Context: MOTILIPERM was prepared as a mixture of extracts of three medicinal herbs [roots of Morinda officinalis How (Rubiaceae), outer scales of Allium cepa L. (Liliaceae) and seeds of Cuscuta chinensis Lamark (Convolvulaceae)].Objective: To investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in a rat model of varicocele and the therapeutic efficacy of MOTILIPERM in this model.Materials and methods: Sixty male rats were divided into five experimental groups: a normal control group (CTR + vehicle), a control group administered MOTILIPERM 200 mg/kg (CTR + M 200), a varicocele-induced control group (VC + vehicle) and two varicocele-induced groups administered MOTILIPERM 100 (VC + M 100) or 200 (VC + M 200) mg/kg for 4 weeks. Testis weights were recorded and serums were assayed for hormone concentrations. Tissues were subjected to semen analysis, histopathology, analyses of ER response protein expression levels and oxidative stress were assessed by measuring ROS, reactive nitrogen species (RNS), malondialdehyde (MDA) level and ratios of total glutathione (GSH)/oxidized GSH (GSSG).Results: MOTILIPERM treatment of varicocele-induced groups significantly increased left testis weight, testosterone level, sperm motility, count and spermatogenic cell density. ER-response protein expression levels were dose-dependently decreased in VC + M 200 group compared with VC + vehicle group. MOTILIPERM treatment also decreased MDA and ROS/RNS level but increased GSH/GSSG ratio.Discussion and conclusions: This study suggests that ROS-related ER stress may play a major role in varicocele-induced infertility and MOTILIPERM, a novel compound targeting ROS-based ER stress, may be therapeutically useful in treatment of varicocele, or as a supplement for the treatment of infertility.

These results show that the lumbopelvic rhythms are different among healthy subjects and patients assigned to 2 specific LBP subgroups. These results provide information on the FR response of the erector spinae muscle.

No abstract

Background DA-9401 was prepared as a mixture of Chinese medicinal herb extracts from roots of Morinda officinalis How (Rubiaceae), outer scales of Allium cepa L. (Liliceae) and seeds of Cuscuta chinensis Lamark (Convolvulaceae). The present study was designed to investigate the possible protective role of DA-9401 in adriamycin (ADR)-induced testicular toxicity associated with oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and apoptosis. Methods Fifty healthy 8-week-old male Sprague–Dawley rats were equally divided into five groups. The first CTR group was treated with normal saline 2 ml/day by gavage. The second was treated with DA-100 (DA-9401 100 mg/kg/day). The third (ADR) group received ADR (2 mg/kg/once a week) intraperitoneally, while the combination of ADR and DA-9401 was given to the fourth ADR + DA-100 (100 mg/kg/day p.o) group and fifth ADR + DA-200 (200 mg/kg/day p.o) group. At the end of the 8-week treatment period, body weight, reproductive organ weights, fertility rate, pups per female were recorded, and serum were assayed for hormone concentrations. Tissues were subjected to semen analysis, histopathological changes, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), oxidative stress markers and expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers, apoptosis markers, tight junction protein markers, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cation channel of sperm (CatSper) and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) by western blot. Results DA-9401 administration to ADR-treated rats significantly decreased serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, interleukin-6, TNF-α, MDA level, ROS/RNS level, ER stress response protein levels, tunnel positive cells, cleaved caspase-3, and Bax/Bcl2 ratio. Moreover, pretreatment with DA-9401 significantly increased body weight, reproductive organ weights, fertility rate, pups per female, Johnsen’s score, spermatogenic cell density, sperm count and sperm motility, serum testosterone concentration, testicular superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), tight junction protein markers, star protein level, CatSper, and GSK-3 level. Conclusions ADR treatment can markedly impair testicular function and induce testicular cell death presumably by causing significant changes in oxidative stress, ER stress, and mitochondrial pathway. DA-9401 exerts beneficial effects against oxidative stress, ER stress, and mitochondria-mediated cell death pathway in testis tissue by up-regulating expression levels of tight junction protein markers, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, GSK-3 alpha, and cation channels of sperm. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12935-019-0805-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cisplatin (CIS) is used in the treatment of cancer, but its nonspecific systemic actions lead to toxic effects on other parts of the body. This study investigated the severity of CIS toxicity by increasing its dose over a constant time period. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into five treatment groups and control group with CIS (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally for 5 days. The body and organs were weighed, epididymal sperm was counted, and sperm motility and sperm apoptosis were evaluated. Blood samples were evaluated for complete blood count, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, malondialdehyde levels, and total testosterone. The testicular tissue was examined for steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and endoplasmic reticulum stress protein. Epididymal sperm was collected for CatSper Western blot. The toxic effects of different doses of CIS on the testis and kidney were compared histologically. The weights of body, testis, epididymis, prostate, seminal vesicle, and kidney; sperm count; sperm motility; steroidogenic acute regulatory protein level; and epididymal sperm count were significantly lower in the CIS-treated groups than in the control group. In contrast, sperm apoptosis, plasma reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and malondialdehyde, testosterone, red blood cell, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and endoplasmic reticulum stress protein levels all increased. Though CIS effectively treats cancer, at an increased dose it is toxic and life-threatening to the genitourinary system and other parts of the body.

Schisandra chinensis Baillon (SC) has been utilized for its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory activities in a broad variety of medical applications. However; SC uses for improving fertility in males and related disorders with proper scientific validation remain obscure. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of SC on varicocele (VC)-induced testicular dysfunction and the potential molecular mechanism associated with VC-induced germ cell apoptosis. The male Sprague–Dawley rats were equally divided into four groups consisting of 10 rats in a normal control group (CTR), a control group administered SC 200 mg/kg (SC 200), a varicocele-induced control group (VC), and a varicocele-induced group administered SC 200 mg/kg (VC + SC 200). Rats were administrated 200 mg/kg SC once daily for 28 days after induction of varicocele rats and sham controls. At the end of the treatment period, body and reproductive organ weight, sperm parameters, histopathological damages, proinflammatory cytokines, apoptosis markers, biomarkers of oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) were evaluated. The effects of SC extract on human sperm motility were also analyzed. SC treatment reduces VC-induced testicular dysfunction by significantly increasing testicular weight, sperm count and sperm motility, serum testosterone level, Johnsen score, spermatogenic cell density, testicular superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase level, and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) level. Furthermore, the effects of SC on malondialdehyde (MDA) level, reactive oxygen species (ROS)/reactive nitrogen species (RNS) level, apoptotic index, serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, Glucose-regulated protein-78 (Grp 78), phosphorylated c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), phosphorylated inositol-requiring transmembrane kinase/endoribonuclease 1α (p-IRE1α), cleaved caspase 3, and Bax:Bcl2 in VC-induced rats were significantly decreased. Treatment with SC extracts also increased sperm motility in human sperm. Our findings suggest that the SC ameliorate testicular dysfunction in VC-induced rats via crosstalk between oxidative stress, ER stress, and mitochondrial-mediated testicular germ cell apoptosis signaling pathways. SC promotes spermatogenesis by upregulating abnormal sex hormones and decreasing proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6; TNF-α).

Background: Monotropein, astragalin, and spiraeoside (MAS) are active compounds extracted from medicinal herbs; monotropein from Morinda officinalis How (Rubiaceae), astragalin (kaempferol 3-O-glucoside) from Cuscuta chinensis Lamark (Convolvulaceae) and spiraeoside from the outer scales of Allium cepa L. (Liliceae) in a ratio of 6.69:0.41:3.61. Monotropein, astragalin, and spiraeoside are well-known antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and antinociceptive agents. The current investigation aims to study the molecular mechanism of varicocele-induced male infertility and the underlying pharmacological mechanisms of MAS. Methods: Four groups were included: control (CTR), MAS 200 group (MAS 200 mg/kg), varicocele group (VC), and VC + MAS 200 group (MAS 200 mg/kg). Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were treated with 200 mg/kg MAS or vehicle once daily for 28 days. The possible signaling mechanism and effects of MAS were measured via histological staining, immunohistochemistry, western blot, and biochemical assays. Results: Parameters such as sperm motility and count, Johnsen's scores, spermatogenic cell density, serum testosterone, testicular superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) improved significantly in the VC + MAS 200 group compared with the VC group. MAS treatment of varicocele-induced group significantly decreased the levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), as well as testicular interleukin-6 (IL6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), ROS/RNS, and malondialdehyde (MDA). It also decreased the apoptotic index and reduced the expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein levels (Grp78, p-IRE1α, and p-JNK) and apoptotic markers such as cleaved caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl2 ratio. Conclusion: This study suggests that the crosstalk between oxidative stress, ER stress, and mitochondrial pathway mediates varicocele-induced testicular germ cell apoptosis. MAS promotes spermatogenesis in varicocele-induced SD rat, probably by decreasing cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) levels, regulating abnormal sex hormones, and decreasing oxidative stress, ER stress, and apoptosis.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the level of clinical image quality of panoramic radiographs and to analyze the parameters that influence the overall image quality.Materials and MethodsKorean dental clinics were asked to provide three randomly selected panoramic radiographs. An oral and maxillofacial radiology specialist evaluated those images using our self-developed Clinical Image Quality Evaluation Chart. Three evaluators classified the overall image quality of the panoramic radiographs and evaluated the causes of imaging errors.ResultsA total of 297 panoramic radiographs were collected from 99 dental hospitals and clinics. The mean of the scores according to the Clinical Image Quality Evaluation Chart was 79.9. In the classification of the overall image quality, 17 images were deemed 'optimal for obtaining diagnostic information,' 153 were 'adequate for diagnosis,' 109 were 'poor but diagnosable,' and nine were 'unrecognizable and too poor for diagnosis'. The results of the analysis of the causes of the errors in all the images are as follows: 139 errors in the positioning, 135 in the processing, 50 from the radiographic unit, and 13 due to anatomic abnormality.ConclusionPanoramic radiographs taken at local dental clinics generally have a normal or higher-level image quality. Principal factors affecting image quality were positioning of the patient and image density, sharpness, and contrast. Therefore, when images are taken, the patient position should be adjusted with great care. Also, standardizing objective criteria of image density, sharpness, and contrast is required to evaluate image quality effectively.