A new experimental murine aspergillosis model to identify strains of Aspergillus fumigatus with reduced virulence.

Experimental animals are an obligate screen to investigate microorganism pathogenicity. Numerous animal models have been used to analyse the virulence of the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus but none of the experimental models used previously have been satisfactory. This report discuss these models and presents a murine model of pulmonary aspergillosis that is very easy and the most adapted to compare the pathogenicity of A. fumigatus strains. Strains to be tested are inoculated intranasally and synchronously to mice and strains isolated from the lung of mice killed by the infection are typed. The number of colonies recovered is directly correlated to the virulence of the strain.

The pharmacological profile of a novel norpregnance progestin (trimegestone).

Trimegestone is a novel norpregnane progestin that is being developed, in combination with estradiol, for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. The pharmacological characteristics of trimegestone have been evaluated in both in vitro and in vivo test systems, and compared with reference progestins. Interaction with hormonal steroid receptors from animal tissues and with human recombinant receptors in vitro has demonstrated that trimegestone has a high specificity and potency for the progesterone receptor, no affinity for the estrogen receptor, and weak affinity for androgen, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors. With respect to progestomimetic activity in vivo, trimegestone was more potent than reference progestins in the endometrial transformation test in the rabbit, preventing the uterotrophic effect of estradiol in the immature mouse bioassay, and had more effect on traumatic deciduoma formation and greater oral antiovulatory activity in the rat. In vivo, trimegestone effectively maintained pregnancy in the rat, but was devoid of any uterotrophic activity. Trimegestone showed no androgenic, glucocorticoid, antiglucocorticoid or mineralocorticoid activity, but did show some antiandrogenic and antimineralocorticoid activity at higher doses. Administration of trimegestone to ovariectomized rats, in combination with estradiol, inhibited the uterotrophic effects of estradiol. At doses up to 1 mg/kg intravenously and 30 mg/kg orally, trimegestone was not associated with any unwanted pharmacological effects. Overall, the results show trimegestone to have a favorable pharmacological profile with potent progestomimetic activity.

Effect of chronic converting-enzyme inhibition on kidney function of senescent hypertensive rats.

The age-related changes in the structure and the function of the kidney and the effect of chronic inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity on these alterations were assessed in senescent, genetically hypertensive rats. Mean blood pressure was unchanged between 6 and 21 months, being 136 +/- 10 and 135 +/- 21 mm Hg, respectively. Hypertrophy of the glomeruli with a high incidence of glomerulosclerosis was reported in the 21-month-old animals. Renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, and filtration fraction were reduced between 6 and 21 months, whereas albuminuria and cGMP excretion were markedly enhanced with aging. Chronic ACE inhibition by administration of 0.3 mg/kg/day trandolapril from 18-21 months increased the life expectancy of the animals without affecting their mean blood pressure. The incidence of glomerular lesions and the excretion of enzymes that reflected the integrity of tubular and glomerular cells were not altered by ACE inhibition. On the other hand, the filtration fraction was restored in the 21-month-old treated animals, and the age-related albuminuria and rise in cGMP excretion were prevented by ACE inhibition. These results indicated that ACE inhibitor administered at the end of the life of senescent hypertensive rats was able to prevent some of the age-related changes in kidney function when glomerulosclerosis was already present.

Effects of 4 weeks of treatment with trandolapril on renal hypertension and cardiac and vascular hypertrophy in the rat.

The effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor trandolapril were studied using a Goldblatt (two-kidney, one-clip) rat model of renovascular hypertension after 4 weeks of oral treatment at 0.3 or 1 mg/kg/day. The effects of trandolapril on blood pressure and on cardiac and vascular hypertrophy were analyzed in comparison with the control group. Trandolapril produced a rapid, dose-dependent decrease in blood pressure, which plateaued after 2 weeks of treatment. Complete normalization of blood pressure was observed at a daily dose of 1 mg/kg. Dose-dependent inhibition of cardiac hypertrophy was also observed, heart:body weight ratio being decreased by 17 and 30% at 0.3 and 1 mg/kg, respectively, leading to a normalization of this parameter at the higher dose compared with normotensive controls. Similarly, trandolapril produced a marked decrease in vascular wall hypertrophy in both the mesenteric artery and the aorta. Indeed, complete normalization of media thickness was observed, compared with the normotensive control group, at 1 mg/kg of trandolapril. These results show that short-term treatment with trandolapril can induce complete regression of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy, which is associated with the development of renal hypertension.

Effects of subchronic treatment with trandolapril and enalapril on cardiovascular morphologic alterations in the aged spontaneously hypertensive rat with heart failure.

The effects of a 3-month treatment period with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors trandolapril (0.3 mg/kg/day, p.o.) and enalapril (10 mg/kg/day, p.o.) on hemodynamics, cardiac hypertrophy, and vascular structures were examined in old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) (24 months at the end of treatment) presenting with congestive heart failure. During the course of treatment, the mortality rate was lower in the two treated groups than in the control group. At the end of treatment, serum ACE activity was inhibited by 63 and 33% by trandolapril and enalapril, respectively, but the decrease in blood pressure they induced was not significant. The atrial natriuretic factor(ANF) plasma levels and cyclic GMP urine excretion were about 10-fold and 3-fold higher, respectively, in old SHRs than in old Wistar rats. These values were markedly decreased by both ACE inhibitors. The ventricular hypertrophy was greatly decreased by both compounds (-24% by trandolapril and -26% by enalapril). In the aorta, the media hypertrophy was significantly decreased and nuclear density increased to a similar extent by both ACE inhibitors. In the mesenteric artery, trandolapril treatment induced a complete regression of the media hypertrophy and a marked decrease in extracellular matrix surface. In addition, the collagen network appeared less dissociated in the treated animals. Similarly the nuclear density was increased and the surface of cell nuclei was decreased by trandolapril. Enalapril appeared much less potent on these parameters. These data demonstrate that treatment with trandolapril of aged SHRs presenting with heart failure results in an increase in survival of the animals and a marked regression of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of trandolapril on vascular morphology and function during the established phase of systemic hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

The aim of this study was to determine the morphologic and functional vascular changes occurring following 4 weeks of treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor trandolapril in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) in the established phase of hypertension. At the dosage used, 0.4 mg/kg orally, trandolapril decreased blood pressure of the SHR by 15-18% compared with that of the control animals. Immediately before the end of treatment, the following changes from control values were observed: (1) 9, 11, and 12% reductions for myocardial hypertrophy and the media thickness of the thoracic aorta and femoral arteries, respectively; and (2) an increase in the compliance of the resistance arteries, demonstrated by a shift to the right of the in vitro tension-diameter curves and a significant 22% increase in their normalized internal diameter, while their maximum contractile ability was significantly decreased. Following discontinuation of treatment, blood pressure levels remained significantly lower in the treated versus the control groups for up to 4 weeks after the last administration. At that time measurement of the studied parameters showed: (1) a rapid reversion to control values of the compliance of the resistance vessels; and (2) a slower progression, but in the same direction, in the parameters of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy. Thus, trandolapril, administered for a short period in the adult SHR, was able to reverse the cardiac and vascular morphologic changes present in this model of hypertension. Like the effect on blood pressure, these effects were slowly reversible at the end of treatment, whereas the functional consequences at the resistance artery level seemed to display a more rapid reversibility.

Effect of in vivo injection of recombinant human interleukin-2 on peritoneal macrophages from MRL-lpr/lpr mice.

Different characteristics of peritoneal macrophages have been studied, to assess the role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of MRL-lpr/lpr mice which develop a lupus-like syndrome. Resident peritoneal macrophages from MRL-lpr/lpr mice (greater than 10 weeks old) displayed characteristics of activation, while thioglycollate-elicited or resident macrophages from normal mice (Balb/c or MRL-+/+) did not. In addition to Ia antigens, macrophages spontaneously expressed Interleukin-2 receptors (IL2-R) whereas resident macrophages from normal mice did not. Injection of recombinant human Interleukin-2 (rHu-IL2) by the i.p. route to normal mice did not modify the cellular composition of the resident peritoneal population. On the contrary, rHu-IL2 treatment of MRL-lpr/lpr mice induced an enhancement in cell number in the peritoneal cavity. At the same time, macrophages harvested from treated MRL-lpr/lpr mice showed enhanced chemiluminescence triggered by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) whereas peritoneal macrophages from treated normal mice did not. These results indicate that MRL-lpr/lpr peritoneal macrophages display features of selective 'activation' and suggest that the expression of IL2-R could be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders seen in MRL-lpr/lpr autoimmunity.

Early glycogenesis in the uterine glandular cells of the rabbit induced by progestins: a quantitative investigation.

A single administration of progesterone (P) to primed immature rabbits induces the appearance of glycogen in uterine glandular cells. This phenomenon, which is rapid and transitory, precedes a mitotic surge in the glandular epithelium. Ultrastructural studies allowed us to observe the beginning of glycogenesis as early as 1 h after the injection of P. Quantitative image analysis in the course of a kinetic study showed that glycogen levels reached a maximum at the sixth h and after 24 h had fallen dramatically. Promegestone, a potent progestomimetic compound, gave similar results, but estradiol, testosterone and dexamethasone failed to induce the appearance of glycogen in the uterine glands. Mifepristone (RU 486) had an antagonistic effect on the action of P. These results suggest that early P-dependent glycogenesis in the endometrial glandular cells of the rabbit may play an important role in the increased rate of mitosis and cellular proliferation that are necessary events in preparing the endometrium for implantation.

Effect of a new topically active antiandrogen (RU 38882) on the rat sebaceous gland: comparison with cyproterone acetate.

RU 38882 is a new antiandrogen. When given by subcutaneous or oral route, RU 38882 is about 25 times less potent than cyproterone acetate. However, when applied topically to the intact rat skin, RU 38882 (0.25-25 mg/rat/day for 5 days or 3 weeks) decreases, in a dose-related manner, the volume density of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum vesicles of the differentiating cells of the sebaceous gland, a structure directly involved in sebum lipid synthesis. Under these conditions RU 38882 is about 100 times more potent than cyproterone acetate and unlike cyproterone acetate, does not modify the prostate weight. The lack of efficacy of cyproterone acetate on the sebaceous gland could be due to its partial androgenic activity while RU 38882, under these conditions, acts as a pure antiandrogen which inhibits the nuclear androgen-receptor translocation.

Ultrastructural changes in the uropygial gland of the male Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix, after testosterone treatment. Comparison with the sebaceous gland of the male rat.

The ultrastructure of the uropygial gland of the male quail was compared to that of the sebaceous gland of the male rat after castration and testosterone treatment of both species. In intact animals, the differentiating cells of these glands displayed almost the same pattern as regards their smooth endoplasmic reticulum, an organelle involved in lipogenesis in both cases. Castration reduced the volume of this organelle, while testosterone administration restored cell morphology to a normal or supranormal level. Finally, this study showed that at ultrastructural level, there is a close functional analogy between the uropygial gland of quail and the sebaceous glands of rats as regards their androgen dependency. Consequently, the uropygial gland might be an attractive model for study of action of androgens on sebaceous-like glands.

Effects of progestins and antiprogestins on mitochondria in uterine glandular cells in the rat. A quantitative investigation.

The administration of progesterone to ovariectomized rats induces an increase in the volume density (Vv) of the mitochondria and the appearance of giant mitochondria in the uterine glandular cells. This experimental model, including a stereological analysis, allowed us to investigate and quantify a direct effect of progesterone on a well-defined cellular structure without the intervention of estrogen in a priming phase. Synthetic compounds, promegestone, gestrinone and RU 38486, were tested in this model either in place of progesterone or simultaneously with progesterone. The potent progestomimetic activity of promegestone was confirmed by the proliferation of giant mitochondria and a high Vv value for the mitochondria, the two other compounds being inactive even at higher doses. At lower doses, gestrinone and RU 38486 partially inhibit the action of progesterone and at higher doses they both show a complete antagonist effect by preventing the development of the mitochondria.

Ultrastructural changes of sebaceous glands in castrated and testosterone-treated male rats. A qualitative and quantitative study.

The effect of testosterone on the sebaceous gland was studied in the male rat. Biopsies of dorsal skin from intact rats, from rats four weeks after castration, and from castrated rats treated with testosterone propionate for three weeks at a dose of 250 micrograms/kd/day (s.c.) were examined by electron microscopy. In the treated animals intermediate sacrifices were performed on days 4, 7, 14, 21. Stereology was used for a morphometric analysis of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). The presence of a vesicular endoplasmic reticulum throughout the cytoplasm of differentiating cells was observed in the sebaceous glands of intact rats. Following castration there was a shrinkage of these cells and a striking decrease in the volume density of the endoplasmic reticulum vesicles. The administration of testosterone to gonadectomized rats resulted in an increase in vesicle content above the normal level from the first week as revealed by stereological analysis. This study confirms the trophic effect of the androgen on the sebaceous gland at a subcellular level. Furthermore, it is shown that stereology is a useful method for detecting early hormone-induced changes and could be valuable for studying the effects of anti-androgens on this gland.

Detection and localization of 14-3-2 protein in primary cultures of embryonic rat brain.

The development of embryonic rat brain in cell cultures was studied by an immunocytochemical method based on the detection of 14-3-2 protein (neuron-specific enolase or NSE), a neuron-specific protein. This protein was already present in undifferentiated neurons (less than 5 days in culture), being dispersed throughout the cytoplasm, though seemingly concentrated in the vicinity of polyribosomal structures. It was not found in nuclei, in mitochondria or in the Golgi apparatus. During neuron differentiation, the location of 14-3-2 protein was related to neurite development insofar as it was detected along the axon and even in what could be taken to be the presynaptic region of numerous interneuron contacts. In contact areas, a thickening of the junction membrane was observed but the presence of 14-3-2 protein was always unilateral demonstrating the absence of a true synapse and reflecting the halt in neurite development observed after 15 days in culture. The presence of 14-3-2 protein in the cell cultures was confirmed by a microcomplement fixation assay. The protein detected in cell cultures had the same immunological properties as that found in the 17-day-old embryo, but was slightly different from that found in adult rat brain. This observation can be confronted with the lack of neuron maturation in the immunocytochemical studies.