La dysfonction endothéliale est un problème majeur au niveau mondial du fait de son implication dans de nombreuses pathologies. Ainsi, la dysfonction endothéliale est considérée comme un facteur pronostique défavorable dans les maladies cardiovasculaires. Les principaux mécanismes impliqués dans la dysfonction endothéliale sont la réduction de la formation et/ou de la biodisponibilité du monoxyde d’azote (NO), et la présence d’un stress oxydant. Le but de ce travail était d’évaluer des traitements phytothérapeutiques pouvant prévenir et/ou améliorer la dysfonction endothéliale. Le criblage de plus de trois cent plantes en fonction de leur capacité à induire une relaxation vasculaire et une inhibition de la NADPH oxydase (données confidentielles) a conduit à s’intéresser à Lindera obtusiloba. Ensuite, la capacité d’un extrait alcoolique de Lindera obtusiloba (LOE) à améliorer in vitro et in vivo la dysfonction endothéliale en activant la eNOS et en réduisant le stress oxydant a été testée. En conclusion, ces travaux indiquent que LOE possède des effets vasoprotecteurs in vitro et in vivo dans plusieurs modèles expérimentaux comme l’hypertension artérielle induite par l’angiotensine II, le diabète de type 2, l’athérosclérose et la thrombose pulmonaire. Ces effets bénéfiques impliquent, au moins en partie, la stimulation de la formation endothéliale du NO, la réduction du stress oxydant vasculaire via l’inhibition de la NADPH oxydase et l’inhibition de l’agrégation plaquettaire. Ainsi, LOE pourrait être un excellent candidat pour la prévention et/ou le traitement phytothérapeutique des maladies cardiovasculaires associées à une dysfonction endothéliale. / Endothelial dysfunction is a major worldwide topic because it is an important component and risk factor of a number of common human diseases. Therefore, endothelial dysfunction is considered a hallmark for vascular diseases, and has also been shown to be predictive of future adverse cardiovascular events. The main characteristic is a reduced NO production and bioavailability, and an increased vascular oxidative stress. The goal of the present research was to find a candidate for cardiovascular protective herbal medicine for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction. Through measurement of changes in isometric tension of porcine coronary artery rings, Lindera obtusiloba was selected amongst three hundred plants. Thereafter, the aim of our research was to determine whether an ethanolic extract of L. obtusiloba stems (LOE) improves endothelial dysfunction via activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and reduction of oxidative stress oxidase in vitro and in several animal models of cardiovascular diseases, and, if so, to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Altogether, the present findings indicate that LOE has vasoprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo including the Ang II-induced hypertention in rats, a type 2 diabetic mice model, and an atherosclerotic mice model, and a thromboembolism mice model, which involve its ability to stimulate the formation of NO, to reduce oxidative stress in the arterial wall, and to inhibit platelet aggregation. In conclusion, our studies reveal that LOE might be an interesting candidate as a cardiovascular protective herbal medicine in pathologies with endothelial dysfunction.

The aim of this project was to produce and study a murine homozygous knock-in model containing a fast skeletal regulatory light chain (RLC) containing a Asp49toAla point mutation. The D49A mutation is in the functional calcium binding loop of RLC, which is believed to modulate muscle contraction in striated muscle. To introduce the mutation, a reversible knock-out/knock-in system was employed. The Cre/Lox-P strategy was used to conditionally knock-in the RLC D49A mutation. The generation of the knock-in mouse was attempted with two different breeding strategies consisting of two Cre mouse lines with differential expression patterns during development. The proposed animal was never produced because the RLC knock-out recombination event introduced a splicing error resulting in a stop codon in intron 2. Extensive DNA, RNA and protein analysis as well as histological, gross morphology and muscle physiology studies obtained from the animals of the two breeding strategies lead to the identification of the splicing error. Evidence for this outcome is presented. A recommendation for a different strategy in future studies is included.

Fracture healing requires a series of events including inflammatory response and callus formation, callus remodeling and bone healing. Fracture healing is a complex process, there are several overlapping phases , including inflammation , cartilage formation and bone remodeling, there are many internal or external factors could impact on fracture healing, leading to delayed bone healing or non healing. The global androgen receptor knockout (GARKO) mice has been know to reduce bone mass in endochondral bone and osteoblast mineralization, but the impact for callus formation in fracture healing is still unclear. The goals of study is to investigate the role of androgen and androgen receptor in wild-type (WT) mice and GARKO mice after fracture healing during callus formation and bone mineralization and bone remodeling. Therefore, long-term animal experiments observed by micro-computed tomography to study the roles of androgen and androgen receptor on the process and mechanisms of fracture healing is necessary. We applied in vivo micro-computer tomography (Micro-CT) to build up the three-dimensional model images at different time points for wild-type mice and GARKO mice after fracture healing and observe the bone healing process of micro-structure of the development of callus during fracture healing. The callus tissue morphology observed by histological staining to study the proportion and position of collagen, fibrous tissue and bone. The results show that the healing of WT mice is better than GARKO mice. GARKO mice develop smaller callus size and less bone volume and show delayed healing. In general, orchiectomy (ORX) decreases callus size in WT mice but not in GARKO mice. However, the healing rate of elderly GARKO mice is not obvious in comparison with young GARKO mice. Together, our study demonstrated that the androgen and androgen receptor regulate fracture healing and play an important role in bone repair and healing. Our mouse model may be used for the therapeutic drug screening of bone fractures caused by osteoporosis.

Le Syndrome d’Ehlers-Danlos vasculaire (SEDv) est une pathologie génétique rare à transmission autosomique dominante. Les patients sont prédisposés à la survenue de ruptures vasculaires, digestives et utérines induisant une létalité précoce. Cette pathologie est due à des mutations du gène COL3A1 (codant le collagène de type III), majoritairement de type faux-sens, agissant via un mécanisme dominant négatif. Plus rarement, de larges délétions ou des mutations non-sens induisent une haplo-insuffisance. In fine, les conséquences de ces mutations portent essentiellement sur la synthèse du collagène de type III, aboutissant à une fragilité artérielle importante. A ce jour, aucun traitement curatif n’est disponible. L’inactivation du gène Col3a1 chez la souris entraine une mortalité in utero et néonatale quasi-systématique en cas d’homozygotie, mais les souris Col3a1+/- sont exemptes de phénotype vasculaire évident. Afin d’obtenir un modèle de dissection artérielle liée à un défaut de collagène de type III, une perfusion chronique d’Angiotensine II (Ang II) à dose pressive a été utilisée. Nos résultats montrent que l’haplo-insuffisance en collagène de type III confère une sensibilité artérielle majeure à l’Ang II. Cette fragilité est caractérisée par le développement de dissections/ruptures de l’aorte ascendante et induit des décès prématurés de ces animaux. Ce phénotype est lié non seulement à l’élévation de pression artérielle mais aussi à l’activation des voies de signalisation de l’Ang II. Enfin, nous montrons qu’un traitement associant un bêtabloquant (propranolol) et un vasodilatateur artériel (hydralazine) permet de réduire la mortalité induite par l’Ang II. Ces résultats suggèrent l’intérêt de l’ajout d’un traitement préventif par inhibiteur de l’Ang II au traitement bêtabloquant (Celiprolol) recommandé dans la pathologie humaine.Parallèlement, nous avons généré un modèle murin knock-in génétiquement plus proche des patients SEDv, par l’introduction d’une mutation ponctuelle faux-sens (Gly183Ser) observée chez un patient. L’analyse préliminaire de ce modèle montre que les souris Col3a1+/G183S décèdent spontanément, dès 4 semaines, de ruptures/dissections de l’aorte ascendante. Cependant, ces souris ne présentent de modification ni de leurs paramètres hémodynamiques, ni de leurs diamètres aortiques. En revanche, environ 20 % des souris Col3a1+/G183S présentent des plaies au niveau du dos et des pattes. Ce nouveau modèle de souris est actuellement le seul à récapituler aussi fidèlement le phénotype des patients SEDv. Il devrait donc permettre de tester différentes approches thérapeutiques. / Vascular Ehlers-Danlos (vEDS) syndrome is a rare, inherited, autosomal dominant disease that results from mutations in the COL3A1 gene, encoding type III collagen. Patients are mostly affected by missense mutations probably acting through a dominant negative mechanism. A few patients present large deletions or nonsense mutations leading to a haploinsufficient mechanism. These mutations are supposed to lead to a defect in the synthesis and secretion of collagen type III, resulting in arterial wall fragility. Consequently, vEDS is mostly characterized by ruptures/dissections in arteries at a young age, which ultimately lead to premature death. While there is currently no surgical or therapeutic treatments available, a recent study reported the beneficial effect of the beta-blocker celiprolol, which prevents vascular complications in patients.To investigate the vascular phenotype of vEDS, a mouse model of this disease has been generated by the complete and ubiquitous inactivation of the COL3A1 gene. Col3a1-/- mice exhibit severe perinatal mortality and die prematurely from spontaneous vascular rupture. However, Col3a1+/- mice are viable and exhibit no obvious vascular phenotype. To determine the susceptibility of Col3a1+/- mice to develop vascular rupture/dissection, an experimental model of aneurysm induction was used, through the chronic infusion of Angiotensin II (Ang II). Our results showed that Ang II infusion led to severe premature mortality in Col3a1+/- compared to wild type. This fragility was characterized by the development of rupture/dissection in the ascending aorta. These lesions could be caused by the elevation of blood pressure and/or the activation of Ang II signaling pathways. We showed that treatment with a beta-blocker (propranolol) and an arterial vasodilator (hydralazine) reduced the mortality induced by Ang II in Col3a1+/- mice. These results suggest the beneficial effect of adding a preventive treatment inhibitor of Ang II to the beta-blocker treatment recommended in human pathology.Meanwhile, given that a majority of human vEDS cases is caused by missense mutations in the COL3A1 gene, we established a knock-in mouse model bearing a point mutation (Gly183Ser) found in vEDS patients. The preliminary characterization of this model showed that Col3a1+/G183S mice die spontaneously as early as 4 weeks of age from a dissection or rupture of the ascending aorta. However, these mice do not showed any changes of their hemodynamic parameters or aortic diameter. Furthermore, about 20 % of mouse Col3a1+/G183S display wounds in the back and legs. This new mouse model is currently the only that mimic more closely the human disease and could therefore be used to test different therapeutic strategies.

No description available.

La Fibrose Pulmonaire Idiopathique (FPI) est une maladie dévastatrice, d’étiologie inconnue, qui reste pour le moment incurable. Cette maladie est caractérisée par l’accumulation de fibroblastes et de protéines de la matrice extracellulaire dans les espaces aériens distaux aboutissant à une destruction alvéolaire et à une altération des propriétés mécaniques du poumon. La physiopathologie de la FPI est mal connue mais de nombreuses études suggèrent que la réactivation des voies impliquées dans le développement contribue à l’accumulation de la matrice extra-cellulaire et au comportement anormal des cellules épithéliales et des fibroblastes.La voie Hedgehog (HH) joue un rôle crucial dans le développement embryonnaire. Dans le développement pulmonaire fœtal, la voie HH est impliquée dans les interactions épithélium-fibroblaste et contrôle la prolifération et la différenciation du mésenchyme. La voie HH a été impliquée dans la fibrogénèse, notamment dans le foie et le rein.L’objectif de cette thèse a été de caractériser la voie HH dans la fibrose pulmonaire chez l’homme et dans un modèle de fibrose induite par la bléomycine chez la souris.Nous avons démontré que la voie HH est réactivée dans les tissus pulmonaires de patients atteints de FPI et dans le modèle de fibrose pulmonaire chez la souris. Nous avons montré que le TGF-β1 activait la voie HH dans les fibroblastes pulmonaires humains et que l’inhibition pharmacologique de la voie HH au niveau des facteurs GLI inhibait l’effet du TGF-β1 in vitro. Par contre, ces inhibiteurs ne protégent pas les cellules épithéliales alvéolaires de la transition épithélio-mésenchymateuse induite par le TGF-β1. In vivo, chez la souris, nous avons montré que le traitement par des inhibiteurs de Smoothened ne protégeait pas du développement de la fibrose tandis que le GANT61, un inhibiteur de l’interaction des GLI avec l’ADN, inhibait la fibrose.En conclusion, nos résultats démontrent l’implication de la voie HH dans la fibrose pulmonaire et ouvrent des perspectives thérapeutiques nouvelles. / Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF ) is a devastating disease of unknown etiology, which no efficient treatment. This disease is characterized by the accumulation of fibroblasts and extracellular matrix proteins in the distal airways resulting to the destruction of alveoli and alteration of mechanical properties of the lung. The pathogenesis of IPF is not well known but many studies suggest that reactivation of pathways involved in the development, contributes to the accumulation of extracellular matrix and the abnormal behavior of epithelial cells and fibroblasts.The Hedgehog pathway (HH) plays a crucial role in embryonic development. In the fetal lung development, the HH pathway is involved in the epithelial-fibroblast interactions and controls the proliferation and differentiation of the mesenchyme. The HH pathway has been implicated in the fibrogenesis, particularly in the liver and kidney.The aim of this thesis was to characterize the HH pathway in pulmonary fibrosis in humans and in a model of bleomycin-induced fibrosis in mice.We demonstrated that the HH pathway is reactivated in lung tissue of IPF patients and in the model of pulmonary fibrosis in mice. We have shown that TGF-β1 activated the HH pathway in human lung fibroblasts and that the pharmacological inhibition of the HH pathway at the level of GLI transcription factors, inhibited the effect of TGF-β1 in vitro. By contrast, these inhibitors did not protect alveolar epithelial cells from TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In vivo, we have shown that treatment with Smoothened inhibitors did not protect mice from the development of fibrosis while GANT61, an inhibitor of the GLI interaction with DNA, inhibited fibrosis .In conclusion, our results demonstrate the involvement of the HH pathway in pulmonary fibrosis and open new therapeutic perspectives.

Le FcRn ou récepteur néonatal du Fc des IgG est un récepteur " clé " qui prolonge la demi-vie des IgG et de l’albumine et assure leur biodistribution. Récemment, son rôle s'est étendu à la réponse immunitaire humorale et anti-tumorale. Par ailleurs, certains travaux indiquent que le niveau d’expression du FcRn dans les différents tissus pourrait être à l’origine d’une modulation de ses fonctions. Dans ce contexte, nous avons démontré que l’expression du FcRn était diminuée dans le tissu cancéreux par rapport au tissu sain, chez des patients atteints du cancer du poumon et que cet effet était corrélé à leur pronostic. Afin de comprendre les répercussions de cette diminution sur la tumorigenèse, nous avons mis en place le modèle murin de métastases pulmonaires B16F10, chez les souris FcRn-/-. L'absence de FcRn influence la réponse anti-tumorale, en altérant le nombre de cellules dendritiques et des TCD8+. Pour la première fois, nous avons montré que l'absence du FcRn influençait le développement/maturation et fonctions des cellules NK, fragilisant ainsi encore plus l'immunosurveillance antitumorale. Ces résultats mettent en avant un nouveau rôle du FcRn dans la biologie des cellules NK. Les mécanismes à l’origine de cet effet restent à élucider. / FcRn or neonatal receptor for the Fc portion of IgG is a "key" receptor since it extends the half-life of IgGs and albumin and ensures their biodistribution. Recently, its role has been extended to the humoral and anti-tumor immune. Moreover, some studies indicate that the expression level of FcRn in the different tissues may modulate its functions. In this context, we showed that the expression of FcRn was decreased in lung cancer tissue compared to healthy tissue, in patients with NSLC. This decreased expression is correlated with the prognosis of the patients. In order to understand the impact of the reduced FcRn expression on tumorigenesis, we implemented a murine model of lung metastases, implanting B16F10 cells in FcRn deficient mice. The absence of FcRn influences the anti-tumor response, by altering the number of dendritic cells and TCD8+ cells. We showed for the first time that the lack of FcRn altered the development / maturation and the functional activity of NK cells, thus weakening even more anti-tumor immunosurveillance. These new results on NK highlight a new role of FcRn in the biology of NK cells. The mechanisms underlying this effect need to be elucidated.

The dissertation consists of three major projects with the focus on the immunotoxicity of chromium and the behavior disorders caused by early ETOH exposure respectively. Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is widely used in various industrial processes and has been recognized as a carcinogen. As the first line of host defense system, the immune system can be a primary target of Cr(VI). T cell population represents a major arm of the immune system that plays a critical role in host anti-tumor immunity. Dysfunction of T cells compromises host anti-tumor immunity resulting in oncogenesis. Using mouse splenic T cells as an in vitro model system, the present study assessed the effects of Cr(VI) on T cell functions, as the first step of our investigation of the mechanism underlying Cr(VI)-inhibited immunosurveillance and carcinogenesis. Our results showed that Cr(VI) decreased the viability of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, inhibited T cell activation, functions, including cytokine release, and degranulation. Fetal ethanol (ETOH) exposure can damage the developing central nervous system and lead to cognitive and behavioral deficits, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The use of animal models, especially mouse models is essential for investigating the neurogenetic mechanism of fetal ETOH effects and screening pharmacotherapies against it, due to the extensive knowledge of mouse genetics. However, the availability of mouse model is limited. Via adopting various dosage, timing and administration routes of ETOH exposure, we developed two mouse models to assess behavioral or cognitive changes caused by fetal ETOH exposure in pre-weaning and adolescent period. Our results show that high dosage of ETOH exposure (4 g/kg) during PD 4-10 resulted in hyperactivity, disinhibition, and deficits in learning and memory in mouse offspring, which lays the groundwork for the future FASD research.

Using drugs such as alcohol and morphine among others can be addictive in some individuals, and progress into a substance abuse disorder. The mesolimbic dopaminergic system (MD-system) is involved in the reward process during the development of drug addiction. The MD-system is critical for survival and affects different behaviors in both man and animal. Neurochemical pathways drive for instance physical activity, food intake, love and reproduction and are part of the natural reward process involved partly in the release of dopamine (DA) into frontal lobes. Within the MD-system opioid receptors throughout the brain are affected by drug intake, and activation of these receptors modulate DA-release in brain regions involved in reward-behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate gene expression of MOR and DOR within the endogenous opioid system (EO-system) in relation to voluntary physical activity, a natural reinforcer. Further on investigations of the drug alcohol was compared to the natural reinforcer sucrose using voluntary consumption. For both experiments qRT-PCR was used to measure mRNA levels of MOR and DOR from brain areas of interest. We found a small significant up regulation in NAc, PFC and VTA but for DOR in VTA a down regulation in gene expression of physical exercising mice. Additionally these two different genes OPRM1- and the OPRD1- gene are down regulated in VTA and NAc due to alcohol- and sugar-intake. This implicate that the natural reward system and their ORs point in the direction of earlier findings; the opioid receptors have a key role in regulate alcohol intake and the natural rewarding stimuli as food intake.

Changes in lifestyle of people has been dynamically observed in recent decades, emphasis is given to dietary issues. In this case, as directly responsible for chronic diseases, along with other aspects of lifestyle such as inactivity, smoking, quality of life. In the context of chronic diseases of high incidence and prevalence, the metabolic syndrome has gained prominence in clinical and experimental research in the search for early diagnostic methods for its various components such as the vascular, biochemical and liver, all also associated with diet. In this context, there was the inclusion of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as liver component of the metabolic syndrome, which is the central object of this work. Objective: To evaluate the profile morphological, functional and redox balance in the liver of a novel induced-diet mice model for metabolic syndrome. Methods: Eleven isogenic male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control (CT) and hypercaloric (HC) groups and fed with chow and hypercaloric diet, respectively, for 26 weeks. We did ratings serum markers of liver function (ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, LDH, albumin and total protein), analysis of local redox status (SOD, CAT and lipid peroxidation) and histological study of tissue. Results: There were significant elevations of the statistical point of view in the main markers of liver function in HC animals. This increase was approximately 1.5 times for ALT, 2.5 for AST and 7.4 for ALP. The activity of γ-GT followed the pattern of significant increase in the HC group, despite its low activity. There re no differences in the concentrations of albumin and total protein. On the local redox state, the activity of SOD was not different between groups, the catalase activity was significantly decreased in HC group and there re high levels of peroxidation in this same group. The histological findings corroborate these results, which corresponds to advanced liver disease in animals HC (default cirrhotic). Conclusion: The hepatic component in the novel induced-diet mice model for metabolic syndrome shows changes in your profile functional, redox balance and morphological. Keywords: Metabolic Syndrome, Liver Functions, Redox Balance, Novel Diet-induced Mice Model. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / As alterações no estilo de vida das pessoas vem sendo dinamicamente observadas nas últimas décadas; destaque especial é dado aos aspectos dietéticos. Neste caso, como responsável direto por doenças crônicas, juntamente com outros aspectos do estilo de vida como sedentarismo, tabagismo, qualidade de vida. No contexto das doenças crônicas de elevada incidência e prevalência, a síndrome metabólica vem ganhando destaque nas pesquisas experimentais e clínicas na busca de métodos diagnósticos precoces para seus vários componentes a exemplo dos vasculares, bioquímicos e hepáticos, todos com associação também dietética. Neste contexto, destaca-se a inserção das doenças hepáticas gordurosas não alcoólicas como componente hepático da síndrome, sendo este o objeto central do presente trabalho. Objetivo: Avaliar o perfil morfológico, funcional e o balanço redox do fígado de um novo modelo murino dietético para síndrome metabólica. Métodos: Onze camundongos isogênicos machos C57BL/6J foram randomicamente divididos nos grupos Controle (CT) e Hipercalórico (HC) e alimentados com dieta chow e hipercalórica, respectivamente, durante 26 semanas. Foram procedidas avaliações plasmáticas de marcadores de função hepática (ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, LDH, albumina e proteínas totais), análise do estado redox local (SOD, CAT e peroxidação lipídica) e estudo histológico do tecido. Resultados: Foram encontradas elevações significativas do ponto de vista estatístico nos principais marcadores de função hepática nos animais HC. Esse aumento foi de aproximadamente 1,5 vezes para ALT, 2,5 para AST e de 7,4 para ALP. A atividade de γ-GT seguiu o padrão observado de elevação significativa no grupo HC, apesar de sua baixa atividade. Não foram observadas diferenças nas concentrações de albumina e proteínas totais. Relativo ao estado redox local, a atividade de SOD não foi diferente entre os grupos, a de catalase foi significativamente diminuída nos HC e os níveis de peroxidação elevados. Os achados histológicos corroboram esses resultados, sendo corresponde a doença hepática avançada nos animais HC (padrão cirrótico). Conclusão: O componente hepático no novo modelo murino dietético para síndrome metabólica estudado apresenta alterações em seu perfil morfológico, funcional e no balanço redox.