ABSTRACT
Functional islet cell tumor was diagnosed in 6 ferrets. Prominent clinical signs included weight loss, hind limb weakness, ptyalism, and tremors. The diagnosis was made on the basis of 2 or more of the following methods and confirmed by histologic examination of biopsied tissue: hypoglycemia on routine serum biochemical analysis, clinical signs of hypoglycemia, simultaneous development of hypoglycemia (44 +/- 9.9 mg/dl; mean +/- SD), and hyperinsulinemia (58 +/- 18.4 microU/ml; mean +/- SD) after food was withheld for 4 hours. Surgical resection of affected tissue was associated with clinical improvement in all cases. Foci of metastasis were found in 1 ferret. Diazoxide was unsuccessful in controlling persistent postsurgical hypoglycemia in 2 ferrets. Additional functional islet cell tumors were identified in 5 of 6 ferrets at necropsy. Functional islet cell tumors are important neoplasms of older ferrets. Preventive health programs for ferrets > 3 years old should include monthly weight determinations and biannual CBC and serum biochemical analysis.
Subject(s)
Adenoma, Islet Cell/veterinary , Ferrets , Pancreatic Neoplasms/veterinary , Adenoma, Islet Cell/surgery , Animals , Female , Male , Pancreatic Neoplasms/surgeryABSTRACT
As the number of ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) used in research and kept as pets continues to rise, so does the need for simple, humane research and diagnostic techniques. We have developed venipuncture methods for the ferret utilizing the jugular and cephalic veins. Using these methods it is possible to repeatedly sample moderate volumes of blood and to perform intravenous injections in both conscious and sedated ferrets.
Subject(s)
Bloodletting/veterinary , Ferrets , Animals , Bloodletting/methods , Forelimb/blood supply , Jugular VeinsABSTRACT
The concentrations of beta-carotene, retinol and retinyl esters in serum and selected tissues of ferrets fed diets supplemented with beta-carotene (80 micrograms/g wet diet) for 3 wk were determined. The initial concentration of serum beta-carotene was 0.011 +/- 0.006 mumol/L (mean +/- SEM); at the end of the experimental period it was 5.75 +/- 1.60 mumol/L. No significant differences in serum retinol and total retinyl esters were observed between beta-carotene-fed and control ferrets that had been fed an unsupplemented diet. The predominant retinyl esters in serum were retinyl stearate (53%) and retinyl palmitate (35%). Of the tissues analyzed after beta-carotene feeding, the liver contained the highest concentration of beta-carotene (78.8 +/- 18.8 nmol/g). Other tissues that contained beta-carotene in amounts ranging from 17 to 20 nmol/g were adrenals, small intestine, stomach and colon; lesser amounts (6.9 nmol/g) were found in kidneys. Amounts ranging from 1.2 to 2.3 nmol/g were found in muscle, bladder, adipose tissue, lungs and skin; only 0.37 and 0.34 nmol/g were present in brain and eyes, respectively. Thus, like humans, ferrets have the capacity to absorb intact beta-carotene and to store this compound in tissues, especially the liver. However, compared with humans, ferrets have elevated concentrations of retinyl esters in serum, liver and other tissues.
Subject(s)
Carotenoids/pharmacokinetics , Diet , Ferrets/metabolism , Vitamin A/metabolism , Absorption , Adrenal Glands/metabolism , Animals , Carotenoids/administration & dosage , Carotenoids/blood , Diterpenes , Gastric Mucosa/metabolism , Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Male , Organ Specificity , Retinyl Esters , Vitamin A/analogs & derivatives , Vitamin A/blood , beta CaroteneABSTRACT
L-Arginine, the primary nitrogen source for nitric oxide synthesized by many cell types in culture and for biosynthesized nitrate in humans, is also a nitrogen source for biosynthesized nitrate in rats and ferrets. After administration of [15N2]L-arginine to rats and ferrets, [15N]NO3- was detected in urine. Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide induced more than a 10-fold increase in urinary nitrate in rats and a parallel increase in incorporation of 15N from [15N2]L-arginine into NO3-. Bradykinin, a vasodilator which induces nitric oxide production by endothelial cells in vitro, lacked detectable effect on urinary nitrate or on incorporation of L-arginine nitrogen into nitrate in rats. A prolonged period of vasodilation brought on by an extended period of exercise increased urinary nitrate 2-fold in human subjects. In the rat, recoveries in 24 h post-dose urine collections of [15N]NO3- given i.v. and i.p. were 75 and 64% respectively, while in the ferret, recoveries of i.v. and per os [15N]NO3- doses were 49 and 34% respectively. Thus, nitrate synthesized by mammalian cells in vivo would undergo losses similar to those for exogenous nitrate.
