Regulation of Intestinal Immune Response by Selective Removal of the Anterior, Posterior, or Entire Pituitary Gland in Trichinella spiralis Infected Golden Hamsters

The influence of anterior pituitary hormones on the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals has been previously reported. Hypophysectomy (HYPOX) in the rat causes atrophy of the intestinal mucosa, and reduction of gastric secretion and intestinal absorption, as well as increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections. However, to our knowledge, no findings have been published concerning the immune response following HYPOX during worm infection, particularly that which is caused by the nematode Trichinella spiralis. The aim of this work was to analyze the effects of total or partial HYPOX on colonization of T. spiralis in the intestinal lumen, together with duodenal and splenic cytokine expression. Our results indicate that 5 days post infection, only neurointermediate pituitary lobectomy (NIL) reduces the number of intestinally recovered T. spiralis larvae. Using semiquantitative inmunofluorescent laser confocal microscopy, we observed that the mean intensity of all tested Th1 cytokines was markedly diminished, even in the duodenum of infected controls. In contrast, a high level of expression of these cytokines was noted in the NIL infected hamsters. Likewise, a significant decrease in the fluorescence intensity of Th2 cytokines (with the exception of IL-4) was apparent in the duodenum of control and sham infected hamsters, compared to animals with NIL surgeries, which showed an increase in the expression of IL-5 and IL-13. Histology of duodenal mucosa from NIL hamsters showed an exacerbated inflammatory infiltrate located along the lamina propria, which was related to the presence of the parasite. We conclude that hormones from each pituitary lobe affect the gastrointestinal immune responses to T. spiralis through various mechanisms

THE CARDIOPTOECTIVE ACTION OF THE SYNTETHIC PEPTIDE OCTARPHIN

The synthetic peptide octarphin (TPLVTLFK) is a ligand of nonopioid beta-endorphin receptor of rat myocardium membranes. It was shown that intranasal injection of octarphin at the doses of 2–20 .g/kg once a day by course of 7 days after experimental myocardial infarction influences pronounced anti ischemic and cardioprotective actions

Horseradish Peroxidase-Based Biosensors with Different Nanotransducers for the Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide

We studied methods of the in situ synthesis of gold nanostructures on the electrode surface and of the directed electrochemical synthesis of nanodendrites to create biosensors based on horseradish peroxidase. The effect of nanostructuring of the transducer surface and its subsequent modification on the electroanalytical characteristics of sensors for the determination of hydrogen peroxide was studied. The use of these methods can significantly improve the performance characteristics of the biosensors, such as the sensitivity coefficient, limit of detection, and stability in the range of micromolar and submicromolar concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. The electrodes modified by the in situ synthesis of nanostructures with subsequent treatment with Meerwein’s reagent, as well as ultramicroelectrodes prepared by directional electrochemical synthesis, show low limits of detection for hydrogen peroxide, 0.2 and 0.08 µM, and high sensitivity coefficients, 0.71 and 0.84 A M–1 cm–2, respectively