Rabbit Anti-Human FOS (Phospho-Ser32) polyclonal antibody

The current study evaluated the potential ameliorative and protective impacts ofl-carnitine (L-CAR) against gamma-irradiation (RAD)-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice testes. Male Swiss mice were allocated into four groups (n = 7). Group 1 served as a control that received saline intraperitoneally (IP). Group 2 received L-CAR (10 mg/kg bw/day; IP in saline) for 17 days. Group 3 received saline for 17 days and on day 7 exposed to RAD at a dose of 0.1 Gy per day for consecutive 10 days. Group 4 (L-CAR + RAD), received L-CAR same as in group 2 and on day 7 exposed to RAD for consecutive 10 days. Testicular antioxidants (malondialdehyde,MDA; gamma-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase,gGCS; and catalase) were altered by gamma-irradiation. Preadministration of L-CAR protected gamma-irradiated mice from altered changes induced by gamma-irradiation. gamma-Irradiation affected the mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic, apoptotic, and anti-apoptotic genes (c-jun, c-fos, Bcl-xl, caspase-3, andBAX). All altered genes were ameliorated by priorl-carnitine administration to gamma-irradiated mice. Testicular cells showed deformities and edema with congestion in seminiferous tubules and strong immunoreactivity forcaspase-9and a decrease in immunoreactivity of Bcl-2 in histological and immunohistochemical examination. Prior administration of L-CAR to gamma-irradiated mice protected this group from reported changes incaspase-9andBcl-2immunostaining. In conclusion, the current study provides evidence for the protective and ameliorative impacts of L-CAR against gamma-irradiation-induced testicular oxidative stress and apoptosis at biochemical, molecular, and cellular levels.

A growing body of research supports a prominent role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) in the expression of adaptive and perhaps even pathological anxiety. The traditional premise that the BST is required for long-duration responses to threats, but not for fear responses to distinct, short-lived cues may, however, be oversimplified. A thorough evaluation of the involvement of the BST in cued and contextual fear is therefore warranted. In a series of preregistered experiments using male Wistar rats, we first addressed the involvement of the BST in cued fear. Following up on earlier work where we found that BST lesions disrupted auditory fear while the animals were in a rather high stress state, we here show that the BST is not required for the expression of more specific fear for the tone under less stressful conditions. In the second part, we corroborate that the same lesion method does attenuate contextual fear. Furthermore, despite prior indications for an asymmetric recruitment of the BST during the expression of anxiety, we found that bilateral lesioning of the BST is required for a significant attenuation of the expression of contextual fear. A functional BST in only one hemisphere resulted in increased variability in the behavioral outcome. We conclude that, in animals that acquired a fear memory with an intact brain, the bilateral BST mediates the expression of contextual fear, but not of unambiguous cued fear.