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Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023Overweight/obesity are metabolic disorder resulting from behavioral, environmental, and heritable causes. WHO estimates that 50% of adults and 30% of children and...
BACKGROUND
Overweight/obesity are metabolic disorder resulting from behavioral, environmental, and heritable causes. WHO estimates that 50% of adults and 30% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese, and, in parallel, an ongoing decline in sperm quality and male fertility has been described. Numerous studies demonstrated the intimate association between overweight/obesity and reproductive dysfunction due to a highly intricate network of causes not yet completely understood. This study expands the knowledge on the impact of a short-term high-fat diet (st-HFD) on rat testicular activity, specifically on steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis, focusing on the involved molecular mechanisms related to mitochondrial dynamics, blood-testis barrier (BTB) integrity, and SIRT1/NRF2/MAPKs pathways.
METHODS
Ten adult Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups of five and treated with a standard diet or an HFD for five weeks. At the end of the treatment, rats were anesthetized and sacrificed by decapitation. Blood was collected for serum sex hormone assay; one testis was stored at -80ÅãC for western blot analysis, and the other, was fixed for histological and immunofluorescence analysis.
RESULTS
Five weeks of HFD results in reduced steroidogenesis, increased apoptosis of spermatogenic cells, and altered spermatogenesis, as highlighted by reduced protein levels ofmeiotic and post-meiotic markers. Further, we evidenced the compromission of the BTB integrity, as revealed by the downregulation of structural proteins (N-Cadherin, ZO-1, occludin, connexin 43, and VANGL2) other than the phosphorylation of regulative kinases (Src and FAK). At the molecular level, the impairment of mitochondrial dynamics (fission, fusion, andbiogenesis), and the dysregulation of the SIRT1/NRF2/MAPKs signaling pathways, were evidenced. Interestingly, no change was observed in the levels of pro-inflammatory markers (TNFα, NF-kB, and IL-6).
CONCLUSIONS
The combined data led us to confirm that overweight is a less severe state than obesity. Furthermore, understanding the molecular mechanisms behind the association between metabolic disorders and male fertility could improve the possibility of identifying novel targets to prevent and treat fertility disorders related to overweight/obesity.
Topics: Humans; Child; Adolescent; Male; Rats; Animals; NF-E2-Related Factor 2; Diet, High-Fat; Overweight; Blood-Testis Barrier; Sirtuin 1; Rats, Wistar; Semen; Obesity; MAP Kinase Signaling System
PubMed: 38027181
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1274035 -
Environmental Toxicology Mar 2024Cerebral ischemia and reperfusion are related to various situations like injuries after various traumas, oxidative stress, increased calcium ion, capillary...
Citrate-coated silver nanoparticles loaded with agomelatine provide neuronal therapy in acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion of rats by inhibiting the oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and P2X7 receptor-mediated inflammasome.
Cerebral ischemia and reperfusion are related to various situations like injuries after various traumas, oxidative stress, increased calcium ion, capillary hypoperfusion, microvascular hyperpermeability, leukocyte infiltration, and blood-brain barrier disruption. An antidepressant Agomelatine which is a melatonin receptor (MT1/MT2) agonist and serotonin receptor (5-HT2C) antagonist has been reported by studies to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In our study, we aimed to detect the effects of citrate-coated silver nanoparticle-loaded agomelatine application on neurodegeneration, endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagic and apoptotic cell death, inflammation, and P2X7R expression in the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model to facilitate the passage of blood-brain barrier. Forty two Sprague-Dawley rats in total were divided into six equal groups (n:7) and applications were performed. Acute cerebral injury in the ischemia-reperfusion model was created 2 h after internal carotid artery ligation in rats and then at the 2nd hour of reperfusion citrate-coated silver nanoparticles loaded with Agomelatine were applied. Twenty four hours later, neurologic analysis on animals in experimental groups was performed, animals were decapitated and GSH, GPx, SOD, CAT, MDA, IL-1β, and TNF-α parameters were examined after taking blood and the cerebral tissue samples. As a result, it was determined that ischemia-reperfusion caused endoplasmic reticulum stress in the cerebral tissues and thus caused cellular injury.
Topics: Rats; Animals; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Inflammasomes; Metal Nanoparticles; Receptors, Purinergic P2X7; Silver; Citric Acid; Reperfusion Injury; Oxidative Stress; Brain Ischemia; Citrates; Reperfusion; Ischemia; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
PubMed: 38009636
DOI: 10.1002/tox.24021 -
Journal of Comparative Pathology Nov 2023Animal victims of human cruelty are receiving increasing attention from the press and society. Veterinary pathologists and civic authorities have a duty not only to...
Animal victims of human cruelty are receiving increasing attention from the press and society. Veterinary pathologists and civic authorities have a duty not only to elucidate the cause, method and manner of death but also to address the motivation behind a case. Poultry are commonly used as offering to gods in Santería rituals (ebós). Only a few cases have been reported in scientific journals, in contrast with the number of cases described in the media. Here, a hen and a cockerel (Gallus domesticus) were submitted to the VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre for autopsy, which comprised macroscopic and histological studies and microbiological testing for Chlamydia psittaci, avian orthoavulavirus 1 (Newcastle disease virus), West Nile virus and avian influenza virus. The carcasses were in an active decay stage of decomposition, containing larvae of Lucilia eximia. Both animals had been decapitated and haemorrhages in the cutting region were observed histologically. Post-mortem burns were also observed. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first post-mortem description of lesions in a domestic avian species due to religious rituals. European Union and Spanish forensic practitioners should be aware that these ritual sacrifices occur in some European countries. Moreover, future European and national legislation updates should consider this type of animal abuse.
Topics: Animals; Male; Female; Humans; Poultry; Chickens; Ceremonial Behavior; Newcastle disease virus; Poultry Diseases
PubMed: 38000307
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2023.10.006 -
American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy Mar 2024The nose can be damaged by environmental pollutants and foreign bodies, as well as a result of trauma, infection or surgical interventions. Proper healing of the damaged...
BACKGROUND
The nose can be damaged by environmental pollutants and foreign bodies, as well as a result of trauma, infection or surgical interventions. Proper healing of the damaged nasal mucosa is important for health.
OBJECTIVE
There is no study in the literature investigating the effects of rosmarinic acid on mucosal healing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of rosmarinic acid on nasal mucosal healing.
METHODS
21 male, adult Spraque Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups as the control group, the local treatment group in which rosmarinic acid was applied locally to the nasal mucosa, and the systemic treatment group in which rosmarinic acid was injected intraperitoneally. The wound area was obtained by creating a trauma area by inserting a 10 mm interdental brush through the right nasal nostril into the right nasal cavities of all animals. For the following 15 days, the treatment agent was applied as indicated once a day and on the 15th day the animals were decapitated and tissue samples taken from the nasal mucosa were prepared for histopathological examination. The preparations were examined in terms of cellular hyperplasia, goblet cell hypertrophy and degeneration, leukocyte infiltration, cilia loss and degeneration, edema and vascular dilatation, and they have been classified into four categories as mild (+), moderate (++), severe (+++) and very severe (++++).
RESULTS
There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of all parameters evaluated, and there is a decrease in the intensity of the parameters with transition from the control group to the local group and from there to the systemic group.
CONCLUSION
Systemic rosmarinic acid administration showed an enhancing effect on the healing of experimentally induced nasal mucosal injury due to its possible anti-inflammatory effect.
Topics: Rats; Male; Animals; Rosmarinic Acid; Nasal Mucosa; Wound Healing; Nasal Cavity
PubMed: 37994027
DOI: 10.1177/19458924231216656 -
The American Journal of Dermatopathology Dec 2023We report an unusual case of schwannoma with glandular elements that demonstrated apocrine decapitation secretion. The glandular structures were embedded within the...
We report an unusual case of schwannoma with glandular elements that demonstrated apocrine decapitation secretion. The glandular structures were embedded within the tumor, varied in shape and size, and were lined by a double-to-multilayered epithelium, with the inner layer composed of monomorphous cuboidal to columnar cells, focally with apocrine decapitation secretion, and the outer layer representing myoepithelial cells. A normal eccrine unit was observed near the lesion. Immunohistochemical studies showed that all luminal cells of the glandular structures stained positive for CK7, whereas myoepithelial cells expressed S100 and p63, and epithelial membrane antigen highlighted the luminal border. CK20 and neuroendocrine markers were negative in the glandular elements.Our findings suggest that the origin of the glandular elements in our case was represented by entrapped glands. Two theories may explain the epithelial hyperplasia observed in the present case as follows: the obstructive effect theory and the inductive ability of a mesenchymal proliferation to produce epidermal or adnexal changes. We suggest that, in a subset of cases, the origin of the glandular elements might represent entrapped glands, wherein their histomorphology/cytomorphology recapitulates the elements comprising the normal adjacent tissue. Further research is necessary to elucidate the histogenesis of glandular schwannoma.
Topics: Humans; Decapitation; Neurilemmoma; Extremities; Epithelial Cells; Cell Differentiation
PubMed: 37982466
DOI: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000002568 -
Ecotoxicology (London, England) Dec 2023Animal reproduction under stressful conditions is often reduced, with current survival and future reproduction being generally traded off against current reproductive...
Animal reproduction under stressful conditions is often reduced, with current survival and future reproduction being generally traded off against current reproductive activity. This study examines the impacts of physical and chemical stressors on the rates of asexual reproduction of the invasive planarian Girardia tigrina. 320 wild-caught planaria (mixed size class) were kept individually in Petri dishes such that their individual rates of fission through fragmentation could be easily monitored. Four treatment groups were compared, one chemical (5 mg/L ammonia) and one physical (decapitation), in comparison to a negative control (animals were starved of food) and a positive control where the animals were given an abundance of food. The two treatment groups immediately began reproducing asexually and accumulated the highest number of fissions over the course of the 12-day investigation period, while the positive control only began to fission after 7 days. We propose that the reproductive response observed here is an adaptive one to stressful conditions, whereby the likelihood of survival through numerical abundance is enhanced, although the size and vulnerability of resulting fragments may impose a balancing cost. The response may play a role in the invasiveness of G. tigrina by making it able to colonize environments where adverse conditions prevail.
Topics: Animals; Planarians; Reproduction, Asexual; Reproduction
PubMed: 37975975
DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02713-z -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023Greenhouse tomato growers face the challenge of balancing fruit size and chemical quality traits. This study focused on elucidating the interplay between plant branching...
INTRODUCTION
Greenhouse tomato growers face the challenge of balancing fruit size and chemical quality traits. This study focused on elucidating the interplay between plant branching and light management on these traits, while maintaining consistent shoot density.
METHODS
We evaluated one- and two-shoot plants under varying top light intensities using high-pressure sodium lamps and light-emitting diode (LED) inter-lighting.
RESULTS
The reduced yield in the two-shoot plants was mainly due to smaller fruit size, but not due to source strength limitations, as evaluated through leaf weight ratio (LWR), chlorophyll index, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter percentage, and stem soluble carbohydrate accumulation. Enhanced lighting improved fruit weight and various fruit traits, such as dry matter content, total soluble carbohydrate content, and phenolic content, for both one- and two-shoot plant types. Despite lower mean fruit weight, two-shoot plants exhibited higher values for chemical fruit quality traits, indicating that the fruit growth of two-shoot plants is not limited by the available carbohydrates (source strength), but by the fruit sink strength. Diurnal analysis of fruit growth showed that two-shoot plants had reduced expansion during light transitions. This drop in fruit expansion was not related to changes in root pressure (measured as xylem sap exudation from decapitated plants), but might be related to diminished xylem area in the stem joint of the two-shoot plants. The concentration of several hormones, including cytokinins, was lower in two-shoot plants, suggesting a reduced fruit sink capacity.
DISCUSSION
The predominant impact of branching to two-shoot plants on sink capacity suggests that the fruit growth is not limited by available carbohydrates (source strength). Alongside the observation that light supplementation and branching exert independent additive effects on fruit size and chemical traits, this illuminates the potential to independently regulate these aspects in greenhouse tomato production.
PubMed: 37941676
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1221163 -
Physiology & Behavior Jan 2024The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of spexin on the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis (TRH,...
AIM
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of spexin on the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis (TRH, TSH, T4 and T3 hormones) and energy expenditure (PGC-1α and UCP1 genes) in white adipose (WAT) and brown adipose tissues (BAT) in rats. Furthermore, the study aimed to determine the effects of spexin on food-water consumption and body weight of rats.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
The study was conducted with 40 male rats that were divided into 4 groups: Control, Sham, Spexin 30 and Spexin 100 (n = 10). Spexin (1 μl/hour) was administered to rats other than those in the control group for 7 days with osmotic minipumps intracerebroventricularly, artificial cerebrospinal fluid (vehicle) was administered to the Sham group, and 30 nMol and 100 nMol spexin was infused to the Spexin 30 and Spexin 100 groups, respectively. Food-water consumption and body weight of the rats were monitored during the experiments. After the seven-day infusion, the rats were decapitated and serum TSH, fT4 and fT3 levels were determined with ELISA on rat blood samples. Also, TRH gene expression levels from the hypothalamus tissues and PGC-1α and UCP1 expression levels from WAT and BAT were determined by real-time PCR.
FINDINGS
It was determined that icv spexin infusion reduced daily food consumption and body weight without leading to a significant change in water consumption (p < 0.05). Icv spexin infusion significantly decreased serum TSH, and increased fT4 and fT3 levels when compared to control and sham groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, icv spexin infusion increased the TRH expressions in the hypothalamus tissues and PGC-1α UCP1 in the WAT and BAT (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Icv Spexin infusion may have effects on food consumption and body weight as well as, thyroid hormones and energy metabolism.
Topics: Rats; Male; Animals; Thyroid Gland; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine; Adipocytes, Brown; Organelle Biogenesis; Hypothalamus; Body Weight; Thyrotropin
PubMed: 37939828
DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114401 -
The Eurasian Journal of Medicine Oct 2023Onuf's nucleus is an anatomical structure essential in the regulation of urogenital functions. Lumbosacral pathologies may cause changes in urogenital circulation due to...
OBJECTIVE
Onuf's nucleus is an anatomical structure essential in the regulation of urogenital functions. Lumbosacral pathologies may cause changes in urogenital circulation due to Onuf's nucleus injury; however, there is limited evidence corroborating the relationship between spinal cord injury and urethral artery changes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We used 23 sexually mature male rabbits-5 rabbits in the control group (GI), 5 rabbits in the sham group (GII), and 13 rabbits in the experimental group (GIII; received autologous blood transfusion into the T12-L1 subarachnoid space to induce subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The GIII underwent a S1-3 laminectomy after 2 weeks and was decapitated. Histologic specimens were prepared to examine changes in Onuf's nucleus, pudendal ganglion, and urethral arteries. The density of damaged neurons and vasospasm index (VSI) in the urethral artery were evaluated.
RESULTS
The mean density of damaged neurons (n/mm3 ) in Onuf's nucleus and pudendal ganglia (S3) and the mean VSI of the 3 groups were as follows-GI: 6 ± 2 per mm3 , 12 ± 4 per mm3 , and 1.63 ± 0.25, respectively; GII: 27 ± 6 per mm3 , 221 ± 62 per mm3 , and 1.97 ± 0.36, respectively; GIII: 154 ± 41 per mm3 , 1890 ± 541 per mm3 , and 3.04 ± 0.95 (P < .05 each for GI/GII, GI/GIII, and GII/GIII). Neuronal damage criteria, such as cytoplasmic condensation and cytoplasmic halo formation, were more prominent in GIII.
CONCLUSION
SAH can lead to ischemia of the Onuf's nucleus-pudendal nerve structures due to urethral artery spasm, resulting in urogenital complications.
PubMed: 37909197
DOI: 10.5152/eurasianjmed.xxx -
Journal of Biochemical and Molecular... Jan 2024Arsenic (As) toxicity can generate reactive free radicals, which play an important role in the evolution of cardiomyopathy. The aim of this research is to see if...
Arsenic (As) toxicity can generate reactive free radicals, which play an important role in the evolution of cardiomyopathy. The aim of this research is to see if sulforaphane (SFN) protects against As-induced heart damage, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial complex dysfunction via the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway. The rats were placed into four groups, each with eight rats. Group 1: Normal rats (control group); Group 2: Treatment group (5 mg/kg body weight); Group 3: SFN+As-treatment group (80 mg/kg body weight + 5 mg/kg body weight); Group 4: SFN group only (80 mg/kg body weight). The swot will last 4 weeks. At the end of the intermission (28 days), all of the rats starved overnight and killed with cervical decapitation. As administration considerably (p < 0.05) inflated the extent of free radicals (O2-, OH-), lipoid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxynonenal), lipoid profile (low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C), total cholesterol, triglyceride, and phospholipids), cardiac Troponin (cTnT&I), and Mitochondrial complex III. A noteworthy (p < 0.05) diminish the level of HDL-C, Mitochondrial complex I and II, enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), and nonenzymatic antioxidant (glutathione and total sulfhydryl groups) and PI3k, Akt, and Nrf2 sequence in As treated rats. The western blot, real-time polymerase chain reaction, flowcytometric, and histology studies all corroborated the biochemical findings which revealed significant heart damage in rats. Pretreatment with SFN significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the invitro free radicals, lipid oxidative indicators, mitochondrial complex, lipid profiles, and increased phase II antioxidants in the heart. This result shows that dietary supplementation of SFN protects against As-induced cardiotoxicity via PI3k/Akt/Nrf2 pathway in rats.
Topics: Rats; Animals; Arsenic; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; NF-E2-Related Factor 2; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Cardiotoxicity; Oxidative Stress; Isothiocyanates; Antioxidants; Signal Transduction; Free Radicals; Body Weight; Lipoproteins, LDL; Cholesterol; Lipids; Sulfoxides
PubMed: 37906532
DOI: 10.1002/jbt.23576