Explore the vast range of titles available.

The systemic toxicity of different combinations of heavy metal mixtures (HMMs) was studied according to equivalent proportions of the eight most common detectable heavy metals found in fish consumption in the Ningbo area of China. The ion mass proportions of Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Hg were 1070.0, 312.6, 173.1, 82.6, 30.0, 13.3, 6.6, and 1.0, respectively. In this study, 10 experimental groups were set as follows: M8 (Pb + Cd + Hg + Ni + Cu + Zn + Mn + Cr); M5 (Pb + Cd + Hg + Ni + Cr); M4A (Pb + Cd + Hg + Ni); M4B (Cu + Zn + Mn + Cr); M3 (Cu + Zn + Mn); Cr; Cu; Zn; Mn; and control. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were orally treated with a single dose of each group every three days (10 times in total) for 34 days. After Morris water maze test, blood and tissue samples were collected to obtain biochemical, histopathological and western blot analysis. Results show abnormalities could be observed in different treatment groups, the M4B combination had the most significant change compared to all other groups. In conclusion, combination HMMs may have adverse effects on the hematologic, hepatic, renal and neurobehavioral function, and may also disturb electrolyte and lipid balance. Why M4B combination generated much higher toxic effects than any other combination mixtures or individual heavy metal needs to be further evaluated.

Stress disorders have multidimentional effect on us. The way we respond to these situations is different, which depends upon our individual difference and our sex or gender. Reports suggests that females are more susceptible to stress disorders as compared to the male person with same age group. Serotonin receptor system is an important mechanism involved in regulation of stress and anxiety in male and female both individuals. Current study incorporates rodent model to study sex-based role of serotonin receptors under chronic restrained stress condition. A chronic restrained stress protocol was used to assign the stress difference between male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. The molecular identification was done using quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry for serotonin 5HT-1B receptor in rat brain. Interestingly, 5HT-1B receptor which is one of the most important serotonin receptors, exhibited a sex dependent difference for stress response in male and female rats. Most importantly the trio partners (amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex), exhibited a region-specific sex dependent difference in 5HT-1B receptor expression which was correlated with the difference in the level of stress response. This biased function of serotonin 5HT-1B receptor might be the reason why females face more stress than male individual. Overall, the result exhibited a sex dependent difference for stress condition in male and female rats, which was correlated with the spatial expression of serotonin 5HT-1B receptor in brain.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the developmental and hormonal safety profile of different doses of allylestrenol administered during gestation in SD rats, focusing on selected physiological and reproductive indices in the Parental (F0) and First-generation offspring (F1) generations. In this study, 138 successfully mated Sprague-Dawley (SD) female rats were randomly divided into solvent control (Sol-C), progesterone injection control (PgI-C), progesterone soft-gel capsule control (PgSC-C), low-dose allylestrenol (Alt-LD, 5 mg kg ), medium-dose allylestrenol (Alt-MD, 10 mg kg ), and high-dose allylestrenol (Alt-HD, 20 mg kg ) groups, with 16 successfully mated female rats in each group. Satellite groups were also established, each consisting of 7 successfully mated female rats. Estradiol levels on gestation day 19 (GD ) were reduced in the Alt-HD compared to the Sol-C ( < 0.05). Compared with the Sol-C, there was no significant change in the anogenital distance (AGD) on postnatal day 21 (PND ) and PND in both male and female littermates in each allylestrenol dose group ( > 0.05). Testosterone levels were significantly elevated in the Alt-MD and Alt-LD groups compared to the Sol-C ( < 0.05). On GD , the estradiol level was significantly reduced only in the Alt-HD group (9.981 ± 0.514 ng/mL) compared with the Sol-C group (18.725 ± 4.770 ng/mL; P < 0.05). The low-dose (Alt-LD: 17.575 ± 3.017 ng/mL) and medium-dose (Alt-MD: 11.927 ± 3.663 ng/mL) groups showed numerically lower values than Sol-C, but the difference was not statistically significant after adjustment. 95% CIs for Sol-C, Alt-MD, and Alt-HD were [17.1, 20.3], [10.2, 13.7], and [9.4, 10.5] ng/mL, respectively. Allylestrenol at doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg kg did not result in overt developmental abnormalities in maternal or offspring rats across selected early endpoints. However, further long-term and functional evaluations across generations are needed to fully establish its safety profile.

In most cases, the number of honeybee stings received by the body is generally small, but honeybee stings can still cause serious allergic reactions. This study fully simulated bee stings under natural conditions and used 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) to analyze the changes in the serum metabolome of Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats stung once or twice by honeybees to verify the impact of this mild sting on the body and its underlying mechanism. The differentially abundant metabolites between the blank control rats and the rats stung by honeybees included four amino acids (aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, and valine) and four organic acids (ascorbic acid, lactate, malate, and pyruvate). There was no separation between the sting groups, indicating that the impact of stinging once or twice on the serum metabolome was similar. Using the Principal Component Discriminant Analysis ( PCA-DA) and Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) methods, glucose, lactate, and pyruvate were identified to help distinguish between sting groups and non-sting groups. Metabolic pathway analysis revealed that four metabolic pathways, namely, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, pyruvate metabolism, glutamate metabolism, and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, were significantly affected by bee stings. The above results can provide a theoretical basis for future epidemiological studies of bee stings and medical treatment of patients stung by honeybees.

The current study aims to investigate the influence of five rare earth elements (REEs) (i.e., lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), and gadolinium (Gd)) on the growth of Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats, and to explore the accumulation characteristics of REEs in tissues and organs with different doses as well as the detoxification and elimination of high-dose REEs. Fifty healthy male SD rats (140~160 g) were randomly divided into five groups and four of them were given gavage of sodium citrate solution with REEs in different doses, one of which was the control group. Hair, blood, and bone samples along with specific viscera tissue samples from the spleen and the liver were collected for detection of REEs by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Treated rats expressed higher concentrations of REEs in the bones, the liver, and spleen samples than the control group (P < 0.05). Few differences were found in relative abundance of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Gd in the hair and the liver samples, although different administration doses were given. The relative abundance of Ce in bone samples was significantly lower in the low-dose group and control group, whereas the relative abundance of La and Pr in the bone samples were highest among all groups. Although in the REEs solution, which was given to rats in high-dose group, the La element had a higher relative abundance than Ce element, it ended up with higher Ce element relative abundance than La element in the spleen samples. REEs had a hormetic effect on body weight gain of SD rats. The accumulation of the measured REEs were reversible to low concentrations in the blood and hair, but non-reversible in the bones, the spleen, and the liver. Different tissues and organs can selectively absorb and accumulate REEs. Further inter-disciplinary studies about REEs are urgently needed to identify their toxic effects on both ecosystems and organisms.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of supranutritional selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on immune and antioxidant capacity in rats. Forty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups and given intragastric administration of SeNPs at doses of 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mg Se/kg BW, respectively, for 2 weeks. Serum immune parameters, serum and organic tissues (liver, heart, kidney) antioxidant indices, and liver mRNA expression of glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) were examined. The results showed that supranutritional doses of 0.4 and 0.8 mg Se/kg BW SeNPs promoted the immune responses in serum. SeNPs administration improved antioxidant capacity in the liver and kidney, and the best improvement on antioxidant capacity was found in the kidney. Furthermore, intragastric administration of SeNPs upregulated mRNA expression of GPx1 and GPx4 in the liver. The results obtained indicated that SeNPs administration at supranutritional levels had beneficial effects on immune and antioxidant capacity and supplemental SeNPs at dose of 0.4 mg Se/kg BW exhibited the best response in SD rats.

Objective: Intend to observe the effect of lycopene on reproductive toxicity induced by PFOS in male rats and its possible mechanism. Methods: 30 male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups with 6 rats in each group. The control group was given CMC-Na solution. At the same time, the PFOS group and the low, middle and high dose LP protection groups were fed with poisoned feed (32mg/kg PFOS-K).In the meanwhile, the lycopene protection groups were given LP every other day according to their designed dose, and were killed continuously for 3 months. In addition, the sperm motility, number, LDH-X, CAT, GSH-Px, SOD enzyme activity and MDA content were detected and observed. Results: The sperm motility was 44.00%, 53.68% and 58.37%, respectively.The rate of sperm deformity decreased, and the levels of LDH-X and serum testosterone (T) recovered in varying degrees. Moreover, low, middle and high doses of LP could significantly restore the activities of SOD and CAT and reduce the content of MDA, which was significantly different from that of PFOS group (P<0.05). Conclusion: 10∼20mg/kg LP can protect against reproductive damage induced by subchronic low dose PFOS. In addition, antioxidant damage and regulation of testosterone secretion are important mechanisms for LP to protect reproductive damage induced by PFOS.

Objective: This study aims to use loperamide by gavage in SD rats to establish the model of STC, and evaluate the degree of similarity between the model and clinical diseases. Furthermore, the effect of electro-acupuncture when stimulating BL32 acupoints in SD rats with slow transit constipation were observed to determine changes in intestinal transmission function. Methods: Thirty SD rats were selected and divided randomly into three groups. Rats in the model group were given 2 mg/kg/d of loperamide tablets by gavage for 15 days. The morphology of the feces of rats was observed, and the dry weight of the feces and the time of first black feces movement with black ink by gavage after molding were measured. After 20 days of electro-acupuncture treatment at the BL32 acupoint, the time of first black feces movement, the ratio of black ink length of the entire length of the intestine, and contraction amplitude and frequency of contraction were measured. Results: The time of black feces movement in the two model groups was significantly prolonged (P <0.05). Furthermore, fecal grains, dry weight and moisture content were significantly reduced (P <0.05). On the 10th and 20th day of treatment, the time of black feces movement in the treatment group significantly decreased (P <0.05). The ratio of black ink length of the entire length of the intestine in the electro-acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the model group (P <0.05). Moreover, contraction amplitude was significantly higher than in the model control group (P <0.05). Conclusion: Through loperamide gavage, the model of slow transit constipation in SD rats was successfully established in a relatively short period of time. Electro-acupuncture treatment had a rapid onset of action, and its mechanism might have been caused through strengthening the ability of intestinal smooth muscle contraction, and are independent with increased smooth muscle contraction frequency.

Preclinical animal models that are simple, reproducible, and capable of partially mimicking the pathophysiological features of clinical diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are essential for advancing research on refractory wound healing. Compared to mice, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats offer advantages such as reduced stress and greater ease of modeling. Additionally, type 2 diabetes induced in rats via a high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) injection is more cost-effective than genotyped rats. To simulate ulcers caused by diabetic vasculopathy, we established two bipedicle ischemic flaps of different widths (2 cm and 2.5 cm, both 11 cm long) on the backs of diabetic rats. Two full-thickness skin defects (6 mm in diameter) were created bilaterally at the flap midpoint to prevent fascial contraction that is a common issue in conventional models. As controls, we created bipedicle ischemic flaps (11 cm long, 2 cm wide) and corresponding wounds on the backs of normal SD rats. Additionally, classic full-thickness wounds (6 mm in diameter) were established at the same location on diabetic rats without flaps. We evaluated wound healing rates, epithelialization, neocollagenesis, angiogenesis, macrophage polarization, and the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors and MMPs. The wounds within the 2.0 cm-wide ischemic flaps exhibited delayed epithelialization, reduced neocollagenesis, and an increased number of CD31-positive endothelial cells, with elevated VEGF-A expression but fewer mature blood vessels. Higher levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 MMP2 and MMP9, and M1 macrophages were also observed. In conclusion, a bipedicle ischemic flap (11 cm long, 2 cm wide) combined with full-thickness skin defects on the backs of type 2 diabetic rats induced by a high-fat diet with STZ injection provides an effective model for studying DFU-associated vasculopathy and chronic inflammation.

The parasite Fasciola hepatica is an important zoonotic parasite. The development of an animal model of F. hepatica's life cycle is critical for studying the biological characteristics of the parasite in snails and mammals. Eggs of F. hepatica of bovine origin were cultured, and metacercariae were obtained after infection of Galba pervia snails. The life cycle system of F. hepatica was initiated in 2 different animals by orally infecting rabbits, SD rats and Kunming mice with the metacercariae. The animals' survival after infection, parasite migration in the animals and pathological damage to the liver were observed. We discovered that rabbits died due to acute suppurative hepatitis 60–69 days after infection, and eggs were found in the feces on day 63 of infection. The liver of SD rats showed punctate lesions on day 3 of infection, and further changes occurred as the infection progressed. However, liver repair was observed at week 9. SD rats survived for more than a year after infection and continued the F. hepatica life cycle. The liver lesions in Kunming mice after infection were similar but more severe than those in SD rats. Death was observed on the 31st post-infection day. We discovered that while rabbits, SD rats and Kunming mice can all be used as animal models of F. hepatica, SD rats are more suitable experimental animals in terms of tolerance and pathological response.