Effect of acute exposure to cadmium on the expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), calcitonin (CT), somatostatin (SST) and synaptophysin (SYN) in the C cells of the rat thyroid - a preliminary study

The aim of the present study was to determine to what degree acute exposure to cadmium affects the expression of CGRP, CT, SST and SYN in the C cells of the rat thyroid. Animals from 7 experimental groups received CdCl2 iv. in doses of 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1 and 0.5 mg/kg b.w. respectively, while the control animals were given 0.9% NaCl iv. 24 hours after the iv. administration of CdCl2, a correlation was found between a single dose of cadmium and the intensity of the immunocytochemical reactions for CGRP, CT, SST and SYN in C cells of the rat thyroid when compared to the control. The weakest immunocytochemical reactions were noted in C cells of the thyroid of rats from Groups I and II, their intensity gradually increasing in Groups III, IV and V in comparison to the control. The reaction intensity in animals of Groups VI and VII resembled those of the control

Is spermiogenesis common or rare in young male European bison aged 2 and 3 years?

The aim of the present study was to determine how often spermiogenesis occurs in young male European bison up to 3 years old. Research was performed on sections of the testes and epididymes collected from 51 male bison aged 2-3 years. The animals were divided into 2 age groups: young males up to 2 years and young males up to 3 years old, with further separation into specimens with or without spermiogenesis. The animals were culled during the autumn-winter seasons in 1994-2008 (after rutting period) in the Bialowieża Primeval Forest. Spermiogenesis in the 2-year-old animals was a rare condition found in 16.7% of cases. However, at the age of 3 years more than half of the individuals examined (53.3%) had spermiogenesis. Young males up to 2 years old with spermiogenesis were characterized by a significantly higher body weight and their right testis also weighed more than the left testis of the animals without spermiogenesis, the difference being on the border of statistical significance. There was no significant differences in the body mass and weight of the left testis between older animals, up to 3 years old, with or without spermiogenesis. However, young males up to 3 years old with spermiogenesis were characterized by a significantly higher weight of the right testis than those without spermiogenesis

Morphometric measurements of the seminiferous tubules of the testes in 2-year-old and 3-year-old European bison males with or without spermiogenesis

The area, perimeter and diameter of the seminiferous tubules in the European bison Bison bonasus (L.) were statistically higher in the animals with than in those without spermiogenesis, both among 2-year-old and 3-year-old males (p<0.001; p<0.001; p<0.001)

Immunolocalization of PTHrP in the parotid glands of three rodents species: Clethrionomys glareoulus, Microtus arvalis and white Swiss mice.

The current study was inspired by the fact that since 2004 no report had appeared on the occurrence of this peptide in healthy parotid glands of humans and animals. The objective of the current study was to investigate the immunolocalization of PTHrP in the parotid gland of three male rodents: 6 common voles (Microtus arvalis, Pallas, 1779), 6 bank voles (Clethrionomys glareoulus, Schreber, 1780) and 6 white Swiss mice, as well as to find out any species differences in the distribution of this peptide in various types of cells of the parotid gland. Immunocytochemical reactions were performed using the ABC technique with specific rabbit antibodies against human PTHrP (34-53) (CALBIOCHEM), diluted 1:70 and 1:50. We observed positive PTHrP expression in the epithelial cells of the striated duct in all the three animal species. The expression was strong in white mouse and very strong in common vole and bank vole. In all the rodent species studied, the reaction for PTHrP was granular in nature and irregularly distributed in the cytoplasm, being definitely stronger at the base and weaker at the apex of the cells. The PTHrP expression was negative in the epithelium of the intercalated duct, interlobular duct, main excretory duct, as well as in the myoepithelial cells surrounding the excretory ducts or serous acini

Resistance to diet-induced obesity in mice globally overexpressing OGH/GPB5

We identified a glycoprotein hormone β-subunit (OGH, also called GPB5) that, as a heterodimer with the α-subunit GPA2, serves as a second ligand for the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor. Mice in which the OGH gene is deleted (OGH(-/-)) are indistinguishable from WT littermates in body weight, response to high-fat diet, metabolic parameters, body composition, and insulin tolerance. Mice engineered to transgenically globally overexpress OGH (OGH-TG) develop ≈2-fold elevations in their basal thyroid levels and weigh slightly less than WT littermates despite increased food intake because of an increase in their metabolic rates. Moreover, when OGH-TG mice are challenged with a high-fat diet, they gain significantly less weight and body fat than their WT littermates. The OGH-TG mice also have reduced blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides. In contrast to other approaches in which the thyroid axis is activated, OGH-TG mice exhibit only minor changes in heart rate and blood pressure. Our findings suggest that constitutive low-level activation of the thyroid axis (via OGH or other means) may provide a beneficial therapeutic approach for combating diet-induced obesity