Melatonin alleviates the deterioration of oocytes from mice subjected to repeated superovulation

Induction of repeated superovulation with exogenous hormones is widely used in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Though it is generally safe, emerging evidence has indicated that repeated superovulation may compromise oocyte quality. However, few studies have explored how to ameliorate such impairment. Because melatonin has beneficial influences on oocytes in various detrimental environments, we aimed to explore whether melatonin could protect mouse oocytes after repeated superovulation. We found that repeated superovulation markedly reduced meiotic maturation and disrupted spindle organization and chromosome alignment. Furthermore, we observed reduced mitochondrial content and enhanced early apoptosis in oocytes from mice subjected to repeated superovulation. In addition, 5-methylcytosine (5mc) fluorescence intensity was lower in oocytes from experimental mice than in those from control mice, indicating that repeated superovulation disrupts genomic DNA methylation, and elevations in reactive oxygen species levels indicated that repeated superovulation also induces oxidative stress. Conversely, melatonin administration improved oocyte maturation and attenuated the observed defects. Interestingly, supplementation with melatonin during in vitro maturation had the same protective effects on oocytes as in vivo melatonin administration. In summary, our results show that melatonin can improve oocyte quality after repeated superovulation and thus provide a potential strategy to improve ART efficiency.     

Identification of EPHX2 and RMI2 as two novel key genes in cervical squamous cell carcinoma by an integrated bioinformatic analysis

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in women worldwide and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC) is the most common histological type of cervical cancer. The dysregulation of genes plays a significant role in cancer. In the present study, we screened out differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of CESC in the GSE63514 data set from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. An integrated bioinformatics analysis was used to select hub genes, as well as to investigate their related prognostic signature, functional annotation, methylation mechanism, and candidate molecular drugs. As a result, a total of 1907 DEGs were identified (944 were upregulated and 963 were downregulated). In the protein–protein interaction network, three hub modules and 30 hub genes were identified. And two hub modules and 116 hub genes were screened out from four CESC-related modules by the weighted gene coexpression network analysis. The gene ontology term enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway analysis were performed to better understand functions and pathways. Genes with a significant prognostic value were found by prognostic signature analysis. And there were five genes (EPHX2, CHAF1B, KIAA1524, CDC45, and RMI2) identified as significant CESC-associated genes after expression validation and survival analysis. Among them, EPHX2 and RMI2 were noted as two novel key genes for the CESC-associated methylation and expression. In addition, four candidate small molecule drugs for CESC (camptothecin, resveratrol, vorinostat, and trichostatin A) were defined. Further studies are required to explore these significant CESC-associated genes for their potentiality in diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy.     

一株虾池来源的螺旋拟柱孢藻藻株的分离鉴定及重金属离子Cu~(2+)、Cd~(2+)和Pb~(2+)对其生长的影响

【目的】探讨凡纳滨对虾养殖水体中入侵蓝藻拟柱孢藻的生长生理特性。【方法】从汕头澄海人工对虾养殖池分离纯化藻株,通过形态及其16SrRNA基因鉴定,之后在CT与BG11两种蓝藻通用培养基的基础上优化最佳培养条件,最后分析了不同浓度的3种重金属离子即Cu~(2+)(0–0.8 mg/L)、Cd~(2+)(0–4 mg/L)和Pb~(2+)(0–80 mg/L)对藻株生长的影响。【结果】澄海虾池来源的分离纯化藻株形态呈卷曲螺旋型,16S rRNA基因序列与多株其他来源的拟柱孢藻相似度均达98%以上。实验室培养,藻株最佳生长状态的培养条件是在BG11培养基的基础上调整氮浓度及氮磷比分别为N 62 mg/L,N︰P=9︰1,在此条件下,藻丝生物量可达(0.632±0.170)×107/L,藻丝比平均生长速率最高为(0.063±0.001)/d。本分离藻株活体对重金属Cu~(2+)、Cd~(2+)和Pb~(2+)具有一定的耐受性,其耐受浓度范围分别为0–0.2、0–0.5和1–40 mg/L,其中,Cu~(2+)和Cd~(2+)对藻的生长具有抑制作用,而且此抑制作用随着金属离子剂量的增加及作用时间的延长更加显著,Cu~(2+)和Cd~(2+)对藻体的半数抑制浓度(96 h EC50)分别为0.125和0.551 mg/L;而浓度范围为0–80 mg/L的Pb~(2+)对藻体的生长则表现为低剂量(≤40 mg/L)呈促进,高剂量(≥80 mg/L)则抑制。【结论】从凡纳滨对虾养殖池中分离鉴定出一株形态呈螺旋型的拟柱孢藻,命名为螺旋拟柱孢藻(Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii helix),本藻株活体能够在一定浓度的Cu~(2+)、Cd~(2+)和Pb~(2+)中生长,为螺旋拟柱孢藻活藻生物吸附重金属离子而改善虾池水体环境提供了可能性。     

Sodium butyrate ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced cow mammary epithelial cells from oxidative stress damage and apoptosis

This study investigated the molecular mechanism by which sodium butyrate (NaB) causes oxidative stress damage induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on cow mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T). We found that NaB significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity and decreased the reactive oxygen species production in LPS-induced MAC-T cells. NaB attenuated protein damage and reduced apoptosis in LPS-induced MAC-T cells. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax decreased, while the Bcl-2 mRNA level increased in LPS-induced MAC-T cells treated with NaB. Our results showed that NaB treatment increased the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and phospho-AKT (P-AKT) protein levels, whereas it decreased the Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 protein levels in LPS-induced MAC-T cells. However, the increase in PI3K and P-AKT protein levels and the decrease in Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 protein levels induced by NaB treatment were reversed when the cells were pretreated with LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor). These results indicate that NaB ameliorates LPS-induced oxidative damage by increasing antioxidative enzyme activities and ameliorating protein damage in MAC-T cells. In addition, NaB decreased apoptosis by inhibiting caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax protein levels, and this action was mainly achieved via activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in LPS-induced MAC-T cells. These results provide substantial information for NaB as a chemical supplement to treat oxidative stress and its related diseases in ruminants.     

Ipriflavone as a non‐steroidal glucocorticoid receptor antagonist ameliorates diabetic cognitive impairment in mice

Diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI) is a common diabetic complication with hallmarks of loss of learning ability and disorders of memory and behavior. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) dysfunction is a main reason for neuronal impairment in brain of diabetic patients. Here, we determined that ipriflavone (IP) a clinical anti‐osteoporosis drug functioned as a non‐steroidal GR antagonist and efficiently ameliorated learning and memory dysfunction in both type 1 and 2 diabetic mice. The underlying mechanism has been intensively investigated by assay against the diabetic mice with GR‐specific knockdown in the brain by injection of adeno‐associated virus (AAV)‐ePHP‐si‐GR. IP suppressed tau hyperphosphorylation through GR/PI3K/AKT/GSK3β pathway, alleviated neuronal inflammation through GR/NF‐κB/NLRP3/ASC/Caspase‐1 pathway, and protected against synaptic impairment through GR/CREB/BDNF pathway. To our knowledge, our work might be the first to expound the detailed mechanism underlying the amelioration of non‐steroidal GR antagonist on DCI‐like pathology in mice and report the potential of IP in treatment of DCI.     

Adenosine A(2A) receptor mRNA regulation by nerve growth factor is TrkA-, Src-, and Ras-dependent via extracellular regulated kinase and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase

We have shown previously that nerve growth factor (NGF) down-regulates adenosine A(2A) receptor (A(2A)AR) mRNA in PC12 cells. To define cellular mechanisms that modulate A(2A)AR expression, A(2A)AR mRNA and protein levels were examined in three PC12 sublines: i) PC12nnr5 cells, which lack the high affinity NGF receptor TrkA, ii) srcDN2 cells, which overexpress kinase-defective Src, and iii) 17.26 cells, which overexpress a dominant-inhibitory Ras. In the absence of functional TrkA, Src, or Ras, NGF-induced down-regulation of A(2A)AR mRNA and protein was significantly impaired. However, regulation of A(2A)AR expression was reconstituted in PC12nnr5 cells stably transfected with TrkA. Whereas NGF stimulated the mitogen-activated protein kinases p38, extracellular regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/ERK2), and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) in PC12 cells, these kinases were activated only partially or not at all in srcDN2 and 17.26 cells. Inhibiting ERK1/ERK2 with PD98059 or inhibiting SAPK/JNK by transfecting cells with a dominant-negative SAPKbeta/JNK3 mutant partially blocked NGF-induced down-regulation of A(2A)AR expression in PC12 cells. In contrast, inhibiting p38 with SB203580 had no effect on the regulation of A(2A)AR mRNA and protein levels. Treating SAPKbeta/JNK3 mutant-transfected PC12 cells with PD98059 completely abolished the NGF-induced decrease in A(2A)AR mRNA and protein levels. These results reveal a role for ERK1/ERK2 and SAPK/JNK in regulating A(2A)AR expression.     

Solvent effects on focused microwave assisted extraction of polyphenolic acids from Eucommia ulmodies

An open microwave-assisted extraction system was used to extract gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid from Eucommia ulmodies. The effect of extraction variables, especially solvent, on the recoveries of these polyphenolic compounds was investigated using factorial design. As extracting solvent for these compounds, methanol produced a higher recovery than pure water. For straight chain alcohol solvents, the lower the carbon number, the higher the recoveries of the polyphenolic acids. The optimal ratio of methanol:water:glacial acetic acid in the solvent mixture used in microwave-assisted extraction was 2:8:0.3 (v/v) and this solvent could be directly used as the mobile phase in HPLC separation without additional intermittent treatment as reported in literature. The extraction under the condition of 50% microwave power and 30 s irradiation at a solvent:sample ratio of 10 (mL/g) was found to be the most advantageous. The repeatability test of extraction and chromatographic analysis was satisfactory for the analysis of these polyphenolic compounds.     

迁移的鼻咽癌细胞容积激活性氯电流

用膜片钳技术研究了Transwell小室趋化迁移后的鼻咽癌CNE-2Z细胞容积激活性CT电流。47％低渗刺激迁移后的CNE-2Z细胞诱发容积激活性氯电流,与未迁移细胞相比,其特性以及其对氯通道阻断剂的敏感性发生明显的变化,此电流的密度明显高于未迁移细胞,而且该电流几乎完全被氯通道阻断剂adenosine-5'-triphosphate(ATP,10 mmol/L)、5-nitro-2-3-phenylpropylamino benzoic acid(NPPB,100μmol/L)和他莫昔芬(30μmol/L)抑制,其中NPPB和他莫昔芬对迁移细胞的抑制作用明显强于未迁移细胞。迁移后的CNE-2Z细胞容积激活性氯通道对阴离子的通透性为:Br>Cl>I>葡萄糖酸,与未迁移细胞(I>Br>Cl>葡萄糖酸)不同。结果提示,容积激活性氯通道可能参与CNE-2Z细胞的迁移过程。