A Screening of Mucin-Producing Cells and Structures, from Digestive System, in Rats

A screening and a morphological analysis of mucin-producing cells and structures, from the digestive tract, in rats, will further allow to quantify their local and systemic response. 10 Wistar rats were selected for this study. Sections of the sublingual gland, Weber's gland, stomach, jejunum and colon were taken. The samples were stained by the Trichrome Goldner technique. Based on the histological examination, both morphometric and statistical analysis were performed using specific software’s (ToupView Soft and GraphPad Prism Software). The histological examination showed normal characteristics for the analyzed cells and structures. The test for the normal distribution of the data revealed that they are normally distributed and statistical comparison between cell surfaces suggested a significant difference between means with p˂0.0001. Moreover, statistically significant differences were observed between the areas of Weber gland acini and those of sublingual gland acini (p<0.05). Based on our results we can conclude that the observed differences, regarding the cellular surfaces, are in accordance with the physiological characteristics of each analyzed structure

Reinforcing structures proliferated around a titanium implant inserted into the femur of female rabbits, in a hole smaller than the screw core

One of the basic conditions for the clinical success of osseo-integrated implants is implant stability (Albrektsson and Zarb, 1993). It comprises two components, the primary stability that should be ensured at the time of insertion and the secondary stability, which gradually replaces the primary stability. The primary stability is ensured by the direct contact between the implant surface and that of the bone walls of the insertion hole. Secondary stability begins with the first position of new bone on the implant surface. The aim of the present study was to verify the reinforcing structures proliferated around the titanium implant inserted into the femur of 5 adult female rabbits, in a groove smaller than the screw core diameter. The results suggested that inserting the titanium implant into a hole with a smaller diameter than the screw core produces excessive pressure on the bone, which is felt up to a distance from the bone-implant interface. Consequently, mechanical strength of the bone is decreasing and proliferating bone consolidation formations appears on both periosteum and endosteum areas. Additionally, it was observed that newly proliferated bone extends laterally from the interface to a great distance, causing thickening of the bone wall. The observed structures were represented by branched bone trabeculae and bony protrusions into the medullary cavity, together with bone reshuffling processes with the appearance of numerous osteons, most of which are present at the level of the wall opposite the insertion area

Histochemical Evaluation of Mucin-Secreting Cell Activity in the Stomach of the Wistar Rat

Mucin plays a very important role in the physiological function of the stomach in all species, but the representation of mucin-secreting cells differs from species to species. The aim of this study was to highlight these cells in the stomach of the Wistar rat. For histological investigations, fragments of the stomach from the three main regions (cardiac, fundic and pyloric) were harvested from four Wistar rats and further stained with PAS and Alcian blue methods. The histochemical results showed the presence of mucin-secreting cells in the examined tissues. An intense PAS positive reaction was found in the surface epithelium cells of the gastric mucosa and in the cells lining the gastric crypts in all the three segments. In the deep glandular structures, the cells of the cardiac and fundic glands are PAS negative, while those of the pyloric glands are all PAS positive. For Alcian blue reaction, the cells lining the gastric mucosa and the crypts in the three regions of the stomach were negative. In the glands, the cells of the cardiac and fundic glands were Alcian negative while in the pyloric glands, a limited number of cells arranged in the deep third of the glands showed a weak positive Alcian reaction. In conclusion, the vast majority of glandular cells in the rat's stomach do not synthesize acidic mucins, except for cells in the deep part of the pyloric glands, which synthesize small amounts of such mucins

Impact on the growth parameters and microbial populations of probiotics and prebiotics on rabbits raised in the household system

The investigations and laboratory determinations were performed within the disciplines of Nutrition and Microbiology of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. The breeding of rabbits and the collection of samples took place in the own household from Sărata locality, Bistrița-Năsăud county. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the impact of the use of probiotics and prebiotics in feeding rabbits raised in the household system. For this experiment, 12 rabbits, common breed, 55 days old, raised in the household system were used. The basic feed ration was a commercial concentrated, ground feed in which the probiotic (Enteroferm® 35G), 0.15 g / kg feed, containing cultures of Enterococcus faecium, the prebiotic (Inulin FOS, ZENYTH), were incorporated, 25 g / kg fodder, powder obtained from chicory root (Cichorium intybus), which contains polysaccharides with a prebiotic role (inulin and fructooligosaccharide - FOS) and a synbiotic (mixture of the two), in the same doses. There were 4 groups of 3 individuals as follows: group number 1, control, group number 2, probiotic, group number 3, prebiotic and group number 4, synbiotic. In addition to the concentrated feed, good quality natural hay and water were added, both the feed and the water were administered ad libitum. In order to achieve the proposed goal, the amount of feed consumed by each group and the weight of each rabbit were determined weekly for 8 weeks. Based on these data, the final average weight of each group, the total feed consumption of each group, the weekly weight increase for each group, the average weekly and final feed conversion rate were calculated. Samples were also collected from the rectum, before and after treatment with probiotics and prebiotics, to determine their impact on the composition of the bacterial flora at this level. The determinations performed yielded clearly superior results in favor of the experimental groups compared to the control group, highlighting group 2, consisting of rabbits treated with probiotics

Evaluation of the Venous System of Wistar Rat Liver by Injection with Epoxy Resin

The rat is the most widely used experimental model in surgical research due to several factors, including that it is easy to handle and inexpensive. It can be used in investigations related to liver regeneration, liver metastases, or transplant immunology. This study highlights the venous components of the hepatic circulation in the Wistar rat by intravascular injection of a polymer that allows the assessment of the distribution of vessels, regardless of their caliber. Five cadavers of 11-month-old male Wistar rats from the USAMV Cluj-Napoca biobase destined for incineration, were used to highlight the liver venous system. A dye mixture, consisting of epoxy resin-catalyst-blue acrylic dye in a 2:1:1 ratio, was injected. After 24 hours, biological tissues were macerated by immersion in 10% KOH solution for five days. The intrahepatic venous system is represented by the venous branches that continue into the liver lobes. Those vessels follow a parallel trajectory with the hepatic artery branches represented by the right and left ramifications. The right portal vein presents branches to the lateral and medial parts of the right lobe of the liver and the caudate lobe. The left branch of the portal vein has ramificationsfor the lateral and medial parts of the left lobe and the quadrate lobe. The technique of injecting the venous circulation of the liver, followed by tissue maceration, allowed the removal by anatomical dissection of all liver components that permits the identification of all components of the venous system, including the finest venous branches of the hepatic circulation

Biological Activities and Chemical Profile of Gentiana asclepiadea and Inula helenium Ethanolic Extracts

This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic potential of ethanolic extracts obtained from Gentiana asclepiadea L. and Inula helenium L. roots, in relation to their chemical composition. The total polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids were determined by spectrophotometric methods, while LC-MS analysis was used to evaluate the individual constituents. The antioxidant properties were tested using the FRAP and DPPH methods. The standard well diffusion and broth microdilution assays were carried out to establish in vitro antimicrobial efficacy and minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations. The cytotoxicity was tested on rat intestinal epithelial cells using the MTT assay. The results pointed out important constituents such as secoiridoid glycoside (amarogentin), phenolic acids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, trans-p-coumaric acid, salicylic acid), and flavonoids (apigenin, chrysin, luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, quercetin, rutoside, and naringenin) and promising antioxidant properties. The in vitro antimicrobial effect was noticed towards several pathogens (Bacillus cereus &gt; Staphylococcus aureus &gt; Enterococcus faecalis &gt; Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis &gt; Escherichia coli), with a pronounced bactericidal activity. Rat intestinal epithelial cell viability was not affected by the selected concentrations of these two extracts. These data support the ethnomedicinal recommendations of these species and highlight them as valuable sources of bioactive compounds