Analysis of the main components of inner ear antigens inducing autoimmune Meniere's disease in guinea pigs / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the main components of inner ear antigens inducing autoimmune Meniere's disease (AIMD) in guinea pigs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The guinea pigs were immunized with isologous crude inner ear antigens (ICIEAg). Then, the hearing function was measured with auditory brainstem response (ABR), the vestibular function was measured with electronystagmography (including spontaneous nystagmus and caloric test), and inner ear histopathological changes were observed by inner ear celloidin section with haematoxylin-eosin staining and observed under light microscope. According to these results, the AIMD-model animals from non-AIMD-model ones were distinguished. The special antibodies against ICIEAg in sera were measured with ELISA. The antigen-antibody reactions against different components of ICIEAg were detected by Western blotting with sera of AIMD and non-AIMD guinea pigs respectively. Then, we analysed the contrast between them and found the main components of the ICIEAg that were positive reaction in AIMD guinea pigs and negative reaction in non-AIMD guinea pigs.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The result of ELISA demonstrated that the sera of both the AIMD and non-AIMD guniea pigs contained the special antibodies against ICIEAg after immunized with ICIEAg. The difference of the amount of antibody against ICIEAg between AIMD guinea pig group and non-AIMD guinea pig group was not significant. Western blotting assay showed only the sera of AIMD guinea pig contained the antibodies against the specific antigens with the molecular of 68 000, 58 000, 42 000 and 28 000.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ICIEAg contain many different components, the AIMD might only happen in the guinea pigs in which the special immunization against the main components that could induce this kind of disorder appeared. The inner ear antigens with molecular of 68 000, 58 000, 42 000 and 28 000 might be the main components inducing AIMD in guinea pigs.</p>

Expression of KISS-1 and GnRH in rat hypothalamus / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assay the expression of KiSS-1 and GnRH in the male rat hypothalamus at different developmental stages, and to explore the significance of KiSS-1 in sex development onset and normal reproduction regulation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Expression analyses of KiSS-1 and GnRH genes were conducted in the rat hypothalamus at different developmental stages with RT-PCR and real time-PCR. The testosterone level was assayed by chemoluminescence technique.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>KiSS-1 mRNA rose gradually during sex development in the rat hypothalamus, highest at puberty and lowered a little at adulthood. KiSS-1 mRNA of the prepubertal, early pubertal, pubertal and adult rats was 1.7, 2.1, 3.5 and 2.0 times higher than that of the infantile rats respectively. The expression of GnRH and KiSS-1 correlated positively (r = 0.905, P < 0.05). But the activation of GnRH neuron was later than KiSS-1. The expression of GnRH was the highest in the puberty rats. GnRH mRNA of the prepubertal, early pubertal, pubertal and adult rats was 1.1, 1.94, 2.42 and 1.92 times higher than that of the infantile rats respectively. The level of testosterone in the adult rats was significantly higher than that at the earlier stage and was the highest at the adult stage.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of KiSS-1 correlates positively with that of GnRH. KiSS-1 may participate in the regulation of GnRH and is relevant to puberty onset and the regulation of reproduction function.</p>