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Zearalenone (ZEA) has been proved to be toxic, particularly to the reproductive system of gilts. The effect of ZEA on gilts during embryo implantation window period is of particular interests. Here, we observed window stage dysontogenesis of gilts treated with ZEA. In endometrial tissues and cells, autophagosomes increased significantly and mitochondria were damaged with increasing ZEA concentration. Addition of autophagy inhibitor confirmed that ZEA blocks the autophagic flow in the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes. In conclusion, ZEA exposure during embryo implantation results in endometrium inflammation by activating autophagy while blocking autophagy flow at the same time, leading to the significant accumulation of autophagosomes. The aforementioned effects of ZEA induce the apoptosis of primary endometrial cells through the caspase3 pathway, which would break the uterus environment balance and finally lead to embryo implantation failure and dysontogenesis in gilts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) modified with sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate (mesna) exhibit strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Their specific and strong interaction with heavy metal ions led to a label-free assay for Hg(II). The covalent bond formed between mercury and sulfur is stronger than the one between silver and sulfur and thus prevents the adsorption of mesna on the surface of Ag NPs. This results in a decrease of the intensity of SERS in the presence of Hg(II) ions. The Raman peak at 795 cm can be used for quantification. The effect of the concentration of mesna, the concentration of sodium chloride, incubation time and pH value on SERS were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the intensity of SERS decreases with increasing concentration of Hg(II). The decrease is linear in the 0.01 and 2 μmol L concentration range, with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.996 and detection limit (S/N = 3) is 0.0024 μmol L. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the Hg(II) in spiked water samples. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The resonance light scattering (RLS) spectra of bovine serum albumin (BSA)–dithiothreitol (DTT)–sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate (SDBS) and its analytical application were investigated. The RLS intensity of this system can be effectively enhanced in the presence of BSA. Based on the enhanced RLS intensity, a simple assay for BSA was developed. The experimental results indicate that the enhanced RLS intensity is proportional to the concentration of BSA in the range from 1.0×10−8 to 7.5×10−7 molL−1 with the determination limit of 5.0×10−9 molL−1. The effects of pH, concentration of SDBS and DTT on the RLS enhancement were discussed. Most metal ions have little interference on the determination of BSA. Some synthetic and real samples were analyzed, and the results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by Bradford method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

One of the most critical periods of embryonic loss in pig is day 12 of pregnancy, when implantation begins. Here, we analyzed the gene expression on day 12 of pregnancy and non-pregnancy in the porcine endometrium using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). 237 mRNAs, 34 lncRNAs and 1 miRNA were significantly differentially expressed between the two groups. Further functional analyses were conducted to identify these differentially expressed transcripts. The results demonstrated that they participate in various biological processes, such as cell adhesion, binding, nucleic and metabolic processes. In addition, our results showed that the differentially expressed genes ( IL1R , FGF9 , DUPS10 , DUPS4 , CD14 and MAP4K4 ) in MAPK pathway, and lncRNAs of XLOC _ 2604764 and XLOC _ 2604756 may play a vital role in regulating embryo implantation. Besides, we investigated the lncRNA- ssc - miR - 132 -mRNA interactions, aiming to explain the regulatory networks of coding and non-coding genes that contributes to the establishment of the maternal pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Systemic immunotoxicity of ZEA in diet on sows during embryo attachment period. • 371 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the RNA-seq. • Immue pathways and Endometrial receptivity related genes were significantly enriched in the DEGs. • It is the first time to explore the "ZEA-immune-embryo implantation" regulation axis. Zearalenone is a mycotoxin and a pollutant that is commonly found in crops. Once ingested, ZEA can cause disturbances in the immune system and produce immunotoxicity. However, there is little research on the effect of ZEA exposure on the relationship between immune regulation and embryo implantation in the uteri of sows. Embryo implantation relies upon the fact that the relationship between the maternal and fetal immune systems is balanced. This balance is provided by the joint regulation of immune organs, cytokines, and uterine immunity. In this study, we investigated 20 sows with an initial weight of 100.00 ± 5.00 kg and 200 days in age. The sows were fed with diets containing ZEA at concentrations of 0 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg, respectively, from 8 to 14 days of gestation. We studied immunotoxicity and the uterine transcriptomics associated with the effect of ZEA in sows during embryo attachment. Following ZEA treatment, serum biochemical analysis and RT-qPCR were used to detect the concentration and mRNA expression levels of immunoglobulin IgA, IgG, and IgM, in the serum and spleen, respectively. The same analysis was carried out for a range of cytokines in the serum and spleen: IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF. Uterine transcriptome analysis revealed 75, 215, and 81 genes that were differentially expressed in the 0 mg/kg vs 1 mg/kg treatment, 0 mg/kg vs 10 mg/kg treatment, and 1 mg/kg vs 10 mg/kg treatment, respectively. GO terms analysis showed that the up-regulated genes related to the immune system were highly expressed. KEGG pathway analysis further revealed the importance of several metabolic pathways, including drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway, and calcium signaling pathways. The differentially expressed genes were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. These findings expand our understanding of the gene expression profiles and signaling pathways associated with the immune response to ZEA exposure in sows during the embryo implantation window. This study provides valuable information for clarifying the molecular mechanism of ZEA's immunotoxicity to early pregnant sows in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In industry, mass transfer limitation is a major and widespread problem in most of vegetable oil epoxidation reactors. To improve the quality of products and the efficiency of production, it is essential to understand the law of mass transfer in the epoxidation reaction system. In present work, epoxidation of fatty acid methyl esters with performic acid generated in situ was studied in a stirred vessel at 50–80 °C. At first, the Sauter mean diameter (D 32 ) was determined and correlated, the correlation can predict the D 32 evolution of the reaction. Then, individual experiments were performed to separately determine the intrinsic kinetic parameters and the mass transfer parameters. Finally, a macroscopic kinetic model was developed, which can well describe the effect of droplet size on the reaction. Noteworthy, the mass transfer limitation was significantly increased when reaction temperature rises to 80 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embryonic implantation in sows is a coordinated interaction between the implantation-competent blastocyst and receptive uterus. In addition, microRNAs are small endogenous non-coding RNAs which are involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation of several biological processes including embryonic implantation. However, the mechanisms of miRNAs involved in embryonic implantation of sows remain largely unknown. Here, we analyzed miRNAome of endometrium on day 9, 12 and 15 of pregnancy and on day 12 of non-pregnancy in Meishan and Yorkshire pigs by Illumina sequencing. From 24 libraries, we identified 312 known microRNAs and 211 potential novel miRNAs. Bioinformatics analysis showed that differentially expressed microRNAs on day 12 of pregnancy between the two breeds may play critical roles by involving “p53 signaling pathway” and “Wnt signaling pathway”. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that ssc-miR-21, ssc-miR-451, ssc-miR-204, ssc-miR-199a-5p and ssc-miR-199b-5p would play crucial roles for implantation. The data generated in this study were expected to elucidate the influence of microRNAs during pre-implantation in pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]