The Utility of Novel Urinary Biomarkers in Mice for Drug Development Studies.

Novel urinary protein biomarkers have recently been identified and qualified in rats for the early detection of renal injury in drug development studies. However, there are few reports on the utility of these renal biomarkers in mice, another important and widely used preclinical animal species for drug development studies. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of these recently qualified biomarkers for the early detection of drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI) in different strains of mice using multiple assay panels.

LC/MS/MS Profiling of Tissue Oxysterols and its Application in Dextran Sodium Sulphate Induced Mouse Colitis Models.

We have developed a workflow to extract, separate, and semi-quantify bioactive oxysterols from mouse colon tissues and fecal matters using solid- and liquid-phase extractions, enzymatic and chemical modifications, and stable-isotope dilution LC/MS/MS. The method was applied to a dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced mouse colitis model, which revealed that one particular dihydroxycholesterol (diOHC), 7α,25-diOHC, was significantly elevated in both colon tissue and fecal matters of mice with colitis compared to that in naïve mice. The extent of 7α,25-diOHC elevation was positively correlated with colitis severity.

Oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction drives inflammation and airway smooth muscle remodeling in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Inflammation and oxidative stress play critical roles in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mitochondrial oxidative stress might be involved in driving the oxidative stress-induced pathology.

Objective: We sought to determine the effects of oxidative stress on mitochondrial function in the pathophysiology of airway inflammation in ozone-exposed mice and human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells.