According to the World Health Organization, infertility, associated with metabolic syndrome, has become a global issue with a 10%–20% incidence worldwide. An accumulating body of evidence has shown that the renin–angiotensin system is involved in the fertility problems observed in some populations. Moreover, alterations in the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme-1, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, and angiotensin-converting enzyme-3 might be one of the most important mechanisms underlying both female and male infertility. However, as a pseudogene in humans, further studies are needed to explore whether the abnormal angiotensin-converting enzyme-3 gene could result in the problems of human reproduction. In this review, the relationship between angiotensin-converting enzymes and fertile ability is summarized, and a new procedure for the treatment of infertility is discussed.

1.  CYP2C9 is an important member of the cytochrome P450 enzyme superfamily, with 57 CYP2C9 allelic variants being previously reported. Among these variants, we recently identified 21 novel alleles (*36-*56) in the Han Chinese population. The aim of this study was to assess the catalytic activities of 36 CYP2C9 variants found in the Chinese population toward losartan in vitro. 2.  Insect microsomes expressing the 36 CYP2C9 variants were incubated with 0.5-25 μM losartan for 30 min at 37 °C. Next, the products were extracted, and signal detection was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. 3.  Compared with wild-type CYP2C9.1, the intrinsic clearance (Vmax/Km) values of all variants except for CYP2C9.56 were significantly altered. One variant exhibited markedly increased values (>250%), whereas 33 variants exhibited significantly decreased values (from 20 to 96%) due to increased Km and/or decreased Vmax values. 4.  These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to subjects carrying these infrequent CYP2C9 alleles when administering losartan in the clinic.

This study provides the most comprehensive data on the enzymatic activities associated with all reported CYP2C9 variants in the Chinese population with regard to the widely used antidepressant drug, fluoxetine. Our data indicate that more attention should be paid to subjects carrying the corresponding infrequent CYP2C9 alleles when administering fluoxetine in the clinic.

Abstract:Over the course of the past 35 years, assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have been increasingly used worldwide, while debates on their safety have been generated. Birth defects and imprinting disorders were reported in previous research. Thus, the psychological development of children born following ARTs has become a major concern nowadays. This review gives a systematic view of psychological well-being of children conceived by different types of ART, including in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), preimplantation genetic diagnosis/screening, and in vitro maturation. The previous studies are analyzed in three sections: (1) cognitive, motor, and language developments, (2) behavior problems and socio-emotional development, and (3) parent-child relationship. We conclude that although the majority of the studies on cognitive, motor, and language developments reported comparable achievements in the ART group vs. the naturally conceived group, lower intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, worse visual-motor ability or locomotor development, and delayed receptive language competence were found in the ART group. The results on the socio-emotional development were reassuring. As for the behavior problems, a higher prevalence of behavior problems existed in ART children; moreover, ICSI children were found to be at a higher risk of autism than the general population. Meanwhile, ART parents tended to have positive parental attitudes and be more protective of their children. Some suggestions for further research are also given in this review.

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Cytochrome P450 (P450) 2C9 is an important member of the P450 enzyme superfamily, with 58 CYP2C9 allelic variants previously reported. Genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C9 significantly influence the efficacy and safety of some drugs, which might cause adverse effects and therapeutic failure. The aim of this study was to assess the catalytic activities of 38 human CYP2C9 alleles, including 24 novel alleles (*36-*60) found in the Han Chinese population, toward bosentan (BOS) in vitro. Insect microsomes expressing the 38 CYP2C9 alleles were incubated with 10-625 mM bosentan for 30 minutes at 37°C and terminated by cooling to 280°C immediately. BOS and hydroxyl bosentan, the major metabolite of BOS, were analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system. Thirty-eight defective alleles can be classified into three categories according to the relative clearance value compared with wild type: nine alleles exhibited significantly increased intrinsic clearance values (V max /K m ) compared with the wild type (1.5-fold-∼4.9-fold relative clearance); nine alleles exhibited significantly reduced intrinsic clearance values compared with the wild type (0.6-28.9% relative clearance). The remaining 20 alleles exhibited no significant difference (1-fold) in enzyme activity compared with the wild type. These findings suggest that more attention should be directed to subjects carrying these infrequent CYP2C9 alleles when administering BOS in the clinic. This is the first report of all these rare alleles for BOS metabolism, providing fundamental data for further clinical studies on CYP2C9 alleles.

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