[Verification of the hepatoprotective and therapeutic effect of silymarin in experimental liver injury with tetrachloromethane in dogs]. / Overení hepatoprotektivního a terapeutického úcinku silymarinu pri experimentálním poskození jater tetrachlórmetanem u psu.

The efficiency of preventive administration of silymarin and of silymarin medication were tested in dogs suffering from CCl4 intoxication of liver. Sixteen dogs of the Beagle breed at the age of 8 to 10 months and of the weight 11.5 to 14.0 kg were divided into four groups with four animals each. Those groups were administered per os a single dose of CCl4, 0.35 ml per kg liveweight contained in sunflower oil. The intact control groups was given sunflower oil free of any additive. Silymarin was administered per os in the form of suspension in the Dorfman reagent twice a day at the dose of 100 mg per kg. Silymarin was administered to the animals of the treated group four days after intoxication, to those of the preventively treated group four days before intoxication. The intact control group and the CCl4 intoxicated control were administered the pure Dorfman reagent. Pure CCl4 induced a significant increase in the AST and ALT activity in 12 and 24 hours after administration, and histological lesions in the liver--vacuolization of hepatocytes and necrobiosis of nuclei. The curative effects of silymarin on these changes were low. The protective effects of silymarin were manifested by the significantly lower AST and ALT activities in the 12th and 24th hour of the trial and by the insignificantly lower extent of lesions in liver parenchyma if compared with the control CCl4 intoxicated group.

[Morphometry of bovine luteal tissue explants after the addition of various doses of 15-glycol cloprostenol (Glystrophan inj. Spofa)]. / Morfometrie explantátu luteální tkáne krav po adici ruzných dávek 15-glykal cloprostenolu (Glystrophan inj. Spofa).

Histological and morphometrical examinations were made to investigate the explants of yellow bodies in four gravid cows slaughtered the seventh day after PMSG superovulation and after artificial insemination. The medium of luteal tissue explants was added the test substance 15-glycal cloprostenol at doses of 2.5; 25 and 250 micrograms per ml of the medium. Parallelly cloprostenol in the Oestrophan inj. Spofa preparation was investigated at a dose of 25 micrograms per ml of the medium. The action of the medium lasted 24 hours at temperatures of 37 and 24 degrees C. Besides an overall histological examination the following morphometric indicators were studied: total counts of luteal cells per 1 mm2 area, average area of luteal cells and their nuclei and determination of the nucleocytoplasmic ratio of these cells, parenchymal area (area of luteal cells and stroma) of the luteal tissue per 1 mm2 area. The examinations have indicated that 15-glycal cloprostenol at a dose of 25 micrograms per ml of the medium has stimulating, luteotropic effects on the luteal tissue. The effects were manifested by luteal tissue hyperplasia and the largest area of luteal tissue parenchyma. On the other hand the effects of a tenfold higher dose (250 micrograms per ml of the medium) of the same substance were luteolytic similarly like those of parallelly tested cloprostenol.

Correlation of the results of IFAT-DASS and ELISA tests in experimental cysticercosis of mice.

The sera of mice experimentally infected with Taenia crassiceps were tested for the occurrence of the antibodies by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence using defined antigen substrate spheres (IFAT-DASS). Results of both tests were compared. From day 11 p.i. until the end of the experiment (day 108 p.i.) antibodies were detected by both tests. The maximal intensity of the ELISA and IFAT-DASS reactions was observed between days 63 and 94 and days 14 and 46 p.i., respectively. ELISA is an easy-to-do and objectively appraisable method, IFAT-DASS is more suitable for testing antigens weakly adsorbing to polystyrene plates.