• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.635-640
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• 1992

Two cases of lingual masses were observed among 500 Fischer 344 (F344) rats which were used as control and treated animals in a 2 year carcinogenicity study in Toxicology Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology. The masses grossly appeared as tan, pedunculated, fungiform on the dorsal aspect of the base of the tongues. They were approximately $1.5{\times}1.2{\times}0.3cm$ in size. The microscopic features consisted of acanthosis, hyperkeratosis, papillary projection with connective tissue cores and multifocal chronic active inflammation with hair shafts. The results observed support the epigenetic mechanism of tumorigenesis which is caused by Physical stimuli of foreign bodies. Both of the masses were diagnosed as papillomas with the incidence rate of 0.4%(1/250) in each sex on the basis of the gross and microscopic features.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.193-199
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• 2002

The arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) are a family of enzymes that N-acetylate mylhydrazines and arylamines through transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl coenzyme A. This activity was found to vary among individuals as a Mendalian trait and the basis of the genetic differences in human NAT activity is one of the best of the genetic studied examples of pharmacogenetic variation. The classical N-acetylation polymorphism is regulated at the NAT2 locus, which segregates individuals into rapid, intermediate, and slow acetylator phenotypes. In this study, the relationship between NAT2 activity phenotype using HPLC:UV assay for the determination of dapsone and monoacetyldapsone in plasma and NAT2 genotype by PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) was investigated in the F2 hybrid (Fischer 344 vs Wistar-Kyoto) rats. Three Common mutant alleles at the NAT2 gene locus have been identified in the F2 generation progeny of Fischer 344 rats as raid acetylator and Wistar-Kyoto rats as slow acetylator segregated into three modes (low, intermediates, and high) with simple Mendelian inheritance. The metabolic activity of NAT2 of the intermediate and rapid acetylators is significant1y greater than slow acetylator, but the metabolic activity of rapid acetylator is not significantly different from Intermediate type. Therefore, we could observe that complete trimodal NAT2 genotypic alleles and incomplete trimodal NAT2 metabolic phenotypic distribution in tile F2 hybrid rats. These observations suggest that the relationships between NAT2 genotype and metabolic phenotype exists and F2 hybrid (Fischer 344: Wistar-Kyoto) animal models about NAT2 polymorphism might be applied in the toxicity and pharmacogenetic studies of arylamine drugs and carcinogens.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.149-152
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• 2011

We describe here a multicentric spontaneous malignant schwannoma obtained from one male F344 rat, and this animal was the subject of a carcinogenicity study for which it was treated with diisodecyl phthalate. The animal of the control group not treated with diisodecyl phthalate showed dyspnea and severe lordosis. On the necropsy, two tan, firm, encapsulated masses were observed in the subcutis of the lumbosacral region and the left inguinal region of the abdominal cavity, respectively; the masses were $25{\times}17{\times}8$ mm and $16{\times}14{\times}8$ mm in size, respectively. Histologically, the tumor consisted of spindle and pleomorphic cells that grew in various patterns, that was, sweeping fascicles and herringbone and local organoid patterns. The pleomorphic neoplastic cells had more than two nuclei. Additionally, the diagnosis of malignant schwannoma was confirmed by the immune reactivity of the tumor cells for S-100 protein.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.547-553
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• 2004

The pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), contained in a number of traditional remedies in Africa and Asia, show wide variations in metabolism between animal species but little work has been done to investigate differences between animal strains. The metabolism of the PA senecionine (SN) in Fischer 344 (F344) rats has been studied in order to compare to that found in the previously investigated Sprague-Dawley (SO) rats (Drug Metab. Dispos. 17: 387, 1989). There was no difference in the formation of ($\pm$) 6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (DHP, bioactivation) by hepatic microsomes from either sex of SO and F344 rats. However, hepatic microsomes from male and female F344 rats had greater activity in the Noxidation (detoxication) of SN by 88% and 180%, respectively, when compared to that of male and female SD rats. Experiments conducted at various pH showed an optimum pH of 8.5, the optimal pH for flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO), for SN N-oxidation by hepatic microsomes from F344 females. In F344 males, however, a bimodal pattern was obtained with activity peaks at pH 7.6 and 8.5 reflecting the possible involvement of both cytochrome P450 (CYP) and FMO. Use of specific inhibitors (SKF525A, 1-benzylimidazole and methimazole) showed that the N-oxide of SN was primarily produced by FMO in both sexes of F344 rats. In contrast, SN N-oxide formation is known to be catalyzed mainly by CYP2C11 rather than FMO in SD rats. This study, therefore, demonstrated that there were substantial differences in the formation of SN N-oxide by hepatic microsomes from F344 and SD rats and that this detoxification is catalyzed primarily by two different enzymes in the two rat strains. These findings suggest that significant variations in PA biotransformation can exist between different animal strains.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.337-344
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• 1998

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of senescence on the binding properties of muscarinic receptors in the neostriatum of young (3 months), middle-aged (18 months) and aged (33 months) male Fischer 344 x Brown Norway hybrid rats by employing direct binding of selective radiolabeled antagonists. Using the selective M, muscarinic receptor antagonist, $[^3H]$AF-DX384, as the ligand, no significant difference in the maximal receptor density (Bmax) was observed in the neostriatum among any age-groups. In contrast, with the selective M, receptor antagonist, $[^3H]$4-DAMP, a significant increase in the number of muscarinic receptors was observed in neostriatal membrane fractions prepared from the aged animals relative to that observed in the young rats. For each ligand there was no age-related change in its affinity (Kd) for the muscarinic receptors. These results indicate that the observed age-related changes in the muscarinic receptor density may not be necessarily decremuntal and depend upon the muscarinic receptor subtype examined.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.520-528
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• 1996

The involvement of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) effector system in the release of endogenous dopamine and acetylcholine from the rat neostriatum was assessed. Forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, was used to enhance cAMP production, and the consequence of this enhancement on the spontaneous and potassium stimulated release of dopamine and acetylcholine was evaluated. Neostriatal slices were prepared from Fischer 344 rats and after a preincubation period the release of each endogenous neurotransmitter was measured from the same slice preparation. To measure acetylcholine release the slice acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was inhibited with physostigmine, but the release from slices with intact AChE activity was also determined (choline, instead of acetylcholine was detected in the medium). Under both conditions forskolin induced a significant dose-dependent increase in the potassium-evoked release of dopamine. In the same tissue preparations the release of neither acetylcholine (AChE inhibited) nor choline (AChE intact) was affected by forskolin. The results indicate that the CAMP second messenger system might be involved in neuronal mechanisms that enhance neostriatal dopamine release, but stimulation of this second messenger by forskolin does not further enhance neostriatal acetylcholine release.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1532-1536
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• 2015

To investigate the memory-enhancing effect of lactic acid bacteria, we selected the probiotic mixture KF, which consisted of Lactobacillus plantarum KY1032 and Lactobacillus curvatus HY7601 (1 × 10¹¹ CFU/g of each strain), and investigated its antilipidemic and memoryenhancing effects in aged Fischer 344 rats. KF (1 × 10¹⁰ CFU/rat/day), which was administered orally once a day (6 days per week) for 8 weeks, significantly inhibited age-dependent increases of blood triglyceride and reductions of HDL cholesterol (p < 0.05). KF restored agereduced spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze task to 94.4% of that seen in young rats (p < 0.05). KF treatment slightly, but not significantly, shortened the escape latency daily for 4 days. Oral administration of KF restored age-suppressed doublecortin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in aged rats. Orally administered KF suppressed the expression of p16, p53, and cyclooxygenase-2, the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR, and the activation of NF-κB in the hippocampus of the brain. These findings suggest that KF may ameliorate age-dependent memory deficit and lipidemia by inhibiting NF-κB activation.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2012

Prevention of acute rejection in composite tissue allotransplantation without continuous immunosuppression lacks reports in worldwide literature. Recently dendritic cells (DC) gained considerble attention as antigen presenting cells that are also capable of immunologic tolerance induction. This study assesses the effect of alloantigen-pulsed dendritic cells in induction of survival in a rat hindlimb allograft. We performed hindlimb allotransplantation between donor Sprague-Dawley and recipient Fischer344 rats. Recipient derived dendritic cells were harvested from rat whole blood and cultured with anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Then donor-specific alloantigen pulsed dendritic cells were reinjected into subcutaneous tissue before limb transplantation. Groups: I) untreated (n=6), II) DC injected (n=6), III) Immunosuppressant (FK-506, 2 mg/Kg) injected (n=6), IV) DC and immunouppressant injected (n=6). Graft appearance challenges were assessed postoperatively. Observation of graft appearance, H-E staning, immunohistochemical (IHC) study, and confocal immunofluoreiscece were performed postoperatively. Donor antigen pulsed host dendritic cell combined with short-term immunosuppression showed minimal mononuclear cell infiltration, regulator T cell presence, and could prolong limb allograft survival.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.179-179
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• 1996

The involvement of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) effector system in the release of endogenous dopamine and acetylcholine from the rat neostriatum was assessed. Forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, was used to enhance CAMP production, and the consequence of this enhancement on the spontaneous and potassium stimulated release of dopamine and acetylcholine was evaluated. Neostriatal slices were prepared from Fischer 344 rats and after a preincubation period the release of each endogenous neurotransmitter was measured from the same slice preparation. To measure acetylcholine release the slice acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was inhibited with physostigmine, but the release from slices with intact AChE activity was also determined (choline, instead of acetylcholine was detected in the medium). Under both conditions forskolin induced a significant dose-dependent increase in the potassium-evoked release of dopamine. In the same tissue preparations the release of neither acetylcholine (AChE inhibited) nor choline (AChE intact) was affected by forskolin. The results indicate that the cAMP second messenger system is involved ill neuronal mechanisms that enhance neuronal dopamine release, but stimulation of this second messenger by forskolin does not further enhance neostriatal acetylcholine release.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.85-94
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• 2023

Ion channels regulate a large number of cellular functions and their functional role in many diseases makes them potential therapeutic targets. Given their diverse distribution across multiple organs, the roles of ion channels, particularly in age-associated transcriptomic changes in specific organs, are yet to be fully revealed. Using RNA-seq data, we investigated the rat transcriptomic profiles of ion channel genes across 11 organs/tissues and 4 developmental stages in both sexes of Fischer 344 rats and identify tissue-specific and age-dependent changes in ion channel gene expression. Organ-enriched ion channel genes were identified. In particular, the brain showed higher tissue-specificity of ion channel genes, including Gabrd, Gabra6, Gabrg2, Grin2a, and Grin2b. Notably, age-dependent changes in ion channel gene expression were prominently observed in the thymus, including in Aqp1, Clcn4, Hvcn1, Itpr1, Kcng2, Kcnj11, Kcnn3, and Trpm2. Our comprehensive study of ion channel gene expression will serve as a primary resource for biological studies of aging-related diseases caused by abnormal ion channel functions.