International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety最新文献

{"title":"Brain neurotransmitters and hippocampal proteome in pigs under stress and environmental enrichment","authors":"L. Arroyo, A. Bassols","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8522","url":null,"abstract":"Stress and wellbeing are psychological conditions that are mediated by the central nervous system. In the brain, stress is mediated mainly by the hypothalamus, which will activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to the secretion of cortisol, the paradigmatic stress hormone. Other brain areas as the amygdala, the hippocampus or the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are involved in emotions such as happiness, anxiety and fear. Communication between brain areas is achieved by chemical neurotransmitters (NTs), which are secreted by presynaptic neurons to reach postsynaptic neurons, where they will cause a variation in membrane polarization and other cell signaling actions, leading to physiological responses. Amongst these NTs, catecholamines (noradrenaline and dopamine) and serotonin play an important role. On the other hand, the adverse effects of stress may be counteracted by housing the individuals under environmental enrichment conditions. This long-term situation should have an effect, not only on NTs, but also on the brain proteome. Under the hypothesis that different stress situations will lead to changes in NT composition that will be specific for crucial brain areas, we have tested the effects of transport stress, handling stress at the slaughterhouse, and the stress-susceptible genotype (Ryr1) on the amine NT concentration in amygdala, hippocampus, PFC and hypothalamus of pigs. The effects of living under environmentally enriched or control conditions on the NT concentration in several brain regions and on the hippocampus proteome has been also analyzed. In conclusion, genetic factors as well as management conditions related to housing, transport and slaughterhouse alter in different degree the catecholaminergic and the serotoninergic neurotransmission in the brain, and give clues about how different individual types are able to react to external challenges. Likewise, environmental enrichment leads to changes in the proteome especially related to protein translation in the hippocampus.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74758735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Expression monitoring of relevant sensitivity genes in honey bee antennae and their relationship with Hygienic Behavior","authors":"E. Facchini, F. Dell'Orco, M. Mortarino, R. Rizzi","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8420","url":null,"abstract":"Honeybees are very important microlivestock, not only for the economic value of their productions but also for the crucial role they fulfill as pollinators. Recently, colony losses have been recorded throughout Europe and the reasons underpinning such phenomenon can be addressed to agro-chemicals and pathogens. Among the latter, the parasitic mite Varroa destructor is considered the principal mortality cause. Hygienic behavior (HB) in honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) involves the detection and removal of brood affected by bacterial, fungal diseases, and parasitization. This behavior is part of a series of strategies evolved by social insects known as social immunity, which confers disease resistance thanks to the persistent elimination of pathogens and parasites from the hive, limiting their multiplication and the infection of other bees. It has previously reported that physiological changes in peripheral sense tissues of insects influence the behavioral state of individuals, and it has been suggested that changes in gene expression at antennal level can contribute to shifts in the behavioral states of honeybees. Moreover, it has previously reported that antennae hold a key role in the process of recognition of abnormalities in the brood by honeybees. The aim of the work was to investigate the expression level of selected genes (Obp3, Obp4, Obp16, Obp18, Act5C, Mblk-1) through RealTime-PCR in honeybee antennae. These targets are reported as potential biomarkers of HB in previous transcriptomic and proteomic studies. Hygienic behavior has been measured in the field through optimized freeze-killed-brood method on 10 colonies, from which workers of known age (15 days old) have been collected for molecular analysis. Preliminary results show that Obp3 is the least expressed among the tested genes, but its expression pattern is linked to the HB value; in particular, highly hygienic colonies express Obp3 significantly at higher rate with respect to the lower HB group of colonies.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84995322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Swine cortical and cancellous bone: histomorphometric and densitometric characterisation","authors":"M. E. Andreis, M. Cummaudo, U. Polito, A. M. Luciano, C. Cattaneo, M. Giancamillo, A. Giancamillo, S. Modina","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8395","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8395","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Swine bone morphology, composition and remodelling are similar to humans’, therefore they are considered good models in bone-related research. They have been used for several studies involving bone growth, bone and cartilage fractures and femoral head osteonecrosis. Nevertheless, the literature about pig normal bone features is incomplete. This work aims to fill the literature gaps on the microarchitecture and Bone Mineral Density (BMD) of swine femoral diaphysis and distal epiphysis and tibial plateau and diaphysis. Materials and methods: Five hind limbs were collected from slaughtered 80-100 kg pigs. Microscopic analysis of cortical and cancellous bone from middle/distal femur and proximal/middle tibia was performed to determine basic histomorphometric parameters at different sites. Dual-energy X-Rays Absorptiometry was also employed to evaluate BMD. ANOVA and correlation between BMD, bone area (BA) and cortical thickness were performed. Results and discussion: Diaphyseal cortical bone was mostly plexiform both in the tibia and the femur; primary/secondary osteons without clear organization were also found. Mean values for bone area, bone perimeter, trabecular width, number and separation and BMD at different anatomical sites were defined. No significant difference was found for these values at different anatomical sites. BMD proved to be positively correlated with cortical thickness (r=0,80; p<0,01). Despite the small sample size, these results seem homogeneous. They could therefore represent reference values for normal bone parameters in pigs. Applied anatomy and regenerative medicine, in fact, demand very precise information about bone micromorphology, composition and density to provide reliable indication in bone substitutes building. Moreover, since the interpretation of bone abnormalities is based on mastering normal bone characteristics, the definition of reference parameters is mandatory to avoid misinterpretation and allow comparative evaluation. Conclusion: The results of this study, although preliminary, may be considered a dependable starting point for the definition of normal bone features in pigs.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90752647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Meniscus matrix morphological composition: age-dependent evaluation in a swine model","authors":"U. Polito, Elena Dell'Era, I. Tessaro, G. Peretti, A. Giancamillo","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8352","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8352","url":null,"abstract":"Menisci are fibro-cartilaginous structures interposed between femoral condyle and tibial plateau, which have multiple functions in the stifle joint: act as shock absorbers, bear loaders and allow joint stability, congruity and lubrication (Sweigart et al ., 2004; Proffen et al ., 2012). It is well known that meniscal injuries lead to osteoarthritis and for these reasons, menisci are considered important target of investigation. Their important role in the knee wellness is only equalled by their deficiency in proper self-repairing. Nowadays, the gold standard technique is not just to remove the damaged meniscus, but to rebuild it or to replace it. For these reasons, studies are necessary to increase the knowledge about these small but essential structures (Streuli, 1999; Deponti et al ., 2013). Composition and morphology are basic fundamental information for the development of engineered meniscal substitutes (Di Giancamillo et al . , 2014). The analysis of the morphological, structural and biochemical changes, which occur during growth of the normal menisci, represent the goal of the present study. For this purpose, menisci from adult (7-month old), young (1-month old), and neonates (stillbirths) pigs were collected. Cellularity and glycosamiglycans (GAGs) deposition were evaluated by ELISA, while Collagen-1 and Collagen-2 were investigated by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses. Cellularity (P<0.01, all comparisons) and Collagen-1 (P<0.05, neonatal-young vs adult) decreased from neonatal to adult stage while GAGs (P<0.01 neonatal vs young-adult) and Collagen-2 (P<0.01 neonatal-young vs adult) showed the opposite trend. Immunohistochemistry revealed similar changes occurring during animal growth thus revealing that cellular phenotype, cellularity and protein expression, as well as fibers aggregation in the matrix, are dissimilar in the three ages analysed categories. These changes reflect the progressive menisci maturation and hyper-specialisation. We observed the correlation between biochemical and phenotype properties of swine menisci follow age-dependent changes during growth: starting with an immature cellular and fiber pattern to the mature organised and differentiated adult menisci. Acknowledgments: This work was funded by the “Finanziamento Piano Sviluppo Ateneo - Linea 2A”","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72723183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Airway remodeling and its reversibility in equine asthma","authors":"J. Lavoie","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8523","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8523","url":null,"abstract":"Despite effective therapies for controlling its clinical manifestations, human asthma remains an incurable disease. It is now recognized that inflammation induced structural changes (remodeling) of the airways are responsible for the progressive loss of lung function in asthmatic patients. However, the peripheral airways, where most of the remodeling occurs in severe asthmatic patients, cannot be safely sampled in humans, and therefore, little is known of the effects of current therapies at reversing the established asthmatic remodeling, especially those occurring in the peripheral airways. Animal models have been studied to unravel etiological, immunopathological, and genetic attributes leading to asthma. However, experiments in which the disease is artificially induced have been shown to have limited translational potential for humans. To the contrary, horses naturally suffer from an asthma-like condition which shares marked similarities with human asthma making this model unique to investigate the kinetics, reversibility, as well as the physiological consequences of tissue remodeling (Bullone and Lavoie 2015). We reported an increased deposition of smooth muscle, collagen and elastic fibers in the peripheral airways of affected horses, which was correlated with the lung function (Herszberg et al., 2006; Setlakwe et al., 2014). The airway subepithelial collagen depositions were almost completely reversed with 6 to 12 months of treatment with either antigen avoidance or inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) administration, and there was a modest (30% on average) decrease in airway smooth muscle (Leclere et al., 2011). A recent study also found that ICS combined with long-acting s2-agonists drugs (LABA) and ICS monotherapy similarly induced a 30% decrease of the airway smooth muscle mass at 3 months (Buollone, 2017). However, only ICS/LABA and antigen avoidance decreased airway luminal neutrophilia. The findings indicate the enhance therapeutic effect of ICS/LABA over ICS monotherapy at controlling asthma exacerbations in humans may be due to their anti-remodeling and anti-inflammatory effects. However, airway smooth muscle remodeling is only partially reversible with current anti-asthma medications.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89370381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comparison study of the inflammatory response in Holstein Friesian versus a local cattle breed (Rendena)","authors":"J. Filipe, G. Curone, E. Trevisi, M. Amadori, L. Turin, P. Moroni, D. Vigo, M. F. Addis, F. Riva","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8348","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8348","url":null,"abstract":"The selective pressure for increased milk production brought about great difficulties in the adaptation of cows to their environment. However, not much is known about the biological mechanisms behind the relationship between genetic selection and higher risk of metabolic and infectious diseases (Oltenacu, P.A., and Broom, D.M., 2010). It is well known that during the calving period, high-yielding dairy cattle are more susceptible to common environmental stressors, affecting disease occurrence and milk production levels (Bach, A., 2011). In this study we compared innate immune response of 6 Holstein Friesian (HF) and 4 Rendena (R) cows reared in the same farm and under the same management conditions. Milk and blood samples were collected at dry-off (T1), 1 day after calving (T2), 7-10 days after calving (T3), and 30 days after calving (T4). Milk samples were subjected to measurement of the inflammation marker cathelicidin and assessment of different innate immune-related mediators; blood samples were used for the analysis of plasma metabolites indicators of systemic inflammation. HF cows showed a more severe systemic inflammatory response at T2 and T3 in comparison with R cows (fig.1). Concerning the milk protein abundance profile, higher levels in R cows were observed in the colostrum (T2). Moreover, at all time points HF showed higher levels of the inflammation marker cathelicidin in milk (fig.2). In addition, the expression of innate immune related genes were different in HF compared with R (fig.3). Our results suggest that HF cows develop a systemic and local mammary inflammatory response that confirms their higher susceptibility to disease compared with R cows. Our findings reveal that fundamental effector activities of innate immunity in the mammary gland could be included in the breeding programs of HF cows and suggest the spread of autochthonous cow farming in order to maintain the biodiversity, reduce the antibiotic consumption and production of high quality dairy products.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77761891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2’s activation in transgenic mice fed with dosage of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids using in vivo bioluminescent imaging","authors":"E. Mariani, N. Rizzi, G. Invernizzi, A. Agazzi, A. Maggi, G. Savoini","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8384","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8384","url":null,"abstract":"To counteract oxidative stress cells developed several mechanisms, including the transcription factor Nuclear Factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). The aim of the study was to evaluate the activation of Nrf2 in transgenic mice fed saturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids and the anti-inflammatory effect of estrogens on organism. Forty-eight ARE CRE OMO reporter mice were divided into 3 groups, consisting of 16 animals, based on presence/absence of estrogens (ovariectomized or sham female, OVX - SH; male, MA). Each group was further split in 4 subgroups of 4 animals each and fed different diets (7.5% lard, 7.5% tuna oil, 20.0 % lard and 20.0% tuna oil). Two times a week animals were anaesthetized and injected i.p. with 100µL luciferin 15 min before the imaging session. Using the Living Image Software, photon emission was mapped for selected body areas. On day 70, animals were sacrificed after a challenge with Sodium Arsenite. Specific organs were dissected and immediately subjected to ex vivo imaging session. MIXED and GLM procedures of SAS software were used for statistical analysis. Dietary treatments did not affect body weight and feed intake as well as Nrf2 expression in both pre- and post-challenge phases, with the exception of the abdominal region (P=0.031 pre-challenge); in this area, during the pre-challenge phase, OVX showed lower Nrf2 activation (P<0.001). Ex vivo results outlined a significant effect of the challenge on all the considered organs (P<0.001), while OVX subjects had higher Nrf2 expression on urinary bladder and kidney (P<0.05) and high fat diet increased Nrf2 in urinary bladder (P<0.05). The present trial shows how saturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation in the diet do not exert significant effects on oxidative stress in mice, but confirms the protective role of estrogens under physiological condition.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91128714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Isolated slaughterhouse liver as model for normothermic perfusion after warm and cold ischemia: single case report","authors":"M. Ghiringhelli, S. Brizzola, F. Consolo, A. Giancamillo, M. Trovatelli, P. Martino, Camilla Mocchi, A. Stranieri, T. Vitiello, E. Fusi, V. Bontempo, F. Acocella","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8407","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Liver transplantation is an ultimate procedure in patients suffering end-stage liver diseases. In these last years the donation after cardiac death (DCD) has increased the pool of potential liver donors. Different studies and procedures are involved in the prevention of the main ischemic problems during the reconditioning and resuscitation of the marginal livers. Normothermic extracorporeal liver perfusion (NELP) avoids prolonged cold storage damage that is the main cause of steatosis and biliary tract ischemia in transplanted patiens. Different porcine models have been studied and developed to understand the ischemia mechanism and to select the better technique for NELP. We conducted our study using a DCD pig liver model collected from slaughterhouse. Using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, 2000 ml of total fluid containing autologous blood, lidocaine, heparin, antibiotics, glucose 10 % solution and flunixin, the NELP was achieved. The liver was perfused over 7 hours after 48 hours of cold storage (4C°), using Eurocollins solution. During the liver withdrawal in the slaughterhouse 20 minutes were waited to simulate the warm ischemia (WI) time. Histological samples, swab for bacterial grow, blood sample, temperature and pulse oximetry saturation were collected to assess the liver viability and function. These analyses revealed stable metabolism throughout perfusion identifying a cycles 2 hours length, coinciding with recovery of oxygen uptake rates to fresh liver, as described in literature. In summary the preliminary established model of isolated hemoperfused slatherhouse liver reveals the important role of the relation between cold storage and normothermic perfusion. Moreover this  preliminary study justifies further investigation of the optimization of the treatment protocols and perfusion media.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89277161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Obp4 and Act5C gene expression is related to Hygienic behavior in honeybee families","authors":"F. Dell'Orco, E. Facchini, R. Rizzi, M. Mortarino","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8419","url":null,"abstract":"Honeybees (Apis mellifera) evolved social immunity mechanisms based on coordinated behavioral mechanisms for reducing the spread of pathogens and parasites. In particular, Hygienic Behavior (HB) is an actively participation of family defense by uncapping and removal of dead, diseased or parasitized brood. Currently, HB evaluation is performed only by in-field empirical assays, and suitable molecular markers that could allow the discrimination between families with High and Non-High HB score are not yet available. The research activity was characterized by a transversal approach: from in-field phenotypic characterization, to expression profiling of selected coding genes in honeybee brains. The expression analysis was performed on pools of 15 days-old honeybees collected in spring 2017 from 10 different colonies (5 with high HB and 5 with low HB scores). The brains were dissected and total RNA was purified. After quantitation and quality evaluation, the extracted RNAs were reverse transcribed to cDNAs and Real Time PCR was performed on different target genes (Act5C, Mblk-1, Obp3, Obp4, Obp16 and Obp18) previously showed by transcriptomic and proteomic studies to be involved in HB. The comparative analysis of RT-PCR threshold cycles (Ct) showed that Mblk-1 was the least expressed gene among the analyzed targets. Most importantly, statistical analysis of expression data validated (p<0.05) the delta-Ct between Obp4 and Act5C as a predictive index of high vs low HB score. These results confirmed the findings obtained through a preliminary experiment performed in spring 2016.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83267482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tumor Microenvironment In Experimental Models Of Human Cancer: Morphological Investigational Approaches","authors":"L. Minoli, E. Scanziani","doi":"10.13130/2283-3927/8399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.13130/2283-3927/8399","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction . Tumor microenvironment (TME) is defined as the non-tumoral part of tumors. It is composed of different cell populations and structures (such as tumor-associated vasculature, immune-inflammatory cells, fibroblasts…) (Hanahan and Coussens, 2012). TME could either promote or antagonize tumor growth and has a great potential as target for novel therapeutic strategies. Along with several methods (i.e. molecular assays), morphological techniques allow to evaluate the components of TME in the setting of their action. The aim of this work was to set up and define valuable morphological approaches useful in the investigation of the TME. Materials and methods. Histological and immunohistochemical techniques, along with digital image analysis, were tested on experimental mouse models (both xenograft and genetically engineered mice) of four different human tumors (ovarian cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), colon adenocarcinoma, thyroid carcinoma). Results. Concerning the vascular compartment, CD31 immunostaining and double-immunofluorescence with CD31 and a-SMA (pericytes marker) allowed to respectively quantify vessels and evaluate their maturation degree. Immunohistochemical detection of previously administrated Pimonidazole, revealed variable extended areas of hypoxia within tumoral masses in a consistent pattern between frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples. Concerning the stromal component, anti-human MHC I and specie-specific markers for Vimentin demonstrated the host-derivation of stroma in xenotumors, while Sirius Red histochemical staining allowed the quantification of desmoplasia in models of PDAC. Concerning immune-inflammatory cells, an immunohistochemical panel with CD3 (T lymphocytes), B220 (B lymphocytes), MPO (neutrophils) and Iba-1 (macrophages), showed high reliability in characterizing the tumoral infiltrate. Moreover, the application of markers specific for different macrophage subsets confirmed the higher prevalence of M2 (Arginase I positive) on M1 (iNOS positive) macrophages. YM1 demonstrated a low performance in detecting the M2 population (Fig. 1). Discussion and conclusions. Due to the microenvironmental heterogeneity which influence tumor development and biological behavior, a sole quantification is unreliable for characterizing the TME. Considering that, morphological techniques proved to be a valuable approach, allowing the evaluation of the spatial distribution and mutual interaction between the different elements. Additional studies are needed for further investigate the biological significance of spatial distribution of the components of the TME.","PeriodicalId":14105,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Health, Animal science and Food safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75772866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}