Contraceptive effect of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine on a captive female African Lion (Panthera leo): a case study.

Lions (Panthera leo) breed well under captivity, so contraception has been commonly conducted for population management, leading to a demand for a less invasive and reversible contraceptive approach in lions. In this study, we examined the efficacy of a commercial gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine as a method of suppressing reproductive activity in a sexually matured female lion. Under behavioral restraint, the vaccine was injected twice (days 0 and 109). After the initial vaccination, ovarian activity is still observed. After the second vaccination, contraceptive effect was confirmed for 246 days until restart of estrous cycles. We confirmed only a slight swelling around the injection site after the second vaccination. This study may suggest an alternative option for a contraceptive method in lions.

Ultrastructural changes in colonic epithelial cells in a rat model of inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a global, chronic intractable disease. The functions of drugs and food components have been evaluated in models of IBD induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Here, we used transmission (TEM) and osmium-maceration scanning (SEM) electron microscopy to evaluate the ultrastructure of colonic epithelial cells in rat models of IBD induced by TNBS. Histological evaluation revealed that the intestinal crypts in the most regions of the IBD-model colons were deformed and we classified them as having high cell migration rates (HMIG). The remaining regions in the intestinal crypts retained a relatively normal structure and we classified them as having low cell migration rates (LMIG). Osmium-maceration SEM revealed the mucosal fluid flowing in spaces without secretory granules in crypt goblet cells of both HMIG and LMIG regions, indicating the depletion of goblet cell mucin that is found in patients with IBD. The Golgi apparatus in absorptive cells was stacked and curled in both regions. Osmium-maceration SEM showed membrane network structures resembling endoplasmic reticulum that were large and expanded in absorptive cells with HMIG rather than with LMIG regions in IBD-model colons. These findings indicated that endoplasmic reticulum stress is associated with susceptibility to IBD and that the effects of various agents can be evaluated according to endoplasmic reticulum stress revealed by using electron microscopy in models of IBD induced by TNBS.