Rats with metabolic syndrome resist the protective effects of N-acetyl l-cystein against impaired spermatogenesis induced by high-phosphorus/zinc-free diet

Consumption of relatively high amounts of processed food can result in abnormal nutritional status, such as zinc deficiency or phosphorus excess. Moreover, hyperphosphatemia and hypozincemia are found in some patients with diabetic nephropathy and metabolic syndrome. The present study investigated the effects of high-phosphorus/zinc-free diet on the reproductive function of spontaneously hypertensive rats/NDmcr-cp (SHR/cp), a model of the metabolic syndrome. We also investigated the effects of antioxidant, N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), on testicular dysfunction under such conditions. Male SHR/cp and control rats (Wistar Kyoto rats, WKY) were divided into three groups; rats fed control diet (P 0.3%, w/w; Zn 0.2%, w/w), high-phosphorus and zinc-deficient diet (P 1.2%, w/w; Zn 0.0%, w/w) with vehicle, or high-phosphorus and zinc-deficient diet with NAC (1.5 mg/g/day) for 12 weeks (n = 6 or 8 rats/group). The weights of testis and epididymis were significantly reduced by high-phosphate/zinc-free diet in both SHR/cp and WKY. The same diet significantly reduced caudal epididymal sperm count and motility and induced histopathological changes in the testis in both strains. Treatment with NAC provided significant protection against the toxic effects of the diet on testicular function in WKY, but not in SHR/cp. The lack of the protective effects of NAC on impaired spermatogenesis in SHR/cp could be due to the more pronounced state of oxidative stress observed in these rats compared with WKY.     

Chlorophytum borivilianum Root Extract Maintains near Normal Blood Glucose,Insulin and Lipid Profile Levels and Prevents Oxidative Stress in the Pancreas of Streptozotocin-Induced Adult Male Diabetic Rats

The effect of C. borivilianum root on blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbAIc), insulin and lipid profile levels in diabetes mellitus are not fully understood. This study therefore investigated the effect of C. borivilianum root on the above parameters and oxidative stress of the pancreas in diabetes. Methods: C. borivilianum root aqueous extract (250 and 500 mg/kg/day) was administered to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced male diabetic rats for 28 days. Body weight, blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin, lipid profile levels and glucose homeostasis indices were determined. Histopathological changes and oxidative stress parameters i.e. lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant enzymes activity levels of the pancreas were investigated. Results: C. borivilianum root extract treatment to diabetic rats maintained near normal body weight, blood glucose, HbA1c, lipid profile and insulin levels with higher HOMA-β cell functioning index, number of Islets/pancreas, number of β-cells/Islets however with lower HOMA-insulin resistance (IR) index as compared to non-treated diabetic rats. Negative correlations between serum insulin and blood glucose, HbA1c, triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels were observed. C. borivilianum root extract administration prevented the increase in lipid peroxidation and the decrease in activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) with mild histopathological changes in the pancreas of diabetic rats. Conclusions: C. borivilianum root maintains near normal levels of these metabolites and prevented oxidative stress-induced damage to the pancreas in diabetes.     

不同脂肪含量的高脂纯化配方饲料对大、小鼠代谢综合征发生的影响

 摘要： 目的 探讨不同脂肪含量的高脂纯化配方饲料对大、小鼠体重、血糖、血胰岛素、血脂、脂肪肝及白蛋白尿的影响。 方法 雄性SD大鼠及C57BL/6小鼠随机分为MS10%、MS45%和MS60%脂肪含量饲料组,喂养3个月,检测动物体重、血糖、血胰岛素水平、血脂和蛋白尿水平,以及主要脏器重量及肝脏脂质含量。 结果 与正常组（MS10%脂肪含量）相比,高脂组（MS45%和MS60%脂肪含量）动物体重显著增加,出现明显的糖耐量异常、胰岛素抵抗和血脂水平升高,同时伴有肝脏脂质含量和蛋白尿水平的增加,并且以MS45%高脂组体重增加及胰岛素抵抗更加显著。 结论 MS45%和MS60%高脂配方饲料均可在大、小鼠较好地诱导代谢综合征的发生,而且前者优于后者。 关键词： 高脂饲料;胰岛素抵抗;肥胖;代谢综合征     

High fat/sucrose feeding attenuates the hypertension of spontaneously hypertensive rats

To assess the caloric and cardiovascular effects of dietary obesity on an important animal model of hypertension research, 60-day-old male spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats were fed either Agway pelleted chow (Pellet), a diet enriched in fat and sucrose (HF/M), or alternated (Cycled) between 2-week periods of HF/M diet and Agway pelleted chow. After 14 weeks, HF/M feeding elevated the body weight of SHR rats by 15% over the body weight of pellet-fed control rats. This relative obesity was accompanied by heavier white (retroperitoneal) and brown (interscapular) fat pads, heavier heart weights, and tachycardia. Paradoxically, the systolic blood pressure levels of SHR rats fed the HF/M diet were reduced. Ruled out as an explanation for the blood pressure reduction was the relative polyunsaturated to saturated fat (P/S) rati of the diet. The hypertension of SHR rats may be due in part to the effects of an underlying metabolic problem that is counteracted by the effects of HF/M feeding; HF/M feeding not only elevated body weight but also reversed the hypoinsulinemia found in pellet-fed SHR rats. The Cycled group evidenced large up-and-down swings in caloric intake that coincided with HF/M and Pellet feeding; this produced modest staircase-like changes in body weight gain. Similar to the HF/M group, the systolic blood pressure level of the Cycled group was also reduced in comparison to the blood pressure level of the Pellet group. However, the Cycled group was found to be more responsive to the pressor effects of intravenous phenylephrine, an alpha-adrenergic agonist.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Tocotrienols-rich diet decreases advanced glycosylation end-products in non-diabetic rats and improves glycemic control in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

This study determined the effects of palm vitamin E (TRF) diet on the levels of blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (gHb), serum advanced glycosylation end-products (AGE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) of diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats received either control (normal rat chow), TRF diet (normal chow fortified with TRF at 1 g/kg) or Vitamin C diet (vitamin E-deficient but contained vitamin C at 45 g/kg). The animals were maintained on the respective diet for 4 weeks, made diabetic with streptozotocin (STZ), then followed-up for a further 8 weeks. At week-4, mean serum AGE levels of rats given TRF diet (0.7 +/- 0.3 units/ml) were significantly lower than those of control or Vitamin C diet rats (p pounds 0.03). The levels increased after STZ and became comparable to the other groups. At week 12, blood glucose (20.9 +/- 6.9 mM) and gHb (10.0 +/- 1.6%) of rats on TRF diet remained significantly low compared to that of control or Vitamin C diet rats (p pounds 0.03). MDA however, was not affected and remained comparable between groups throughout the study. This study showed that TRF may be a useful antioxidant; effectively prevented increase in AGE in normal rats, and caused decrease in blood glucose and gHb in diabetic rats. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of action of TRF.     

Alloxan diabetes in spontaneously hypertensive rats: gravimetric,metabolic and histopathological alterations.

In order to investigate the combined effects of diabetes and hypertension on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, adult male and female SHR rats which develop hypertension spontaneously were given a single, 10 mg or 15 mg/100 g body wt. injection of alloxan s.c. to induce moderate or severe diabetes. Insulin was deliberately withheld. Animals were examined by autopsy daily for 7 days post-alloxan and after 4 and 8 weeks. Mortality was high--only 52% of the males survived as against 80% of the females. Most deaths occurred on Day 5 and were associated with adrenal haemorrhage and hyperplasia, thymus galnd involution, fatty liver and marked hypotension despite elevated aldosterone levels. During the first week, corticosterone levels increased significantly in the male; in females they showed little change. After 4 weeks, the severly diabetic animals became emaciated and moribund; corticosterone and aldosterone levels fell to very low levels despite adrenal hyperplasia. The beta cells of the moderately diabetic animals eventually lost their ability to secrete insulin and these animals too became cachetic and moribund with concomitant elevation of lipid, glucose and BUN levels, as well as myocardial infarction, fatty liver, and generalized hyalin arteriolo-, arterio-, and nephrosclerosis. It is suggested that the combined hormonal and metabolic alterations of diabetes and hypertension reinforced one another in these spontaneously hypertensive rats, leading to intense stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system, the exacerbation of those cardiovascular degenerative changes known to be associated with uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension, eventual impaired adrenocortical steroidogenesis, hypotension and death.     

Sodium balance during development of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR)

Sodium balance was studied in 7 and 16 week old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), in matched normotensive Wistar rats (NCR) and in Wistar Kyoto rats (WKR). The animals were placed in metabolic cages and given diets with either normal sodium content (5.35 mmol sodium/100 g food) or with a sodium content 3 or 10 times the normal. Whether on normal or increased sodium diet we did not observe any increased sodium retention in either SHR age group. However, in both SHR groups urinary sodium excretion was significantly decreased, while faecal sodium excretion was correspondingly increased compared with the controls. This shift of sodium excretion from kidneys to gastrointestinal tract in SHR did not reflect any ‘primary’ inability of the SHR kidneys to excrete sufficient sodium amounts since on high sodium diet they excreted the increased sodium load as readily as the normotensive controls. The present results do not support the concept that a primary renal retention of sodium and water should be of pathogenetic importance for the SHR variant of primary hypertension.     

Renal dopamine and noradrenaline excretion during CNS-induced natriuresis in spontaneously hypertensive rats: influence of dietary sodium

Abnormalities in dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) activities and sodium handling may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The present study was designed to investigate whether any differences exist between normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in urinary excretion of DA, NA and sodium after 15 weeks on a low, medium or high sodium diet and during a subsequent elevation of the cerebroventricular fluid sodium concentration (CNS-induced natriuresis). Seven features were noted: (1) Basal sodium and DA excretion after the diet regimen was correlated to the dietary sodium content in both strains, except that sodium and DA excretion in SHR showed no further increase after the high sodium diet over and above that after medium sodium diet. (2) For any given sodium diet, SHR excreted more DA and NA as compared with WKY. (3) Blood pressure in SHR, as opposed to that in WKY, was higher after medium and high sodium diet than after low sodium diet. (4) During CNS-induced natriuresis NA excretion decreased or remained unchanged in WKY, but increased in SHR. (5) The DA/NA excretion ratio during CNS-induced natriuresis increased in WKY while decreased in SHR, which would not favour a natriuretic/vasodilatory response in the latter. (6) The ability of SHR to respond with CNS-induced natriuresis was attenuated after high sodium diet. (7) The magnitude of CNS-induced natriuresis was in both strains correlated to the sodium diet; the higher the dietary sodium content, the greater the natriuretic response. In conclusion, the study shows some clear differences in the catecholamine and sodium handling between WKY and SHR which may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension in SHR. Furthermore, increased sodium in the diet sensitizes the brain and kidney to increase the ability to respond with natriuresis for a given sodium stimulus.     

当归内酯联合消渴丸对糖尿病肾病大鼠肾脏保护及血管内皮生长因子信号通路的调节作用

目的 探讨当归内酯联合消渴丸对糖尿病肾病大鼠血糖调节、肾脏保护及其体内血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）信号通路的调节作用。 方法 75只大鼠随机分为5组,分别为对照组、模型组、消渴丸组、当归内酯组、当归内酯联合消渴丸组,每组15只。除对照组外,其余大鼠建立糖尿病肾病大鼠模型,消渴丸组、当归内酯组、当归内酯联合消渴丸组分别灌胃给予大鼠消渴丸（0.8 g/kg）、当归内酯（20 mg/kg）、消渴丸（0.8 g/kg）联合当归内酯（20 mg/kg）,每日给药1次,连续8周后,测定大鼠24 h尿蛋白量、空腹血糖及餐后血糖水平、糖化血清蛋白及糖化血红蛋白水平、空腹胰岛素水平及胰岛素敏感指数、血肌酐（SCr）及血尿素氮（BUN）水平,Real-time PCR检测大鼠胰岛组织胰岛素（INS）及葡萄糖-6-磷酸酶（G6Pase）mRNA水平, HE染色检测大鼠肾脏组织病理学变化,Western blotting及免疫组织化学检测大鼠肾脏VEGF、血管内皮生长因子受体2（VEGFR2）水平。 结果 与模型组相比,当归内酯联合消渴丸大鼠24 h尿蛋白量、空腹血糖及餐后血糖水平、糖化血清蛋白及糖化血红蛋白水平、空腹胰岛素水平、SCr及BUN水平、肾脏组织VEGF、VEGFR2蛋白水平及相对积分吸光度均明显降低（P<0.05）,胰岛素敏感指数、胰岛组织INS及G6Pase mRNA水平明显升高（P<0.05）,差异有统计学意义,同时糖尿病肾病大鼠肾脏组织病理学明显改善。 结论 当归内酯联合消渴丸能够降低糖尿病肾病大鼠血糖水平,同时改善大鼠肾功能及病理变化,其机制可能与调节VEGF信号通路有关。     

Comparison of renal morphology in the Streptozotocin and the SHR/N-cp models of diabetes

The Streptozotocin (STZ) model of diabetes is commonly used for studies of diabetic nephropathy although the histological lesions of the kidney are mild and do not resemble those seen in diabetic patients. The SHR/N-cp rat model of type II diabetes spontaneously develops pronounced abnormalities in renal histology. In the present study, we compared renal morphology in the STZ rat and the diabetic SHR/N-cp rat. Sprague-Dawley rats received STZ, developed diabetes after 2 days and were treated with insulin. In the SHR/N-cp rat, obesity is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. The progeny are either lean (used as controls) or obese and diabetic. After 6 months of observation, STZ and SHR/N-cp rats were killed. The renal damage was evaluated by assessing damage indices and by using stereological techniques. In addition, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy were performed. The glomerular and tubulointerstitial changes were much more pronounced in the diabetic SHR/N-cp compared to the STZ model. In parallel glomerular PCNA+cells were significantly more frequent and expression of TGF-beta and PDGF by immunohistochemistry in glomeruli and in the tubulointerstitial space was more pronounced in SHR/N-cp compared to STZ rats. The glomeruli of SHR/N-cp contained less and larger podocytes as well as smaller mesangial cells embedded in more mesangial matrix compared to STZ. Similarly, less, but larger endothelial cells were found in SHR/N-cp than in STZ rats. The mean glomerular volume was similarly increased in the two models. Albumin excretion was only modestly increased in STZ diabetes, but pronounced in the SHR/N-cp rat. Although the STZ model of diabetes exhibits numerous biochemical sequelae of hyperglycemia, the morphological lesions are unimpressive. In contrast, the diabetic SHR/N-cp exhibits marked structural lesions, particularly podocyte damage and mesangial expansion that promise to make it a more suitable model for investigation of diabetic glomerulosclerosis.     

Renal dopamine and noradrenaline excretion during CNS‐induced natriuresis in spontaneously hypertensive rats: influence of dietary sodium

Abnormalities in dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) activities and sodium handling may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The present study was designed to investigate whether any differences exist between normotensive Wistar–Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in urinary excretion of DA, NA and sodium after 15 weeks on a low, medium or high sodium diet and during a subsequent elevation of the cerebroventricular fluid sodium concentration (CNS‐induced natriuresis). Seven features were noted: (1) Basal sodium and DA excretion after the diet regimen was correlated to the dietary sodium content in both strains, except that sodium and DA excretion in SHR showed no further increase after the high sodium diet over and above that after medium sodium diet. (2) For any given sodium diet, SHR excreted more DA and NA as compared with WKY. (3) Blood pressure in SHR, as opposed to that in WKY, was higher after medium and high sodium diet than after low sodium diet. (4) During CNS‐induced natriuresis NA excretion decreased or remained unchanged in WKY, but increased in SHR. (5) The DA/NA excretion ratio during CNS‐induced natriuresis increased in WKY while decreased in SHR, which would not favour a natriuretic/vasodilatory response in the latter. (6) The ability of SHR to respond with CNS‐induced natriuresis was attenuated after high sodium diet. (7) The magnitude of CNS‐induced natriuresis was in both strains correlated to the sodium diet; the higher the dietary sodium content, the greater the natriuretic response. In conclusion, the study shows some clear differences in the catecholamine and sodium handling between WKY and SHR which may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension in SHR. Furthermore, increased sodium in the diet sensitizes the brain and kidney to increase the ability to respond with natriuresis for a given sodium stimulus.     

Comparison of metabolic and neuropathy profiles of rats with streptozotocin-induced overt and moderate insulinopenia

To assess the relative roles of insulinopenia, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy, we compared plasma insulin, glucose and lipid metabolism and peripheral nerve function in rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced overt and moderate insulinopenia (hyperglycemic, STZ-HG; random glucose>11 mM and normoglycemic, STZ-NG rats). While being slightly insulinopenic, STZ-NG rats are metabolically not different from control, naive animals, by having normal glucose tolerance and normal levels of plasma glucose, glycated HbA1c, cholesterol and triglycerides. Two weeks following injection of STZ, STZ-HG but not STZ-NG rats had suppressed motor nerve conduction velocity, F-wave prevalence, withdrawal responses to heat and von Frey filament stimuli. In apparent correlation with plasma insulin level, both STZ-HG and -NG rats manifested exaggerated responses in paw pressure and colorectal distension tests. These data suggest that insulinopenia may play a leading role in the diabetic impairment of deep muscle and visceral afferent pathways while hyperglycemia/dyslipidemia may represent a key requirement for the onset and progression of electrophysiological nerve impairment and loss of superficial heat and tactile perception. STZ-NG rats offer a convenient model for the investigation of the short-term effects of insulinopenia on peripheral nerve function.     

Glycemic control of pain threshold in diabetic and control rats

Pain threshold was assessed via tail flick latency in alloxan-diabetic, streptozotocin-diabetic, BB/W-diabetic, and control laboratory rats. In addition, tail flick latency was determined under conditions of both euglycemia (60-120 mg/dl) and hyperglycemia (greater than 250 mg/dl). Conditions of hyperglycemia resulted in a significant decrease in tail flick latency in both diabetic and control animals. More interestingly, tail flick latency was returned to control values in diabetic rats following normalization of blood glucose levels. It is concluded that elevated blood glucose levels result in a decrease in pain threshold in both diabetic and control rats. In addition, a permanent state of painful symptoms may be avoided in clinical diabetes by improvement of diabetic control.     

Glomerular basement membrane thickness following islet transplantation in the diabetic rat.

Glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickness was measured in diabetic rats prior to and following islet transplantation. Over the course of the experiment (from 7 to 13 months of diabetes) GBM thickness in diabetic animals exceeded that of littermate controls. After 7 months of diabetes a group of animals received successful intraportal transplants of neonatal pancreatic tissue. GBM thickness at 2 and 6 months following islet transplantation matched the thickness in nontransplanted diabetic rats and exceeded that in control animals. Failure to reverse GBM thickening in diabetic rats following islet transplantation may be due to very slow rates of GBM tunover in the rat. Previous work has demonstrated normalization of urinary albumin excretion after islet transplantation, suggesting that GBM thickening, per se, is not a significant factor causing albuminuria in rats with longstanding diabetes.     

Renal and cardiovascular effects of atrial natriuretic peptide in Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats during a chronic salt loading

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were maintained on tap water or 1.5% NaCl for 3 weeks. During the high sodium regime 24-h urinary sodium excretion increased 10-fold and the basal blood pressure increased in the SHR. After 3 weeks the rats received arterial (carotid artery), venous and bladder catheters (suprapubic). Saline was infused continuously and in conscious rats atrial natriuretic peptide (alpha-hANP) was administered as bolus injections (8 and 16 nmol kg-1) and the blood pressure and heart rate and the urinary excretions of sodium, potassium (flame photometry), noradrenaline and dopamine (HPLC) were followed at 5-min intervals. The administration of ANP caused a short-lasting blood pressure reduction, tachycardia, diuresis and increased urinary excretions of sodium, potassium, noradrenaline and dopamine. The blood pressure responses to ANP did not differ between the rat strains, irrespective of the diet. The natriuresis and diuresis to ANP was reduced in animals on a high sodium diet, especially in the SHR. This may be interpreted as a down-regulation of target organ responsiveness to ANP during a high sodium diet and the inappropriately large decrease in the responsiveness that was observed in the SHR may be related to increase in blood pressure during the high sodium diet.     

The effects of high-fat diet on the renal structure and morphometric parametric of kidneys in rats

To characterize the kidney in a high-fat-induced obesity model, we examined the renal structure of adult Sprague-Dawley rats fed a control diet or a high-fat diet for 3 months. Ten adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a diet consisting highly of fat (30%) for a period of 3 months. Ten control rats were maintained with standard rat chow. All animals were weighed every 10 days for 3 months. At the end of the experiment, the naso-anal length of the anaesthetized rats was measured to calculate body mass index, and subsequently whole kidneys of intracardially formalin-perfused animals were removed. Quantitative features of the kidney were analysed with the Cavalieri and physical dissector methods applied to serial paraffin sections. Kidney samples were also examined histologically. The body mass indices of the control and treatment groups were 4.528 +/- 0.242 and 5.876 +/- 0.318 kg m(-2), respectively. The difference between the body mass indices of the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01, Mann-Whitney U-test), suggesting that the animals fed with a high-fat diet may be overweight. Stereological examination of the kidneys revealed differences in kidney weight, total kidney volume, volume of cortex, medulla, glomeruli, proximal and distal tubules, and numerical density of glomeruli and glomerular height in the treatment group compared with the control group. Light microscopic investigation showed a dilatation in blood vessels and Bowman's space, mononuclear cell infiltration, degeneration in nephrons, including glomerulosclerosis and tubular defects, and an increase in the connective tissue in the kidneys in the treatment group. We concluded that a fatty diet is responsible for the rats' obesity and may lead to renal deformities as a result of histopathological changes such as dilatation, tubular defects, inflammation and connective tissue enlargement of the kidney.     

Role of Momordica charantia in maintaining the normal levels of lipids and glucose in diabetic rats fed a high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet

This study aims to assess whether or not a methanol extract of Momordica charantia is able to normalise lipid and glucose levels in diabetic rats fed a high-fat and a low-carbohydrate diet. Different doses of the extract are administered orally for 45 days. The rats are bled at the beginning of the experiment and at 15-day intervals. Blood glucose, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and cholesterol are estimated. Results showed that M. charantia extract normalised blood glucose level, reduced triglyceride and LDL levels and increased HDL level. The animals reverted to a diabetic state once the M. charantia extract was discontinued.     

Diabetogenic effects of n-nitrosomethylurea in the chinese hamster.

To evaluate the role of the glucose residue of the diabetogenic substance streptozotocin, the effect of its aglucone derivate N-nitrosomethylurea was tested in Chinese hamsters. At a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight of N-nitrosomethylurea a triphasic blood glucose curve was recorded with an initial hyperglycaemic peak after 3 hours followed by a decrease at 6 hours. After 24 hours and during the following days the values were moderately elevated. There was a high mortality in the diabetic animals, about 80 per cent of them dying within one week. The approximate L.D. 50 of N-nitrosomethylurea injected intraperitoneally in non-fasting adult animals was about 125 mg/kg body weight at an observation time of 48 hours. On light microscopy, degenerative changes with nuclear pyknosis were seen after 3 hours in the pancreatic islet cells, followed by cellular disintegration. Both beta-, alpha2- and alpha1-cells were obviously affected. Pretreatment with 500 mg nicotinamide/kg body weight given intraperitoneally 10 minutes before the injection of N-nitrosomethylurea inhibited and hyperglycaemia and seemed to prevent the injurious effects of N-nitrosomethylurea on the islet cells. The results show that the glucose residue of the streptozotocin molecule is not necessary for the induction of diabetes in Chinese hamsters, but it seems to increase the selectivity of the toxic effects for the islet cells. This is a clear advantage in studies of experimental diabetes, especially when longer observation periods are desired.     

Development of an ectopic site for islet transplantation, using biodegradable scaffolds

Clinical islet transplantation in liver has achieved normoglycemia. However, this site may not be ideal for islet survival. To create a more optimal site for islet transplantation, we have developed a construct with biodegradable scaffolds. Islets were seeded in scaffolds and transplanted into the epididymal fat pad of diabetic BALB/c mice. Controls included islets transplanted underneath the kidney capsule or into the fat pad without scaffolds. All animals with islets in scaffolds or the kidney became normoglycemic and maintained this metabolic state. When islets were transplanted without scaffolds the time to achieve normoglycemia was significantly increased and less than 45% of mice survived. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed on the scaffold and kidney groups with similar blood glucose levels and area under the curve values between the groups. Grafts were removed at more than 100 days posttransplantation and all animals became hyperglycemic. There was no significant difference in insulin content between the grafts and all grafts were well vascularized with insulin-positive beta cells. Therefore, islets in scaffolds function and restore diabetic animals to normoglycemic levels, similar to islets transplanted underneath the kidney capsule, suggesting scaffolds can be used to create a site for islet transplantation.     

氧化苦参碱对胎龄新生大鼠代谢综合征氧化应激和糖脂代谢的调节

目的 探索氧化苦参碱对胎龄新生大鼠代谢综合征氧化应激和糖脂代谢的影响及其作用机制.方法 建立新生胎龄大鼠代谢综合征模型,检测血糖、 胰岛素、 血脂、 肥胖指数、 氧化应激水平和肝脏脂肪变性程度,检测AMPK、SIRT1、PGC1α蛋白表达.加入AMPK抑制剂后再次检测上述指标变化.结果 与MS组比,各氧化苦参碱剂量组大...