Sexual dimorphism in prostacyclin-mimetic responses of rat mesenteric and coronary arteries.

Background and purpose- Prostacyclin mimetics are widely used clinically. As such it is pertinent to understand the mechanisms underlying the vasoactive response to such agents, yet to date, no study has considered sex as a factor. The aim of this study was to characterise the effect of prostacyclin mimetics, Iloprost and MRE-269, on precontracted arterial tone from male and female Wistar arteries. As a secondary consideration, we investigated Kcnq-encoded KV7 channels as potential downstream targets of prostacyclin-IP-receptor mediated signalling. Experimental approach- Relative mRNA transcript and protein abundance were determined by RT-qPCR and immunocytochemistry respectively. The effect of Iloprost and MRE-269 was determined on pre-contracted arterial tone in the presence of pharmacological modulators of potassium channels and molecular interreference of KV7.1 within 2nd order mesenteric and left anterior descending arteries from male and female Wistar rats. Key results- Iloprost evoked a bi-phasic response in male mesenteric arteries, at low concentrations relaxing, then contracting the vessel at high concentration in a process attributed to IP and EP3 receptors respectively. Secondary contraction was absent in the females, potentially underpinned by a reduction in Ptger3. Pharmacological inhibition and molecular interference of KV7.1 significantly attenuated MRE-269 mediated relaxation in male and female Wistar in Diestrus / Metoestrous, but not Pro-oestrus / Oestrus. Conclusions and implications- Stark sexual dimorphisms in Iloprost mediated vasoactive responses are present within mesenteric arteries. KV7.1 is implicated in IP-receptor mediated vasorelaxation and is impaired by the Oestrus cycle.

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Small-volume vitrification and rapid warming yield high survivals of one-cell rat embryos in cryotubes

Biology of Reproduction ◽

10.1093/biolre/ioab059 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yasuyoshi Fukuda ◽

Misako Higashiya ◽

Takahiro Obata ◽

Keita Basaki ◽

Megumi Yano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cooling Rate ◽

Small Volume ◽

Sucrose Solution ◽

High Concentration ◽

Rat Embryos ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Intracellular Ice Formation ◽

Intracellular Ice ◽

Warming Rate ◽

Very High

Abstract To cryopreserve cells, it is essential to avoid intracellular ice formation during cooling and warming. One way to achieve this is to convert the water inside the cells into a non-crystalline glass. It is currently believed that to accomplish this vitrification, the cells must be suspended in a very high concentration (20–40%) of a glass-inducing solute, and subsequently cooled very rapidly. Herein, we report that this belief is erroneous with respect to the vitrification of one-cell rat embryos. In the present study, one-cell rat embryos were vitrified with 5 μL of EFS10 (a mixture of 10% ethylene glycol, 27% Ficoll, and 0.45 M sucrose) in cryotubes at a moderate cooling rate, and warmed at various rates. Survival was assessed according to the ability of the cells to develop into blastocysts and to develop to term. When embryos were vitrified at a 2,613 °C/min cooling rate and thawed by adding 1 mL of sucrose solution (0.3 M, 50 °C) at a warming rate of 18,467 °C/min, 58.1 ± 3.5% of the EFS10-vitrified embryos developed into blastocysts, and 50.0 ± 4.7% developed to term. These rates were similar to those of non-treated intact embryos. Using a conventional cryotube, we achieved developmental capabilities in one-cell rat embryos by rapid warming that were comparable to those of intact embryos, even using low concentrations (10%) of cell-permeating cryoprotectant and at low cooling rates.

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Differential glycolytic and glycogenogenic transduction pathways in male and female bovine embryos produced in vitro

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rd11080 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 344 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

M. Garcia-Herreros ◽

I. M. Aparicio ◽

D. Rath ◽

T. Fair ◽

P. Lonergan

Keyword(s):

Glucose Metabolism ◽

Protein Expression ◽

Glucose Uptake ◽

Glucose Transporter ◽

Glycogen Synthase ◽

Bovine Embryos ◽

High Concentration ◽

Glucose Transporter 1 ◽

Male And Female ◽

Glut 1

Previous studies have shown that developmental kinetic rates following IVF are lower in female than in male blastocysts and that this may be related to differences in glucose metabolism. In addition, an inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibits glucose uptake in murine blastocysts. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify and compare the expression of proteins involved in glucose metabolism (hexokinase-I, HK-I; phosphofructokinase-1, PFK-1; pyruvate kinase1/2, PK1/2; glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GAPDH; glucose transporter-1, GLUT-1; and glycogen synthase kinase-3, GSK-3) in male and female bovine blastocysts to determine whether PI3-K has a role in the regulation of the expression of these proteins. Hexokinase-I, PFK-1, PK1/2, GAPDH and GLUT-1 were present in bovine embryos. Protein expression of these proteins and GSK-3 was significantly higher in male compared with female blastocysts. Inhibition of PI3-K with LY294002 significantly decreased the expression of HK-I, PFK-1, GAPDH, GSK-3 A/B and GLUT-1. Results showed that the expression of glycolytic proteins HK-I, PFK-1, GAPDH and PK1/2, and the transporters GLUT-1 and GSK-3 is regulated by PI3-K in bovine blastocysts. Moreover, the differential protein expression observed between male and female blastocysts might explain the faster developmental kinetics seen in males, as the expression of main proteins involved in glycolysis and glycogenogenesis was significantly higher in male than female bovine embryos and also could explain the sensitivity of male embryos to a high concentration of glucose, as a positive correlation between GLUT-1 expression and glucose uptake in embryos has been demonstrated.

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Serum pharmacokinetics and coagulation aberration induced by sodium dehydroacetate in male and female Wistar rats

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep46210 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yumei Zhang ◽

Donglai Ying ◽

Hao Liu ◽

Zengrong Yu ◽

Lingling Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wistar Rats ◽

Male And Female ◽

Female Wistar Rats

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Drosophila cell fusion induced by wheat germ agglutinin

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.18.1.113 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 113-121

Author(s):

R.M. Rizki ◽

T.M. Rizki ◽

C.A. Andrews

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽

Wheat Germ Agglutinin ◽

Wheat Germ ◽

Embryonic Cell ◽

High Concentration ◽

Drosophila Cell ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Embryonic Cell Lines ◽

Scanning Electron

The effects of wheat germ agglutinin on Drosophila embryonic cell lines growing on cover-glasses was examined by scanning electron microscopy. At low concentrations of the lectin (5-10 mug/ml), cells spread against the glass surface and fused to form syncytia. At high concentration, damage to the cell surface was evidenced as extensive membrane shrivelling and loss of surface microfilaments. Fusion also occurred under these conditions. There was some indication that the morphology of cells in division remains undisturbed by wheat germ agglutinin. The coalescence of cells and morphologic disotrtion induced by wheat germ agglutinin were not inhibited by N-acetylglucosamine, the hapten inhibitor of the lectin, under the conditions utilized in this study.

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Blooms of bryozoans and epibenthic diatoms in an urbanized sandy Beach (Balneário Camboriú - SC - Brazil): dynamics, possible causes and biomass characterization

Brazilian Journal of Oceanography ◽

10.1590/s1679-87592017116106504 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 678-694 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Leonardo Rubi Rörig ◽

Maevi Ottonelli ◽

Ana Gabriela Itokazu ◽

Marcelo Maraschin ◽

João Vitor Heberle Lins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saturated Fatty Acids ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Growth Conditions ◽

Adjacent Area ◽

High Concentration ◽

Local Pollution ◽

Organic Debris ◽

Quality Of Water ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Environmental Health Problem

Abstract Balneário Camboriu (SC - Brazil) is a touristic city where the disordered growth of the urban population and the implementation of coastal works without proper evaluation generated environmental impacts and affected the sanitary quality of water and sediment of Camboriu River and marine adjacent area. One of the most recent and alarming phenomena observed are the blooms of invasive bryozoans (Arboscuspis bellula and Membraniporopsis tubigera) associated with epibenthic diatoms (Amphitetras antediluviana and Biddulphia biddulphiana). Several clues associate these phenomena, started in 2003, with the excess of nutrients and organic matter in the Camboriú cove and large coastal works such as dredging, landfills and construction of jetties, leading to changes in benthic ecological structure. Being an aesthetic and environmental health problem, the concern of the scientific community and government agencies intensified as the occurrences become more frequent and persistent. This research addresses this issue through environmental and experimental studies. Samplings of the benthic material collected by boat and diving, and blooms monitoring were the environmental approach. The laboratory work included the algal isolation and culture, in addition to growth conditions assessment and chemical biomass analysis. Monitoring data showed a seasonal trend in the blooms, with more conspicuous events in warmer months. Diatoms increase in abundance in colder months and bryozoans in the warmer ones. The diatom A. antediluviana, predominant in the blooms, grew satisfactorily in laboratory cultivation, showing better growth in media with higher concentrations of silicate and phosphate. Bryozoans showed slow growth in laboratory conditions. The deposited material collected in the environment showed low concentrations of saturated fatty acids, but the high biomass suggest a possible use for biofuels production. Biomass samples dominated by bryozoans showed moderate antimicrobial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae. The explanation for the occurrence of these blooms are still inconclusive, but there is considerable evidence that it is a synergistic effect between the high concentration of bacteria and organic debris in the water related to local pollution and the elimination of natural competitors by coastal works.

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Intrasplenic Transplantation of Isolated Adult Rat Hepatocytes

Toxicologic Pathology ◽

10.1177/0192623311425061 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 83-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Meena R. Sharma ◽

Wojciech Dworakowski ◽

Bernard H. Shapiro

Keyword(s):

Cytochrome P450 ◽

Adult Male ◽

Total Concentration ◽

Rat Hepatocytes ◽

Female Rats ◽

Female Rat ◽

Male And Female ◽

Sexual Dimorphisms ◽

Male And Female Rats ◽

Male Specific

Adult male and female rat hepatocytes were individually transplanted into the spleens of adult male and female rats. The recipients were euthanized at either eight, sixteen, thirty, or forty-five weeks following transplantation, at which time hepatic and splenic levels of liver-specific rat albumin mRNA as well as sex-dependent transcript levels of CYP2C11, -2C12, -2C7, -2A1, and -3A2—which accounts for > 60% of the total concentration of hepatic constituent cytochrome P450—were determined. Whereas the pre-infused hepatocytes expressed their expected cytochrome P450 sexual dimorphisms (female-specific CYP2C12, male-specific CYP3A2, and female-predominant CYP2A1), their post-transplantational competence now reflected the sexual dimorphisms of the recipient (as observed in the host’s liver), which supports the concept that the sex-dependent growth hormone circulating profiles are the determinants regulating the expression levels of hepatic cytochrome P450. Also expressed at normal concentrations in the pre-infused hepatocytes, male-specific CYP2C11 and female-predominant CYP2C7 were inexplicably undetectable in the spleens of both recipient males and females, regardless of the sex of the donor hepatocytes, almost one year after transplantation.

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Fixed-consecutive-number performance in male and female Wistar rats

Behavioural Brain Research ◽

10.1016/0166-4328(90)90137-4 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 255-261 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Frans van Haaren ◽

Annemieke van Hest

Keyword(s):

Wistar Rats ◽

Male And Female ◽

Female Wistar Rats ◽

Consecutive Number

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Performance, but not size, of hindleg weaponry is sexually dimorphic in the giant mesquite bug (Thasus neocalifornicus)

10.1101/2020.08.03.234385 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zackary A. Graham ◽

Nicole Kaiser ◽

Alexandre V. Palaoro

Keyword(s):

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Aggressive Interaction ◽

Body Parts ◽

Single Measure ◽

Male And Female ◽

Aggressive Interactions ◽

Sexual Dimorphisms

ABSTRACTIn many species, males possess specialized weaponry that have evolved to confer a benefit during aggressive interactions. Because male weaponry is typically an exaggerated or extreme version of pre-existing body parts, females often possess reduced or weaponry. Although much research has investigated sexual dimorphism in the sizes of such weapons, other weapon components, such as weapon performance or alternative weapon forms can also explain the evolution of weapon sexual dimorphisms. Here, we investigated the allometry and variation of multiple weapon components of hindleg weaponry in the male and female giant mesquite bugs, Thasus necalifornicus. Despite theory predicating greater allocation in male weaponry, we found that females allocated more into the lengths of their hindlegs compared to males. Despite this allocation, males possess relatively wider hindlegs, which likely increase area of muscle mass. Indeed, the squeezing performance of male hindlegs was much greater than that of female hindlegs. Lastly, we also described the allometry and variation in a male weapon component, prominent tibial spines, which likely are used to damage competitors during aggressive interaction. Overall, our findings highlight the intricacies of weapon sexual dimorphism and demonstrate the importance of measuring multiple weapon components and not a single measure.

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Hydration with Mannitol and Dextrose May Promote Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity: Test of Five Protocols of Hydration during Cisplatin Therapy in Rat Models

Journal of Toxicology ◽

10.1155/2021/5547341 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Mohammad-Sedigh Khosravi ◽

Alireza Samimiat ◽

Bahar Mazaheri ◽

Farzaneh Ashrafi ◽

Ardeshir Talebi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Therapy ◽

Kidney Tissue ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Female Rats ◽

Male Rats ◽

Male And Female ◽

Male And Female Rats ◽

Female Wistar Rats ◽

Solid Tumor Therapy ◽

Cisplatin Therapy

Backgrounds. Cisplatin (CP) still is a novel choice for solid tumor therapy, but it is accompanied with the side effect of nephrotoxicity. Hydration may reduce the risk of CP-induced nephrotoxicity, while the issue is still challenging. In this study, five types of hydration protocols including saline, mannitol, dextrose saline, saline plus furosemide, and saline plus mannitol were examined in both sexes of rats during CP therapy. Methods. Seventy-six male and female Wistar rats in 14 groups of experiments were subjected to CP therapy, and five types of hydration protocols were implemented, and the induced nephrotoxicity was evaluated via biochemical markers, kidney function parameters, and pathology investigation. Results. Male and female rats had different responses to hydration protocol types. The higher mortality rate was seen in female rats that received mannitol or dextrose hydration types. In addition, the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) and sodium excretion fraction (ENa%) increased and the clearance of Cr (ClCr) decreased significantly ( P < 0.05 ) in female rats hydrated with saline plus furosemide or mannitol plus saline-treated groups. The worsened condition in male rats is observed in the mannitol hydration group with a significant decrease of ClCr and significant increase of serum BUN and Cr and ENa% ( P < 0.05 ). The higher kidney tissue damage score (KTDS) in the mentioned groups verified the findings. Conclusion. Hydration with mannitol or dextrose promotes the risk of nephrotoxicity during CP therapy with more intensity on the female.

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