Impaired cognitive performance in rats after complete epithalamus lesions, but not after pinealectomy alone.

In the midbrain, the epithalamus comprises the habenular nuclei and the pineal gland. Based on evidence including imaging studies in schizophrenia patients, several investigators have postulated that dysfunction of this structure is causally involved in symptoms of schizophrenia. Recently, we showed that bilateral habenula lesions in the rat induced some schizophrenia-like behavioural changes, namely memory and attention impairments, but unaltered social interaction in a brief encounter and prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex. Here, the possible involvement of the pineal gland in the same behaviours was assessed, by examining them in two series of experiments. In the first, these behaviours were examined in pinealectomized rats compared to sham-operated controls. In the second, they were examined in rats with combined lesion of habenula plus pinealectomy compared to sham-operated controls, to examine whether pinealectomy induced further deficits when combined with habenula damage. Lesions of habenula were confirmed histologically and neurochemically by reduction of choline acetyltransferase in the interpeduncular nucleus. Pinealectomy was confirmed post mortem by careful visual inspection. Pinealectomy induced no deficits in any test, while combined lesions led to the same pattern of deficits as previously observed after habenula lesion, i.e. marked memory impairment in the Morris water maze without affecting the amount of social interaction or PPI of the startle reflex. Thus, loss of pineal function causes no deficits in these behaviours and does not alter the qualitative pattern of deficits resulting from habenula damage

An attempt to correlate brain areas containing melatonin-binding sites with rhythmic functions: a study in five hibernator species

High affinity melatonin-binding sites have been described, by means of autoradiography with 2-125I-melatonin as the ligand, in more than 60 brain areas of about 20 mammalian species, with dramatic variations in the nature and number of labelled structures among the different species studied. As melatonin is involved in the synchronization of biological rhythms, we have tried to correlate the brain areas containing melatonin-binding sites with some rhythmic functions typical of given species. Therefore, we have studied the location of melatonin-binding sites in the complete brain of five long-day breeders with hibernation cycles, viz. one insectivore and four rodents. With the exception of the suprachiasmatic nuclei and the pars tuberalis of the pituitary, both of which contain binding sites in all five species, few reactive structures are common, even among species from the same family, e.g. the edible dormouse and the garden dormous

Phenotypic and functional changes in regenerated porcine coronary endothelial cells: Increased uptake of modified LDL and reduced production of NO

Porcine coronary arteries with regenerated endothelium exhibit impaired endothelium-dependent relaxations. Experiments were designed to analyze the structural and functional changes occurring in regenerated endothelial cells. Primary cultures from regenerated endothelium contained giant endothelial cells, with an increased number of cells with diameter > 14.5 μm, a reduced ability to proliferate, and signs of apoptosis. The uptake of fluorescent acetylated LDL was increased 2-fold in cultures from regenerated endothelium. The increased uptake of acetylated LDL was confirmed ex vivo in injured coronary arteries. In cultures from regenerated endothelium, cGMP production was decreased under basal conditions and during stimulation with serotonin, bradykinin, and A23187. Thus, during regeneration, there is accelerated senescence of endothelial cells accompanied by increased incorporation of modified LDL and reduction of NO production without decrease in endothelial NO synthase expression. These alterations help to explain the altered endothelium-dependent responses 28 days after balloon injury.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Prevention by vitamin E of DNA fragmentation and apoptosis induced by fumonisin B<SUB>1</SUB> in C6 glioma cells.

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Citotoxicity of capsaicin in monkey kidney cells: lack of antagonistic effects of capsazepine and Ruthenium red

Capsaicin is a natural product of Capsicum peppers, excitatory effects of which have been shown to be mediated by the recently cloned vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1). Since previous studies have shown that capsaicin inhibits protein synthesis, experiments were performed to investigate whether this effect is mediated by VR1 receptor on cultured monkey kidney cells (Vero cells). The capsaicin uptake was assessed in cellular homogenate and in medium by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation and quantification on C18 reverse-phase column and fluorescence detection. Toxic effects were assessed by incorporation of [3H]L-leucine into cellular proteins in the presence of capsazepine, the VR1 vanilloid receptor antagonist and Ruthenium red or tyrosine or calcium. Capsazepine (1 to 256 microM) did not modify the uptake rate of capsaicin for incubation times up to 24 h and did not antagonize capsaicin-induced protein synthesis inhibition. It rather inhibited protein synthesis per se from 100 to 256 microM. Ruthenium red which blocks mitochondrial calcium uptake, inhibited protein synthesis and did not antagonise or increase synergistically the effects of capsaicin. Interestingly in a medium deprived of calcium and supplemented by calcium chloride (10-50 microM) the protein synthesis inhibition induced by capsaicin is antagonised somehow. There was no prevention of capsaicin diffusion into the cells. Tyrosine, which seems to be the best preventive agent of capsaicin inhibitory effects, prevents its metabolism but not its diffusion. Capsaicin might enter cells by diffusion and interfere with protein synthesis machinery by competition with tyrosine which in turn prevents the metabolism of capsaicin. The results of the present study suggest that cell responses to capsaicin may be transduced through at least two molecular pathways, one involving VR1, since the receptor antagonist capsazepine fails to prevent the inhibitory effect of capsaicin in Vero cells of renal origin

La pseudogestation chez la chevre : observations preliminaires

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