Evaluation of the humoral response in Wistar and Goto-Kakizaki rats (non-obese diabetics) immunized with CORONAVAC and BUTANVAC vaccines

Abstract

The activities to be carried out by the scholarship holder are part of the postdoctoral project by Mariana Cruz Lazzarin entitled "Immunogenicity of vaccines for COVID-19 used in Brazil in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus associated or not with obesity", whose objective is to investigate differences in the immunogenicity of vaccines for COVID-19 in different experimental models of diabetes mellitus. The internship will allow the student to experience the dynamics of carrying out a research protocol using a well-established model of experimentation in rats, as well as participating in scientific discussions that will contribute to their training in scientific methodologies. Maria Carolina will be taught about animal management, determinations of glucose, total cholesterol, creatinine, hematological analysis, and insulin enzyme immunoassays. She will carry out analysis and discussion of results, and read related scientific articles. In more detail, the scientific activities to be developed by the scholarship holder will include: (1) monitoring the breading of Goto-Kakizaki and Wistar rats at the Central Animal House of the Butantan Institute to identify differences in the maintenance of the strains; (2) training in best practices in animal experimentation, including animal handling, rat restraint techniques, drug administration, and blood sampling; (3) performance and analysis of smear and blood cells count in blood collected from the gingival vein of rats; (4) follow-up glucose (GTT) and insulin (ITT) tolerance tests and discussion of results; (5) biochemical measurements such as: glucose, total cholesterol and creatinine dosage; (6) histological processing (slide preparation and staining) of the spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and bone marrow; (7) enzyme immunoassay to assess antibody titer in the serum of immunized Goto-Kakizaki rats and (8) participation in research group meetings to discuss scientific articles on vaccines and immunogenic response in diabetes, particularly Goto-Kakizaki rats. (AU)