OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of transfection of agrin gene on the recovery of muscle function after a free neurovascular muscle transfer.

METHODSThe electrical gene transfection was performed when the gracilis muscle of the SD rat was completed free neurovascular transfer. The experimental group was treated with pCS2+ -agrin, the group with plasmid pCS2+ as the negative control and the group with normal saline as the frank control. The muscle function, expression of neural agrin and the junctional nAChR number was measured after the operation.

RESULTSAt 4, 5 and 10 weeks postoperatively, the pCS2+ -agrin group was significantly better than the control groups in muscle function (P < 0.05 ). The immunohistochemical staining showed an increasing deposition of the agrin protein near the endplate at 1 and 5 weeks after the operation, but decreasing remarkably to the level of control groups at 10 weeks postoperatively. The pCS2+ -agrin group was significantly more than the control groups in junctional nAChR number at every points of the time postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONSTransfection of agrin gene in the transferred muscle may increase the early recovery of muscle function.

Agrin ; genetics ; Animals ; Female ; Genetic Therapy ; Genetic Vectors ; Muscle Proteins ; genetics ; Muscle, Skeletal ; transplantation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recovery of Function ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of glycine site/NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist MRZ2/576 on the conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotor activity induced by morphine in mice.

METHODSDifferent doses (1.25, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) of MRZ2/576 were used to evaluate the effect of MRZ2/576 on the acquisition and expression of CPP induced by morphine (5 mg/kg) in mice. In addition, we examined the locomotor activity of mice in conditioning and testing phase of CPP paradigm.

RESULTSMRZ2/576 alone could not establish place preference, but a 5 mg/kg dose of MRZ2/576 could block both acquisition and expression of morphine-induced CPP. In testing phase of CPP, there was no statistical difference for locomotor activity between the groups; injection of MRZ2/576 showed a dose-dependent decrease of locomotor activity on both control and morphine-treated mice, especially 5 mg/kg of MRZ2/576 significantly suppressed the locomotor activity of mice.

CONCLUSIONBased on the present results, we assume that MRZ2/576 can antagonize the rewarding effect of morphine, suggesting that this glycine site/NMDA receptor antagonist could be used to treat addictions due to its light side effect profile.

Animals ; Conditioning (Psychology) ; drug effects ; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Magnesium ; physiology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Morphine ; pharmacology ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Phthalazines ; pharmacology ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; antagonists & inhibitors

OBJECTIVETo establish the computer-based video-tracking conditioned place preference (CPP) system in mice.

METHODSThe CPP system was composed of computer, camera, soundproof box, shuttle box and analytical software. The results of morphine-induced conditioned place preference were used to evaluate the experiment system. And the effect of morphine-induced locomotor activity in drug-paired compartment was studied in mice.

RESULTSLow (1 mg/kg, i.p.), moderate (3 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, i.p.) and high (10 mg/kg, i.p.) dose of morphine significantly prolonged the time mice spent in drug-paired compartment compared with saline, but there was no dose-response relation. Moderate and high dose of morphine significantly enhanced locomotor activity, among which 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg morphine induced behavior sensitization in drug-paired compartment during the conditioning sessions.

CONCLUSIONThe computer-based video-tracking conditioned place preference experiment system in mice established successfully is reliable and stable.

Animals ; Automatic Data Processing ; Conditioning (Psychology) ; drug effects ; physiology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Models, Animal ; Morphine ; pharmacology ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Narcotics ; pharmacology ; Opioid-Related Disorders ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Video Recording

Adult ; Female ; Gases ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; metabolism ; microbiology ; physiology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged