Physiological and Biochemical Mechanisms of Lifespan Regulation in Rats Kept Under Various Light Conditions.

Background: The present study was aimed to identify how age-related changes in some physiological and biochemical systems are related to changes in the life span of rats with long-term pineal gland hypo- and hyperfunction induced by constant light and constant darkness, respectively.

Methods: At the age of 25 days the rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: standard light/dark regimen (LD), constant light (LL) and constant darkness (DD). Age-related Antioxidant System (AOS) changes in liver tissues, alteration of immunoreactivity in blood smears were investigated, pubescence and lifespan of the animals were determined.

[MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF NEUTROPHILS AND EOSINOPHILS GRANULES IN SAPPHIRE MINKS].

It has been established that sapphire minks have abnormality of subcellular structure of blood and bone marrow neutrophils and eosinophils. The abnormality consists in forming of abnormal "giant" granules. The si- ze and the number of abnormal granules significantly change during maturation of leucocytes in bone marrow.

[SPECIFICITY OF CONTENT AND MORPHOLOGY OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD CELLS IN THREE BAT SPECIES OF KARELIA DURING HIBERNATION].

Pronounced leukopenia during hibernation was found in bats (Chiroptera) of Karelia - brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus), Brandt's bat (Myotis brandtii) and northern bat (Eptesicus nilssoni). A higher content of lymphocytes, eosinophils and basophils was revealed in the northern bat featuring an increased resistance to cold as compared to the Brandt's bat and the brown long-eared bat. The differences in ratio of particular lymphocyte types may be related to biological, ecological and physiological peculiarities of the species studied.

[Light pollution, desynchronosis and aging: the state of problem and solutions].

The effect of different light conditions (constant illumination, light deprivation, the standard regime of lighting and natural for Northwest Russia lighting in different seasons of the annual cycle) on indicators of biological age and homeostasis, the development of age-related pathology, oncogenesis and longevity of rats was investigated. Exposure to constant light on the studied parameters was evaluated at different ages--antenatal, early and late postnatal period. The data about influences of substances and hormones of pineal gland on biomarkers of aging, homeostasis, spontaneous oncogenesis and longevity in experimental animals was obtained.

[The melatonin influences on neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio of mammals blood depends on age of animals].

The influence of melatonin on age dynamics of neutrophils and lymphocytes in blood of laboratory rats kept under different light conditions and predatory mammals--farmer silver fox, raccoon dog kept under natural light (NL) was investigated. The decrease of lymphocyte level, increase neutrophils content and alteration of neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio of aged rats (24 months) kept under natural light (NL) and standard light (LD) and adult silver foxes (2-5 years) kept under natural light in comparison with juvenile animals were detected. The reduced lymphocytes level and increased neutrophil level in rats under constant light (LL) were revealed in younger ages.

[Influence of prenatal and postnatal illumination on male rat physiologycal parameters].

Influence of different light conditions on some physiological parameters of 3-month old male rats was studied. It was established that influence of constant light on mothers during pregnancy or on their posterity from birth leads to one-way changes of the antioxidant system, isoenzymatic spectrum of lactate dehydrogenase, blood indices and leucogram. However, the reaction is different and depends on moment of exposure.

[Effect of mutations affecting coat color on the blood lymphocyte structure in the American mink (Mustela vison Schreber, 1777)].

American minks with different genotypes containing the Aleutian coat color allele in the homozygous state, including the single recessive Aleutian (a/a); double recessive sapphire (a/a p/p) and lavender (m/m a/a); triple recessive violet (m/m a/a p/p); and dominant-recessive cross sapphire (S/+ a/a p/p), sapphire leopard (S(K)/+ a/a p/p), and shadow sapphire (S(H)/+ a/a p/p) minks, as well as American minks without the Aleutian allele, including the standard (+/+); single recessive silver-blue (p/p) and hedlund-white (h/h); double recessive pearl (k/k p/p), Finnish topaz (t(S)/t(S) b/b); incompletely dominant royal silver (S(R)/+), standard leopard (S(K)/+), and black crystal (C(R)/+); and dominant-recessive snowy topaz (C(R)/+ t(S)/t(S) b/b) and Kujtezhy-spotted (S(K)/+ b/b) minks have been studied. Homozygosity for the a allele has been found to disturb the subcellular structure of leukocyte, namely the formation of abnormally large granules.

[Morphology and cytochemistry of abnormal cytoplasmic granules in blood leukocytes in sapphire minks (cytological and cytochemical study)].

Detailed morphological and cytochemical investigation of blood leukocytes was performed in minks of three genotypes: dark-brown minks (n=10), which had the color resembling that of the wild type, mutant silver-blue (p/p) minks (n=10), and sapphire minks (a/a p/p) (n=10). The sapphire minks were demonstrate to have a hereditary defect of leukocyte granules containing peroxidase, nonspecific esterases and non-enzymatic cationic protein. These granules have abnormally large size, the neutrophil cytoplasm contains one to several abnormal granules, they are numerous in eosinophil and basophil cytoplasm and rare in lymphocytes and monocytes.

[The influence of melatonin and epithalon on blood leukocyte count and leukocyte alkaline phosphatase in rats under different lighting conditions during ontogenesis].

The effect of pineal body hormone melatonin and synthetic tetrapeptide epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) under different light conditions on leucocytes differential count in rats were investigated. It has been established that melatonin and epithalon decrease the level of blood leucocytes and relative content of band neutrophils in 12 months rats which was higher in the constant light more than in other photoperiod. The melatonin prevents age-specific decreasing blood lymphocytes level in standard photoperiod (12 h light/12 h darkness).

[Age related changes in rat blood leucocyte count and morpho-metrical parameters of large granular lymphocytes under different light regimens].

The effect of different light conditions on the age related level of blood leucocytes, leucocytes differential count and the morpho-metrical parameters of large granular lymphocytes in rats was investigated. It has been found that the senescent animals demonstrate disturbance in typical lymphocytes/ neutrophils ratio under condition with light and darkness changes natural and regular illumination. The total leucocytes number, the level of neutrophilic bands, eosynophils and large granular lymphocytes increased under continuous light illumination and natural photoperiod in Karelia.

[Effect of mutilus hydrolysate in Aleutian disease of minks].

Addition of mutilus hydrolysate MIGI-K to rations of minks with virus plasmacytosis involving grave immunological disorders led to changes in the ratio of serum protein fractions and in the differential blood count. Normalization of the protein spectrum of minks with Aleutian disease apparently inhibits the development of disorders caused by hypergammaglobullnemia.