Variation of microbial necromass carbon and its potential relationship with humification during composting of chicken manure with and without biochar addition.

Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is an important stable organic C component. However, the variation of MNC and its potential relationship with humus components in composting remains uncertain. During a 45-day chicken manure composting study with and without biochar, MNC ranged from 24.9 to 77.9 g/kg and increased significantly by 80.9 % to 133 %. MNC constituted 5.77 % to 21.3 % of total organic C, with bacterial/fungal necromass C ratio ranging from 0.82 to 1.78. The MNC/humus C ratio ranged from 0.15 to 0.55, and humic acid C showed significant positive associations with bacterial necromass C (R2 = 0.72) and fungal necromass C (R2 = 0.51). Biochar addition reduced electrical conductivity and moisture content, increased pH, and induced microbial phosphorus limitation, thereby enhancing MNC content by 29.2 % and promoting humification. Our study is the first to elucidate the relationship between microbial necromass and humus substances, providing fundamental data for advancing the microbial carbon pump theory in composting.

Vulvar Hidradenoma Papilliferum.

Aim: This study examines the clinical and pathological characteristics, immune profile, histological occurrence, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis of vulvar hidradenoma papilliferum. Methods: An analysis was conducted on clinical data, histological patterns, and immunohistochemical findings from 45 cases of vulvar hidradenoma papilliferum, and relevant published articles were reviewed. Simultaneously, high-risk HPV typing was performed on these 45 cases. Results: The 45 cases of vulvar hidradenoma papilliferum displayed tumor sizes ranging from 0.3 to 2.0 cm and were observed to be pink or red in appearance. Vacuolated cytoplasm, large abnormal nuclei, distinct nucleoli, and scattered eosinophilic luminal secretions were observed in the glands. Positive staining for CK7 and progesterone receptor (PR) with focal mammaglobin and GCDFP-15 expression was found through immunohistochemistry. CK20 staining was noted as negative. Conclusion: Hidradenoma papilliferum is a rare benign tumor that originates in secretory glands. The diagnosis of this condition is aided by gross and immunohistochemical results, and differentiation from other conditions is necessary.

Clinicopathologic and molecular features of vascular tumors in a series of 118 cases.

AIMS: Vascular tumors are composed of benign, intermediate, and malignant lesions. The diagnosis is challenging because some entities demonstrate overlapping morphologies and harbor the same genetic alterations. We describe herein a cohort of vascular tumors with clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular features. METHODS AND RESULTS: 118 vascular tumors including 56 angiosarcomas, 18 epithelioid haemangioendotheliomas (EHE), 25 epithelioid haemangiomas (EH), 8 pseudomyogenic haemangioendotheliomas (PHE), 1 papillary intralymphatic angioendothelioma (PILA), 2 kaposiform haemangioendotheliomas (KHE), 3 Kaposi sarcomas, 2 retiform haemangioendotheliomas (RHE), and 3 anastomosing haemangiomas were assessed. FOSB, c-Fos, CAMTA1, and TFE3 expression and gene rearrangements were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining and FISH, respectively. Our results showed that FOSB expression was diffusely positive in all 8 PHEs, focally or sparsely in 12 EHs, and in 2 angiosarcomas. C-FOS expression was sparsely to diffusely positive in 15 EHs, focally or sparsely in 17 angiosarcomas, 1 EHE, 1 Kaposi sarcoma, and 1 PHE. CAMTA1 expression was positive in only 12 EHEs. TFE3 expression was focally or sparsely positive in all 8 PHEs, 22 angiosarcomas, 6 EHEs, 3 EHs, 2 Kaposi sarcomas, and 2 AHs. FOSB rearrangement was found in 5 PHEs, FOS rearrangement only in 1 EH, CAMTA1 rearrangement in 4 EHEs. CONCLUSIONS: FOSB and CAMTA1 are useful diagnostic markers for PHE and EHE, respectively. FOSB and FOS fusion represent a subset of epithelioid haemangioma. TFE3 is not a diagnostically meaningful marker in a majority of vascular tumors. The combined utility of these markers will facilitate the differential diagnosis in vascular tumors with morphologic overlap.

Pan-cancer analysis of oncogenic role of Programmed Cell Death 2 Like (PDCD2L) and validation in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Programmed Cell Death 2 Like (PDCD2L) correlates with cell proliferation, apoptosis and mouse embryonic development. However, the role of PDCD2L in human cancers is unclear. METHODS: Multiple bioinformatic methods, in vitro function experiments and validation were performed to clarify the oncogenic role of PDCD2L in human cancers. RESULTS: Our study found that PDCD2L was aberrantly expressed in multiple types of human cancers, and associated with clinical stage and molecular subtype. Furthermore, overexpression of PDCD2L predicted poor overall survival in adrenocortical carcinoma(ACC), kidney chromophobe(KICH), acute myeloid leukemia(LAML), brain lower grade glioma(LGG),liver hepatocellular carcinoma(LIHC), mesothelioma(MESO), uveal melanoma(UVM) and poor diseases free survival in ACC, bladder urothelial carcinoma(BLCA), cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC), kidney renal clear cell carcinoma(KIRC), kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma(KIRP), LGG, LIHC, and UVM. PDCD2L expression was negatively associated with cancer associated fibroblast in breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), sarcoma (SARC), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) and testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT). Mechanically, we found that PDCD2L expression was associated with apoptosis, invasion and cell cycle by investigating single cell sequencing data. For further validation, PDCD2Lwas highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines and tissue samples compared with the normal colon cell line and non-tumor adjacent colorectal mucosa tissues. PDCD2L knockdown induced the apoptosis and proliferation of CRC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the oncogenic role of PDCD2L in various cancers and PDCD2L could be served as a biomarker of CRC.

Tumor-associated macrophages induced spheroid formation by CCL18-ZEB1-M-CSF feedback loop to promote transcoelomic metastasis of ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer (OvCa)-tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) spheroids are abundantly present within ascites of high malignant patients. This study investigated the mutual interaction of OvCa cells and TAMs in the spheroids. METHODS: Three-dimensional coculture system and transwell coculture system were created to mimic the OvCa and TAMs in spheroids and in disassociated state. Transwell-migration assay and scratch wound healing assay were used to measure the invasive and migratory capacity. Western blot, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and immunostaining were used to measure the mesenchymal and epithelial markers. Flow cytometry was used to assess the polarization of TAMs. Also, the differential gene expression profile of OvCa cells and OvCa cells from spheroids were tested by RNA-sequence. Finally, the ovarian mice models were constructed by intraperitoneal injection of ID8 or OvCa-TAMs spheroids. RESULTS: Our results indicated that the formation of OvCa-TAMs spheroids was positive related to the malignancy of OvCa cells. M2-TAMs induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of OvCa cells by releasing chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18) in the spheroids. While, CCL18 induced macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) transcription in OvCa cells through zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1). This study further indicated that M-CSF secreted by OvCa cells drived the polarization of M2-TAMs. Therefore, a CCL18-ZEB1-M-CSF interacting loop between OvCa cells and TAMs in the spheroids was identified. Moreover, with blocking the expression of ZEB1 in the OvCa cell, the formation of OvCa-TAMs spheroids was impeded. In the ovarian mice models, the formation of OvCa-TAMs spheroids in the ascites was promoted by overexpressing of ZEB1 in OvCa cells, which resulted in faster and earlier transcoelomic metastasis. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that the formation of OvCa-TAMs spheroids resulted in aggressive phenotype of OvCa cells, as a specific feedback loop CCL18-ZEB1-M-CSF in it. Inhibition of ZEB1 reduced OvCa-TAMs spheroids in the ascites, impeding the transcoelomic metastasis and improving the outcome of ovarian patients.

GnRHa/Stanozolol Combined Therapy Maintains Normal Bone Growth in Central Precocious Puberty.

Background: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) is the gold standard in the treatment of Central Precocious Puberty (CPP) with progressive puberty and accelerative growth. However, GnRHa treatment is reported to result in growth deceleration and prevents growth plate development which leads to a reduction in height velocity. Stanozolol (ST) has been used to stimulate growth in patients with delayed growth and puberty, nevertheless, the effects and mechanisms of ST on CPP with GnRHa treatment are currently unclear. Methods and Results: In the current study, we recorded the following vital observations that provided insights into ST induced chondrogenic differentiation and the maintenance of normal growth plate development: (1) ST efficiently prevented growth deceleration and maintained normal growth plate development in rats undergoing GnRHa treatment; (2) ST suppressed the inhibitory effect of GnRHa to promote chondrogenic differentiation; (3) ST induced chondrogenic differentiation through the activation of the JNK/c-Jun/Sox9 signaling pathway; (4) ST promoted chondrogenic differentiation and growth plate development through the JNK/Sox9 signaling pathway in vivo. Conclusions: ST mitigated the inhibitory effects of GnRHa and promoted growth plate development in rats. ST induced the differentiation of chondrocytes and maintained normal growth plate development through the activation of JNK/c-Jun/Sox9 signaling. These novel findings indicated that ST could be a potential agent for maintaining normal bone growth in cases of CPP undergoing GnRHa treatment.

Low basal serum testosterone level is detrimental to the embryo implantation in the patients with severe endometriosis.

AIM: Androgens have been reported to be associated with female fertility. The mean serum testosterone concentration in the patients with endometriosis was reported to be significantly lower than that without endometriosis. Our study was designed to investigate the influence of basal serum testosterone levels on the clinical outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the patients with III-IV stage endometriosis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 407 patients with III-IV stage endometriosis diagnosed by laparoscopic surgery. We studied the association of the basal serum testosterone level and the reproductive outcome of IVF. RESULTS: The basal serum testosterone concentration was significantly higher in the pregnant group of patients with III-IV stage endometriosis. The further analyses demonstrated that the implantation rate of the basal serum testosterone concentration < 0.305 ng/mL group was significantly lower than the testosterone ≥ 0.305 ng/mL group (24.1% vs. 32.7%, p = 0.007). The clinical pregnancy and live birth rate of the basal serum testosterone < 0.305 ng/mL group were also lower than that of the testosterone ≥ 0.305 ng/mL group. Both initial and total dose of gonadotropins in the testosterone <0.305 ng/mL group are significantly higher than that of the testosterone ≥0.305 ng/mL group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated, for the first time, that the basal serum testosterone <0.305 ng/mL had an adverse impact on pregnancy outcomes of IVF-embryo transfer in the patients with III-IV stage endometriosis. Besides, the basal serum testosterone is also helpful in making individual stimulation protocol for the patients with advanced endometriosis before entering IVF cycles.

Protective Effects of Reduced Glutathione and Ulinastatin on Xeno-transplanted Human Ovarian Tissue Against Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury.

Recently, transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue is the method for fertility preservation for oncologic and nononcologic reasons. The main challenge of ovarian cryopreservation followed by transplantation is that ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) induced the loss of follicles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of glutathione (GSH), ulinastatin (UTI) or both (GSH+UTI) on preventing ischemia reperfusion-induced follicles depletion in ovarian grafts.Ovarian fragments were collected from 20 women aged 29±6 years. Frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue was xenografted into SCID mice, at the same time GSH, UTI and GSH+UTI was administrated respectively. The ovarian grafts were collected at the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th, 28th, 56th, and 85th day after xenotransplantation. Follicle survival rate was measured by H&E staining and Live/Dead staining. Angiogenic activity and macrophage recruitment was evidenced by immunohistochemical staining. The oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines in human ovarian xenografts were measured by real-time PCR. The results indicated that after the treatments of GSH, UTI and GSH+UTI in the hosts, follicular survival in ovarian grafts were improved. The level of VEGF, CD31, and antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase 1 and superoxide dismutase 2 in ovarian grafts were increased. Accumulation of macrophages, level of IL6 and TNF-α, as well as malondialdehyde was decreased in ovarian grafts from treated groups. In conclusion, administration of GSH, UTI and GSH+UTI decreased the depletion of follicles in human grafts post-transplantation by inhibiting IRI-induced antiangiogenesis, oxidative stress and inflammation.

Severe cervical inflammation and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Inflammation has been reported as a facilitator in cervical oncogenesis, but the correlation between inflammation and cytological abnormality remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between inflammation and cytological abnormality. METHODS: ThinPrep cytological test (TCT) was used to detect cervical cytological abnormalities and inflammation degrees of 46,255 women in this prospective cross-sectional study. Histopathological examination was used to define the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in patients with cervical cytological abnormalities. RESULTS: The study revealed that 8.87% (4102/46,255) of TCT results had cytological abnormalities. The 4102 included cases were classified as the case group, including atypical squamous cells (ASC), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Women with negative intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) were classified as the control group. About 88.83% (3644/4102) of women with cytological abnormalities showed inflammations. The rate of severe inflammation was significantly higher in the case group than the control group (23.86% vs. 2.0%, P = 0.000). Our results also showed that patients with severe inflammation had a significantly increasing incidence of cytological abnormality by 12.598 times and elevated the risk of HSIL by 756.47 times, compared to the inflammation negative group. CONCLUSION: Severe inflammation was positively related to HSIL. Patients with severe cervical inflammation should be given more follow-ups and regular examinations and treated more carefully than those with mild or no inflammation.

Crosstalk between the activated Slit2-Robo1 pathway and TGF-ß1 signalling promotes cardiac fibrosis.

AIMS: Previous reports indicated that the Slit2-Robo signalling pathway is involved in embryonic heart development and fibrosis in other solid organs, but its function in adult cardiac fibrosis has not been investigated. Here, we investigate the role of the Slit2-Robo1 signalling pathway in cardiac fibrosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: The right atrial tissue samples were obtained from patients with valvular heart disease complicated by atrial fibrillation during heart valve surgery and from healthy heart donors. The fibrotic animal model is created by performing transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery. The Robo1, Slit2, TGF-ß1, and collagen I expression levels in human and animal samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Echocardiography measured the changes in heart size and cardiac functions of animals. Angiotensin II (Ang II), Slit2-siRNA, TGF-ß1-siRNA, recombinant Slit2, and recombinant TGF-ß1 were transfected to cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) respectively to observe their effects on collagen I expression level. The right atrial appendage of patients with valvular heart disease complicated by atrial fibrillation found significantly up-regulated Slit2, Robo1, TGF-ß1, and collagen I expression levels. TAC surgery leads to heart enlargement, cardiac fibrosis, and up-regulation of Slit2, Robo1, TGF-ß1, and collagen I expression levels in animal model. Robo1 antagonist R5 and TGF-ß1 antagonist SB431542 suppressed cardiac fibrosis in TAC mice. Treatment with 100 nM Ang II in CFs caused significantly increased Slit2, Robo1, Smad2/3, TGF-ß1, collagen I, PI3K, and Akt expression levels. Transfecting Slit2-siRNA and TGF-ß1-siRNA, respectively, into rat CFs significantly down-regulated Smad2/3 and collagen I expression, inhibiting the effects of Ang II. Recombinant Slit2 activated the TGF-ß1/Smad signalling pathway in CFs and up-regulated Periostin, Robo1, and collagen I expression. CONCLUSIONS: The Slit2-Robo1 signalling pathway interfered with the TGF-ß1/Smad pathway and promoted cardiac fibrosis. Blockade of Slit2-Robo1 might be a new treatment for cardiac fibrosis.

Transplantation of Wnt5a-modified NSCs promotes tissue repair and locomotor functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Traditional therapeutic strategies for spinal cord injury (SCI) are insufficient to repair locomotor function because of the failure of axonal reconnection and neuronal regeneration in the injured central nervous system (CNS). Neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation has been considered a potential strategy and is generally feasible for repairing the neural circuit after SCI; however, the most formidable problem is that the neuronal differentiation rate of NSCs is quite limited. Therefore, it is essential to induce the neuronal differentiation of NSCs and improve the differentiation rate of NSCs in spinal cord repair. Our results demonstrate that both Wnt5a and miRNA200b-3p could promote NSC differentiation into neurons and that Wnt5a upregulated miRNA200b-3p expression through MAPK/JNK signaling to promote NSC differentiation into neurons. Wnt5a could reduce RhoA expression by upregulating miRNA200b-3p expression to inhibit activation of the RhoA/Rock signaling pathway, which has been reported to suppress neuronal differentiation. Overexpression of RhoA abolished the neurogenic capacity of Wnt5a and miRNA200b-3p. In vivo, miRNA200b-3p was critical for Wnt5a-induced NSC differentiation into neurons to promote motor functional and histological recovery after SCI by suppressing RhoA/Rock signaling. These findings provide more insight into SCI and help with the identification of novel treatment strategies.

Hemangioblastoma: clinicopathologic study of 42 cases with emphasis on TFE3 expression.

Hemangioblastomas (HBs) histologically overlap with TFE3 rearrangement-associated tumors, which present as alveolar architecture and clear or eosinophilic granular cytoplasm. However, whether TFE3 is expressed in HBs remains unexplored. Herein, we analyzed the clinicopathologic features of 42 HBs emphasizing studies of TFE3 expression. Of 42 cases, 38 were sporadic and 4 were regarded as a part of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome according to clinical presentation. Nineteen patients were male and 23 were female. Patient age ranged from 17 to 70 years (median 43). Tumor size ranged from 0.4 to 4.8 cm (mean 2.2 cm). Follow-up ranged from 1 to 60 months and 6 patients developed recurrence. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that 36 (86%) of 42 HBs expressed TFE3 in nuclei of tumor cells, of which 21 were evaluated as high TFE3 expression levels. Increased TFE3 expression was significantly associated with older ages (P=0.018) and larger tumor size (P=0.001). Seventeen HBs with high TFE3 expression were negative for rearrangement and amplification of TFE3 by FISH analysis, 3 of which including 2 sporadic and 1 VHL-related HBs demonstrated trisomies or tetrasomies of X-chromosome in 7%~18% of tumor cells. All 3 cases occurred in female, presented with a larger tumor size and displayed a similar morphologic appearance with high cellularity and hyperchromatic nuclei. Our study first reports TFE3 expression and its clinicopathological relevance in HBs. We hypothesize that TFE3 might be involved in the pathogenesis of non-VHL-related HBs. Furthermore, HBs with strong TFE3 expression should be differentiated from brain-metastatic TFE3-rearranged tumors.

Rare case of tonsillar and subcutaneous metastasis from neuroendocrine cervical cancer.

Neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma (NECC) is a rare type of cervical cancer, with high tendency of lymphatic and distant metastasis and poor prognosis. Herein, we reported a rare case of relapsed NECC metastasizing to palatine tonsil and subcutaneous adipose tissue in multiple regions, which reflects the aggressive biological behavior of NECC.

Wnt4-modified NSC transplantation promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to severe motor and sensory dysfunction, yet there are no effective therapies currently due to the failure of reconstructing the interruption of the neuroanatomical circuit. While neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation has been considered a potential strategy to repair the neural circuit after SCI, the efficacy of this strategy remains unproven. The main reason is that most of the transplanted NSC differentiates into astrocyte rather than neuron in the microenvironment of SCI. Our results demonstrated that Wnt4 significantly promotes the differentiation of NSC into neuron by activating both ß-catenin and MAPK/JNK pathways and suppressing the activation of Notch signaling, which is acknowledged as prevention of NSC differentiation into neuron, through downregulating NICD expression, translocating and preventing the combination of NICD and RbpJ in nucleus. In addition, Wnt4 rescues the negative effect of Jagged, the ligand of Notch signaling, to promote neuronal differentiation. Moreover, in vivo study, transplantation of Wnt4-modified NSC efficaciously repairs the injured spinal cord and recovers the motor function of hind limbs after SCI. This study sheds new light into mechanisms that Wnt4-modified NSC transplantation is sufficient to repair the injured spinal cord and recover the motor dysfunction after SCI.

Probing the behavior of bovine serum albumin upon binding to atenolol: insights from spectroscopic and molecular docking approaches.

Molecular interaction of atenolol, a selective ß1 receptor antagonist with the major carrier protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), was investigated under imitated physiological conditions (pH 7.4) by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, UV absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and molecular modeling studies. The steady-state fluorescence spectra manifested that static type, due to formation of the atenolol-BSA complex, was the dominant mechanism for fluorescence quenching. The characteristic information about the binding interaction of atenolol with BSA in terms of binding constant (Kb) were determined by the UV-vis absorption titration, and were found to be in the order of 103 M-1 at different temperatures, indicating the existence of a weak binding in this system. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the binding process was primarily mediated by van der Waals force and hydrogen bonds due to the negative sign for enthalpy change (ΔH0), entropy change (ΔS0). The molecular docking results elucidated that atenolol preferred binding on the site II of BSA according to the findings observed in competitive binding experiments. Moreover, via alterations in synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence and FT-IR spectral properties, it was concluded that atenolol could arouse slight configurational and micro-environmental changes of BSA.

Transplantation of CD51+ Stem Leydig Cells: A New Strategy for the Treatment of Testosterone Deficiency.

Stem Leydig cell (SLC) transplantation could provide a new strategy for treating the testosterone deficiency. Our previous study demonstrated that CD51 (also called integrin αv) might be a putative cell surface marker for SLCs, but the physiological function and efficacy of CD51+ SLCs treatment remain unclear. Here, we explore the potential therapeutic benefits of CD51+ SLCs transplantation and whether these transplanted cells can be regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. CD51+ cells were isolated from the testes of 12-weeks-old C57BL/6 mice, and we showed that such cells expressed SLC markers and that they were capable of self-renewal, extensive proliferation, and differentiation into multiple mesenchymal cell lineages and LCs in vitro. As a specific cytotoxin that eliminates Leydig cells (LCs) in adult rats, ethane dimethanesulfonate (EDS) was used to ablate LCs before the SLC transplantation. After being transplanted into the testes of EDS-treated rats, the CD51+ cells differentiated into mature LCs, and the recipient rats showed a partial recovery of testosterone production and spermatogenesis. Notably, a testosterone analysis revealed a circadian rhythm of testosterone secretion in cell-transplanted rats, and these testosterone secretions could be suppressed by decapeptyl (a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist), suggesting that the transplanted cells might be regulated by the HPG axis. This study is the first to demonstrate that CD51+ SLCs can restore the neuroendocrine regulation of testicular function by physiologically recovering the expected episodic changes in diurnal testosterone serum levels and that SLC transplantation may provide a new tool for the studies of testosterone deficiency treatment. Stem Cells 2017;35:1222-1232.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Mitigate Experimental Colitis via Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 7-mediated Immunosuppression.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have shown great potential for treating inflammatory bowel disease, which is ameliorated through paracrine cross talk between MSCs and T-cells. Members of the insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) family have important immunomodulatory functions in MSCs, but the underlying mechanisms behind these functions have not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, we investigate whether MSC-produced IGFBP7 is involved in immune modulation using a mouse experimental colitis model. Gene expression profiling revealed that IGFBP7 was highly expressed in MSCs. Consistent with this findings, IGFBP7 knockdown in MSCs significantly decreased their immunomodulatory properties, decreasing the antiproliferative functions of MSCs against T-cells, while also having an effect on the proinflammatory cytokine production of the T-cells. Furthermore, in the mouse experimental colitis model, MSC-derived IGFBP7 ameliorated the clinical and histopathological severity of induced colonic inflammation and also restored the injured gastrointestinal mucosal tissues. In conclusion, IGFBP7 contributes significantly to MSC-mediated immune modulation, as is shown by the ability of IGFBP7 knockdown in MSCs to restore proliferation and cytokine production in T-cells. These results suggest that IGFBP7 may act as a novel MSC-secreted immunomodulatory factor.

Effects of velvet antler polypeptide on sexual behavior and testosterone synthesis in aging male mice.

Twenty-four-month-old male C57BL/6 mice with low serum testosterone levels were used as a late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) animal model for examining the effects of velvet antler polypeptide (VAP) on sexual function and testosterone synthesis. These mice received VAP for 5 consecutive weeks by daily gavage at doses of 100, 200, or 300 mg kg-1 body weight per day (n = 10 mice per dose). Control animals (n = 10) received the same weight-based volume of vehicle. Sexual behavior and testosterone levels in serum and interstitial tissue of testis were measured after the last administration of VAP. Furthermore, to investigate the mechanisms of how VAP affects sexual behavior and testosterone synthesis in vivo, the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), and 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3ß-HSD) in Leydig cells was also measured by immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time PCR. As a result, VAP produced a significant improvement in the sexual function of these aging male mice. Serum testosterone level and intratesticular testosterone (ITT) concentration also increased in the VAP-treated groups. The expression of StAR, P450scc, and 3ß-HSD was also found to be enhanced in the VAP-treated groups compared with the control group. Our results suggested that VAP was effective in improving sexual function in aging male mice. The effect of velvet antler on sexual function was due to the increased expression of several rate-limiting enzymes of testosterone synthesis (StAR, P450scc, and 3ß-HSD) and the following promotion of testosterone synthesis in vivo.

Characterization of Nestin-positive stem Leydig cells as a potential source for the treatment of testicular Leydig cell dysfunction.

The ability to identify and isolate lineage-specific stem cells from adult tissues could facilitate cell replacement therapy. Leydig cells (LCs) are the primary source of androgen in the mammalian testis, and the prospective identification of stem Leydig cells (SLCs) may offer new opportunities for treating testosterone deficiency. Here, in a transgenic mouse model expressing GFP driven by the Nestin (Nes) promoter, we observed Nes-GFP+ cells located in the testicular interstitial compartment where SLCs normally reside. We showed that these Nes-GFP+ cells expressed LIFR and PDGFR-α, but not LC lineage markers. We further observed that these cells were capable of clonogenic self-renewal and extensive proliferation in vitro and could differentiate into neural or mesenchymal cell lineages, as well as LCs, with the ability to produce testosterone, under defined conditions. Moreover, when transplanted into the testes of LC-disrupted or aging models, the Nes-GFP+ cells colonized the interstitium and partially increased testosterone production, and then accelerated meiotic and post-meiotic germ cell recovery. In addition, we further demonstrated that CD51 might be a putative cell surface marker for SLCs, similar with Nestin. Taken together, these results suggest that Nes-GFP+ cells from the testis have the characteristics of SLCs, and our study would shed new light on developing stem cell replacement therapy for testosterone deficiency.