Attempted modulation of disulfide antitumor activity in Balb/c mice through glutathione depletion

We investigated the effects of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO)-mediated glutathione (GSH) depletion on the antitumor activity in Balb/c mice produced by four disulfide derivatives of 6-TG and 6-MP. Initial studies indicated that 14 h after BSO (5 mmol/kg) injections, tumor GSH levels were maximally depleted, while normal tissue GSH levels had returned to near control levels. Tumor growth delays and growth rates were compared for groups of animals receiving disulfides I-IV with and without BSO administration 14 h previous. Treatments with BSO alone produced no delay or growth rate differences from the control. Compounds II or III administered in the presence and absence of BSO also produced no delay or growth rate differences from control. Compound I (10 mg/kg) alone showed a delay of 5.2 days and a growth rate significantly slower than that of control (p = 0.05). In combination with BSO the effects were not enhanced. Compound IV (50 mg/kg) also produced delays in 2 separate trials (3.1 and 4.8 days) and significantly slower growth rates on each occasion compared to the control (p = 0.05). The growth rates were not significantly lowered in the presence of BSO. Administration of two doses of IV, 4 days apart, produced a delay (4.9 days) similar to that seen with a single dose. It produced 2 cures and was also more toxic, causing 3 deaths. Two doses of IV in combination with BSO pretreatment had a greater delay (16.0 days) and a significantly longer growth rate (p = 0.05) than two doses of IV alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Longevity of Echinostoma caproni in Balb/c mice

This study used Balb/c mice to examine the longevity of Echinostoma caproni. Five mice each exposed to 75 encysted metacercariae (cysts) were necropsied at 23 weeks postinfection (PI) (160 days PI). Two of the 5 were infected with a total of 33 worms; 23 in one mouse and 10 in the other. Body and organ area measurements showed that these worms were robust and normal in appearance. No signs of atrophy of any of the genital structures were observed. The mean +/- SE of eggs/uterus per worm (n = 10) was 243 +/- 6. This strain of mouse will be suitable to study the effect of long-term survival on the host-parasite relationship of E. caproni in Balb/c mice.     

人脐带间充质干细胞在Balb/c裸鼠体内的分布情况研究

目的研究人脐带间充质干细胞（hUCMSCs）在BalB/c裸鼠体内的分布。 方法采用DiR标记hUCMSCs,以MTT法检测标记hUCMSCs体外培养的生长增殖,流式细胞术检测标记hUCMSCs的细胞表型,以诱导分化法检测标记hUCMSCs的成骨、成脂、成软骨诱导分化能力,小动物活体成像法检测DiR标记hUCMSCs尾静脉给药后在小鼠体内的分布情况。采用t检验对测得的hUCMSCs增殖数据进行统计分析。 结果0,24,48,72,96,120 h MTT法测得的DiR标记hUCMSCs吸光度值与未标记组相比差异无统计学意义,DiR标记对hUCMSCs细胞表型没有明显影响,对其成骨、成脂、成软骨多向诱导分化能力没有影响,DiR标记hUCMSCs尾静脉给药后,荧光首先分布于肺脏,随时间逐渐迁移至肝脏和脾脏,最终归巢和分布于肝脏、脾脏和肺脏,荧光强度肝脏>脾脏>肺脏,随时间逐渐减弱,至4周时动物肝脏、脾脏和肺脏仍有荧光存在。 结论DiR标记不影响hUCMSCs体外增殖、细胞表型表达和多向诱导分化能力,DiR标记hUCMSCs尾静脉注射后首先分布在肺脏,存在明显的首过效应,然后逐渐迁移至肝脏和脾脏,主要分布和归巢在肝脏、脾脏和肺脏。     

Angiogenesis in Balb/c mice under beta-carotene supplementation in diet

Angiogenesis is a process of new blood vessel formation from pre-existing ones. The most important steps in angiogenesis include detachment, proliferation, migration, homing and differentiation of vascular wall cells, which are mainly endothelial cells and their progenitors. The study focused on the effect of beta-carotene (BC) supplementation (12,000 mg/kg) in the diet on angiogenesis in Balb/c mice. Female Balb/c mice were fed for 5 weeks with two different diets: with BC or without BC supplementation. After 4 weeks of feeding, Balb/c mice were injected subcutaneously with two matrigel plugs with or without basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Six days later, the animals were killed, and the matrigel plugs were used for immunohistochemical staining with CD31 antibody and for gene expression analysis. Microarray and Real-Time PCR data showed down-regulation of genes involved in proliferation and up-regulation of genes encoding inhibitors of apoptosis, proteins regulating cell adhesion, matrix-degrading enzymes and proteins involved in the VEGF pathway. The results of this study demonstrated that BC proangiogenic activity (with or without bFGF) in vivo seemed to be more significantly associated with cells’ protection from apoptosis and their stimulation of chemotaxis/homing than cell proliferation.     

Extraintestinal infection of Helicobacter cinaedi induced by oral administration to Balb/c mice

Although Helicobacter cinaedi was initially considered an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients, it was later shown to also infect immunocompetent and healthy individuals. Sporadic bacteremia due to H. cinaedi has frequently been reported; however, whether the bacterium can be translocated after passage through the intestinal mucosa remains unclear. In the present study, a preclinical small animal model that faithfully reproduces H. cinaedi infection in humans was developed. Balb/c male mice were orally inoculated with a single dose of 6.8 × 10⁷ CFU of a human clinical H. cinaedi strain. The organism persistently colonized the intestinal tract of the mice, particularly the cecum and colon, for at least 56 days, and the bacteria were excreted in the feces. Although inoculated bacteria were recovered from the spleen, liver, kidney, lung, bladder and mesenteric lymph nodes during the first 2 weeks of bacteremia, the organism was not isolated from these organs after 4 weeks, suggesting that complement‐ and antibody‐mediated serum sensitivity account for the relatively low frequency of systemic infection. However, H. cinaedi was isolated from the biceps femoris, triceps branchii, latissimus dorsi, and trapezius muscles beyond 2 weeks after infection and after production of specific anti‐H. cinaedi IgM and IgG antibodies. The present findings suggest that experimental infection of Balb/c mice with H. cinaedi may be a useful model for further studies of H. cinaedi pathogenesis, prophylaxis or therapeutic interventions in vivo.     

脑不对称性对Balb/c小鼠海马 IL-6水平的影响

研究了Balb/c小鼠海马内细胞因子白细胞介素 6 (interleukin 6 ,IL 6 )含量与脑不对称的关系。实验采用伸爪取食法将小鼠区分为左利、右利和双利鼠 ,分别于腹腔注射细菌脂多糖 (Lipopolysaccharide,LPS)或无菌生理盐水 (Saline ,NS) ,2h后快速断头 ,冰上快速分离两侧海马 ,制备海马脑组织匀浆 ,用ELISA法测定海马中IL 6蛋白含量。结果表明 :正常对照组中海马IL 6水平为右利鼠明显高于左利鼠 (P =0 0 0 1) ,左利鼠又明显高于双利鼠 (P =0 0 0 1) ,两侧海马之间无明显差别 ;注射LPS 2h后 ,海马IL 6总体水平没有变化 ,只在右利小鼠右侧海马IL 6含量明显升高 (P <0 0 5 ) ,明显高于左利 (P <0 0 0 1)和双利 (P <0 0 0 1) ,双利Balb/c小鼠两侧海马IL 6水平明显低于右利和左利小鼠。上述结果提示 ,在正常生理状态下及LPS刺激后引起的海马IL 6水平变化均与脑不对称性有关     

超声心动图评定雄性Balb/c小鼠心脏形态和功能

目的：应用超声心动图评定雄性Balb／c小鼠的心脏形态和功能。方法：应用13MHz线控阵超声探头检测27只Balb／c雄性小鼠心脏（周龄：5—7周）,超声检测后,进行戊巴比妥麻醉处死分离左室,测量湿重.结果：获得小鼠完整2维超声心动图,并记录雄性小鼠血流动力学参数：用M型超声心动图计算左室重量与左室湿重呈线性相关：y=1．15x＋3．26（r=0．80）。结论：超声心动图参数能够评定小鼠的心脏形态和功能。     

Inhibitory effects of Azadirachta indica on DMBA-induced skin carcinogenesis in Balb/c mice

Male Balb/c mice were divided into four groups on the basis of their respective treatments wherein mice of Group I served as controls. For induction of skin tumors, mice of Group II and IV were injected sub-cutaneously with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Mice of Group III and IV were administered aqueous Azadirachta indica leaf extract (AAILE) thrice a week throughout the experiment. After 14 weeks of the first DMBA injection, Group II and IV mice developed tumors. In the tumor-bearing mice that received AAILE (Group IV), a significant reduction in mean tumor burden and tumor volume was observed. The tumors were confirmed to be papillomas and interestingly, the extent of hyper-chromatia was observed to be much more in skin tumors of Group II mice vis a vis the mice receiving AAILE. An increase in the extent of lipid peroxidation was observed in tumorous tissue of Group IV when compared to that of Group II mice. Glutathione (GSH) content and the activities of GSH-based antioxidant enzymes viz. glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) increased significantly in the skin tissues of all the groups of mice when compared to control counterparts. Catalase activity was found to decrease significantly in the skin of mice, which received AAILE treatment only (Group III). Activity of super-oxide dismutase (SOD) decreased significantly in all the tumorous tissues (Group II and IV mice). In light of the above observations, the role of AAILE in inhibition of DMBA-induced skin carcinogenesis is discussed in the present study.     

Methylselenol,a selenium metabolite,modulates p53 pathway and inhibits the growth of colon cancer xenografts in Balb/c mice

It is has been hypothesized that methylselenol is a critical selenium metabolite for anticancer activity in vivo. In this study, we used a protein array which contained 112 different antibodies known to be involved in the p53 pathway to investigate the molecular targets of methylselenol in human HCT116 colon cancer cells. The array analysis indicated that methylselenol exposure changed the expression of 11 protein targets related to the regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis. Subsequently, we confirmed these proteins with the Western blotting approach, and found that methylselenol increased the expression of GADD 153 and p21 but reduced the level of c-Myc, E2F1 and Phos p38 MAP kinase. Similar to our previous report on human HCT116 colon cancer cells, methylselenol also inhibited cell growth and led to an increase in G1 and G2 fractions with a concomitant drop in S-phase in mouse colon cancer MC26 cells. When the MC26 cells were transplanted to their immune-competent Balb/c mice, methylselenol-treated MC26 cells had significantly less tumor growth potential than that of untreated MC26 cells. Taken together, our data suggest that methylselenol modulates the expression of key genes related to cell cycle and apoptosis and inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth.     

Tissue distribution and antileishmanial activity of liposomised Amphotericin-B in Balb/c mice§

Antileishmanial activity and organ distribution of the antifungal drug Amphotericin-B in free and liposomised form have been studied in Balb/c mice infected withLeishmania donovani. Results indicate that Amphotericin-B in the liposomised form is significantly more active than the free form. This increase in the activity is perhaps related to the reduced drug toxicity rather than the altered drug distribution at the site of infection. CDRI communication No. 4789     

Differential protein expressions induced by adenovirus-mediated p16 gene transfer into Balb/c nude mouse

To evaluate the safety of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, we investigated differential protein expression after transducing adenoviral vector containing the p16(INK4a) tumor suppressor gene (Ad5CMV-p16) into Balb/c nude mice. We found that adenovirus-mediated p16(INK4a) gene transfer inhibited experimental lung metastasis, and that the intratumoral injection of Ad5CMV-p16 resulted in regression of A549 cell xenografted tumors in Balb/c nude mice. We investigated changes in protein expression after intratumoral injection of Ad5CMV-p16 or Ad5CMV (10(10) plaque-forming units) into A549 cell xenografted Balb/c nude mice by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis /matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Compared with the control (serum-free medium treated tumor cells) Ad5CMV-p16 gene transfer changed the expression of 29 proteins including heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein, protein phosphatase 2, 14-3-3 zeta protein, alpha-tubulin, and glutathione-S-transferase P1. Moreover, both Ad5CMV-p16 and Ad5CMV up-regulated the expression of glutathione-S-transferase P1. In addition, Ad5CMV-p16 gene transfer did not seem to increase the expression of tumorigenicity-related protein in Balb/c nude mice. Further studies will be needed to investigate the effect of Ad5CMV-p16 on normal human cells and tissues for safety evaluation. These results suggest that the p16 gene seems to have an important role in apoptosis as well as in cell cycle arrest in non-small cell lung cancer.     

Podophyllum hexandrum modulates gamma radiation-induced immunosuppression in Balb/c mice: Implications in radioprotection

Aqueous extract of Podophyllum hexandrum (RP-1), which has been reported to render more than 82% survival against whole body lethal (10 Gy) gamma-irradiation in mice, was further investigated for its immunomodulatory potential. In this study, no significant change could be scored in peritoneal macrophages survival up to 8th day after whole body irradiation. RP-1 treatment (200 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) alone or 2 h before whole body irradiation enhanced macrophage survival significantly (p < 0.05) as compared to irradiated control mice. In irradiated animals, there was significant (p < 0.01) reduction in splenocyte survival and proliferation as revealed by 3H-TdR method. RP-1 treatment (200 mg/kg) alone or 2 h before irradiation countered the decrease in survival of splenocytes and proliferation significantly (p < 0.05) as compared to irradiated control group. Whole body irradiation also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the population of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and bone marrow GM-CFU at 24 h and 72 h post-irradiation intervals, respectively, as compared to unirradiated control. RP-1 treatment 2 h before whole body irradiation countered the decrease in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells populations and CGM-CFU. Nitric oxide free radicals generation was enhanced significantly (p < 0.05) in the supernatant of peritoneal macrophage cultures exposed to 2 Gy gamma radiation ex vivo in comparison to unirradiated control, which was reduced by pre-irradiation (−2 h) administration of RP-1. Whole body irradiation (10 Gy) also reduced the serum titres of IL-3, IL-1 and various IgG isotypes observed at different post-irradiation time interval. RP-1 treatment alone or before whole body irradiation countered radiation induced decrease in the titre of IL-1, IL-3 and IgG’s in the serum of mice. These findings indicate immunostimulatory potential of RP-1.     

Influence of sex hormones on Coxsackie B-3 virus infection in Balb/c mice

Background and “spontaneous” proliferation are terms often used for the proliferative activity normally exhibited by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) in vitro. In this report, we show that Interleukin-2 (IL-2) added to unfractionated MNC but not to isolated T or non-T cells significantly increased their proliferative activity. The cells responding to IL-2 stimulation from MNC were OKT3 positive lymphocytes. In addition, treatment of MNC with either a monoclonal anti-HLA-DR antibody (in the absence of C′) or Cyclosporin-A strongly suppressed the “background” whereas treatment of MNC with the 3A1 monoclonal anti-human T cell antibody did not modify “spontaneous” proliferation of these cells. IL-2 could not restore or increase the proliferative activity of MNC exposed to the anti-HLA-DR antibody or Cyclosporin-A while the T cell growth factor significantly enhanced proliferation of MNC cultured in the presence of the OKT4 antibody. Taken together these results strongly suggest that IL-2 responding T cells from MNC become sensitive to IL-2 by interacting with HLA-DR antigens on B lymphocytes and/or monocytes contained in MNC (resting T cells are Dr^?). By a similar mechanism we have previously shown that T cells acquire responsiveness to IL-2 in the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR). Since all the cells that participate in AMLR are present in MNC, we postulate that a “mini” AMLR taking place within MNC may explain the “spontaneous” proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.     

Antimutagenicity of ursolic acid and oleanolic acid against doxorubicin-induced clastogenesis in Balb/c mice

Ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) are triterpenoid compounds found in food, medicinal herbs and various other plants in free form or bound to glycosides. Both substances are known for their antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiviral and cytotoxic activities. In the present study, we evaluated the antimutagenic potential of UA and OA using the micronucleus test in peripheral blood and bone marrow of Balb/c mice. The animals were divided into 10 treatment groups: mice treated with UA (80 mg/kg b.w.); OA (80 mg/kg b.w.); a mixture of UA and OA (80 mg/kg b.w.); the antineoplastic agent doxorubicin (DXR, 90 mg/kg b.w.); DMSO and DXR; UA and DXR; OA and DXR; UA, OA and DXR, and negative and solvent controls. UA, OA and a mixture of UA and OA were administered to the animals by gavage, followed by the intraperitoneal injection of DXR. The results showed a significant reduction in micronucleus frequency in the groups concomitantly treated with the triterpenoid compounds and DXR compared to that treated with DXR alone. The present results demonstrate the antimutagenic activity of UA and OA under the experimental conditions used in this study.     

Treatment with annexin V increases immunogenicity of apoptotic human T-cells in Balb/c mice

Exposure of phosphatidylserine on the outer leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane is an early event during apoptotic cell death and serves as a recognition signal for phagocytes. Usually the clearance of apoptotic cells does not initiate inflammation or immune response. We investigated the immune response in Balb/c mice towards apoptotic human T-cells. Animals injected with apoptotic cells showed significantly reduced humoral immune responses, especially Th1-dependent IgG2a titres, compared to controls immunised with viable cells. However, treatment of apoptotic cells with annexin V (AxV) significantly increased the humoral immune response. AxV binds with high affinity to anionic phospholipids and as a result interferes with the phosphatidylserine recognition by phagocytes. Our results indicate that AxV treatment may be used to increase the efficiency of apoptotic cell-based vaccines, e.g. some tumour vaccines.     

Immune responses to the pertussis toxin in Balb/c and C57B1/6 mice

Abstract Immunization of Balb/c and C57B1/6 mice with the pertussis toxin (Ptx), purified from the culture supernatant of Bordetella pertussis (the whooping cough bacillus) resulted in different immune reactions in these genetically different strains of mice. Antibody responses to Ptx were detected only in Balb/c, whereas both Balb/c and C57B1/6 produced anti-Ptx antibodies when immunized with detoxified Ptx. Also, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions differ strongly according to the use of Ptx or detoxified Ptx as eliciting antigen.