Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. It is difficult to treat PCOS because of its complex etiology and pathogenesis. Here, we characterized the roles of gut microbiota on the pathogenesis and treatments in letrozole (a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor) induced PCOS rat model. Changes in estrous cycles, hormonal levels, ovarian morphology and gut microbiota by PCR-DGGE and real-time PCR were determined. The results showed that PCOS rats displayed abnormal estrous cycles with increasing androgen biosynthesis and exhibited multiple large cysts with diminished granulosa layers in ovarian tissues. Meanwhile, the composition of gut microbiota in letrozole-treated rats was different from that in the controls. Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus and Clostridium were lower while Prevotella was higher in PCOS rats when compared with control rats. After treating PCOS rats with Lactobacillus and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from healthy rats, it was found that the estrous cycles were improved in all 8 rats in FMT group, and in 6 of the 8 rats in Lactobacillus transplantation group with decreasing androgen biosynthesis. Their ovarian morphologies normalized. The composition of gut microbiota restored in both FMT and Lactobacillus treated groups with increasing of Lactobacillus and Clostridium, and decreasing of Prevotella. These results indicated that dysbiosis of gut microbiota was associated with the pathogenesis of PCOS. Microbiota interventions through FMT and Lactobacillus transplantation were beneficial for the treatments of PCOS rats.

Background/Aims: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) plays a crucial role in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Autophagy is involved in irreversible cell injury and death under extreme conditions. However, whether iNOS mediates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in endothelial cells via autophagy remains ill-defined. In this study, we examined whether I/R-mediated up-regulation of iNOS is critical in the modulation of cell migration and apoptosis via autophagy in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: iNOS expression was detected in HUVECs using Western blotting analyses and immunocytochemistry. An in vitro scratch assay was performed to detect cell migration. The autophagy markers ATG5, LC3B and BECN were detected using Western blotting analysis and adenovirus-mRFP-GFP-LC3. The pharmacological inhibitor of autophagy 3-MA was also applied to confirm the role of autophagy in I/R. Results: I/R induced the expression of iNOS, which subsequently increased the migration and apoptosis of HUVECs and was associated with the up-regulation of autophagy. The iNOS specific inhibitor L-NAME abolished I/R-induced autophagy, while L-NAME and 3-MA both attenuated cell apoptosis and migration induced by I/R. Conclusion: These findings suggested that I/R-induced iNOS regulates migration and apoptosis in HUVECs via autophagy, which indicates a new therapeutic strategy for individuals with I/R injury.

Background/Aims: Monocyte chemotactic protein-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) plays a crucial role in various cellular processes, including neurogenesis. However, the relationship between MCPIP1 and myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remained illdefined. In this study, we explored whether the I/R-mediated up-regulation of MCPIP1 is critical in the modulation of both cell migration and apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: Using Western blot analysis and quantitative real-time PCR, the protein expression and mRNA transcription, respectively, of MCPIP1 was detected in HUVECs. To investigate cell migration, an in vitro scratch assay and a nested matrix model were applied. Results: I/R increased the expression of MCPIP1 via the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K/Akt pathways. I/R increased migration and apoptosis of HUVECs, which were significantly inhibited by MCPIP1 siRNA. Conclusion: These findings suggest that I/R-mediated up-regulation of MCPIP1 regulates migration and apoptosis in HUVECs. Understanding the regulation of MCPIP1 expression and function may aid in the development of an adjunct therapeutic strategy in the treatment of individuals with I/R injury.

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There were controversial results between obesity-associated markers and semen quality. In this study, we investigated the correlations between age, obesity-associated markers including body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and waist circumference (WC), the combination of age and obesity-associated markers, semen parameters and serum reproductive hormone levels in 1231 subfertile men. The results showed that BMI, WC, WHR and WHtR were positively related to age, and there were also positive relations between BMI, WHR, WC and WHtR and between sperm concentration (SC), total sperm count (TSC), progressive motility (PR), sperm motility and per cent of normal sperm morphology (NSM). However, age, each of obesity-associated markers and the combination of obesity-associated markers and age were unrelated to any of semen parameters including total normal-progressively motile sperm count (TNPMS). Age, BMI, WHR, WC and WHtR were negatively related to serum testosterone and SHBG levels. However, only serum LH and FSH levels were negatively related to sperm concentration, NSM and sperm motility. In a conclusion, although age and obesity have significant impacts on reproductive hormones such as testosterone, SHBG and oestradiol, semen parameters related to FSH and LH could not be influenced, indicating that obesity-associated markers could not predict male semen quality.

The identification of potential oncogenes plays an important role in finding novel therapeutic targets for many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is one of the most common cancers worldwide. In our previous research, using microarray technology, we found that FAM83D was overexpressed in HCCs. However, whether the overexpression of FAM83D contributes to hepatocarcinogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we found that FAM83D was significantly upregulated in 76.6% (167 of 218) of the HCC specimens at the mRNA level and in 69.44% (50 of 72) of the HCC specimens at the protein level compared with adjacent non-cancerous liver specimens, as indicated by RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. The FAM83DmRNA expression level was positively correlated with the level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (≥100 ng/ml), the clinical TNM stage, the presence of a portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT), disease-free survival (DFS) and the overall survival (OS) time of the HCC patients (P < 0.05). Knocking down FAM83D significantly promoted the growth of Huh7 and HepG2 cells, as demonstrated in an RNA interference assay. Moreover, the DNA methylation status of the FAM83D promoter was significantly reduced in the HCC specimens with overexpression of FAM83D gene. Our data suggest that the upregulation of FAM83D, a potential oncotarget gene, may be triggered by epigenetic events and can contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis.

Phosphorus (P) is a limiting plant soil nutrient. Long-term low inorganic phosphate (Pi) irreversibly damages plant cells and hinders plant growth. Plants have evolved several adaptive biochemical, physiological, and developmental responses to low-Pi stress. However, little is known about chloroplast responses to low-Pi stress. In this study, we used physiological and biochemical analyses to investigate melon chloroplast responses to low-Pi stress. The results indicated that low-Pi stress impeded melon seedling growth and reduced its dry matter content by inhibiting the photosynthesis. Low-Pi stress reduced the P content in shoots, which inhibited ATP synthase (ATP-ase) activity, and disturbed the proton and electron transport efficiency on chloroplast photosynthetic electron transport chain. In addition, low-Pi stress induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the leaves, which caused membrane peroxidation. Therefore, redox homeostasis was not maintained, and the melon leaves presented with symptoms of photooxidative stress. To mitigate photoinhibition, the melon plants initiated non-photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching (NPQ) initiated by acidification of the thylakoid lumen to dissipate excess excitation energy, significantly improved ROS-scavenging enzyme activity. Based on these experimental results, we concluded that low Pi inhibited photosystem activity and caused photooxidative stress and photoinhibition. To alleviate these negative effects, the plant activated its NPQ mechanism, alternative electron transport pathways, and antioxidant system to protect its chloroplasts.