Responsiveness and functional attributes of electrically localized terminals of cutaneous C-fibers in vivo and in vitro

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 581-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kress ◽  
M. Koltzenburg ◽  
P. W. Reeh ◽  
H. O. Handwerker

1. The purpose of the present study was to compare the responsiveness unmyelinated cutaneous units in vivo and in vitro and to determine the proportion of primary afferents innervating the rat hairy skin that do not respond to transient mechanical or thermal stimuli. We have adopted electrical search strategies to locate the terminal arborization of unmyelinated fibers before testing the sensitivity to adequate stimuli. 2. A total of 144 unmyelinated units were studied, of which 31 were obtained from in vivo and 113 from in vitro experiments. 55 afferents were investigated after chronic surgical sympathectomy. Units recorded from sympathectomized rats did not differ in their conduction velocity, electrical thresholds, or receptive properties from units in intact animals. 3. There were only minor differences between the properties of units recorded in vivo and in vitro. This probably reflects technical differences of the setups rather than biological changes introduced by the in vitro conditions. Except for a higher prevalence of mechano-cold sensitive units in vitro, there was no significant difference between the distributions of receptor types. 4. Eight of 31 units (26%) recorded in vivo and 17 of 113 units (15%) obtained from in vitro experiments failed to respond to transient mechanical or thermal stimuli. In vivo, one of eight initially unresponsive units was activated by repeated mechanical and thermal stimulation. Two further units became responsive after topical application of mustard oil. In vitro, 2 of 17 unresponsive units were activated by repeated stimulation. Ten of the remaining unresponsive units were treated with a combination of inflammatory mediators. Four of these units were activated: three developed ongoing activity, and two of them also became responsive to mechanical and/or heat stimuli. The fourth unit responded to probing but was not spontaneously active. 5. We conclude that transient mechanical or thermal stimuli can excite the majority of unmyelinated cutaneous units. However, in vivo and in vitro, part of unmyelinated units are initially unresponsive even to noxious forms of stimulation. Because those unresponsive units were also encountered in sympathectomized preparations, and because some units can be recruited with repeated noxious stimuli or inflammatory agents, it is unlikely that all of them are sympathetic efferents. The same substances that cause sensitization of "normal" nociceptors are capable of recruiting initially unresponsive unmyelinated afferents.

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 743-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. H. Blenk ◽  
M. Michaelis ◽  
C. Vogel ◽  
W. Janig

1. Thermosensitivity of axotomized myelinated and unmyelinated fibers in the sural nerve was examined in anesthetized rats within 24 h after nerve ligation and transection. Activity in single fibers was recorded extracellularly from small filaments dissected from the nerve approximately 20-30 mm proximal to the lesioned site. Cold and warm stimuli were applied to the ligated and cut nerve end or 5-10 mm further proximal. 2. Among 871 unmyelinated fibers tested, 40 were excited by cooling of the cut and ligated nerve end (8-15 degrees C), 44 were excited by warming (35-65 degrees C), and 16 were both cold and warm sensitive. None of the 438 myelinated fibers investigated were activated by either cold or warm stimuli. 3. Cold- and warm-sensitive fibers responded in a graded fashion to thermal stimuli of variable temperatures. Between 11 and 30 degrees C, the responses of cold-sensitive fibers increased when the temperature was reduced. Responses of warm-sensitive fibers increased between 40 and 65 degrees C, when the temperature was increased. 4. Thermosensitive fibers displayed characteristic response profiles. Responses to cold stimuli were maximal at the beginning and decreased continuously to lower discharge frequencies as the stimuli were maintained. The stimulus-response curves to warm stimuli were bell-shaped and discharge frequencies were maximal after 5-15 s. 5. In some cold-sensitive fibers a spatial gradient of excitability emerged after axotomy. Maximal responses to isothermal stimuli were observed at the transection site, whereas the excitability declined when the thermal stimuli were applied 5 and 10 mm further proximal. 6. After axotomy, 190 unmyelinated fibers were exposed to cold and warm stimuli at two sites 5 and 10 mm proximal of the nerve stump, and 172 intact C fibers were stimulated at anatomically comparable sites along the nerve. No statistically significant difference was found between the prevalences of thermosensitivity of C fibers along their axons in these two groups (7 of 172 vs. 11 of 190). 7. In conclusion, some unmyelinated fibers can be ectopically excited by thermal stimuli within 24 h after nerve cut and ligation. This ectopically evoked activity may contribute to the generation of paresthesias, painful sensations, and associated changes following peripheral nerve lesion.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Mulyati Mulyati ◽  
Suryati Suryati ◽  
Irfani Baga

The study aims to isolate, characterize, and examine probiotic bacteria's inhibitory ability against Vibrio harveyi bacteria, both in-vitro and in vivo. Methods used in the study consist of 1) An Isolation of Candidate Probiotic Bacteria, 2) An Antagonistic Test of Candidate Probiotic Bacteria in vitro, 3) An Identification of Bacteria, 4) A Pathogenicity Test of Candidate Probiotic Bacteria, 5) An Antagonistic Test of Candidate Probiotic Bacteria against V. harveyi in vivo. According to the isolation of candidate probiotic bacteria, there are 18 isolated candidate probiotic. After being tested for its inhibitory ability in vitro, there are 8 isolates with zone of inhibition as follows: isolate MM 7 from intestine (22 mm), isolate MM 6 from intestine (12 mm), isolate MM 10 from sea water (10 mm), isolate MM 5 from intestine (9 mm), isolate MM 4 from intestine (8 mm), isolate MM 3 from intestine (7 mm), isolate MM 2.2 from intestine (7 mm), isolate MM 2.1 from intestine (7 mm). Eight genera of the candidate probiotic bacteria is derived from Portunid crab, they are Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, bacillus, vibrio, Alcaligenes, Lactobacillus, micrococcus. Before proceeding the V. harveyi bacterial challenge test in vivo, three potential isolates consisting of MM6, MM7 and MM10 as the probiotic bacteria are pathogenicity-tested against V. harveyi. The survival rate of Portunid crab on pathogenicity test using MM6, MM7 and MM10 generates 91.11-100%, while the control generates 100% survival rate. Variance analysis result through post-hoc Tukey's Honest Significant Difference (HSD) test at 95% confidence interval indicates that isolate MM7 and MM10 are significantly able to increase hatchling Portunid crab's survival rate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6865
Author(s):  
Eun Seon Lee ◽  
Joung Hun Park ◽  
Seong Dong Wi ◽  
Ho Byoung Chae ◽  
Seol Ki Paeng ◽  
...  

The thioredoxin-h (Trx-h) family of Arabidopsis thaliana comprises cytosolic disulfide reductases. However, the physiological function of Trx-h2, which contains an additional 19 amino acids at its N-terminus, remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the molecular function of Trx-h2 both in vitro and in vivo and found that Arabidopsis Trx-h2 overexpression (Trx-h2OE) lines showed significantly longer roots than wild-type plants under cold stress. Therefore, we further investigated the role of Trx-h2 under cold stress. Our results revealed that Trx-h2 functions as an RNA chaperone by melting misfolded and non-functional RNAs, and by facilitating their correct folding into active forms with native conformation. We showed that Trx-h2 binds to and efficiently melts nucleic acids (ssDNA, dsDNA, and RNA), and facilitates the export of mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm under cold stress. Moreover, overexpression of Trx-h2 increased the survival rate of the cold-sensitive E. coli BX04 cells under low temperature. Thus, our data show that Trx-h2 performs function as an RNA chaperone under cold stress, thus increasing plant cold tolerance.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Anastasia Maslianitsyna ◽  
Petr Ermolinskiy ◽  
Andrei Lugovtsov ◽  
Alexandra Pigurenko ◽  
Maria Sasonko ◽  
...  

Coronary heart disease (CHD) has serious implications for human health and needs to be diagnosed as early as possible. In this article in vivo and in vitro optical methods are used to study blood properties related to the aggregation of red blood cells in patients with CHD and comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The results show not only a significant difference of the aggregation in patients compared to healthy people, but also a correspondence between in vivo and in vitro parameters. Red blood cells aggregate in CHD patients faster and more numerously; in particular the aggregation index increases by 20 ± 7%. The presence of T2DM also significantly elevates aggregation in CHD patients. This work demonstrates multimodal diagnostics and monitoring of patients with socially significant pathologies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Kanta Kido ◽  
Norika Katagiri ◽  
Hiromasa Kawana ◽  
Shigekazu Sugino ◽  
Masanori Yamauchi ◽  
...  

Postoperative pain and consequent inflammatory responses after tissue incision adversely affects many surgical patients due to complicated mechanisms. In this study, we examined whether activation of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2), which is stimulated by tryptase from mast cells, elicits nociception and whether the PAR-2 antagonist could reduce incisional nociceptive responses in vivo and in vitro. The effects of a selective PAR-2 antagonist, N3-methylbutyryl-N-6-aminohexanoyl-piperazine (ENMD-1068), pretreatment on pain behaviors were assessed after plantar incision in rats. The effects of a PAR-2 agonist, SLIGRL-NH2, on nociception was assessed after the injection into the hind paw. Furthermore, the responses of C-mechanosensitive nociceptors to the PAR-2 agonist were observed using an in vitro skin–nerve preparation as well. Intraplantar injection of SLIGRL-NH2 elicited spontaneous nociceptive behavior and hyperalgesia. Local administration of ENMD-1068 suppressed guarding behaviors, mechanical and heat hyperalgesia only within the first few hours after incision. SLIGRL-NH2 caused ongoing activity in 47% of C-mechanonociceptors in vitro. This study suggests that PAR-2 may support early nociception after incision by direct or indirect sensitization of C-fibers in rats. Moreover, PAR-2 may play a regulatory role in the early period of postoperative pain together with other co-factors to that contribute to postoperative pain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 09 (06) ◽  
pp. E918-E924
Author(s):  
Tomonori Yano ◽  
Atsushi Ohata ◽  
Yuji Hiraki ◽  
Makoto Tanaka ◽  
Satoshi Shinozaki ◽  
...  

Abstract Backgrounds and study aims Gel immersion endoscopy is a novel technique to secure the visual field during endoscopy. The aim of this study was to develop a dedicated gel for this technique. Methods To identify appropriate viscoelasticity and electrical conductivity, various gels were examined. Based on these results, the dedicated gel “OPF-203” was developed. Efficacy and safety of OPF-203 were evaluated in a porcine model. Results  In vitro experiments showed that a viscosity of 230 to 1900 mPa·s, loss tangent (tanδ) ≤ 0.6, and hardness of 240 to 540 N/cm2 were suitable. Ex vivo experiments showed electrical conductivity ≤ 220 μS/cm is appropriate. In vivo experiments using gastrointestinal bleeding showed that OPF-203 provided clear visualization compared to water. After electrocoagulation of gastric mucosa in OPF-203, severe coagulative necrosis was not observed in the muscularis but limited to the mucosa. Conclusions OPF-203 is useful for gel immersion endoscopy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1165
Author(s):  
Wen-Tien Hsiao ◽  
Yi-Hong Chou ◽  
Jhong-Wei Tu ◽  
Ai-Yih Wang ◽  
Lu-Han Lai

The purpose of this study is to establish the minimal injection doses of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents that can achieve optimized images while improving the safety of injectable MRI drugs. Gadolinium-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) and ferucarbotran, commonly used in clinical practice, were selected and evaluated with in vitro and in vivo experiments. MRI was acquired using T1-weighted (T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) sequences, and the results were quantitatively analyzed. For in vitro experiments, results showed that T1W and T2W images were optimal when Gd-DTPA-bisamide (2-oxoethyl) (Gd-DTPA-BMEA) and ferucarbotran were diluted to a volume percentage of 0.6% and 0.05%; all comparisons were significant differences in grayscale statistics using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). For in vivo experiments, the contrast agent with optimal concentration percentages determined from in vitro experiments were injected into mice with an injection volume of 100 μL, and the images of brain, heart, liver, and mesentery before and after injection were compared. The statistical results showed that the p values of both T1W and T2W were less than 0.001, which were statistically significant. Under safety considerations for MRI contrast agent injection, optimized MRI images could still be obtained after reducing the injection concentration, which can provide a reference for the safety concentrations of MRI contrast agent injection in the future.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 216
Author(s):  
Rossana Terracciano ◽  
Aobo Zhang ◽  
E. Brian Butler ◽  
Danilo Demarchi ◽  
Jason H. Hafner ◽  
...  

The heterogeneous distribution of delivery or treatment modalities within the tumor mass is a crucial limiting factor for a vast range of theranostic applications. Understanding the interactions between a nanomaterial and the tumor microenvironment will help to overcome challenges associated with tumor heterogeneity, as well as the clinical translation of nanotheranostic materials. This study aims to evaluate the influence of protein surface adsorption on gold nanoparticle (GNP) biodistribution using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) preclinical imaging in C57BL/6 mice harboring Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) tumors. LLC provides a valuable model for study due to its highly heterogenous nature, which makes drug delivery to the tumor challenging. By controlling the adsorption of proteins on the GNP surface, we hypothesize that we can influence the intratumoral distribution pattern and particle retention. We performed an in vitro study to evaluate the uptake of GNPs by LLC cells and an in vivo study to assess and quantify the GNP biodistribution by injecting concentrated GNPs citrate-stabilized or passivated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) intratumorally into LLC solid tumors. Quantitative CT and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) results both confirm the presence of particles in the tumor 9 days post-injection (n = 8 mice/group). A significant difference is highlighted between citrate-GNP and BSA-GNP groups (** p < 0.005, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test), confirming that the protein corona of GNPs modifies intratumoral distribution and retention of the particles. In conclusion, our investigations show that the surface passivation of GNPs influences the mechanism of cellular uptake and intratumoral distribution in vivo, highlighting the spatial heterogeneity of the solid tumor.


Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 861
Author(s):  
Elizabeth E. Niedert ◽  
Chenghao Bi ◽  
Georges Adam ◽  
Elly Lambert ◽  
Luis Solorio ◽  
...  

A microrobot system comprising an untethered tumbling magnetic microrobot, a two-degree-of-freedom rotating permanent magnet, and an ultrasound imaging system has been developed for in vitro and in vivo biomedical applications. The microrobot tumbles end-over-end in a net forward motion due to applied magnetic torque from the rotating magnet. By turning the rotational axis of the magnet, two-dimensional directional control is possible and the microrobot was steered along various trajectories, including a circular path and P-shaped path. The microrobot is capable of moving over the unstructured terrain within a murine colon in in vitro, in situ, and in vivo conditions, as well as a porcine colon in ex vivo conditions. High-frequency ultrasound imaging allows for real-time determination of the microrobot’s position while it is optically occluded by animal tissue. When coated with a fluorescein payload, the microrobot was shown to release the majority of the payload over a 1-h time period in phosphate-buffered saline. Cytotoxicity tests demonstrated that the microrobot’s constituent materials, SU-8 and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), did not show a statistically significant difference in toxicity to murine fibroblasts from the negative control, even when the materials were doped with magnetic neodymium microparticles. The microrobot system’s capabilities make it promising for targeted drug delivery and other in vivo biomedical applications.


2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 419-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Ma ◽  
Xue-Ling Liao ◽  
Bin Lou ◽  
Man-Ping Wu

Abstract High density lipoprotein (HDL) binds lipopolysaccharide (LPS or endotoxin) and neutralizes its toxicity. We investigated the function of Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I), a major apolipoprotein in HDL, in this process. Mouse macrophages were incubated with LPS, LPS+ApoA-I, LPS+ApoA-I+LFF (lipoprotein-free plasma fraction d>1.210 g/ml), LPS+HDL, LPS+HDL+LFF, respectively. MTT method was used to detect the mortality of L-929 cells which were attacked by the release-out cytokines in LPS-activated macrophages. It was found that ApoA-I significantly decreased L-929 cells mortality caused by LPS treatment (LPS vs. LPS+ApoA-I, P<0.05) and this effect became even more significant when LFF was utilized (LPS vs. LPS+ApoA-I+LFF, P<0.01; LPS vs. LPS+HDL+LFF, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between LPS+ApoA-I+LFF and LPS+HDL+LFF treatment, indicating that ApoA-I was the main factor. We also investigated in vivo effects of ApoA-I on mouse mortality rate and survival time after LPS administration. We found that the mortality in LPS+ApoA-I group (20%) and in LPS+ApoA-I+LFF group (10%) was significantly lower than that in LPS group (80%) (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively); the survival time was (43.20 ± 10.13) h in LPS+ApoA-I group and (46.80 ± 3.79) h in LPS+ApoA-I+LFF group, which were significantly longer than that in LPS group (16.25 ± 17.28) h (P<0.01). We also carried out in vitro binding study to investigate the binding capacity of ApoA-I and ApoA-I+LFF to fluorescence labeled LPS (FITC-LPS). It was shown that both ApoA-I and ApoA-I+LFF could bind with FITC-LPS, however, the binding capacity of ApoA-I+LFF to FITC-LPS (64.47 ± 8.06) was significantly higher than that of ApoA-I alone (24.35 ± 3.70) (P<0.01). The results suggest that: (1) ApoA-I has the ability to bind with and protect against LPS; (2) LFF enhances the effect of ApoA-I; (3) ApoA-I is the major contributor for HDL anti-endotoxin function.


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