A high fat diet in CF-1 mice: An experimental model for metabolic syndrome.

Cardiovascular diseases account for the majority of deaths worldwide. Many of their risk factors have been identified but, for their continued study, research centering on new murine models is of interest. In this study, a high fat diet (HFD) and a normal diet (ND) (25 and 4.4% fat, respectively) were tested over a 40-day period to induce the same metabolic alterations in CF-1 mice in two separate experiments. The parameters measured for these effects corresponded to the weight of ingested food and water, to the weight of the mice and their selected organs (adipose tissue, gastrocnemius, liver and heart), to their biochemical profile (glycemia, blood uric nitrogen, uric acid, triglycerides, cholesterol, proteins and albumin) and to the percentage of fat in their livers. The biochemical profile of the CF-1 mice fed a diet high in fat but balanced in proteins (16.9%) showed statistically significant increases in glycemia, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A statistically significant increase in the weight of adipose tissue was also observed. No statistically significant differences were observed in the muscular mass of either of the groups of mice, but a high percentage of fat was found in the liver. The results lead to the conclusion that CF-1 mice fed a HFD develop metabolic alterations that correspond to an equivalent metabolic syndrome. This is important in the evaluation of the effects of various interventions, such as food, exercise and molecules, on metabolic alterations in mice induced by the intake of a HFD.

Activity of solidagenone and their semisynthetic derivatives on the glucocorticoid-mediated signal transduction.

The labdane diterpene solidagenone and four semisynthetic derivatives were assessed for effects on the glucocorticoid-mediated signal transduction. Solidagenone and the derivatives proved to be active with IC50 values between 1 and 25 micrograms/mL. All compounds were cytotoxic towards L 1210, BHK and COS 7 cells with IC50 from 10-100 micrograms/mL.

Studies of Genetic Variation of Essential Oil and Alkaloid Content in Boldo (Peumus boldus).

Boldo is a tree or shrub with medicinal properties native to Chile. The leaves contain alkaloids and essential oils. Variation of total alkaloid concentration, of the alkaloid boldine, and essential oil components were studied in different populations from northern, central, and southern parts of its geographic range and in their progenies (half-sib families). Total alkaloid concentration showed genetic variation between progenies of the central population but not between populations. Boldine content found in concentrations of 0.007 to 0.009% did not differ significantly between populations. Principal components of the essential oil were determined genetically, with highest values for ascaridole in the population of the north and for P-cymene in the south. Between half-sib families genetic variation was found in the central and northern populations for these components. The high heritability coefficients found indicate considerable potential for successful selection of individuals for these characters.

Rutin and Scopoletin Content and Micropropagation of Fabiana imbricata.

An HPLC method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of rutin and scopoletin in the aerial parts of FABIANA IMBRICATA is presented. The results showed high variability in the scopoletin (240-2,400 mg%) and rutin (195-1,950 mg%) content in the populations surveyed. A micropropagation method for F. IMBRICATA plants was established by culturing shoot tips on Murashige-Skoog (MS) medium containing 1.0 mg/l benzylaminopurine (BAP), 0.01 mg/l naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 0.1 mg/l gibberellic acid (GA3). Auxin addition to the rooting medium, especially 0.5 mg/l indolebutyric acid (IBA) or 0.5 mg/l IBA and 0.1 mg/l NAA, enhances root formation. The micropropagation method presented allowed the obtention of regenerated plantlets in six weeks from shoot tips.