Allograft of developing metanephroi into omenta of cyclosporine-treated adult rats after preservation

To evaluate the animal models and the effect on organogenesis and function of embryonic metanephroi allografted into cyclosporine-treated aduld rats after their preservation in histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution.Methods Whole metanephroi preserved in HTK for 3 days from embryonic day 16 and 17 (E16,E17) of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were grouped and allografted into the omenta of cyclosporine-treated SD adult rats which had one kidney resected.E16 metanephroi implanted directly into omenta were used as controls.3 to 4 weeks after implantation,metanephroi allografted in host rats were removed for histopathological and electronic microscopy (EM) examination or anastomosed for renal function measurement 8 weeks later.Results 3 to 4 weeks post-implantation,E16 and E17 metanephroi had formed mature nephrons and collecting ducts with few lympocytic infiltration.EM examination showed they had cellular ultrastructure of normal nephrons and collecting ducts.E16 and E17 metanephroi allografted after preservation for 3 days had no significantly different values of wet weight (P=0.346,P=0.705),urine volume (P=0.396,P=0.687),and creatinine clearances (P=0.469,P=0.543) from those of E16 metanephroi implanted directly.Conclusion E16 and E17 metanephroi allografted into cyclosporine-treated adult rats undergo growth and differentiation and exhibit excretory function after preservation in HTK solution for 3 days.9 refs,1 tabs.

Effects of "Products of Chicken Embryo" on Growth and Sexual Development in Rats

Products of Chicken Embryo (PCE) such as Ji-Pei-Jing is a kind of food for Chinese children prepard from chicken embryo. Female rats on 21 days were administered with aqueous solutions of Ji-Pei-Jing (1. 2 %, 3 %, 12%, and 48%, respectively) by gavage up to their onsets of puberty.The rats in the control group were treated with distilled water. However, Ji-Pei-Jing treatment exerted some effects on sexual mauration in the immature female rats. Essentially, the effects showed a dose-response tendency with an inverted 'U' shape.The age of vopnal opening for gnup treated with Ji-Pei-Jing was significantly earier than that to the control. Its uterus weight/b. w. ratio also significantly increased on day 30 and at the first estrus. There were significantly increases in the adrenal weight/b. w. raio of 30-day-old rats that were treated with 3%, 12%, and 48% Ji-Pei-Jing. The rats treated with 48% Ji-Pei-Jing had significantly lesser ovary weight.b.w. radio on day 30, too. The rats treated with Ji-Pei-Jing could normally ovulate at the first estrus, and no significant differences were observed during estrous cycles.The effects of PCE on serum levels of K, P, LH in 30-day-old nds and FSH in 28-day-old ras were elevated significantly by 3 % Ji-Pei-Jing treatment. It appeare that the effects of PCE result from interaction of contained complex physiologically active substances. Steriods, especially estradio-17β,possibly Play a key role, and polpeptide hormones may also exert important effects.

Embryonic skeleton development and neonatal learning and memory ability of rats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium: Differences of administration occasion and time

BACKGROUND: Generally speaking, anesthesia is often used in gravid body and it has been already proved that many kind of medicine can result in malformation. OBJECTIVE: To explore embryonic skeleton development and neonatal learning and memory of rats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium in gravid rats. DESIGN: A randomized control trial. SETTING: Laboratory Animal Center of Xuzhou Medical College. MATERIALS: A total of 80 adult female SD rats, of clean grade and weighing 220-240 g, were selected in this study. The main reagents were detailed as follows: pentobarbital sodium (Shanghai Xingzhi Chemical Plant, batch number: 921019); MG-2 maze test apparatus (Zhangjiagang Biomedical Instrument Factory); somatotype microscope (Beijing Taike Instrument Co., Ltd.). METHODS: ① A total of 160 SD rats of half males and females were selected in this study. All rats were copulated. The day that the plug was checked out in the vagina next day was looked as the first day of pregnancy. Gravid rats were divided randomly into four groups, including early anesthesia group, second anesthesia group, late anesthesia group and control group with 20 in each group. Rats in the early anesthesia group were injected with 25 mg/kg soluble pentobarbitone on the 7th day of pregnancy for once; rats in the second anesthesia group were anesthetized with 25 mg/kg soluble pentobarbitone on the 7th and the 14th days of pregnancy for once; rats in the late anesthesia group were anesthetized with 25 mg/kg soluble pentobarbitone on the 14th day of pregnancy for once; rats in the control group did not treat with anything. The time of anesthetizing was controlled in 3 to 4 hours and ether was absorbed while the time was not enough. ② Half of each group was sacrificed on day 20th of pregnancy and the fetus was taken out to be stained with alizarin red S. After stained, the fetal skeleton was examined. The learning and memorizing of one-month rats that were given birth by the rest gravid rats were tested through electric mare method. Determine their study ability according to their correct rate of 90% or above of arrival at the safe area in 20 s. After they finally learned to arrive at the safe area correctly, test them once more in 24 hours and record the correct rate of 15 times. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The rate of malformation in fetus and ability of learning and memory in one-month rats. RESULTS: A total of 80 female rats were anesthetized in this experiment. Totally 490 immature rats were tested with maze testing machine and 196 fetuses were stained with alizarin red S to observe the development of their skeleton. However, one of the 80 female rats was led to death because of overdose. ① Malformation experiment: Learning ability of second anesthesia group was evidently different from the control group while the other two groups were not in the electric mare method. The fetal skeleton malformation rate of three experimental groups was 87.0%, 60.9% and 17.9%, respectively, while it was 5.6% in the control group. ② Electric mare method: Times of rats which arrived at the safe regions were respectively 49.0±31.0, 68.0±35.0, 47.0±31.0 and 44.0±21.0 in early anesthesia group, second anesthesia group, late anesthesia group and control group; and then, there was significant difference between the second anesthesia group and the control group (P < 0.05). Exact rates of memory of rats were respectively (64.36±14.35)%, (62.15±18.33)%, (54.19±12.28)% and (68.24±15.91)% in early anesthesia group, second anesthesia group, late anesthesia group and control group; and then, there were no significant differences as compared with the control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The influence of anesthesia with pentobarbital sodium is obvious in fetal skeleton development and learning and memory ability.

Effect of Botubinum toxin type A injection into the masseter muscle on mandibular development in rats

Objective To investigate the effect of Botulinum toxin type A(Botox)injection into the masseter muscle on mandibular development in rats.Methods 1228-day-old Wistar rats were divided into two groups as Botox group(n=6)and control group(n=6)

Ontogeny of Psychomotor and Sensory Functions in the Rat: Effects of Sexual Dimorphism

Background: We studied the development of eight (8) different psychomotor and sensory functions in male and female rats, from postnatal day 10 to 45, with the aim of determining whether the ontogenesis of these functions was subject to sexual dimorphism. Methods: Wistar rats bred according to standard conditions in our laboratories were put into reproduction. Ten days after whelping, male and female pups were identified and subjected to a battery of behavioral tests on postnatal days 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 45, to assess the development of the following psychomotor and sensory functions: Exploratory activity, locomotor activity, emotional defecation, hind paws lifting reflex latency, wire-grasping time, Latencies of execution of crawling along the wire and of leap onto the ground, nociception (tail flick) and body weight. Results: Only complex brain functions generated by cerebral cortex activities, i.e. exploratory activity and leap execution latency, do not undergo differential development sex-dependent. However, voluntary motor functions initiated in the motor cortex, and requiring high peripheral muscle performance such as crawling execution latency and wire-grasping time developed more rapidly in males than in females. Correlatively, body weight i.e. muscle mass index increased more speedily in males than in females. On the other hand, studies of automatic motor functions such as locomotor activity, and reflex motor functions i.e. hind paws lifting reflex latency and tail flick latency showed earlier development in females than in males. In addition, the study of emotional response, an emanation of limbic structures, showed prodigious development in females compared to males. Conclusion: Our studies have shown that there is a developmental sexual dimorphism of the central nervous system in the rat. Indeed, studies of automatic and reflex motor functions, whose activities are essentially linked to the spinal cord and brainstem, indicated that hindbrain areas develop more speedily in females than in males. Likewise, study of the emotional response emanating from diencephalic limbic structures, in particular the hypothalamus, showed a prodigious and early development in females compared to males. Taken together, our studies indicate that the vast majority of brain structures and functions reached maturation earlier in females than in males. Estrogen is the trigger hormone for early maturation of the female brain.

IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ERYTHROPOIETIN AND ITS RECEPTOR EXPRESSION IN POSTNATAL RAT RETINA DEVELOPMENT

Objective To investigate the distribution of erythropoietin （EPO） and erythropoietin receptor （ EPOR ） expression in the postnatal rat retina development. Methods Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 7 groups according to their various postnatal days： postnatal 1 d （D1 group）, 3 d （D3 group）, I week （W1 group）, 2 weeks （W2 group）, 3 weeks （W3 group）, 4 weeks （W4 group） and8 weeks （W8 group） （ n = 6 ）. Single eye was randomly chosen from each rat for the study. The retinal sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin （HE） and used for the retina development observation. Immunohistochemical staining was used to localize EPO and EPOR expressions in retinas.of differentstages of development, and the expression intensities were determined by an image plus 4 program~~ Results The retinal inner nuclear layer （INL） and outer nuclear layer （ONL） were mixed together and had not yet fully differentiated in D1 and D3 groups. The INL and ONL formed their own independent regions and the outer plexiform layer （OPL） appeared between two layers in W1 group. With the postnatal retinal development, the inner plexiform layer （ IPL ） , rods and cones layer （ RCL ）, and OPL were gradually widened and stabilized in W2 to W3 groups. EPO/EPOR expressions located prominently in the inner part of the postnatal rat developing retinas. The expression of EPO in GCL and INL gradually increased from DI to W4, then the expression decreased in W8. Expression of EPOR in GCL gradually increased from DI to WI , then decreased in W2 ; and it gradually increased again from W3 to W8. Expression of EPOR in INL gradually increased from D1 to W1, then decreased in W2 ; and it continued to decrease from W3 to W8. Expression of EPOR in the external segment of RCL gradually increased from D1 to W8. However, expression in the internal segment of RCL gradually decreased from D1 to W3 , then no obvious expression was seen in the internal segment of RCL in W4 and W8. Conclusion EPO/EPOR expressions locate prominently in the inner part of the postnatal rat developing retina. And EPO/EPOR expressions in the rat retinas exist the dynamic changes during the postnatal retina development period.

TEMPORAL EXPRESSION OF NOTCH RECEPTORS DURING LUNG DEVELOPMENT IN RAT

Objective To investigate the temporal expression of Notch receptors in developing lungs of rats and to explore the regulating role of Notch in lung development. Methods We studied the expression of Notch1,2,3 isforms in embryonic days 18,20,21 and postnatal days 1,4,7,14, 21 rat lungs. Six rats of each group were used to assess lung histologic changes by HE staining and expression of Notch in lungs by immunohistochemistry. Total RNA was extracted by Trizol reagent from the frozen lung tissues. mRNA levels of Notch were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results It is showed that Notch_ 1-3 mainly localized in the airway surface epithelium、alveolar epithelium during the psdueoglandular stage, and reached the peaks at canalicular period. The expression patterns of Notch_ 1-3 were changed with the fetal age. Conclusion These results support multiple roles for Notch1,2,and 3 receptor activation during lung development, probably not only modulating the process of branching morphogenesis but also involved in determining the cell differentiation fate in fetal alveolar epithelium.