Regiane Machado de Souza

Salt intake during pregnancy alters offspring’s myocardial structure

BACKGROUND AND AIM To evaluate the effects of low or high salt intake during pregnancy on left ventricle of adult male offspring. METHODS AND RESULTS Low- (LS, 0.15%), normal- (NS, 1.3%) or high-salt (HS, 8% NaCl) diet was given to Wistar rats during pregnancy. During lactation all dams received NS as well as the offspring after weaning. To evaluate cardiac response to salt overload, 50% of each offspring group was fed a high-salt (hs, 4% NaCl) diet from the 21st to the 36th week of age (LShs, NShs, HShs). The remaining 50% was maintained on NS (LSns, NSns and HSns). Echocardiography was done at 20 and 30 weeks of age. Mean blood pressure (MBP), histology and left ventricular angiotensin II content (AII) were analyzed at 36 weeks of age. Interventricular septum, left ventricular posterior wall and relative wall thickness increased from the 20th to the 30th week of age only in HShs, cardiomyocyte mean volume was higher in HShs compared to NShs, LShs and HSns. AII and left ventricular fibrosis were not different among groups. CONCLUSIONS HS during pregnancy programs adult male offspring to a blood pressure and angiotensin II independent concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, with no fibrosis, in response to a chronic high-salt intake.

Influência dos fatores raciais na função hepática de bovinos da raça Holandesa e Jersey

Para avaliar a influencia de fatores raciais sobre a funcao hepatica de bovinos foram colhidas 134 amostras de sangue, sendo 67 animais da raca Jersey e 67 da raca Holandesa, criados em Sao Paulo. No soro sanguineo realizaram-se as seguintes determinacoes: proteinograma; atividade enzimatica da aspartato aminotransferase (AST), gama glutamiltransferase (GGT), bilirrubinas indireta, direta e total. A avaliacao do proteinograma demonstrou a influencia dos fatores raciais, pois os valores medios da proteina total dos bovinos da raca Jersey (6,37±0,90 g/dl) foram menores do que os animais da raca Holandesa (6,82±0,97 g/dl).Essas variacoes foram decorrentes as fracoes proteicas que correspondem as globulinas, sendo os teores medios obtidos para bovinos da raca Jersey (3,13 ± 0,81g/dl) menores do que os encontrados para bovinos da raca Holandesa (3,73 ± 0,99 g/dl). Os valores das alfa-, beta- e gama-globulinas obtidos nos animais da raca Jersey (iguais a 0,89±0,14 g/dl; 0,71±0,14 g/dl; 2,03±0,38 g/dl) foram menores do que os encontrados para bovinos da raca Holandesa (iguais a 1,00±0,16 g/dl; 0,76±0,15 g/dl; 2,20±0,45 g/dl). A avaliacao da atividade enzimatica revelou a influencia dos fatores raciais nos resultados da AST, sendo os valores dos bovinos Jersey (49,27±17,87 U/l) maiores do que os da raca Holandesa (34,76±10,61 U/l), enquanto para a GGT nao foram observadas diferencas significativas entre os resultados da raca Jersey (19,46±33,11 U/l) e da raca Holandesa (19,08±33,26 U/l). A avaliacao dos teores sericos de bilirrubinas evidenciou variacoes sob influencia racial para os teores de bilirrubinas indireta e total, sendo os valores obtidos para a raca Jersey (0,40±0,33 mg/dl de bilirrubina indireta e 0,44±0,33 mg/dl de bilirrubina total) maiores do que os observados para a raca Holandesa (0,22±0,19 mg/dl de bilirrubina indireta e 0,25±0,19 mg/dl de bilirrubina total).

Isolated total RNA and protein are preserved after thawing for more than twenty-four hours

OBJECTIVE: The preservation of biological samples at a low temperature is important for later biochemical and/or histological analyses. However, the molecular viability of thawed samples has not been studied sufficiently in depth. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the viability of intact tissues, tissue homogenates, and isolated total RNA after defrosting for more than twenty-four hours. METHODS: The molecular viability of the thawed samples (n = 82) was assessed using the A260/A280 ratio, the RNA concentration, the RNA integrity, the level of intact mRNA determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, the protein level determined by Western blotting, and an examination of the histological structure. RESULTS: The integrity of the total RNA was not preserved in the thawed intact tissue, but the RNA integrity and level of mRNA were perfectly preserved in isolated defrosted samples of total RNA. Additionally, the level of β-actin protein was preserved in both thawed intact tissue and homogenates. CONCLUSION: Isolated total RNA does not undergo degradation due to thawing for at least 24 hours, and it is recommended to isolate the total RNA as soon as possible after tissue collection. Moreover, the protein level is preserved in defrosted tissues.

Exposure to fine particulate matter in the air alters placental structure and the renin-angiotensin system

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1), the uteroplacental renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) participate in the placentation process. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exposure to pollutants on the placenta. Methods Female Wistar rats were exposed to filtered air (F) or to concentrated fine particulate matter (P) for 15 days. After mating, the rats were divided into four groups and again exposed to F or P (FF, FP, PF, PP) beginning on day 6 of pregnancy. At embryonic day 19, the placenta was collected. The placental structure, the protein and gene expression of TGFβ1, VEGF-A, and its receptor Flk-1 and RAS were evaluated by indirect ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR. Results Exposure to P decreased the placental mass, size, and surface area as well as the TGFβ1, VEGF-A and Flk-1 content. In the maternal portion of the placenta, angiotensin II (AngII) and its receptors AT1 (AT1R) and AT2 (AT2R) were decreased in the PF and PP groups. In the fetal portion of the placenta, AngII in the FP, PF and PP groups and AT2R in the PF and PP groups were decreased, but AT1R was increased in the FP group. VEGF-A gene expression was lower in the PP group than in the FF group. Conclusions Exposure to pollutants before and/or during pregnancy alters some characteristics of the placenta, indicating a possible impairment of trophoblast invasion and placental angiogenesis with possible consequences for the maternal-fetal interaction, such as a limitation of fetal nutrition and growth.

Influência da gestação e do puerpério no lipidograma de bovinos da raça Holandesa

ABSTRACT In order to establish the influence of gestation and puerperium on the lipid profile of Holstein cattle, the concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), β -hydroxibutyrate ( β -HBO), and glucose were determined in samples of serum and plasma from 80 animals distributed into five experimental groups (G): G1 – 16 non pregnant females; G2 – 18 females in the initial phase of gestation, up to three months; G3 – 15 pregnant females, with gestation from three to six months; G4 – 15 females in the last stage of gestation, from six to nine months; G5 – 16 females soon after delivering, up to 30 days in puerperium. The lipid profile of healthy Holstein cows was influenced by gestation. The concentration of NEFA was higher in the last trimester of gestation while the serum concentration of β -HBO was higher in the first trimester of gestation. In the first 30 days after delivering, the concentrations of NEFA and β -HBO were higher, while those of triglycerides were lower when compared to those of cows during gestation. Keywords: bovine, lipid profile, gestation, Holstein