritonitis.

We sought to develop a rodent model of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and report here the preliminary results of carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis in which ascites and bacterial peritonitis predictably develop. Of 41 rats that survived the initial carbon tetrachloride toxicity, 38 (92.7%) developed cirrhosis with ascites. Of these 38, 21 (55.3%) developed 24 episodes of ascitic fluid infection without iatrogenic colonization. No surgically treatable source of infection was identified at autopsy in any rat; therefore, the infections were presumed to be "spontaneous." Eight (50%) of the 16 rats with culture-positive ascitic fluid at postmortem examination also had spontaneous pleural fluid infection with the same organism. Escherichia coli and Proteus sp. were the organisms most commonly isolated. This rodent model of cirrhosis with ascites appears to be the first high-yield animal model of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Ascitic fluid infection in these rats resembles ascitic fluid infection in humans. This model will allow further investigation of the mechanisms of pathogenesis of ascitic fluid infection and provide insight into the prevention and treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and pleural fluid infection in patients with cirrhosis.

Animals

Immunomodulation in the treatment of endometriosis-associated subfertility: use of pentoxifylline to reverse the inhibition of fertilization by surgically induced endometriosis in a rodent model.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of pentoxifylline on early reproductive performance in an animal model for endometriosis. DESIGN: Preclinical blinded study in a rodent model. SETTING: Animal research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Sexually mature female golden hamsters. INTERVENTIONS: At laparotomy, groups of hamsters were subjected to: (1) excision of the right uterine horn and (2) excision of the right uterine horn with explantation of four 2-cm2 uterine fragments onto the left uterine mesentery. Six weeks later, surgically treated hamsters and nonsurgically treated controls were subjected to ovulation induction with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin; subsequently, hamsters were divided into groups for periovulatory treatment with either pentoxifylline (2.5 mg/kg) or vehicle given subcutaneously every 8 hours. All hamsters were mated with proven males and killed after 48 hours. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers of unfertilized oocytes and embryos recovered from the left uterine horn at 48 hours after mating. RESULTS: Fertilization rates in surgical and nonsurgical control groups exceeded 90%. Fertilization was significantly impaired in saline-treated animals bearing uterine explants (mean of 2.3% +/- 1.9%). Administration of pentoxifylline dramatically reversed this effect (99.0% +/- 0.7% mean fertilization rate). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that periovulatory treatment with pentoxifylline abrogated the adverse influence of endometrial explants on fertilization in the rodent model. Periovulatory administration of nonteratogenic immunomodulatory agents may provide an alternative to conventional treatment for endometriosis.

Adjuvants, Immunologic

The role of dominance and epistasis in the genetic control of blood pressure in rodent models of hypertension.

Genetic analyses of crosses between hypertensive rodent models and their normotensive controls were performed on 43 sets of data published between 1970-1989. In each case, the cross involved F1, F2, and both backcross generations for a "complete genetic cross." Biometrical analysis estimated genetic parameters and their standard errors associated with dominance and epistasis (interaction of alleles that are not at the same locus). The statistical significance of these parameters was determined by comparing the parameter to its standard error. A purely additive inheritance pattern was seldom found. Additive/dominance inheritance was apparent in only two models. The prevailing pattern of inheritance was one with partial dominance for alleles for normal blood pressures and epistatic interactions. Finding epistasis in so many models will have implications for the application of cosegregation and linkage analyses in hypertension research.

Animals

Biochemical and morphological validation of a rodent model of organophosphorus-induced delayed neuropathy.

Exposure to certain organophosphates (OPs) produces a delayed degeneration of the longest and largest nerve fibers (OPIDN). Until recently, investigators have used the chicken as the primary experimental model of OPIDN. Although the chicken is extremely sensitive to the ataxia associated with this neuropathy, it lacks an extensive biochemical, electrophysiological and pathological data-base. Because of this we set out to develop a rodent model of OPIDN with morphological and biochemical correlates similar to those seen in the chicken. Historically the rat had been labeled insensitive to OPIDN because of its lack of demonstrable ataxia in response to the neuropathic OPs. This paper describes the validation of a rodent model with biochemical and morphological endpoints similar to those described in the clinical and experimental literature for other models of OPIDN.

Animals

Effects of phytosterols supplementation on hepatic lipid metabolism and metabolic outcomes in obese rodent models: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to synthesize and quantitatively assess the available evidence on the effects of phytosterol supplementation on hepatic lipid metabolism and obesity-related metabolic outcomes in obese rodent models, integrating biochemical, histological, and molecular evidence. A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science). Data on study design, population, intervention, outcomes, and risk of bias were extracted and analyzed. A quantitative meta-analysis was performed. Meta-analysis showed reductions in body weight, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-C, VLDL-C, glucose, liver weight, hepatic cholesterol, hepatic triglycerides, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score. No significant changes were observed for adiposity index, HDL-C, insulin, or hepatic expression of PPARα, FAS, and SREBP1c. Conversely, CPT1A expression was significantly increased following PS supplementation. Subgroup analyses indicated that the beneficial effects on lipid and hepatic outcomes were generally consistent across rodent species (mice, rats, and hamsters), obesity induction models, and routes of administration, although the magnitude of responses varied between strains, with C57BL/6 mice showing more pronounced metabolic improvements. Additional analyses suggested that treatment duration and phytosterol composition may modulate specific outcomes, whereas dose-response meta-regression identified dose-dependent associations for serum and hepatic cholesterol, and PPARα expression in dietary supplementation studies. Overall, the available preclinical evidence suggests that phytosterol supplementation may improve several metabolic and hepatic outcomes in rodent models of obesity. However, the substantial heterogeneity across studies highlights the need for standardized experimental protocols and future clinical studies before these findings can be translated to human health.

Animals

Effects of dantrolene sodium in rodent models of cardiac arrhythmia.

Dantrolene sodium has been compared with reference antiarrhythmic agents in rodent models of cardiac arrhythmia. In a coronary-artery-ligation model in rats, dantrolene sodium (3, 10 and 20 mg/kg i.v.) significantly decreased extrasystoles, episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmia, and frequency, duration, and total episodes of ventricular fibrillation in a dose-dependent manner. In an electrically induced fibrillation model in rats, dantrolene sodium (10 and 20 mg/kg i.v.) significantly raised ventricular fibrillation threshold in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In contrast to its activity in these models, dantrolene sodium was not active in two chemically induced models involving automaticity. Aconitine-induced arrhythmias in rats and mice and ouabain-induced arrhythmias in guinea pigs were not suppressed by i.v. (10 or 20 mg/kg) or i.p. (100-3000 mg/kg) doses of the drug. These results show that the antiarrhythmic potential of dantrolene sodium, predicted by in vitro Class III and Class IV electrophysiological effects, is expressed in whole animal models.

Action Potentials

Rodent models of alcoholism: a review.

Four criteria should be fulfilled when establishing an animal model of alcoholism. (1) The animal should voluntarily and selectively consume a solution of the drug to yield pharmacologically significant blood alcohol concentrations. When ethanol is consumed for several weeks under these conditions, (2) the animals should exhibit tolerance to the acute effects of the drug. Furthermore, (3) abrupt termination of drug administration should result in physical signs of drug withdrawal (e.g. audiogenic seizures). (4) Changes in endocrine and liver function would also be expected to occur following the chronic administration of alcohol, such effects being particularly pronounced if the diet of the animal is nutritionally deficient. A number of self-administration, operant conditioning and forced alcohol administration models are critically assessed. A detailed description of the models in which rodents are forced to consume increasing quantities of alcohol as part of a nutritionally enriched milk diet suggests that this method fulfils most of the above criteria.

Alcoholism

Relevance of the rodent model to human aging studies.

Rodents have proven to be a useful general model for aging research. Although they are not necessarily appropriate for the study of such specific human age-associated diseases as atherosclerosis, rodents have provided the basis for important age-related findings in many diverse areas, including nutrition, behavior, immunology, physiology, oncology, biochemistry, and neurobiology. Contributions in these areas are briefly reviewed.

Aging

Evaluation of Bay R 3783 in rodent models of superficial and systemic candidiasis, meningeal cryptococcosis, and pulmonary aspergillosis.

The triazole Bay R 3783 was compared with fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and amphotericin B in rodent models of superficial and systemic candidiasis, meningocerebral cryptococcosis, and pulmonary aspergillosis. Overall, Bay R 3783 was comparable or slightly superior to fluconazole and markedly superior to itraconazole and ketoconazole in both survival and short-term organ load experiments in models of candidiasis and cryptococcosis but was less effective than amphotericin B. Of the antifungal agents tested, only Bay R 3783 and itraconazole showed any efficacy in the model of pulmonary aspergillosis.

Administration, Oral

Rodent models of cerebral ischemia.

The use of physiologically regulated, reproducible animal models is crucial to the study of ischemic brain injury--both the mechanisms governing its occurrence and potential therapeutic strategies. Several laboratory rodent species (notably rats and gerbils), which are readily available at relatively low cost, are highly suitable for the investigation of cerebral ischemia and have been widely employed for this purpose. We critically examine and summarize several rodent models of transient global ischemia, resulting in selective neuronal injury within vulnerable brain regions, and focal ischemia, typically giving rise to localized brain infarction. We explore the utility of individual models and emphasize the necessity for meticulous experimental control of those variables that modulate the severity of ischemic brain injury.

Animals

Rodent models of congenital and hereditary cataract in man.

Because the organogenesis and physiology of the lens are essentially similar in various mammals, an understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of the formation of cataract in an animal model will enhance our knowledge of cataractogenesis in man. In this review, we summarize the background, etiology, and pathogenesis of cataracts that occur in rodents. The main advantages of using rodent mutants include the well-researched genetics of the animals and the comparative ease of breeding of large litters. Numerous rodent models of congenital and hereditary cataracts have been studied extensively. In mice, the models include the Cts strain, Fraser mouse, lens opacity gene (Lop) strain, Lop-2 and Lop-3 strains, Philly mouse, Nakano mouse, Nop strain, Deer mouse, Emory mouse, Swiss Webster strain, Balb/c-nct/nct mouse, and SAM-R/3 strain. The rat models include BUdR, ICR, Sprague-Dawley, and Wistar rats, the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), the John Rapp inbred strain of Dahl salt-sensitive rat, as well as WBN/Kob, Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), and Brown-Norway rats. Other proposed models for the study of hereditary cataract include the degu and the guinea pig. Because of the ease of making clinical observations in vivo and the subsequent availability of the intact lens for laboratory analyses at different stages of cataract formation, these animals provide excellent models for clinicopathologic correlations, for monitoring of the natural history of the aging process and of metabolic defects, as well as for investigations on the effect of cataract-modulating agents and drugs, including the prospect of gene therapy.

Animals

Safety of intraperitoneal calcium therapy in a rodent model.

Hypocalcemia can be a significant problem for the patient with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Although oral calcium supplementation and activated vitamin D therapy may be successful in normalizing serum calcium levels, occasional peritoneal dialysis patients have persistent and clinically significant hypocalcemia. Several researchers have successfully utilized intraperitoneal calcium therapy (ICT) for the treatment of this abnormality. In order to evaluate whether high calcium dialysate is well tolerated, we developed a model system of ICT in Sprague Dawley rats. These rats received intraperitoneal infusion with either normal or high calcium peritoneal dialysate. Studies in this experimental rodent model showed no evidence of adverse effects of high calcium dialysate when used for up to 71 days, except for unexplained weight loss in the high calcium group. ICT can be an important adjunct in the treatment of hypocalcemia seen in patients on peritoneal dialysis. This preliminary animal study supports its clinical use. However further long term studies in animal models will be necessary to establish the long term safety of this therapy.

Animals

Insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension. Parallels between human disease and rodent models.

There is considerable evidence that abnormalities of glucose, insulin, and lipoprotein metabolism occur more frequently in untreated hypertensive patients than in normotensive control subjects. More recently, it has also become apparent that similar metabolic abnormalities occur in rodent models of hypertension. One purpose of this article is to review the experimental data that have led to the above generalizations. The second goal is to address the significance of these findings, which is certainly not clear. For example, it could be argued that the relationship between high blood pressure and the associated metabolic defects is incidental. On the other hand, there is evidence that the changes in glucose, insulin, and lipoprotein metabolism may play a role in the etiology and/or clinical course of patients with high blood pressure. Although it is impossible at this point to definitively choose between these possibilities, an effort is made to marshal the evidence in support of the latter alternative.

Animals

Evaluation of CPP, a selective NMDA antagonist, in various rodent models of epilepsy. Comparison with other NMDA antagonists, and with diazepam and phenobarbital.

3-(2-Carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP), a novel antagonist at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-preferring subtype of excitatory amino acid receptor, was evaluated in four rodent models of epilepsy, i.e. maximal electroshock seizures and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures in mice, epileptic gerbils and amygdala-kindled rats. The effect of CPP after systemic (i.p.) injection was compared with that of the clinical antiepileptics, phenobarbital and diazepam, and in gerbils, in addition, with the effect of the NMDA antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (AP5) and 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoate (AP7). CPP, 5 mg/kg i.p., increased the threshold for tonic electroshock seizures but this effect was associated with motor impairment in the chimney test whereas phenobarbital had comparable anticonvulsant potency without motor impairment. The threshold for clonic PTZ seizures was increased by CPP only at high doses (20 mg/kg) which induced ataxia and marked motor impairment in the chimney test, whereas both diazepam and phenobarbital were active in this test at doses which exerted no side-effects. CPP, 2-20 mg/kg i.p., could not reduce the severity or duration of focal and generalized clonic seizures or the duration of amygdalar afterdischarges in the amygdala-kindling model in rats but instead caused ataxia and reduced muscle tone at the higher doses examined. Diazepam and phenobarbital both had anticonvulsant efficacy in this model. CPP at doses of 5-10 mg/kg did not reduce seizure severity in gerbils in which generalized tonic-clonic seizures were induced by air-blast stimulation, but, as in mice and rats, it caused motor impairment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amygdala

Methanol poisoning. A rodent model with structural and functional evidence for retinal involvement.

Methanol ingestion can lead to visual impairment, central nervous system dysfunction, or death. The extent of ocular involvement has been difficult to determine because the toxicity is restricted to humans and nonhuman primates due to species differences in methanol metabolism. A rodent model of methanol toxicity recently developed by us was used to evaluate retinal dysfunction in methanol poisoning. Formic acidemia and visual toxic reactions developed in methanol-intoxicated rats. Electroretinographic analysis indicated a significant early deficit in b-wave amplitude followed by a temporally delayed, lesser reduction in a-wave amplitude. Histologic evaluation of the eyes 60 hours after methanol administration revealed generalized retinal edema and vacuolation in the photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium. Ultrastructural examination showed swelling and disruption of the mitochondria in photoreceptor inner segments, optic nerve, and the retinal pigment epithelium. These studies document direct retinal involvement in this nonprimate model of methanol toxicity.

Animals