Efeito protetor da coenzima Q10 sobre os danos oxidativos da L-Tiroxina no músculo sóleo de ratos: Fabiana Barreiro de Freitas Silva. -

Pós-graduação em Ciência Animal - FMVA

Efeito da coenzima Q10 nos danos oxidativos induzidos pela L-tiroxina no músculo sóleo de ratos

Introduction: skeletal muscles are dynamic tissue that can change their phenotypic characteristics providing a better functional adaptation to different stimuli. L-thyroxine is a hormone produced by the thyroid gland and has been used as an experimental model for stimulation of oxidative stress in skeletal muscle. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a fat-soluble provitamin endogenously synthesized and found naturally in foods such red meat, fish, cereals, broccoli and spinach. It has antioxidant properties and potential in the treatment of degenerative and neuromuscular diseases. Objective: to evaluate the protective effect of CoQ10 in the soleus muscle of rats against the oxidative damage caused by L-thyroxine. Methods: the rats were divided in four groups of six animals each: Group 1 (control); Group 2 (coenzyme Q10); Group 3 (L-thyroxine), and Group 4 coenzyme Q10 and L-thyroxine). After euthanasia, blood was collected and serum activity of the enzymes creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was analyzed. In the soleus muscle homogenates the factors related to oxidative stress were assessed. Results: CoQ10 protected the soleus muscle against the damage caused by L-thyroxine and favored the maintenance of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase, the concentration of decreased and oxidized glutathione, and prevented lipid peroxidation. Conclusion: the results indicate that CoQ10 protects rat soleus muscle from oxidative damage caused by L-thyroxine.

Temporal changes in calcium-binding proteins in the medial geniculate nucleus of the monkey Sapajus apella

The subdivisions of the medial geniculate complex can be distinguished based on the immunostaining of calcium-binding proteins and by the properties of the neurons within each subdivision. The possibility of changes in neurochemistry in this and other central auditory areas are important aspects to understand the basis that contributing to functional variations determined by environmental cycles or the animal's cycles of activity and rest. This study investigated, for the first time, day/night differences in the amounts of parvalbumin-, calretinin- and calbindin-containing neurons in the thalamic auditory center of a non-human primate, Sapajus apella. The immunoreactivity of the PV-IR, CB-IR and CR-IR neurons demonstrated different distribution patterns among the subdivisions of the medial geniculate. Moreover, a high number of CB- and CR-IR neurons were found during day, whereas PV-IR was predominant at night. We conclude that in addition to the chemical heterogeneity of the medial geniculate nucleus with respect to the expression of calcium-binding proteins, expression also varied relative to periods of light and darkness, which may be important for a possible functional adaptation of central auditory areas to environmental changes and thus ensure the survival and development of several related functions.

Numerical analysis of refrigerant flow along non-adiabatic capillary tubes using a two-fluid model

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A mass-transportation approach to a one dimensional fluid mechanics model with nonlocal velocity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A two-fluid model for refrigerant flow through adiabatic capillary tubes

This work presents a numerical model to simulate refrigerant flow through capillary tubes, commonly used as expansion devices in refrigeration systems. The flow is divided in a single-phase region, where the refrigerant is in the subcooled liquid state, and a region of two-phase flow. The capillary tube is considered straight and horizontal. The flow is taken as one-dimensional and adiabatic. Steady-state condition is also assumed and the metastable flow phenomena are neglected. The two-fluid model, considering the hydrodynamic and thermal non-equilibrium between the liquid and vapor phases, is applied to the two-phase flow region. Comparisons are made with experimental measurements of the mass flow rate and pressure distribution along two capillary tubes working with refrigerant R-134a in different operating conditions. The results indicate that the present model provides a better estimation than the commonly employed homogeneous model. Some computational results referring to the quality, void fraction, velocities, and temperatures of each phase are presented and discussed.