Female Scent Signals Enhances Male Resistance to Influenza

Scent of receptive females as signal to reproduction stimulate male mice to olfactory search of a potential breeding partner^1, 2^. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to bacterial contamination of the fecal and urine scent marks^4^. The theoretical consideration of host evolution under inevitable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, virus etc., predicts adaptations that help protect against parasites associated with breeding^7^. In this study, we propose that acceptation of female signals by male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results reveal migration of macrophages and neutrophils to upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimulus resulting in increased resistance to influenza virus in male mice. Contrary to widely accepted immunosuppressive function of female sexual signals, our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimulus through induction of nonspecific immune response in upper airways

Congruence of intranasal aerodynamics and functional heterogeneity of olfactory epithelium

Zonal organization of the olfactory system is determined not only by peculiarities of the expression of olfactory receptor genes but also by the geometry of nasal passage, where receptors to the most muco-soluble compounds are concentrated in the area with the maximal rate of air flow (dorsal part), while receptors to less volatile compounds are concentrated in ventral part of the nose. An increase in the flow rate in certain areas of nasal cavity, on the one hand, allows acceleration of the perception of odor stimuli by olfactory receptors and, on the other hand, increases the risk of the effect of different pathogens (contained in the air) on this area due to the larger intensity of their precipitation. In this study, we demonstrated by means of manganese- enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that a more intensive capture of insoluble particles occurs in ventral part of mouse olfactory epithelium than in dorsal part during intranasal introduction of the colloid solution of manganese oxide nanoparticles (MON, Mn3O4). The joint introduction of MON and specific blockers of cellular transport and endocytosis demonstrated that the particles are captured from the nasal cavity by means of endocytosis and are transported in olfactory bulb cells by means of intracellular transport. The clathrin-dependent type of endocytosis mainly contributes to the capture of MON in the dorsal part of the olfactory epithelium (as opposed to ventral). Thus, it was established that two functional regions of mouse olfactory epithelium differing in the intensities of precipitation of submicron aerosols demonstrate different intensities of the capture of insoluble particles from the nasal cavity and have differences in the mechanisms of their endocytosis. Consequently, the structural and functional organization of mouse nasal cavity completely meets the principle of adaptive congruence, which limits infectious and toxic effects of nanoaerosols on the olfactory epithelium cells and the brain

Prospects of paramagnetic lanthanide complexes for magnetic resonance imaging, local thermosensing and diagnosing

The features of the paramagnetic properties of lanthanide (Ln) containing complexes with crown ethers, pivaloyltrifluoracetonato, and EDTA have been studied by 1H and 19F NMR techniques. These complexes are of interest due to the prospect of using some of them as sensors for biology and medicine. The temperature dependencies of the lanthanide-induced shifts revealed that Ln complexes might have practical importance for 1H and 19F NMR temperature control in solutions. It was shown in vitro (using NMR spectrometers and MRI scanners) that these complexes can serve as special NMR thermo-sensitive contrast reagents

Female Scent Signals Enhance the Resistance of Male Mice to Influenza

Background: The scent from receptive female mice functions as a signal, which stimulates male mice to search for potential mating partners. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to sniffing both scent marks as well as nasal and anogenital areas of females, which harbor bacteria and viruses. Consideration of host evolution under unavoidable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, viruses, etc., predicts adaptations that help protect hosts against the parasites associated with mating. Methods and Findings: We propose that the perception of female signals by BALB/c male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of the immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results demonstrate migration of macrophages and neutrophils to the upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimuli, which results in an increased resistance of the males to experimental influenza virus infection. This moderate leukocyte intervention had no negative effect on the aerobic performance in male mice. Conclusions: Our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimul

Reconstruction of unbroken vasculature of mouse by varying the slope of the scan plane in MRI

Reconstruction of vascular net of small laboratory animals from MRI data is associated with some problems. This paper proposes a method of MRI data processing which allows to eliminate the fragmentation of reconstructed vascular net. Problem of vessels fragmentation occurs in the case when vessels are parallel to the scanning plane. Our approach is based on multiple scanning, object under consideration is probed by several sets of parallel planes. The algorithm is applied to real MRI data of small laboratory animals and shows good results

GC-based chemoprofile of lipophilic compounds in Altaian Ganoderma lucidum sample

The presented data contains information about component composition of lipophilic compounds in Ganoderma lucidum fungal body sample obtained using gas chromatography and subsequent mass spectrometry

From Allostatic Load to Allostatic State—An Endogenous Sympathetic Strategy to Deal With Chronic Anxiety and Stress?

The concepts of allostatic load and overload, i. e., a dramatic increase in the allostatic load that predisposes to disease, have been extensively described in the literature. Here, we show that rats engaging in active offensive response (AOR) behavioral strategies to chronic predator scent stress (PSS) display less anxiety behavior and lower plasma cortisol levels vs. rats engaging in passive defensive response (PDR) behavioral strategies to chronic PSS. In the same chronic PSS paradigm, AOR rats also have higher lactate and lower glutamate levels in amygdala but not in control-region hippocampus vs. PDR rats. The implications of these findings for regulation of allostatic and stress responses, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are discussed

Congruence of intranasal aerodynamics and functional heterogeneity of olfactory epithelium

Zonal organization of the olfactory system is determined not only by peculiarities of the expression of olfactory receptor genes but also by the geometry of nasal passage, where receptors to the most muco-soluble compounds are concentrated in the area with the maximal rate of air flow (dorsal part), while receptors to less volatile compounds are concentrated in ventral part of the nose. An increase in the flow rate in certain areas of nasal cavity, on the one hand, allows acceleration of the perception of odor stimuli by olfactory receptors and, on the other hand, increases the risk of the effect of different pathogens (contained in the air) on this area due to the larger intensity of their precipitation. In this study, we demonstrated by means of manganese- enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that a more intensive capture of insoluble particles occurs in ventral part of mouse olfactory epithelium than in dorsal part during intranasal introduction of the colloid solution of manganese oxide nanoparticles (MON, Mn3O4). The joint introduction of MON and specific blockers of cellular transport and endocytosis demonstrated that the particles are captured from the nasal cavity by means of endocytosis and are transported in olfactory bulb cells by means of intracellular transport. The clathrin-dependent type of endocytosis mainly contributes to the capture of MON in the dorsal part of the olfactory epithelium (as opposed to ventral). Thus, it was established that two functional regions of mouse olfactory epithelium differing in the intensities of precipitation of submicron aerosols demonstrate different intensities of the capture of insoluble particles from the nasal cavity and have differences in the mechanisms of their endocytosis. Consequently, the structural and functional organization of mouse nasal cavity completely meets the principle of adaptive congruence, which limits infectious and toxic effects of nanoaerosols on the olfactory epithelium cells and the brain

Congruence of intranasal aerodynamics and functional heterogeneity of olfactory epithelium

Zonal organization of the olfactory system is determined not only by peculiarities of the expression of olfactory receptor genes but also by the geometry of nasal passage, where receptors to the most muco-soluble compounds are concentrated in the area with the maximal rate of air flow (dorsal part), while receptors to less volatile compounds are concentrated in ventral part of the nose. An increase in the flow rate in certain areas of nasal cavity, on the one hand, allows acceleration of the perception of odor stimuli by olfactory receptors and, on the other hand, increases the risk of the effect of different pathogens (contained in the air) on this area due to the larger intensity of their precipitation. In this study, we demonstrated by means of manganese- enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that a more intensive capture of insoluble particles occurs in ventral part of mouse olfactory epithelium than in dorsal part during intranasal introduction of the colloid solution of manganese oxide nanoparticles (MON, Mn3O4). The joint introduction of MON and specific blockers of cellular transport and endocytosis demonstrated that the particles are captured from the nasal cavity by means of endocytosis and are transported in olfactory bulb cells by means of intracellular transport. The clathrin-dependent type of endocytosis mainly contributes to the capture of MON in the dorsal part of the olfactory epithelium (as opposed to ventral). Thus, it was established that two functional regions of mouse olfactory epithelium differing in the intensities of precipitation of submicron aerosols demonstrate different intensities of the capture of insoluble particles from the nasal cavity and have differences in the mechanisms of their endocytosis. Consequently, the structural and functional organization of mouse nasal cavity completely meets the principle of adaptive congruence, which limits infectious and toxic effects of nanoaerosols on the olfactory epithelium cells and the brain