Launch conditions might affect the formation of blood vessels in the quail chorioallantoic membrane.

As a part of the first joint USA-Russian MIR/Shuttle program, fertilized quail eggs were flown on the MIR 18 mission. Post-flight examination indicated impaired survival of both the embryos in space and also of control embryo exposed to vibrational and g-forces simulating the condition experienced during the launch of Progress 227. We hypothesized that excess mechanical forces and/or other conditions during the launch might cause abnormal development or the blood supply in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) leading to the impaired survival of the embryos. The CAM, a highly vascularized extraembryonic organ, provides for the oxygen exchange across the egg shell and is thus pivotal for proper embryonic development. To test our hypothesis, we compared angiogenesis in CAMs of eggs which were either exposed to the vibration and g-force profile simulating the conditions at launch of Progress 227 (synchronous controls), or kept under routine conditions in a laboratory incubator (laboratory controls). At various time points during incubation, the eggs were fixed in paraformaldehyde for subsequent dissection. At the time of dissection, the CAM was carefully lifted from the egg shell and examined as whole mounts by bright-field and fluorescent microscopy. The development of the vasculature (angiogenesis) was assessed from the density of blood vessels per viewing field and evaluated by computer aided image analysis. We observed a significant decrease in blood-vessel density in the synchronous controls versus "normal" laboratory controls beginning from day 10 of incubation. The decrease in vascular density was restricted to the smallest vessels only, suggesting that conditions during the launch and/or during the subsequent incubation of the eggs may affect the normal progress of angiogenesis in the CAM. Abnormal angiogensis in the CAM might contribute to the impaired survival of the embryos observed in synchronous controls as well as in space.

Stimulation of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis in type II alveolar epithelial cells.

The effects of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA) or ATP on phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis were investigated in cultured type II pneumocytes prelabeled with [3H]choline or 1-O-[3H]octadecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine ([3H]lyso-PAF). In cells prelabeled with [3H]choline, TPA or ATP stimulated an increase in [3H]choline, [3H]phosphocholine, and [3H]glycerophosphocholine. The formation of these choline metabolites was associated with a concomitant loss of [3H]PC but not from disaturated PC or phosphatidylinositol. In cells prelabeled with [3H]lyso-PAF, the formation of [3H]phosphatidic acid (PA) and then [3H]1,2-DG was stimulated by TPA or ATP and was associated with a loss of 3H from PC but not from disaturated PC or phosphatidylinositol. There was a concentration-dependent formation of [3H]1,2-DG and [3H]PA in response to ATP. Downregulation of protein kinase C with TPA abolished the stimulation of PC hydrolysis. In addition to the generation of metabolites indicative of phospholipase C and/or D activity, [3H]lyso-PC, a product of phospholipase A2, was also generated in response to TPA. These findings suggest an important role for PC breakdown in signal transduction in type II pneumocytes.

Insulin binding to mouse adipocytes exposed to clenbuterol and ractopamine in vitro and in vivo.

Insulin binding to mouse adipocytes was measured after in vitro (30 min) and in vivo (5 days) exposure to clenbuterol and ractopamine. At 10(-6) M, both agonists decreased insulin binding by 20-30% after a 30 min preincubation at each insulin concentration between 1 and 25 ng/ml. Binding was not decreased if propranolol was present. Scatchard plots suggested that decreased binding was due to a decrease in insulin receptor concentration. Insulin binding was decreased approximately 10% at agonist concentrations as low as 10(-13) M, but binding was not further decreased until concentrations exceeded 10(-9) M. Rate of gain was increased 2-fold by clenbuterol (10 mg/liter of drinking water) and 50% by 500 mg ractopamine/liter, but not by 50 mg ractopamine/liter. Clenbuterol and ractopamine (500 mg/liter) decreased fat pad weight but only clenbuterol increased hind limb muscle mass. Insulin binding following in vivo administration was not influenced by ractopamine at 50 mg/liter, but tended to be increased by clenbuterol and ractopamine at 500 mg/liter. The disparity in results between administering the beta-agonists in vitro or in vivo suggests that counter regulatory factors influenced insulin binding capacity in vivo. Results indicate that ractopamine and clenbuterol can decrease insulin binding to adipocytes but the relevance of this response to decreased fat accretion is not clear.