Etude de l'activité anticomplémentaire du sérum décomplémenté de rats hypo-, normo- et hyperglycémiques

Summary The anticomplementary activity of decomplemented rat serum was determined using a technique of inhibition of guinea-pig complement in a 50% hemolysis system. The anticomplementary activity of the serum varies inversely to the glycemic state of the rats, being highest in the serum from hypo, and lowest in that of hyperglycemic animals.     

Melanocyte-stimulating hormone and learned appetitive behavior

Résumé Cette étude indique que l'administration de MSH aux rats les fait retenir une tâche appétitive. Un effet sur la persévération ou la mémoire est impliqué.     

Inactivation of deamino-oxytocin,deamino-carba1-oxytocin, [D-Lys8]-, and [D-Arg8]vasopressins by kidney cell particles

Zusammenfassung Die Inaktivierung von Carba-, Deamino- und 8-d-substituierten Analogen der neurohypophysäuren Hormone durch Schweinenierenhomogenate verläuft mit der gleichen Geschwindigkeit wie die des Oxytocins und Vasopressins.     

A relevant in vitro rat model for the evaluation of blood-brain barrier translocation of nanoparticles

Poly(MePEG₂₀₀₀cyanoacrylate-co-hexadecylcyanoacrylate) (PEG-PHDCA) nanoparticles have demonstrated their capacity to reach the rat central nervous system after intravenous injection. For insight into the transport of colloidal systems across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), we developed a relevant in vitro rat BBB model consisting of a coculture of rat brain endothelial cells (RBECs) and rat astrocytes. The RBECs used in our model displayed and retained structural characteristics of brain endothelial cells, such as expression of P-glycoprotein, occludin and ZO-1, and immunofluorescence studies showed the specific localization of occludin and ZO1. The high values of transendothelial electrical resistance and low permeability coefficients of marker molecules demonstrated the functionality of this model. The comparative passage of polyhexadecylcyanoacrylate and PEG-PHDCA nanoparticles through this model was investigated, showing a higher passage of PEGylated nanoparticles, presumably by endocytosis. This result was confirmed by confocal microscopy. Thanks to a good in vitro/in vivo correlation, this rat BBB model will help in understanding the mechanisms of nanoparticle translocation and in designing new types of colloidal carriers as brain delivery systems.Received 4 March 2005; accepted 14 April 2005     

Is chlamydial heat shock protein 60 a risk factor for oncogenesis?

Heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) plays an important role in the protein folding of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Most of the papers published on chlamydial HSP60 concern its role in immune response during infection. In the last decade, exposure to Chlamydia trachomatis has been consistently associated with the development of cervical and ovarian cancer. Moreover, it has been suggested that chlamydial HSP60 may have an anti-apoptotic effect during persistent infection. We hypothesize that the accumulation of exogenous chlamydial HSP60 in the cytoplasm of actively replicating eukaryotic cells may interfere with the regulation of the apoptotic pathway. The concomitant expression of viral oncoproteins and/or the presence of mutations may lead to the ability to survive apoptotic stimuli, loss of replicative senescence, uncontrolled proliferation and, finally neoplastic transformation.Received 15 August 2004; received after revision 1 October 2004; accepted 7 October 2004     

Adsorption of DNA components on the mercury electrode

Zusammenfassung Unter elf untersuchten Purin- und Pyrimidinderivaten zeigen die Komponenten der Nukleinsäuren die grösste Tendenz zu zwischenmolekularen Assoziationen. Daraus wird der Schluss gezogen, dass die Stabilität der Doppelspirale der DNS wesentlich von den van-der-Waals-Kräften abhängig ist.