Enterococcus faecalis EF-2001 protects DNBS-induced inflammatory bowel disease in mice model.

Recent studies have demonstrated the immunomodulatory effects of heat-killed lactic acid bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis EF-2001 (EF-2001) on a model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A total of 28 female NC/Nga mice were divided into 4 treatment groups.

Involvement of Proton-Coupled Organic Cation Antiporter in Varenicline Transport at Blood-Brain Barrier of Rats and in Human Brain Capillary Endothelial Cells.

Varenicline is a selective partial αβ nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, which is used to help achieve smoking cessation. Here, we investigated varenicline transport at the blood-brain barrier by means of in vivo microdialysis, in situ brain perfusion, and brain efflux index measurements in rats, and in vitro uptake studies in human brain capillary endothelial cells. Microdialysis demonstrated that varenicline is actively transported from blood to brain in rats.

Utility of cerebrospinal fluid drug concentration as a surrogate for unbound brain concentration in nonhuman primates.

In central nervous system drug discovery, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drug concentration (C(CSF)) has been widely used as a surrogate for unbound brain concentrations (C(u,brain)). However, previous rodent studies demonstrated that when drugs undergo active efflux by transporters, such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), at the blood-brain barrier, the C(CSF) overestimates the corresponding C(u,brain). To investigate the utility of C(CSF) as a surrogate for interstitial fluid (ISF) concentration (C(ISF)) in nonhuman primates, this study simultaneously determined the C(CSF) and C(ISF) of 12 compounds, including P-gp substrates, under steady-state conditions in cynomolgus monkeys using intracerebral microdialysis coupled with cisternal CSF sampling.

A possible monosynaptic pathway links the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus to thalamostriatal neurons in the hooded rat.

The thalamic lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of the hooded rat is regarded as a relay nucleus for the transmission of information from visuomotor-related structures such as the superior colliculus, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) and substantia nigra, pars reticulata, to visual cortical areas as well as the striatum. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships of the thalamo-striatal projection neurons with the LP afferent fibers derived from the PPT, using injections of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) and the retrograde tracer cholera toxin-B (CTB) into the PPT and the striatum, respectively. Findings showed that the location of terminals derived from PPT and LP neurons projecting to the striatum overlapped considerably in the ventral portion of the LP.