Superimposing a high-fat diet on schistosoma mansoni infection affects renin-angiotensin system components in the mouse kidney

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The levels of the full-length form of the (pro)renin receptor (PRR), a component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), may be reduced in the membranes of kidneys in renal diseases. This study aimed to investigate the RAS components in the kidneys of mice submitted to a combination of a high-fat diet and Schistosoma mansoni infection. METHODS: Female BALB/c mice were maintained on a control or high-fat diet from 3 weeks of age. After 10 weeks on the designated diets, half the mice in each group were infected with S. mansoni cercariae. The blood and kidneys were harvested 8 weeks after infection. RESULTS: The high-fat diet increased the number of eggs in the feces and the number of adult worms in the mesenteric bed. Schistosoma mansoni infection reduced the plasma levels of glucose, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol in the control and high-fat diet groups. In mice on the control diet, S. mansoni infection resulted in increased expression of IL-6 in the kidneys; however, in mice on the high-fat diet, the levels of IL-6 were reduced and those of superoxide anions were increased. The RAS components evaluated were ACE2, renin, PRR, AT1R, and AT2R, and the levels of PRR were found to be reduced in the kidneys of infected mice on the high-fat diet. CONCLUSIONS: The finding regarding PRR is not yet clear. However, combining a high-fat diet and S. mansoni infection resulted in increased oxidative stress in the kidney that can aggravate hypertension as well as its associated complications.

Influência da Esplenectomia Total na Microbiota Intestinal, na Translocação Bacteriana e na Evolução da Sepse em Modelo Experimental / Influence of Total Splenectomy on Intestinal Microbiota, Bacterial Translocation and Sepsis Evolution in Experimental Model

A esplenectomia diminui a atividade de células imunes e pode estar relacionada com translocação bacteriana (TB) e sepse. Investigou-se a presença de TB e sepse em camundongos esplenectomizados, por meio de análises de peso, de sexo, de alterações da microbiota digestória e mucosa duodenal. 20 fêmeas e 20 machos de camundongos Swiss webster com 125 dias foram divididos em dois grupos: esplenectomizados e controles. Os animais foram pesados diariamente. Após sete dias da esplenectomia total convencional, os animais foram eutanasiados para estudo da TB, microbiota e morfometria intestinais. Para microbiota, foram coletadas as fezes da região média do intestino delgado, que foi seccionado para análise morfométrica. Após o preparo dos tubos com amostras fecais nas diferentes diluições, foram inoculados 0,1 mL de cada na superfície de placas contendo meios cromogênicos. Fragmentos do fígado e linfonodos mesentéricos foram macerados e homogeneizados, separadamente, em placas de Petri estéreis, posteriormente, adicionadas a caldo cérebro coração (BHI) na proporção de 1:5 e incubados em estufa a 37 °C por 24 horas. Posteriormente, alçadas de caldo foram semeadas em placas de Petri com diferentes meios de culturas. Os camundongos esplenectomizados apresentaram redução da evolução ponderal e maior prevalência de coproculturas positivas. A análise morfométrica duodenal revelou redução na altura e da área das vilosidades dos grupos esplenectomizados comparados aos seus controles. Os machos esplenectomizados apresentaram maiores taxas de TB e sepse. A asplênia aumenta a suscetibilidade à TB e, consequentemente, as doenças de origem séptica em camundongos. Sexo e alterações da mucosa duodenal podem influenciar no aumento deste fenômeno(AU)

Ssplenectomy diminishes the immune cells activity and may be related to bacterial translocation (BT) and sepsis. The BT and sepsis presence in splenectomized mice was investigated through analyzes of weight, sex, changes in the digestive microbiota and duodenal mucosa. Swiss Webster mice (20 females/20 males) were divided into two equal groups: splenectomized and controls, aged 125 days of life. Total splenectomy was performed in splenectomized group. The animals were weighed every day. After seven days, the animals were euthanized for the study of TB, microbiota and intestinal morphology. For microbiota study, stools were collected from the middle region of the small intestine, which was sectioned for morphometric analysis. After the tubes preparation with fecal samples at different dilutions, 0.1 mL of each sample was inoculated on the surface of plates containing chromogenic media. Fragments of the liver and mesenteric lymph nodes were macerated and homogenized separately in sterile Petri dishes, subsequently added to a brain/heart broth (BHI) in concentration 1:5 and incubated in an oven at 37 °C for 24 hours. Subsequently, the broths were seeded in Petri dishes with different culture media. The splenectomized mice presented a reduction in the ponderal evolution and a higher prevalence of positive coprocultures. Duodenal morphometric analysis revealed a reduction in the height and villus area of the splenectomized groups compared to their controls. Splenectomized males had higher BT and sepsis rates. Asplenia increases susceptibility to BT, and consequently septic diseases in mice. Sex and duodenal mucosa alterations may influence the increase of this phenomenon.(AU)