Compensatory sleep response to 12 h wakefulness in young and old rats

2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (1) ◽  
pp. R125-R133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyattam J. Shiromani ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Dean Wagner ◽  
Jolleyin Thakkar ◽  
Mary Ann Greco ◽  
...  

There is a pronounced decline in sleep with age. Diminished output from the circadian oscillator, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, might play a role, because there is a decrease in the amplitude of the day-night sleep rhythm in the elderly. However, sleep is also regulated by homeostatic mechanisms that build sleep drive during wakefulness, and a decline in these mechanisms could also decrease sleep. Because this question has never been addressed in old animals, the present study examined the effects of 12 h wakefulness on compensatory sleep response in young (3.5 mo) and old (21.5 mo) Sprague-Dawley and F344 rats. Old rats in both strains had a diminished compensatory increase in slow-wave sleep (SWS) after 12 h of wakefulness (0700–1900, light-on period) compared with the young rats. In contrast, compensatory REM sleep rebound was unaffected by age. To assess whether the reduced SWS rebound in old rats might result from loss of neurons implicated in sleep generation, we counted the number of c-Fos immunoreactive (c-Fos-ir) cells in the ventral lateral preoptic (VLPO) area and found no differences between young and old rats. These findings indicate that old rats, similar to elderly humans, demonstrate less sleep after prolonged wakefulness. The findings also indicate that although old rats have a decline in sleep, this cannot be attributed to loss of VLPO neurons implicated in sleep.

1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 445-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Lombardo ◽  
G. Formicola ◽  
S. Gori ◽  
C. Gneri ◽  
R. Massetani ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
G. Ilse ◽  
K. Kovacs ◽  
N. Ryan ◽  
T. Sano ◽  
L. Stefaneanu ◽  
...  

Germfree state and food restriction have been shown to increase life span and delay tumor occurrence in rats. We report here the histologic, immunocytochemical and electron microscopic findings of adenohypophyses of aging, male Lobund-Wistar rats raised at Lobund Laboratories. In our previous study, the morphologic changes in the adenohypophyses of old rats have been extensively investigated by histology, immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. Lactotroph adenomas were frequent in Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley rats, whereas gonadotroph adenomas were frequent in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats.Male Lobund-Wistar rats were divided into four groups: 1) conventional, which were raised under normal non-germfree environment and received food ad libitum; 2) germfree-food ad libitum; 3) conventional environment-food restricted and 4) germfree-food restricted. The adenohypophyses were removed from 6-month-, 18-month- and 30-month-old rats. For light microscopy, adenohypophyses were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin.


1988 ◽  
Vol 254 (6) ◽  
pp. R908-R916 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. B. McDonald ◽  
B. A. Horwitz ◽  
J. S. Stern

The inability of old rats to maintain body temperature during cold exposure has been well documented. This study evaluated the effect of exercise on the rates of cold-induced O2 consumption and the contribution of nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) to these rates. Younger (12 mo) and older (24 mo) male Fischer 344 (F344) rats were divided into exercised and sedentary groups. Exercised rats were run on a motor-driven treadmill 60 min/day, at 19-24 m/min, 5 days/wk for 6 mo. At the conclusion of the 6-mo training period, O2 consumption of all four groups was measured at thermoneutrality (26 degrees C) and during 6 h of exposure to 6 degrees C. Rectal temperatures were recorded before and after cold exposure. NST was estimated from the ability of isolated brown fat mitochondria to bind guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP). Core temperature of older sedentary rats fell 5.1 +/- 0.4 degrees C after cold exposure (36.3 +/- 0.3 vs. 31.2 +/- 0.8 degrees C). Exercise training in older animals prevented this fall from occurring (36.4 +/- 0.2 vs. 35.3 +/- 0.3 degrees C). Core temperatures of cold-exposed younger exercised and sedentary rats did not differ from thermoneutral values. Exercise did not alter the rates of resting body mass-independent (ml.min-1.kg body mass-0.67) O2 consumption in younger or older rats. However, body mass-independent and lean body mass (LBM)-independent (ml.min-1.g LBM-0.67) cold-induced O2 consumptions of older exercised rats were significantly elevated relative to those of older sedentary animals. This effect of exercise was not seen in younger rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (5) ◽  
pp. L1261-L1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis G. Chicoine ◽  
Michael L. Paffett ◽  
Mark R. Girton ◽  
Matthew J. Metropoulus ◽  
Mandar S. Joshi ◽  
...  

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important regulator of vasomotor tone in the pulmonary circulation. We tested the hypothesis that the role NO plays in regulating vascular tone changes during early postnatal development. Isolated, perfused lungs from 7- and 14-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. Baseline total pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was not different between age groups. The addition of KCl to the perfusate caused a concentration-dependent increase in PVR that did not differ between age groups. However, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor Nω-nitro-l-arginine augmented the K+-induced increase in PVR in both groups, and the effect was greater in lungs from 14-day-old rats vs. 7-day-old rats. Lung levels of total endothelial, inducible, and neuronal NOS proteins were not different between groups; however, the production rate of exhaled NO was greater in lungs from 14-day-old rats compared with those of 7-day-old rats. Vasodilation to 0.1 μM of the NO donor spermine NONOate was greater in 14-day lungs than in 7-day lungs, and lung levels of both soluble guanylyl cyclase and cGMP were greater at 14 days than at 7 days. Vasodilation to 100 μM of the cGMP analog 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)guanosine-3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate was greater in 7-day lungs than in 14-day lungs. Our results demonstrate that the pulmonary vascular bed depends more on NO production to modulate vascular tone at 14 days than at 7 days of age. The observed differences in NO sensitivity may be due to maturational increases in soluble guanylyl cyclase protein levels.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3752
Author(s):  
Nurhazirah Zainul Azlan ◽  
Yasmin Anum Mohd Yusof ◽  
Suzana Makpol

Muscle atrophy in ageing is a multifactorial degenerative process impacted by cellular ageing biology, which includes oxidative stress. Chlorella vulgaris is a coccoid green eukaryotic microalga rich in antioxidants. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of C. vulgaris in ameliorating oxidative stress, thus elucidating its mechanism in improving muscle mass, strength and function in young and old rats. Fifty-six male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats aged 3 months (young) and 21 months (old) were divided into three groups: Group 1 (control) was given distilled water; Group 2 was treated with 150 mg/kg body weight (BW) of C. vulgaris; and Group 3 was treated with 300 mg/kg BW of C. vulgaris for three months. Grip and muscle strength and muscle integrity were determined on days 0, 30, 60, and 90 of treatment. Urine and blood were collected on days 0 and 90 of treatment for oxidative stress marker determination, while the gastrocnemius muscles were collected for muscle oxidative stress analysis. Increased grip strength of the front and hind paws was observed in young C. vulgaris-treated rats on days 30, 60, and 90 compared to the untreated control on the same days (p < 0.05). There was a significant increase in lean bone mineral content (BMC) in young rats treated with 300 mg/kg BW C. vulgaris compared to untreated rats on days 30 and 60. The fat mass was significantly decreased in young and old C. vulgaris-treated rats on day 90 compared to the untreated control. The total path was significantly increased for old rats treated with 300 mg/kg BW C. vulgaris on days 60 and 90 compared to day 0. Young and old C. vulgaris-treated rats demonstrated a significant decrease in urinary isoprostane F2t and plasma creatine kinase-MM (CKMM) compared to the control on day 90. A significant decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxyalkenal (HAE) levels were observed in young and old rats treated with C. vulgaris. C. vulgaris improved the muscle mass, strength, and function in young and old rats. This effect could be due to its potency in ameliorating oxidative stress in the skeletal muscle of young and old rats.


1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (3) ◽  
pp. E558-E564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regine Minet-Quinard ◽  
Christophe Moinard ◽  
Françoise Villie ◽  
Stephane Walrand ◽  
Marie-Paule Vasson ◽  
...  

Aged rats are more sensitive to injury, possibly through an impairment of nitrogen and glutamine (Gln) metabolisms mediated by glucocorticoids. We studied the metabolic kinetic response of adult and old rats during glucocorticoid treatment. The male Sprague-Dawley rats were 24 or 3 mo old. Both adult and old rats were divided into 7 groups. Groups labeled G3, G5, and G7 received, by intraperitoneal injection, 1.50 mg/kg of dexamethasone (Dex) for 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively. Groups labeled G3PF, G5PF, and G7PF were pair fed to the G3, G5, or G7 groups and were injected with an isovolumic solution of NaCl. One control group comprised healthy rats fed ad libitum. The response to aggression induced specifically by Dex (i.e., allowing for variations in pair-fed controls) appeared later in the aged rats (decrease in nitrogen balance from day 1 in adults but only from day 4 in old rats). The adult rats rapidly adapted to Dex treatment, whereas the catabolic state worsened until the end of treatment in the old rats. Gln homeostasis was not maintained in the aged rats; despite an early increase in muscular Gln synthetase activity, the Gln pool was depleted. These results suggest a kinetic impairment of both nitrogen and muscle Gln metabolisms in response to Dex with aging.


1992 ◽  
Vol 262 (2) ◽  
pp. H531-H538 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Tomanek ◽  
M. R. Aydelotte

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the left ventricle of the senescent rat has a limited compensatory response to late onset hypertension. Data were obtained from middle-aged (15 mo) and senescent (24 mo) Sprague-Dawley rats either 1 or 3 mo after the initiation of one-kidney figure-8 renal wrap (Grollman) hypertension. Peak left ventricular (LV) function assessed during acute volume expansion was not markedly affected 1 mo after induction of hypertension with the exception of a decrement in the acceleration of aortic flow (dF/dt) in the senescent hypertensive group. Three months after the surgery was performed, peak LV function (stroke index, stroke volume/g LV, and dF/dt) was depressed in the senescent hypertensive rats, compared with the controls. In contrast, these indexes in the 15-mo-old rats were similar in the experimental and control groups after either 1 or 3 mo of hypertension. Developed pressure, however, was not compromised by hypertension at either age. Cardiocyte hypertrophy due to pressure overload occurred in both age groups but to a greater extent in the senescent group. This cellular response did not cause an absolute increase in LV mass and was associated with endomyocardial foci of cellular degeneration and fibrosis suggestive of cell loss. Mitochondria-to-myofibril volume ratios were not significantly altered in the experimental groups at either age, thus the cellular hypertrophy in these rats was characterized by uniform organelle growth. These data support two important conclusions regarding late onset hypertension.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2004 ◽  
Vol 1008 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Alexander Thomas ◽  
Gerta Fleissner ◽  
Marion Stöhr ◽  
Stefan Hauptfleisch ◽  
Björn Lemmer

1964 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 567-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine C. Smith ◽  
L.-P. Dugal

Exposure of white rats to 2 °C for 20 weeks caused an immediate and sustained increase in the excretion of catechol amines as compared to controls kept at 23 °C. Adrenaline excretion increased approximately three to four times while noradrenaline excretion increased about eight times. There were no marked differences between Wistar and Sprague–Dawley rats in the amounts of adrenaline and noradrenaline excreted at 23 °C or 2 °C. 'Old' rats kept in activity cages excreted much more of the catechol amines both at 23 °C and 2 °C than did the other rats and they showed a peak for adrenaline excretion after 1 week and for noradrenaline excretion after 3 to 4 weeks in the cold.


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