RESUMO
This study aimed to determine whether genistein diet resulted in changes in cardiac function, using echocardiography, and expression of key proteins involved in glucose uptake by the myocardium. Intact male and female C57BL/6J mice (aged 4-6 weeks) were fed either 600 mg genistein/kg diet (600 G) or 0 mg genistein/kg diet (0 G) for 4 weeks. Echocardiography data revealed sex-dependent differences in the absence of genistein: compared to females, hearts from males exhibited increased systolic left ventricle internal dimension (LVIDs), producing a decrease in function, expressed as fractional shortening (FS). Genistein diet also induced echocardiographic changes in function: in female hearts, 600G induced a 1.5-fold (P < 0.05) increase in LVIDs, resulting in a significant decrease in FS and whole heart surface area when compared to controls (fed 0 G). Genistein diet increased cardiac GLUT4 protein expression in both males (1.51-fold, P < 0.05) and females (1.76-fold, P < 0.05). However, no effects on the expression of notable intracellular signaling glucose uptake-regulated proteins were observed. Our data indicate that consumption of genistein diet for 4 weeks induces echocardiographic changes in indices of systolic function in females and has beneficial effects on cardiac GLUT4 protein expression in both males and females.
RESUMO
The studies employed the cholesterol-fed rabbit model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to investigate the relationship between AD-like neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) neuropathology and tau protein levels as the main component of NFT. We measured brain and plasma tau levels and semiquantified NFT-like neuropathology in cholesterol-fed rabbits administered drinking water of varying quality (distilled, tap, and distilled+copper) compared to animals receiving normal chow and local tap water. Total tau levels in plasma were increased in all cholesterol-fed rabbits compared to animals on normal chow, regardless of quality of water. In contrast, increased tau in brain and increased AT8 immunoreactive NFT-like lesions were greatest in cholesterol-fed rabbits administered distilled water. A substantial decrease in brain tau and incidence and density of AT8 immunoreactive NFT-like lesions occurred in cholesterol-fed rabbits administered copper water, and an even greater decrease was observed in cholesterol-fed animals on local tap water. These studies suggest the possibility that circulating tau could be the source of the tau accumulating in the brain.
RESUMO
Declines of amphibians have been attributed to many factors including habitat degradation. The introduction of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) as a biological agent for aquatic plant control in ponds and lakes managed narrowly for human recreation has likely contributed to amphibian declines through massive plant removal and associated habitat simplification and thus degradation. This research examined the interactions among grass carp and three Midwestern aquatic plants (Jussiaea repens, Ranunculus longirostris, and R. flabellaris) that may be of value in rehabilitation of habitats needed by amphibians. The feeding preference study found that C. idella avoided eating both J. repens and R. longirostris. Ranunculus species studied to date contain a vesicant toxin called ranunculin that is released upon mastication. The study that compared the effects of R. flabellaris, J. repens and a control food administered by tube feeding to C. idella found significant lesions only in the mucosal epithelium of the individuals exposed to R.flabellaris. The avoidance by C. idella of J. repens and R. longirostris in the feeding preference study, and the significant toxicity of R. flabellaris demonstrated by the dosing study, indicate these plants warrant further examination as to their potential effectiveness in aquatic amphibian habitat rehabilitation.