Three Optimized Methods for In Situ Quantification of Progenitor Cell Proliferation in Embryonic Kidneys Using BrdU, EdU, and PCNA

Assessment of Effects of Rosemary Essential Oil on the Kidney Pathology of Diabetic Adult Male Albino Rats

Background Diabetic nephropathy is a severe condition that causes persistent kidney problems and chronic renal failure. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L) is widely recognized for its antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, hepatoprotective, and anticancer activities. The current study evaluated rosemary essential oil (REO) effects on biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical kidney alterations in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and compared these effects with those of insulin and both combined. Methods We randomly distributed 36 adult albino rats into 6 groups: normal control (non-diabetic), diabetic (streptozotocin, 55 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), diabetic insulin-treated (Lantus insulin 2 units/day, SC), diabetic REO-treated (REO, 10 ml, nasogastric gavage), and diabetic insulin & REO-treated groups. Biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses were conducted. Results The diabetic group revealed a substantial increase in blood glucose, urea, creatinine, and uric acid, as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) concentrations in kidney homogenates, high score of tubular injury, and increased glomerulosclerosis, along with marked reduction of total glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) when compared to control. Evident improvement was detected in rats treated with REO as it demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, pro-proliferative, and mild anti-hyperglycemic effects on diabetic rats, reducing the kidney damage caused by diabetes. Combined insulin and REO restored normal blood glucose, renal excretory function tests, antioxidant markers, and renal cortex histology. Conclusion The data presented in the current study's in vivo animal model suggests that REO supplementation has beneficial nephroprotective effects on the structural and, to a lesser extent, functional levels of diabetic rats. Furthermore, the detected nephroprotective effects of insulin and REO combined are superior to those of either administered alone. However, further studies are needed to evaluate these conclusions in humans further.

Inhibition of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Gamma Protects Endothelial Cells via the Akt Signaling Pathway in Sepsis-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

INTRODUCTION

Sepsis is a primary cause of death in critically ill patients and is characterized by multiple organ dysfunction, including sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI), which contributes to high mortality in sepsis. However, its pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. The kidney has one of the richest and most diversified endothelial cell populations in the body. This study was designed to investigate the effects of endothelial dysfunction in sepsis-induced AKI and explore possible intervention measures to offer new insight into the pathogenesis and treatment of sepsis-induced AKI.

METHODS

The circulating levels of endothelial adhesion molecules were detected in patients with sepsis and healthy controls to observe the role of endothelial damage in sepsis and sepsis-induced AKI. A murine sepsis model induced by cecal ligation and perforation was pretreated with a phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) inhibitor (CZC24832), and survival, kidney damage, and renal endothelial injury were assessed by pathological examination, immunohistochemistry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. Lipopolysaccharides and CZC24832 were administered to human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro, and endothelial cell function and the expression of adhesion molecules were evaluated.

RESULTS

Endothelial damage was more serious in sepsis-induced AKI than that in non-AKI, and the inhibition of PI3Kγ alleviates renal endothelial injury in a murine sepsis model, protecting endothelial cell function and repairing endothelial cell injury through the Akt signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, endothelial cell dysfunction plays an important role in sepsis-induced AKI, and the inhibition of PI3Kγ alleviates endothelial cell injury in sepsis-induced AKI through the PI3Kγ/Akt pathway, providing novel targets for treating sepsis and related kidney injury.

Investigation of Colonic Regeneration via Precise Damage Application Using Femtosecond Laser-Based Nanosurgery

Organoids represent the cellular composition of natural tissue. So called colonoids, organoids derived from colon tissue, are a good model for understanding regeneration. However, next to the cellular composition, the surrounding matrix, the cell-cell interactions, and environmental factors have to be considered. This requires new approaches for the manipulation of a colonoid. Of key interest is the precise application of localized damage and the following cellular reaction. We have established multiphoton imaging in combination with femtosecond laser-based cellular nanosurgery in colonoids to ablate single cells in the colonoids' crypts, the proliferative zones, and the differentiated zones. We observed that half of the colonoids recovered within six hours after manipulation. An invagination of the damaged cell and closing of the structure was observed. In about a third of the cases of targeted crypt damage, it caused a stop in crypt proliferation. In the majority of colonoids ablated in the crypt, the damage led to an increase in Wnt signalling, indicated via a fluorescent lentiviral biosensor. qRT-PCR analysis showed increased expression of various proliferation and Wnt-associated genes in response to damage. Our new model of probing colonoid regeneration paves the way to better understand organoid dynamics on a single cell level.

DNA Dyes-Highly Sensitive Reporters of Cell Quantification: Comparison with Other Cell Quantification Methods

Cell quantification is widely used both in basic and applied research. A typical example of its use is drug discovery research. Presently, plenty of methods for cell quantification are available. In this review, the basic techniques used for cell quantification, with a special emphasis on techniques based on fluorescent DNA dyes, are described. The main aim of this review is to guide readers through the possibilities of cell quantification with various methods and to show the strengths and weaknesses of these methods, especially with respect to their sensitivity, accuracy, and length. As these methods are frequently accompanied by an analysis of cell proliferation and cell viability, some of these approaches are also described.

Cell cycle during neuronal migration and neocortical lamination

OBJECTIVES

In order to understand the relationships between neocortical lamination and cell cycle, various cells, such as neural stem cell, migrating postmitotic neuron, Cajal-Retzius (CR) cell, and mature pyramidal cell in various cell phases were investigated in mouse cortices.

METHODS

With mouse neocortex and hippocampus, the immunofluorescent labeling, BrdU assay, and DiI tracing technique were implemented in the study.

RESULTS

(1) During mouse development, the neocortex expressed different proteins, such as FOXP2, CDP, and Nestin, which could be used as the markers for cortical lamination. (2) The neural stem cells were mainly located in the subventricular zone, with the expressions of Nestin, Cyclin A2, Cyclin E1, and CDT1, suggesting that they were in the repeated cell cycle. Furthermore, the migrating neurons in the neocortex were Cyclin D1- (G1 phase-specific marker) positive, suggesting that they were in the G1 phase. However, Pyramidal cells that developed from postmitotic migrating neurons and settled in the cortical plate were Cyclin D1- negative, suggesting that they were in the G0 phase. (3) Reelin positive CR cells appeared in the molecular layer of the neocortex in early embryonic day (E10), which could express Cyclin A2, Cyclin E1, and CDT1 as pyramidal cells, but not Cyclin D1, suggesting that they may have exited the cell cycle and entered the G0 phase.

CONCLUSION

The neural migration, neural proliferation, and cell cycle alterations play an important role during cortical lamination. During the cortical development and lamination, the neural stem cells and migrating postmitotic neurons are in different cell cycle phases, but pyramidal cells and CR cells have exited the cell cycle.