Contraceptive effect and potential side-effects of deslorelin acetate implants in rats (Rattus norvegicus): Preliminary observations

During the last ten years, numerous species have been treated with deslorelin implants to induce contraception. The aims of the study were 1) to assess contraceptive efficacy of 4.7 mg subcutaneous deslorelin implants in rats, 2) to determine the latency of contraceptive effect, and 3) to determine potential side effects. Three experimental females were implanted and their estrous cycle was studied by vaginal smear. Two weeks after implantation, a male whose fertility was previously assessed with a control female, was introduced into their cage. No female conceived during the 4 mo following implantation. Additionally, 38 pet rats were recruited from clients in practice to test for potential side effects, including 6 males and 32 females with a mean age of 14 mo. Local reaction and transient weight gain during the first 2 wk, as well as behavioral changes were recorded. According to this pilot study, deslorelin implant could be used as a contraceptive method in female rats. The latency period is about 2 wk. Nevertheless, it might be possible to refine the treatment further using hormonal measurements. The duration of contraceptive effect is to be determined in an upcoming study.     

Myeloperoxidase assay in plasma and peritoneal fluid of horses with gastrointestinal disease

Gastrointestinal disorders, especially strangulating intestinal obstructions, are still a major cause of illness and death in the horse. Circulating lipopolysaccharides may activate both neutrophils and monocytes. The activated neutrophils release myeloperoxidase (MPO), a specific enzyme with strong oxidative activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate MPO concentrations in the plasma and peritoneal fluid (PF) of horses with colic and to check the hypothesis that these concentrations would be higher in a case of strangulating obstruction than in cases of nonstrangulating disease. By using a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for equine MPO, we determined the MPO concentrations in horses admitted to a clinic for colic. Horses with nonstrangulating or strangulating obstruction of the large intestine (NSLI or SLI), strangulating obstruction of the small intestine (SSI), or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were compared with healthy horses. The horses with SLI, SSI, or IBD had significantly higher MPO levels in plasma and PF than did those in the other 2 groups. The mean plasma level was significantly higher in the horses with NSLI than in the healthy horses. High MPO values in PF indicated necrotic bowel. These results show that neutrophil activation occurs during nonstrangulating and strangulating intestinal obstruction in horses and that the plasma and PF MPO concentrations may be a marker of the severity of the disease.     

Accuracy of the withdrawal reflex for localization of the site of cervical disk herniation in dogs: 35 cases (2004-2007)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of neurologic examination versus magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in localization of cervical disk herniation and evaluate the usefulness of withdrawal reflex testing in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 35 client-owned dogs with a single-level cervical disk herniation as determined via MRI. PROCEDURES: 1 of 2 board-certified neurologists performed a complete neurologic examination in each dog. Clinical signs of a cervical lesion included evidence of neck pain and tetraparesis. The withdrawal reflex was used for neuroanatomic localization (C1-C5 or C6-T2). Agreement between results of neurologic and MRI examinations was determined. RESULTS: Agreement between neurologic and MRI diagnoses was 65.8%. In 11 dogs in which the lesion was clinically localized to the C6-T2 segment on the basis of a decreased withdrawal reflex in the forelimbs, MRI revealed an isolated C1-C5 disk lesion. In 1 dog, in which the lesion was suspected to be at the C1-C5 level, MRI revealed a C6-T2 lesion. Cranial cervical lesions were significantly associated with an incorrect neurologic diagnosis regarding site of the lesion. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that the withdrawal reflex in dogs with cervical disk herniation is not reliable for determining the affected site and that a decreased withdrawal reflex does not always indicate a lesion from C6 to T2.     

Effects of unfractionated and fractionated heparins on myeloperoxidase activity and interactions with endothelial cells: possible effects on the pathophysiology of equine laminitis

As heparins are sometimes used to prevent equine laminitis, the interactions between equine neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO), unfractionated (UFH) and fractionated low molecular weight (LMWH) heparins and digital endothelium have been investigated. The effects of the heparins on purified equine MPO activity were tested by immunocapture followed by enzymatic detection. Endothelium-MPO interactions were assessed by measuring total and active MPO uptake by arterial and venous digital endothelial cells in culture with or without the addition of heparins. A dose-dependent MPO inhibition by UFH and LMWH was seen, with the greatest reduction in MPO activity noted with the highest concentration of LMWH. The MPO capture was greater in arterial cells, but heparins better inhibited MPO capture in venous cells. The activity of cell-bound MPO was almost completely suppressed by the heparins, and no differences were observed between UFH and LMWH. The results confirm the anti-inflammatory properties of heparins and allow a better understanding of the potential role of MPO in laminitis.     

Experimental infection of Mytilus edulis by two Vibrio splendidus-related strains: Determination of pathogenicity level of strains and influence of the origin and annual cycle of mussels on their sensitivity

This study aimed at assessing the pathogenicity of two Vibrio splendidus-related species and evaluating the influence of the origin and annual life cycle of mussels on their sensitivity during a bacterial challenge. Thus, in vivo infection assays were made with Vibrio crassostreae 7T4_12 and Vibrio splendidus 3G1_6, over, respectively, thirteen and 9 months, on adult blue mussels from five recruitment areas in France. Two bacterial concentrations were tested: one consistent with the loads of Vibrio spp. in environment and mussel tissues (~10⁵ CFU/ml) and another one much higher (~10⁸ CFU/ml). The tested environmental concentration has no pathogenic effect whatever the time of year, the strain used and the origin of mussels. However, at the highest concentration, a pathogenic effect was observed only at specific moments, and one of the origins appeared to be more resistant. The physiological state of mussels—depending on the time of year—seemed significant in mussels’ sensitivity, as their recruitment origin. This study is the first to test the pathogenicity of V. splendidus-related strains at concentrations close to what is found in the wild, over the annual cycle of mussels, and considering their origin.     

Shedding light on the migratory patterns of the Amazonian goliath catfish,Brachyplatystoma platynemum,using otolith 87Sr/86Sr analyses

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A Marine λ-Oligocarrageenan Inhibits Migratory and Invasive Ability of MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cells through Actions on Heparanase Metabolism and MMP-14/MMP-2 Axis

Sugar-based molecules such as heparins or natural heparan sulfate polysaccharides have been developed and widely studied for controlling heparanase (HPSE) enzymatic activity, a key player in extracellular matrix remodelling during cancer pathogenesis. However, non-enzymatic functions of HPSE have also been described in tumour mechanisms. Given their versatile properties, we hypothesized that sugar-based inhibitors may interfere with enzymatic but also non-enzymatic HPSE activities. In this work, we assessed the effects of an original marine λ-carrageenan derived oligosaccharide (λ-CO) we previously described, along with those of its native counterpart and heparins, on cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells but also of sh-MDA-MB-231 cells, in which the expression of HPSE was selectively downregulated. We observed no cytotoxic and no anti-proliferative effects of our compounds but surprisingly λ-CO was the most efficient to reduce cell migration and invasion compared with heparins, and in a HPSE-dependent manner. We provided evidence that λ-CO tightly controlled a HPSE/MMP-14/MMP-2 axis, leading to reduced MMP-2 activity. Altogether, this study highlights λ-CO as a potent HPSE “modulator” capable of reducing not only the enzymatic activity of HPSE but also the functions controlled by the HPSE levels.     

Joint action of natural and synthetic photosystem II inhibitors

The inhibitory action on photosystem II of four sorgoleone analogues, isolated from Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench, and two synthetic inhibitors, diuron and bentazone, was tested by measuring oxygen evolution of thylakoid membranes. The inhibition of oxygen evolution for mixtures of inhibitors was compared with the Additive Dose Model (ADM). ADM assumes that, at a defined response level, the effect of a mixture of inhibitors can be unambiguously expressed by the potency of either of the inhibitors applied separately. The slope of the logistic dose-response curves differed between the inhibitors; sorgoleone analogues had the steepest and bentazone the shallowest slope. The difference in slopes makes the interpretation of the isoboles less general and may reflect the differences in the interaction between the natural and the synthetic inhibitors with the binding site. The results suggest that there may be some limitation to ADM, namely that compounds with the same site of action might have different response curves if their mechanism of binding is different. The joint action of inhibitors follows ADM at I₅₀ . Therefore, the inhibitors can replace each other in any mixture ratio, based on the relative potencies of the pure inhibitors, without changing each other's effect on oxygen evolution. The joint action at I₂₀ and I₈₀ sometimes diverged from ADM. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry