Publications by authors named "Thayna M Avelino"

3D skin models have been explored as an alternative method to the use of animals in research and development. Usually, human skin equivalents comprise only epidermis or epidermis/dermis layers. Herein, we leverage 3D bioprinting technology to fabricate a full-thickness human skin equivalent with hypodermis (HSEH).

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Article Synopsis
  • Obesity rates have tripled in the last 45 years, prompting the need for new research methods to study its effects, particularly focusing on adipocytes, the fat cells involved in energy storage.
  • Traditional research methods, like animal models and 2D cell cultures, are limited in accurately simulating real-life physiology and raise ethical concerns, leading to the development of a new 3D in vitro model using 3T3-L1 cells.
  • This 3D model effectively mimics the metabolic characteristics of adipose tissue, particularly in relation to obesity, demonstrating simplicity and cost-effectiveness, and offering a promising tool for researching new treatments for metabolic syndrome and obesity.
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Concerns over Bisphenol A (BPA) and its substitute, Bisphenol S (BPS), have led to innovative exploration due to potential adverse health effects. BPS, replacing BPA in some regions to avoid toxic impacts, remains insufficiently studied. Besides this, the organ-on-a-chip technology emerges as a transformative solution in drug discovery and chemiclas toxicity testing, minimizing costs and aligning with ethical standards by reducing reliance on animal models, by integrating diverse tissues and dynamic cell environments enhances precision in predicting organ function.

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Animal testing for cosmetic ingredients and final products has been banned in Europe and is gaining legal force worldwide. However, the need for reliable testing methodologies remains for safety assessment of cosmetic ingredients. While new approach methodologies exist for many toxicological endpoints, some complex ones lack appropriate testing methods.

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Since the removal of thiazolidinediones (TZDs) from the market, researchers have been exploring alternative anti-diabetic drugs that target PPARγ without causing adverse effects while promoting insulin sensitization by blocking serine 273 phosphorylation (Ser273 or S273). Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between insulin resistance and S273 phosphorylation are still largely unknown, except for the involvement of growth differentiation factor (GDF3) regulation in the process. To further investigate potential pathways, we generated a whole organism mouse line with a single S273A mutation (KI) that blocks the occurrence of its phosphorylation.

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Estrogen receptor α (ERα) is a regulatory protein that can access a set of distinct structural configurations. ERα undergoes extensive remodeling as it interacts with different agonists and antagonists, as well as transcription activation and repression factors. Moreover, breast cancer tumors resistant to hormone therapy have been associated with the imbalance between the active and inactive ERα states.

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We postulated that Green tea (GT) improvements in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are dependent on adiponectin action in the liver. Male wild-type and adiponectin knockout (adipoKO) mice were induced to obesity for 8 weeks with a high-fat diet and then treated with GT for the last 12 weeks of the experimental protocol. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests, indirect calorimetry, histologic analysis of liver sections, and quantification of mRNA of hepatic genes related to glucose or fatty acid metabolism were performed.

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Worldwide obesity, defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may result in different comorbidities, is considered a pandemic condition that has nearly tripled in the last 45 years. Most studies on obesity use animal models or adipocyte monolayer cell culture to investigate adipose tissue. However, besides monolayer cell culture approaches do not fully recapitulate the physiology of living organisms, there is a growing need to reduce or replace animals in research.

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The present investigation aimed to characterize the effect of a short-time treatment with a new thiazolidinedione (TZD) derivative, GQ-130, on metabolic alterations in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). We investigated whether metabolic alterations induced by GQ-130 were mediated though a mechanism that involves PPARβ/δ transactivation. Potential binding and transactivation of PPARα, PPARβ/δ or PPARγ by GQ-130 were examined through cell transactivation, 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) fluorescence quenching assays and thermal shift assay.

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Background: Immune platelet refractoriness is mainly caused by human leukocyte antigen antibodies (80-90% of cases) and, to a lesser extent, by human platelet antigen antibodies. Refractoriness can be diagnosed by laboratory tests and patients should receive compatible platelet transfusions. A fast, effective and low cost antibody-screening method which detects platelet human leukocyte/platelet antigen antibodies is essential in the management of immune platelet refractoriness.

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