Erythrocyte osmotic fragility test as the measure of defence against free radicals in rabbits of different age

Peroxidation of the unsaturated bonds of membrane lipids increases fragility and cellular lysis of red blood cells. Erythrocyte susceptibility to the free radicals (peroxyl radicals) generated in vitro by 2,2′-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH) was evaluated and expressed as 50% maximal haemolysis time (HT50) in 3 groups of rabbits of different age. Erythrocytes of 1.5-month-old rabbits were more sensitive to free radicals than those of 3.5- and 6-month-old ones. In the three groups, significant negative correlation (r = −0.8 to −0.98) between the lipid peroxidation rate (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TBARS concentration) in blood plasma and the erythrocyte resistance to free radicals was found. This result suggests that the plasma antioxidant defence system is interrelated with that of the red blood cells and that the erythrocytes can be a good model for studies of oxidative stress. The simple haemolysis test reflecting the free radical defence can be useful for evaluating the antioxidant properties of various compounds

Tropical summer induces DNA fragmentation in boar spermatozoa: implications for evaluating seasonal infertility

Summer infertility continues to undermine pig productivity, costing the pig industry millions in annual losses. The boar’s inefficient capacity to sweat, non-pendulous scrotum and the extensive use of European breeds in tropical conditions, can make the boar particularly vulnerable to the effects of heat stress; however, the link between summer heat stress and boar sperm DNA damage has not yet been demonstrated. Semen from five Large White boars was collected and evaluated during the early dry, late dry and peak wet seasons to determine the effect of seasonal heat stress on the quality and DNA integrity of boar spermatozoa. DNA damage in spermatozoa during the peak wet was 16-fold greater than during the early dry and nearly 9-fold greater than during the late dry season. Sperm concentration was 1.6-fold lower in the peak wet than early dry whereas no difference was found across several motility parameters as determined by computer-assisted sperm analysis. These results demonstrate that tropical summer (peak wet season) induces DNA damage and reduces concentration without depressing motility in boar spermatozoa, suggesting that traditional methods of evaluating sperm motility may not detect inherently compromised spermatozoa. Boar management strategies (such as antioxidant supplementation) need to be developed to specifically mitigate this problem

Influence of hypothyroidism on lipid peroxidation, erythrocyte resistance and antioxidant plasma properties in rabbits

The effect of hypothyroidism on some oxidative stress parameters is reported. Moderate hypothyroid state was induced in two groups of female rabbits (3 and 12 months old) by giving 50 mg/kg body weight (BW) of propylthiouracil (PTU) per os for 6 days and 20 mg/kg BW of methimazole (MMI) for further 14 days. Serum T 4 and T3 concentrations decreased by about 38-40 and 32-36%, respectively. The induced hypothyroidism resulted in a significant decrease in the serum concentration of the lipid peroxidation end-product malondialdehyde, as measured by the thiobarbituric-acid assay. Erythrocytes of hypothyroid animals exhibited higher resistance to oxidative stress, while submitted to free radicals generator 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH) in vitro. Using two detector systems (phospholipid liposomes and deoxyribose), sensitive to either organic or inorganic oxygen radical damage, the ability of euthyroid and hypothyroid rabbit plasma to protect against oxygen radicals was evaluated. The plasma of hypothyroid animals showed about 20% higher ability to protect against iron-binding organic radicals, but about 50% lower chain-breaking antioxidant activity. The antioxidant capacity of plasma against inorganic radicals was not affected by hypothyroidism. In conclusion, the results show that thyroid hormones modulate the free-radical-induced oxidative damage of lipids and that hypothyroidism offers some protection against lipid peroxidation

Changes in thyroxine, 3,3',5-triiodothyronine and 3,3'5'-triiodothyronine content in the thyroid gland and in serum to thyroid tissue iodothyronine ratios during ontogenesis in the fetal pig

The concentrations of thyroxine (T4), 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3) and 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (reverse T3; rT3 in thyroid gland tissue and serum of the fetal pig (n = 68) from day 39 to 113 of gestation were measured. Tracer quantities of iodothyronines, displaying the onset of thyroid hormone activity, were found in the thyroid tissue on day 39, i.e. before the appearance of a measurable quantity of iodothyronines in the serum. The T4 and T3 thyroidal content showed the first rise between days 56 and 76. Then, T3 was increasing sharply from day 92 till birth, while T4 content was decreasing from about day 76 to a low value between day 92 and 105, and then showing an increase shortly before birth. The rT3 content was the highest on day 39 and then it was steadily decreasing to reach a nadir on about day 76. Measurable amounts of thyroid hormones (TH) in the serum were observed not earlier than on day 46 of gestation. Near birth, the tissues of the pig fetus are in a milieu characterised by the highest blood TH concentrations. The serum to thyroid concentration ratio for rT3 and T4 was generally below 1.0 until the last trimester of gestation, when it was over 5.0 for rT3 and over 4.0 for T4. By contrast, the T3 serum to thyroid ratio was below 0.5 throughout the gestation. The results show that the fetal pig thyroid displays a low rT3 and T4 content, but the marked T3 elevation observed near term supports the view that a high production and secretion of T3 near term may be a critical factor for normal postnatal adaptation to extrauterine cooling in the pig

Peroral administration of triiodothyronine (T 3

International audienc

Triiodothyronine (T 3

International audienc