Data on morphometric analysis of the pancreatic islets from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice

The endocrine portion of the pancreas, which is characterized by pancreatic islets, has been widely investigated among different species. The BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice are extensively used in experimental research, and the morphometric differences in the pancreatic islets of these animals have not been evaluated so far. Thus, our data have a comparative perspective related to the morphometric analysis of area, diameters, circularity, and density of pancreatic islets from BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. The data presented here are focused to evaluate the differences in morphology of pancreatic islets of two common laboratory mouse strains. Keywords: Pancreatic islets, Morphometry, BALB/c and C57BL/6 mic

Adrenal-Derived Hormones Differentially Modulate Intestinal Immunity in Experimental Colitis

The adrenal glands are able to modulate immune responses through neuroimmunoendocrine interactions and cortisol secretion that could suppress exacerbated inflammation such as in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therefore, here we evaluated the role of these glands in experimental colitis induced by 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in C57BL/6 mice subjected to adrenalectomy, with or without glucocorticoid (GC) replacement. Mice succumbed to colitis without adrenals with a higher clinical score and augmented systemic levels of IL-6 and lower LPS. Furthermore, adrenalectomy negatively modulated systemic regulatory markers. The absence of adrenals resulted in augmented tolerogenic lamina propria dendritic cells but no compensatory local production of corticosterone and decreased mucosal inflammation associated with increased IFN-γ and FasL in the intestine. To clarify the importance of GC in this scenario, GC replacement in adrenalectomized mice restored different markers to the same degree of that observed in DSS group. Finally, this is the first time that adrenal-derived hormones, especially GC, were associated with the differential local modulation of the gut infiltrate, also pointing to a relationship between adrenalectomy and the modulation of systemic regulatory markers. These findings may elucidate some neuroimmunoendocrine mechanisms that dictate colitis outcome

Systemic effects in naïve mice injected with immunomodulatory lectin ArtinM

<div><p>Toll-like receptors (TLR) contain N-glycans, which are important glycotargets for plant lectins, to induce immunomodulation. The lectin ArtinM obtained from <i>Artocarpus heterophyllus</i> interacts with TLR2 N-glycans to stimulate IL-12 production by antigen-presenting cells and to drive the immune response toward the Th1 axis, conferring resistance against intracellular pathogens. This immunomodulatory effect was demonstrated by subcutaneously injecting (s.c.) ArtinM (0.5 μg) in infected mice. In this study, we evaluated the systemic implications of ArtinM administration in <i>naïve</i> BALB/c mice. The mice were s.c. injected twice (7 days interval) with ArtinM (0.5, 1.0, 2.5, or 5.0 μg), LPS (positive control), or PBS (negative control) and euthanized after three days. None of the ArtinM-injected mice exhibited change in body weight, whereas the relative mass of the heart and lungs diminished in mice injected with the highest ArtinM dose (5.0 μg). Few and discrete inflammatory foci were detected in the heart, lung, and liver of mice receiving ArtinM at doses ≥2.5 μg. Moreover, the highest dose of ArtinM was associated with increased serum levels of creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) and globulins as well as an augmented presence of neutrophils in the heart and lung. IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-10 measurements in the liver, kidney, spleen, heart, and lung homogenates revealed decreased IL-10 level in the heart and lung of mice injected with 5.0 μg ArtinM. We also found an augmented frequency of T helper and B cells in the spleen of all ArtinM-injected <i>naïve</i> mice, whereas the relative expressions of T-bet, GATA-3, and ROR-γt were similar to those in PBS-injected animals. Our study demonstrates that s.c. injection of high doses of ArtinM in <i>naïve</i> mice promotes mild inflammatory lesions and that a low immunomodulatory dose is innocuous to <i>naïve</i> mice.</p></div

Inflammation Biomarkers of Advanced Disease in Nongingival Tissues of Chronic Periodontitis Patients

Chronic periodontitis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease that affects supporting structures of the teeth. Although the gingival response is largely described, little is known about the immune changes in the alveolar bone and neighboring tissues that could indicate periodontal disease (PD) activity. Then, in this study we identified the ongoing inflammatory changes and novel biomarkers for periodontitis in the tissues directly affected by the destructive disease in PD patients. Samples were collected by osteotomy in 17 control subjects during extraction of third molars and 18 patients with advanced PD, in which alveoloplasty was necessary after extraction of teeth with previous extensive periodontal damage. Patients presented mononuclear cells infiltration in the connective tissue next to the bone and higher fibrosis area, along with increased accumulation of IL-17+ and TRAP+ cells. The levels of TNF-α and MMP-2 mRNA were also elevated compared to controls and a positive and significant correlation was observed between TNF-α and MMP-2 mRNA expression, considering all samples evaluated. In conclusion, nongingival tissues neighboring large periodontal pockets present inflammatory markers that could predict ongoing bone resorption and disease spreading. Therefore, we suggested that the detailed evaluation of these regions could be of great importance to the assessment of disease progression

Blood leukogram of <i>naïve</i> BALB/c mice after ArtinM administration.

<p>Total and differential leukocyte counting was performed in blood samples obtained at days 0 (<b>A</b>), -9 (<b>B</b>), -8 (<b>C</b>), -2 (<b>D</b>), and -1 (<b>E</b>) from animals that received ArtinM at the doses specified in each panel, LPS (positive controls), or PBS (negative controls). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM (<b>A</b>) and mean ± SD (<b>B-E</b>). Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05 (*) compared to the PBS control group.</p

Relative expression of transcription factors related to the differentiation of T helper cells in the spleen of <i>naïve</i> BALB/c mice after ArtinM administration.

<p>Total RNA was extracted from the mice spleen harvested at day 0. The total RNA was reverse-transcribed into cDNA, and the relative expression of T-bet (<b>A</b>), GATA-3 (<b>B</b>), and ROR-γt (<b>C</b>) was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. Animals received ArtinM at the specified doses, PBS (negative control), or LPS (positive control). The values were normalized to β-actin expression. Results are expressed as mean ± SD, and the levels of relative expression were compared to the PBS control group. Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05 (*) compared to the PBS control group.</p