Sabe-se que o feto é vulnerável a modificações do millieu materno, especificamente, a exposição a um estressor ativa sistemas neuroendócrinos (expoentes o eixo hipotálamo-hipófise-adrenais HPA e o sistema nervoso autônomo simpático SNAS). Quando no terço final da gestação, essas mudanças podem interferir com o desenvolvimento/ maturação neuroimune. Estudos prévios de nosso grupo demonstraram que, o estresse pré-natal diminuiu significativamente a imunidade inata e aumentou o turnover de noradrenalina hipotalâmica de camundongos, dados que somados a outros de literatura levaram aos objetivos deste trabalho: analisar os efeitos de um estresse pré-natal sobre parâmetros de linfócitos de camundongos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a aplicação de choques nas patas (0,2 mA, 10 choques/sessão), tanto no terço final gestacional quanto após desafio agudo pós-natal, contudo, não modificou significativamente os parâmetros linfocitários avaliados. Baseado nisto, levantamos hipóteses: 1- a existência de vias de redundância fisiológica capacitaria o organismo a manter sua homeostasia frente aos estressores empregados; 2- inaptidão do modelo de estresse empregado; 3- ausência de desafio imune prévio à análise de um sistema que é responsivo (adaptativo). A primeira hipótese confirmou-se quando desenvolvemos como estresse pós-natal o modelo do estresse do metrô de Nova Iorque; a segunda hipótese confirmou-se também verdadeira através de desafio em modelo experimental de a asma OVA-induzida; finalmente, a terceira hipótese foi confirmada por estudos de outros autores. / As a consequence of his fast development, the fetus is vulnerable to modifications from the hormonal maternal millieu. This is explained mainly by the permeability of the placentary barrier to several hormones and substances. Specifically, it is known that the maternal exposition to a stressor activates neuroendocrine systems (exponents, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis HPA, and the sympathetic autonomic nervous system SANS), causing an exaggerated production of neuropeptides, which have the potential to change the motherly-fetus homeostasis. When this unbalance occurs in the final three months of pregnancy, it may impact fetal systems that are still being developed/matured, as the immune and nervous systems. According to previous studies, the prenatal-stress proposed in this work was able to produce a significant decrease on innate immunity as assessed by the evaluation of the activity of peritoneal macrophages; it was also, a significant increment in hypothalamic noradrenaline turnover. Such prenatal events, could be derived and/or reflect a lost in adaptative immunity homeostasis. The objective of this work was, thus, to analyze lymphocyte parameters of prenatal stressed mice. A footshock stress (0,2 mA, 10 shocks of 5 seconds each/session) was applied both in the final third of gestation and/or in the postnatal adult life. Those stressors was anable to affect the lymphocytes viability and their subpopulation patterns token from peripheral blood; the esplenic lymphocytes proliferation ratio were also not changed. Those results suggested that: 1- the stress model was not effective; 2- the obtained results reflected the absence of an immune challenge applied previous by the experiments performedb; 3- the existence of physiologic redundancies turns the organisms able to react in a homeostatic way even exposed to stress situations.

Orientadores: Tatiana de Sousa da Cunha, Fernanda Klein Marcondes / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T06:59:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sanches_Andrea_M.pdf: 1126813 bytes, checksum: 30cc93581a60db907dc7c938e7d40caf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: O estresse crônico é um fator de risco para o desenvolvimento de hipertensão, aterosclerose e diabetes. O protocolo de estresse crônico moderado e imprevisível (ECMI) é um modelo animal de estresse crônico. Em estudo prévio, foi observado que o ECMI induziu resistência à insulina, dislipidemia e disfunção endotelial, em ratos. Considerando que o aumento na atividade do sistema renina-angiotensina (SRA) tem sido associado à disfunção endotelial e à resistência à insulina, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a participação do SRA sobre os efeitos cardiovasculares e metabólicos induzidos pelo ECMI, em ratos. Foram utilizados 62 ratos machos Sprague-Dawley, com dois meses de idade. A duração do período experimental foi de 7 semanas. No Experimento 1, os animais foram divididos em 2 grupos: controle e estresse. O ECMI foi aplicado nas semanas 3, 4 e 5 e os animais foram eutanasiados 1 e 15 dias após a aplicação do protocolo de ECMI. O ECMI aumentou a atividade sistêmica da renina e da enzima conversora de angiotensina (ECA), da ECA na aorta torácica e as concentrações plasmáticas de angiotensina II e angiotensina (1-7). Com base nestes resultados, que mostraram aumento da atividade do SRA induzido pelo ECMI, o Experimento 2 foi delineado com o objetivo de avaliar a participação da angiotensina II e do seu receptor AT1 nos efeitos desencadeados pelo ECMI sobre a captação de glicose e sobre o sistema cardiovascular. Outros animais foram divididos em 4 grupos experimentais: controle, estresse, controle losartan (antagonista do receptor AT1 - 50 mg/Kg/dia, v.o.) e estresse losartan. O ECMI induziu aumento da área sob a curva, no teste de tolerância à glicose (TTG), diminuição da resposta vasodilatadora à acetilcolina na aorta torácica in vitro e aumento da pressão arterial in vivo, em comparação com o grupo controle, sem haver diferença entre os grupos controle, controle losartan e estresse losartan. Estes resultados mostram que os efeitos do ECMI levaram ao processo de disfunção endotelial em ratos, os quais foram associados positivamente à hiperatividade do SRA, bem como foram cancelados pelo tratamento com losartan. Assim, este estudo esclarece parte dos mecanismos fisiológicos envolvidos nas alterações metabólicas e cardiovasculares decorrentes do estresse crônico, demonstrando que estas alterações são mediadas pelo receptor AT1, provavelmente pela ligação da angiotensina II ao mesmo / Abstract: Chronic stress is a risk factor for the development of hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes. The protocol of chronic mild and unpredictable stress (CMUS) is an animal model of chronic stress. Previously, it has been shown that CMUS induced insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and endothelial dysfunction in rats. Considering that endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance have been associated with high activity of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), the aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of RAS components on cardiovascular effects induced by CMUS in rats. Sixty two male Sprague-Dawley rats, (2 months old) were used. The experiment period was 7 weeks. In experiment 1, animals were divided into 2 groups: control and stress. The CMUS was applied on weeks 3, 4 and 5 and animals were euthanized 1 and 15 days after the CMUS. The CMUS increased systemic renin and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity, ACE activity in the thoracic aorta and plasma angiotensin II and angiotensin (1-7) concentrations. Based on these results, showing increased activity of the RAS induced by ECMI, the second experiment was designed to evaluate the involvement of angiotensin II and its AT1 receptor in the effects triggered by CMUS on glucose uptake and on cardiovascular system. Other animals were divided into 4 experimental groups: control, stress, losartan control (AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan - 50 mg /kg/day, orally) and losartan stress. The CMUS induced an increase in area under the curve in the glucose tolerance test (GTT), decreased the in vitro vasodilator response to acetylcholine in the thoracic aorta and increased blood pressure, compared to control group, without difference among control, losartan control and losartan stress group. These results show that the effects of CMUS led to endothelial dysfunction in rats, which was positively associated with hyperactivity of the RAS and was canceled by the treatment with losartan. Thus, this study explains part of the physiological mechanisms involved in cardiovascular and metabolic changes resulting from chronic stress, demonstrating that these changes are mediated by the AT1 receptor, probably by angiotensin II binding to it / Mestrado / Fisiologia Oral / Mestre em Odontologia

Le sepsis sévère est un problème majeur de santé publique mondiale. Sa mortalité élevée résulte d’une réponse dérégulée de l’hôte au sepsis, associant hyper inflammation et immunodépression. Le choc septique est la forme la plus grave du sepsis, impliquant une défaillance cardiovasculaire à laquelle peuvent se surajouter d’autres défaillances d’organes. Le foie, organe majeur impliqué dans la défense et la réponse au stress induit par la septicémie peut être victime de cette réponse inflammatoire exagérée. Une dysfonction hépatocellulaire (DHC) peut survenir et évoluer jusqu’à la défaillance d’organe. Dans ce cas, l’existence d’une insuffisance hépatique est associée à un mauvais pronostic dans le choc septique à court terme. A partir d’une grande cohorte prospective de patients en choc septique, nous avons montré dans ce travail que cette DHC était associée à une surmortalité à long terme. Malgré, une meilleure connaissance de la physiopathologie du sepsis et en particulier des altérations du foie, l’impact des thérapeutiques utilisées au cours du choc septique, telles que les catécholamines (adrénaline, noradrénaline), reste indéterminé. Les travaux préliminaires de notre équipe avaient permis de montrer l’effet pro-inflammatoire de l’adrénaline sur un modèle de culture hépatocytaire. Dans ce travail, nous avons cherché à évaluer l’influence des cellules de Küpffer acteur de l’environnement péri-hépatocytaire. Pour cela nous avons utilisé un modèle de co-culture d’hépatocytes (HepaRG) et de macrophages (THP1 différenciés par PMA), stimulé par le lipopolysaccharide (LPS) et/ou l’adrénaline. L’analyse de la réponse d’expression génique et de production de cytokines a permis d’identifier l’adrénaline comme facteur capable de modifier la réponse immune vers un état pro-inflammatoire même en présence d’un mécanisme anti-inflammatoire développé par les macrophages, indiquant ainsi un rôle potentiellement délétère de l’adrénaline sur les mécanismes de défenses du foie. / Severe sepsis is a major health problem. Its high mortality rate over the world is the result of a dysregulated host response to sepsis including an exaggerated inflammation response and immune suppression. Septic shock is the most severe expression of sepsis, including cardiovascular failure and other organ failure. The liver, a major organ involved in the defense and stress response induced by sepsis may also be a victim of this inflammatory response to infection. A hepatocellular dysfunction (HCD) can develop and evolve to the organ failure. In this case, the liver failure is associated with poor prognosis in septic shock in the early course of sepsis. Here, we have shown in a large prospective cohort of patients with septic shock that the HCD was associated with long-term mortality. Despite a better understanding of the pathophysiology of sepsis, especially liver changes, the impact of treatment used during septic shock, such as catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine), remains unknown. The preliminary work of our team had demonstrated the proinflammatory effect of adrenaline on a hepatocyte culture model. In this work, we studied the influence of hepatocyte environment especially Küpffer cells. Thus, we used a co-culture model including hepatocytes (HepaRG) and macrophages (differentiated THP1 PMA) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and / or adrenaline. The gene expression and the cytokine profile analysis allowed to identify adrenaline as a factor able to shift the immune response to a proinflammatory state even if macrophages developed an anti-inflammatory response, indicating a deleterious effect of adrenaline on liver defense mechanisms.

Peu de données sont disponibles sur le devenir à long terme après un choc septique. De plus le foie, organe clé dans la réponse de l’hôte à l’agression pourrait jouer un rôle important concernant le devenir à long terme. Dans une cohorte de patients chirurgicaux en choc septique, nous avons observé une mortalité élevée à 6 mois et une altération de la qualité de vie parmi les survivants par rapport à la population générale. Toutefois, celle-ci tend à s’améliorer au cours du temps. Dans un second travail, nous avons observé que la dysfonction hépatique précoce évaluée par le score SOFA dans les 24 heures qui suivait l’introduction des vasopresseurs n’avait pas d’impact sur la mortalité et la qualité de vie à long terme dans une cohorte multicentrique de patients médico-chirurgicaux en choc septique. Au contraire, l’apparition secondaire ou l’aggravation d’une dysfonction hépatique était associée à une surmortalité jusque 6 mois après l’épisode de choc septique. Afin d’approfondir par une approche expérimentale les mécanismes impliqués dans la dysfonction septique hépatique, nous avons mis au point un modèle in vitro de co-cultures hépatocytes-macrophages soumis au LPS. A partir de ce modèle, nous avons montré qu’une catécholamine telle que l’adrénaline, jouait un rôle dans la pérennisation d’une inflammation péri hépatique locale par un mécanisme AMPc dépendant mais epac/PKa indépendant. / Knowledge regarding long-term outcome after septic shock is limited. Additionally, the liver, which plays a key role during the septic illness, could significantly impact the long term outcome. First, in a surgical cohort of septic shock patients, we found that the 6-month mortality rate remained high. Baseline health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was found to be lower than in the general population and although HRQOL improved 6 months after the onset of septic shock, HRQOL remained lower than in the general population. In a second work including a large multicenter cohort of septic patients, we found a significant relationship between the occurrence or the worsening of liver dysfunction during the course of septic shock and mortality at 6 months; however, this relationship was not found in the patients with baseline liver dysfunction. At last, experimentally, we established a hepatocyte-macrophage co-culture model and septic shock was mimicked by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. We found that a catecholamine frequently used in septic shock such as epinephrine was able to shift the innate immune response toward a pro-inflammatory environment even when a low anti-inflammatory response was observed in macrophages and these effects were cAMP dependent but PKA/epac independent.

Considerable evidence supports the claim that a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is involved in most cases of human hypertension, and therefore a more thorough understanding of the central regulation of the SNS may help elucidate novel therapeutic options. The PVN is a key region in SNS regulation of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Stimulation of the parvocellular PVN neurons has been shown to enhance sympathetic outflow and thereby increase BP. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a modulator of neuronal activity is upregulated in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in response to several hypertensive stimuli such as stress and hyperosmolarity, and previous studies from our lab demonstrated that both acute injections or chronic overexpression of BDNF in the PVN elevate SNS activity and BP. However, the BDNF-mediated hypertensive mechanisms are not completely understood. PVN neurons are under tonic inhibition from NTS catecholaminergic projections under baseline condition as indicated by significant BP increase after selective lesioning of NTS NE-ergic neurons. In addition, BDNF has been shown to alter NE-ergic signaling in multiple brain regions raising the possibility that BDNF may increase SNS activity and BP by interfering with NE-ergic inhibition of PVN sympathoregulatory neurons. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that BDNF increases SNS activity and BP in part by disabling inhibitory actions of NTS catecholaminergic projections to the PVN by altering the expression of adrenergic receptors and NET in the PVN. First, blood pressure was recorded using radiotelemetry in male Sprague-Dawley rats following bilateral microinjections of adeno-associated viral vectors expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) or myc-tagged BDNF in the PVN and microinjections of phosphate saline buffer (PBS) or Anti-Dopaine Beta Hydroxylase (DBH)-conjugated saporin (DSAP), a catecholaminergic neuron-specific neurotoxin, into the NTS. Blood pressure was monitored both during resting conditions and during acute stress tests. A second group of rats received bilateral microinjections of adeno-associated viral vectors expressing GFP or myc-tagged BDNF in the PVN, and were sacrificed after 5 weeks. PVN and NTS samples were then selectively isolated using a brain punch tool, and expression of TH, DBH, 1a, 1b, 2a, 1, 2 receptors, and norepinephrine transporter (NET) was analyzed using quantitative RT-PCR. Our results show that BDNF overexpression in the PVN leads to increased expression of catecholamine synthesizing enzymes in the NTS. In addition, both BDNF overexpression in the PVN, and DSAP lesioning in the NTS increased MAP compared to control rats. However, combined treatment with BDNF and DSAP failed to have any additional hypertensive effects suggesting that BDNF treatment may abolish the inhibitory effect of NTS catecholaminergic projections. Lesioning the NTS catecholaminergic neurons didn’t appear to have a significant effect on mean arterial pressure response to the stress tests, although DSAP treatment appeared to decrease the initial heart rate response to acute stress, and this effect was most pronounced in GFP rats. These results indicate that BDNF overexpression in the PVN desensitizes sympathoregulatory neurons to inhibitory NTS catecholaminergic projections during baseline conditions.

Abstract Hypothermia deaths pose a difficult challenge from the medico-legal point of view because no specific traces are left on the cadaver to be examined post-mortem. The concentrations of urinary catecholamines, adrenaline and noradrenaline increase in various stressful situations including cold stress, and high levels have been considered to be suggestive of lethal hypothermia. There is, however, a need for a better hypothermia indicator. A potential candidate could be thrombomodulin (TM), an endothelially expressed protein whose plasma concentration has been shown to elevate in response to hypothermia. TM and catecholamine levels were studied in short-term cold exposure (human subjects, n = 7), in mild and severe hypothermia with or without rewarming (rats, n = 96) and in hypothermia deaths compared with deaths from cardiovascular diseases, traumas and other causes (autopsy cases, total n = 552). Myocardial thrombomodulin transcript expression was increased in severely hypothermic rats, but was lower in hypothermia deaths than in other causes. The circulating TM level was transiently reduced in severe hypothermia. The myocardial and urinary TM protein levels were reduced in lethal hypothermia compared with other causes of death. TM and catecholamine levels correlated significantly in blood and urine both in living subjects and post-mortem examination. In severely hypothermic rats, there was an inverse relationship between plasma adrenaline concentration and myocardial thrombomodulin transcript level. The results suggest that TM expression and secretion are altered by hypothermia, possibly linked to the actions of catecholamines. Analysing the post-mortem catecholamine and TM levels provides evidence of ante-mortem cold stress in suspected hypothermia deaths. Further studies should be conducted in order to reveal the exact mechanisms behind the regulation of TM on cell level. / Tiivistelmä Paleltumiskuolemat ovat oikeuslääketieteellisesti haastavia, koska vainajaan ei jää paleltumiseen viittaavia yksiselitteisiä löydöksiä. Virtsan katekoliamiinien, adrenaliinin ja noradrenaliinin, pitoisuudet kasvavat stressitilanteissa kuten kylmäaltistuksessa. Korkeita pitoisuuksia on pidetty paleltumiseen viittaavana tekijänä. Paremmalle paleltumista osoittavalle merkkiaineelle on kuitenkin selkeä tarve. Eräs mahdollinen merkkiaine voisi olla trombomoduliini (TM), joka on endoteelisolujen tuottama proteiini. Sen plasmapitoisuuden on aiemmin osoitettu nousevan alilämpöisyystilassa. TM- ja katekoliamiinitasoja tutkittiin lyhyessä kylmäaltistuksessa (koehenkilöt, n = 7) sekä lievässä ja vaikeassa alilämpöisyystilassa joko lämmityksen jälkeen tai ilman lämmitystä (rotat, n = 96). Lisäksi verrattiin paleltumisen, sydän- ja verisuonitautien, vammojen sekä muiden syiden aiheuttamia kuolemia (ruumiinavausaineisto, n = 552). Sydänlihaksen trombomoduliini-transkriptin taso oli kohonnut vaikeasti alilämpöisillä rotilla, mutta se oli matalampi paleltumiskuolemissa kuin muissa kuolemissa. Veren TM-taso oli hetkellisesti alentunut vaikeassa alilämpöisyystilassa. Sydänlihaksen ja virtsan TM-proteiinipitoisuudet olivat matalampia paleltumiskuolemissa kuin muissa kuolemansyissä. TM- ja katekoliamiinitasot korreloivat merkittävästi veressä ja virtsassa sekä koehenkilöillä ja -eläimillä että vainaja-aineistossa. Vaikeasti alilämpöisillä rotilla todettiin käänteinen suhde plasman adrenaliinipitoisuuden ja sydänlihaksen trombomoduliini-transkriptitason välillä. Tulosten perusteella alilämpöisyystila muuttaa TM:n ekspressiota ja erittymistä, mikä voi liittyä katekoliamiinien vaikutuksiin. Kuolemanjälkeisten TM- ja katekoliamiinitasojen määritys tuo lisänäyttöä kuolemaa edeltäneestä kylmävaikutuksesta epäiltäessä paleltumiskuolemaa. Lisätutkimuksia tarvitaan TM:n solutason säätelymekanismien selvittämiseksi.

En élevage intensif, les porcs sont exposés à de nombreux facteurs de stress qui pourraient favoriser la survenue d’infections et contribuer à l’utilisation massive d’antibiotiques. Les facteurs de stress activent principalement l’axe hypothalamo-hypophyso-surrénalien et l’axe sympatho-adréno-médullaire qui contribuent au retour à l’état d’équilibre. Les médiateurs de ces deux axes, les glucocorticoïdes et les catécholamines, peuvent moduler les réponses immunitaires d’un individu. Dans ce contexte, les objectifs de ma thèse étaient de décrire (i) les effets d’un stress social aigu chez des porcelets forts et faibles répondeurs à une stimulation à l’ACTH sur des paramètres immunitaires et (ii) les effets des catécholamines sur les macrophages porcins. Un mélange de loge durant 1h avec des congénères non familiers induit une mobilisation leucocytaire mais altère la plupart des fonctions immunitaires analysées. Si la majorité des paramètres immunitaires testés ne diffère pas entre les porcelets des 2 groupes, les porcelets avec un axe corticotrope fort semblent plus résilients au stress ce qui encourage à poursuivre cette stratégie de sélection génétique pour produire des porcs robustes. Les effets des catécholamines sur les macrophages ont ensuite été étudiés plus spécifiquement in vitro. L’activation du récepteur β2-adrénergique affecte la sécrétion de cytokines pro-inflammatoires induite par le LPS et diminue l’expression des marqueurs pro-inflammatoires par les macrophages. L’ensemble des résultats obtenus avec des approches in vivo et in vitro devrait permettre une meilleure compréhension des relations entre stress et immunité chez le porc. / In intensive husbandry, pigs are exposed to multiple stressful events, which are thought to impair immune defences and may contribute to the prophylactic use of antibiotics. Stressors mainly activate hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) and sympatho-adreno-medullar axes, which both contribute to restore homeostasis. Glucocorticoids and catecholamines are mediators of these two pathways and may modulate immune responses. In this context, my PhD project aimed (i) to describe acute social stress effects on immune traits in piglets high and low responders to ACTH stimulation and (ii) to analyze catecholamine effects on porcine macrophages in vitro. One-hour mixing with unfamiliar conspecifics increases leucocyte mobilization and affects most of tested immune functions. Although most immune parameters do not differ between piglets from both groups, stress effects were less pronounced in piglets with a strong HPA axis. Thus, selecting piglets with a strong HPA axis seems a valuable tool to produce robust animals. Catecholamine effects were then more specifically studied on macrophages in vitro. β2-adrenergic receptor activation affects LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and decreases pro-inflammatory marker expression in porcine macrophages. Altogether these data obtained using in vivo and in vitro experiments should allow a better understanding of the relationships between stress and immunity in pigs.

Orientador: Rosana Almada Bassani / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T18:24:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Oliveira_ElizangelaSouto_M.pdf: 5397962 bytes, checksum: a6952b7daf58ed6c84d6fb7eecc0d06f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Importantes ajustes cardiovasculares dependentes de estimulação adrenérgica do coração ocorrem no período perinatal. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a resposta cronotrópica a catecolaminas em ratos imaturos, com foco em mecanismos intrínsecos e extrínsecos à via de transdução ?-adrenérgica. Foi determinada a resposta cronotrópica a tiramina (TIR), isoproterenol (ISO), noradrenalina (NA), forskolin (FSK) e 3-isobutil-1-metilxantina (IBMX) em átrios direitos de ratos de 0-23 dias de idade e adultos. No mesmo tecido, foram quantificados os níveis de mRNA de diversas proteínas pela técnica de reação em cadeia de polimerase em tempo real (qRT-PCR). Os principais resultados foram: a) a resposta cronotrópica máxima (Rmax) a TIR e NA exógena mostrou-se deprimida em átrios de ratos de 0-2 dias, enquanto a sensibilidade aos agonistas reduziu-se com o amadurecimento; b) o bloqueio do transportador neuronal de catecolaminas por desipramina foi menos efetivo em causar desvio à esquerda na curva concentração-efeito nos átrios de animais imaturos, e aboliu as diferenças de sensibilidade (mas não de Rmax) à NA; c) a inibição do transportador extraneuronal de monoaminas não modificou o pD2 do ISO em átrios de animais imaturos, os níveis de mRNA para este transportador foram ~30% daqueles em adultos; d) apesar da redução da Rmax à NA em neonatos, não houve diferença na Rmax a ISO, FSK e IBMX entre as diferentes idades; e) o bloqueio de adrenoceptores ?2 com ICI118,551 reduziu Rmax e pD2 do ISO apenas nos átrios de ratos imaturos, indicando contribuição deste subtipo de receptores apenas nos primeiros dias após o nascimento; f) a expressão de adrenoceptores ?2, Gi, Gs e adenilato ciclase (isoforma 1) foi maior em átrios de animais imaturos, enquanto aquela de adrenoceptores ?1 foi semelhante em todos os grupos etários. Conclui-se que os componentes pós-receptor desta via de sinalização já estão presentes no neonato, embora tenha sido detectada aparente imaturidade no acoplamento de adrenoceptores ?1. Entretanto, foram identificados mecanismos compensatórios, tais como a participação de adrenoceptores ?2 e menor remoção neuronal e extraneuronal de catecolaminas. Palavras-chave: átrio direito, receptores adrenérgicos beta, catecolaminas, desenvolvimento pós-natal / Abstract: Important cardiovascular adjustments that depend on the adrenergic regulation of the cardiac function occur during the perinatal period. The goal of this work was to study the chronotropic responsiveness to catecholamines in immature rats, focusing on mechanisms intrinsic and extrinsic to the ?-adrenergic signaling pathway. The chronotropic response to tyramine (TYR), isoproterenol (ISO), norepinephrine (NE), forskolin (FSK), and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) was determined in right atria isolated from 0-23 day-old and adults rats. In the same tissue, mRNA levels of relevant proteins were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The main results were: a) the maximum chronotropic response (Rmax) to TYR and to exogenous NE were lower in rigth atria from 0-2day-old rats, while the sensitivity to the agonists decreased during development; b) inhibition of neuronal norepinephrine transporter by desipramine was less effective at shifting the concentration-effect curve to the left in immature animals, and abolished the differences in sensitivity (but not in Rmax) to NE. c) inhibition of the extraneuronal monoamine transporter did not changed the ISO pD2 in atria from immature animals, in which the mRNA levels for this transporter were ~ 30% of those in adults; d) despite the lower Rmax to NE in neonates, the Rmax to ISO, FSK and IBMX was comparable among ages; e) ?2-adrenoceptor blockade with ICI118,551 reduced Rmax and ISO pD2 only in atria from immature rats, indicating contribution of this receptor subtype only in the first days after birth; f) ?2-adrenoceptor, Gi, Gs and adenylate cyclase (isoform 1) transcript levels were greater in the atria of immature animals, while that of ?1-adrenoceptor was similar in all age groups. In conclusion, post-receptor components of this signaling pathway seem to already be mature in newborns, although an apparent immaturity in ?1-adrenoceptor coupling was detected. However, compensatory mechanisms were identified, such as the participation of ?2-adrenoceptor and weaker neuronal and extraneuronal catecholamine removal. Keywords: right atria, ?-adrenoceptor, catecholamines, postnatal development / Mestrado / Farmacologia / Mestra em Farmacologia

O presente estudo teve como hipótese que a adrenalina, a noradrenalina e o cortisol, hormônios liberados em grandes quantidades durante o estresse fisiológico, poderiam ser capazes de alterar o crescimento e de aumentar a virulência de Porphyromonas gingivalis, estimulando a expressão de genes relacionados à virulência, estresse oxidativo e metabolismo do ferro, podendo agravar a condição periodontal em indivíduos com periodontite. Objetivos: Assim o presente projeto visou avaliar a interferência desses hormônios relacionados ao estresse sobre o crescimento, viabilidade, susceptibilidade antimicrobiana e virulência de Porphyromonas gingivalis. Método: Culturas de Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 foram expostas à adrenalina, noradrenalina e cortisol, utilizando três meios de cultura (TSB-HM, SAPI e SAPI-HM) e foram incubadas em estufa de anaerobiose para avaliação quanto ao crescimento e viabilidade. Essas culturas foram testadas quanto à sensibilidade ao metronidazol após exposição às catecolaminas e ao cortisol. Possíveis alterações da expressão de genes relacionados ao estresse oxidativo, metabolismo do ferro e fatores de virulência foram verificados pela técnica de qRT-PCR. Resultados: As catecolaminas e o cortisol, de forma geral, não interferiram no crescimento de P. gingivalis, independente das condições nutricionais a que ela foi exposta e dos tempos avaliados (p>0.05, ANOVA). A sensibilidade de P. gingivalis ao antimicrobiano metronidazol não se alterou na presença de adrenalina, noradrenalina ou cortisol (p>0.05, Kruskall Wallis). No entanto, a exposição bacteriana a adrenalina, noradrenalina e/ou cortisol elevaram os níveis de RNAm de genes relacionados à obtenção de ferro (hmuR); estresse oxidativo (tpx, oxyR, dps, sodB, aphC), hemólise (hem, hagA) e proteína de superfície imunodominante (ragA) (teste de modo pareado fixo de realocação ao acaso, p<0.05). Os resultados do presente estudo sugerem que as catecolaminas e o cortisol podem influenciar na expressão de fatores relacionados à virulência e ao estresse oxidativo de P. gingivalis. / This study hypothesized that adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol , hormones released in large quantities during the physiological stress , might be able to alter the growth and increase the virulence of Porphyromonas gingivalis by stimulating the expression of genes related to virulence , oxidative stress and iron metabolism and may aggravate periodontal status in subjects with periodontitis. Objectives : So this project aimed to evaluate the effect of these stress-related hormones on growth , viability , virulence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Porphyromonas gingivalis . Method : Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 cultures were exposed to adrenaline , noradrenaline and cortisol , using three culture media ( TSB - HM , SAPI and SAPI - HM ) and were incubated in anaerobiosis for review on the growth and viability . These cultures were tested for sensitivity to metronidazole after exposure to catecholamines and cortisol. Possible changes in the expression of genes related to oxidative stress , iron metabolism and virulence factors were verified by qRT-PCR technique . Results: The catecholamines and cortisol , in general , did not affect the growth of P. gingivalis , independent of nutritional conditions to which she was exposed and evaluated times ( p> 0.05 , ANOVA ) . The sensitivity of P. gingivalis antimicrobial metronidazole did not change in the presence of adrenaline , noradrenaline and cortisol ( p > 0:05 , Kruskal Wallis ) . However , bacterial exposure to adrenaline, noradrenaline and / or cortisol increased mRNA levels of genes related to iron acquisition ( hmuR ), oxidative stress ( tpx , oxyR , dps , sodB , aphC ) , hemolysis ( hem , hagA ) and immunodominant surface protein ( ragA ) ( test paired mode relocation fixed at random, p <0,05 ) . The results of this study suggest that catecholamines and cortisol can influence the expression of factors related to oxidative stress and virulence of P. gingivalis.

Le phéochromocytome (PCC) est une tumeur neuroendocrine rare qui se développe principalement aux dépens des cellules chromaffines de la médullo-surrénale. Dans la majorité des cas, les PCCs sont caractérisés par une hypersécrétion de catécholamines responsables de divers effets délétères chez les patients dont le principal est une hypertension (phéochromocytomes symptomatiques, PS). Cependant, il existe également une forme particulière de PCCs asymptomatiques qui sécrètent des taux physiologiques de catécholamines (phéochromocytomes incidentaux, PI). Parmi les patients porteurs de PI, certains sont hypertendus (PIH) et d’autres non (PIN). Afin de mieux caractériser les différents profils sécrétoires de PCCs (PS et PI), nous avons recherché une implication potentielle des microARNs (miRNAs). Nous avons réalisé une analyse transcriptionnelle des miRNAs exprimés dans 32 échantillons de PCCs (12 PS, 12 PIN et 8 PIH). Le miRNome a été réalisé par qRT-PCR microfluidique (Taqman Low Density Array, TLDA) pour 671 miRNAs. L’analyse statistique (Limma) des données d’expression a permis d’identifier 4 miRNAs significativement sur-exprimés (hsa-miR-7-1-3p, 7-2-3p, 26a-1-3p et 550a-3p) et 3 miRNAs sous-exprimés (497-3p, 32-5p, 190b-5p) dans les tumeurs PIN par rapport aux PS. Pour identifier les cibles potentielles des miRNAs, de nombreux logiciels de prédictions bioinformatiques sont disponibles en ligne mais les résultats qu’ils génèrent sont très divergents. Afin de contourner ce problème nous avons développé miRabel, un nouvel outil de prédiction des cibles potentielles des miRNAs et des fonctions biologiques qui leurs sont associées. Le principe général consiste à agréger les résultats de 3 autres algorithmes de prédiction sélectionnés pour leur complémentarité. Au final, les analyses des courbes ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic), de la précision et du Recall ont montré que cet outil est plus efficace i) que les algorithmes qu’il agrège et ii) que d’autres logiciels de prédictions couramment utilisés tels que miRWalk, MBSTAR et TargetScan. Une analyse d'enrichissement (Modular Enrichment Analysis ou MEA, Genecodis3) des cibles prédites pour les miRNAs différentiellement exprimés a révélé qu’ils peuvent moduler significativement l’activité de quelques dizaines de voies de signalisation dont celles du cytosquelette d’actine et des SNAREs (impliquées dans le transport vésiculaire). En se basant sur l’expression des miRNAs, leurs énergies d’hybridation avec leurs cibles ainsi que leurs effets physiologiques potentiels, les ARNm des gènes PAK3, MLCP, MLCK (cytosquelette d’actine), SNAP25 et STX1A (SNAREs) ont été retenus pour la suite de l’étude. Les essais luciférases ont mis en évidence une interaction entre la totalité de l’extrémité 3’UTR des ARNm de MLCK et miR-32, STX1A et miR-550a-3p, SNAP25 et miR-7-1-3p ainsi que miR-550a-3p. Les autres interactions testées se sont révélées négatives. Les analyses par RT-qPCR ont montré une diminution significative du niveau d’ARNm de MLCK et de STX1A suite à la transfection de miR-32-5p et miR-550a-3p respectivement. Concernant SNAP25, un effet inhibiteur de miR-550a-3p / 7-1-3p est observé. Cet effet a été confirmé au niveau protéique pour STX1A et SNAP25. / Pheochromocytomas (PCC) are rare neuroendocrine tumors which arise from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. In most cases, PCCs are characterized by a hypersecretion of catecholamines, which is responsible for most of deleterious effects in the patients with hypertension being the main symptom (symptomatic pheochromocytomas, SP). However, some PCCs are asymptomatic and secrete physiological levels of catecholamines (Incidental Pheochromocytomas, IP). Among patients with an IP, some are hypertensive (HIP) and other are strictly normotensive (NIP). In order to better understand the different secretory profiles of PCCs (SP and IP), we investigated the potential role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in this process. We started by identifying differentially expressed miRNAs between 12 SP, 12 NIP and 8 SP. The miRNome was done by microfluidic qRT-PCR (Taqman Low Density Array, TLDA) for 671 miRNAs. Statistical analysis (Limma) of the expression results identified 4 miRNAs significantly over-expressed (hsa-miR-7-1-3p, 7-2-3p, 26a-1-3p et 550a-3p) and 3 under-expressed (497-3p, 32-5p, 190b-5p) in NIP tumors when compared to SP. To identify potential miRNAs’ targets, numerous bioinformatic prediction methods are available but their results are quite divergent. To circumvent this issue, we developed miRabel, a new miRNAs’ targets prediction tool and their associated biological functions. MiRabel aggregated the results of 3 other prediction algorithms selected for their features complementarity. The analysis of ROC, precision and recall curves showed that this tool is more efficient i) than the aggregated prediction methods and ii) than other recent or widely used tools such as miRWalk, MBSTAR and TargetScan. A Modular Enrichment Analysis (MEA, Genecodis3) of the miRNAs’ predicted targets revealed that they could potentially regulate the activity of a few pathways of which the actin cytoskeleton and the SNAREs (involved in vesicular transport). PAK3, MLCP, MLCK (Actin cytoskeleton), SNAP25 and STX1A (SNAREs) were selected to be experimentally validated based on miRNA’s expression, hybridization energy and potential physiological impact. Experimental validations of the selected interactions are achieved by luciferase gene reporter, RT-qPCR assays and western-blots following the transfection of studied miRNAs. Luciferase assays showed a direct interaction between the whole 3’UTR of MLCK mRNA and miR-32-5p, STX1A and miR-550a-3p, SNAP25 and miR-7-1-3p as well as miR-550a-3p. The other tested interactions came out to be negative. A significant decrease of MLCK mRNA and STX1A were observed by RT-qPCR analysis after transfecting miR-32-5p and miR-550a-3p respectively. As for SNAP25, the inhibitory effect of miR550a-3p/7-1-3p could be observed. This effect was confirmed at the protein level by western-blots for STX1A and SNAP25. We then evaluated the physiological effect of miR-550a-3p/7-1-3p on the regulated secretion of PC12 rat PCC cells. This was achieved using a nano-luciferase fused to growth hormone 1 (GH1). Once stimulated (59 mM potassium and 2 mM barium), miR-550a-3p over-expression decreased the secretory capacity of PC12 cells while miR-7-1-3p could not. This project represents the first study aiming to understand the regulation of the catecholamine secretion pathway by miRNAs in the pathophysiological context of PCC patients. Eventually, the characterization of this miRNA’s network should improve patient care in the field of hypersecreting neuroendocrine tumors.