Individual Venom Profiling of Crotalus durissus terrificus Specimens from a Geographically Limited Region: Crotamine Assessment and Captivity Evaluation on the Biological Activities

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

Glutamate-induced obesity leads to decreased sperm reserves and acceleration of transit time in the epididymis of adult male rats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison of wildlife and captivity rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus terrificus) microbiota

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

Oral cavity evaluation and dental chart registration of coati (Nasua nasua) in captivity

The aims of this study were to develop a dental chart evaluate any oral cavity disease, develop gypsum models the dental arches, and to register the occlusions found in coatis (Nasua nasua) in captivity. Formulation of the dental chart was assisted by intraoral radiographs from the head of an adult coati cadaver of the same species with the following dental formula: I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/3, M 2/2. Seven live coatis of the Nasua nasua species were evaluated. Five of the seven coatis presented with various dental abnormalities as follows: dental plaque (71.4 %), gingivitis (71.4 %), periodontitis (57.1 %), dental stain (42.9 %), dental abrasion (57.1 %), dental fracture (57.1 %), pulp exposure (42.9 %), malocclusion (5 7.1 %) and supernumerary teeth (14.2 %).

Imaging studies of the hindlimbs of pacas (Cuniculus paca) bred in captivity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. from fecal samples of birds kept in captivity in Brazil

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

Acceleration of Sperm Transit Time and Reduction of Sperm Reserves in the Epididymis of Rats Exposed to Sibutramine

Sibutramine is a drug globally used for the treatment of obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate male reproductive disorders caused by sibutramine in adult rats. Wistar rats were treated for 28 consecutive days (gavage) with 10 mg/kg of sibutramine. Control animals received only vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide and saline). The rats were sacrificed for evaluation of body and reproductive organ weights, sperm parameters, hormone levels (luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone), testicular and epididymal histopathology, sexual behavior, fertility and in vitro contractility of the epididymal duct. Sibutramine decreased (P < .05) weights of the epididymis and ventral prostate, but not of other reproductive organs. The sperm number and transit time in the epididymal cauda were decreased (P < .001), but the daily sperm production was not altered. Moreover, morphology and sperm motility, histopathology of the testes and epididymis, sexual behavior, fertility, and serum hormone levels were not altered by the treatment. Sibutramine increased the potency of norepinephrine and, per se, increased the mechanical activity of the epididymal duct in vitro. Thus, although sibutramine in these experimental conditions did not interfere with the reproductive process of rats, it provoked acceleration of the sperm transit time and a decrease in the sperm reserves in the epididymal cauda. This alteration is probably related to the sympathomimetic effect of this drug, as shown by the in vitro assays. In humans, use of this drug might present a threat for male fertility because sperm reserves in men are naturally lower than those in rats.

Rat epididymal sperm quantity, quality, and transit time after guanethidine-induced sympathectomy

Guanethidine, a chemical that selectively abolishes peripheral noradrenergic nerves, was used to investigate the role of sympathetic innervation in the maintenance of epididymal sperm quantity and quality. Four groups of 10 adult male rats each were treated daily for 21 days, by i.p. injections, with either 0 (saline vehicle), 6.25, 12.5, or 25 mg/kg guanethidine. Norepinephrine content was reduced to undetectable levels in the cauda epididymidis in all guanethidine groups after 3 wk of treatment and was reduced to 7.4% of the control values after 1 wk of 6.25 mg/kg treatment. While body weight gain was significantly decreased at 12.5 and 25 mg/kg compared to that in controls, there was a significant increase in the weights of the seminal vesicles/coagulating glands in all treated groups. The number of homogenization-resistant spermatids per testis and the daily sperm production per testis remained unchanged. The weight of the epididymis was significantly increased at 6.25 and 12.5 mg/kg. Moreover, the number of cauda epididymal sperm and the transit time were increased significantly at 6.25 mg/kg (10.2 days) compared to values in the control cauda (6.3 days). Neither serum testosterone levels nor LH was affected in a dosage-related manner. There were no effects of guanethidine treatment on cauda epididymal sperm motility or morphology. A quantitative analysis of detergent-extracted cauda epididymal sperm proteins by SDS-PAGE revealed no differences, but there were diminutions in seven proteins in homogenates of caput/ corpus tissue. Histologic analysis of testis and epididymis sections revealed no differences between control and denervated animals. In a subsequent experiment the lowest effective dosage (6.25 mg/kg) was given to rats for 1 wk, and an increased number of cauda epididymal sperm and a delay in sperm transit were observed. Our results indicate that low-dosage guanethidine exposure denervates the epididymis within 1 wk, thereby delaying epididymal transit; however, neither 1- nor 3-wk exposure produces qualitative changes in the sperm.

Effects of altered epididymal sperm transit time on sperm quality

The epididymal sperm transit time seems to have an important role in the process of sperm maturation, and it seems that alterations to the transit can harm the process. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of altered sperm transit time through the epididymis on sperm parameters and fertility of rats, as well as the role of testosterone in the alterations. Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were randomly assigned to four different groups and were treated for 12 days: (i) 10 mu g/rat/day DES, to accelerate the transit; (ii) 6.25 mg/kg/day guanethidine sulphate, to delay the transit; (iii) same treatment as group 1, plus androgen supplementation; (iv) control animals received the vehicles. Guanethidine treatment delayed the sperm transit time through the epididymal cauda, provoking increased sperm reserves in this region. Animals exposed to DES showed an acceleration of sperm transit time in the epididymis, and consequently decreased sperm density in both epididymal regions, the caput-corpus and cauda, and diminished sperm motility. In both cases sperm production was not altered. Testosterone supplementation was able to restore the transit time to values close to normality, as they were higher than in the control rats. The same occurred in relation to sperm motility. Rats exposed to DES presented lower fertility after in utero artificial insemination using sperm collected from the proximal cauda epididymis. Therefore, it was concluded that the acceleration of rat sperm transit time appeared to harm normal sperm maturation, thus decreasing sperm quality and fertility capacity, in an androgen-dependent way.

Orchidopexy restores morphometric-stereologic changes in the caput epididymis and daily sperm production in cryptorchidic mice, although sperm transit time and fertility parameters remain impaired

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

Reproductive behavior of the swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Crustacea, Brachyura, Portunidae) in captivity

In this study, the reproductive behavior exhibited by Arenaeus cribrarius in captivity was described, and the duration of each behavioral stage was measured. Swimming crabs were trawled in Ubatuba, northern littoral of São Paulo State, Brazil, and maintained in aquaria. Water conditions and food items were provided according to this species' natural requirements in the wild. In the presence of premolt females, intermolt males exhibited a courtship display that became intensified when the potential mate was visually perceived. After mate selection, the male carried the female under itself (precopulatory position) for 29.8 +/- 5.1 d until the female molted. Afterwards, the male manipulated the recently molted female, and inverted her position under itself as to penetrate her with his first pair of pleopods (copulation), a process that took 17.1 +/- 4.6 h. After copulation the male continued to carry his soft-shelled mate for 29.7 +/- 5.8 d (postcopulatory position). The time elapsed between copulation and spawning was 57.8 +/- 3.8 d and the time interval between successive spawns 33.8 +/- 7.1 d. Total embryonic development took 13.5 +/- 2.1 d in temperature conditions of 25.0 +/- 2.0 degrees C. During the last 4.7 +/- 1.4 d embryos' eyes were already visible. The reproductive behavior pattern in A. cribrarius is very similar to those previously described in other portunids.

Reproductive cycle and ovarian development of the marine ornamental shrimp Stenopus hispidus in captivity

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Circadian pattern of Bothrops moojeni in captivity (Serpentes: Viperidae)

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

Microhabitat use by species of the genera Bothrops and Crotalus (Viperidae) in semi-extensive captivity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Behavior of an albino vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus (E. Geoffroy) (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae), in captivity

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)