Skeletal effects of zinc deficiency in growing rats.

There is ample evidence that zinc plays an important role in bone metabolism and zinc deficiency has been implicated as a risk factor in the development of osteoporosis. It was the aim of the present study to investigate the skeletal effects of alimentary zinc deficiency in growing rats using quantitative bone histomorphometry. Twenty-four male Sprague Dawley rats with a mean initial body weight of 101 +/- 2 g were allocated in two groups of 12 rats each and had free access to a semi-synthetic, casein-based, zinc-deficient diet (0.76 mg zinc/kg) or to the same diet supplemented with 60 mg zinc per kg. All rats were sacrificed 42 days after the start of the experiment and the right distal femur was removed for bone histomorphometry. Relative to controls (+Zn), the zinc-deficient rats (-Zn) had a significantly lower body weight and about an 80% reduction in plasma and femur zinc concentration. The histomorphometric evaluation of the distal femoral metaphysis showed that zinc deficiency led to a 45% reduction (p < 0.01) in cancellous bone mass and to a deterioration of trabecular bone architecture, with fewer and thinner trabeculae. The osteopenia in -Zn rats was accompanied by significant reductions in osteoid perimeter (-31%, p < 0.05), osteoblast perimeter (-30%, p < 0.05), and osteoclast number (-38%, p < 0.01) relative to +Zn controls. We conclude that zinc deficiency induced low turnover osteopenia in femoral cancellous bone of growing rats. These results support the hypothesis that zinc deficiency during growth may impair the accumulation of maximal bone mass in humans; additionally, they suggest that zinc deficiency may play a role as a risk factor in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.     

The relationship between 59Fe uptake in marrow and 239Pu deposition in bone.

The marrow in the left femur of each of 17 mice was destroyed by X-irradiation and 59Fe and 239Pu uptake into both femurs was measured 1, 3 and 7 days later. Uptake of 59Fe into marrow was depressed in the left femur 1 and 3 days after irradiation but was enhanced in the right unirradiated femur 3 days after the left femur was irradiated. There was no corresponding depression of 239Pu uptake into the left irradiated femur or enhancement into the right unirradiated femur. These results do not support the view that a functioning erythropoietic marrow is necessary for 239Pu to be deposited in bone.     

The Therapeutic Effect on Bone Mineral Formation from Biomimetic Zinc Containing Tricalcium Phosphate (ZnTCP) in Zinc-Deficient Osteoporotic Mice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of biomimetic zinc-containing tricalcium phosphate (ZnTCP) produced by hydrothermally converting calcium carbonate exoskeletons from foraminifera, in the treatment of osteoporotic mice. X-Ray powder diffraction showed crystallographic structures matching JCPDS profile for tricalcium phosphate. Mass spectroscopy used to calculate total composition amount showed similar amount of calcium (5×10⁴ µg/g) and phosphate (4×10⁴ ppm) after conversion and the presence of zinc (5.18×10³ µg/g). In vitro zinc release showed no release in PBS buffer and <1% zinc release in 7 days. In vivo evaluation was done in ovariectomized mice by implanting the ZnTCP samples in the soft tissues near the right femur bone for four weeks. Thirty ddY mice (5 weeks old, average weight of 21 g) were divided into six experimental groups (normal, sham, OVX, β-TCP, ZnTCP and direct injection of zinc). CT images were taken every two weeks where the bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were calculated by software based on CT images. The ZnTCP group exhibits cortical and cancellous bone growth of 45% and 20% respectively. While sham, OVX and β-TCP suffered from bone loss. A correlation was made between the significant body weight increase in ZnTCP with the significant increase in plasma zinc level compared with OVX. The presented results indicate that biomimetic ZnTCP were effective in preventing and treating bone loss in osteoporotic mice model.     

A new histochemical method to assess and evaluate potential bone marrow damage from therapeutic substances

Summary A new model is presented for assessing and evaluating the influence of bone-marrow-damaging substances in mice. Qualitative and quantitative results of histological, histochemical and enzyme histochemical studies facilitate the assessment of bone marrow damage in terms of extent and intensity. Bone marrow taken from the right femur of treated animals was embedded in renal tissue of controls for subsequent work-up in different techniques. From each of the experimental groups specimens from 10 animals were frozen in liquid nitrogen, specimens from another 10 animals were fixed in buffered formalin. Assessment and evaluation of changes was performed after the required histologic and histochemical staining (nucleic acid). Results were correlated with the cytology of bone marrow smears sampled from the left femur of each respective animal. Damage was visualized, in smear cytology or in histologic and histochemical preparations, and quantified by microphotometry and special staining for cytochrome oxidase activity.     

Incorporation of 32P into phospholipids in vivo during compensatory renal growth

Incorporation of 32P into phospholipids, RNA and DNA was studied in adult male C57BL/GoZgb mice. Left nephrectomy was performed under diethyl ether anesthesia, and the remaining right kidney was excised 10 min to 28 days later. Sham-operated animals were used as controls. 2 h before killing, animals were injected intraperitoneally with 37 kBq (1 microCi) 32P (as sodium orthophosphate) per g of body weight. In the right kidney, incorporation of 32P into total phospholipids, and five phospholipid fractions (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, diphosphatidylglycerol and sphingomyelin) was increased by 25-35% between 20 and 72 h after uninephrectomy. The incorporation of 32P into RNA showed a similar pattern. However, incorporation of 32P into phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid was already increased 20 min after uninephrectomy, reached a peak about 110-120% above control values 4 h after uninephrectomy, and then slowly returned to the control value at about 84-96 h. These results indicate that an early alteration in phospholipid metabolism, particularly of inositol lipids, may play a role in initiation of compensatory renal growth.     

Central leptin gene therapy corrects skeletal abnormalities in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice

Skeletal growth is tightly coupled to energy balance via complex and incompletely understood mechanisms. Leptin-deficient ob/ob mice are obese and develop multiple pathologies associated with the metabolic syndrome. Additionally, ob/ob mice have skeletal abnormalities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of leptin deficiency and long duration selective central leptin repletion via recombinant adeno-associated virus-leptin (rAAV-lep) gene therapy on bone in growing ob/ob mice. The ob/ob mice were injected in the hypothalamus with either rAAV-lep or rAAV-GFP (control vector). Treated ob/ob and untreated wild-type (WT) mice were then maintained on a normal diet for 15 weeks. In a second experiment, similarly treated mice along with a group of pair-fed mice were maintained for 30 weeks. Leptin was not detected in blood of either rAAV-lep- or rAAV-GFP-treated mice although rAAV-lep-treated mice displayed leptin transgene expression in the hypothalamus. As expected, rAAV-lep normalized body weight and food intake. Compared to WT mice, rAAV-GFP-treated ob/ob mice had decreased femoral length (by 1.6 mm or 10%, P<0.001), decreased total femur bone volume (by 3.3 mm(3) or 19%, P<0.001), but increased cancellous bone volume in the distal femur (by 0.04 mm(3) or 60%, P<0.09) and lumbar vertebrae (by 0.26 mm(3) or 118%, P<0.001). Treatment with rAAV-lep rescued the ob/ob skeletal phenotype by increasing femoral length and total bone volume, and decreasing femoral and vertebral cancellous bone volume, so that at 15 weeks post-rAAV-lep injection the ob/ob mice no longer differed from WT mice. No further skeletal changes in either the femur or lumbar vertebra were observed at 30 weeks post-rAAV-lep administration. The results suggest that hypothalamic leptin functions as an essential permissive factor for normal bone growth.     

p21CIP1/WAF1-dependent inhibition of cardiac hypertrophy in response to Angiotensin II involves Akt/Myc and pRb signaling

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21^CIP1/WAF1 (p21) is highly expressed in the adult heart. However, in response to stress, its expression is downregulated. Therefore, we investigated the role of p21 in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophic growth. At 2 months of age, p21 knockout mice (p21KO) lack an overt cardiac phenotype. In contrast, by 10 months of age, p21KO developed age-dependent cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. After 3 weeks of trans-aortic banding (TAB), the heart/body weight ratio in 11 week old p21KO mice increased by 57%, as compared to 42% in wild type mice indicating that p21KO have a higher susceptibility to pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. We then chronically infused 8 week old wild type mice with Angiotensin II (2.0 mg/kg/min) or saline subcutaneously by osmotic pumps for 14 days. Recombinant TAT conjugated p21 protein variants (10 mg/kg body weight) or saline were intraperitoneally injected once daily for 14 days into Angiotensin II and saline-infused animals. Angiotensin II treated mice developed pathological cardiac hypertrophy with an average increase of 38% in heart/body weight ratios, as compared to saline-treated controls. Reconstitution of p21 function by TAT.p21 protein transduction prevented Angiotensin II-dependent development of cardiac hypertrophy and failure. Taken together, our genetic and biochemical data show an important function of p21 in the regulation of growth-related processes in the heart.     

Survival of clostridial spores in animal tissues.

Spores injected intravenously into mice in numbers in excess of 10(2)/g of body weight were initially dispersed to most organs, but after a few days the remaining spores were concentrated in the liver, from which they were eliminated with a half-life of about 6 days. Intraperitoneal injection did not result in contamination of organs unless initial spore numbers exceeded 10(5)/g of body weight, in which case the spores behaved in the same manner as those injected intravenously. Oral administration of spores did not result in any contamination of tissues.     

Cardiac remodeling caused by transgenic overexpression of a corn Rac gene

Rac1-GTPase activation plays a key role in the development and progression of cardiac remodeling. Therefore, we engineered a transgenic mouse model by overexpressing cDNA of a constitutively active form of Zea maize Rac gene (ZmRacD) specifically in the hearts of FVB/N mice. Echocardiography and MRI analyses showed cardiac hypertrophy in old transgenic mice, as evidenced by increased left ventricular (LV) mass and LV mass-to-body weight ratio, which are associated with relative ventricular chamber dilation and systolic dysfunction. LV hypertrophy in the hearts of old transgenic mice was further confirmed by an increased heart weight-to-body weight ratio and histopathology analysis. The cardiac remodeling in old transgenic mice was coupled with increased myocardial Rac-GTPase activity (372%) and ROS production (462%). There were also increases in α(1)-integrin (224%) and β(1)-integrin (240%) expression. This led to the activation of hypertrophic signaling pathways, e.g., ERK1/2 (295%) and JNK (223%). Pravastatin treatment led to inhibition of Rac-GTPase activity and integrin signaling. Interestingly, activation of ZmRacD expression with thyroxin led to cardiac dilation and systolic dysfunction in adult transgenic mice within 2 wk. In conclusion, this is the first study to show the conservation of Rho/Rac proteins between plant and animal kingdoms in vivo. Additionally, ZmRacD is a novel transgenic model that gradually develops a cardiac phenotype with aging. Furthermore, the shift from cardiac hypertrophy to dilated hearts via thyroxin treatment will provide us with an excellent system to study the temporal changes in cardiac signaling from adaptive to maladaptive hypertrophy and heart failure.     

Involvement of lipid peroxidation in regression of heart hypertrophy

The regression of hypertrophied heart presupposes disassembling of all cardiomyocyte components including membrane structures. The involvement of free radical oxidation of membrane phospholipids was studied in the cardiac regression. Altitude hypertrophy was developed in barocamera (7000 m, 6 hours daily). 3 weeks of periodical hypoxia leads to 1.5-fold increase of heart weight (right ventricle weight was 2-fold increased). In 7-10 days after adaptation the heart weight reduced to normal. Both, the development and regression of myocardial hypertrophy was accompanied by changes in Mb and Hb organ concentration proportional to weight changes. In lipid extraction of maximal hypertrophied heart, the 30% decrease of lipid peroxidation product (diene conjugates) regularly occurred. The rate of regression had negative correlation with peroxidation products accumulation. Intraperitoneal injection of free radical scavenger BHT attenuate the regression rate. The results suggest that unlike the common knowledge about the membrane injury effect, lipid peroxidation can play positive role in disassembling of superfluous cell membrane structures.     

Rapid loss of bone mass and strength in mice after abdominal irradiation

Localized irradiation is a common treatment modality for malignancies in the pelvic-abdominal cavity. We report here on the changes in bone mass and strength in mice 7-14 days after abdominal irradiation. Male C57BL/6 mice of 10-12 weeks of age were given a single-dose (0, 5, 10, 15 or 20 Gy) or fractionated (3 Gy × 2 per day × 7.5 days) X rays to the abdomen and monitored daily for up to 14 days. A decrease in the serum bone formation marker and ex vivo osteoblast differentiation was detected 7 days after a single dose of radiation, with little change in the serum bone resorption marker and ex vivo osteoclast formation. A single dose of radiation elicited a loss of bone mineral density (BMD) within 14 days of irradiation. The BMD loss was up to 4.1% in the whole skeleton, 7.3% in tibia, and 7.7% in the femur. Fractionated abdominal irradiation induced similar extents of BMD loss 10 days after the last fraction: 6.2% in the whole skeleton, 5.1% in tibia, and 13.8% in the femur. The loss of BMD was dependent on radiation dose and was more profound in the trabecula-rich regions of the long bones. Moreover, BMD loss in the total skeleton and the femurs progressed with time. Peak load and stiffness in the mid-shaft tibia from irradiated mice were 11.2-14.2% and 11.5-25.0% lower, respectively, than sham controls tested 7 days after a single-dose abdominal irradiation. Our data demonstrate that abdominal irradiation induces a rapid loss of BMD in the mouse skeleton. These effects are bone type- and region-specific but are independent of radiation fractionation. The radiation-induced abscopal damage to the skeleton is manifested by the deterioration of biomechanical properties of the affected bone.     

Structural changes in hepatocytes during rheopolyglucine administration and subsequent stress in mice

A lysosomotropic agent rheopolyglucine was injected intravenously to male CBA mice at a dose of 1 ml per 100 g body weight. Two hours later hepatocyte hypertrophy and cytoplasmic organoid hyperplasia were observed. The exposure of these mice to acute stress did not lead to catabolic changes in hepatocytes.     

银杏叶提取物对野百合碱诱导的大鼠右心室心肌肥厚的干预作用及其机制*

目的: 探讨银杏叶提取物对大鼠右心室心肌肥厚的干预作用及其机制。方法: 72 只SD 大鼠随机分为3 组,每组24只: 对照组(CON组)、野百合碱诱导右心室心肌肥厚组(MCT组)、银杏叶提取物干预组(EGB组)。MCT组与EGB组首日均以2%MCT按60 mg/kg 剂量腹腔注射,注射后第2日开始,MCT组每日予2 ml 0.9% NaCl灌胃,EGB组以60 mg/kg银杏叶提取物灌胃,对照组SD大鼠首日一次性腹腔注射2 ml 0.9%NaCl注射液。3周后检测各组大鼠心脏血流动力学变化、计算心脏重量指数、HE染色观察心肌病理形态学变化、RT-PCR法检测TRPC6 mRNA表达和Western blot法检测蛋白的表达水平。结果: 与对照组比较,MCT组反映右心室肥厚程度的指标如RVSP、RV±dp/dt_max及RVMI显著增加(P＜0.01),而EGB早期干预组虽然与MCT组的各项指标有相同趋势的变化,但是EGB组各项指标变化的幅度均显著降低(P＜0.01),且EGB组的心肌肥厚指数均显著低于MCT组(P＜ 0.01);HE染色观察心肌形态学变化结果:MCT组呈典型心肌肥厚表现;EGB组右心室心肌细胞较MCT组有显著改善;MCT组及EGB组SD大鼠右心室TRPC6 mRNA及蛋白相对表达水平升高(P＜0.05),而EGB组较MCT组显著降低(P＜0.05)。结论: 银杏叶提取物可能通过降低TRPC6的表达阻碍心肌细胞中CaN／NFAT信号路径而发挥对心肌肥厚的早期保护作用。     

Effect of a deficiency in the mononuclear phagocyte system and the administration of yeast polysaccharide on the development of a heterotopic source of hematopoiesis

Mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) deficiency was induced by repeated peritoneal lavage in (C57Bl x CBA) F1 mice. The animals were then used as donors or recipients in heterotopic bone marrow transplantation. Yeast polysaccharide (YP) produced by Cryptococcus luteolus strain 228 was injected weekly (25 mg/kg) during 30 days after bone marrow transplantation under the kidney capsule. Bone marrow transplantation from MPC-deficient mice to intact mice 30 days later resulted in no variations from the control in cellularity and ossicle weight. YP produced an increase in cellularity, but not in ossicle weight. In the opposite experimental scheme (transplantation from intact mice to MPS-deficient mice) an increase in both cellularity and weight was not noticed. YP injections in this case resulted in the reduction of heterotopic organ size to the control level. Possible mechanisms of this phenomenon are discussed.     

Compensatory hypertrophy of the adrenal glands following unilateral adrenalectomy in juvenile rats

Left-handed adrenalectomy in rats aged 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 days produces compensatory hypertrophy of the remaining gland. Hypertrophy of the right adrenal is unmarked and variable depending on the time elapsed after operation (1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 30 days). The index of hypertrophy as regards one right control adrenal does not exceed 133.6%, whereas that as regards both control adrenals 66.2%. Zona fasciculata reticularis plays the main role in the increase of the dimension and weight of the hypertrophied gland. The body weight of operated rats is lower as compared to control, the weight lag being inversely proportional to the animal's age at the moment of operation.     

Skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats having growth hormone-secreting tumor

Plantaris muscle hypertrophy resulting from surgical ablation of the synergistic gastrocnemius muscle was compared between nontumor- and GH3 tumor-bearing rat groups (n = 8-10). GH3 cells (10(6)) were subcutaneously injected into 150-g female Wistar-Furth rats to initiate the tumor. After 17 days, the tumor-bearing rats gained 5.7 g body wt/day compared with 2.0 for the nontumor-bearing rats. The left gastrocnemius muscle was surgically removed from both nontumor and tumor groups. The gastrocnemius was removed from the tumor group after an increased growth rate was achieved. Seven days after surgery, the animals were killed and plantaris muscles were removed. The wet weight of the left plantaris muscle increased 45.6 and 44.0% over the unoperated contralateral control (right side) in the nontumor and tumor groups, respectively. The right control plantaris muscle in the tumor group was 63% heavier than the right control plantaris from the nontumor group; however, the proportion of body weight for plantaris was similar between the two groups. The effect of gastrocnemius ablation and tumor treatment on plantaris weight was additive, and the percent increase over the unoperated contralateral control side was similar between the two groups. These data demonstrate that skeletal muscle hypertrophy occurs in adult animals in which growth has been stimulated by a growth hormone-secreting tumor and could suggest that the muscle growth response caused by the tumor is operating by a mechanism different than work-induced hypertrophy.     

Adiponectin is a negative regulator of bone mineral and bone strength in growing mice

Obesity is associated with increased bone mineral density (BMD) but the mechanism for this is unclear. Serum levels of the adipokine adiponectin are inversely correlated with obesity, but results from studies on its relationship to bone mass are conflicting. The objective of this study was to compare bone mineral content (BMC), BMD and biomechanical strength properties of femur and lumbar vertebrae in 8- and 16-week old adiponectin transgenic mice (AdTg). These mice exhibit significantly elevated circulating adiponectin but have similar body weights compared to wild-type (WT) littermates that were used as controls. Female AdTg mice displayed significantly lower femur BMC at 8 and 16 weeks of age and femur neck peak load was significantly lower in 8-week old AdTg mice of both genders compared to controls. The peak load from compression testing of an individual lumbar vertebra was significantly lower in female AdTg mice compared to WT at 8 weeks, and this difference persisted at 16 weeks of age. In addition, lumbar vertebrae BMC was significantly lower in 16-week old male AdTg mice compared to WT although vertebra peak load was not different. Serum adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with femur BMC. In summary, elevated circulating adiponectin inhibits the acquisition of bone mass in growing mice and results in decreased biomechanical measures of functional strength that are surrogate measures of susceptibility to fractures. These results support a role for circulating adiponectin as a metabolic link that can explain, at least in part, the positive relationship between obesity and both bone mass and reduced susceptibility to fractures.     

Distribution of 239Pu in the skeleton of the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) between 15 and 50 months after injection

The macroscopic and microscopic distribution of intramuscularly injected, essentially monomeric, 239Pu was studied in the skeleton of the adult tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri). Data for the period between 15 and 50 months after injection are presented and compared with the data from earlier time points. Between 83 and 500 days after injection the nuclide content and the wet weight of the skeleton decreased to a constant level at about 55 per cent of the maximum values. The microscopic distribution has been analysed in distal femora, proximal humerus, proximal tibia and lumbar vertebra over the whole observation time; additionally at some selected time points proximal femur, femur shaft, distal humerus and distal tibia were analysed. The initial endosteal surface activity ranged from 3.8 to 5.3 Bq/cm2 and decreased to a minimum at about 1000 days after injection and increased thereafter. A similar behaviour was found for the dose rate near bone surfaces which was initially about 0.075 Gy/day on endosteal surfaces. In the deep bone and the deep marrow the dose rate was negligible, about 0.008 Gy/day and 0.001 Gy/day, respectively. The average cumulative dose 1500 days after injection was about 67 Gy on the endosteum, six times greater than the cumulative dose calculated from the mean concentration of plutonium in the whole skeleton. All values are normalized to an injected activity of 37 kBq/kg body weight. The tupaia data are discussed in relation to the available data from monkeys, dogs and rats.     

Preservation of femoral bone thickness in middle age predicts survival in genetically heterogeneous mice

To see whether age-related changes in bone could predict subsequent lifespan, we measured multiple aspects of femur size and shape at 4, 15, and 24 months of age in genetically heterogeneous mice. Mice whose cortical bone became thicker from 4 to 15 months, associated with preservation of the endosteal perimeter, survived longer than mice whose endosteal cavity expanded, at the expense of cortical bone, over this age range. Femur size at age 4 months was also associated with a difference in life expectancy: mice with larger bones (measured by length, cortical thickness, or periosteal perimeter) had shorter lifespans. Femur length, midlife change in cortical bone thickness, and midlife values of CD8 T memory cells each added significant power for longevity prediction. Mice in the upper half of the population for each of these three endpoints lived, on average, 103 days (12%) longer than mice with the opposite characteristics. Thus, measures of young adult bone dimensions, changes as a result of bone remodeling in middle age, and immunological maturation provide partially independent indices of aging processes that together help to determine lifespan in genetically heterogeneous mice.     

Effects of low‐level 50 Hz magnetic fields on the level of host defense and on spleen colony formation

The results of 3 sets of experiments on the effects of 22 μT sinusoidal 50 Hz magnetic fields (MF), applied for 1 h on 5 successive days (1 h/5 days), on the level of host defense and on spleen colony formation are reported. The first set of experiments shows the effects on the number of colony‐forming units (CFUs) on the spleen and on the cellularity of the thymus in mice. The MF exposures resulted in an increase in CFUs which was statistically significant with respect to the controls, but not with respect to the shams. Statistically significant changes in the thymic weight and thymic index with respect to both the controls and the shams were measured 1 h after the last MF exposure. In the second set of experiments, the mice were given a sublethal dose of X‐rays (6 Gy), which was followed by exposure 2 h later to the MF. The MF exposure was repeated at the same time of day for 5 days. The number of colonies per spleen showed a consistent, statistically significant increase with MF exposure and the number of CFUs per femur was decreased. In the third set of experiments, bone marrow was taken from mice which had been exposed to 22 μT fields and injected into mice which had been exposed to a lethal dose of X‐rays (9 Gy). The number of CFUs per femur in the recipient mice was shown to be reduced by a statistically significant amount at 1 and 4 days after injection. Bioelectromagnetics 20:57–63, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.