O transplante autólogo de tecido ovariano constitui alternativa relevante na preservação da fertilidade e da função hormonal ovariana em mulheres sujeitas à falência ovariana prematura e infertilidade, por causas malignas, tratamentos adjuvantes ou cirurgias. É a única opção para crianças, fase pré-puberal e para mulheres que não podem retardar a quimioterapia ou não podem ser submetidas à estimulação do ciclo. O transplante ovariano autólogo pode ser, quanto ao local de reimplantação, ortotópico ou heterotópico e, quanto à conservação, a fresco ou após o período de criopreservação. As várias etapas envolvidas neste transplante são estudadas mundialmente na atualidade, como a retirada e preservação do tecido ovariano, as técnicas de criopreservação, o local apropriado para o reimplante e as possibilidades de redução da perda folicular. A avaliação da apoptose - morte celular programada - é útil na avaliação da rejeição e viabilidade dos enxertos de transplantes estabelecidos na prática clínica, tanto autólogos como heterólogos. Com o intuito de utilizar animais de maior porte, conseguir seguimento de médio prazo e realizar os procedimentos cirúrgicos por via laparoscópica, padrão ouro em humanos, o presente estudo utilizou como modelo experimental fêmeas suínas, em idade reprodutiva, da raça Minipig. Este projeto teve como propósito avaliar a influência da criopreservação e do local de implante na qualidade e na viabilidade do transplante autólogo de ovário, a fresco e após criopreservação, no tecido celular subcutâneo e na região intraperitoneal peri-infundibular. Foram avaliados a quantidade e a densidade folicular dos implantes e os aspectos morfológicos e histomorfométricos, bem como a apoptose, por meio da imunoexpressão de proteínas proapoptóticas- Bax e antiapoptóticas-Bcl-2, além da Caspase 3-clivada, fase final das vias extrínseca e intrínseca dos mecanismos de apoptose.Quarenta animais foram divididos em cinco grupos: Controle com ooforectomia (Grupo I), ooforectomia e transplante a fresco subcutâneo (Grupo II), a ooforectomia e transplante fresco intraperitoneal (Grupo III), ooforectomia e transplante criopreservado subcutâneo (Grupo IV) e ooforectomia e transplante criopreservado intraperitoneal (GrupoV). Os resultados mostraram que independente da técnica empregada, havia folículos em desenvolvimento e corpos lúteos em todos os tecidos ovarianos transplantados; que a contagem de folículos antrais não degenerados foi menor nos grupos após criopreservação em relação ao grupo controle e que a imunoexpressão sugestiva de apoptose ocorreu em todos os grupos transplantados, sendo maior nos transplantes intraperitoneais. Concluiu-se que a técnica utilizada para o transplante de ovário e criopreservação foi viável no modelo suíno, em tecido celular subcutâneo e na região intraperitoneal peri-infundibular. O transplante autólogo heterotópico subcutâneo apresentou melhores taxas de apoptose que o transplante ortotópico. / Autotransplantation of ovarian tissue is an important alternative to preserve fertility and hormonal ovarian function in women undergoing ovarian failure and premature infertilidade, because of cancer or surgery. It is the only option for infants, pre-pubertal patients and for women who can not delay chemotherapy or not may be subjected to stimulation of the cycle. The various steps involved in the transplant are studied worldwide today, as the removal and preservation of ovarian tissue, the techniques of cryopreservation, the appropriate site and mechanisms to reduce follicular loss. Assessment of apoptosis - programmed cell death-is useful in the study of the viability of the grafts and rejection of transplants established in clinical practice, both autologous and heterologous. In order to use larger animals, getting following medium term (over 21 days) and to perform surgical procedures by laparoscopy (gold standard in humans), this study used an experimental model sows, reproductive age, Minipig race. This project aims to evaluate the influence of cryopreservation and implantation site of the quality and viability of ovarian autografts, fresh and after cryopreservation, at subcutaneous site and at intraperitoneal site. We analyzed the quantity and density of follicular implants and the morphological and histomorphometric as well as apoptosis, by proteins immunoexpression antiapoptotic and proapoptotic. Forty animals were divided into five groups: Control with oophorectomy (Group I), oophorectomy and fresh transplantation to subcutaneous site (Group II), oophorectomy and fresh transplantation to intraperitoneal site (Group III), oophorectomy and transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue to subcutaneous site (Group IV) and oophorectomy and transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue to intraperitoneal site (Group V). We concluded that the autologous ovarian transplantation was feasible in the technical proposals, in subcutaneous and intraperitoneal site in the porcine model; that regardless of the technique, there was developing follicles and corpora lutea in all ovarian tissue transplanted; that antral non-degenerate follicle count was lower in groups after cryopreservation that in the control group and that the immunoexpression of apotposis occurred in all transplanted groups, more evident in intraperitoneal transplants

Le gossypol, pigment principal des semences de coton, représente une cible de choix pour les chimistes organiciens du fait de ses multiples applications pharmacologiques : contraceptif oral chez l'homme, remède naturel pour le traitement de la bronchite, inhibiteur total de la réplication du virus HIV 1, agent antiviral in vitro contre le virus de l'herpès simple type 2, le virus de l'influenza, propriétés anticancéreuses. Ce sont ses propriétés anticancéreuses qui suscitent à l'heure actuelle le plus d'intérêt. Des travaux récents (≥ 2000) montrent que le gossypol est un très bon ligand des protéines de la famille Bcl-2 qui constituent un point de contrôle majeur pour la régulation de l'apoptose (mort naturelle cellulaire dont le processus est perturbé dans les situations de cancers). Le présent travail fournit des nouvelles substances analogues du gossypol. Les voies chimiques originales mises au point permettent de remplacer les groupes isopropyle et méthyle du gossypol par des groupes structurellement proches (éthyle, n-propyle, n-butyle, etc.).<br />La première méthode générale de préparation de dérivés de l'acide vératrique substitués en position C2 par ortho-lithiation a été développée. L'acide vératrique commercial est métallé efficacement en position C2 par le LTMP. L'acide 3,4-diméthoxy-2-méthylbenzoïque ainsi obtenu est à son tour métallable latéralement par le LDA. Il a d'autre part été montré que la position C3 de l'acide 8-isopropyl-4,6,7-triméthoxynaphtalène-2-carboxylique est métallable par LTMP. Lorsque la position C8 est occupé par un méthyle, la métallation se fait exclusivement dans cette position avec LTMP. Les acides 2,3-diméthoxybenzoïques substitués en position C2 par des groupements divers conduisent après condensation de Stobbe à des composés naphtaléniques eux-mêmes précurseurs — par dimérisation oxydante — du squelette binaphtalène présent dans gossypol et l'apogossypol. Le 5,5'-didésisopropyl-5,5'-diméthylgossypol racémique et le 5-désisopropyl-5-méthylhémigossypol ont été préparés selon ces méthodes.

Dans le cadre d'un projet général concernant l'étude de la réactivité des acidesbenzoïques non protégés avec les organométalliques, la synthèse totale d'analoguesstructuraux de l'apogossypol mettant en jeu des réactions de métallation aromatique a étéétudiée ainsi que la réaction de substitution nucléophile aromatique des acides benzoïquesortho-fluorés et ortho-méthoxylés.Le gossypol, (1,1',6,6',7,7'-hexahydroxy-5,5'-di-iso-propyl-3,3'-diméthyl-2,2'-binaphtalène-8,8'-dicarboxaldéhyde), pigment principal des graines du cotonnier, existe sousla forme de deux atropoisomères et possède de multiples applications pharmaceutiques. Il estnotamment un inhibiteur efficace des protéines anti-apoptotiques de la famille Bcl-2. Legossypol déformylé ou apogossypol présente des propriétés similaires mais est plus stable,plus sélectif et moins toxique. Une méthode permettant de remplacer les groupes iso-propylesdu gossypol par des groupes structurellement proches a été mise au point. La stratégie retenuemet à profit les compétences du laboratoire dans le domaine des réactions de métallation etrepose sur la lithiation latérale de l'acide 4-hydroxy-6,7-diméthoxy-8-méthyl-2-naphtoïquepar le tétraméthylpipéridure de lithium. Divers dérivés 5,5'-didés-iso-propyl-5,5'-dialkylapogossypol racémiques ont été préparés selon cette méthode. La synthèse asymétriqued'analogues de l'apogossypol a également été étudiée et la voie de synthèse sélectionnéerepose sur le " concept lactone ". Un intermédiaire avancé de la synthèse, une lactonefonctionnalisée potentiellement réductible de façon asymétrique, a été préparée.La deuxième partie est consacrée à l'étude de la réaction de substitution nucléophilearomatique des acides benzoïques ortho-fluorés et ortho-méthoxylés (réaction SNArAB). Unerevue de la littérature des réactions de substitution nucléophile aromatique activée par lesesters est présentée. L'influence de substituants méthoxylés et halogénés (F, Cl, Br) sur lasélectivité SNAr/addition 1,2 a été évaluée. Il est montré que les acides 2-fluoro-6-halogénobenzoïques conduisent, par réaction avec les aryllithiens et les arylmagnésiens, auxproduits d'ipso-C2-substitution avec un excellent rendement et la réaction SNArAB permet unaccès efficace aux acides 3-halogéno-[1,1'-biphényl]-2-carboxyliques. Dans le cas de l'acide2,3-diméthoxybenzoïque, il a été découvert que la présence d'un substituant méthoxy enposition 3 permet de limiter la formation de cétone et le produit d'ipso-substitution est isoléavec un rendement correct.

<p>From January, 1988, to December, 1993, 113 patients with FIGO stage IA-IIC epithelial ovarian carcinoma were treated with postoperative radiotherapy. The median follow-up period was 74 months. Tumor recurrences were recorded in 33 cases (30%). The cancer-specific survival rate was 72%. Tumor grade was a significant (P = 0.007) and independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. In a smaller series of 106 patients, a number of prognostic factors (age, FIGO stage, histopathological type, and tumor grade) were studied in relation to regulators of apoptosis (p53, bcl-2, and bax) and growth factor receptors (HER-2/neu and EGFR). Immunohistochemical techniques were used. In a separate series of 103 patients, the DNA content (flow cytometry) and p53 status of the tumors were also studied and related to the same clinicopathological factors. P53 was associated with tumor grade (P = 0.007) and survival status (P = 0.046). In a Cox multivariate analysis, tumor grade (P = 0.0006), bax status (P = 0.020), and EGFR status (P = 0.018) were significant and independent prognostic factors. DNA ploidy of the tumors was strongly associated with tumor grade. </p><p>From January, 1994, to December, 1998, a series of 109 patients with ovarian carcinomas (FIGO IA-IIC) were treated with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The same prognostic factors were studied in this series. The median follow-up was 48 months and the cancer-specific survival rate was 75%. Twenty-five (25%) tumor recurrences were recorded. The most favorable survival rate was seen in patients with tumors negative for p53 and positive for bcl-2 or bax. In a multivariate analysis, tumor grade (P = 0.014) and p53 status (P = 0.020) were independent prognostic factors.</p><p>Clinical, histopathological and biological prognostic factors should be combined in prognostic models to render patient-tailored therapy possible and to define different prognostic groups for future clinical studies of adjuvant therapy in early stage ovarian carcinomas.</p>

<p>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease with unknown ethiology. The aim of this study was to increase understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of dying motor neurons and wasting muscle tissue in this particular disorder.</p><p>Quantitative receptor autoradiographic methodology was applied on cervical spinal cord sections from patients with ALS to evaluate the specific binding of the acetylcholine transporter ³H-vesamicol in motor neurons. Despite a significant reduction of the number of ventral motor neurons in ALS, the ³H-vesamicol binding was not reduced in ALS compared to control cases, which suggests an increased metabolic activity in remaining motor neurons.</p><p>Motor neurons dying in ALS might go through apoptosis (programmed cell death), so immunohistochemical and TUNEL techniques were applied on thoracic spinal cord from ALS patients to evaluate the possibility of an apoptotic process. The increased Bax expression indicates an apoptotic process and further, motor neurons were TUNEL-positive, indicating DNA degradation caused by programmed cell death.</p><p>Muscle biopsies were obtained from ALS patients, and mRNA levels for the neurotrophic factors GDNF and BDNF were measured and compared to control subjects. GDNF levels were increased in muscle tissue in ALS whereas BDNF levels were unaltered.</p><p>Levels of GDNF and BDNF were also measured in cerebrospinal fluid from ALS patients and controls using ELISA methodology. Levels of BDNF were unaltered in ALS cornpared to controls. GDNF however was not detectable in controls whereas 12 out of 15 ALS patients had measurab1e levels of GDNW. A marked upregulation of endogenous GDNF and GDNF mRNA in ALS CSF and muscle respectively is of special interest in relation to clinical trials where GDNF is administered to this group of patients.</p>

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease with unknown ethiology. The aim of this study was to increase understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of dying motor neurons and wasting muscle tissue in this particular disorder. Quantitative receptor autoradiographic methodology was applied on cervical spinal cord sections from patients with ALS to evaluate the specific binding of the acetylcholine transporter 3H-vesamicol in motor neurons. Despite a significant reduction of the number of ventral motor neurons in ALS, the 3H-vesamicol binding was not reduced in ALS compared to control cases, which suggests an increased metabolic activity in remaining motor neurons. Motor neurons dying in ALS might go through apoptosis (programmed cell death), so immunohistochemical and TUNEL techniques were applied on thoracic spinal cord from ALS patients to evaluate the possibility of an apoptotic process. The increased Bax expression indicates an apoptotic process and further, motor neurons were TUNEL-positive, indicating DNA degradation caused by programmed cell death. Muscle biopsies were obtained from ALS patients, and mRNA levels for the neurotrophic factors GDNF and BDNF were measured and compared to control subjects. GDNF levels were increased in muscle tissue in ALS whereas BDNF levels were unaltered. Levels of GDNF and BDNF were also measured in cerebrospinal fluid from ALS patients and controls using ELISA methodology. Levels of BDNF were unaltered in ALS cornpared to controls. GDNF however was not detectable in controls whereas 12 out of 15 ALS patients had measurab1e levels of GDNW. A marked upregulation of endogenous GDNF and GDNF mRNA in ALS CSF and muscle respectively is of special interest in relation to clinical trials where GDNF is administered to this group of patients.

From January, 1988, to December, 1993, 113 patients with FIGO stage IA-IIC epithelial ovarian carcinoma were treated with postoperative radiotherapy. The median follow-up period was 74 months. Tumor recurrences were recorded in 33 cases (30%). The cancer-specific survival rate was 72%. Tumor grade was a significant (P = 0.007) and independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. In a smaller series of 106 patients, a number of prognostic factors (age, FIGO stage, histopathological type, and tumor grade) were studied in relation to regulators of apoptosis (p53, bcl-2, and bax) and growth factor receptors (HER-2/neu and EGFR). Immunohistochemical techniques were used. In a separate series of 103 patients, the DNA content (flow cytometry) and p53 status of the tumors were also studied and related to the same clinicopathological factors. P53 was associated with tumor grade (P = 0.007) and survival status (P = 0.046). In a Cox multivariate analysis, tumor grade (P = 0.0006), bax status (P = 0.020), and EGFR status (P = 0.018) were significant and independent prognostic factors. DNA ploidy of the tumors was strongly associated with tumor grade. From January, 1994, to December, 1998, a series of 109 patients with ovarian carcinomas (FIGO IA-IIC) were treated with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The same prognostic factors were studied in this series. The median follow-up was 48 months and the cancer-specific survival rate was 75%. Twenty-five (25%) tumor recurrences were recorded. The most favorable survival rate was seen in patients with tumors negative for p53 and positive for bcl-2 or bax. In a multivariate analysis, tumor grade (P = 0.014) and p53 status (P = 0.020) were independent prognostic factors. Clinical, histopathological and biological prognostic factors should be combined in prognostic models to render patient-tailored therapy possible and to define different prognostic groups for future clinical studies of adjuvant therapy in early stage ovarian carcinomas.

Women with pregestational diabetes have a 2-5 fold increased risk of giving birth to malformed babies compared with non-diabetic women. Diabetes-induced oxidative stress in maternal and embryonic tissues has been implicated in the teratogenic process. The malformations are likely to be induced before the seventh week of pregnancy, when the yolk sac is partly responsible for the transfer of metabolites to the embryo, and the uterine blood flow to the implantation site determines the net amount of nutrients available to the conceptus. We aimed to evaluate the effect on embryogenesis caused by a diabetes-induced disturbance in yolk sac morphology, uterine blood flow or altered maternal antioxidative status in conjunction with a varied severity of the maternal diabetic state. We investigated to which extent maternal diabetes with or without folic acid (FA) supplementation affects mRNA levels and protein distribution of ROS scavenging enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPX), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (Vegf-A), folate binding protein-1 (Folbp-1), and apoptosis associated proteins (Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase-3) in the yolk sacs of rat embryos on gestational days 10 and 11. We found that maternal diabetes impairs, and that FA supplementation restores, yolk sac vessel morphology, and that maternal diabetes is associated with increased apoptotic rate in embryos and yolk sacs, as well as impaired SOD gene expression. We assessed uterine blood flow with a laser-Doppler-flow-meter and found increased blood flow to implantation sites of diabetic rats compared with controls. Furthermore, resorbed and malformed offspring showed increased and decreased blood flow to their implantation sites, respectively. In mice with genetically altered CuZnSOD levels, maternal diabetes increased embryonic dysmorphogenesis irrespective of CuZnSOD expression. We thus found the maternal diabetic state to be a major determinant of diabetic embryopathy and that the CuZnSOD status exerts a partial protection for the embryo in diabetic pregnancy.

The involvement of mitochondrial signaling in mammalian PCD regulation has been examined extensively via biochemical analyses and cellular studies in vitro. However there still exist considerable gaps in our knowledge regarding its contribution in specific tissues and cell types during mammalian development in vivo. In addition, given the numerous pathologic conditions associated with aberrant PCD, modulation of this signaling process represents an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. In this thesis I have therefore examined the regulation of mitochondrion-mediated PCD signaling as it pertains to several forms of developmental and injury-induced cell death. In the first component of the thesis I have examined the differential sensitivity of Bcl2 on the survival of motor neuron populations from two distinct developmental origins (alpha and gamma motor neurons), demonstrating that gamma motor neurons are preferentially affected in Bcl2 null mice. Thus, Bcl-2 plays a critical in vivo in regulating subtype-specific motor neuron survival during development. In the second study I have demonstrated that a major portion of the neuroprotective effect exerted by the immunophilins cyclosporin A and FK-506 are mediated through calcineurin signaling; rather than MOMP-mediated events as previously held. Additional findings of this study demonstrated the first neuroprotective effects of the pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin and calcineurin-mediated control of Bad phosphorylation. Such findings establish a link between calcineurin signaling and mitochondrion-mediated cell survival. The above studies established critical features of mitochondrion-mediated PCD in regulating survival of several neuronal subpopulations. I therefore followed these studies with an examination of how post-mitochondrial PCD signaling is regulated following MOMP permeabilization. Specifically I examined regulation of the Smac-IAP-caspase axis, investigating how combinatorial deletion of Casp3 and Diablo alter PCD progression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Using a series of injury stimuli in the context of biochemical and cellular analyses I have developed a model of how endogenous Smac/DIABLO regulates executioner caspase activity. Collectively these studies elucidate key aspects of mitochondrial signaling during both developmental and injury-induced PCD in vivo.

The involvement of mitochondrial signaling in mammalian PCD regulation has been examined extensively via biochemical analyses and cellular studies in vitro. However there still exist considerable gaps in our knowledge regarding its contribution in specific tissues and cell types during mammalian development in vivo. In addition, given the numerous pathologic conditions associated with aberrant PCD, modulation of this signaling process represents an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. In this thesis I have therefore examined the regulation of mitochondrion-mediated PCD signaling as it pertains to several forms of developmental and injury-induced cell death. In the first component of the thesis I have examined the differential sensitivity of Bcl2 on the survival of motor neuron populations from two distinct developmental origins (alpha and gamma motor neurons), demonstrating that gamma motor neurons are preferentially affected in Bcl2 null mice. Thus, Bcl-2 plays a critical in vivo in regulating subtype-specific motor neuron survival during development. In the second study I have demonstrated that a major portion of the neuroprotective effect exerted by the immunophilins cyclosporin A and FK-506 are mediated through calcineurin signaling; rather than MOMP-mediated events as previously held. Additional findings of this study demonstrated the first neuroprotective effects of the pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin and calcineurin-mediated control of Bad phosphorylation. Such findings establish a link between calcineurin signaling and mitochondrion-mediated cell survival. The above studies established critical features of mitochondrion-mediated PCD in regulating survival of several neuronal subpopulations. I therefore followed these studies with an examination of how post-mitochondrial PCD signaling is regulated following MOMP permeabilization. Specifically I examined regulation of the Smac-IAP-caspase axis, investigating how combinatorial deletion of Casp3 and Diablo alter PCD progression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Using a series of injury stimuli in the context of biochemical and cellular analyses I have developed a model of how endogenous Smac/DIABLO regulates executioner caspase activity. Collectively these studies elucidate key aspects of mitochondrial signaling during both developmental and injury-induced PCD in vivo.