1
|
Del Monte-Monge A, Martos-Folgado I, Rodríguez-Ronchel A, Ramiro AR. Assessing the impact of an antigen-specific antibody response on atherosclerosis development in mice. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102274. [PMID: 37126444 PMCID: PMC10165446 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The antibody immune response plays a critical role in atherosclerosis. Here, we present a protocol for assessing the impact of an antigen-specific germinal center antibody response on atherosclerosis development, using a pro-atherogenic mouse model deficient for the production of germinal-center-derived antibodies. We describe steps for bone marrow transfer from donor mice into irradiated recipient mice. We then detail immunization of mouse chimeras with atheroprotective malondialdehyde low-density lipoprotein during high-fat diet feeding and atherosclerosis burden analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Martos-Folgado et al. (2022).1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Del Monte-Monge
- B Lymphocyte Biology Lab, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.
| | | | - Ana Rodríguez-Ronchel
- B Lymphocyte Biology Lab, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena R Ramiro
- B Lymphocyte Biology Lab, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gozalo AS, Zerfas PM, Qin J, Alves DA, Akkaya M, Peña MY, Elkins WR. Contributions of Diet and Age to Ulcerative Dermatitis in Female C57BL/6J Mice. Comp Med 2023; 73:109-119. [PMID: 36882188 PMCID: PMC10162378 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-cm-22-000096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
C57BL/6J (B6) mice are commonly affected by ulcerative dermatitis (UD), a disease of unknown etiology with poor response to treatment. To study the possible role of diet in UD, we compared skin changes in B6 female mice fed a high-fat diet with those of mice fed a control diet. In addition, skin samples from mice with no, mild, moderate, and severe clinical signs of UD were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mice fed a high-fat diet for 2 mo had more skin mast cell degranulation than did mice fed the control diet for the same period. Regardless of diet, older mice had more skin mast cells and more of these cells were degranulating as compared with younger mice. Microscopic changes in very early lesions were characterized by an increase in dermal mast cells and degranulation with focal areas of epidermal hyperplasia with or without hyperkeratosis. As the condition progressed, a mixed but predominantly neutrophilic inflammatory cell infiltrate appeared in the dermis, with or without epidermal erosion and scab formation. TEM showed that dermal mast cell membranes had disrupted and released of large number of electron dense granules, whereas degranulated mast cells were filled with isolated and coalescing empty spaces due to fusion of granule membranes. Ulceration appeared to occur very quickly, probably as result of intense scratching due to the pruritogenic properties of the histamine released from mast cell granules. This study showed a direct correlation between dietary fat and skin mast cell degranulation in female B6 mice. In addition, the number of skin mast cells and degranulation rates was higher in older mice. Treatments directed at preventing mast cell degranulation may result in better outcomes when applied early in UD cases. As noted previously in studies using caloric restriction, lower fat content in rodent diets may help prevent UD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso S Gozalo
- Comparative Medicine Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Patricia M Zerfas
- Pathology Service, Office of Research Services, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jing Qin
- Biostatistics Research Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Derron A Alves
- Comparative Medicine Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Munir Akkaya
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesday, Maryland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Mirna Y Peña
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesday, Maryland
| | - William R Elkins
- Comparative Medicine Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Evaluation of topical oclacitinib and nail trimming as a treatment for murine ulcerative dermatitis in laboratory mice. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276333. [PMID: 36256616 PMCID: PMC9578627 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Murine ulcerative dermatitis (UD) is a common, multifactorial skin disease of C57BL/6 and C57BL/6-background strains of mice. Many treatment options have been previously reported but have been variably successful and may interfere with specific research studies. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, such as oclacitinib, have been used to treat allergic dermatitis in humans, dogs, and other species. Additionally, topical oclacitinib was shown to improve an induced model of dermatitis in mice. We hypothesized that topical application of oclacitinib in conjunction with hind limb nail trimming would improve UD lesion scores more than our institutional standard treatment regime using meloxicam, topical antibiotic ointment, and nail trimming or nail trimming alone. To test this, mice with naturally occurring UD were recruited to the study and assigned to one of three treatment groups (n = 14/group): nail trim only; nail trim plus meloxicam and topical triple antibiotic ointment; or nail trim plus topical oclacitinib. UD was assessed on days 1, 7, and 14 for all treatment groups, and scored based on a previously published scoring system that quantitatively scored UD lesions based on pruritus, character of the lesion, size of lesion, and location of lesion. Here we found that mean UD scores decreased from day 1 to day 7 and from day 1 to day 14 for all treatment groups. However, there was no significant difference in mean UD score between the treatment groups at any timepoint. These data show that topical oclacitinib and nail trimming together improved UD lesion scores comparably to our institutional standard treatment and nail trimming alone. However, further studies may be warranted to investigate other potential applications of oclacitinib to treat UD.
Collapse
|
4
|
Lejnieks DV. Treatment of Ulcerative Dermatitis in Mice (Mus musculus) with Gabapentin: 14 cases 2011-2019. J Exot Pet Med 2022. [DOI: 10.1053/j.jepm.2022.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|
5
|
Cañadas-Lozano D, Marín-Aguilar F, Castejón-Vega B, Ryffel B, Navarro-Pando JM, Ruiz-Cabello J, Alcocer-Gómez E, Bullón P, Cordero MD. Blockade of the NLRP3 inflammasome improves metabolic health and lifespan in obese mice. GeroScience 2020; 42:715-725. [PMID: 31975052 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-019-00151-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is the major risk factor for many metabolic chronic diseases. Several metabolic pathways suffer a progressive impairment during aging including body composition and insulin resistance which are associated to autophagy dysfunction and increased inflammation. Many of these alterations are aggravated by non-healthy lifestyle such as obesity and hypercaloric diet which have been shown to accelerate aging. Here, we show that the deleterious effect of hypercaloric diets is reverted by the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition. NLRP3 deficiency extends mean lifespan of adult mice fed a high-fat diet. This lifespan extension is accompanied by metabolic health benefits including reduced liver steatosis and cardiac damage, improved glucose and lipid metabolism, and improved protein expression profiles of SIRT-1, mTOR, autophagic flux, and apoptosis. These findings suggest that the suppression of NLRP3 prevented many age-associated changes in metabolism impaired by the effect of hypercaloric diets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diego Cañadas-Lozano
- Research Laboratory, Oral Medicine Department, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Fabiola Marín-Aguilar
- Research Laboratory, Oral Medicine Department, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Beatriz Castejón-Vega
- Research Laboratory, Oral Medicine Department, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Bernhard Ryffel
- Laboratory of Experimental and Molecular Immunology and Neurogenetics (INEM), UMR 7355 CNRS-University of Orleans, Orléans, France.,IDM, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - José M Navarro-Pando
- Cátedra de Reproducción y Genética Humana del Instituto para el Estudio de la Biología de la Reproducción Humana (INEBIR), Universidad Europea del Atlántico (UNEATLANTICO)-Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER), Santander, Spain
| | - Jesús Ruiz-Cabello
- CIC biomaGUNE, San Sebastian-Donostia, Spain.,IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Madrid, Spain.,Universidad Complutense Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Elísabet Alcocer-Gómez
- Departamento de Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Pedro Bullón
- Research Laboratory, Oral Medicine Department, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Mario D Cordero
- Cátedra de Reproducción y Genética Humana del Instituto para el Estudio de la Biología de la Reproducción Humana (INEBIR), Universidad Europea del Atlántico (UNEATLANTICO)-Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER), Santander, Spain. .,Newcastle Institute for Ageing and Institute for Cell an Molecular Biology, Campus for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle University, NE4 5PL, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Smith DL, Yang Y, Nagy TR, Patki A, Vasselli JR, Zhang Y, Dickinson SL, Allison DB. Weight Cycling Increases Longevity Compared with Sustained Obesity in Mice. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2018; 26:1733-1739. [PMID: 30358151 PMCID: PMC6221135 DOI: 10.1002/oby.22290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Despite the known health benefits of weight loss among persons with obesity, observational studies have reported that cycles of weight loss and regain, or weight cycling, are associated with increased mortality. To study whether weight loss must be sustained to achieve health and longevity benefits, we performed a randomized controlled feeding study of weight cycling in mice. METHODS In early adult life, obese mice were randomized to ad libitum feeding to sustain obesity, calorie restriction to achieve a "normal" or intermediate body weight, or weight cycling (repeated episodes of calorie restriction and ad libitum refeeding). Body weight, body composition, and food intake were followed longitudinally until death. A subsample of mice was collected from each group for determination of adipose cell size, serum analytes, and gene expression. RESULTS Weight loss significantly reduced adipose mass and adipocyte size in both sexes, whereas weight cycling animals regained body fat and cell size during refeeding. Sustained weight loss resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in mortality compared with ad libitum feeding. CONCLUSIONS Weight cycling significantly increased life-span relative to remaining with obesity and had a similar benefit to sustained modest weight loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Smith
- Department of Nutrition SciencesUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Nutrition Obesity Research CenterUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Diabetes Research CenterUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of AgingUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
| | - Yongbin Yang
- Department of Nutrition SciencesUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Nutrition Obesity Research CenterUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
| | - Tim R. Nagy
- Department of Nutrition SciencesUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Nutrition Obesity Research CenterUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Diabetes Research CenterUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of AgingUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
| | - Amit Patki
- Department of BiostatisticsUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
| | - Joseph R. Vasselli
- Department of Medicine, New York Obesity‐Nutrition Research Center, College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Yiying Zhang
- Division of Molecular Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, New York Obesity‐Nutrition Research Center, College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Stephanie L. Dickinson
- Department of Statistics and Department of Epidemiology and BiostatisticsIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
| | - David B. Allison
- Department of Nutrition SciencesUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Nutrition Obesity Research CenterUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Diabetes Research CenterUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of AgingUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Department of BiostatisticsUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
- Office of Energetics, School of Health ProfessionsUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
George NM, Whitaker J, Vieira G, Geronimo JT, Bellinger DA, Fletcher CA, Garner JP. Antioxidant Therapies for Ulcerative Dermatitis: A Potential Model for Skin Picking Disorder. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132092. [PMID: 26167859 PMCID: PMC4500395 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Skin Picking Disorder affects 4% of the general population, with serious quality of life impacts, and potentially life threatening complications. Standard psychoactive medications do not help most patients. Similarly, Mouse Ulcerative Dermatitis (skin lesions caused by excessive abnormal grooming behavior) is very common in widely used inbred strains of mice, and represents a serious animal welfare issue and cause of mortality. Treatment options for Ulcerative Dermatitis are largely palliative and ineffective. We have proposed mouse Ulcerative Dermatitis as a model for human Skin Picking Disorder based on similar epidemiology, behavior, and its comorbidity and mechanistic overlap with hair pulling (trichotillomania). We predicted that mouse Ulcerative Dermatitis would be treated by N-Acetylcysteine, as this compound is highly effective in treating both Skin Picking Disorder and Trichotillomania. Furthermore, we hypothesized that N-Acetylcysteine’s mode of action is as a precursor to the production of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione in the brain, and therefore intranasal glutathione would also treat Ulcerative Dermatitis. Accordingly, we show in a heterogenous prospective trial, the significant reduction in Ulcerative Dermatitis lesion severity in mice receiving either N-acetylcysteine (oral administration) or glutathione (intranasal). The majority of mice treated with N-acetylcysteine improved slowly throughout the course of the study. Roughly half of the mice treated with glutathione showed complete resolution of lesion within 2-4 weeks, while the remainder did not respond. These findings are the first to show that the use of N-acetylcysteine and Glutathione can be curative for mouse Ulcerative Dermatitis. These findings lend additional support for mouse Ulcerative Dermatitis as a model of Skin Picking Disorder and also support oxidative stress and glutathione synthesis as the mechanism of action for these compounds. As N-Acetylcysteine is poorly tolerated by many patients, intranasal glutathione warrants further study as potential therapy in Skin Picking, trichotillomania and other body-focused repetitive behavior disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nneka M. George
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Julia Whitaker
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Giovana Vieira
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Jerome T. Geronimo
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Dwight A. Bellinger
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Craig A. Fletcher
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Joseph P. Garner
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Today’s laboratory mouse, Mus musculus, has its origins as the ‘house mouse’ of North America and Europe. Beginning with mice bred by mouse fanciers, laboratory stocks (outbred) derived from M. musculus musculus from eastern Europe and M. m. domesticus from western Europe were developed into inbred strains. Since the mid-1980s, additional strains have been developed from Asian mice (M. m. castaneus from Thailand and M. m. molossinus from Japan) and from M. spretus which originated from the western Mediterranean region.
Collapse
|
9
|
Feridooni HA, Sun MH, Rockwood K, Howlett SE. Reliability of a Frailty Index Based on the Clinical Assessment of Health Deficits in Male C57BL/6J Mice. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2014; 70:686-93. [PMID: 25205762 PMCID: PMC4425849 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glu161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the reliability of a newly developed clinical frailty index (FI) that measures frailty based on deficit accumulation in aging mice. FI scores were measured by two different raters independently in a large cohort (n = 233) of 343-430 day-old male C57BL/6J mice. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated with correlation coefficients, the kappa statistic, and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) in three separate groups of mice (n = 45, 50, and 138 mice/group) sequentially over 3 months. After each group was evaluated, descriptions of techniques used to identify health deficits were amended. Mice had comparable overall FI scores regardless of rater (0.213±0.002 vs 0.212±0.002; p = .802), although discordant measures declined as techniques were refined. Correlation coefficients (r (2) values) between raters improved throughout the study and mean kappa values increased (mean ± SEM; 0.621±0.018, 0.764±0.017, and 0.836±0.009 for groups 1, 2, and 3; p < .05). Values for intra-class correlation coefficient also improved from .51 (95% confidence interval = 0.11-.73) to .74 (0.54-0.85) and .77 (0.67-.83). FI scores increased over 3 months (p < .05), but did not differ between raters. These results show a high overall inter-rater reliability when the clinical FI tool is used to assess frailty in a large cohort of mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kenneth Rockwood
- Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Susan E Howlett
- Department of Pharmacology and Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Manchester, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Whitehead JC, Hildebrand BA, Sun M, Rockwood MR, Rose RA, Rockwood K, Howlett SE. A clinical frailty index in aging mice: comparisons with frailty index data in humans. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2013; 69:621-32. [PMID: 24051346 PMCID: PMC4022099 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glt136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 295] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously quantified frailty in aged mice with frailty index (FI) that used specialized equipment to measure health parameters. Here we developed a simplified, noninvasive method to quantify frailty through clinical assessment of C57BL/6J mice (5-28 months) and compared the relationship between FI scores and age in mice and humans. FIs calculated with the original performance-based eight-item FI increased from 0.06 ± 0.01 at 5 months to 0.36 ± 0.06 at 19 months and 0.38 ± 0.04 at 28 months (n = 14). By contrast, the increase was graded with a 31-item clinical FI (0.02 ± 0.005 at 5 months; 0.12 ± 0.008 at 19 months; 0.33 ± 0.02 at 28 months; n = 14). FI scores calculated from 70 self-report items from the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe were plotted as function of age (n = 30,025 people). The exponential relationship between FI scores and age (normalized to 90% mortality) was similar in mice and humans for the clinical FI but not the eight-item FI. This noninvasive FI based on clinical measures can be used in longitudinal studies to quantify frailty in mice. Unlike the performance-based eight-item mouse FI, the clinical FI exhibits key features of the FI established for use in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Robert A Rose
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Susan E Howlett
- Department of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine) and
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Abstract
Several skin conditions seen in small mammals are thought to have a behavioral cause but their epidemiology and pathogenesis are poorly understood. A significant amount of research exists on barbering in mice that suggests it is an impulse control disorder and may represent a good animal model for trichotillomania in humans. Stress seems to play a complex role in the development and maintenance of some behavioral dermatopathies, but genetics and experiences, especially during development, also likely play a role. Pain or discomfort may underlie the development of many of these problems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valarie V Tynes
- Premier Veterinary Behavior Consulting, PO Box 1413, Sweetwater, TX 79556, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Mice long-term high-fat diet feeding recapitulates human cardiovascular alterations: an animal model to study the early phases of diabetic cardiomyopathy. PLoS One 2013; 8:e60931. [PMID: 23593350 PMCID: PMC3623942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Aim Hypercaloric diet ingestion and sedentary lifestyle result in obesity. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of clinical features secondary to obesity, considered as a pre-diabetic condition and recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. To better understand the relationship between obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease as well as for the development of novel therapeutic strategies, animal models that reproduce the etiology, course and outcomes of these pathologies are required. The aim of this work was to characterize the long-term effects of high-fat diet-induced obesity on the mice cardiovascular system, in order to make available a new animal model for diabetic cardiomyopathy. Methods/Results Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a standardized high-fat diet (obese) or regular diet (normal) for 16 months. Metabolic syndrome was evaluated testing plasma glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin, and glucose tolerance. Arterial pressure was measured using a sphygmomanometer (non invasive method) and by hemodynamic parameters (invasive method). Cardiac anatomy was described based on echocardiography and histological studies. Cardiac function was assessed by cardiac catheterization under a stress test. Cardiac remodelling and metabolic biomarkers were assessed by RT-qPCR and immunoblotting. As of month eight, the obese mice were overweight, hyperglycaemic, insulin resistant, hyperinsulinemic and hypercholesterolemic. At month 16, they also presented normal arterial pressure but altered vascular reactivity (vasoconstriction), and cardiac contractility reserve reduction, heart mass increase, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, and heart metabolic compensations. By contrast, the normal mice remained healthy throughout the study. Conclusions Mice fed with a high-fat diet for prolonged time recapitulates the etiology, course and outcomes of the early phases of human diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Collapse
|