Surgical castration performed to reduce male-associated problems results in pain and microbial infections in male animals. Therefore, immunocontraception, which is mediated by the animal's own antibodies against reproductive hormones, has been recommended as an alternative to surgical castration when considering the animal's welfare. In this study, a new immunocontraceptive vaccine composed of six tandem copies of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) fused to rat granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was developed, and its efficacy was evaluated in male rats. Three different doses (10, 50, and 100 μg) of recombinant GM-CSF-GnRH protein were injected three times at intervals of two weeks into male rats. The rats vaccinated with three doses of GM-CSF-GnRH produced a significantly higher level of antibodies against GnRH than that in the negative control rats. Severe atrophy of gonads was observed in rats vaccinated with three doses of GM-CSF-GnRH but not in the negative control rats. The results reveal that the new GnRH vaccine conjugated with rat GM-CSF induces efficient immunocontraception in male rats. This formulation of the immunocontraceptive vaccine would be applicable to both domestic and pet male animals.

Histochemical patterns of lectin binding during development of the rat vomeronasal organ (VNO) were studied to determine whether glycoconjugates are differently expressed after birth. Three types of lectins, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), and Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA-I), were studied histochemically in the rat VNO at various stages post-birth: postnatal days 1 and 7, the preweaning period (4 weeks after birth), and at sexual maturity (8 weeks after birth). The free border of the vomeronasal sensory epithelium was positive for both WGA and UEA-I in rats of all ages; whereas, VNO receptor cells and supporting cells were positive only for both WGA and UEA-I from 4 weeks after birth. DBA reactivity was detected in the free border but less so in receptor cells and supporting cells. WGA and UEA-I, but not DBA, showed similar patterns in various ages. In the Jacobson's gland, WGA, UEA-I and DBA were detected in some acini from 4 weeks after birth but not at postnatal days 1 or 7. Collectively, reactivity for three lectins, WGA, UEA-I and DBA, increased in receptor cells and gland acini during postnatal development, possibly contributing to the enhanced chemoreception in rats.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic capacity of water extract of danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge). We have established in rat critical-sized calvarial defect model using the combination with collagen scaffold and danshen hydrophilic extract. All rats were extinguished at 8 weeks after bone graft surgery, and the bone regeneration ability of bone grafting sides was evaluated by plain radiography and micro-CT. These results revealed water extract of danshen had the potential to promote osteogenesis especially continuous oral administration with local treatment compared to one-shot local treatment. This compound may provide a new alternative agent for growth factors to promote bone healing and bone regeneration. In conclusion, these results suggest that danshen hydrophilic extract have the potential to promote osteogenesis in bone defects. Further studies about fusion technology with salvianolic acid B, peptides, growth factors, and scaffolds using of the combination of tissue engineering, cell engineering and mechanical engineering are needed.

The left main descending artery (LMDA) of left coronary artery (LCA) in rats runs around the left side of conus arteriosus after arising from the aortic sinus and descends to the apex of heart with branching several branches into the wall of left ventricle (LV). The ligation site of LMDA for myocardial infarction (MI) is the 2~4 mm from LCA origin, between the pulmonary trunk and left auricle. The characteristics that rat heart has no interventricular groove on the surface and its coronary arteries run intramyocardially with branching several branches give the difficulty in surgery for MI which resulted in expected size.

The present study was carried out to produce the hematological and blood chemical findings after hypophysectomy in rats. Hypophysectomy was performed by the parapharyngeal method and the sham surgery was performed for the control group. Two weeks after the operation, the body weight of the hypophysectomized and control rats was measured daily for 5 days. We deleted the rats the weight gain of which is less than 5 g during 5 days from the hypophysectomy group. The successful operation rate was approximately 40%. In the hypophysectomized and control rats, their blood samples were collected from posterior vena cava after celiotomy under generally anesthesia with ether.

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of cyclophospaide(CY) on dietynitrosamine(DEN)-induced hepatic tumors in rats. Thirty five male of femal Sprague Dawley rats were continiously given water containing O.01% DEN for 10 weeks and then were give with CY 25mg/rat/day in water for 3, 5, 7 or 9 days. The livers of rats were removed and fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin. The appearances of positive cells by immunohistochemical methods using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibody, p53 antibody and apoptotic kit were investigated. The livers of rats given with CY were grossly brilliant, red-brown color, flexible, and thin border, and stainability of the liver cells were restored microscopically, and the vaccuolated and degenerated regions were differentiated from restored regions. These restored findings also were advanced in control group becouse of no DEN treatment but tended to be less avanced. In immunohistochemistry, positive cells to PCNA antibody appeared more numerous in control groups than that of CY treated groups. Appearance of positive cells in CY-treated group for 7 days and for 9 days were more numerous than those of CY-treated groups for 3 days and for 5 days, respectively. So these findings suggested that CY suppressed cell proliferations and effects of these action were decreased with CY-treated days. The numbers of positive cells to PCNA antibody were more prominent in hepatocelular carcinoma regions and cholangiocarcinoma regions, and then were ranked as order of large liver cell regions and normal liver cell regions. Also the numbers of the positive cells by apoptotic kit tended to be higher in hepatocelular carcinoma regions and cholangiocarcinoma regions but not uniformly in order in all regions nd were much less numbers than those of OCNA positive cells. So immunohistochemical methods using PCNA antibody together than using apoptotic kit alone when anti-carcinogen experiments. Rats with positive cells by p53 antibody were 11 of 15 rats(73.4%) in control groups and 12 of 18 rats(66.7%) in CY treated group, respectively. These positive cells appeared focally in early vacuole-occurring regions and were low in numbers.

Osteoporosis is defined as a decrease in bone mass that leads to an increased risk of fracture. The therapeutic effect of 1alpha,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, the hormonal form of vitamin D3 that mediates calcium translation in intestine and bone, on the healing process of fracture has still been controversial. These studies were designed to understand the healing process of normal fibular fracture, the osteoporotic changes after ovariectomy, and the theraqeutic effects of 1alpha,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol on the osteoporotic fracture in rats. The simple transverse fractures of rat fibulae were produced with a rotating diamond saw. The changes of the biochemical and mechanical indices of rats were investigated. The mechanical study based on bending test revealed the healing of the fibular fracture in the 5th week after simple transverse fracture. The osteoporosis impaired more the healing of osteoporotic fibular fracture than normal non-osteoporotic fibular fracture. The healing process of osteoporotic fracture was facilitated by the treatment with 1alpha,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, however was delayed more than the healing process of normal fracture. The bone strength based on the bending test also confirmed this tendency. The bone strengths in the 5th week after fracture of normal bone, osteoporotic bone, and 1alpha,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol-treated osteoporotic bone were 75%, 41% and 67%, respectively, in comparison with those of intact bone. In conclusion, 1alpha,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol was effective in promoting the osteroporotic fracture healing.

To investigate the effect of diazepam on fetal development in pregnant rats, this experiment was performed in eighty Sprague-Dawley female rats which were 8 weeks old and grouped into two according to different diazepam treatment period during 5-9 days of gestation and 10-14 days of gestation. Both experimental groups were included by saline treated groups (control) and diazepam-treated groups (6mg, 12mg and 24mg), respectively. Diazepam was injected to pregnant rats subcutaneously, which were wacrified on 20 days of gestation and mean litter size, fetal body weight, fetal crown-rump length (CRL) and pathological findings were examined. 1. Concerning mean litter size, diazepam-treated groups showed lower mean litter size than control in both 5-9 days and 10-14 days of gestation groups(p0.05) without difference according to dosage of diazepam and day of gestation. 2. Concerning fetal body weight, diazepam-treated groups during 5-9 days of gestation showed lower fetal body weight than control and the other treated group during 10-14 days(p0.01) without difference according to dosage of diazepam. Diazepam-treated group during 10-14 days of gestation showed no difference among experimented groups. 3. Concerning fetal crown-rump length (CRL), diazepam-treated groups during 5-9 days of gestation showed shorter CRL than control and the other treated group during 10-14 days of gestation(p0.01) without difference according to dosage of diazepam. 4. Reduction of mean litter size, fetal body weight and CRL was shown from when treated by the dosage of 6mg/kg of diazepam. 5. Maternal mortality according to dosage of the 20mg/kg of diazepam were 30% and 20% in the treated group during 5-9 days and 10-14 days of gestation, respectively. These results indicated that diazepam treatment in pregnant rats caused considerable reduction of mean litter size, fetal body weight and fetal crown-rump length when treated during 5-9 days of gestation.

The regional distributions and frequencies of argentaffin endocrine cells in gastrointestinal (GI) tract of osteoporotic Sprague-Dawley rat induced by ovariectomy were studied by Masson-Hamperl silver stain. The experimental animals were divided into two groups, one is non-ovariectomized group (Sham) and the other is ovariectomized group (OVX). Samples were collected from each part of GI tract (fundus, pylorus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon and rectum) at 10th week after ovariectomy or sham operation. Argentaffin cells were detected throughout the entire GI tract with various frequencies regardless of ovariectomy except for the rectum of OVX in which no cells were detected.

We studied the effect of propofol (PPF) on the endothelium-dependent vascular responses in isolated rat thoracic aorta. In aortic rings with endothelium, PPF inhibited the phenylephrine (PE)-induced contraction in a concentration-dependent manner. In PE-precontracted preparations, PPF attenuated the endothelium-dependent relaxation by acetylcholine but not by A23187. And PPF did not attenuate the endothelium-independent relaxation by sodium nitroprusside (SNP).