The article presents data on determining the suitability of the CYTB gene for typing rabbits of the Soviet Chinchilla breed. The detection of the target site of the CYTB gene was carried out by real-time PCR using highly specific primers and an amplifier probe; the PCR product was used in the Sanger sequencing reaction. The experiment determined that the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene can act as a marker for the genetic assessment of the purity of the Soviet Chinchilla rabbit breed and the suitability of individuals for further breeding. The method of sequencing of this section of the cytochrome b gene showed its efficacy and practical significance, allowing animals to be screened over a fairly short period of time for their use in breeding and genetic work or other research purposes.

A scheme for immunization of goats with morphine derivatives conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) is proposed. It was shown that antibodies to morphine are formed in high titers in blood serum (2×10^–6) and goat milk (1×10^–4). The specificity of antibodies to morphine was confirmed using ELISA and Western blot methods.

Complex treatment of staphylococcal infection is carried out using normal immunoglobulins, antistaphylococcal immunoglobulin, and immunospecific plasma. Their effectiveness depends on the concentration of staphylococcus alpha antitoxin. This indicator is determined in immunoglobulin preparations and in the plasma used for their production. During the production process, the potency of the intermediate – II+III precipitate – should be precisely evaluated. The existing method for determining staphylococcus alpha antitoxin is intended for monitoring the quality of plasma for fractionation, determination of normal and specific human immunoglobulins. The information about the possibility of its use for testing II+III precipitate is currently lacking. The task of increasing the accuracy and extending the application scope of the existing method for determining staphylococcus alpha antitoxin for testing II + III precipitate appears highly relevant. In this study, we aimed to modify the method for determining staphylococcus alpha antitoxin in plasma for fractionation, II+III precipitate and immunoglobulin preparations. The assessment of the potency was carried out in accordance with Pharmacopoeia. The method of quantitative determination of staphylococcus alpha antitoxinin human plasma for fractionation, II+III precipitate and readymade immunoglobulin preparations was modified. The range of optical density values at the stage of setting the limit of the hemolytic effect of the toxin was determined. The conditions for testing II+III precipitate were selected. A dilution scheme of the samples with a discreteness of 1 IU/ml was proposed. The specificity of antibody detection in samples was confirmed. The convergence linearity and correctness of the modified method was established. The implemented modification of the method extended the scope of its application due to the possibility of testing II+III precipitate. The accuracy of assessing the content of staphylococcus alpha antitoxin was increased by reducing the discreteness of determination and eliminating the subjectivity of visual assessment of the limit of the hemolytic action of the toxin. The result of determination of metrological characteristics showed the suitability of the modified method for quality control of raw materials and finished products.

The possibility to alter the glycosylation profile is an important prerequisite for the development of production technologies of therapeutic recombinant immunoglobulins. Glycans affect various effector functions of the antibody, such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), and the drug half-life. The possibility to achieve the required glycosylation profile of a therapeutic antibody by optimizing cultivation conditions will facilitate both the creation of more effective drugs and accelerated development of biosimilars. The conducted study found that an increase in the cultivation duration leads to a decrease in the galactose content. The addition of the EM-N-glycan regulator-2 afucose regulator (Eminence, China) led to an increase in the content of afucosylated glycans. The co-expression of the Fut8 enzyme led to an increase in mannose residues. Various approaches to regulation of fucose, mannose, and galactose contents during biosynthesis of IgG1 therapeutic antibody were tested.

Regulatory peptides are currently attracting research interest due to their potential application in the creation of new drugs. Among them, Gly-His-Lys (GHK) peptide seems to be promising. However, its high susceptibility to proteases requires the development of various methods for its protection, such as the addition of Pro-Gly-Pro (PGP), as well as various proline-containing amino acid sequences, to the C-terminus of GHK. The biological effects of the newly formed oligopeptides can differ significantly from those of GHK. In this work, we investigate the anxiolytic effects of the GHK-GP (Gly-His-Lys-Gly-Pro) peptide and its structural analogs in an elevated plus maze test. The experiments involved 200 male Wistar rats and the following peptides: GHK, PGP, GHK-PGP, GHK-GP, GHK-P (Gly-His-Lys-Pro), and GHK-VEP (Gly-HisLys-Val-Glu-Pro). The peptides were administered intraperitoneally at doses of 0.5, 5.0, and 50.0 μg/kg. Animals in the control group were administered equivalent volumes of saline. Anxiolytic activity under non-punishable conditions was assessed using an elevated plus maze. GHK peptide was revealed to exhibit anxiolytic activity at all the doses studied. PGP and GHK-PGP peptides did not exhibit anxiolytic action in this experiment. Thus, it can be assumed that PGP peptide completely neutralizes the anxiolytic effect of GHK. In addition, the anxiolytic effect was completely absent in the GHK-P and GHKVEP peptides, which also indicates the blocking of the anxiolytic effect of GHK due to the attachment of proline and the amino acid sequence Val-Glu-Pro to its C-terminus. The GHK-GP peptide, conversely, showed a pronounced anxiolytic activity at doses of 0.5 and 5.0 μg/kg, which may indicate the potentiation of the anxiolytic effect of GHK due to the attachment of the Gly-Pro dipeptide, as well as the direct anxiolytic effect of the Gly-Pro peptide per se through its direct or indirect neurotropic action.

Previous studies have shown the combined effect of short-term nutritional intake and intraperitoneal administration of the nonionic surfactant tyloxapol in the second half of pregnancy in rats on impaired glucose tolerance at its normal fasting level or a moderate increase in blood. This can be regarded as a condition corresponding to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), in which DNA damage occurs in embryo cells along with the disorders of the pre- and postnatal development of rat offspring. The proposed GDM biomodel had required pharmacological verification, which was performed in our study using hypoglycemic drugs metformin and glimepiride. The drugs were administered orally from the first day of pregnancy in a 1% starch solution. We assessed the capacity of each drug to reduce or eliminate impaired glucose tolerance and/or moderate hyperglycemia, developmental abnormalities in offspring, DNA damage in embryonic tissues, changes in muscle tone, and formation of unconditioned reflexes in the neonatal period. The behavior of adult offspring was assessed using elevated plus maze, novel object recognition, open field, and others tests. Metformin at a dose of 250 mg/kg showed a weak capacity to reduce impaired glucose tolerance in pregnant rats and to reduce DNA damage levels in embryonic cells, showing no action in other tests. Glimepiride at a dose of 4 mg/kg effectively eliminated carbohydrate metabolism disorders in pregnant rats, reduced DNA damage in fetal liver and brain cells, increased offspring survival, and corrected behavioral abnormalities in offspring. Thus, the results obtained indicate the feasibility of the analyzed experimental model when searching for means of pharmacological correction of GDM and its complications in offspring.

The adrenal glands are an endocrine organ involved in the regulation of almost all vital processes in the body. Functioning of the main structural elements of the adrenal glands – corticocytes and chromaffin cells – largely depends on the cellular microenvironment. It is known that the structure of the adrenal parenchyma includes lymphocytes, macrophages, mastocytes, and other cells. Urethane is a chemical stressor that can affect the structure of the adrenal gland. This paper presents a study of the changes in the cellular composition of the adrenal glands under the administration of urethane. It was found that a single intraperitoneal injection of urethane into male rats leads to changes in the structure of the adrenal glands manifested in a decreased number of proliferating cells and mastocytes, an increased number of fibroblasts and macrophages, and infiltration of the organ with lymphocytes, mainly NK-cells.