Acta physiologica, pharmacologica et therapeutica latinoamericana : organo de la Asociacion Latinoamericana de Ciencias Fisiologicas y [de] la Asociacion Latinoamericana de Farmacologia最新文献

The effects of aluminum on growth have been studied in rats chronically poisoned with aluminum hydroxide (80 mg/kg b.w.-i.p.-three times a week, during 6 months) and in control rats, between 3 and 26 weeks of age. The growth data was evaluated according to Parks 'theory of feeding an growth. At the end of the poisoning period, the calcium metabolism was studied through a balance of calcium and the determination of bone Ca++ accretion and resorption rates with the aid of 45Ca++. The parathyroid glands function was studied using an indirect method. Treated rats showed a significant decrease in asymptotic weights and in the initial efficiency of food conversion into biomass regarding controls. No differences were observed in food intake between both group. Aluminum affected neither the peak growth rate nor the time necessary to attain maturity. The calcium balance in treated rats was significantly less than in the control group. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the calcium excreted by faces, caused perhaps by a less intestinal absorption. An important amount of aluminum on the surface of the trabecular bone and a reduction in the skeletal Ca++ mass, was observed in all treated rats. Nevertheless there are no differences in the latter when expressed for 100 g of body weight. The rate of skeletal Ca++ accretion was found to be significantly decreased in treated group with respect to controls, without any changes in the bone Ca resorption rate. The reduction in bone turnover revealed by the decrease of Vo+/Vo- was accompanied by less recovery velocity of calcemia in the aluminum treated group, being indirectly related to the parathyroid gland response to calcium depletion. In the model that we studied the decreased bone turnover could have been caused by deposits of aluminum in bone; however there could exist associated factors such as dysfunction in the secretion of PTH, or less affinity between its receptors at the bone level.

The study was done using 39 guinea pigs grouped as followed; 18 were injected with 0.5 mg of porcine insulin emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant; 12 were injected with saline and 9 were used as control of cardiac bleeding during the assay. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IGTT) were carried out on days 0, 11, 32 and 38. Seven of the thirteen guinea pigs immunized with insulin which survived after the study, showed glucose intolerance on day 32 at 90 and 120 min (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001) and on day 38 at 120 min (p < 0.05). Anti-idiotypic IgG partially purified from a sera pool from these animals inhibited 125-Insulin binding to rat hepatocytes, immunoprecipitated 125I-rat insulin receptors and recognized the alpha-subunit of insulin receptor in immunoblotting. We conclude that insulin anti-idiotypes in guinea pigs offer a simple way to produce antibodies against insulin receptor binding site. The methodology for anti-idiotype identification can be applied to patients with insulin resistance.

100 micrograms/kg of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was injected twice daily into normal adult CF1 female mice for a period of 15 days. After that time we have observed a decrease 59Fe marrow incorporation with a parallel increase in the spleen. During the first 9 days the marrow plus spleen erythroid cells number decreased to 60% of control approximately, but recovered thereafter and were not significantly different from normal values at 12-15 days. In addition, our studies demonstrate that the spleen erythropoiesis is quantitatively more important at the final time than marrow erythropoiesis. For this reason, splenic compensatory erythropoiesis maintained the hematocrit values between normal ranges. Regarding the granulocytic compartment, 15 days of rhG-CSF treatment produce a marked increase in total count of splenic granulocytes (a 7.7 fold rise from control values). Marrow granulocytes shows a 2-fold increment, but considering the absolute counts, bone marrow still was predominant as a granulopoieitc organ. Our results indicate that the spleen is a more important erythropoietic organ than marrow after 15 days of rhG-CSF treatment.

Chronic administration of Hexachlorobenzene, with or without the simultaneous administration of Tioctamide was assayed. Hexachlorobenzene alone produced the characteristic porphyria, detected through an increase of the urinary excretion and the hepatic accumulation of porphyrins, as well as by a decrease of the Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity. The content of hepatic conjugated dienes did not change while those of malondialdehyde increased, although without reaching levels of statistical significance. These results would indicate the occurrence of an light lipid peroxidation process. The Thioctamide (25 mg/kg body weight) produced more noxious effects than protective ones, which were detected by a high level of Glutamate piruvate transaminase activity and a decrease of the hepatic Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity, at its first step of decarboxylation. These results might indicate that: 1) high doses of Thioctamide decreases Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity, masking its possible protective effect from Hexachlorobenzene's action through free radicals production and, 2) Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase is a more sensitive parameter than conjugated dienes or malondialdehyde levels to assay the free radicals in vivo Hexachlorobenzene production. In any case, the Thioctamide assayed in lower and non toxic doses, perhaps might protect against Hexachlorobenzene's action through its free radical scavenger ability.

All mean basal serum, total, cholesterol and lipids (L) levels in both fasted, normal bitches and in bitches with natural diabetes mellitus (DM) at anestrous (A) and during estrous cycle were measured. Mean serum, total triglycerides (TG) concentration in these animals at the same sex, stages, fasted and during intravenous glucose (IVGTT) and insulin (ITT) tolerance tests, were studied. In normal and in diabetic bitches serum cholesterol mean basal level differed significantly; the occurrence of estrous cycles (either phase) failed to affect these levels; DM and estrous cycle did not interact significantly. As for L, the influences of group and phase of estrous cycle on this variable significantly interacted. DM raised the mean basal level of this variable, in the normal group, "sex seasons" occurrence did not affect it whereas in the diabetic animals "in seasons" (either phase) it was above as compared with that found in respective controls at A. Estrogenic and luteal phases (EP, LP) did not differ in this concern. DM raised the mean serum TG levels in the bitches in the fasting condition and also during both tests; sex cycles action is variable. During IVGTT and ITT, the mean serum TG levels were influenced by sex stages and also by time elapsed either from glucose or insulin load. Thus, in the normal group, sex cycling did not vary significantly the TG profile during IVGTT. In the normal bitches "in season" (either phase), serum TG profile at the end of ITT increased more intensely than in the dogs at sex rest. During IVGTT, in the diabetic bitches, this profile was below base line from 15 min after glucose load till the test was over. DM intensely increased the serum TG response to insulin load in the bitches at A whereas such response was moderately decreasing at the end of ITT in the diabetic bitches at LP. All these results are discussed on the bases of the current knowledge on action of endocrine and metabolic products on these variables in normal animals, and the unability of these products to explain themselves the acute, severe, diabetic chryses observed during the LP of estral cycle in diabetic bitches or even in certain normal dogs at this moment of their "season", when diabetic outset uses to occur.

Previous studies have shown that tachycardia induced by intravenous injection of bromocriptine, which persisted after adrenalectomy, was mediated by central dopamine D2 receptor stimulation. Such stimulation could activate central sympathetic outflow to the heart. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether pretreatment with isoproterenol, known to induce cardiac beta-adrenoceptor desensitization, could reduce bromocriptine-induced tachycardia. A 5 day pretreatment with isoproterenol (5 mg/kg/day) induced a 21% increase in the ratio of ventricular dry weight to body weight, compared with saline-pretreated rats. In isolated perfused heart preparations from isoproterenol-pretreated rats, the isoproterenol-induced increase in left ventricular systolic pressure and heart rate was significantly reduced, compared with saline-pretreated rats (the isoproterenol concentration producing 50% of the maximal positive inotropic and chronotropic responses was increased approximately 5- and 4-fold, respectively). In conscious control rats, intravenous injection of bromocriptine (50, 150 and 250 micrograms/kg) decreased mean aortic pressure and increased heart rate in a dose-related manner. Pretreatment with isoproterenol for 5 days reduced bromocriptine-induced tachycardia without affecting hypotension. Cardiac autonomic tone remained of the same order of magnitude irrespective of whether the animal was pretreated with isoproterenol. These results indicate that isoproterenol pretreatment reduces bromocriptine-induced tachycardia mainly through desensitization of cardiac beta-adrenoceptors rather than via an impairment of autonomic regulation of the heart. This supports the hypothesis that bromocriptine-induced activation of central dopamine D2 receptors increases heart rate via activation of central sympathetic outflow to the heart.

Pulmonary surfactant is a lipoproteic mixture synthesized and secreted by alveolar type II cells. Its principal property is to reduce the surface tension by lining on the alveolar surface. Surfactant deficiency is the major factor responsible for the respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn (RDS) and the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Since 1980, the exogenous administration of surfactant for the treatment of these syndromes is being studied. In this work the exogenous surfactant preparations, the delivery techniques and the dosing schedule is discussed. The utilization of the exogenous natural surfactant (ENS) as precursor of a radiopharmaceutical labeled with 99mTc (99mTc-ENS) for aerial lung scintigraphy is also discussed.

The present study was designed to examine blood pressure response to nitric oxide synthase-pathway inhibition and stimulation in normotensive and hypertensive diabetic rats. Rats treated with streptozotocin (60 mg/Kg i.p.) developed high blood glucose, polyuria and slow weight gain compared with control. One group of diabetic rats developed hypertension, consequently we studied three experimental groups: control rats (C), normotensive diabetic rats (ND) and hypertensive diabetic rats (HD). Mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were recorded: baseline time, 30 after L-nitro arginine methyl ester (L-NAME: 1 mg/Kg i.v.) and post L-arginine (L-arg: 250 mg/Kg i.v.) injection. L-NAME induced a significantly increase in MAP in all groups. This enhancement was smaller in diabetic than in control rats. The increase in MAP in HD was significantly lower than that in ND L-arg induced a significantly decrease in MAP in all groups. This decrease was significantly attenuated in diabetic compared with control rats. The degree of hypotension in response to L-arg in diabetic groups was lower in hypertensive than that in normotensive diabetic rats. These data suggest that an impairment of nitric oxide formation could be involved in the development of hypertension in this model.

Erythropoietin is obligatory to support the terminal proliferation and differentiation of erythroid cells but it is not the only agent in modulating red cell production. Previously, we have shown that Testosterone enhances erythropoiesis, at least in part, by increasing renal erythropoietin production. Testosterone may also influence directly the behavior of the erythroid progenitor cells increasing erythroid stem cell proliferation. To gain further insight into the role of testosterone in regulation of erythropoiesis and its interactions with erythropoietin, we studied the effect of testosterone and erythropoietin, using clonal cultures of erythropietic progenitors, to observe CFU-E and late and early BFU-E colonies proliferation from bone marrow cells of donor rats pretreated for 2 days with the androgen antagonists cyproterone (10 mg/kg/day) and flutamide (160 mg/kg/day). Specific nuclear receptors for testosterone were demonstrated in marrow erythroid cells. Then, erythroid progenitors may come with their androgen receptors blocked by pretreatment. Cultures were prepared using the methylcellulose technique containing a standard dose of erythropoietin (250 mU/ml) or testosterone (10(-7)M). Results obtained demonstrate that testosterone produced a significant stimulation on CFU-E and BFU-E colony formation. A dose effect correlation was apparent. Testosterone enhances proliferation of late BFU-E more than CFU-E and produce only a slight augmentation of early BFU-E. As expected, erythropoietin markedly stimulate all erythroid colony growth, mainly CFU-E. The effects of testosterone were completely abolished in cultures from bone marrow cells of rats pretreated with cyproterone and flutamide. Activation of the specific androgen nuclear receptors in erythroid cells appears to be necessary for testosterone to develop the erythropoietic effect. Surprisingly, the effects of erythropoietin on erythroid colonies proliferation were also completely blocked by pretreatment with flutamide and partially blocked by pretreatment with cyproterone. Right now, we do not have a satisfactory explanation regarding inhibition of the effects of erythropoietin by pretreatment to marrow donor rats with the androgen antagonists. In conclusion, we postulate triggering late BFU-E cells, a marrow erythropoietin responsive cell population, into active cell cycle, as well as by increasing blood erythropoietin concentration.

The main objective of this study was to assess the histological changes of colon ephitelium in Cebus apella induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) administration. Twelve monkeys, males, (aged x: 30 months) with an average body weight of 2,800 g were utilized. The DMH was injected subcutaneously at 25 mg/kg and continued once a week for 16 weeks. The body weight was assessed once a week during the first 4 months and every 30 days until the end of the experience. Histological changes of intestinal ephitelium and mucins were assessed at the end of the experience in specimens sectioned at 5 microns, stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin, PAS and Alcian blue pH 2.5. The histological and histochemical study permitted to characterize the normal morphology, as well as the mucins characteristics in the three regions: caecum, transverse colon and distal colon. The histological changes in the DMH treated animals were hyperplasia, dysplasia and mucins decreasing. The hyperplastic changes were localizated in glandular crypts, and in the epithelio located over the lymphoid nodules. The dysplastic crypts were observed in the transverse colon and in the last portion of distal colon. These lesions were located in the upper portion as well as the bottom of the mucosa. A decrease of neutral and acids mucopolysaccharides were observed in the crypts. The results of this study suggest that the DMH induced hyperplastic changes in the crypts and in the epithelium located over the lymphoid nodules and dysplastic focus, as well as a decrease of neutral and acids mucopolysaccharides.