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BackgroundNematodes of the genus Toxocara are cosmopolitan roundworms frequently found in dogs and cats. Toxocara spp. can accidentally infect humans and cause a zoonosis called human toxocariasis, which is characterized by visceral, ocular or cerebral migration of larval stages of the parasite, without completing its life cycle. In general, chronic nematode infections induce a polarized TH2 immune response. However, during the initial phase of infection, a strong pro-inflammatory response is part of the immunological profile and might determine the outcome and/or pathology of the infection.MethodsParasitological aspects and histopathology during larval migration were evaluated after early T. canis experimental infection of BALB/c mice, which were inoculated via the intra-gastric route with a single dose of 1000 fully embryonated eggs. Innate immune responses and systemic cytokine patterns (TH1, TH2, TH17 and regulatory cytokines) were determined at different times after experimental challenge by sandwich ELISA.ResultsWe found that experimental infection with T. canis induced a mix of innate inflammatory/TH17/TH2 responses during early infection, with a predominance of the latter. The TH2 response was evidenced by significant increases in cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IL-33, in addition to increasing levels of IL-6 and IL-17. No significant increases were observed for IL-10, TNF-α or IFN-γ levels. In parallel, parasitological analysis clearly revealed the pattern of larval migration through the mouse organs, starting from the liver in the first 24 h of infection, reaching the peak in the lungs on the 3rd day of infection and finally being found numerously in the brain after 5 days of infection. Peripheral leukocytosis, characterized by early neutrophilia and subsequent eosinophilia, was remarkable during early infection. The tissue damage induced by larvae was evidenced by histopathological analysis of the organs at different time points of infection. In all of the affected organs, larval migration induced intense inflammatory infiltrate and hemorrhage.ConclusionIn conclusion, these new insights into early T. canis infection in mice presented here enabled a better understanding of the immunopathological events that might also occur during human toxocariasis, thus contributing to future strategies of diagnosis and control.

After treatment with Morus nigra extract, non-diabetic and diabetic rats presented no glycemic changes. Fetuses from diabetic dams, regardless of Morus nigra treatment, were small for pregnancy age. In diabetic dams, plant treatment caused reduced MDA, cholesterol, triglycerides and VLDL levels, and decreased placental index and weight as compared to diabetic group. The fetuses from diabetic rats treated with Morus nigra extract had lower frequency of skeletal and visceral anomalies as compared to diabetic group. Thus, Morus nigra leaf aqueous extract failed to control hyperglycemia in diabetic rats. However, Morus nigra treatment had antioxidant effect, contributing to reduce incidence of internal anomalies in offspring from diabetic dams.

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O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se a prática do exercício físico (natação), iniciada em diferentes momentos da prenhez de ratas diabéticas, promove alterações no metabolismo materno. Após confirmação do diabete, induzido por Streptozotocin, ratas Wistar foram acasaladas e randomizadas em três grupos (n = 13 ratas/grupo): não-praticante (G1) ou praticante de exercício desde o dia zero (G2) ou sétimo dia (G3) de prenhez. O exercício consistiu de um programa de natação com intensidade moderada. Durante a prenhez, glicemia e peso corpóreo foram avaliados semanalmente. No final da prenhez, as ratas foram anestesiadas e dessangradas para obtenção de amostras de sangue para determinação de proteínas totais, triglicérides, colesterol total e VLDL-colesterol. Fígado e músculo foram coletados para dosagem de glicogênio hepático e muscular, respectivamente. Independente do momento em que foi iniciado, o exercício não alterou os níveis glicêmicos, a evolução do peso corpóreo e as concentrações de proteínas totais e glicogênio hepático e muscular. Porém, a natação iniciada no sétimo dia de prenhez diminuiu as taxas de triglicérides (G1 = 369,10 ± 31,91mg/dL; G2 = 343,32 ± 162,12mg/dL; G3 = 212,35 ± 70,32mg/dL), colesterol total (G1 = 176,48 ± 28,25mg/dL; G2 = 141,33 ± 19,77mg/dL; G3 = 129,86 ± 33,16mg/dL) e VLDL (G1 = 64,92 ± 24,41mg/dL; G2 = 63,54 ± 28,31mg/dL; G3 = 42,53 ± 14,12mg/dL) comparando com o grupo G1. Apesar de não se comprovar a influência do exercício físico sobre os níveis glicêmicos maternos, a prática diária de natação a partir do sétimo dia de prenhez mostrou-se benéfica para o perfil lipídico de ratas diabéticas. Esse resultado reforça a validade da associação da atividade física regular à dieta e insulina na gestação complicada pelo diabete.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of exercise on pregnancy outcome in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats (n = 11 animals/group). These animals were randomly assigned to sedentary (G1) and exercised groups, beginning from day 0 (G2) or 7 (G3) to day 20 of pregnancy. The moderate exercise was a swimming programme. At day 21 of pregnancy, all rats were anaesthetized and killed to obtain pregnancy outcome data. All rats presented glycaemia higher than 300 mg/dl, regardless of the exercise training. The G3 group showed higher live fetus number per implantation site and lower resorption number per implantation site compared with the G1 group. The fetal and placental mean weights per litter and the total number of ossification sites were significantly lower in the exercised groups (P < 0.05). Placental index was lower in the G2 and G3 groups compared with the G1 group. The occurrence of skeletal anomalies indicated that exercise increased the number of altered fetuses. Thus, moderate exercise achieved better outcomes by increasing the number of live births and decreasing resorption. However, exercise increased skeletal anomalies and decreased fetal and placental weights.

The aim of this study was to assess placental changes and reproductive outcomes in neonatally induced mild diabetic dams and fetal development in their offspring. At birth, female rats were assigned either to control or diabetic group (100 mg of streptozotocin/Kg, subcutaneously). At adulthood, the female rats were mated. During pregnancy, the blood glucose levels and glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed. At term, maternal reproductive outcomes, fetal and placental weight, and placental morphology were analyzed. Diabetic rats had smaller number of living fetuses, implantations and corpora lutea, and increased rate of embryonic loss. Placenta showed morphometric alterations in decidua area. Our results showed that mild diabetes was sufficient to trigger alterations in maternal organism leading to impaired decidua development contributing to failure in embryonic implantation and early embryonic losses. Regardless placental decidua alteration, the labyrinth, which is responsible for the maternal-fetal exchanges, showed no morphometric changes contributing to an appropriate fetal development, which was able to maintain normal fetal weight at term in mild diabetic rats. Thus, this experimental model of diabetes induction at the day of birth was more effective to reproduce the reproductive alterations of diabetic women.