Animal models have been used to study aging for decades. In numerous aging studies, beagles are the most commonly used breed of dog. However, few studies have compared between naturally aging models and experimentally induced aging models in beagle dogs. In the present study, a D-galactose induced aging model was compared with a naturally aging model, and young adult dogs were considered as the young control group. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in serum, and brain tissue were measured. Histopathological comparisons of the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs and spleen were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, in addition, the brain was evaluated by H&E staining, and Nissl staining. The expression levels of aging-associated factors in the hippocampus, including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), P16 and P21 were also determined through reverse transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis. The results indicated that D-galactose induced aging significantly increased the MDA level, while the levels of SOD and GSH-Px were diminished when compared with the young control group, which was similar to the naturally aging group. Parallel histopathological features were observed in the D-galactose induced aging and naturally aging groups compared with the young control group. However, a reduced expression level of PCNA, and increased expression levels of P16 and P21 were observed in the naturally ageing and induced aging groups compared with the young control group. The results of the current study demonstrated that the beagle dogs in D-galactose induced aging model exhibited significant similarities with the naturally aging model, providing evidence to support that the D-galactose induced aging model may be applied to aging studies.

The purpose of the present study was to gain further understanding of the function of microRNA-18a (miR-18a) expression in the JEG-3 human trophoblast cell line. JEG-3 cells were transfected with pre-miR-18a mimics or miR-18a inhibitors. The effects of miR-18a on trophoblast cell invasion and apoptosis, and on the expression of estrogen receptor α (ESRα) were analyzed using a Transwell invasion assay, flow cytometry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis and a luciferase assay. The results of the present study suggested that miR-18a expression suppression led to a decrease in JEG-3 cell invasion and an increase in JEG-3 cell apoptosis, by inducing ESRα expression. The present study provides evidence for the involvement of miR-18a in the pathogenesis of pre-eclamptic pregnancies.

Bovine liver-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bLMSCs) were isolated from the liver tissue of 4-6 months old fetal calf, and then characterized by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. We found that primary bLMSCs could be subcultured to 44 passages, the total culture time in vitro was 192 days. The results of surface antigen detection showed that bBMSCs expressed CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD106 and CD166 but not expressed endothelial cells and hematopoietic cells specific marker CD34, CD45 and BLA-DR. The results of growth kinetics, colony-forming cell assay and cell cycle analysis indicated that the fetal bovine LMSCs had good proliferation ability in vitro. The cells from passages 7 were successfully induced to differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes and chondrocytes. The results indicate the potential for multi-lineage differentiation of bLMSCs that may represent an ideal candidate for cellular transplantation therapy.

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A MADS-box gene (PdPI) was isolated from a cDNA library constructed from male flower buds of Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. According to an analysis of genomic DNA structure and putative protein structure, and a phylogenetic study, PdPI is an ortholog of the Arabidopsis PI gene. Relative-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that PdPI has a broader expression pattern than PI in Arabidopsis. PdPI was strongly expressed in floral buds and roots and weakly expressed in immature xylem, leaves and apical buds of the male P. deltoides tree. In male inflorescences, PdPI expression was abundant in the perianth and anther, and weak in the peduncle and mature pollen. The large differences in PdPI expression at various phases of male floral bud development were closely related to the development of flower organs (perianth and stamen) and pollen. PdPI was also expressed in female inflorescences. Our results suggest that PdPI has multiple functions in the development of P. deltoides.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the main pathogenic factor of gastric cancer, chronic gastritis, and other gastric diseases. It has been found that Callicarpa nudiflora (CN) as an air-dried leaf extract has a broad-spectrum antibacterial effect. This study aims to examine the effect of CN on H. pylori-infected GES-1 cells in vitro and elucidate its underlying mechanism by extracting active ingredients from air-dried leaves. GES-1 cells were cocultured with HPSS1 at MOI = 100 : 1 and treated with different concentrations of CN (100 and 200 μg/ml). Results showed that CN can significantly reduce cellular LDH leakage and attenuate H. pylori-induced cell apoptosis and ROS production in GSE-1 cells, so as to protect gastric epithelial cells from damage by H. pylori. CN can also inhibit the secretion of inflammatory factors, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8. After CN treatment, the expression levels of active caspase-1, PYCARD, and NLRP3 were remarkably decreased in the treatment groups compared with the model group. To sum up, CN is highly protective against H. pylori-induced cell damage and apoptosis; CN can depress NLRP3 inflammasome activation and ROS production via the ROS/NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β signaling axis to suppress H. pylori-triggered inflammatory response and pyroptosis.

Casuarina equisetifolia is an important tree species in tropical/subtropical zones of Asia, the Pacific and Africa. In this study, 220 individuals from seven native provenances and eleven introduced provenances of C. equisetifolia were analyzed to assess the genetic variation and structure using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. A total of 465 bands were obtained by eight primer pairs, among which 153 were polymorphic. The mean NEI's gene diversity H = 0.2113 calculated for 18 provenances and the total gene diversity H T = 0.4065 calculated for native provenances suggested abundant variation within provenances and species. High genetic divergence coefficient (G ST = 0.4737) and low gene flow (N m = 0.5555) detected among native provenances suggesting high differentiation of C. equisetifolia. An AMOVA analysis for native provenances revealed a high proportion (46.07 %) of the total genetic variation distributed among provenances. The UPGMA clustering (r = 0.8028) and the Mantel test (r = 0.0716) for native provenances showed there was no correlation among genetic relationships and geographical distribution. The genetic information provided important implications for the future conservation and breeding programs of C. equisetifolia.

In this study, the gut microbiota was characterized in four age strata of Tibetan minipigs. Results indicated that the fecal bacteria of 7-, 28-, 56-, and 180-day-old minipigs did not significantly differ in terms of phylogenetic diversity (i.e., PD whole tree) or the Shannon index (both, p > 0.05). Findings of a principal coordinate analysis demonstrated that fecal bacteria of 180-day-old minipigs were discernable from those of the other three age groups. From ages seven to 56 days, the abundance of Bacteroidetes or Firmicutes appeared to vary. Regarding genera, the populations of Bacteroides and Akkermansia decreased with increasing age.