Des modèles de dysfonction érectile (DE) ont été développés et étudiés chez le rat. Cependant, peu de choses sont connues dans certains modèles présentant des facteurs de risque de la DE, en l’occurrence le rat soumis à une diète riche en glucose, le rat avec une restriction de croissance intra-utérine (RCIU) et le rat avec l’infusion continue de l’angiotensine (Ang) II en ce qui concerne l’évaluation de la fonction érectile in vivo. C’est ainsi que nous nous sommes proposés cette étude. La fonction érectile a été mesurée par la stimulation électrique du nerf caverneux à des cohortes de rats mâles Sprague-Dawley de différents âges comme suit: 1) des rats jeunes de 12 semaines d’âge, adultes reproducteurs à la retraite d’environ 30 semaines d’âge et des rats de 27 et 29 semaines soumis à une diète riche en glucose par l’eau de breuvage (10%) à court (1 semaine), moyen (6 semaines) et long (12 ou 13 semaines) termes; 2) des rats jeunes âgés de 12 semaines recevant une infusion soit de l’Ang II (200ng/kg/min) soit de la saline par mini-pompes osmotiques sous-cutanées pendant 1 et 2 semaines; et 3) des rats adultes âgés de 36 semaines avec une RCIU. La fonction érectile a été représentée par des courbes de variations de pression intracaverneuse (PIC) et d’aire sous la courbe (ASC) normalisées avec la pression artérielle moyenne (PAM) en réponse à la stimulation nerveuse à différents volts. À la fin des expériences, les animaux ont été sacrifiés, le sang recueilli pour le dosage de la glycémie et de l’insulinémie; le pénis, l’aorte thoracique et le cœur prélevés à des fins d’analyses protéique et histologique. La diète riche en glucose à court terme a eu un effet néfaste sur la fonction érectile chez le jeune rat mais bénéfique chez le rat adulte reproducteur; de même que pour les études à long terme, la diète riche en glucose a amélioré ou renversé la DE associée au vieillissement. Les rats avec RCIU ont exhibé une baisse très significative de la fonction érectile. Ces détériorations ou améliorations de la fonction érectile avec le glucose ou dans la RCIU ont été principalement associées à des modifications de l’expression de l’Akt, en plus d’une augmentation de l’insuline sérique dans les groupes avec le glucose. L’Ang II a entraîné une baisse de la fonction érectile, statistiquement très significative après 1 semaine et maintenue après 2 semaines de traitement, sans causer des changements morphologiques au cœur et à l’aorte thoracique. En conclusion : l’atteinte du système érectile se fait précocement dans les complications cardiovasculaires liées à l’activation du SRA, l’implication de l’Akt dans la modulation de la fonction érectile dépend de type de vieillissement et de la diète, le RCIU est un facteur de risque pour la DE. / Rat is a most rodent used for erectile function studies, and many erectile dysfunction (ED) rat models have been developed and studied. However, according to our knowledge, erectile function has never been studied in high-glucose fed rat model, intrauterine growth restriction rat model (IUGR) and continuous angiotensin (Ang) II infusion rat model. In this context, we set up this study. We mesured simultaneously mean arterial pression (MAP), intracavernosal pression (ICP), aire under the curve (AUC); and erectile function was obtained by variations of the ratio ICP/MAP and AUC/MAP in response to electrical stimulation of cavernosal nerve (0.89 – 6.50 Volts) in male Sprague-Dawley rats in different protocols as follow: 1) young (12 week old), procreator adult (~30 week old) and adult (27 and 29 week old) rats randomized and fed with high-glucose diet in water (10%) or simple water for a short (1 week), middle (6 weeks) and long (12 and 13 weeks) terms; 2) adult (36 week old) IUGR rats; 3) young (12 week old) rats randomized and received a chronic infusion of AngII (200 ng/kg/min) or saline by osmotic minipumps for 1 and 2 weeks. At the end of procedures, blood for measuring serum glucose and insulin in rats with chronic high-glucose diet was obtained, the heart was excised and left ventricle was weighed. Aorta and penis were excised, cleaned and a section of each was formalin fixed for histological studies and the rest snap frozen for protein studies. The short term high-glucose diet impacted negatively in young rats but positively in procreator adult rats; also, the erectile function was improved or reversed by chronic high-glucose diet in adult rats. We also observed a diminished erectile function in RCIU. The improvement or deterioration of erectile function was associated with changes in Akt expression, besides an increased insulin serum in rats with high-glucose diet. A diminished erectile function was observed after 1 week continuous Ang II infusion and was maintained after 2 week infusion without detectable structural changes on heart and aorta. In conclusion: this study suggests that erectile system is a precoce cible of cardiovascular complications of renin-angiotensin system. High-glucose diet deteriores erectile function but maskes the ageing induced-ED, RCIU is associated with ED in later life. Akt involvement in erectile function modulation depends on aging type and the diet.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T13:00:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 7780446 bytes, checksum: c3d9b30a61c17cf2f7b0a011741a719d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Oxidative stress has been indicated as a central mechanism in Ang II-dependent hypertension. Furthermore, previous studies reported that oxidative stress is associated with the impairment of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) compensatory activity by the disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) during hypertension. In this context, -lipoic acid (LA), a potent antioxidant, has been studied by its effects on cardiovascular system, however its effects on Ang II/ROS/ADAM17/ACE2 pathway have not been studied yet. Here we used two Ang II-dependent hypertensive models, the two-kidney-one-clip (2K1C) and deoxycorticosterone-sal (DOCA-salt) hypertension. Firstly, we analyzed the effects induced by chronic treatment with LA on blood pressure, heart rate and baroreflex sensitivity (sympathetic and parasympathetic components) in renovascular hypertensive rats. Male Wistar rats underwent 2K1C or sham surgery and were maintained untouched for four weeks to develop hypertension. Four weeks post-surgery, rats were orally treated with LA (60 mg/kg) or saline for 14 days. On the 15th day, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded. In addition, baroreflex sensitivity test using phenylephrine (8 μg/kg, i.v.) and sodium nitroprusside (25 μg/kg, i.v.) was performed. Chronic treatment with LA decreased blood pressure in hypertensive animals compared to 2K1C + saline group (133.5 ± 9.3 vs 176.5 ± 9.6 mmHg, p<0.05, respectively); however, no significant changes in baseline HR were observed. Regarding baroreflex, LA treatment increased the sensitivity of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic components (−2.80 ± 0.6 vs −2.61 ± 0.4 and −4.14 ± 0.6 vs. −3.85 ± 0.5 bpm.mm Hg−1, p < 0.05, n = 8, respectively). To investigate the relationship between ADAM17 and oxidative stress, Neuro2A cells were treated with Ang-II (100 nM) 24 h after vehicle or LA (500 μM). ADAM17 expression was increased by Ang-II (100.2 ± 0.8 vs 120.5 ± 9.1%, p<0.05) and decreased after LA (120.5 ± 9.1 vs 69.0 ± 0.3%, p<0.05). In other set of experiments, LA reduced ADAM17 (92.9 ± 5.3 vs control: 77.3 ± 3.3%, p<0.05) following its overexpression. Moreover, ADAM17 activity was reduced by LA in ADAM17-overexpressing cells (109.5 ± 19.8 vs 158.0 ± 20.0 FU/min/μg protein, p<0.05), in which ADAM17 overexpression increased oxidative stress (114.1 ± 2.5 vs 101.0 ± 1.0%, p<0.05). Conversely, LA-treated cells attenuated ADAM17 overexpression-induced oxidative stress (76.0 ± 9.1 vs 114.1 ± 2.5%, p<0.05). In DOCA-salt-hypertensive mice, a model in which ADAM17 expression and activity are increased, hypertension was blunted by pretreatment with LA (119.0 ± 2.4 vs 131.4 ± 2.2 mmHg, p<0.05). In addition, LA improved dysautonomia and baroreflex sensitivity. Furthermore, LA blunted the increase in the expression of NADPH oxidase subunits as well as the increase in ADAM17 and decrease in ACE2 activities in the hypothalamus of DOCA-salt hypertensive mice. Our data suggest that chronic treatment with LA promotes antihypertensive effect and improves baroreflex sensitivity and autonomic function in rats with renovascular hypertension as well as in DOCA-salt mice. Therefore, these data suggest that LA might preserve ACE2 compensatory activity by breaking the feed-forward cycle between ADAM17 and oxidative stress, resulting in reduction in hypertension. / O estresse oxidativo tem sido apontado como um mecanismo fundamental na hipertensão arterial dependente de Ang II. Além disso, o estresse oxidativo está associado com a regulação negativa da enzima conversora de angiotensina tipo 2 (ECA2) por meio da ação da desintegrina e metaloprotease 17 (ADAM17) na hipertensão. Neste contexto, o ácido lipóico (AL), um potente antioxidante, vem sendo estudado por suas ações sobre o sistema cardiovascular e foi selecionado para o estudo na modulação da via Ang II/ROS/ADAM17/ECA2. Neste trabalho foram utilizados dois modelos de hipertensão dependentes de Angiotensina II (Ang II): dois-rins-um-clipe (2R1C) e o modelo desoxicorticosterona-sal (DOCA-sal). Primeiramente, ratos Wistar foram submetidos à cirurgia 2R1C ou Sham, para avaliação do tratamento crônico do AL sobre os parâmetros cardiovasculares. Quatro semanas após a indução da hipertensão renovascular, os ratos foram tratados com AL (60 mg/kg) ou solução salina durante 14 dias, por via oral. No 15º dia, a pressão arterial média (PAM) e freqüência cardíaca (FC) foram registradas. Além disso, o teste da sensibilidade do barorreflexo, utilizando fenilefrina (8 μg/kg, i.v) e nitroprussiato de sódio (25 μg/kg, i.v) foi realizado. O tratamento crônico com AL reduziu a pressão arterial em animais hipertensos, quando comparado ao grupo 2R1C + salina (133,5 ± 9,3 vs 176,5 ± 9,6 mmHg, p<0,05, respectivamente); no entanto, não foram observadas alterações significativas na FC. O tratamento com AL aumentou a sensibilidade de ambos os componentes simpático e parassimpático do barorreflexo (-2,80 ± 0,6 vs -2,61 ± 0,4 e - 4,14 ± 0,6 vs -3,85 ± 0,5 bpm.mm Hg-1, p<0,05, respectivamente). Para investigar a relação entre ADAM17 e o estresse oxidativo, células Neuro2A foram tratadas com Ang II (100 nM) 24h após veículo ou AL (500 μM). Ang II aumentou a expressão da ADAM17 (100,2 ± 0,8 vs 120,5 ± 9,1%, p<0,05) e foi reduzida pelo tratamento com o AL (120,5 ± 9,1 vs 69,0 ± 0,3%, p<0,05). Em outro experimento, AL reduziu a expressão da ADAM17 (92,9 ± 5,3 vs controle: 77,3 ± 3,3%, p<0,05) em células que superexpressaram o ADAM17, bem como sua atividade foi atenuada após o tratamento com AL (109,5 ± 19,8 vs 158,0 ± 20,0 FU/min/mg de proteína, p<0,05). A produção de espécies reativas de oxigênio (ROS) mostrou-se aumentada em células com superexpressão da ADAM17 (114,1 ± 2,5 vs 101,0 ± 1,0%, p <0,05), porém em células tratadas com o AL, a formação de ROS foi atenuada (76,0 ± 9,1 vs 114,1 ± 2,5%, p<0,05). Em camundongos DOCA-sal, modelo em que a expressão e a atividade de ADAM17 encontram-se elevadas, a hipertensão foi diminuída pelo tratamento com AL (119,0 ± 2,4 vs 131,4 ± 2,2 mmHg, p<0,05). Além disso, o AL melhorou a disfunção autonômica e a sensibilidade do barorreflexo. O AL aboliu o aumento da expressão da NADPH-oxidase, bem como o aumento da atividade da ADAM17 e promoveu uma redução na atividade da ECA2 no hipotálamo dos animais DOCA-sal. Esses dados sugerem que o tratamento crônico com AL promove um efeito anti-hipertensivo, com melhora da sensibilidade do barorreflexo e função autonômica em ratos com hipertensão renovascular, bem como no modelo DOCA-sal. Portanto, podemos sugerir que o AL preserva a atividade compensatória da ECA2 por romper o ciclo de retroalimentação positiva entre a ADAM17 e o estress oxidativo, resultando na redução da hipertensão arterial.

Die ischämische Herzerkrankung (Angina pectoris, Herzinfarkt), eine führende Todesursache in den Industrienationen, wird hauptsächlich durch Intervention an den Koronararterien mittels Ballondilatation meist in Kombination mit einer Stentimplantation behandelt. Trotz aktueller Verbesserungen im Stentdesing und dem Einsatz von medikamente-freisetzenden Stents kommt es immer noch in etwa 10 – 20 % der Interventionen, in Abhängigkeit des jeweiligen Risikoprofils, zu der Entwicklung einer Restenose. Der pathophysiologische Prozess der Neointimaentwicklung, welche der Restenoseentstehung nach Stentimplantation zu Grunde liegt, ist im Wesentlichen durch einwandernde glatte Gefässmuskelzellen (GMZ) bedingt. Eine zentrale Rolle bei der Zellwanderung nehmen alpha V Integrine ein. Um den Prozess der Restenose zu verhindern, stellen somit diese Rezeptoren und die durch sie ausgelösten Signalkaskaden einen vielversprechenden Angriffspunkt dar. Wir konnten nach Stimulation von GMZ aus Schweinen mit den EZM Proteinen Vitronektin (VN), Fibronektin (FN) und Kollagen (CN) eine verstärkte Tyrosinphosphorylierung (PTyr) v.a. eines etwa 116 kDa grossen Proteins zeigen, das mittels Immunpräzipitation als “focal adhesion kinase” (FAK) identifiziert wurde. VN stellte hierbei den stärksten Stimulus dar. Die erhöhte PTyr zeigte sich am Tyrosinrest 397 von FAK (PTyr-397), der Autophosphorylierungsstelle der Kinase, und deutet damit auf eine durch Proteinstimulation induzierte, erhöhte Aktivität von FAK hin. Die erhöhte PTyr von FAK war nicht zu beobachten, wenn die GMZ ohne spezifische Rezeptor-Ligand Interaktion auf Poly-L-Lysin adhärierten. Die Aktivierung von FAK nach Stimulation mit VN, FN und CN war dabei abhängig von alpha V Integrinen und lies sich durch Zugabe eines kompetetiven alpha V Inhibitors in einer Dosis- abhängigen Weise unterdrücken. Die Inhibition war am deutlichsten nach VN Stimulation zu beobachten. Bei Kultivierung der Zellen mit dem Inhibitor über 7 Tage in einer Konzentration von 1 µM war in der Durchlichtmikroskopie im Vergleich zu kultivierten Zellen ohne Inhibitor keine Veränderung zu erkennen. Bei 10 µM Cilengitide verkleinerte sich der Zelldurchmesser, die Zellen blieben jedoch an der Oberfläche der Zellkulturschalen adhärent. In der IF Mikroskopie zeigte sich nach 30 min eine Abnahme der intrazellulären PTyr und ein Abbau des Aktinzytoskeletts unter Einfluss von 10 µM des Inhibitors auf kultivierte adhärente GMZ. Es gab keinen Hinweis auf Induktion einer Apoptose. Auf VN und CN konnten die zuvor suspendierten GMZ gut adhärieren, während auf einer mit FN beschichteten Oberfläche die Anzahl der angehefteten Zellen im Vergleich zu einer unbeschichteten Oberfläche nicht anstieg. Die Adhäsion der GMZ auf VN konnte der Hemmstoff stark vermindern, während er auf die Adhäsion auf FN und CN keinen Einfluss hatte. Die Inhibition der Aktivierung von FAK durch den alpha V Integrininhibitor korrelierte mit der Reduktion der durch die Proteinen stimulierten Migration (Haptotaxis) der primären GMZ. Der Inhibitor führte bei einer Konzentration von 10 µM bei VN Stimulation zu einer fast vollständigen Inhibition der Haptotaxis, während er nach FN bzw. CN Stimulation die Anzahl der gewanderten Zellen bei dieser Konzentration um etwa 30 % verringerte. Die Migrationsrate wurde mit Hilfe eines modifizierten Boyden-Kammer Migrationsversuchs ermittelt. Unsere Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Schlüsselrolle der alpha V Integrine in der Motilität von GMZ. Sie nehmen Einfluss auf Signalkaskaden, die von FAK abhängig sind und die Haptotaxis zu regulieren scheinen. Diese Ergebnisse machen die alpha V Integrine zu einem vielversprechenden Angriffspunkt, um eine Restenose nach Stentimplantation zu verhindern. Der Einsatz des alpha V Integrininhibitors Cilengitide, der mit einem Medikamente-freisetzenden Stent lokal an dem Ort des pathologischen Geschehens appliziert werden kann, lässt somit eine weitere Reduktion der Restenoserate erhoffen, was in einem nächsten Schritt mittels eines in vivo Modells untersucht werden muss. / Aberrant migration of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is a key feature of restenosis after ptca. Since extracellular matrix proteins and their receptors of the integrin family play a critical role in this process, it is instrumental to understand their contibution to cell migration of SMCs on the molecular level. Therefor we investigated the role of alpha V- containing integrins expressed by porcine coronary artery smooth muscle cells (pCASMCs) in vitronectin (VN), fibronectin (FN) and collagen (CN) initiated signaling events, cell adhesion and migration. In pCASMCs alpha V containing integrins were localized at focal adhesion sites. Stimulation through VN, FN and CN led to increase in cell migration and adhesion and concomitantly to enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase. These events were attenuated by a specific alpha V inhibitor in a dose dependent manner. This inhibitor could be used for a drug eluting stent and maybe could provide an approach to prevent restenosis after ptca.

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are capable of self-renewing and multi-lineage reconstitution of the haematopoietic system of irradiated recipient mice. In the mouse embryo, HSCs originate in a step-wise manner from the haematogenic endothelium. The first HSC precursor has been detected at E9.5 in the dorsal aorta, while HSCs emerge in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region around E11. To date, the molecular mechanisms regulating these events are poorly characterized. Through the activating role of Angiopoietin1 (Ang1) on Tie2 receptor, the Ang-Tie signalling pathway plays a critical role in HSC maintenance in the adult bone marrow niche. Tie2 ligand Angiopoietin2 (Ang2) is described as being a Tie2 inhibitor, however its role is unknown. The aim of this thesis was to characterise the role of Ang-Tie signalling pathway in HSC formation in the mouse embryo. First, I used an ex vivo aggregate system to culture with angiopoietins cells derived from the AGM region at stages of development preceding HSC formation (E9.5-E11). Ang2- treated cells were able to reconstitute the peripheral blood of recipient mice to a higher extent compared to control, indicating a role for Ang2 in promoting HSC maturation. Then, I characterized the expression pattern of Ang-Tie molecules in the AGM region. Ang2-expressing cells were identified as perivascular and sub-aortic mesenchymal cells located in the ventral side of the aorta and in proximity of intra-aortic haematopoietic clusters. Finally, I performed an RNA-seq analysis with the aim of unravelling the molecular mechanisms involved in Ang2-mediated HSC maturation. Pre-HSC-I were cultured in presence or absence of Ang2 and their transcriptional profiles were compared, revealing a number of genes and pathways up-regulated or down-regulated in presence of Ang2, which might indicate a role for Ang2 in increasing cell proliferation, favouring cell migration, and regulation of other signalling pathways involved in HSC development. All together, these data support Ang2 as a novel regulator for HSC formation.

She inches glass to break: conversations between friends is a project that aims to manifest, through research and practice, my own feminist language within the videos I have produced in my final year of my Masters of Fine Arts. My feminist language is Australian and intersectional, invested in combating sexism, racism and in deepening language and representation around sexuality in relation to Asian women. This project discusses my video She inches glass to break (2018) in length, which created intersectional feminist dialogue in response to feminist filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger’s film Ticket of No Return (1979) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Additionally, given this project’s investment in language, this body of work is influenced both by aspects of psychoanalysis – in which speech is central to a “therapeutic action” – and by feminist linguistics in which linguistic analysis reveals some of the mechanisms through which language constrains, coerces and represents women, men and non-binary people in oppressive ways.

Denervation leads to skeletal muscle atrophy, which is a decrease in muscle mass and force; the latter exceeding expectation from mass loss. In some cases, nerve regeneration following an injury takes several months. During this time, muscle mass and force loss become severe as fibers are replaced by connective and fat tissue, which can further prolongs normal muscle function recovery once reinnervation occurs. The objectives of this study were 1) document the angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7) hypertrophic effect in innervated mouse skeletal muscle; 2) test the hypothesis that Ang 1-7 prevents muscle atrophy and maintain force following short 2 and 4 week denervation; 3) as well as following long 16 week denervation. Innervated and denervated mice were treated with Ang 1-7 or diminazene aceturate (DIZE), an ACE2 activator, to increase plasma Ang 1-7 level. In normal innervated extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscle, Ang 1-7 increased muscle weight, cross sectional area (CSA) and tetanic force, which represents the muscle maximum force. During the short denervation period (2-4 weeks), Ang 1-7 did not prevent muscle mass and CSA loss, but fully abolished the loss of normalized tetanic force to CSA while accentuating twitch force. Normalized tetanic force was maintained as Ang 1-7 partially reduced the extent of membrane depolarization which normally observed with denervation, and it fully prevented the loss of membrane excitability. The protective effect of Ang 1-7 on maximum tetanic force was also observed after 16 weeks of denervation, but only in EDL not in soleus. About 35-40% of denervated EDL and soleus muscle fibers became reinnervated over the 16 week period and Ang 1-7 enhanced the recovery of muscle mass and tetanic force in both EDL and soleus. All Ang 1-7 effects on twitch and tetanic force were completely blocked by A779, a Mas receptor (MasR) antagonist, and were not observed in MasR deficient (MasR / ) muscles. Ang 1-7 did not affect how denervation modulates changes in the protein content MuRF-1 atrogin-1, two atrophic proteins, total and phosphorylated Akt, S6K and 4EPB, three hypertrophic proteins. So, the Ang 1-7 effect involves an activation of its MasR, but it is not clear which intracellular pathway it then affects. This is the first study providing evidence that Ang 1-7 maintains normal muscle function in terms of tetanic force and membrane excitability during 2, 4 and 16 week denervation periods.

The ongoing energy and environmental crises have pushed the transportation sector, a major greenhouse gas emitter, to seek sustainable fuel and technology alternatives. Natural gas and bio-methane are potential alternatives with numerous advantages over conventional fuels. Adsorbed natural gas (ANG) technology uses porous adsorbent material to store methane efficiently at lower pressures. An issue limiting this technology is the lack of compact tanks with efficient adsorbent packing that increase storage capacity. This study addresses the need for more compact ANG tanks by creating novel binder-less monolithic activated carbon monolith adsorbents with targeted porosity. A template is produced using 3D printing and a commercially available phenolic resin as a filling material. Upon thermal treatment, the 3D-printed template combusts with molecular oxygen in its structure, and the resin is transformed into activated carbon by pyrolysis. Longer activation times led to higher BET surface areas. However, after activation periods beyond 15 minutes, the surface area increase is obtained at the expense of a higher burn-off, which affects the material density. Adsorption of 0.04g/g of methane was measured at 30 bar and 298 K on the activated carbon monolith with the highest BET surface area (516 m2/g). Results in the same conditions on a super high surface area Maxsorb activated carbon were 0.13g/g. Although the methane capacity obtained is lower than in a commercial sample, it was demonstrated that producing an activated carbon monolith with tailored porosity is possible. New techniques for activation should be studied to enhance their gravimetric capacity to make ANG competitive.

No description available.

An astonishing number of deaths and related disabilities are attributed to traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States per year. Due to the unforeseeable nature of TBI and its association with the sequelae of other neurological comorbidities, research is centered around the secondary responses of brain mechanisms proceeding the initial mechanical injury. Blood brain barrier disruption is a well described driver of this secondary injury response and predictive marker of prognosis following TBI. Although BBB disruption plays a role in subsequent edema, inflammation, and the overall TBI outcome, the molecular mechanisms responsible for its regulation remain to be investigated. A large family of receptor tyrosine kinases, known as Eph receptors, that are important for axon growth and guidance embryonically and early-postnatally have been implicated in brain insults. Previous findings have shown that Eph expression is upregulated at the mRNA and protein level immediately following TBI. Moreover, ablation of Eph receptors on endothelial cells (ECs) revealed improved blood flow to the lesioned cortex in knockout (KO) mice compared to wild type (WT). Based on these results, we hypothesize that Eph receptors negatively regulate BBB permeability leading to neural dysfunction and motor deficits following TBI. To investigate this hypothesis, we characterized the temporal profile of the BBB, evaluated the EC-specific effects of Eph receptors, and used RNA sequencing to assess the cell-specific contributions following TBI in WT compared to KO mice. Our results show that EC-specific loss of Eph expression ameliorated BBB permeability at 6hr, 1-, 4-, and 7-days post injury (dpi) correlating with improved motor function at 7- and 14-dpi. Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed increased mRNA expression of Tie2, Ang1, and the tight junction proteins Zona Occludens and Occludin in KO mice compared to WT. As well as, connection with neuronal processes. Based off of these findings, we utilized a soluble Tie2 inhibitor to elucidate the influence of Eph receptors on the Tie2/Ang pathway, and their role in mediating the effects seen. Tie2 inhibition of the KO mice revealed similar BBB disruption and lesion volume as WT 1dpi, attenuating the previous protection KO mice demonstrated. Future studies are necessary to understand other pathways that may be implicated in Eph receptor influence on endothelial cells such as inflammatory mediators and neurovascular crosstalk. This data provides evidence that Eph receptors negatively mediate EC response through downstream signaling of the Tie2/Ang pathway and may be a means of therapeutic target in the future. / Ph.D. / Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) impact millions of individuals each year in the United States, making it a significant cause of death and disability. Furthermore, TBI has been linked to other comorbidities such as Alzheimers Disease, mood disorders, and epilepsy. Since the primary impact of a TBI cannot be predicted or prevented, research focuses on the secondary injury response as a therapeutic target to improve the outcomes following brain insult. Blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption is a well described consequence of TBI and has been correlated to a worse prognosis. The BBB normally provides a barrier between the circulating blood and the brain as protection and to maintain homeostasis. It is understood that decreased BBB integrity leads to subsequent edema, inflammatory response, and glial excitotoxicity, however, the mechanisms regulating this response remain to be investigated. Recent focus has been on a family of receptor tyrosine kinases, Eph receptors, that are unregulated following brain injury. Utilizing a mouse model, we can manipulate the temporal and spatial expression of Eph receptors to understand their role in the secondary injury cascade. Findings indicated that ablation of Eph receptors specifically on endothelial cells (ECs) resulted in preservation of BBB integrity at 1-, 4-, and 7- days following injury. Based on these results, we hypothesize that Eph receptor signaling on ECs negatively mediates BBB function and recovery following TBI. To test this hypothesis, we performed a comparative analysis between wild type (WT) and knockout (KO) mice on the expression of genes integral to BBB integrity, functional motor deficits, and loss of tissue in the lesion site following injury. We discovered significant decreases in lesion volume correlating with improvements in motor function in the KO mice compared to the WT. Moreover, KO mice showed increased expression of genes important for BBB maintenance such as Occludin and Tie2. To further discern the mechanism for these effects, we blocked Tie2 in the KO mice and observed similar negative prognostic indicators as in the WT. Future studies are warranted to understand the downstream signaling of Eph receptors on the Tie2 pathway. This data provides evidence that Eph signaling influences the BBB negatively following TBI through the Tie2 pathway and may be exploited for therapeutic means in the future.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T13:21:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 348248.pdf: 840626 bytes, checksum: 9917acec26a3b5d86dd583e4d6b4ed59 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-03-08 / Foram elaborados dois artigos para a composi??o da disserta??o de mestrado. O primeiro, tem como objetivo discutir a liga??o entre a rela??o m?e-filho e a express?o do brincar. A revis?o da literatura centra-se, principalmente, nos estudos desenvolvidos por Donald W. Winnicott, pois este autor compreende que a constru??o do brincar est? interligada com a rela??o m?e e filho. Assim, o brincar inicia a sua express?o na rela??o com a m?e, mas, ao mesmo tempo, para ele poder, cada vez mais, tornar-se criativo e simb?lico a crian?a precisa tolerar a sua separa??o da m?e. Evidenciamos, ao longo deste trabalho, a import?ncia que o brincar tem para a crian?a como um meio de express?o e de elabora??o de ang?stias. S?o apresentadas algumas pesquisas atuais que investigam e salientam a valoriza??o do uso do brinquedo em situa??es em que as crian?as enfrentam dificuldades. Entretanto, percebemos que ainda h? poucos trabalhos com o referencial psicanal?tico sobre o brincar al?m do setting da psicoterapia psicanal?tica e da psican?lise com crian?as. O segundo artigo busca analisar as estrat?gias l?dicas que crian?as utilizam para enfrentar a separa??o materna na entrada da pr?-escola. Este entendimento ocorreu com base em observa??es do brincar de crian?as pr?-escolares e de entrevistas com as m?es. Foram observadas, durante um per?odo de tr?s meses, seis crian?as, com idades entre quatro e cinco anos na fase de ingresso na escola. Neste estudo se destacaram algum elementos: a rela??o entre m?e e filho, a identifica??o no brincar, o brincar e a fantasia do abandono, a ang?sita e o objeto transacional. Apesar das dificuldades de cada crian?a em lidar com a sua ang?stia de separa??o, todas conseguiram, no seu tempo, construir estrat?gias l?dicas na entrada da pr?-escola.