Antipyrine, erythromycin and oxytetracycline disposition in experimental fasciolosis.

The effects of fasciolosis on drug disposition were studied by administration of antipyrine, erythromycin and oxytetracycline to sheep and cattle. Fasciolosis was produced by administration of 200 or 400 metacercariae (MC) of Fasciola hepatica to sheep and 500 MC to cattle. The disease was subsequently confirmed by determination of plasma glutamate dehydrogenase and gamma-glutamyl transferase and identification and quantitation of mature flukes in the liver at necropsy. Acute or subacute fasciolosis in sheep was accompanied by a significant decrease in the elimination rate constant (beta) and increase in the elimination half-time (t 1/2) for antipyrine and erythromycin when compared with controls or infected sheep which had been treated with the anthelmintic luxabendazole. An increase in apparent volume of distribution (Vd) was seen only for erythromycin in sheep given 400 MC. There were no changes in the disposition of oxytetracycline in sheep with either acute or subacute infection and no effects on disposition of the three test drugs in chronically infected sheep. With early chronic disease in calves, only the disposition of oxytetracycline was affected; not that of antipyrine or erythromycin.     

Cytokine mRNA expression in experimental porcine pneumonia

A porcine Pasteurella multocida (P. m.) infection model was established to study the spatial distribution of cytokine mRNA-expressing cells in lung tissue during acute pneumonia. The mRNA detection was performed by non-radioactive, formamide-free in situ hybridization (ISH) using oligonucleotides against the porcine interleukins (IL): IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF alpha and TGF beta. Cytokine mRNA-expressing macrophages were demonstrated by a double staining procedure combining immunohistochemistry (IH) using the primary antibody 2G6 with IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TGF beta ISH. With the exception of some stained TNF alpha-expressing cells, no IL mRNA was detectable in the lung of unaffected animals. The experimental P. m. pneumonia was characterized by a predominant, exudative and an additional proliferative interstitial component as well as abscess formation in the lung. Many cells of the region between the abscess membrane and the affected lung area showed high IL-6, IL-1 beta, IL-4 as well as TGF beta and few cells low IL-8 mRNA expression with characteristic distribution patterns. The ISH/IH double staining procedure revealed that at least some of the IL-6 or TGF beta-producing cells belonged to the 2G6-positive macrophages.     

Temporal regulation of cytokine mRNA expression in equine recurrent airway obstruction

Acute and chronic inflammation of the airway remains an important health problem for equids. "Heaves" or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) remains one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions affecting the lung of older horses in Europe and the United States. The typical clinical signs of RAO include non-productive coughing, serous nasal discharge, labored expiratory effort, and flaring of the nostrils. Auscultation of the lungs of the affected horse often reveals abnormal respiratory sounds, described as crackles and wheezes, throughout the area of the lung field. These clinical signs occur secondary to an inflammatory response that results in bronchospasm, excessive mucus production and airway obstruction. This inflammatory response is characterized by the presence of excessive mucus and inflammatory cells, primarily neutrophils, in the small airways. Most evidence suggests that RAO is the result of a pulmonary hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens. Exposure of affected horses to hay dust, pollens, and mold spores leads to neutrophil accumulation in the lung and bronchospasm. The identification of allergen-specific IgE in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and sera of affected horses supports the involvement of a late phase, IgE-mediated, hypersensitivity reaction in the pathogenesis of equine RAO. The production of IgE antibodies is regulated by the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13. Using a quantitative PCR method we have reported that horses with RAO exhibit a modified Type 2 cytokine response characterized by the production of IL-4 and IL-13 mRNA, but not IL-5 mRNA in BAL cells. Interferon-gamma mRNA was also elevated, suggesting a mixed response. While these results are consistent with equine RAO being the result of an aberrant Type 2 cytokine response to inhaled allergens, others have failed to find any evidence of elevated Type 2 cytokine mRNA in BAL from horses with "heaves". It is likely that these disparate results could be the result of differences in the clinical stage of the affected animals or the timing of sample collection. Here, we report a diverse pattern of cytokine gene expression when sampling a group of affected horses over a period of time.     

Sympathetic activation of hepatic and splenic IL-1beta mRNA expression during oscillation stress in the rat

Interleukin (IL)-1beta mRNA expression in the liver and spleen was examined after subjection to oscillation stress in the rat. Thirty-minute subjection to oscillation stress increased IL-1beta mRNA expression in the both organs. Prior treatment of rats with gadolinium chloride, which eliminates macrophages, prevented the stress-induced IL-1beta expression. Either adrenalectomy or treatment of guanethidine, a blocker of norepinephrine release in the sympathetic nerve endings, partially attenuated the stress-induced response, but the combined treatment completely blocked it. Injection of beta-adrenergic antagonist (propranolol) also suppressed the stress-induced response. These results suggest that oscillation stress induces IL-1beta mRNA expression in the liver and spleen, probably in Kupffer cells and splenic macrophages, and that stress-induced IL-1beta expression is elicited by catecholamines released from sympathetic nerve terminals and the adrenal gland.     

Early changes in cytokine expression in peste des petits ruminants disease

Peste des petits ruminants is a viral disease of sheep and goats that has spread through most of Africa as well as the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Although, the spread of the disease and its economic impact has made it a focus of international concern, relatively little is known about the nature of the disease itself. We have studied the early stages of pathogenesis in goats infected with six different isolates of Peste des petits ruminants virus representing all four known lineages of the virus. No lineage-specific difference in the pathogenicity of the virus isolates was observed, although there was evidence that even small numbers of cell culture passages could affect the degree of pathogenicity of an isolate. A consistent reduction in CD4⁺ T cells was observed at 4 days post infection (dpi). Measurement of the expression of various cytokines showed elements of a classic inflammatory response but also a relatively early induction of interleukin 10, which may be contributing to the observed disease.     

Effect of bovine colostrum supplementation on cytokine mRNA expression in weaned piglets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of bovine colostrum supplementation on the immune Th1/Th2 response in weaned piglets. After weaning at 21 d, 3 groups of 7 piglets were fed ad libitum with a starter diet and received daily 0, 1 or 5 g of spray-dried bovine colostrum. Spleen and gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT): ileal Peyer's patch (iPP), jejunum wall (JW) and mesenteric lymph node (MLN)) biopsies were collected on each piglet after 3 wk of treatment and analysed for their cytokine mRNA expression (IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 and IFNγ) by RT-PCR. The supplementation with bovine colostrum induced an increase (P < 0.05) in IL-12 in the JW, in IL-2, IL-10 and IL-12 in the MLN and in IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12 in the iPP. In the latter, bovine colostrum also decreased IFN-γ production (P < 0.01). Finally, no effect of the treatments was recorded in the spleen. These results suggest an immunomodulatory effect of bovine colostrum on the GALT, which responded by producing at different levels both Th1 pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IFN-γ and IL-12) and Th2 anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). This Th1/Th2 bipolar response protects the weaned piglets from both allergic (food) and infectious (pathogens) diseases.     

Detection of cellular cytokine mRNA expression during orf virus infection in sheep: differential interferon-gamma mRNA expression by cells in primary versus reinfection skin lesions.

In sheep infected with the parapoxvirus orf virus, primary infection orf skin lesions developed and resolved within 8 weeks. Reinfection lesions were smaller and resolved within 3 weeks. The host response in the skin was characterized by an accumulation of neutrophils, dendritic cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells and T19+ gammadelta T cells. The magnitude of this accumulation paralleled orf virus replication in the skin. In situ hybridization was used to detect cells expressing interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) mRNAs in orf skin. Cells expressing IL-4 mRNA were not detected at any time after infection. Cells expressing IFN-gamma mRNA were detected after reinfection but not after primary infection. Cells expressing TNF-alpha mRNA included epidermal cells, vascular endothelium and uncharacterized cells that increased more rapidly in the skin after reinfection compared to primary infection. The results are consistent with a prominent role for IFN-gamma in the host immune response controlling the severity of the disease.     

Maternal exposure to low doses of DES altered mRNA expression of hepatic microsomal enzymes in male rat offspring

Our previous studies demonstrated that prenatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) treatment disrupts steroidogenesis but induces high-level expression of androgen receptor (AR) mRNA to inhibit the disruption of spermatogenesis. This study examined which prenatal DES treatment influenced hepatic microsomal enzymes, CYP3A1, CYP2B1/2, CYP2C11, UGT2B1 (UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B1), and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), in male rat offspring. DES treatment decreased the mRNA expression levels of CYP3A1 and CYP2B1/2, but did not alter the expression of CYP2C11. At 6 weeks, DES treatment increasd the mRNA expression levels of UGT2B1 and IGF-1. These results suggest that prenatal DES treatment alters two hepatic enzymes (CYP3A1 and CYP2B1/2) and IGF-1 mRNA expression levels to counteract the low level of testosterone, but this disrupted UGT2B1 mRNA expression reduces the testosterone level.     

Effect of experimental fasciolosis on antipyrine metabolism and clearance in water buffaloes

The effect of chronic Fasciola hepatica infection on the metabolism of antipyrine, a marker of microsomal oxidative metabolism, was investigated in male water buffaloes dosed daily with 60 F. hepatica metacercariae over 20 days. The plasma elimination half-life of antipyrine was significantly elevated by 23% at 11 weeks postinfection (p.i.) but did not significantly differ from the control period at 20 weeks p.i. The systemic clearance of antipyrine decreased by 48% at 11 weeks p.i. and then returned to normal. The renal clearance for each of the main antipyrine metabolites decreased at 11 weeks p.i. (hydroxymethylantipyrine (HMA), -42%; norantipyrine (NORA), -58%; and 4-hydroxyantipyrine (OHA), -70%) and did not significantly differ from the control period at 20 weeks p.i. These findings indicate that experimental subclinical fasciolosis leads to altered antipyrine kinetics and to an inhibition of the different antipyrine metabolic pathways in water buffaloes.     

Evaluation of cytokine mRNA expression in bronchoalveolar lavage cells from horses with inflammatory airway disease

Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is a common disorder of performance horses and is associated with poor performance and accumulation of mucus and inflammatory cells in lower airway secretions. Horses with IAD frequently have increased relative counts of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF); less commonly relative counts of eosinophils and/or mast cells may be increased. The aetiopathogenesis of IAD is unknown and may involve innate and/or acquired immune responses to various factors including respirable dust constituents, micro-organisms, noxious gases and unconditioned air. The molecular pathways and role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of IAD remain poorly defined and it is unknown whether polarised T cell responses occur in the disease, as have been reported to occur in equine recurrent airway obstruction and asthma in humans. Elucidating cytokine responses that develop in horses with IAD may allow a greater understanding of the possible aetiopathological pathway(s) involved and could contribute to development of novel treatments. We compared the mRNA expression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, IL-13, IL-17 and IL-23 in cell pellets extracted from BALF of horses with IAD (n=21) and horses free of respiratory tract disease (n=17). Horses with IAD had significantly increased levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-23 mRNA; no significant differences in the other cytokine mRNAs were detected. The results of this study indicate that IAD of horses is associated with increased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in BALF cells, which may reflect stimulation of the innate immune responses to inhaled antigens. There was no evidence of a polarised T-cell cytokine response suggesting hypersensitivity responses may not be involved in the aetiopathogenesis of IAD.     

纳洛酮对大鼠大脑皮质c-fos mRNA表达的影响

为研究纳洛酮对小型猪特异性麻醉剂(XFM)麻醉下大鼠大脑皮质c-fos mRNA表达的影响,探讨纳洛酮催醒XFM麻醉大鼠与大脑皮质c-fos基因的关系.将78只SD纯种大鼠随机分为空白对照组、XFM对照组、XFM+纳洛酮组、XFM+生理盐水组,采用实对定量PCR技术检测大脑皮质内c-fos mRNA表达量.结果表明,腹腔注射XFM后引起大鼠大脑皮质c-fos mRNA高效表达,各时期c-fos mRNA表达与空白对照组比较差异极显著(P＜0.01);纳洛酮注射后引起XFM麻醉大鼠大脑皮质c-fos mRNA表达量减少,与XFM对照组比较差异显著(P＜0.01或P＜0.05).结果提示,大脑皮质c-fos基因参与了纳洛酮颉颃XFM的麻醉作用,纳洛酮抑制XFM诱导大鼠大脑皮质c-fos基因表达,可能是纳洛酮催醒XFM麻醉大鼠的重要机理之一.