Cell surface carbohydrates of preimplantation embryos as assessed by lectin binding

Preimplantation embryos were obtained from the uteri and oviducts of 2 strains of mice, Swiss CD-1 and B₆ CBA. After removal of the zona pellucida by treatment with pronase, FITC-lectins were bound to the embryonic cell surfaces at either 4°C or 37°C. Both morula and blastocyst stage embryos bound the following lectins, FITC-ConA, FITC-WGA, FITC-RCA_II and FITC-RCA_I. No difference in binding was observed between the morula stage and the blastocyst stage within each mouse strain for each specific lectin. However B₆ CBA embryos bound less FITC-ConA and FITC-WGA than the corresponding Swiss CD-1 embryos. The topographical arrangement of the lectin receptors was observed to differ between 4°C and 37°C for FITC-Con A, FITC-RCA_II, and FITC-RCA_I. While lectins bound at 4°C showed a pattern of continuous labeling, the same lectin at 37°C showed aggregation of lectin receptors into patches indicating lateral mobility of these receptors within the embryonic cell membranes. In contrast FITC-WGA bound at 4°C and 37°C demonstrated continuous labeling of embryos at both temperatures. FITC-fucose binding protein did not bind to Swiss CD-1 embryos. The invasiveness of trophoblastic cells of mouse blastocysts was studied by culturing isolated embryos without prior enzyme treatment on reconstituted collagen gels. After 4 days in BME containing only glutamine and bovine serum albumin as supplements, the embryos shed their zona pellucida and implanted into the collagen gel as indicated by zones of lysis in proximity to the embryonic cells when analyzed by scanning electron microscopy.     

离子注入花生四烯酸产生菌诱变选育

利用离子束注入生物技术对花生四烯酸产生菌(Mortierella alpina)进行诱变高产菌筛选。筛选到高产菌I₄₉N₁₈,该菌每升培养液可得生物量30.80g(约4%的含水量),干菌体油脂含量为25.8%,其中花生四烯酸的含量占总.脂的45.37%。30L和250L发酵罐发酵试验,该高产菌的花生.四烯酸得率为4.0g/L。     

Lactate production by the mammalian blastocyst: Manipulating the microenvironment for uterine implantation and invasion?

The mammalian blastocyst exhibits a high capacity for aerobic glycolysis, a metabolic characteristic of tumours. It has been considered that aerobic glycolysis is a means to ensure a high carbon flux to fulfil biosynthetic demands. Here, alternative explanations for this pattern of metabolism are considered. Lactate creates a microenvironment of low pH around the embryo to assist the disaggregation of uterine tissues to facilitate trophoblast invasion. Further it is proposed that lactate acts as a signalling molecule (especially at the reduced oxygen tension present at implantation) to elicit bioactive VEGF recruitment from uterine cells, to promote angiogenesis. Finally it is suggested that the region of high lactate/low pH created by the blastocyst modulates the activity of the local immune response, helping to create immune tolerance. Consequently, the mammalian blastocyst offers a model to study the role of microenvironments, and how metabolites and pH are used in signalling.

     

氮离子注入对蒙古黄芪多倍体诱导的影响

利用二倍体蒙古黄芪种子为材料,以低能氮离子束为诱变源,将化学诱导与物理诱变相结合,探索出一套高效的多倍体诱导新方法。研究结果表明：氮离子注入种子后表现出明显的生物学效应;氮离子注入与秋水仙素联合诱导黄芪多倍体的效果很明显。氮离子注入剂量为2.6×10¹⁶ N⁺/cm²,秋水仙素浓度为100 mg·L^-1,培养5 d诱导率最高为44.4%;氮离子注入剂量为5.2×10¹⁶ N⁺/cm², 秋水仙素浓度为150 mg·L^-1,培养10d的诱导率最高为46.2%;二者均高于对照组秋水仙素浓度为100 mg·L^-1培养15 d的最高诱导率13.9%。利用细胞染色体计数鉴定多倍体为四倍体。     

Ginkgolides induce apoptosis and decrease cell numbers in mouse blastocysts

In this report, we examine the cytotoxic effect of ginkgolides, the major components of Ginkgo biloba extracts, on the blastocyst stage of mouse embryos and on subsequent early postimplantation embryonic development in vitro. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay revealed that blastocysts treated with 5 or 10muM ginkgolide A or ginkgolide B showed increased apoptosis versus untreated controls. This could be correlated with the observation that ginkgolide-treated blastocysts showed a significant reduction in the average number of total cells in the blastocyst and trophectoderm/inner cell mass lineage versus controls. In addition, ginkgolide-pretreated blastocysts showed normal levels of implantation on culture dishes in vitro, but significantly fewer embryos reached the later stages of embryonic development in the treatment groups versus the controls, instead dying at relatively early stages of development. Our results collectively indicate that ginkgolide treatment of mouse blastocysts induces apoptosis, decreases cell numbers, retards early postimplantation blastocyst development, and increases early-stage blastocyst death. These novel findings provide important new insights into the effect of Ginkgo biloba extracts on mouse blastocysts.     

p38 MAPK signaling during murine preimplantation development

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways mediate some important cellular processes and are likely to also regulate preimplantation development. The role of p38 MAP kinase signaling during murine preimplantation development was investigated in the present study. p38 MAPK, p38-regulated or -activated kinase (PRAK; MK5), map kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2), and heat shock protein 25 (hsp25) mRNAs and proteins were detected throughout preimplantation development. Two-cell stage embryos cultured in the presence of SB220025 and SB203580 (specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK alpha/beta), progressed to the eight-cell stage with the same frequency as controls; however, treated embryos halted their development at the 8- to 16-cell stage. In addition, embryos treated with p38 MAPK inhibitors displayed a complete loss of MK2 and hsp25 phosphorylation and also a complete loss of filamentous actin as indicated by the absence of rhodamine-phalloidin staining. In these inhibitor-treated groups, the embryos were composed of a mixture of compacting and noncompacting cells, and the embryos were one to two cell divisions behind controls. Treated embryos remained viable as the developmental blockade was rescued by removing embryos from the drug treatment and placing them in drug-free medium until they progressed to the blastocyst stage. This study demonstrates that p38 MAPK activity is required to support development through the murine preimplantation interval.     

超声乳化白内障吸除、人工晶状体植入联合小梁切除术治疗白内障合并青光眼的临床疗效及安全性评价

目的：探讨超声乳化白内障吸除、人工晶状体植入联合小梁切除术治疗白内障合并青光眼的临床疗效及安全性。方法：将100例白内障合并青光眼患者按照抽签法随机地均分为对照组与观察组,对照组给予单纯超声乳化人工晶状体植入术,观察组在此基础上给予联合小梁切除术进行治疗。比较两组治疗前后相关指标以及术后并发症发生率等。结果：（1）对照组治疗前后IOP、ACD及AL均无统计学差异,观察组治疗前后IOP与CAD差异具有统计学意义（P〈0．05,P〈0．01）,但该组治疗前后AL无统计学差异;（2）两组术前与术后1周、1个月及3个月平均视野缺损值、平均模式标准差相比,差异均具有统计学意义,且观察组术后与对照组术后相比,差异均具有统计学意义;（3）对照组并发症发生率为20．00％,明显大于观察组（10．00％）。结论：超声乳化白内障吸除、人工晶状体植入联合小梁切除术治疗白内障合并青光眼,疗效显著,不良反应发生率低,值得加以推广并应用。     

Slow Delivery of the Selective Cholecystokinin Agonist pBC 264 into the Rat Nucleus Accumbens Using Microspheres

Abstract: Neuropeptides have been shown to play a critical role in adaptational processes, probably by long-term modulation of neuronal pathways. It could therefore be interesting to study behavioral changes induced by chronic local stimulation of neuropeptide receptors. With this aim poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres loaded with a highly potent, peptidase-resistant, cholecystokinin (CCK)-B-selective CCK peptidomimetic agonist (pBC 264) were prepared by a water in oil in water emulsion solvent evaporation method and stereotaxically implanted into the anterior part of the rat nucleus accumbens. Two different kinds of loaded polymeric microspheres differing only by the stabilizing agent [ovalbumin (OVA) or Pluronic F 68] added to the inner emulsion were used. The histological and behavioral studies done 24 h and 8 days after implantation of nonloaded microspheres in the nucleus accumbens indicated that the microspheres were well tolerated. The in vivo release of the selective CCK-B agonist pBC 264 (associated with a tracer dose of [³H]pBC 264) from microspheres prepared with OVA was very fast (92% after 6 h), whereas only 26% (88 pmol) of pBC 264 was released from the formulation with Pluronic F 68 after 24 h. Eight days after implantation 36% of pBC 264 had diffused from the microspheres, and 8% (∼30 pmol) was still present in the brain concentrated around the site of administration. In all cases the released material was found to correspond to intact pBC 264, thus demonstrating the possibility of obtaining a slow controlled release of peptide in vivo. This method opens up interesting perspectives to study the long-term effects of neuropeptides.