Takao Matsuo

Age-related changes in learning and memory in the senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM)

Age-related changes in learning ability were studied in senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) reared under specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions. SAM-P/8/Ta (SAM-P/8, senescence-prone substrain) showed an age-associated increase in spontaneous motor activity (SMA) compared with SAM-R/1/Ta (SAM-R/1, senescence-resistant substrain) in a novel environment when the activity was measured in the light period, although there was no significant difference in the dark period. In observations of the circadian rhythm of SMA, SAM-P/8 showed a significant increase in diurnal SMA. In SAM-P/8 mice, the acquisition of passive avoidance response was slightly but significantly impaired even at 2 months of age, compared with SAM-R/1 control; the impairment became obvious with aging. In a one-way active avoidance task, SAM-P/8 did not show any impairment in the acquisition of avoidance response at 2 and 4 months of age. However, significant impairment was observed in SAM-P/8 at 12 months of age. The impairments of avoidance tasks were not due to a decrease in shock sensitivity, as indicated by no significant change in the flinch-jump threshold. In a water-filled multiple T-maze task, there was no difference in the number of errors between the two groups. With regard to the performance time to reach the goal, however, SAM-P/8 showed a mild prolongation at 2 months of age, and the prolongation became marked with advancing age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A New Genetically Obese-Hyperglycemic Rat (Wistar Fatty)

The fa-gene was transferred from the Zucker rat (13 M strain) to the Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat. The survey, performed at the 10th generation of backcrossing, showed that Wistar fatty rats (fa/fa), a congenic strain of WKY, developed obesity and obesity-related features, such as hyperinsulinemia and hyperlipemia, in the same manner as Zucker fatty rats. Males, but not females, showed hyperglycemia, glucosuria, and polyuria as early as 8 wk of age. Tolerance and insulin response to oral glucose were decreased with advancing age in males. The diabetic changes appeared to be caused by an interaction between predisposition to develop diabetes in the WKY rat and fa-induced obesity. This is because WKY rats were found to be less sensitive to insulin than Zucker rats by both the glucose tolerance test and the steady-state blood glucose method which estimates overall insulin sensitivity.

Structural changes of pancreatic islets in genetically obese rats.

SummaryLight and electron microscopic observations were performed on pancreatic islets from genetically obese rats, (Zucker, “fatty”), from 5 to 52 weeks of age. At 5 weeks of age, islets were moderately hypertrophied. After that age, hypertrophy of islets became more prominent, until 24 weeks of age, with accompanying degranulation of B cells. The plasma insulin level also continued to increase during this period, but the glucose level was normal. Degranulated B cells contained a highly developed Golgi complex, numerous vesiculated, granular, endoplasmic reticulum and a small number of secretory granules, but no glycogen deposits. Emiocytosis and microtubule formation were very remarkable with these B cells. Frequently, mixed or intermediate cells, such as exocrine-endocrine or ductural-endocrine cell, were observed in pancreas with hypertrophied islets. At 52 weeks of age, both the plasma insulin and triglyceride levels decreased. In the pancreas, there were observed proliferation of fibrous tissue and well granulated B cells in hypertrophied islets. Hence, in fatty rats, pancreatic islets were in an active state during the period of development of obesity and hyperlipaemia (from 5 to 24 weeks of age). These correlates of obesity and hyperinsulinism disappeared at 52 weeks of age.

Effect of an intestinal disaccharidase inhibitor (AO-128) on obesity and diabetes.

A new disaccharidase inhibitor, AO-128, showed 190-3900-fold more potent inhibition of purified rat small intestine sucrase-isomaltase (S-1) complex and 23-33-fold more potent inhibition of semipurified porcine small intestine disaccharidases than acarbose. AO-128 suppressed elevation of the blood glucose concentration after oral sucrose, maltose, and starch, but not after oral glucose, fructose, and lactose. The chronic addition of AO-128 to the diet produced antiobesity and antidiabetic actions in obese and/or diabetic animals. Undesirable side effects, such as diarrhea and soft feces, were observed only for the first 5-7 d and suppression of intestinal disaccharidase activities was observed even at the end of the experiment, suggesting that the suppressive or delaying effect of AO-128 on elevation of the postprandial blood glucose concentrations is involved in reduction in body weight gain and prevention and/or amelioration of the diabetic state. Thus, AO-128 is useful as an adjunct to the dietary management of obesity and diabetes.

An α-glucosidase inhibitor, AO-128, retards carbohydrate absorption in rats and humans

The present study was designed to determine the possible significance of a therapeutic dose (0.2 mg) of AO-128 on carbohydrate absorption by measuring the breath hydrogen concentration, which is an index of the amount of unabsorbed carbohydrate in the large intestine. Post-prandial hyperglycemia is common among diabetic patients. AO-128, a potent α-glucosidase inhibitor, suppressed post-prandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in healthy volunteers at a dose of 0.2 mg with each meal. These volunteers increased the breath hydrogen concentration in response to ingestion of non-absorbable lactulose, but decreased only slightly its concentration from the basal level after sucrose ingestion, indicating complete absorption. When AO-128 (0.2 mg) was given with sucrose, hydrogen production increased only slightly compared with placebo, suggesting that the inhibitory effect of AO-128 on sucrose absorption was minimal. Only 5 g of the 100 g of sucrose was not absorbed and this 5% reduction is too small to explain the observed inhibitory effect on the post-prandial rise in plasma glucose. Sucrose loading in rats (about 443 mg) sharply increased blood glucose and was accompanied by the rapid disappearance of sucrose from the upper small intestine. AO-128 (0.03 or 0.1 mg/kg) lessened the elevation of blood glucose after sucrose ingestion. The lower dose (0.03 mg/kg) retarded small intestinal absorption, but did not induce an influx of sucrose into the cecum and large intestine, while the higher dose (0.1 mg/kg) caused an increased influx of sucrose into the large bowel. These results indicated that AO-128 retards the absorption of carbohydrate and reduces post-prandial hyperglycemia.

PVN-lesioned obese rats maintain ambulatory activity and its circadian rhythm

We investigated physical activity and its circadian rhythm as well as food and water intake in PVN-lesioned rats compared to those of VMH-lesioned rats. Body weight, food and water intake and ambulatory activity were recorded automatically on a microcomputer on the fourth day after creation of the PVN or VMH lesion. The weight gain in the PVN-lesioned rats was almost the same as that of the VMH-lesioned rats. The PVN-lesioned rats maintained the same circadian rhythm of eating and drinking as the controls. The ambulatory activity in the VMH-lesioned rats during the 24-h period was significantly less than the sham-operated rats, but that of the PVN-lesioned rats was almost the same as the sham-operated rats. The dominance of ambulatory activity in the dark period was observed in the PVN-lesioned rats as well as controls, in contrast to the VMH-lesioned rats, in which circadian rhythm was abolished. These results demonstrate that the PVN-lesioned obese rats show clear differences in physiological behavior from the VMH-lesioned rats.

Effect of food deprivation on opioid receptor binding in the brain of lean and fatty Zucker rats.

The effect of food deprivation on opioid receptor binding was studied in 6 brain regions of lean and fatty Zucker rats; using [3H]dynorphin A. There was no significant difference between lean and fatty rats fed ad libitum in binding parameters for any regions studied. Food deprivation increased Bmax and/or Kd for cortex, midbrain and striatum of lean rats, and the former two regions of fatty rats. These results suggest that food deprivation may influence opioid receptor binding in lean and fatty Zucker rats.

Monoamine metabolism and its responses to food deprivation in the brain of Zucker rats

Monoamines and their metabolites levels were simultaneously measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in brain regions of lean and fatty Zucker rats when fed ad lib and deprived of food for 72 hr to evaluate each monoamine metabolism. Metabolite/monoamine ratios were shown for brevity to represent its metabolism. 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol/noradrenaline ratios were not affected by the phenotype factor but increased in the cortex of fatty rats and reduced in the midbrain of both phenotypes after fasting; the interaction between phenotype and feeding factors was observed in the cortex and hippocampus. 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid/dopamine ratios were increased in the cortex of deprived fatty rats and in the medulla-pons of ad lib-fed fatties compared with lean counterparts and also increased in the striatum of lean rats after food deprivation; the interaction was observed in the cortex, midbrain and medulla-pons. Homovanillic acid/dopamine ratios were decreased in the striatum of deprived fatty rats and in the midbrain and medulla-pons of fatty rats whether deprived or not, but the ratios were not significantly changed by fasting; the interaction was observed in the striatum. 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid/5-hydroxytryptamine ratios were reduced in the cortex, striatum and medulla-pons of fatty rats in both feeding states and in the midbrain of deprived fatties, and after food deprivation increased in the cortex and midbrain of lean rats and in the hippocampus of both phenotypes; the interaction was observed in the midbrain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Congenitally impaired hormone sensitivity of the adipose tissue of spontaneously diabetic mice, KK. Validity of thrifty genotype in KK mice.

SummaryAdipose tissue of KK mice was less sensitive to insulin in its stimulatory action on glucose oxidation or its inhibitory action on lipolysis, and to epinephrine in its stimulatory action on lipolysis as compared to that of C57BL mice. A lack of appreciable increase in plasma NEFA in response to fasting of the KK mice might be caused by the impaired response of lipolysis to the hormones. — Adipose tissue of KK mice was also less sensitive to insulin-like action of concanavalin A, ouabaine or omission of K+ in the medium on glucose oxidation or lipolysis. Lipolysis in response to theophylline and/or DcAMP was less marked in the tissue of KK mice. The mean diameter of the adipocytes was larger in KK than in C57BL mice. In the experiments using adipocytes with the same diameter, however, the cells of KK mice were less sensitive to the hormones than those of C57BL. — With respect to tissue sensitivity to the hormones, the mean diameter of adipocytes and the response of plasma NEFA to fasting, the F1-hybrid mice of KK and C57BL showed values between those of the parental strains. Yellow hybrid (genetically obese F1-hybrid) mice showed higher sensitivity to insulin in the adipose tissue, more remarkable response of plasma NEFA to fasting as compared with KK mice, although hypertrophy of adipocytes was more pronounced in the yellow hybrid mice. — These findings suggest that insulin insensitivity is associated with epinephrine insensitivity in adipocytes of KK mice; both appear to be subjected to genetic factor(s)per se rather than hypertrophy of the adipocytes. Furthermore, insensitivity to both hormones in the KK mice appears to be caused by a common defect in cellular process other than the hormone receptor systems. These genetically determined abnormalities of adipocytes may result in fat-storage metabolism through hyperinsulinemia; this is very similar to the metabolic profile due to thrifty genotype in human diabetes as proposed by Neel.

Inhibitory effect of a new α-glucosidase inhibitor on fatty liver in Zucker fatty rats

The livers of Zucker fatty (fa/fa) and lean (Fa/-) rats treated with standard rat chow diet containing 0, 10 or 50 ppm alpha-glucosidase inhibitor (AO-128) for 10 weeks were studied morphologically and biochemically. Light microscopic examination of livers from untreated Zucker fatty rats showed severe steatosis. The triglyceride content in the livers from Zucker fatty rats was significantly higher than that from lean rats (73 +/- 9 micrograms/mg protein for Zucker fatty rats vs. 30 +/- 10 for lean rats, p less than 0.01). Administration of the inhibitor caused a marked decrease in the number and size of lipid droplets in the hepatocytes from Zucker fatty rats and a decrease in the triglyceride content in the liver (73 +/- 9 micrograms/mg protein for untreated, 54 +/- 16 for 10-ppm-treated and 48 +/- 23 for 50-ppm-treated rats, p less than 0.05). This is the first report showing an inhibitory effect of an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor on steatosis in Zucker fatty rats.