High-fat diet (HFD) induces inflammation and microbial dysbiosis, which are components of the metabolic syndrome. Nutritional strategies can be a valid tool to prevent metabolic and inflammatory ...diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if the chronic intake of pistachio prevents obesity-associated inflammation and dysbiosis in HFD-fed mice. Three groups of male mice (four weeks old;
= 8 per group) were fed for 16 weeks with a standard diet (STD), HFD, or HFD supplemented with pistachios (HFD-P; 180 g/kg of HFD). Serum, hepatic and adipose tissue inflammation markers were analyzed in HFD-P animals and compared to HFD and STD groups. Measures of inflammation, obesity, and intestinal integrity were assessed. Fecal samples were collected for gut microbiota analysis. Serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels were significantly reduced in HFD-P compared to HFD. Number and area of adipocytes, crown-like structure density, IL-1β, TNF-α, F4-80, and CCL-2 mRNA expression levels were significantly reduced in HFD-P subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues, compared to HFD. A significant reduction in the number of inflammatory foci and IL-1β and CCL-2 gene expression was observed in the liver of HFD-P mice compared with HFD.
/
ratio was reduced in HFD-P mice in comparison to the HFD group. A pistachio diet significantly increased abundance of healthy bacteria genera such as
,
,
,
,
, and
, and greatly reduced bacteria associated with inflammation, such as
,
,
, and
. The intestinal conductance was lower in HFD-P mice than in the HFD mice, suggesting an improvement in the gut barrier function. The results of the present study showed that regular pistachio consumption improved inflammation in obese mice. The positive effects could be related to positive modulation of the microbiota composition.
The development of more sensitive diagnostic tools allowing an early-stageand highly efficient medical imaging of tumors remains a challenge. Magneticnanoparticles seem to be the contrast agents with ...the highest potential, if properlyconstructed. Therefore, in this study, hybrid magnetic nanoarchitectures weredeveloped using a new amphiphilic inulin-based graft copolymer （INU-LA-PEG-FA） as coating material for 10-nm spinel iron oxide （magnetite, Fe304）superparamagnetic nanoparticles （SPION）. Folic acid （FA） covalently linked tothe coating copolymer in order to be exposed onto the nanoparticle surface waschosen as the targeting agent because folate receptors are upregulated in manycancer types. Physicochemical characterization and in vitro biocompatibilitystudy was then performed on the prepared magnetic nanoparticles. The improvedtargeting and imaging properties of the prepared FA-SPIONs were furtherevaluated in nude mice using 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging （MRI）.FA-SPIONs exhibited the ability to act as efficient contrast agents in conventionalMRI, providing a potential nanoplatform not only for tumor diagnosis but alsofor cancer treatment, through the delivery of anticancer drug or locoregional magnetic hvverthermia.
Fish waste utilization to obtain protein hydrolysates has been demonstrated to be a useful strategy to face both environmental and economic impacts while obtaining high-value products with remarkable ...biological and nutritional properties. In the present study, protein hydrolysates obtained from anchovy
(APH) by-products were assessed for their potential biological activities in both in vitro and in vivo models. The treatment with APH exerted a significant protection against LPS-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells, decreasing the protein expression of pro-inflammatory mediators (i.e., COX-2) and inhibiting the nuclear translocation of NF-κB through IκB-α. Moreover, APH modulated the expression of iNOS, MnSOD and HO-1, thus decreasing the severity of oxidative stress. The supplementation of APH in the diet of ApoE knockout mice down-regulated the proinflammatory cytokines (i.e.,
, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6) in both aorta and heart tissues, and modulated the expression of oxidative stress-related genes (Cu/ZnSod, MnSod, Cat, Gpx and Ho), indicating that APH can exert a beneficial role, having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The nutritional properties of APH, together with their biological activities herein reported, highlight the possibility of obtaining bioactive molecules from fish waste and encourage their use as potential nutraceuticals in food and pharmaceutical industries in the next future.
This study aimed to evaluate the change of white blood cell count, serum concentration of cortisol, C-reactive protein, albumin and globulin fractions in horse after road transport, and to assess the ...linkage among hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and inflammatory reaction. From 10 horses blood samples were collected at rest, before road transport (218 km) (BT); after unloaded (AT), 30 and 60 min after unloaded (AT30 and AT60) in order to assess white blood cell count (WBC), serum cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), total proteins, albumin, α1-, α-2, β1-, β2- and γ-globulins. WBC, cortisol, CRP, α1-, α-2 and β2-globulins values increased after road transport than rest condition (p < 0.001). Albumin and A/G ratio showed lower values after road transport than rest (p < 0.001). Pearson's test showed a negative correlation between cortisol and the values of WBC, CRP, α1-, α2-, β1-, β2- globulins, and a positive correlation between WBC and serum concentration of CRP, α1- and α2-, β1-, β2-globulins at AT and AT30. The results showed that road transport evokes an inflammatory like-status in horses. Moreover, the activation of HPA and the onset of acute phase reaction in response to road transport seem to be interconnected with effects on horse's immune status.
A suitable, effective and free of complications anesthetic protocol is very important in experimental studies on animal models since it could bias the outcome of a trial. To date there is no ...universally accepted protocol for induction, maintenance and recovery from anesthesia. The endotracheal intubation with the use of inhalation anesthesia is used very especially in the from of large size laboratory animals, because it is a secure and easy control mode. However, it is not common for small laboratory animals because of the high technical skills required.
The aim of this paper is a review of the main methods of induction of anesthesia in laboratory animals.
We performed an electronic search of MEDLINE (PubMed interface), ISI Web of Science and Scopus using the keywords "anesthesia" and "animal (s)" or "protocol (s)" or "surgery", without the data or the language restriction. We consider only the most common laboratory animals (rats, mice, rabbits, pigs). We identify all the scientific articles that refer to the use of anesthetics for studies on laboratory animals in all areas: experimental surgery, CT, MRI, PET. All documents identified the search criteria are subject to review only by identifying relevant studies.
There is a strong need for application of existing guidelines for research on experimental animals; specific guidelines for anesthesia and euthanasia should be considered and reported in future studies to ensure comparability and quality of animal experiments.
The utilization of a planar poly(1,4-butylene succinate) (PBS) scaffold has been demonstrated as an effective approach for preserving nerve continuity and facilitating nerve regeneration. In this ...study, we assessed the characteristics of a microfibrous tubular scaffold specifically designed and fabricated through electrospinning, utilizing PBS as a biocompatible and biodegradable material. These scaffolds were evaluated as nerve guide conduits in a rat model of sciatic nerve neurotmesis, demonstrating both their biodegradability and efficacy in enhancing the reconstruction process over a long-term period (1-year follow-up). Histological assay and electrophysiological evaluation were performed to compare the long-term outcomes following sutureless repair with the microfibrillar wrap to outcomes obtained using traditional suture repair.
Raman spectroscopy is a rapid qualitative and quantitative technique that allows the simultaneous determination of several components in biological fluids. This methodology concerns an alternative ...technique to distinguish between non-healthy and healthy subjects. Leishmaniasis is a zoonosis of world interest, the most important agent is L. infantum. Dogs are the principal reservoirs affected by a broad spectrum of clinical features. During a clinical exam, blood samples were collected in tubes without anticoagulants, from twenty two dogs. One aliquot was used for serological test for Leishmaniasis, one aliquot was subjected to the Raman spectroscopic analysis. Animals were divided into two groups of equal subjects, Leishmania group (LG) constituted by infected dogs, and control group (CG) constituted by healthy dogs. The acquired spectra were different in the region 1200-1370 cm
, in which it is possible to distinguish the amide III vibration (~ 1300 cm
). In LG, an evident shift to the shortwave region is observed in spectral frequencies of the band centered at ~ 1250 cm
. Our results distinguished between LD group and CG. Further studies are necessary to exclude the effect of metabolic modification due to disease on the recorded spectra changes and to consolidate the achievability of Raman spectroscopy as rapid and less expensive diagnosis of Leishmaniasis.
Pistachios contain beneficial substances such as unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, and polyphenols. In the present study, we investigated if pistachio consumption is able to prevent or to revert ...hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and adipose tissue morphological alterations caused by high fat diet (HFD) in the mouse. Moreover, the impact of pistachio intake on the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (
), fatty acid transport proteins (
), fatty acid synthase (
), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (
), and sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1c (
) in liver and adipose tissue was also analyzed. No change in body weight, food intake, and hyperglycemia was observed between mice consuming pistachios (HFD-P) and HFD mice. Pistachio intake was able to prevent but not to reverse HFD-induced hypertriglyceridemia. Cholesterol plasma levels, steatosis grading, body fat mass, and adipocyte size were significantly lower in HFD-P group compared to HFD in both prevention and reversal protocol. Pistachio-diet was able to prevent HFD-induced overexpression of
,
, and
in the liver and
, and
in adipose tissue. Similarly, HFD-P significantly ameliorated the expression levels of
and
in the liver and
, and
in adipose tissue of obese mice. The present study shows that pistachio consumption is able to prevent and to ameliorate obesity-related dysfunctions by positively modulating the expression of genes linked to lipid metabolism.
Simulating the post-traumatic continuity defect of small human peripheral nerves, we compared the effectiveness of fibrin glue with neurorrhaphy for nerve gap restoration.
In twenty-four male Wistar ...rats, a fifteen mm defect in one sciatic nerve only was made and immediately repaired with an inverted polarity autograft. According to the used technique, rats were divided into Group A (Control), using traditional neurorrhaphy, and Group B (Study), using fibrine glue sealing; in total, 50% of rats were sacrificed at 16 weeks and 50% at 21 weeks. Before sacrifice, an assessment of motor function was done through Walking Track Analysis and an electroneurophysiological evaluation. After sacrifice, selected muscle mass indexes and the histology of the regenerated nerves were assessed. All data were evaluated by Student's
test for unpaired data.
No significant differences were found between the two groups, with only the exception of a relative improvement in the tibialis anterior muscle's number of motor units in the study group.
Despite the fact that the use of fibrin glue as a nerve sealant is not superior in terms of functional recovery, its effectiveness is comparable to that of microsurgical repair. Hence, the faster and technically easier glueing technique could deserve broader clinical application.
In this paper the preparation of magnetic nanocarriers (MNCs), containing superparamagnetic domains, is reported, useful as potential magnetically targeted drug delivery systems. The preparation of ...MNCs was performed by using the PHEA-IB-p(BMA) graft copolymer as coating material through the homogenization–solvent evaporation method. Magnetic and nonmagnetic nanocarriers containing flutamide (FLU-MNCs) were prepared. The prepared nanocarriers have been exhaustively characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and magnetic measurements. Biological evaluation was performed by in vitro cytotoxicity and cell uptake tests and in vivo biodistribution studies. Magnetic nanocarriers showed dimensions of about 300 nm with a narrow size distribution, an amount of loaded FLU of 20% (w/w), and a superparamagnetic behavior. Cell culture experiments performed on prostate cancer cell line LNCaP demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of FLU-MNCs. In vivo biodistribution studies carried out by the application of an external magnetic field in rats demonstrated the effect of the external magnet on modifying the biodistribution of FLU-MNCs. FLU-MNCs resulted efficiently internalized by tumor cells and susceptible to magnetic targeting by application of an external magnetic field. The proposed nanocarriers can represent a very promising approach to obtain an efficient magnetically targeted anticancer drug delivery system.
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