The effects of nanoplastics on adipose stromal cells from swine tissues.

Plastic is one of the main sources of marine and terrestrial pollution. This material can fragment into micro- (<-5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs) (<100 nm) following degradation. Animals are exposed to these particles by ingesting contaminated food, respiration or filtration, and transdermally. In organisms, NPs can cross biological membranes, and cause oxidative stress, cell damage, apoptosis, and endocrine interference. We previously demonstrated that polystyrene - NPs interfered with ovarian cell functions. Since reproduction involves a high energy expenditure and a crucial role is played by adipose tissue, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of NPs on primary adipose stromal cells (ASCs) isolated from swine adipose tissues. In particular, the effects on cell viability, proliferation, metabolic activity, inflammatory process mediators and oxidative stress markers were assessed. The obtained results did not reveal a significant variation in cell proliferation, metabolic activity was increased (P < 0.01) but only at the lowest concentration, while viability showed a significant decrease after prolonged exposure to NPs (P < 0.01). TNF-α was increased (P < 0.05), while PAI-1 was inhibited (P < 0.001). Redox status was significantly modified; in particular, the production of O2-, H2O2 and NO was stimulated (P < 0.05), the non-enzymatic antioxidant power was reduced (P < 0.05) while catalase activity was significantly (P < 0.01) increased.

Prevalence of Proteinuria in Owned Dogs from Italy: A Multicentric Study.

Even though proteinuria is related to different causes, when it is persistent and associated with inactive urinary sediment, it is primarily due to kidney disease. Early detection of proteinuria allows us to identify several pathological conditions. The aim of the study was screening a canine population not known as being proteinuric, by the urinary dipstick. The study was carried out in seven Italian veterinary clinics during a period of six weeks. Dogs were enrolled with no restriction of sex or age. Females in estrus, dogs with signs of genitourinary diseases, or those previously diagnosed with proteinuric nephropathy were excluded. Dogs were considered "nonproteinuric" (NP) in case of negative dipstick test or "suspected proteinuric" (SP), if positive at the dipstick. When possible, proteinuria was confirmed by UPC ratio. A total of 1156 dogs were evaluated: 414 were from northern Italy and 742 from southern Italy. Based on dipstick test, 655 (56.6%) dogs were NP, while 501 (43.3%) were SP. Among the NP dogs 225 out of 414 (54.3%) were in northern Italy and 430 of 742 (57.9%) in southern Italy. One hundred eighty-nine of 414 (45.7%) SP dogs were identified in northern Italy and 312 of 742 (42.1%) in southern Italy. No statistical difference was found between the North and the South of Italy. UPC was available in 412 out of 501 SP samples: proteinuria was confirmed in 263 (63.86%) samples. Results from our study showed a high percentage of suspected proteinuric dogs, apparently not affected by renal diseases, together with the absence of statistically significant differences based on geographical area.

Sildenafil improves clinical signs and radiographic features in dogs with congenital idiopathic megaoesophagus: a randomised controlled trial.

We evaluated the efficacy of oral sildenafil citrate in dogs with congenital idiopathic megaoesophagus (CIM). Twenty-one puppies were randomly assigned to two groups (treatment and control). The dogs were given sildenafil oral suspension 1 mg/kg every 12 hours for 14 days or placebo in a masked fashion. Clinical signs (frequency of regurgitation and weight gain) and oesophagrams (relative oesophageal diameter, ROD) were evaluated in order to assess the efficacy of drug treatment, by examiners who were unaware of the study protocol. In addition, a set of in vitro experiments on isolated samples of canine lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS) was performed, and the effects of increasing concentrations of sildenafil on basal tone and electrically-stimulated motility were assessed. Sildenafil administration significantly reduced the number of regurgitation episodes (0.88±1.40 v 2.65±1.56, P<0.0001) and significantly increased weight gain in the treated dogs compared to controls (79.76±28.30 per cent v 53.40±19.30 per cent, P=0.034). ROD values, at the end of the treatment period, were significantly decreased in the sildenafil group, compared to pre-treatment values (0.97±0.19 v 0.24±0.14, P<0.0001), in contrast to control subjects (0.98±0.17 v 1.10±0.25, P=0.480). In accordance with the in vivo findings, sildenafil dose-dependently reduced basal tone and increased electrically-induced relaxation of dog LOS samples. These results suggest that sildenafil citrate helps ameliorate clinical and radiographic signs in dogs with CIM by reducing LOS tone, and could represent a novel therapeutic tool for the treatment of this disease.

Low-dose interferon-alpha treatment for feline immunodeficiency virus infection.

Feline immunodeficiency virus sustains an AIDS-like syndrome in cats, which is considered a relevant model for human AIDS. Under precise enrolment requirements, 30 naturally infected cats showing overt disease were included in a trial of low-dose, oral human interferon-alpha treatment. Twenty-four of them received 10 IU/Kg of human interferon-alpha and 6 placebo only on a daily basis under veterinary supervision. The low-dose human interferon-alpha treatment significantly prolonged the survival of virus-infected cats (p<0.01) and brought to a rapid improvement of disease conditions in the infected hosts. Amelioration of clinical conditions was neither correlated with plasma viremia, nor with proviral load in leukocytes. A good survival of CD4+ T cells and a slow increase of CD8+ T cells were also observed in human interferon-alpha-treated cats. Interestingly, the improvement of the total leukocyte counts showed a much stronger correlation with the recovery from serious opportunistic infections. As shown in other models of low-dose interferon-alpha treatment, there was a rapid regression of overt immunopathological conditions in virus-infected cats. This hints at a major role of interferon-alpha in the control circuits of inflammatory cytokines, which was probably the very foundation of the improved clinical score and survival despite the unabated persistence of virus and virus-infected cells.

IGF-I, IGFBP-2 and -3 but not GH concentrations are different in normal and poor growing piglets.

In this study we investigated the somatotropic axis in piglets with evident growth delay. Female Suffolk crossbred piglets (30 days old; N = 12) were divided into normal weight (10 +/- 0.9 kg) and poor growing subjects (7 +/- 0.5 kg) and bled for growth hormone (GH), Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 and 3 (IGFBP-2 and -3) determination. Basal and induced-GH levels were not different in the groups. Plasma IGF-I concentrations were significantly different (p < 0.001): 101.8 +/- 9.8 ng x mL(-1) (normal weight group) and 39.5 +/- 4.0 ng x mL(-1) (poor growing group). IGFBP-2 and -3 concentrations were significantly (p < 0.001) lower in poor growing than in normal piglets. Piglet weight was positively correlated (r = 0.98, p < 0.001) with IGF-I and IGFBP-2 or -3 concentrations. Our data indicate that growth rate was not correlated to basal or secretagogue-induced GH secretion.

Treatment of lactating sows with the dopamine agonist Cabergoline: effects on LH and prolactin secretion and responses to challenges with naloxone and morphine.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of chronic administration of a long-acting dopamine agonist, Cabergoline, on LH and prolactin secretion during lactation in the sow. The effect of the administration of the opioid antagonist naloxone and the agonist morphine in Cabergoline treated animals was also evaluated. In Part I of the experiment, 16 sows were treated as either CONT sows (n = 4; control, no treatment); CAB sows (n = 4; treated with Cabergoline from days 10 to 26 of lactation); CAB + NAL sows (n = 4; received Cabergoline treatment and naloxone challenges); CAB + MORP sows (n = 4; treated with Cabergoline and morphine challenges). Plasma LH and prolactin concentrations were measured in blood samples taken from all sows during 6-h periods at days 12, 19 and 26 of lactation. To extend the results at the most critical response period at day 26, another 11 sows were allocated in Part II to either Control (n = 3), Cabergoline (n = 4) or Cabergoline and morphine (n = 4) treatments as for Part I, but the effect of treatments were only confirmed in a single period of sampling at day 26 of lactation. Cabergoline treatment alone increased (P < 0.001) mean plasma LH concentrations at day 26 but not at days 12 and 16 of lactation. In contrast, naloxone challenges given in the presence of Cabergoline treatment increased (P < 0.05) mean LH at days 12 and 19 of lactation but not at day 26. Morphine challenges in the presence of Cabergoline treatment decreased (P < 0.05) mean LH concentrations only at day 26 of lactation, but did not completely reverse the effect of Cabergoline. No treatment differences in plasma oestradiol-17 beta were detected at any time. Plasma prolactin decreased (P < 0.001) in response to treatment with Cabergoline but there were no additional effects of naloxone or morphine. These data provide evidence for the existence of dopaminergic and opioidergic regulation of LH secretion in lactation in the sow and the relative influence of these systems changes as lactation progresses. Furthermore, the data suggest that the stimulatory effect of Cabergoline treatment on LH secretion in late lactation may be mediated by its effects on an inhibitory opioidergic mechanism. Finally, the data provide conclusive proof that prolactin does not directly influence LH secretion or estrogenic activity of the ovary during lactation in the sow.

FIV infection of macrophages: in vitro and in vivo inhibition by dideoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate.

We have evaluated in vitro and in vivo whether it is possible to protect cat macrophages from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection by the administration of dideoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate (DDCTP). Since cell membranes are impermeable to phosphorylated drugs we have encapsulated DDCTP into autologous erythrocytes and modified erythrocyte membranes to target these drug-loaded cells to macrophages. DDCTP-loaded erythrocytes reduced FIV production by macrophages infected in vitro or obtained from naturally or experimentally infected cats. The same treatment protected the majority of peritoneal macrophages during a 7 month experimental FIV infection and reduced the percentage of circulating lymphocytes stained with an anti-p24 antibody. These results suggest that the administration of nucleoside analogues in phosphorylated form is feasible and their targeting to macrophages reduces FIV infection in vitro and in vivo.

Feline immunodeficiency virus infection of macrophages: in vitro and in vivo inhibition by dideoxycytidine-5'-triphosphate-loaded erythrocytes.

Although HIV-1 and other mammalian lentiviruses infect macrophages, they are not cytopathic. Consequently, these infected long-lived cells serve as major virus reservoirs with a key role in the propagation of the virus throughout the body as well as in the pathogenesis of AIDS. Furthermore, well-differentiated macrophages possess low abilities to phosphorylate the most common reverse transcriptase inhibitors of the nucleoside analog family. In an attempt to overcome these problems we have evaluated in vitro and in vivo in a feline immunodeficiency animal model whether it is possible to protect macrophages from FIV infection by direct administration of dideoxycytidine-5'-triphosphate (ddCTP). Because the cell membranes are impermeable to phosphorylated drugs we have encapsulated ddCTP into autologous erythrocytes. The drug-loaded erythrocyte membranes were then modified to target these carrier cells to macrophages. ddCTP-loaded erythrocytes were able to reduce FIV production by macrophages infected in vitro or obtained from naturally or experimentally infected cats. Furthermore, the administration of ddCTP-loaded erythrocytes protected the majority of peritoneal macrophages during a 7-month experimental FIV infection and reduced the percentage of circulating lymphocytes stained by an anti-p24 antibody. These results suggest that the administration of nucleoside analogs in phosphorylate form is feasible and their targeting to macrophages reduces FIV infection both in vitro and in vivo.