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Andreev-Andrievskiy A, Dolgov O, Alberts J, Popova A, Lagereva E, Anokhin K, Vinogradova O. Mice display learning and behavioral deficits after a 30-day spaceflight on Bion-M1 satellite. Behav Brain Res 2022; 419:113682. [PMID: 34843743 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Profound effects of spaceflight on the physiology of humans and non-human animals are well-documented but incompletely explored. Current goals to undertake interplanetary missions increase the urgency to learn more about adaptation to prolonged spaceflight and readaptation to Earth-normal conditions, especially with the inclusion of radiation exposures greater than those confronted in traditional, orbital flights. The 30-day-long Bion M-1 biosatellite flight was conducted at a relatively high orbit, exposing the mice to greater doses of radiation in addition to microgravity, a combination of factors relevant to Mars missions. Results of the present studies with mice provide insights into the consequences on brain function of long-duration spaceflight. After landing, mice showed profound deficits in vestibular responses during aerial drop tests. Spaceflown mice displayed reduced grip strength, rotarod performance, and voluntary wheel running, each, which improved gradually but incompletely over the 7-days of post-flight testing. Continuous monitoring in the animals' home cage activity, in combination with open-field and other tests of motor performance, revealed indices of altered affect, expressed as hyperactivity, potentiated thigmotaxis, and avoidance of open areas which, together, presented a syndrome of persistent anxiety-like behavior. A learned, operant response acquired before spaceflight was retained, whereas the acquisition of a new task was impaired after the flight. We integrate these observations with other results from Bion-M1's program, identifying deficits in musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems, as well as in the brain and spinal cord, including altered gene expression patterns and the accompanying neurochemical changes that could underlie our behavioral findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Andreev-Andrievskiy
- SSC RF Institute of biomedical problems, 76A Khoroshevskoe av, Moscow 123007, Russia; Biology faculty, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie gory, Moscow 119234, Russia.
| | - Oleg Dolgov
- NBICS center, NRC Kurchatov institute, 1 Academician Kurchatov sq., Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Jeffrey Alberts
- Indiana University, 107 S. Indiana Avenue Bloomington, IN 47405-7000, USA
| | - Anfisa Popova
- SSC RF Institute of biomedical problems, 76A Khoroshevskoe av, Moscow 123007, Russia
| | - Evgeniia Lagereva
- SSC RF Institute of biomedical problems, 76A Khoroshevskoe av, Moscow 123007, Russia
| | - Konstantin Anokhin
- NBICS center, NRC Kurchatov institute, 1 Academician Kurchatov sq., Moscow 123182, Russia; Anokhin Institute of Normal Physiology, 11/4, Mohovaya str., Moscow 103009, Russia
| | - Olga Vinogradova
- SSC RF Institute of biomedical problems, 76A Khoroshevskoe av, Moscow 123007, Russia
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Hand AR, Dagdeviren D, Larson NA, Haxhi C, Mednieks MI. Effects of spaceflight on the mouse submandibular gland. Arch Oral Biol 2019; 110:104621. [PMID: 31805482 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2019.104621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to determine if the morphology and biochemistry of the mouse submandibular gland is affected by microgravity and the spaceflight environment. DESIGN Tissues from female mice flown on the US space shuttle missions Space Transportation System (STS)-131 and STS-135 for 15 and 13 d, respectively, and from male mice flown on the 30 d Russian Bion-M1 biosatellite, were examined using transmission electron microscopy and light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry. RESULTS In contrast to the parotid gland, morphologic changes were not apparent in the submandibular gland. No significant changes in protein expression, as assessed by quantitative immunogold labeling, occurred in female mice flown for 13-15 d. In male mice, however, increased labeling for salivary androgen binding protein alpha (in acinar cell secretory granules), and epidermal growth factor and nerve growth factor (in granular convoluted duct cell granules) was seen after 30 d in space. CONCLUSION These results indicate that spaceflight alters secretory protein expression in the submandibular gland and suggest that the sex of the animals and the length of the flight may affect the response. These findings also show that individual salivary glands respond differently to spaceflight. Saliva contains proteins secreted from salivary glands and is easily collected, therefore is a useful biofluid for general medical analyses and in particular for monitoring the physiology and health of astronauts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur R Hand
- Department of Craniofacial Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA.
| | - Didem Dagdeviren
- Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Natasha A Larson
- Department of Craniofacial Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Christopher Haxhi
- Department of Craniofacial Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Maija I Mednieks
- Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
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Giuliani A, Mazzoni S, Ruggiu A, Canciani B, Cancedda R, Tavella S. High-Resolution X-Ray Tomography: A 3D Exploration Into the Skeletal Architecture in Mouse Models Submitted to Microgravity Constraints. Front Physiol 2018; 9:181. [PMID: 29593553 PMCID: PMC5859385 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone remodeling process consists in a slow building phase and in faster resorption with the objective to maintain a functional skeleton locomotion to counteract the Earth gravity. Thus, during spaceflights, the skeleton does not act against gravity, with a rapid decrease of bone mass and density, favoring bone fracture. Several studies approached the problem by imaging the bone architecture and density of cosmonauts returned by the different spaceflights. However, the weaknesses of the previously reported studies was two-fold: on the one hand the research suffered the small statistical sample size of almost all human spaceflight studies, on the other the results were not fully reliable, mainly due to the fact that the observed bone structures were small compared with the spatial resolution of the available imaging devices. The recent advances in high-resolution X-ray tomography have stimulated the study of weight-bearing skeletal sites by novel approaches, mainly based on the use of the mouse and its various strains as an animal model, and sometimes taking advantage of the synchrotron radiation support to approach studies of 3D bone architecture and mineralization degree mapping at different hierarchical levels. Here we report the first, to our knowledge, systematic review of the recent advances in studying the skeletal bone architecture by high-resolution X-ray tomography after submission of mice models to microgravity constrains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Giuliani
- Sezione di Biochimica, Biologia e Fisica Applicata, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomatologiche, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Serena Mazzoni
- Sezione di Biochimica, Biologia e Fisica Applicata, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomatologiche, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Alessandra Ruggiu
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Universita' di Genova and Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Barbara Canciani
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Universita' di Genova and Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Ranieri Cancedda
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Universita' di Genova and Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Sara Tavella
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Universita' di Genova and Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
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Tascher G, Brioche T, Maes P, Chopard A, O'Gorman D, Gauquelin-Koch G, Blanc S, Bertile F. Proteome-wide Adaptations of Mouse Skeletal Muscles during a Full Month in Space. J Proteome Res 2017; 16:2623-2638. [PMID: 28590761 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.7b00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The safety of space flight is challenged by a severe loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and endurance that may compromise the health and performance of astronauts. The molecular mechanisms underpinning muscle atrophy and decreased performance have been studied mostly after short duration flights and are still not fully elucidated. By deciphering the muscle proteome changes elicited in mice after a full month aboard the BION-M1 biosatellite, we observed that the antigravity soleus incurred the greatest changes compared with locomotor muscles. Proteomics data notably suggested mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic and fiber type switching toward glycolytic type II fibers, structural alterations, and calcium signaling-related defects to be the main causes for decreased muscle performance in flown mice. Alterations of the protein balance, mTOR pathway, myogenesis, and apoptosis were expected to contribute to muscle atrophy. Moreover, several signs reflecting alteration of telomere maintenance, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance were found as possible additional deleterious effects. Finally, 8 days of recovery post flight were not sufficient to restore completely flight-induced changes. Thus in-depth proteomics analysis unraveled the complex and multifactorial remodeling of skeletal muscle structure and function during long-term space flight, which should help define combined sets of countermeasures before, during, and after the flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Tascher
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-670000 Strasbourg, France.,Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, CNES , 75039 Paris, France
| | - Thomas Brioche
- Université de Montpellier, INRA, UMR 866 Dynamique Musculaire et Métabolisme, Montpellier F-34060, France
| | - Pauline Maes
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-670000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Angèle Chopard
- Université de Montpellier, INRA, UMR 866 Dynamique Musculaire et Métabolisme, Montpellier F-34060, France
| | - Donal O'Gorman
- National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology and the School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University , Dublin 9, Ireland
| | | | - Stéphane Blanc
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-670000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Fabrice Bertile
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-670000 Strasbourg, France
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Gambara G, Salanova M, Ciciliot S, Furlan S, Gutsmann M, Schiffl G, Ungethuem U, Volpe P, Gunga HC, Blottner D. Gene Expression Profiling in Slow-Type Calf Soleus Muscle of 30 Days Space-Flown Mice. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0169314. [PMID: 28076365 PMCID: PMC5226721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Microgravity exposure as well as chronic disuse are two main causes of skeletal muscle atrophy in animals and humans. The antigravity calf soleus is a reference postural muscle to investigate the mechanism of disuse-induced maladaptation and plasticity of human and rodent (rats or mice) skeletal musculature. Here, we report microgravity-induced global gene expression changes in space-flown mouse skeletal muscle and the identification of yet unknown disuse susceptible transcripts found in soleus (a mainly slow phenotype) but not in extensor digitorum longus (a mainly fast phenotype dorsiflexor as functional counterpart to soleus). Adult C57Bl/N6 male mice (n = 5) flew aboard a biosatellite for 30 days on orbit (BION-M1 mission, 2013), a sex and age-matched cohort were housed in standard vivarium cages (n = 5), or in a replicate flight habitat as ground control (n = 5). Next to disuse atrophy signs (reduced size and myofiber phenotype I to II type shift) as much as 680 differentially expressed genes were found in the space-flown soleus, and only 72 in extensor digitorum longus (only 24 genes in common) compared to ground controls. Altered expression of gene transcripts matched key biological processes (contractile machinery, calcium homeostasis, muscle development, cell metabolism, inflammatory and oxidative stress response). Some transcripts (Fzd9, Casq2, Kcnma1, Ppara, Myf6) were further validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Besides previous reports on other leg muscle types we put forth for the first time a complete set of microgravity susceptible gene transcripts in soleus of mice as promising new biomarkers or targets for optimization of physical countermeasures and rehabilitation protocols to overcome disuse atrophy conditions in different clinical settings, rehabilitation and spaceflight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Gambara
- Center for Space Medicine Berlin, Neuromuscular Group, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Vegetative Anatomy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michele Salanova
- Center for Space Medicine Berlin, Neuromuscular Group, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Vegetative Anatomy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefano Ciciliot
- Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Sandra Furlan
- Institute of Neuroscience Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Padova, Italy
| | - Martina Gutsmann
- Center for Space Medicine Berlin, Neuromuscular Group, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Vegetative Anatomy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gudrun Schiffl
- Center for Space Medicine Berlin, Neuromuscular Group, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Vegetative Anatomy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ute Ungethuem
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pompeo Volpe
- Institute of Neuroscience Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Padova, Italy
| | - Hanns-Christian Gunga
- Centre for Space Medicine, Department for Physiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dieter Blottner
- Center for Space Medicine Berlin, Neuromuscular Group, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Vegetative Anatomy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Larina IM, Ivanisenko VA, Nikolaev EN, Grigorev AI. The Proteome of a Healthy Human during Physical Activity under Extreme Conditions. Acta Naturae 2014; 6:66-75. [PMID: 25349715 PMCID: PMC4207561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The review examines the new approaches in modern systems biology, in terms of their use for a deeper understanding of the physiological adaptation of a healthy human in extreme environments. Human physiology under extreme conditions of life, or environmental physiology, and systems biology are natural partners. The similarities and differences between the object and methods in systems biology, the OMICs (proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) disciplines, and other related sciences have been studied. The latest data on environmental human physiology obtained using systems biology methods are discussed. The independent achievements of systems biology in studying the adaptation of a healthy human to physical activity, including human presence at high altitude, to the effects of hypoxia and oxidative stress have been noted. A reasonable conclusion is drawn that the application of the methods and approaches used in systems biology to study the molecular pattern of the adaptive mechanisms that develop in the human body during space flight can provide valuable fundamental knowledge and fill the picture of human metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- I. M. Larina
- SSC RF Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Khoroshevskoye shosse, 76a, 123007, Moscow, Russia
| | - V. A. Ivanisenko
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Ave., 10, 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - E. N. Nikolaev
- Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kosygina Str., 4, 119334, Moscow, Russia
| | - A. I. Grigorev
- SSC RF Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Khoroshevskoye shosse, 76a, 123007, Moscow, Russia
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Heiker JT, Kunath A, Kosacka J, Flehmig G, Knigge A, Kern M, Stumvoll M, Kovacs P, Blüher M, Klöting N. Identification of genetic loci associated with different responses to high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6N and C57BL/6J substrains. Physiol Genomics 2014; 46:377-84. [DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00014.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We have recently demonstrated that C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6JRj substrains are significantly different in their response to high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO). The C57BL/6JRj substrain seems to be protected from DIO and genetic differences between C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N substrains at 11 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci have been identified. To define genetic variants as well as differences in parameters of glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity between C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6JRj substrains that may explain the different response to DIO, we analyzed 208 first backcross (BC1) hybrids of C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6JRj [(C57BL/6NTac × C57BL/6JRj)F1 × C57BL/6NTac] mice. Body weight, epigonadal and subcutaneous fat mass, circulating leptin, as well as parameters of glucose metabolism were measured after 10 wk of high-fat diet (HFD). Genetic profiling of BC1 hybrids were performed using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. Furthermore, to assess whether SNP polymorphisms could affect mRNA level, we carried out gene expression analysis in murine liver samples. Human subcutaneous adipose tissue was used to verify murine data of SNAP29. We identified four sex-specific variants that are associated with the extent of HFD-induced weight gain and fat depot mass. BC1 hybrids carrying the combination of risk or beneficial alleles exhibit the phenotypical extremes of the parental strains. Murine and human SC expression analysis revealed Snap29 as strongest candidate. Our data indicate an important role of these loci in responsiveness to HFD-induced obesity and suggest genes of the synaptic vesicle release system such as Snap29 being involved in the regulation of high-fat DIO.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T. Heiker
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anne Kunath
- IFB AdiposityDiseases, Junior Research Group 2 “Animal models of obesity”, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany; and
| | - Joanna Kosacka
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesine Flehmig
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- IFB AdiposityDiseases, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anja Knigge
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Kern
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Stumvoll
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- IFB AdiposityDiseases, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter Kovacs
- IFB AdiposityDiseases, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Blüher
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- IFB AdiposityDiseases, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nora Klöting
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- IFB AdiposityDiseases, Junior Research Group 2 “Animal models of obesity”, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany; and
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8
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Costa D, Lazzarini E, Canciani B, Giuliani A, Spanò R, Marozzi K, Manescu A, Cancedda R, Tavella S. Altered bone development and turnover in transgenic mice over-expressing lipocalin-2 in bone. J Cell Physiol 2013; 228:2210-21. [PMID: 23606520 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.24391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 04/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is a protein largely expressed in many tissues, associated with different biological phenomena such as cellular differentiation, inflammation and cancer acting as a survival/apoptotic signal. We found that LCN2 was expressed during osteoblast differentiation and we generated transgenic (Tg) mice over-expressing LCN2 in bone. Tg mice were smaller and presented bone microarchitectural changes in both endochondral and intramembranous bones. In particular, Tg bones displayed a thinner layer of cortical bone and a decreased trabecular number. Osteoblast bone matrix deposition was reduced and osteoblast differentiation was slowed-down. Differences were also observed in the growth plate of young transgenic mice where chondrocyte displayed a more immature phenotype and a lower proliferation rate. In bone marrow cell cultures from transgenic mice, the number of osteoclast progenitors was increased whereas in vivo it was increased the number of mature osteoclasts expressing tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). Finally, while osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels remained unchanged, the expression of the conventional receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and of the IL-6 was enhanced in Tg mice. In conclusion, we found that LCN2 plays a role in bone development and turnover having both a negative effect on bone formation, by affecting growth plate development and interfering with osteoblast differentiation, and a positive effect on bone resorption by enhancing osteoclast compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delfina Costa
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Universita' di Genova & IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy
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9
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Logge W, Kingham J, Karl T. Behavioural consequences of IVC cages on male and female C57BL/6J mice. Neuroscience 2013; 237:285-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2012] [Revised: 02/05/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Lepschy M, Touma C, Palme R. Faecal glucocorticoid metabolites: How to express yourself – comparison of absolute amounts versus concentrations in samples from a study in laboratory rats. Lab Anim 2010; 44:192-8. [DOI: 10.1258/la.2009.009082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
During the last two decades, measurement of faecal Cortisol or corticosterone metabolites (FCM) has become one of the most important tools to non-invasively monitor stress in animals. However, to reliably assess an animal's adrenocortical activity, a careful validation of this technique for each species and sex investigated is obligatory. Usually results in these validation studies and in subsequent applications are expressed as concentration (FCMconc). Nevertheless, some authors express their results as absolute amounts (FCMabs) and claim this to be more accurate. A physiological validation to prove this assumption, however, is still missing as well as information about the influence of the intervals set for faecal sampling, although the chosen intervals might play an important role. Since FCMconc and FCMabs may differ and therefore lead to different conclusions, our study aimed to gain fundamental and scientifically valid information about these parameters by re-analysing a set of data obtained in a study on laboratory rats. The data basis used was derived from four validation experiments performed in male and female rats: an adrenocorticotrophic hormone challenge test, a dexamethasone (Dex) suppression test, an investigation of the diurnal variation (DV) of glucocorticoids and the stress response in reaction to the injection procedure itself (for details see Lepschy et al. Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical activity in male and female rats. Lab Anim 2007;41:372–87). Faecal samples were collected in short time intervals and the exact amount of faeces voided during each sampling interval was documented. Throughout all performed tests strong positive correlations between FCMconc and FCMabs were found (median of rs > 0.72). In males, for all calculated sampling intervals (4, 8 and 12 h) pharmacological stimulation, suppression and the DV of adrenocortical activity were reflected accurately using both FCMconc and FCMabs. In females, suppression of FCM by Dex was also clearly reflected in both systems. However, pharmacological stimulation was only reflected accurately by means of FCMconc, which clearly limits the usability of FCMabs. Thus, using the data of physiological validation experiments, we clearly demonstrate for the first time advantages and disadvantages of presenting results as FCMconc or FCMabs. Based on our findings in laboratory animals such as rats, giving results as FCMconc seems to be more appropriate and FCMabs - if at all - might only be used as an addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Lepschy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences/Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - C Touma
- Department of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, D-80804 Munich, Germany
| | - R Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences/Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
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Jensen K, Hahn NE, Palme R, Saxton K, Francis DD. Vacuum-cleaner noise and acute stress responses in female C57BL/6 mice (Mus musculus). JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE : JAALAS 2010; 49:300-6. [PMID: 20587160 PMCID: PMC2877301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2009] [Revised: 09/27/2009] [Accepted: 11/17/2009] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Audiogenic stress is a well-documented phenomenon in laboratory rodents. Despite the recommendation in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals to consider noise a concern in the animal facility, only a small body of literature empirically addresses the effects of facility noise on laboratory rodents, particularly mice. The objective of this study was to determine whether facility noise generated by a vacuum cleaner induces an acute stress response in a commonly used strain of laboratory mouse under common housing conditions. In each of 2 experiments, 10 young adult, female C57BL/6Cr mice were exposed for 1 h to noise produced by a vacuum cleaner, and 10 control mice were not. In the first experiment, fecal samples were collected to measure concentrations of fecal corticosterone metabolites just before and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 24, and 32 h after noise exposure. In the second experiment, stress-sensitive behavioral tests were performed 2 d before, immediately after, and 24 h after noise exposure. Physiologic and behavioral measurements indicated that vacuum cleaner noise did not cause an acute stress response in the noise-exposed mice but may have affected the diurnal variation of their corticosterone levels. These findings could contribute to the development of best practices in noise-control protocols for animal facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Jensen
- Office of Laboratory Animal Care, University of California - Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
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