Single-channel analysis of a potassium inward rectifier in myocytes of newborn rat heart

Summary Unitary K⁺ currents in single cells isolated from ventricular muscle of newborn rat hearts were measured in response to different potentials and [K] _o . TheI/V curves were linear for potentials more negative than the zero-current voltage: especially in high [K] _o (150nm KCl), no clear outward currents could be detected indicating a drastic rectification in the inward direction. The channel is mainly selective to K⁺ but Na⁺ ions are also carried (P _Na/P _K=0.056). The channel conductance is proportional to the square root of [K] _o but Na⁺ ions seem to have a facilitatory effect on _K, the single-channel conductance. The channel activity, measured asP _o, i.e. the probability to find the channel in open state, decreased as the membrane was hyperpolarized. This behavior was tentatively explained by an inactivation process as the membrane becomes more negative. The rate constants of the transitions between the different states were calculated according to a C–O–C model. A control of the gating process by permeant ion K⁺ was postulated, based on the increase of one of the rate constants from the closed to the open state with [K] _o . Finally, the macroscopicI/V curves calculated fromP _o and i, the unit current, were found to be characteristic of a ion-blocked inward rectifier.     

苦参碱对大鼠乳腺癌细胞荷瘤生长及其炎性因子与免疫功能的影响

目的：探讨苦参碱对大鼠乳腺癌细胞荷瘤大鼠生长及其炎性因子与免疫功能的影响。方法：雌性Wistar大鼠60只,随机分为对照组（n=10）,乳腺癌细胞荷瘤大鼠建模组（n=50）。建模大鼠再随机分为5组（n=10）：模型组、苦参碱低（50 mg/kg）、中（100 mg/kg）、高（200 mg/kg）剂量组和香菇多糖（200 mg/kg）组。除对照组外,每只大鼠右腋皮下接种0.4 ml Walker 256乳腺癌细胞悬液（5×10⁷ cells/ml）。按10 ml/kg的体积腹腔注射给药,2次/日,连续14 d。14 d后麻醉大鼠,腹主动脉取血,取瘤组织称取质量,计算抑瘤率;检测大鼠外周血IL-2、IFN-γ、IL-6、IL-10、TGF-β、CD3⁺、CD4⁺、CD8⁺、IgG、IgM、IgA水平。结果：苦参碱低、中、高剂量组和香菇多糖组大鼠瘤块平均质量分别为（4.99±0.93）g、（4.52±0.92）g、（4.22±1.18）g、（4.52±0.92）g,与模型组（6.62±1.20）g比较均明显降低（P<0.01）。苦参碱各剂量组与香菇多糖组比较,瘤块平均质量无明显差异（P>0.05）。苦参碱低、中、高剂量组和香菇多糖组抑瘤率分别为24.6%、31.7%、36.3%和27.9%,组间无统计学差异。模型组大鼠IL-2、IFN-γ、CD8⁺较对照组明显降低（P<0.01）;而IL-6、IL-10、TGF-β、CD3⁺、CD4⁺、IgG、IgM、IgA较对照组明显升高（P<0.01）。苦参碱低、中、高剂量组和香菇多糖组IL-2、IFN-γ、CD8+较模型组显著升高（P<0.01,P<0.05）;而IL-6、IL-10、TGF-β、CD3⁺、CD4⁺、IgG、IgM、IgA较模型组明显降低（P<0.01,P<0.05）。与香菇多糖组比较,苦参碱低、中剂量组IgM、IgA明显升高（P<0.01,P<0.05）;高剂量组IL-2和IFN-γ、IgA水平明显升高（P<0.01,P<0.05）;低剂量组IFN-γ水平明显降低（P<0.05）;高剂量组IL-10、CD4⁺水平明显降低（P<0.01,P<0.05）。结论：苦参碱具有明显的抑制肿瘤生长的作用,其抑瘤机制与其提高细胞和体液免疫、减轻炎症反应有关。     

Effects of Fluoxetine Administration on Neuropeptide Y and Orexins in Obese Zucker Rat Hypothalamus

Objective: The aim of this work was to study the potential involvement of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and orexins in the anorexigenic mechanism of fluoxetine in obese Zucker rats, assessing the effects of chronic fluoxetine treatment on NPY and orexin immunostaining in several hypothalamic regions. Research Methods and Procedures: Male obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats were administered fluoxetine (10 mg/kg intraperitoneally) daily for 2 weeks. The control group was administered 0.9% NaCl solution. Carcass composition was assessed using the official methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. To test the potential thermogenic effect of fluoxetine administration, total body oxygen consumption was measured daily for 60 minutes before fluoxetine or saline injection and for 30 minutes after drug or saline injection. Hypothalamic arcuate and paraventricular nuclei, and the lateral hypothalamic area were immunostained for NPY, orexin A, and orexin B. Commercial kits were used for serum determinations. Results: Chronic fluoxetine administration in obese Zucker rats generated a reduction in body weight gain, food intake, adipocyte size, fat mass, and body protein. A decrease in NPY immunostaining in the paraventricular nucleus, without changes in the arcuate, was observed. However, no changes were observed in the number of neural cells immunostained for orexin A or orexin B in the lateral hypothalamic area. Discussion: Due to the hyperphagic effect of NPY in the paraventricular nucleus, these results suggest that NPY, but not orexins, could be involved in the anorexigenic effect of fluoxetine in obese Zucker rats.     

Involvement of 5-HT(2A/2B/2C) receptors on memory formation: simple agonism,antagonism, or inverse agonism?

1. The 5-HT₂ receptors subdivision into the 5-HT_2A/2B/2C subtypes along with the advent of the selective antagonists has allowed a more detailed investigation on the role and therapeutic significance of these subtypes in cognitive functions. The present study further analyzed the 5-HT₂ receptors role on memory consolidation.2. The SB-200646 (a selective 5-HT_2B/2C receptor antagonist) and LY215840 (a nonselective 5-HT_2/7 receptor antagonist) posttraining administration had no effect on an autoshaped memory consolidation. However, both drugs significantly and differentially antagonized the memory impairments induced by 1-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine (mCPP), 1-naphtyl-piperazine (1-NP), mesulergine, or N-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl) piperazine (TFMPP).3. In contrast, SB-200646 failed to modify the facilitatory procognitive effect produced by (±)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) or ketanserin, which were sensitive to MDL100907 (a selective 5-HT_2A receptor antagonist) and to a LY215840 high dose.4. Finally, SB-200646 reversed the learning deficit induced by dizocilpine, but not that by scopolamine; while SB-200646 and MDL100907 coadministration reversed memory deficits induced by both drugs.5. It is suggested that 5-HT_2B/2C receptors might be involved on memory formation probably mediating a suppressive or constraining action. Whether the drug-induced memory impairments in this study are explained by simple agonism, antagonism, or inverse agonism at 5-HT₂ receptors remains unclear at this time.6. Notably, the 5-HT₂ receptor subtypes blockade may provide some benefit to reverse poor memory consolidation conditions associated with decreased cholinergic, glutamatergic, and/or serotonergic neurotransmission.     

Expression of chemerin and its receptors in the ovaries of prepubertal and mature gilts

Recent studies have demonstrated that chemerin participates in the regulation of female reproductive function at the level of the ovaries. Due to the lack of data concerning the presence of the chemerin system (chemerin and its receptors: CMKLR1, GPR1, CCRL2) in the ovaries of pigs, one of the most economically important livestock species, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression and localization of chemerin and its receptors in the ovaries of prepubertal and mature gilts. We also aimed to examine the concentrations of chemerin in the follicular fluid of prepubertal and mature animals. In the present study, we have demonstrated the expression patterns of chemerin system components in the porcine follicles of different sizes of prepubertal and mature animals, as well as in corpora lutea of mature gilts during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. The obtained results suggest that the expression of chemerin system components is influenced by the reproductive stage, cell type, and the hormonal status of gilts (the estrous cycle/pregnancy). We have also presented the localization of the chemerin system components in various ovarian structures, and also showed changes in the concentration of chemerin in the follicular fluid of pigs. The presented findings not only confirm that chemerin is produced locally in the porcine ovary but they also demonstrate that chemerin directly affects ovarian cells, as confirmed by the presence of chemerin receptors in all ovarian structures. Therefore, chemerin appears to be an important intra‐ovarian factor that could regulate ovary function in pigs.     

Liver Lipid Composition and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats After Ingestion of Dietary Fats (Fish, Olive and High-Oleic Sunflower Oils)

Hypertension is associated with greater than normal lipoperoxidation and an imbalance in antioxidant status, suggesting that oxidative stress is important in the pathogenesis of this disease. Although many studies have examined the effect of antioxidants in the diet on hypertensión and other disorders, less attention has been given to the evaluation of the role of specific dietary lipids in modulating endogenous antioxidant enzyme status. Previously, we have described that liver antioxidant enzyme activities may be modulated by consumption of different oils in normotensive rats. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of feeding different lipidic diets (olive oil, OO, high-oleic-acid sunflower oil, HOSO, and fish oil, FO) on liver antioxidant enzyme activities of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Plasma and liver lipid composition was also studied. Total triacylglycerol concentration increases in plasma and liver of animals fed on the HOSO and OO diets and decreases in those fed on the FO diet, relative to rats fed the control diet. The animals fed on the oil-enriched diet show similar hepatic cholesterol and phospholipid contents, which are higher than the control group. Consumption of the FO diet results in a decrease in the total cholesterol and phospholipid concentration in plasma, compared with the high-oleic-acid diets. In liver, the FO group show higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the (n-3) series, in relation to the animals fed on the diets enriched in oleic acid. Livers of FO-fed rats, compared with those of OO- and HOSO-fed rats showed: (i) significantly higher activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase; (ii) no differences in the NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity. The HOSO diet had a similar effect on liver antioxidant enzyme activities as the OO diet. In conclusion, it appears that changes in the liver fatty acid composition due mainly to n-3 lipids may enhance the efficiency of the antioxidant defence system and may yield a benefit in the hypertension status. The two monounsaturated fatty acids oils studied (OO and HOSO), with the same high content of oleic acid, but different content of natural antioxidants, had similar effects on the antioxidant enzyme activities studied.     

Gene expression in the hippocampus of inbred alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats

The hippocampus is sensitive to the effects of ethanol and appears to have a role in the development of alcohol tolerance. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that there are innate differences in gene expression in the hippocampus of inbred alcohol-preferring (iP) and -nonpreferring (iNP) rats that may contribute to differences in sensitivity to ethanol and/or in the development of tolerance. Affymetrix microarrays were used to measure gene expression in the hippocampus of alcohol-naive male iP and iNP rats in two experiments (n=4 and 6 per strain in the two experiments). Combining data from the two experiments, there were 137 probesets representing 129 genes that significantly differed (P < or = 0.01); 62 probesets differed at P < or = 0.001. Among the 36% of the genes that were expressed more in the iP than iNP rat at this level of significance, many were involved in cell growth and adhesion, cellular stress reduction and anti-oxidation, protein trafficking, regulation of gene expression, synaptic function and metabolism. Among the 64% of the genes that had lower expression in the hippocampus of iP than iNP rats were genes involved in metabolic pathways, cellular signaling systems, protein trafficking, cell death and neurotransmission. Overall, the data indicate that there are significant innate differences in gene expression in the hippocampus between iP and iNP rats, some of which might contribute to the differences observed in the development of alcohol tolerance between the selectively bred P and NP lines.     

次声暴露对大鼠脾、肝脏某些酶活性的影响

目的:观察8 Hz,130 dB次声暴露不同时间对大鼠脾、肝脏某些酶活性的影响.方法:35只SD大鼠随机分为5组,即对照组,1周,2周,3周,4周组.每天次声暴露1次,每次2 h.实验后,观察大鼠脾、肝脏组织中MAO,GSH-px,SOD活性和MDA含量的变化.结果:大鼠脾脏MAO活性1周,2周时显著增高(P＜0.01),3周下降,4周时又显著增加(P＜0.05).肝脏组织MAO活性变化不明显(P＞0.05).脾脏组织中GSH-px活性在4周时明显增高(P＜0.05),肝脏组织中GSH-px活性在1周时就有显著性增高(P＜0.05).脾脏SOD活性在1周至4周均有显著性增高(P＜0.05).肝脏组织在实验期变化不明显(P＞0.05).脾脏组织中MDA含量在3周至4周时有显著性增高(P＜0.05).肝脏组织在1至2周时有非常显著的增高(P＜0.01),在3周时下降,到4周时又显著高于对照组(P＜0.05).结论:8Hz,130 dB次声暴露,大鼠脾、肝脏组织活性氧自由基、脂质过氧化物增高,抗氧化能力降低,造成对组织的损伤.     

慢性吗啡给予、戒断及再给药过程中大鼠海马感觉门控的动态变化

药物成瘾被认为是药物长期作用于脑而产生的一种慢性复吸性脑疾病,长期反复的药物（如吗啡）滥用会导致一系列严重后果,如药物依赖、药物耐受、强迫性药物寻求等。本实验利用条件化位置偏好（conditioned place preference,CPP）模型来检测大鼠对吗啡依赖和心理渴求等过程;采用双声刺激听觉诱发电位来研究大鼠在慢性吗啡给予、戒断以及再给药过程中海马感觉门控（N40）的动态变化。吗啡组大鼠注射吗啡（10mg／kg,i．p．）12d,经历第一次戒断12d,再次注射吗啡（2．5mg／kg,i．P．）1d,之后经历第二次戒断2d;对照组大鼠注射同体积生理盐水,其余实验条件与吗啡组相同。CPP实验表明,这种药物给予方法促使大鼠对吗啡产生药物依赖和心理渴求。双声刺激诱发电位实验表明,吗啡组大鼠在吗啡给予期间海马感觉门控受到损伤;第一次戒断期的第1～2天海马感觉门控能力减弱,第3天增强,第4～12天逐渐恢复到正常水平;再次给予吗啡后海马感觉门控能力与对照组相比显著降低,并且随后2d的戒断期内海马感觉门控能力也一直保持较低水平,表明再次给药使大鼠海马感觉门控对吗啡更加敏感化。结果提示,长期反复的吗啡给予及再给药干扰了海马的感觉门控能力,吗啡成瘾对大脑可能产生长期影响。