Effect of butachlor on spermatogenesis, testosterone amount and testes tissue Rutilus frisii kutum Kamenskii 1901

Morphological assessment of sexually mature Rutilus frisii kutum Kamenskii 1901 caught from the rivers (Shirud, Khoshkrud, Sepidrud and Chelavand Rivers) flowing in the southwest Caspian Sea region was conducted and sperm volume, total sperm count and sperm concentration of abnormal sperms were determined after exposing the spawners to 60% herbicide butachlor (machete). Spawners under study were maintained in tanks (1000 l) at the Shahid Ansari Teleost Fish Hatchery and exposed to two different concentrations (25% and 75% of its LC50 value) of butachlor. Results obtained indicate that exposure to high butachlor toxicity (75% of its LC50 value) decreased sperm volume to 0.61 ± 0.42 cc in 2-3 year old fishes and to 0.55 ± 0.42 cc in fishes above 3 years of age, while that in fish exposed to low butachlor toxicity (25% of its LC50 value) decreased to 1.55 ± 0.42 cc in 2-3 year old fishes and to 1.28 ± 0.42 cc in fishes above 3 years of age. The sperm volume under normal conditions in R. frisii kutum is 4.6 ± 0.42 cc in 2-3 year olds and 4.58 ± 0.42 cc in fishes above 3 years of age. The total sperm count in R. frisii kutum is 39.74 ± 2.5 billion spermatozoa/cc in 2-3 year olds and 42.99 ± 2.5 billion spermatozoa/cc in fishes above 3 years of age. When exposed to high butachlor toxicity, total sperm count dropped to 16.92 ± 2.5 billion spermatozoa/cc in 2-3 year olds and to 15.98 ± 2.5 billion spermatozoa/cc in fishes above 3 years of age. Similarly total sperm count in R. frisii kutum exposed to low butachlor toxicity was recorded as 23.6 ± 2.5 billion spermatozoa/cc in 2-3 year olds and 29.4 ± 2.5 billion spermatozoa/cc in fishes above 3 years of age. Under normal conditions, on the basis of morphology, spermatozoa showed only 10 ± 1.92% of abnormal sperms. The number of abnormal sperms increased by 28.6 ± 1.92% in fishes exposed to high butachlor toxicity, while that in fishes exposed to low butachlor toxicity increased by 19.7 ± 1.92% in 2-3 year olds and 16.6 ± 19.2% in fishes above 3 years of age. It is evident from the results obtained that increase in level of pollution caused a decrease in sperm volume but an increase in the percentage of abnormal sperms. Results obtained indicate that exposure to high butachlor toxicity (75% of its LC50 value) decreased testostron hormone to 0.31 ± 0.22 ng/ml in high butachlor toxicity, and to 0.45 ± 0.22 ng/ml in low butachlor toxicity (25% of its LC50 value). Testostron hormone dropped to 0.53 ± 0.22 ng/ml in 2-3 year olds and to 0.79 ± 0.22ng/ in fishes above 3 years of age. The testostron hormone under normal conditions in R. frisii kutum is 2.7 ± 0.22 ng/ml. It is evident from the results obtained that increase in level of pollution caused a decrease in testostron hormone

Changes of tissue endothelin-1 and nitric oxide synthase in a sheep model of large intestinal obstruction

Large intestinal obstruction (LIO) in farm animals can cause a ischaemic necrosis of intestinal tissue, eventually leading to death. The roles of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) are not well understood in the process of LIO, but evidence suggests that endothelial-derived mediators may participate. In the present study, ET-1 concentration and total nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity were measured in heart, liver, pancreas, lung and kidney in a model of LIO in sheep. Our data demonstrated that ET-1 concentration and NOS activity were altered, with significant increases of ET-1 in heart, lung and kidney and of NOS activity in pancreas and kidney, but a marked decline of NOS activity in liver (p<0.05). It is postulated that these alterations in NOS activity and ET-1 concentration may contribute to the progressive loss of organ function, and finally lead to death in LIO in sheep.

Influence of leaf tissue structure on host feeding selection by pea leaf miner Liriomyza huidobrensis (Diptera : Agromyzidae)

Host feeding selection by the female pea leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis, on 47 species of plants was studied. The leaves were sectioned by microtome, and 15 characteristics of the leaf tissue structure were measured under a microscope. Correlation analysis between host feeding selection and leaf tissue structure indicated that the preference of host feeding selection was positively correlated with the percentage of moisture content of leaves and negatively with thickness of the epidermis wall, and densities of the palisade and spongy tissues of leaves. Leaf tissue structure was influential in feeding and probing behavior of female L. huidobrensis. So, thickness of epidermis wall, densities of the palisade and spongy tissues can act as a physical barrier to female oviposition. Furthermore, higher densities of palisade and spongy tissues can be considered a resistant trait which affects mining of leaf miner larvae as well. As a result, plants with lower leaf moisture content may not be suitable for the development of L. huidobrensis.

Composite hydrogels for nucleus pulposus tissue engineering

Tissue engineering offers a paradigm shift in the treatment of back pain. Engineered intervertebral discs could replace degenerated tissue and overcome the limitations of current treatments, which substantially alter the biomechanical properties of the spine. The centre of the disc, the nucleus pulposus, is an amorphous gel with a large bound water content and it can resist substantial compressive loads. Due to similarities in their compositions, hydrogels have frequently been considered as substitutes for the nucleus pulposus. However, there has been limited work characterising the time-dependent mechanical behaviour of hydrogel scaffolds for nucleus pulposus tissue engineering. Poroelastic behaviour, which plays a key role in nutrient transport, is of particular importance. Here, we investigate the time-dependent mechanical properties of gelatin and agar hydrogels and of gelatin-agar composites. The time-dependent properties of these hydrogels are explored using viscoelastic and poroelastic frameworks. Several gel formulations demonstrate comparable equilibrium elastic behaviour to the nucleus pulposus under unconfined compression, but permeability values that are much greater than those of the native tissue. A range of time-dependent responses are observed in the composite gels examined, presenting the opportunity for targeted design of custom hydrogels with combinations of mechanical properties optimized for tissue engineering applications. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Composite electrospun gelatin fiber-alginate gel scaffolds for mechanically robust tissue engineered cornea.

A severe shortage of good quality donor cornea is now an international crisis in public health. Alternatives for donor tissue need to be urgently developed to meet the increasing demand for corneal transplantation. Hydrogels have been widely used as scaffolds for corneal tissue regeneration due to their large water content, similar to that of native tissue. However, these hydrogel scaffolds lack the fibrous structure that functions as a load-bearing component in the native tissue, resulting in poor mechanical performance. This work shows that mechanical properties of compliant hydrogels can be substantially enhanced with electrospun nanofiber reinforcement. Electrospun gelatin nanofibers were infiltrated with alginate hydrogels, yielding transparent fiber-reinforced hydrogels. Without prior crosslinking, electrospun gelatin nanofibers improved the tensile elastic modulus of the hydrogels from 78±19 kPa to 450±100 kPa. Stiffer hydrogels, with elastic modulus of 820±210 kPa, were obtained by crosslinking the gelatin fibers with carbodiimide hydrochloride in ethanol before the infiltration process, but at the expense of transparency. The developed fiber-reinforced hydrogels show great promise as mechanically robust scaffolds for corneal tissue engineering applications.

Composite electrospun gelatin fiber-alginate gel scaffolds for mechanically robust tissue engineered cornea

A severe shortage of good quality donor cornea is now an international crisis in public health. Alternatives for donor tissue need to be urgently developed to meet the increasing demand for corneal transplantation. Hydrogels have been widely used as scaffolds for corneal tissue regeneration due to their large water content, similar to that of native tissue. However, these hydrogel scaffolds lack the fibrous structure that functions as a load-bearing component in the native tissue, resulting in poor mechanical performance. This work shows that mechanical properties of compliant hydrogels can be substantially enhanced with electrospun nanofiber reinforcement. Electrospun gelatin nanofibers were infiltrated with alginate hydrogels, yielding transparent fiber-reinforced hydrogels. Without prior crosslinking, electrospun gelatin nanofibers improved the tensile elastic modulus of the hydrogels from 78±19. kPa to 450±100. kPa. Stiffer hydrogels, with elastic modulus of 820±210. kPa, were obtained by crosslinking the gelatin fibers with carbodiimide hydrochloride in ethanol before the infiltration process, but at the expense of transparency. The developed fiber-reinforced hydrogels show great promise as mechanically robust scaffolds for corneal tissue engineering applications. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Electrospun fiber - Hydrogel composites for nucleus pulposus tissue engineering

New materials are needed to replace degenerated intervertebral disc tissue and to provide longer-term solutions for chronic back-pain. Replacement tissue potentially could be engineered by seeding cells into a scaffold that mimics the architecture of natural tissue. Many natural tissues, including the nucleus pulposus (the central region of the intervertebral disc) consist of collagen nanofibers embedded in a gel-like matrix. Recently it was shown that electrospun micro- or nano-fiber structures of considerable thickness can be produced by collecting fibers in an ethanol bath. Here, randomly aligned polycaprolactone electrospun fiber structures up to 50 mm thick are backfilled with alginate hydrogels to form novel composite materials that mimic the fiber-reinforced structure of the nucleus pulposus. The composites are characterized using both indentation and tensile testing. The composites are mechanically robust, exhibiting substantial strain-to-failure. The method presented here provides a way to create large biomimetic scaffolds that more closely mimic the composite structure of natural tissue. © 2012 Materials Research Society.

Gelatin nanofiber-reinforced alginate gel scaffolds for corneal tissue engineering.

A severe shortage of donor cornea is now an international crisis in public health. Substitutes for donor tissue need to be developed to meet the increasing demand for corneal transplantation. Current attempts in designing scaffolds for corneal tissue regeneration involve utilization of expensive materials. Yet, these corneal scaffolds still lack the highly-organized fibrous structure that functions as a load-bearing component in the native tissue. This work shows that transparent nanofiber-reinforced hydrogels could be developed from cheap, non-immunogenic and readily available natural polymers to mimic the cornea's microstructure. Electrospinning was employed to produce gelatin nanofibers, which were then infiltrated with alginate hydrogels. Introducing electrospun nanofibers into hydrogels improved their mechanical properties by nearly one order of magnitude, yielding mechanically robust composites. Such nanofiber-reinforced hydrogels could serve as alternatives to donor tissue for corneal transplantation.

Measuring the compressive viscoelastic mechanical properties of human cervical tissue using indentation.

The human cervix is an important mechanical barrier in pregnancy which must withstand the compressive and tensile forces generated from the growing fetus. Premature cervical shortening resulting from premature cervical remodeling and alterations of cervical material properties are known to increase a woman׳s risk of preterm birth (PTB). To understand the mechanical role of the cervix during pregnancy and to potentially develop indentation techniques for in vivo diagnostics to identify women who are at risk for premature cervical remodeling and thus preterm birth, we developed a spherical indentation technique to measure the time-dependent material properties of human cervical tissue taken from patients undergoing hysterectomy. In this study we present an inverse finite element analysis (IFEA) that optimizes material parameters of a viscoelastic material model to fit the stress-relaxation response of excised tissue slices to spherical indentation. Here we detail our IFEA methodology, report compressive viscoelastic material parameters for cervical tissue slices from nonpregnant (NP) and pregnant (PG) hysterectomy patients, and report slice-by-slice data for whole cervical tissue specimens. The material parameters reported here for human cervical tissue can be used to model the compressive time-dependent behavior of the tissue within a small strain regime of 25%.

Metallothionein-2 gene from the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi: cDNA cloning, tissue expression, and immunohistochemical localization

The metallothionein-2 (MT-2) gene was isolated from the mandarin fish, one of the most important industrial aquatic animals in China, by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The deduced amino acid sequence of MT-2 comprised 60 amino acids and showed approximately 62.3% identity to human metallothionein. Its promoter region was amplified by thermal asymmetric interlaced polymerase chain reaction (TAIL-PCR). The MT-2 gene consists of 3 exons and 2 introns, extending approximately 900 bp of genomic sequence. Phylogenetic analysis clearly demonstrated that MT-2 formed a clade with fish metallothionein. The promoter region contained 5 putative metal-regulatory elements (MREs) and 1 TATA box. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that MT-2 transcripts were significantly increased in the brain and gills and were stable in the muscles, liver, and trunk kidney in Cd2+-stimulated fish. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that the protein of the MT-2 gene was expressed mainly in the gills, liver, heart, trunk kidney, muscle, and intestine; it was weakly detected in the brain and head kidney. Moreover, the MT-2 protein was immunohistochemically detected in the cytoplasm in the liver and trunk kidney. All the above results revealed that the mandarin fish MT-2 would be a useful biomarker for metal pollution. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc.