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Imprint
Differentiated digestion methods for rats and mice, samples of human origin and food
Project
Project code: MRI-FL-08-MRI-AA-08-4033
Contract period: 01.02.2011
- 31.10.2016
Purpose of research: Applied research
The development of differentiated digestion methods for rats and mice (skin, bones, remaining residual torso), samples of human origin (skin, muscle) and food has to be seen in connection with the research of associate professor Dr. Jens Titze (university hospital Erlangen) regarding the connection of hypertension and sodium supply by food ingestion. The Analysis Division at the MRI location Kulmbach has developed and optimized the procedures of determining the water content in animal tissues and of preparing the electrolyte solutions resulting from the sample digestion during the last years. The method has been purpose-made for research projects regarding hypertension and sodium metabolism in mammals (see Nature medicine 15(5) 545-552, 2009) by the Analysis Division of MRI Kulmbach. On reason of the laboratory equipment and the operating experience collected in the meantime it can be performed only at the MRI location Kulmbach. These activities contribute to the scientific state of knowledge regarding digestion methods for food analysis and eventually may lead to a new scope of duties for the MRI. They are also in the tradition of the efforts of MRI location Kulmbach, to reduce and substitute sodium chloride in the production of meat products considering food technological and sensory aspects in view of the connection between the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and salt consumption.
A tailor-made digestion or mineralization method has been developed and applied for rats and mice. It serves as a base for a reproducible element analysis in skin, bones and residual torso of rodents. The derived electrolyte analysis (together with Na-23 NMR-measurements conducted elsewhere), are part of a multidisciplinary project to clarify both the relationship between sodium chloride deposits in skin connective tissue, and hypertension as well as the performance of immune defense cells relating to autoimmune diseases and infections. In the skin, considerable amounts of sodium ions ingested with food are stored. They induce a microenvironment of increased osmotic pressure, which is also characteristic of inflamed tissue and lymphatic vessels. Immune cells in such an environment are responding to osmotic stress and are able to adapt their function appropriately. Macrophages exert a self-regulating function in the interstitial spaces overloaded with sodium ions, and normally (over several steps) ensure an increased removal from the sodium pools by boosting the growth of lymphatic vessels and the production of the strongly vasodilatory substance nitric oxide. If this mechanism is defective, the sodium overload will not be reduced. Subsequently, hypertension may develop after adaptation of the osmotic pressure. Other immune cells (T-cells) in a microenvironment of high salt concentration are transformed increasingly into TH17-cells, which play an important part in inflammatory processes and autoimmune diseases. However, an increased intake of sodium chloride appears to have a positive effect in the healing process of infections in the skin area. The wound healing of mice, which had received very salty feed, took a clearly improved course. This is attributable to an increased production of substances relevant for the healing process by the macrophages (tumor necrosis factor and nitric oxide).
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal health
- Physiology of Nutrition
- Food Processing
