Evaluation of silk fibroin/curcumin composite film for promoting wound healing / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: In the previous study, we have successfully prepared a silk fibroin/curcumin composite film, which possesses good physicochemical properties, sustained-release properties, antibacterial activity and biocompatibility. OBJECTIVE: To further observe the effect of the prepared silk fibroin/curcumin composite film, as the wound dressing, in the field of wound healing. METHODS: The silk fibroin/curcumin composite film was prepared by referring to the previously established methods. The mechanical properties and light transmittance of the prepared composite film were then investigated. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were used as strains. The plate-counting technique was applied to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the light illuminated silk fibroin/curcumin composite film, silk fibroin/curcumin composite film without light exposure, and silk fibroin film without light exposure. The full-thickness excisional lesions were created on the dorsum of 20 Kunming mice. The wounds of 10 mice were covered with silk fibroin/curcumin composite film, and the wounds of other 10 mice were dressed with sterile gauze. The healing status and histological morphology of the wound sites were observed at 3, 7, and 14 days post operation. The animal experimental design and the protocols were approved by the Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Southwest University (approval number: IACUC-2019011). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Compared to silk fibroin film, the fracture strength of silk fibroin/curcumin composite film increased significantly (P < 0.05), while the Young’s modulus of silk fibroin/curcumin composite film decreased significantly (P < 0.01). (2) Both silk fibroin film and the silk fibroin/curcumin composite film exhibited excellent transparency, but the silk fibroin/curcumin composite film showed a stronger absorption in visible light region at a wavelength of 400-450 nm. (3) Without light illumination, the silk fibroin/curcumin composite film exhibited stronger antibacterial activity than that of silk fibroin film. While, the silk fibroin/curcumin composite film with light illumination demonstrated stronger antibacterial activity than that of silk fibroin/curcumin composite film without light illumination. (4) The wound healing rate of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group at each time point (P <0.05). Analysis on histological morphology reveals that the length of regenerated epithelia of dermal tissue and the thickness of granulation tissue in the experimental group were greater than those in the control group at 3 and 7 days post operation (P < 0.01). While, the thickness of granulation tissue was smaller than that in the control group at 14 days post operation (P < 0.01). (5) The results indicated that the silk fibroin/curcumin composite film can facilitate skin wound healing.

Composition of the bacterial community in the gastrointestinal tract of Kunming mice

Background: The intestinal bacterial community has an important role in maintaining human health. Dysbiosis is a key inducer of many chronic diseases including obesity and diabetes. Kunming mice are frequently used as a model of human disease and yet little is known about the bacterial microbiome resident to the gastrointestinal tract. Results: We undertook metagenomic sequencing of the luminal contents of the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon, and rectum of Kunming mice. Firmicutes was the dominant bacterial phylum of each intestinal tract and Lactobacillus the dominant genus. However, the bacterial composition differed among the seven intestinal tracts of Kunming mice. Compared with the small intestine, the large intestine bacterial community of Kunming mice is more stable and diverse. Conclusions: To our knowledge, ours is the first study to systematically describe the gastrointestinal bacterial composition of Kunming mice. Our findings provide a better understanding of the bacterial composition of Kunming mice and serves as a foundation for the study of precision medicine.

Correlation between elevated plus and zero mazes as two animal models of state anxiety in Kunming mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the correlation between elevated plus maze (EPM) and elevated zero maze (EZM),as two type animal models of state anxiety in Kunming mice. Methods The behavior of adult,♂/♀,Kunming mice in EPM and EZM was recorded by sequence,for 5 min,with a one-week inter-trial interval. The following parameters were evaluated:percentage of time in open arms (Otime%) and total entries into open and closed arms(Entries). Subsequently,descriptive analysis,fac-tor analysis,cluster analysis,correlation analysis and consisten-cy test were calculated for these parameters. Results T test showed that, compared with EPM, Otime% of EZM (male/fe-male/both sex) decreased, while Entries (male/both sex) in-creased significantly;Fiedman test showed that Otime% (male/female/both sex) and Entries(female/both sex) of both EPM and EZM had great difference between the 5 repeated fragments;Wilcoxon test showed that, compared with EPM, Otime% of EZM in 1st min (male/female/both sex), 2nd min (male/fe-male/both sex),3rd min (female/both sex) decreased, while the Entries in 1st min (male/both sex), 4th min (male/fe-male/both sex),5th min(both sex) increased markedly. Clus-ter analysis showed that EPM and EZM parameters could be clustered into two groups:EPM group and EZM group(male/fe-male/both sex). Factor analysis indicated that the EPM and EZM parameters could be extracted as two factors: EPM factor and EZM factor (male/female/both sex). Correlation analysis displayed either general(in Otime%) or poor(in Entries) cor-relation(male/female/both sex) between EPM and EZM param-eters. Consistency test displayed general consistency (male/fe-male/both sex) in Otime% between EPM and EZM. Conclu-sions Despite of the similar internal principles to induce state anxiety,the different external environment(structure) results in different behavioral patterns,different structure dimensions,fair correlation and concordance between EPM and EZM, and the stable index of EPM and EZM might be preferred to Otime%.

Effects of sex on chronic pancreatitis induced by L-arginine in Kunming mice / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To explore the effect of sex on the formation of chronic pancreatitis(CP)by comparing the differences in L-arginine-induced CP model between male and female mice.METHODS:Male(n=42)and female(n=42)Kunming mice were randomly divided into 4 groups:female control group, female CP group, male control group and male CP group(n=18 in each control group, n =6 at each time point; n=24 in each CP group, n=8 at each time point).The mice in CP groups were intraperitoneally injected with 20%L-arginine(3 g/kg,twice/d,1 d/week).After modeling for 2 weeks,4 weeks and 6 weeks,the mice were anesthetized and sacrificed.The morphological changes and the degree of fibrosis in the pancreas were observed by HE and Masson staining.The positive expression rate of F4/80 in the pancreatic tissues was observed by the method of immunohistochemistry.The mRNA expression of interleukin-6(IL-6), α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)and fibronectin(FN)in the pancreas were detected by real-time PCR.The protein of pancreas was extracted to detect the expression of α-SMA and FN by Western blot.RESULTS:At 2 weeks,4 weeks and 6 weeks after intraperitoneal injection of L-arginine, the pancreatic tissues were obviously injured and exhibited different degrees of fibrosis in female and male CP groups.At the same time,there were significant differences in the degree of pan-creatic injury between male and female mice,and the degree of pancreatic lesion in the male mice was significantly more severe.The positive rate of F4/80 in the pancreas of male CP mice was significantly higher than that in female CP group at the same time point after modeling.At every time point, the mRNA expression of IL-6 in the pancreas was increased in both female and male CP groups,but that in male CP group was higher(P<0.05).The fibrosis indexes,α-SMA and FN, were both highly expressed at mRNA and protein levels after modeling, but compared with the female group, the time of positive expression in male mice was earlier and the expression level was higher(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The CP model is successfully established by intraperitoneal injection of 20%L-arginine,and a difference in the degree of pathologic alteration in pancreas between male and female mice exists.CP is more effectively induced by L-arginine in male mice,and the degree of fibrosis is more pronounced.The reason may be related to the sensitivity of male mice to L-arginine,causing more serious inflammatory response.Therefore,male mice are more suitable for establishing CP animal model.

Effects of Kudzu Root plus Cinnamon Granules on prostatic hyperplasia in mice / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To explore the effects of Kudzu Root plus Cinnamon Granules (KR+C) on prostatic hyperplasia (PH) in mice.@*METHODS@#Sixty 4-week-old Kunming male mice were randomly divided into six groups: blank control, PH model, high-, medium- and low-dose KR+C, and finasteride control. All the mice except those in the blank control group were subcutaneously injected with testosterone propionate (5 mg / ［kg·d］) at 7 days after surgical castration. The animals of different groups were treated intragastrically with different doses of KR+C, finasteride, and normal saline respectively for 3 weeks and then sacrificed for weighing of the prostate, calculation of the prostatic index, observation of the morphological changes in the prostate after HE staining, determination of the expressions of FGF2, Ki67 and TGF-β1 by immunohistochemistry, detection of 5α-reductase activity by ELISA, and measurement of the apoptosis index of the prostatic cells by TUNEL.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the model controls, the mice of the other groups showed significantly reduced prostatic volume (P 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#KR+C can reduce the prostatic volume of PH mice by decreasing the activity of 5α- reductase, inhibiting the expressions of FGF2, Ki67 and TGF-β1, and promoting the apoptosis of prostatic cells.

Effect of curcumin in prolonging survival timeof cryopreserved mice via promoting thyroid function / 中国药理学通报

Aim To look for cold-protective drugs treating cryogenic freezing that may bring great damage to animal physiological system.Methods The protective effect of curcumin on frozen damage and the changes of thyroid function in mice were studied in this study.Quantitative analysis of the changes in survival time and metabolic indexes in mice disposed at(-20±1)℃ was conducted.Mouse serum free triiodothyronine(FT3) and free thyroxine(FT4) contents were detected by ELISA kit.HE staining was used to observe thyroid tissue morphological items.The expression of genes related to thyroid function was assessed via real-time quantitative PCR.Results The intraperitoneal injection of curcumin(12.5~50 mg·kg-1) could remarkably prolong the survival time of mice when exposed to cryogenic freezing.HE staining results displayed a recovered thyroid injury in morphology in the curcumin group, further with a notably improved metabolic indexes and evidently increase in serum FT3 and FT4 levels.The real-time quantitative PCR results indicated that the expressions of sodium iodide symporter(Nis), thyroglobulin(Tg) and thyroid peroxidase(Tpo) were up-regulated, and the expression of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor(Tshr) was down-regulated.Sodium levothyroxine collabrated with the promoting thyroid effects of curcumin, while propylthiouracil inhibited the effects.Conclusion Curcumin can prolong the survival time of the cryogenic freezing mice, which is closely related to its ability to promote thyroid function.

Virulence of VEG strain Toxoplasma gondii oocysts against Kunming mice / 中国人兽共患病学报

To explore the pathogenicity of VEG strain Toxoplasma gondii oocysts on China Kunming mice,T.gondii oocysts of ＜ 1 and 102-108 were chosen to feed the mice orally.And the modified agglutination test (MAT),H&E and IHC were used to check the infection of mice.The infection rate,the survival rate of mice,and number of cysts in brain were analyzed.Results showed that 100％ of the mice fed with ≥102 oocysts were infected,the minimum lethal dose was 102 oocysts and the 100％ lethal dose was 108 oocysts.The time of death in acute infection was 7 DPI to 14 DPI.T.gondii cysts formation rate was 32.14％ (9/28),and the number of cysts was 9 to 857 per mouse.The survival rate of infected mice was 67.44％ (29/43),and the longest survival time was more than 390 DPI.Accordingly,the virulence of T.gondii VEG strain is medium,and has a higher cysts formation rate.

Virulence and pathogenicity of Toxoplasma gondii ToxoDB# 17 strain oocysts in Kunming mice / 中国人兽共患病学报

To investigate the pathogenic characteristic of ToxoDB # 17 Toxoplasma gondii in Kunming mice,the mice were fed with ＜1,1,101,102,103,104,105,106 oocysts,and the clinical symptoms of mice were observed.MAT,HE and IHC were used to research the infection rate of T.gondii,survival rate of mice and the number of cysts in brain.The results showed that the mice fed with ≥104 oocysts appeared transient depression,mice were arched,messy hair after infection.The mice fed with ≥102 oocysts were all infected,T.gondii cysts formation rate was 2.38％ (1/42),the survival rate of infected mice was 85.71％ (36/42),the survival time was greater than 360 days.In conclusion,the pathogenicity of ToxoDB# 17 T.gondii is weak,and cysts formation rate is also low.

Elevated zero maze as an animal model of state anxiety in Kunming mice：test-retest reliability / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the test-retest reliability of elevated zero maze (EZM), as an animal model of state anxiety in Kun-ming mice. Methods The behavior of adult, male and female, Kunming mice in EZM was recorded twice, for five minutes, with a one-week inter-trial interval. The following parameters were evaluated: percentage of time on EZM open arms (Otime% ), time on EZM open arms ( Otime), time on EZM closed arms (Ctime), percentage of entries into EZM open arms (Oentries% ), entries into EZM open arms (Oentries), entries into EZM closed arms (Centries), total entries into EZM open and closed arms (Entries). Subsequently, the intraclass corre-lation coefficient ( ICC) and the kappa agreement index ( κ) were calculated for these parameters. Results ICC for Otime%(♂ ICC = 0. 753,P < 0. 01;♂ + ♀ ICC = 0. 535,P < 0. 05), Otime (♂ ICC = 0. 753, P < 0. 01; ♂ + ♀ ICC = 0. 535, P <0. 05), Ctime ( ♂ ICC = 0. 753, P < 0. 01; ♂ + ♀ ICC =0. 535, P < 0. 05), and Oentries (♂ ICC = 0. 719, P < 0. 01;♀ ICC = 0. 494, P < 0. 05; ♂ + ♀ ICC = 0. 583, P < 0. 01), Centries (♀ ICC = 0. 658, P < 0. 01; ♀ ICC = 0. 508, P <0. 05; ♂ + ♀ ICC = 0. 562, P < 0. 01), Entries ( ♂ ICC =0. 691, P < 0. 01; ♀ ICC = 0. 502, P < 0. 05; ♂ + ♀ ICC =0. 574, P < 0. 05) showed a good and fair test-retest reliability, respectively. Only κ for Otime% (♂ κ = 0. 393, P < 0. 05), Ctime (♂ κ = 0. 393, P < 0. 05), Oentries (♂ κ = 0. 308, P< 0. 05; ♂ + ♀ κ = 0. 256, P < 0. 05), Centries ( ♂ κ =0. 427, P < 0. 01; ♂ + ♀ κ = 0. 238, P < 0. 05), Entries (♂κ = 0. 469, P < 0. 01) displayed a significant but poor reliability between the test-retest trials. Conclusions The parameters Otime% and Entries for Kunming mice in EZM are stable over time, and indicate an acceptable reliability with a one-week in-ter-trial interval. Meanwhile, more attention should be paid not to repeated measure effect, but to the sex effect (Male animals recommended to EZM, especially).

Effects of new drug T-006 on improving learning and memory abilities in scopolamine-induced dementia Kunming mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim ToexploretheeffectsofnewdrugT-006 on improving learning and memory abilities in scopolamine-induced dementia mice and its possible mechanism.Methods 72maleKunmingmicewere randomly divided into six groups:normal control group,model group,donepezil treatment group,T -006 treatment group with different doses(1,3 and 10 mg·kg-1 ).All mice were treated by intragastric ad-ministration for 14 consecutive days. Learning and memory abilities were tested by a five-day Morris water maze trial from the 1 1 th day.the first 4 days of the five-day Morris water maze,the navigation test was performed,the last day of Morris water maze is the spatial probe test.During the navigation test, mice were intraperitoneally given 2 mg · kg-1 scopolamine 20 minutes before entering the water,while normal control group mice administrated with sterile saline in-stead.Mice were not given T-006 nor scopolamine in spatial probe test.After Morris water maze,all mice were sacrificed for hippocampus and cortex.The activi-ties of AchE and SOD and the levels of GSH and MDA in hippocampus and cortex were measured after tissue harvesting.Results Comparedwithmodelgroup,T-006 could obviously improve learning and memory abil-ities in scopolamine-induced mice, significantly in-crease the levels of SOD and GSH and decrease the levelsofMDAandAchE.Conclusion T-006can significantly improve cognitive abilities in scopolamine-induced dementia mice,and its relevant mechanism may be closely related to its antioxidative effect and the ability to decrease AchE level.

Elevated plus maze as an animal model of state anxiety in Kunming mice:test-retest reliability / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the test-retest reliability of elevated plus maze (EPM) which is taken as an animal model of state anxiety in Kunming mice.Methods The behavior of adult,male and female,Kunming mice in EPM was recorded twice with one-week inter-trial interval for lasting five minutes.The following parameters were evaluated:percentage of time on EPM open arms (Otime％),percentage of time on EPM closed arms (Ctime％),time on EPM open arms (Otime),time on EPM closed arms (Ctime),percentage of entries into EPM open arms (Oentries％),entries into EPM open arms (Oentries),entries into EPM closed arms (Centries),total entries into EPM open and closed arms (Entries).Subsequently,the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the kappa agreement index (κ) were calculated for these parameters.Results ICC for Otime％ (♂ ICC=0.506,P＜0.05;♀ ICC=0.456,P＜0.05;♂ + ♀ ICC=0.492,P ＜0.01),Oentries (♂ ICC=0.673,P＜0.01;♀ ICC=0.648,P＜0.01;♂ + ♀ ICC=0.665,P＜0.01),Centries (♂ ICC=0.704,P＜0.01;♀ ICC=0.661,P＜0.01;♂ + ♀ ICC=0.686,P＜0.01),Entries (5 ICC=0.701,P＜0.01;♀ ICC=0.661,P＜0.01;5 + ♀ ICC=0.685,P＜0.01) showed a fair test-retest reliability,respectively.Only κ for Entries (♂ κ=0.253,P＜0.05;♀ κ=0.339,P＜0.05;♂ + ♀ κ=0.298,P＜0.01)displayed a significant but poor reliability between the test-retest trials.Conclusion The Otime％ Entries parameters as an acceptable index for Kunming mice in EPM can be used for exploratory and locomotion activity.Sex and repeated measurement have different effects on the Otime％ and Entries parameters,especially the more on the former.Therefore,Otime％ and Entries can be considered when EPM as an animal model of state anxiety in Kunming mice;meanwhile,more attention should be paid to both the sex (male animals recommended to EPM,especially) and repeated measurement effects.

In vivo Anti-fatigue activity of total flavonoids from sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] leaf in mice.

The in vivo anti-fatigue activity of the total flavonoids from sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] leaf was investigated in male Kunming mice. The total flavonoids from sweet potato leaf (TFSL) were orally administered at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg for 4 weeks and the anti-fatigue effect was studied using a weight-loaded swimming test, along with the determination of serum urea nitrogen (SUN), blood lactic acid (BLA) and hepatic and muscle glycogen contents. The results showed that TFSL had significant anti-fatigue effects. TFSL extended the exhaustive swimming time, effectively inhibited the increase of BLA, decreased the level of SUN and increased the hepatic and muscle glycogen content of mice. Thus, TFSL may have potential as an anti-fatigue agent.

A study on effect of automobile exhaust pollutants in underground parking area on serum inflammatory cytokines of mice / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Objective To observe the effect of automobile exhaust pollutants in air of underground parking area on immune system of mice. Methods Thirty female Kunming mice were divided into a control(relatively clean) group and a polluted group(each n=15)by a random number table method. The control group was housed on the roof of a mechanical building located at the south campus of Sun Yat-sen University,while the polluted group was housed in the minus second layer of underground parking lot at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. The data of atmospheric pollutants were recorded at both feeding sites. The mice's food-intake and body weight were also observed. After 3 months of observation,the mice were sacrificed and peripheral serum was harvested. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was performed to detect the level of tumor necrotic factor-α(TNF-α),transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)and interleukin-4(IL-4). Results The levels of air pollutants in pollution group were higher than those in control group〔carbonmonoxide(CO,mg/m3:16.784±3.093 vs. 2.249±0.112),nitrogen oxides(NOx, mg/m3:0.318±0.041 vs. 0.065±0.030)and particulate matter(PM2.5,mg/m3:0.309±0.051 vs. 0.055±0.013),all P<0.001〕. The amount of food intake and body weight of the polluted group were obviously lower than those of the control group〔food-intake:670 g vs. 960 g,body weight:(37.13±1.11)g vs.(41.23±1.34)g, both P<0.001〕. There was no abnormal death in both groups. The serum levels of TNF-α(ng/L:247.93±22.25 vs. 143.33±39.01), TFG-β1(ng/L:395.77±41.29 vs. 319.15±20.72) and IL-4(ng/L:231.89±20.04 vs. 194.09±3.57)were significantly higher in the mice of polluted group than those in the control group(all P<0.001). Conclusions The automobile exhaust pollutants in the air of underground parking lot have obvious effects on the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines of mice. It is suggested that the presence of pollutants activate the body's inflammatory process and lead to disturbance of immune system of female Kunming mice.

Characteristics of mouse embryonic hepatic stem cells in different embryo durations / 中国组织工程研究

10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2013.23.014

Correlation between two animal models of state anxiety in Kunming mice: evidence from open field test and light-dark box / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the correlation between open field test(OFT) and light-dark box (LDB),as two animal models of state anxiety in Kunming mice.MethodsThe behavior of adult,male,Kunming mice in OFT and LDB was recorded by sequence,for five minutes,with a one-week inter-trial interval.The following parameters were evaluated:percentage of time exploring in the OFT central area( OFT-Ctime％ ) ; percentage of squares crossing in the OFT central area( OFT-Ccross％ ) ; total number of squares crossing in OFT(OFT-Cross) ;total number of rears in the OFT(OFT-Rear) ; number of fecal boli in OFT(OFT-FB) ; percentage of time exploring in the LDB light area( LDB-Ltime％ ) ; percentage of squares crossing in the LDB light area( LDB-Lcross％ ) ;and percentage of rears in the LDB light area( LDB-Lrear％ ) ; transitions between two areas in LDB( LDB-Transition) ; total number of squares crossing in LDB(LDB-Croas) ; total number of rears in LDB(LDB-Rear) ; number of fecal boli in LDB (LDB-FB).Subsequently,factor analysis,cluster analysis and correlation analysis were calculated for these parameters.ResultsFactor analysis and cluster analysis of variances from either OFT or LDB revealed a three behavioral dimensions:anxiety factor ( loaded by OFT-Ctime％,OFT-Ccross％ or LDB-Ltime％,LDB-Lcross％,LDB-Lrear％ ),activity factor ( loaded by OFT-Cross,OFT-Rear or LDB-Transition,LDB-Cross,LDB-Rear) and emotionality factor(loaded by OFT-FB or LDB-FB).While all the variances from both OFT and LDB in combination were analyzed,it could be seen as five components:' LDB-anxiety factor ( loaded by LDBLtime％,LDB-Lcross％ and LDB-Lrear％ ),' OFT-anxiety factor ( loaded by OFT-Ctime％ and OFT-Ccross％ ),'LDB-activity factor (loaded by LDB-Transition,LDB-Cross and LDB-Rear),'OFT-LDB-emotionality factor( loaded by OFT-FB and LDB-FB) and 'OFT-activity factor (loaded by OFT-Cross and OFT-Rear).Good correlation were found between OFT/LDB factors alone and in combination,such as OFT-emotionality factor and LDB-emotionality factor(Pearson =0.383,P＜0.05),LDB-anxiety factor and 'LDB-anxiety factor( Pearson =0.989,P＜0.01 ),OFT-anxiety factor and 'OFT-anxiety factor( Pearson =0.934,P ＜ 0.01 ),LDB-activity factor and 'LDB-activity factor ( Pearson =0.956,P ＜ 0.01 ),OFT/LDB-emotionality factor and ' OFT-LDB-emotionality factor ( Pearson =0.835,P＜0.01 ;Pearson =0.696,P＜0.01 ),OFT-activity factor and 'OFF-activity factor( Pearson =0.926,P＜0.01 ).ConclusionEither OFT or LDB comprised three behavioral dimensions:anxiety factor,activity factor and emotionality factor; however,it was difficult to establish face validity as a point-to-point concordance between OFT and LDB.Attention should be paid to heterogeneity of animal models when OFT and LDB were in combination as a behavionomics to evaluate anxiolytics in Kunming mice.

Light-dark box as a model of state anxiety in Kunming mice:three behavioral dimensions by factor analysis / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the behavioral dimensions and validity of the light-dark box(LDB),as an model of state anxiety in Kunming mice.Methods The behavior of adult,male,Kunming mice in LDB was recorded twice,for five minutes,with a one-week inter-trial interval.The following parameters were evaluated by factor analysis:latence for the first entry into the dark area(Latence);percentage of time exploring in the light area (Ltime%);percentage of squares crossing in the light area(Lcross%);percentage of rears in the light area (Lrear%);transitions between two areas(Transition);total number of squares crossing in the whole apparatus (Cross);total number of rears in the whole apparatus(Rear);and number of fecal boli(FB).Results There was a good intercorrelation both among Ltime%,Lcross%,Lrear%,and among Transition,Cross,Rear.A good correlation also was found between test and retest for Transition,Rear and FB.Ltime%,Lcress%and Lrear%had significant loadings on Anxiety factor(Loading%:39.54%,35.40%);Transition loaded on Locomotor factor(Loading%:23.78%,19.66%),combined with Cross;Rear loaded on Exploration factor(Loading%:13.75%,22.60%);and FB loaded on Emotionality factor(Loading%:14.42%,13.02%);Latence was not stable.Conclusion Light-dark box,as an animal model of state anxiety in Kunming mice,comprised three behavioral dimensions:anxiety factor,LDB-activity factor(locomotor factor and exploration factor)and emotionality factor.

Light-dark box as a model of state anxiety in Kunming mice: test-retest reliability and correlations between parameters / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the test-retest reliability and correlations of the light-dark box (LDB).MethodsThe behavior of mice in LDB was recorded twice, for five minutes,with a one-week inter-trial interval.Following parameters were evaluated:latency time for the first entry into the dark area (Latence); percentage of time exploring in the light area ( Ltime％ ); percentage of squares crossing in the light area ( Lcross％ ); total number of squares crossing ( Cross ); percentage of rears in the light area ( Lrear％ ); total number of rears (Rear); total score (Total); transitions between two areas (Transition); and number of fecal boli (Fbi). Subsequently,the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the Kappa agreement coefficient (Kappa) and the Pearson correlation coefficient (Pearson) were calculated for these parameters. Results ①ICC for Lrear％ ( ICC =0.5207, P＜0.01 ) showed a fair reliability. ②Kappa for all parameters indicated a poor reliability. ③Pearson displayed weak negative correlations between Transition and Ltime％ ( Pearson = - 0.4030, P ＜ 0.05; Pearson =- 0. 1490, P＞ 0. 05 ), Lcross％ ( Pearson = - 0. 4331, P ＞ 0. 05; Pearson = - 0.1893, P ＞ 0.05 ), Lrear％ ( Pearson = - 0. 4485, P ＜ 0. 05; Pearson = 0. 02845, P ＞ 0. 05 ), however, fair positive correlations between Transition and Cross (Pearson =0. 8603, P＜0.01; Pearson =0.6341, P＜0. 01 ) ,Rear(Pearson =0.4271, P＞0. 05;Pearson = 0. 7245, P ＜ 0. 001 ). Conclusion Rear is found to be stable over time, and indicated a fair reliability.There is a weak negative correlation between Transition and Ltime％, Lcross％, Lrear％, but fair positive correlations between Transition and Cross, Rear.

Open field test as a method for ethology in Kunming mice: three behavioral dimensions by factor analysis / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the behavioral dimensions of the open field test ( OFF),as a method for ethology in Kunming mice.Methods The behavior of adult,male,Kunming mice in OFF was recorded twice,for five minutes,with a one-week inter-trial interval.The following parameters were evaluated by factor analysis:percentage of time exploring in the central area (Ctime％); percentage of squares crossing in the central area (Ccross％) ; total number of squares crossing in the whole apparatus(Cross) ; total number of rears in the whole apparatus(Rear) ; and number of fecal boli(FB).Results There were good intercorrelation and intracorrelation between test and retest for Ctime％,Ccross％,Cross and Rear.Ctime％ and Ccross％ had significant loadings on “Anxiety” factor ( Loading％:43.34％,48.56％ ) ; Cross and Rear loaded on “locomotor-Exploration” factor ( Loading％:27.94％,29.30％ ) ; and FB loaded on “Emotionality” factor ( Loading％:21.95％,15.93％ ).A good correlation was found between test and retest for anxiety factor and locomtor-exploration factor.Conclusion Open field test,as a method for ethology in Kunming mice,comprise three behavioral dimensions:anxiety factor,OFF-activity factor(locomotor-exploration) and emotionality factor.

The open field test as a method for ethology in Kunming mice: test-retest reliability / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the test-retest reliability of the open field test,as a method for ethology in Kunming mice. Methods The behavior of adult male Kunming mice in the open field test was recorded twice,once for five minutes, with a one-week inter-trial interval. The following parameters were evaluated:number of central squares; number of peripheral squares; percent of central squares; number of horizontal squares; number of rearings; total score; and number of fecal boli. Subsequently,the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the agreement index (Kappa) were calculated for each of these parameters. Results Both ICC and Kappa for total score( ICC =0.902, P＜0.01; Kappa =0.680, P＜0.01; r=0.815, P＜0.01 ) showed a good reliability and correlation between the test trials. Only ICC for number of central squares ( ICC = 0. 578, P ＜ 0.01 ), number of peripheral squares( ICC =0.615, P＜0.01 ) ,percent of central squares(ICC=0.523, P＜0.01) ,number of horizontal squares( ICC = 0. 607, P ＜ 0.01 ) and number of rearings ( ICC = 0. 606, P ＜ 0.01 ) indicated a fair reliability between the test trials. Neither ICC nor Kappa for number of fecal boli displayed a significant reliability between the test trials. The difference of these parameters between test and retest, such as number of peripheral squares( t =3.01, P＜0.01 ),number of horizontal squares( t = 3.34, P ＜ 0.01 ) and total score( t = 7.86, P ＜ 0.01 ) were significant. Conclusion The parameter,total score for Kunming mice in the open field test,is found to be stable over time, and indicates a good reliability with a one-week inter-trial interval.

Change of Cytokines in Mice with Echinococcus multilocularis Infection / 中国寄生虫学与寄生虫病杂志

Objective To observe the change of six cytokines in mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis as part of the study on immunological mechanism in the infection. Methods Mice were infected by abdominal inoculation of echinococcus protoscoleces. The change of serum level of the cytokines IL-2、IFN-?、TNF-?、IL-4、 IL-5 and IL-10 was determined by ELISA during the infection which lasted for 260 d. Results Compared with uninfected control, the levels of the cytokines all significantly increased in the 260 d. The level of IL-2 reached a peak after 80 d post-infection (p.i.), then decreased quickly after 140 d p.i., High level of TNF-? was detected after 40 d, compared to uninfected control, reached a peak at 100 d p.i., and decreased quickly after 140 d. The level of IFN-? reached a peak after 80 d p.i., and decreased slowly after 140 d p.i., The levels of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 remained lower before 80 d, and increased sharply after 100 days. The levels of IL-4 and IL-10 reached peaks at 100 d p.i., and that of IL-5 at 140 d p.i. Conclusion The data suggest that the induction of Th2 antibody-mediated immunity (AMI) with a parallel expansion of Th1 cell-mediated inflammatory (CMI) responses are important mechanism of the host in defending against the metacestodes. Th1 CMI plays an important role at the early stage of infection, and Th2 AMI is important in the later stage of infection.