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Use of animal models in Leishmania research
Pekařová, Julie ; Vojtková, Barbora (advisor) ; Pacáková, Lenka (referee)
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania, whose life cycle includes a mammalian host and an insect vector, typically of the genus Phlebotomus or Lutzomyia. While the number of vectors is limited, the spectrum of hosts is wide. Therefore, there are also many animal models that can be used for the study of different aspects of leishmaniasis. These include the study of the host's immune response, pathological manifestations of diseases, virulence factors or testing drugs and vaccines. Commonly used animal models are mainly rodents, which make up a large part of reservoir hosts of leishmaniasis. Examples of standard rodent models are the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus) and the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), however, higher models such as non-human primates or dogs are also being used. Animals that are relatively new to leishmaniasis research are wild rodents, which appear to be ideal experimental models for studying the natural dynamics of infections. Key words: animal models, laboratory animals, rodents, Leishmania, leishmaniasis
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Chelating polymers for the therapy of Wilson's disease
Mattová, Jana ; Poučková, Pavla (advisor) ; Sedláková, Zdeňka (referee) ; Vávrová, Jiřina (referee)
Wilson's disease is a hereditary disorder of copper metabolism, which causes copper accumulation in organism, especially in the liver, kidneys and brain. Current treatment is based on using low-molecular weight copper chelators and high doses of zinc salts. Unfortunately, they can induce some severe side effects due to systemic action. The aim of this thesis is to improve the treatment of Wilson's disease by using of polymeric drug delivery systems. The size of polymer particles in tens of microns should provide non-resorbability of the drug after oral administration. Synthetic microparticles of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co- ethylene dimethacrylate), natural microcrystalline cellulose and cross-linked chitosan were used as polymer matrices. N,N-di(2-pyridylmethyl)amine, triethylenetetraamine and 8-hydroxyquinoline were selected as specific copper chelators, which can complex copper cations with high efficiency. The principle of the proposed treatment is that the polymeric carrier-bound chelator complex copper directly from the food in digestive tract of the organism. Because of non-resorbability, the entire complex should be eliminated from the body together with stools. This virtually eliminates systemic side effects. The ability of adsorption of copper and the stability of polymer complex under...
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