Effects of prenatal dexamethasone exposure on adult C57BL/6J mouse metabolism and oxidative stress.

Prenatal glucocorticoid exposure has been shown to alter hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function resulting in altered fetal development that can persist through adulthood. Fetal exposure to excess dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid, has been shown to alter adult behaviour and metabolism. This study investigated the effects prenatal dexamethasone exposure had on adult offspring cardiac and liver metabolism and oxidative stress. Pregnant C57BL/6 mice received a dose of 0.4 mg/kg dexamethasone on gestational days 15-17. Once pups were approximately 7 months old, glucose uptake was determined using positron emission tomography and insulin resistance (IR) was determined by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) IR calculation. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring 4-hydroxynonenal protein adduct formation and total reactive oxygen species. Female dexamethasone group had significantly increased glucose uptake when insulin stimulated compared to vehicle-treated mice. HOMA IR revealed no evidence of IR in either male or female offspring. There was also no change in oxidative stress markers in either cardiac or liver tissues of male or female offspring. These data suggest that prenatal dexamethasone exposure in male mice does not alter oxidative stress or metabolism. However, prenatal dexamethasone exposure increased glucocorticoids, cardiac glucose uptake, and pAkt signaling in female heart tissues in adult mice, suggesting there are sex differences in prenatal dexamethasone exposure.

Absence of Depressive and Anxious Behavior with Genetic Dysregulation in Adult C57Bl/6J Mice after Prenatal Exposure to Ionizing Radiation.

The exposure of ionizing radiation during early gestation often leads to deleterious and even lethal effects; however, few extensive studies have been conducted on late gestational exposures. This research examined the behavior al effects of C57Bl/6J mouse offspring exposed to low dose ionizing gamma irradiation during the equivalent third trimester. Pregnant dams were randomly assigned to sham or exposed groups to either low dose or sublethal dose radiation (50, 300, or 1000 mGy) at gestational day 15. Adult offspring underwent a behavioral and genetic analysis after being raised under normal murine housing conditions. Our results indicate very little change in the behavioral tasks measuring general anxiety, social anxiety, and stress-management in animals exposed prenatally across the low dose radiation conditions. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions were conducted on the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of each animal; results indicate some dysregulation in markers of DNA damage, synaptic activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation, and methylation pathways in the offspring. Together, our results provide evidence in the C57Bl/6J strain, that exposure to sublethal dose radiation (<1000 mGy) during the last period of gestation leads to no observable changes in behaviour when assessed as adults, although some changes in gene expression were observed for specific brain regions. These results indicate that the level of oxidative stress occurring during late gestation for this mouse strain is not sufficient for a change in the assessed behavioral phenotype, but results in some modest dysregulation of the genetic profile of the brain.

Cardiac phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase: localization and regulation of gene expression in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) is the terminal enzyme in the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway responsible for adrenaline biosynthesis. Adrenaline is involved in the sympathetic control of blood pressure; it augments cardiac function by increasing stroke volume and cardiac output. Genetic mapping studies have linked the PNMT gene to hypertension. This study examined the expression of cardiac PNMT and changes in its transcriptional regulators in the spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and wild type Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. SHR exhibit elevated levels of corticosterone, and lower levels of the cytokine IL-1ß, revealing systemic differences between SHR and WKY. PNMT mRNA was significantly increased in all chambers of the heart in the SHR, with the greatest increase in the right atrium. Transcriptional regulators of the PNMT promoter show elevated expression of Egr-1, Sp1, AP-2, and GR mRNA in all chambers of the SHR heart, while protein levels of Sp1, Egr-1, and GR were elevated only in the right atrium. Interestingly, only AP-2 protein-DNA binding was increased, suggesting it may be a key regulator of cardiac PNMT in SHR. This study provides the first insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the dysregulation of cardiac PNMT in a genetic model of hypertension.

Protracted Exposure to a Sub-background Radiation Environment Negatively Impacts the Anhydrobiotic Recovery of Desiccated Yeast Sentinels.

ABSTRACT: Experiments that examine the impacts of subnatural background radiation exposure provide a unique approach to studying the biological effects of low-dose radiation. These experiments often need to be conducted in deep underground laboratories in order to filter surface-level cosmic radiation. This presents some logistical challenges in experimental design and necessitates a model organism with minimal maintenance. As such, desiccated yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) is an ideal model system for these investigations. This study aimed to determine the impact of prolonged sub-background radiation exposure in anhydrobiotic (desiccated) yeast at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Two yeast strains were used: a normal wild type and an isogenic recombinational repair-deficient rad51 knockout strain ( rad51 Δ). Desiccated yeast samples were stored in the normal background surface control laboratory (68.0 nGy h -1 ) and in the sub-background environment within SNOLAB (10.1 nGy h -1 ) for up to 48 wk. Post-rehydration survival, growth rate, and metabolic activity were assessed at multiple time points. Survival in the sub-background environment was significantly reduced by a factor of 1.39 and 2.67 in the wild type and rad51 ∆ strains, respectively. Post-rehydration metabolic activity measured via alamarBlue reduction remained unchanged in the wild type strain but was 26% lower in the sub-background rad51 ∆ strain. These results demonstrate that removing natural background radiation negatively impacts the survival and metabolism of desiccated yeast, highlighting the potential importance of natural radiation exposure in maintaining homeostasis of living organisms.

The Role of Natural Background Radiation in Maintaining Genomic Stability in the CGL1 Human Hybrid Model System.

Natural background ionizing radiation is present on the earth's surface; however, the biological role of this chronic low-dose-rate exposure remains unknown. The Researching the Effects of the Presence and Absence of Ionizing Radiation (REPAIR) project is examining the impacts of sub-natural background radiation exposure through experiments conducted 2 km underground in SNOLAB. The rock overburden combined with experiment-specific shielding provides a background radiation dose rate 30 times lower than on the surface. We hypothesize that natural background radiation is essential for life and maintains genomic stability and that prolonged exposure to sub-background environments will be detrimental to biological systems. To evaluate this, human hybrid CGL1 cells were continuously cultured in SNOLAB and our surface control laboratory for 16 weeks. Cells were assayed every 4 weeks for growth rate, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (a marker of cellular transformation in the CGL1 system), and the expression of genes related to DNA damage and cell cycle regulation. A subset of cells was also exposed to a challenge radiation dose (0.1 to 8 Gy of X rays) and assayed for clonogenic survival and DNA double-strand break induction to examine if prolonged sub-background exposure alters the cellular response to high-dose irradiation. At each 4-week time point, sub-background radiation exposure did not significantly alter cell growth rates, survival, DNA damage, or gene expression. However, cells cultured in SNOLAB showed significantly higher ALP activity, a marker of carcinogenesis in these cells, which increased with longer exposure to the sub-background environment, indicative of neoplastic progression. Overall, these data suggest that sub-background radiation exposure does not impact growth, survival, or DNA damage in CGL1 cells but may lead to increased rates of neoplastic transformation, highlighting a potentially important role for natural background radiation in maintaining normal cellular function and genomic stability.

Oxidative stress and cardiovascular health: therapeutic potential of polyphenols.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important in normal cellular function and physiology. However, oxidative stress resulting from an accumulation of ROS has a detrimental impact on cellular function, and ROS has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. This review provides a summary of the impact of ROS on cardiovascular health and diseases, highlighting the therapeutic use of antioxidants. In addition, this review summarizes the health benefits of polyphenols, and the recent progress on understanding the cellular and physiological actions by which polyphenols may impart their beneficial properties on cardiovascular health.

Oxidative stress in aging--matters of the heart and mind.

Oxidative damage is considered to be the primary cause of several aging associated disease pathologies. Cumulative oxidative damage tends to be pervasive among cellular macromolecules, impacting proteins, lipids, RNA and DNA of cells. At a systemic level, events subsequent to oxidative damage induce an inflammatory response to sites of oxidative damage, often contributing to additional oxidative stress. At a cellular level, oxidative damage to mitochondria results in acidification of the cytoplasm and release of cytochrome c, causing apoptosis. This review summarizes findings in the literature on oxidative stress and consequent damage on cells and tissues of the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system, with a focus on aging-related diseases that have well-documented evidence of oxidative damage in initiation and/or progression of the disease. The current understanding of the cellular mechanisms with a focus on macromolecular damage, impacted cellular pathways and gross morphological changes associated with oxidative damage is also reviewed. Additionally, the impact of calorific restriction with its profound impact on cardiovascular and neuronal aging is addressed.

Epinephrine: a short- and long-term regulator of stress and development of illness : a potential new role for epinephrine in stress.

Epinephrine (Epi), which initiates short-term responses to cope with stress, is, in part, stress-regulated via genetic control of its biosynthetic enzyme, phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT). In rats, immobilization (IMMO) stress activates the PNMT gene in the adrenal medulla via Egr-1 and Sp1 induction. Yet, elevated Epi induced by acute and chronic stress is associated with stress induced, chronic illnesses of cardiovascular, immune, cancerous, and behavioral etiologies. Major sources of Epi include the adrenal medulla and brainstem. Although catecholamines do not cross the blood-brain barrier, circulating Epi from the adrenal medulla may communicate with the central nervous system and stress circuitry by activating vagal nerve ß-adrenergic receptors to release norepinephrine, which could then stimulate release of the same from the nucleus tractus solitarius and locus coeruleus. In turn, the basal lateral amygdala (BLA) may activate to stimulate afferents to the hypothalamus, neocortex, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, and other brain regions sequentially. Recently, we have shown that repeated IMMO or force swim stress may evoke stress resiliency, as suggested by changes in expression and extinction of fear memory in the fear-potentiated startle paradigm. However, concomitant adrenergic changes seem stressor dependent. Present studies aim to identify stressful conditions that elicit stress resiliency versus stress sensitivity, with the goal of developing a model to investigate the potential role of Epi in stress-associated illness. If chronic Epi over expression does elicit illness, possibilities for alternative therapeutics exist through regulating stress-induced Epi expression, adrenergic receptor function and/or corticosteroid effects on Epi, adrenergic receptors and the stress axis.

Gene Dysregulation in the Adult Rat Paraventricular Nucleus and Amygdala by Prenatal Exposure to Dexamethasone.

Fetal programming is the concept that maternal stressors during critical periods of fetal development can alter offspring phenotypes postnatally. Excess glucocorticoids can interact with the fetus to effect genetic and epigenetic changes implicated in adverse developmental outcomes. The present study investigates how chronic exposure to the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone during late gestation alters the expression of genes related to behavior in brain areas relevant to the regulation and function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Pregnant Wistar Kyoto rats received subcutaneous injections of dexamethasone (100 µg/kg) daily from gestational day 15-21 or vehicle only as sham controls. The amygdala and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were micro-punched to extract mRNA for reverse transcription and quantitative polymerase chain reaction for the analysis of the expression of specific genes. In the PVN, the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor NR3C1 was downregulated in female rats in response to programming. The expression of CACNA1C encoding the Cav1.2 pore subunit of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels was downregulated in male and female rats prenatally exposed to dexamethasone. Collectively, the results suggest that prenatal exposure to elevated levels of glucocorticoids plays a role in the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and potentially learning and memory by altering the expression of specific genes within the amygdala and PVN.

Chronic glucocorticoid exposure causes brown adipose tissue whitening, alters whole-body glucose metabolism and increases tissue uncoupling protein-1.

Adipose tissue (AT) has been found to exist in two predominant forms, white and brown. White adipose tissue (WAT) is the body's conventional storage organ, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) is responsible for non-shivering thermogenesis which allows mammals to produce heat and regulate body temperature. Studies examining BAT and its role in whole-body metabolism have found that active BAT utilizes glucose and circulating fatty acids and is associated with improved metabolic outcomes. While the beiging of WAT is a growing area of interest, the possibility of the BAT depot to "whiten" and store more triglycerides also has metabolic and health implications. Currently, there are limited studies that examine the effects of chronic stress and its ability to induce a white-like phenotype in the BAT depot. This research examined how chronic exposure to the murine stress hormone, corticosterone, for 4 weeks can affect the whitening process of BAT in C57BL/6 male mice. Separate treatments with mirabegron, a known ß3-adrenergic receptor agonist, were used to directly compare the effects of corticosterone with a beiging phenotype. Corticosterone-treated mice had significantly higher body weight (p ≤ 0.05) and BAT mass (p ≤ 0.05), increased adipocyte area (p ≤ 0.05), were insulin resistant (p ≤ 0.05), and significantly elevated expressions of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) in BAT (p ≤ 0.05) while mitochondrial content remained unchanged. This whitened phenotype has not been previously associated with increased uncoupling proteins under chronic stress and may represent a compensatory mechanism being initiated under these conditions. These findings have implications for the study of BAT in response to chronic glucocorticoid exposure potentially leading to BAT dysfunction and negative impacts on whole-body glucose metabolism.

Effect of Prenatal Glucocorticoid Exposure on Circadian Rhythm Gene Expression in the Brains of Adult Rat Offspring.

Circadian clocks control many vital aspects of physiology from the sleep-wake cycle to metabolism. The circadian clock operates through transcriptional-translational feedback loops. The normal circadian signaling relies on a 'master clock', located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which synchronizes peripheral oscillators. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling has the ability to reset the phase of peripheral clocks. It has been shown that maternal exposure to glucocorticoids (GCs) can lead to modification of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function, impact stress-related behaviors, and result in a hypertensive state via GR activation. We previously demonstrated altered circadian rhythm signaling in the adrenal glands of offspring exposed to the synthetic GC, dexamethasone (Dex). Results from the current study show that prenatal exposure to Dex affects circadian rhythm gene expression in a brain region-specific and a sex-specific manner within molecular oscillators of the amygdala, hippocampus, paraventricular nucleus, and prefrontal cortex, as well as the main oscillator in the SCN. Results also show that spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibited dysregulated circadian rhythm gene expression in these same brain regions compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), although the pattern of dysregulation was markedly different from that seen in adult offspring prenatally exposed to GCs.

Septic sera induces apoptosis and DNA fragmentation factor 40 activation in fibroblasts.

Sepsis, the systemic response to infection, is the leading cause of death in the intensive care units worldwide. Septic patients can succumb through the development of early refractory hypotension or late multiple organ dysfunction. Misregulation of apoptosis during sepsis may contribute to cellular dysfunction and multiple organ dysfunction. Utilizing a tissue culture model which mimics the human disease, we demonstrate that the addition of sera derived from septic patients induces apoptosis in human fibroblast cells. Addition of septic sera to 2fTGH cells induced apoptosis by activating caspase 8, caspase 3 and DNA fragmentation factor 40 (DFF 40). Interestingly, the addition of septic sera to cells which lack STAT1 (U3A cells) did not activate DFF 40. U3A cells were also shown to be resistant to septic serum induced apoptosis. These data suggest that DFF 40 mediated apoptosis plays a significant role in mediating sepsis induced cellular dysfunction.

Untargeted metabolomics reveals sex-specific differences in lipid metabolism of adult rats exposed to dexamethasone in utero.

Prenatal stress through glucocorticoid (GC) exposure leads to an increased risk of developing diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and hypertension in adulthood. We have previously shown that administration of the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone (Dex), to pregnant Wistar-Kyoto dams produces offspring with elevated blood pressures and disrupted circadian rhythm signaling. Given the link between stress, circadian rhythms and metabolism, we performed an untargeted metabolomic screen on the livers of offspring to assess potential changes induced by prenatal Dex exposure. This metabolomic analysis highlighted 18 significantly dysregulated metabolites in females and 12 in males. Pathway analysis using MetaboAnalyst 4.0 highlighted key pathway-level metabolic differences: glycerophospholipid metabolism, purine metabolism and glutathione metabolism. Gene expression analysis revealed significant upregulation of several lipid metabolism genes in females while males showed no dysregulation. Triglyceride concentrations were also found to be significantly elevated in female offspring exposed to Dex in utero, which may contribute to lipid metabolism activation. This study is the first to conduct an untargeted metabolic profile of liver from GC exposed offspring. Corroborating metabolic, gene expression and lipid profiling results demonstrates significant sex-specific lipid metabolic differences underlying the programming of hepatic metabolism.

Mirabegron: The most promising adipose tissue beiging agent.

Accumulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) underlies the obesity epidemic, leading to current therapeutic techniques that are being investigated for their ability to activate/"beige" this tissue. Adipose tissue (AT) beiging has been reported through intermittent cold exposure (CE), exercise, and ß3-Adrenergic Receptor (ß3AR) agonists. But how AT beiging can help in the treatment of metabolic disorders like obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains largely unexplored. This review summarizes recent research on the use of ß3AR agonist, mirabegron (Myrbetriq®), in stimulating beiging in AT. Researchers have only recently been able to determine the optimal therapeutic dose of mirabegron for inducing beiging in subcutaneous/ inguinal WAT, where the benefits of AT activation are evident without the undesired cardiovascular side effects. To determine whether the effects that mirabegron elicits are metabolically beneficial, a comparison of the undisputed findings resulting from intermittent CE-induced beiging and the disputed findings from exercise-induced beiging was conducted. Given the recent in vivo animal and clinical studies, the understanding of how mirabegron can be metabolically beneficial for both lean and obese individuals is more clearly understood. These studies have demonstrated that circulating adipokines, glucose metabolism, and lipid droplet (LD) size are all positively affected by mirabegron administration. Recent studies have also demonstrated that mirabegron has similar outcomes to intermittent CE and displays more direct evidence for beiging than those produced with exercise. With these current findings, mirabegron is considered the most promising and safest ß3AR agonist currently available that has the potential to be used in the therapeutic treatment of metabolic disorders, and future studies into its interaction with different conditions may prove to be useful as part of a treatment plan in combination with a healthy diet and exercise.

Late gestational exposure to dexamethasone and fetal programming of abnormal behavior in Wistar Kyoto rats.

INTRODUCTION: Fetal programming was characterized a few decades ago, explaining the correlation of physiological phenotypes of offspring exposed to early-life stress. High acute or chronic prenatal stress can overwhelm the enzymatic placental barrier, inducing transcriptional changes in the fetus that can result in different adverse behavioral and physiological phenotypes. The current study investigates the impact of exposure to the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, during late gestation on behavioral outcomes. METHODS: Pregnant Wistar Kyoto rats were given daily subcutaneous injections from gestational days 15-21 of either dexamethasone (0.9% NaCl, 4% EtOH, 100 µg kg-1  day-1 ) or were physically manipulated as naïve controls. Pups were raised normally until 17 weeks of age and underwent the Porsolt swim task and elevated plus maze for depressive and anxiety-like behaviors, respectively. Neural tissue was preserved for genetic analysis using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Statistical analyses show significant disruption of behavior and genetic profiles of offspring exposed to dexamethasone in-utero. Exposed animals spent more time immobile on the swim task and entered open arms of the elevated plus maze more often than their naïve counterparts. In the prefrontal cortex, there was a sex by treatment interaction on gene expression relevant to neural transmission in ryanodine receptor 2, as well as increased gene expression in SNAP25, COMT, and LSAMP in males prenatally exposed to dexamethasone compared with controls. Both dysregulated genes and behavior are linked to decreased anxiety and fear inhibition. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate adult offspring exposed to dexamethasone in-utero have a tendency toward passive stress-coping strategies and an inhibition of anxiety on behavioral tasks. Methyltransferase activity, synaptic activity, and cellular processes were disrupted in the prefrontal cortices of these animals. Specifically, genes involved in emotional response pathways were overexpressed, supporting the link between the behavioral and genetic profiles. Combined, we determine that dexamethasone offspring have adaptive predispositions when faced with novel situations, with increased immobility in the swim task and increased exploration on the elevated plus maze.

DOSIMETRIC CHARACTERISATION OF A SUB-NATURAL BACKGROUND RADIATION ENVIRONMENT FOR RADIOBIOLOGY INVESTIGATIONS.

Living systems have evolved in the presence of naturally occurring ionising radiation. REPAIR is a research project investigating the biological effects of sub-natural background radiation exposure in SNOLAB, a deep-underground laboratory. Biological systems are being cultured within a sub-background environment as well as two control locations (underground and surface). A comprehensive dosimetric analysis was performed. GEANT4 simulation was used to characterise the contribution from gamma, muons and neutrons. Additionally, dose rates from radon, 40K and 14C were calculated based on measured activity concentrations. The total absorbed dose rate in the sub-background environment was 27 times lower than the surface control, at 2.48 ± 0.20 nGy hr-1, including a >400-fold reduction in the high linear energy transfer components. This modelling quantitatively confirms that the environment within SNOLAB provides a substantially reduced background radiation dose rate, thereby setting the stage for future sub-background biological studies using a variety of model organisms.

Oxidative Stress Mediates the Fetal Programming of Hypertension by Glucocorticoids.

The field of cardiovascular fetal programming has emphasized the importance of the uterine environment on postnatal cardiovascular health. Studies have linked increased fetal glucocorticoid exposure, either from exogenous sources (such as dexamethasone (Dex) injections), or from maternal stress, to the development of adult cardiovascular pathologies. Although the mechanisms are not fully understood, alterations in gene expression driven by altered oxidative stress and epigenetic pathways are implicated in glucocorticoid-mediated cardiovascular programming. Antioxidants, such as the naturally occurring polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), or the superoxide dismutase (SOD) 4-hydroxy-TEMPO (TEMPOL), have shown promise in the prevention of cardiovascular dysfunction and programming. This study investigated maternal antioxidant administration with EGCG or TEMPOL and their ability to attenuate the fetal programming of hypertension via Dex injections in WKY rats. Results from this study indicate that, while Dex-programming increased blood pressure in male and female adult offspring, administration of EGCG or TEMPOL via maternal drinking water attenuated Dex-programmed increases in blood pressure, as well as changes in adrenal mRNA and protein levels of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH), and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), in a sex-specific manner. Furthermore, programmed male offspring displayed reduced antioxidant glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1) expression, increased superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and catalase (CAT) expression, and increased pro-oxidant NADPH oxidase activator 1 (Noxa1) expression in the adrenal glands. In addition, prenatal Dex exposure alters expression of epigenetic regulators histone deacetylase (HDAC) 1, 5, 6, 7, 11, in male and HDAC7 in female offspring. These results suggest that glucocorticoids may mediate the fetal programming of hypertension via alteration of epigenetic machinery and oxidative stress pathways.

Lasting Effects of Low to Non-Lethal Radiation Exposure during Late Gestation on Offspring's Cardiac Metabolism and Oxidative Stress.

Ionizing radiation (IR) is known to cause fetal programming, but the physiological effects of low-dose IR are not fully understood. This study examined the effect of low (50 mGy) to non-lethal (300 and 1000 mGy) radiation exposure during late gestation on cardiac metabolism and oxidative stress in adult offspring. Pregnant C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 50, 300, or 1000 mGy of gamma radiation or Sham irradiation on gestational day 15. Sixteen weeks after birth, 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake was examined in the offspring using Positron Emission Tomography imaging. Western blot was used to determine changes in oxidative stress, antioxidants, and insulin signaling related proteins. Male and female offspring from irradiated dams had lower body weights when compared to the Sham. 1000 mGy female offspring demonstrated a significant increase in 18F-FDG uptake, glycogen content, and oxidative stress. 300 and 1000 mGy female mice exhibited increased superoxide dismutase activity, decreased glutathione peroxidase activity, and decreased reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio. We conclude that non-lethal radiation during late gestation can alter glucose uptake and increase oxidative stress in female offspring. These data provide evidence that low doses of IR during the third trimester are not harmful but higher, non-lethal doses can alter cardiac metabolism later in life and sex may have a role in fetal programming.

Unchanged cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes in healthy C57Bl/6 mice after in utero exposure to ionizing radiation.

BACKGROUND: Advancements in medical technologies that utilize ionizing radiation have led to improved diagnosis and patient outcomes, however, the effect of ionizing radiation on the patient is still debated. In the case of pregnancy, the potential effects are not only to the mother but also to the fetus. The aim of this study was to determine if exposure from ionizing radiation during pregnancy alters the development of the cardiovascular and respiratory system of the offspring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant C57Bl/6 mice were whole-body irradiated at gestational day 15 with a 137Cs gamma radiation emitting source at 0 mGy (sham), 50 mGy, 300 mGy, or 1000 mGy. Post weaning weight and blood pressure measurements were taken weekly for both male and female pups until euthanasia at 16-17 weeks postnatal age. Immediately following, the trachea was cannulated, and the lungs and heart excised. The lung was then examined to assess respiratory physiological outcomes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In utero exposures to 1000 mGy caused significant growth reduction compared to sham irradiated, which remained persistent for both male and female pups. Growth restriction was not observed for lower exposures. There was no significant change in any cardiovascular or respiratory outcomes measured. Overall, intrauterine exposures to ionizing radiation does not appear to significantly alter the development of the cardiovascular and respiratory system in C57Bl/6 pups up to 17 weeks postnatal age.

A novel specialized tissue culture incubator designed and engineered for radiobiology experiments in a sub-natural background radiation research environment.

Extensive research has been conducted investigating the effects of ionizing radiation on biological systems, including specific focus at low doses. However, at the surface of the planet, there is the ubiquitous presence of ionizing natural background radiation (NBR) from sources both terrestrial and cosmic. We are currently conducting radiobiological experiments examining the impacts of sub-NBR exposure within SNOLAB. SNOLAB is a deep underground research laboratory in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada located 2 km beneath the surface of the planet. At this depth, significant shielding of NBR components is provided by the rock overburden. Here, we describe a Specialized Tissue Culture Incubator (STCI) that was engineered to significantly reduce background ionizing radiation levels. The STCI was installed 2 km deep underground within SNOLAB. It was designed to allow precise control of experimental variables such as temperature, atmospheric gas composition and humidity. More importantly, the STCI was designed to reduce radiological contaminants present within the underground laboratory. Quantitative measurements validated the STCI is capable of maintaining an appropriate experimental environment for sub-NBR experiments. This included reduction of sub-surface radiological contaminants, most notably radon gas. The STCI presents a truly novel piece of infrastructure enabling future research into the effects of sub-NBR exposure in a highly unique laboratory setting.