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To investigate the role of miR-223-3p in the modulatory effect of paeonol (Pae) on high glucose (HG)-induced endothelial cell apoptosis. HG (25 mmol/L) was used to induce cellular damage and apoptosis in the mouse cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (MCMECs). Various concentration of Pae was tested and 60 μmol/L Pae was selected for the subsequent studies. MCMECs were transfected with exogenous miR-223-3p mimics or anti-miR-223-3p inhibitors. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay and apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry. The expression of miR-223-3p and NLRP3 mRNA was measured using real-time quantitative RT-PCR, and protein level of NLRP3 and apoptosis-related proteins was detected by immunoblotting. Pae significantly attenuated HG-induced apoptosis of MCMECs in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, Pae (60 µmol/L) significantly reversed HG-induced down-regulation of miR-223-3p and up-regulation of NLRP3. Pae (60 µmol/L) also significantly blocked HG-induced up-regulation of Bax and Caspase-3 as well as down-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, exogenous miR-223-3p mimics not only significantly attenuated HG-induced apoptosis, but also significantly suppressed NRLP-3 and pro-apoptotic proteins in the MCMECs. In contrast, transfection of exogenous miR-223-3p inhibitors into the MCMECs resulted in not only significantly increased apoptosis of the cells, but also significant suppression of NLRP3 and pro-apoptotic proteins in the cells. Pae attenuated HG-induced apoptosis of MCMECs in a concentration-dependent manner. MiR-223-3p may mediate the modulatory effects of Pae on MCMEC survival or apoptosis through targeting NLRP3 and regulating apoptosis-associated proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignan, a beneficial constituent of Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) showed great interest in researchers because of its multiple functional properties. Nonetheless, a challenge arises due to the glycosidic structure of lignans, which the gut epithelium cannot readily absorb. Therefore, we screened 18 strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lacticaseibacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Pediococcus acidilactici, and Enterococcus durans to remove glycosides from flaxseed lignan extract enzymatically. Among our findings, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SCB0151 showed the highest activity of β-glucosidase (8.91 ± 0.04 U/mL) and higher transformed efficiency of Secoisolariciresinol (SECO) (8.21 ± 0.13%). The conversion rate of Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) and the generation rate of SECO was 58.30 ± 3.78% and 32.13 ± 2.78%, respectively, under the optimized conditions. According to the LC-HRMSMS analysis, SECO (68.55 ± 6.57 µM), Ferulic acid (FA) (32.12 ± 2.50 µM), and Coumaric acid (CA) (79.60 ± 6.21 µM) were identified in the biotransformation products (TP) of flaxseed lignan extract. Results revealed that the TP exhibited a more pronounced anti-inflammatory effect than the flaxseed lignan extract. SECO, FA, and CA demonstrated a more inhibitory effect on NO than that of SDG. The expression of iNOS and COX-2 was significantly suppressed by TP treatment in LPS-induced Raw264.7 cells. The secretion of IL-6, IL-2, and IL-1β decreased by 87.09 ± 0.99%, 45.40 ± 0.87%, and 53.18 ± 0.83%, respectively, at 60 µg/mL of TP treatment. Given these data, the bioavailability of flaxseed lignan extract and its anti-inflammatory effect were significantly enhanced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SCB0151, which provided a novel approach to commercializing flaxseed lignan extract for functional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual differentiation in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) directly affects breeding, seed reproduction, and production, and phytohormones are crucial signaling molecules that coordinate sexual expression. However, the specific roles of hormones in sex differentiation in bitter gourd have not been analyzed. This study aimed to compare the hormonal contents of female and bisexual buds. We found that the contents of gibberellins (GAs) GA1 and GA5 were higher in bisexual buds than in female buds at all stages. The levels of GA4 and brassinosteroids were not significant between both bud types at the early stage, but in the subsequent stages, female buds had consistently significantly higher levels than bisexual buds, except typhasterol. The levels of GA3, GA6, and jasmonates were higher in bisexual buds than in female buds at the early stage, but in the subsequent stages, female buds had higher levels than bisexual buds. Indole-3-acetic acid levels were significantly higher in female buds than in bisexual buds at the early stage, but in the subsequent stages, female buds had lower levels than bisexual buds. Lastly, the ethylene and cytokinin levels were not significantly different between both bud types at early and late stages, but they were significantly higher in bisexual buds than in female buds at the middle stage. Salicylic and abscisic acid levels decreased significantly as both buds developed. These results provide new insights on hormonal regulation at the molecular level, and serve as a theoretical basis for breeding high-yield varieties of cucurbitaceous vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bitter gourd, Momordica charantia L., is a vegetable with one of the highest nutrition values in the world. Despite this, limited research has been conducted on bitter gourd cultivars; thus, the efficient use of genetic resources for bitter gourd improvement remains a challenge. Here, we performed restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing for 133 bitter gourd cultivars, including three types of bitter gourd (Smooth, Pearl, and Dading bitter gourd). We found that the genetic diversity of bitter gourd cultivars was very narrow with nucleotide diversity (π) values of 6.79 × 10− 4 (Pearl), 6.06 × 10− 4 (Smooth), and 3.99 × 10− 4 (Dading). It is possible that the commercial cultivars have almost exhausted the genetic diversity of bitter gourd resources in China. We found that Smooth and Pearl cultivars had more mixed genetic backgrounds, whereas Dading cultivars were more distinct. In addition, we had a try to use this cultivar population to conduct GWAS on seed coat color and identified one significant determined region that spanned ~ 300 kb on chromosome 3. The results of this study will help to broaden our capacity to monitor the genetic diversity of bitter gourd cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most fish, reproduction is seasonal or periodic under the suitable conditions. In turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) farms, one of the most economically important marine flatfish species, changes in daylength could cause changes in the spawning time. In this study, to characterize the regulation of reproductive physiology following light signals, three melatonin receptors (Mtnr) investigated in turbot were named smMtnr1, smMtnr2, and smMtnr1c. Distinct expression profiles demonstrated that Mtnr mRNAs were concentrated in the brain (as detected in the hypothalamus (Hy) and mesencephalon (Me)), gonad and eye. The most abundant Mtnr1 and Mtnr2 mRNA expression levels were detected in the central nervous system at the beginning of the breeding season, suggesting that Mtnr1 and Mtnr2 may play vital roles in the regulation of turbot gonadal development. In addition, the melatonin profiles gradually increased and reached to the highest level at the spawning stage, indicating that melatonin is a potent hormone in the regulation of fish oocyte growth and maturation. The results of this study suggested that melatonin is the primary factor that transduces the light signal and regulates the physiological functions of turbot seasonal reproduction. Moreover, the results of this study may establish a foundation for further research seeking to identify fish melatonin receptors involved in the gonadal development and gamete maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbots (Schophthalmus maximus), one of the most important economic marine flatfish species, fail to undergo final spawning and spermiation naturally under artificial farming conditions. In vertebrates, reproduction is regulated by the brain-pituitary-gonadal axis (BPG-axis), and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is one of its key components. Therefore, to better understand the physiology of reproduction in the turbot, three of the genes encoding GnRH subtypes—sbGnRH, cGnRH - II and sGnRH — were cloned and sequenced by isolating the cDNA sequences. The localizations and patterns of expression of their mRNAs were also evaluated during seasonal gonadal development. All three mRNAs were expressed abundantly in the brain; sbGnRH and sGnRH mRNAs were also detected in the gonads and pituitary gland, and sbGnRH expression was much higher than that of sGnRH, indicating the critical role of sbGnRH in regulating the BPG-axis. Moreover, the brain expression patterns of sbGnRH and sGnRH mRNAs showed an increased trend during gonadal development, peaking in mature stages. This indicated the direct regulation of gonadal development by the GnRH system. In addition, cGnRH - II mRNA expression showed no significant variations, suggesting that cGnRH-II is not critically involved in the control of reproduction. Further, the mRNA abundances of the three GnRH forms in the breeding season were significantly higher than those in immature and post-breeding stages in all analyzed brain areas. Therefore, we propose that sbGnRH is the most important hormone for the regulation of reproduction in turbot via the BPG-axis. These results will help in better understanding the reproductive endocrine mechanisms of turbots and lay the groundwork for additional studies aimed at comparing the reproductive physiology of wild individuals with those raised under artificial conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In teleost, sex steroid hormones are critical for reproduction. Progestin is known to promote spermiation. To further understand the functions of progestin via its receptors during the annual reproductive cycle in male turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), we observed testicular development, quantified several sex steroid hormones, detected the expression of progestin receptors, and measured various sperm parameters. Results showed that the turbot testicular structure was of the lobular type. During breeding season, a number of spermatocytes (stage III) developed into spermatids (stage IV), then differentiated into sperm during spermiogenesis (stage V), and finally regressed to spermatocytes (stage VI). Concomitant with testicular development, serum progesterone (P4) and 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP) exhibited higher levels from stage IV to V than other stages. Furthermore, males with higher motility sperm showed higher levels of P4 and DHP compared with fish with lower motility sperm. These results indicated that P4 and DHP might induce spermatogenesis due to seasonal changes. Concurrently, in testes, the nuclear progesterone receptor (pgr) was expressed throughout the reproductive cycle and its level peaked during spermiogenesis while expression of membrane progestin receptor alpha (mPRα) did not change significantly. However, in sperm, mPRα expression was higher than in testes and had a significant positive correlation with curvilinear velocities (VCL), sperm motility, and motility duration. In conclusion, progestin appears to exert a direct pgr-mediated effect on spermiogenesis and improve sperm motility characteristics depending on the abundance of mPRα protein in sperm during spermiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) causes severe contamination to passive and active microwave sensing observations and corresponding retrieval products. RFI signals should be detected and filtered before applying the microwave data to retrieval and data assimilation. It is difficult to detect RFI over land surfaces covered by snow because of the scattering effect of snow surface. The double principal component analysis (DPCA) method is adopted in this study, and its ability in identifying RFI signals in AMSR-E data over snow covered regions is investigated. Results show that the DPCA method can detect RFI signals effectively in spite of the impact of snow scattering, and the detected RFI signals persistent over time. Compared to other methods, such as PCA and normalized PCA, DPCA is more robust and suitable for operational application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite extensive efforts to study the inflammatory process in the central nervous system of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, little is known about the role of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in PD. In the present study, we used an in vitro co-culture system to study the role of the human monocyte cell line THP-1 in medium conditioned by the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y damaged with the endogenous neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (Salsolinol, Sal) in co-culture with the human glioma cell line U87. For this purpose, SH-SY5Y and U87 co-cultures were treated with Sal, and this conditioned medium containing mediators, including the potential effector CCL2, was isolated and applied to THP-1 cells. This treatment resulted in approximately 19 % cell proliferation as well as activation of mTOR and induction of phosphorylated 4E-BP1, S6K1, PI3K, and AKT proteins. Treatment with rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, attenuated the proliferation of THP-1 cells. U87 glial cells were essential for this as medium conditioned without them had no effect on THP-1 cells. These results suggest a positive effect of THP-1 cells on Sal-induced neurotoxicity in a cellular model of PD and this is likely mediated by the enhancement of cell proliferation through activation of the mTOR signaling pathway. Hence, PBMCs and their mTOR signaling pathway could be of therapeutic benefit in treating the endogenous neurotoxin-induced neuroinflammation in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we give a computational formula for the Drazin inverse of the sum P+ Q, then applying it we give some computational formulas for the Drazin inverse of block matrix [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.] ( A and D are square) with generalized Schur complement S= D− CA B is nonsingular under some conditions. These results extend the results about the Drazin inverse of M given by R. Hartwig, X. Li and Y. Wei (SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 27:757-771, ) and by C. Deng (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 368:1-8, ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the possible pathways for transport of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated PEG-PLA nanoparticles (WGA-NP) into the brain after nasal administration. Methods: The nose-to-brain pathways were investigated using WGA-NP containing 6-coumarin (as a fluorescent marker) and I-labeled WGA-NP. Ex vivo imaging analysis was also employed to visualize the transport process. Results: Nasal administration of WGA-NP to rats resulted in transcellular absorption across the olfactory epithelium and transfer to the olfactory bulb within 5 min. After entering the lamina propria, a proportion of WGA-NP were transferred from the olfactory nerve bundles and their surrounding connective tissue to the olfactory bulb. The trigeminal nerves also contributed to WGA-NP brain transfer, especially to WGA-NP distribution in the caudal brain areas. However, cerebrospinal fluid pathway may have little contribution to the process of transferring WGA-NP into the central nervous system (CNS) after intranasal administration. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that intranasally administered WGA-NP reach the CNS via olfactory pathway and trigeminal nerve pathway, and extracellular transport along these nerves is the most possible mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace metal contamination in the aquatic ecosystem occurs worldwide: although copper is an essential trace metal, it is considered as a pollutant at certain levels in China. Freshwater crayfish Cambaroides dauricus is a commercially important wild species in northeastern China, in which is an important heavy industry area. The population of C. dauricus was decreasing sharply due to the environmental pollution and human intervention over the past 20 years. However, nothing is known regarding the responses of this species to trace metal toxicants. This study aimed to determine the acute and chronic toxicity of Cu and its toxicological effects on respiratory metabolism, as well as Cu accumulation in C. dauricus. The acute (96 h) median lethal concentration (LC50) value of 32.5 mg/L was detected in C. dauricus. Then, acute (96 h; 8.24, 16.48 mg/L) and sub-chronic (14 days; 2.06, 4.12 mg/L) exposure in Cu was investigated by estimating the oxygen consumption rate, ammonium excretion rate, and Cu accumulation. Both acute and sub-chronic Cu exposure induced an inhibition of the oxygen consumption rate and ammonium excretion rate, and thereby, an increased O:N ratio. The shift in O:N ratio indicated a metabolic substrate shift towards lipid and carbohydrate metabolism under Cu stress. Cu accumulation in the hepatopancreas and muscles throughout the study was found to be time-dependent and concentration-dependent. The maximum accumulation in the hepatopancreas and muscle were almost 31.6 folds of the control after 14 days' exposure to 4.12 mg/L concentration. Based on the present work, we suggest that crayfish be considered a potential bioindicator of environmental pollution in freshwater systems. The study provides basic information for further understanding of the toxicological responses of this species to trace metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spermatogenesis is a dynamic developmental process in which spermatogonial stem cells proliferate, differentiate and mature into functional spermatozoa. These processes require an accurate gene regulation network. Here, we investigated the dynamic changes that occur during spermatogenesis through a combination of histological and transcriptome analyses of different developmental stages of the testis. We constructed 18 testis transcriptome libraries, and the average length, N50, and GC content of the unigenes were 1,795 bp; 3,240 bp and 49.25%, respectively. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were related to germ cell proliferation and maturation, such as NANOS3, RARs, KIFs, steroid hormone synthesis-related genes and receptor genes, were identified between pairs of testis at different developmental stages. Gene ontology annotation and pathway analyses were conducted on DEGs with specific expression patterns involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis. Nine important pathways such as steroid hormone biosynthesis related to spermatogenesis were identified. A total of 21 modules that ranged from 49 to 7,448 genes were designed by a weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Furthermore, a total of 83 candidate miRNA were identified by computational methods. Our study provides the first transcriptomic evidence for differences in gene expression between different developmental stages of spermatogenesis in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]