Glycine regulates lipid peroxidation promoting porcine oocyte maturation and early embryonic development.

In vitro-cultured oocytes are separated from the follicular micro-environment in vivo and are more vulnerable than in vivo oocytes to changes in the external environment. This vulnerability disrupts the homeostasis of the intracellular environment, affecting oocyte meiotic completion, and subsequent embryonic developmental competence in vitro. Glycine, one of the main components of glutathione (GSH), plays an important role in the protection of porcine oocytes in vitro. However, the protective mechanism of glycine needs to be further clarified. Our results showed that glycine supplementation promoted cumulus cell expansion and oocyte maturation. Detection of oocyte development ability showed that glycine significantly increased the cleavage rate and blastocyst rate during in vitro fertilization (IVF). SMART-seq revealed that this effect was related to glycine-mediated regulation of cell membrane structure and function. Exogenous addition of glycine significantly increased the levels of the anti-oxidant GSH and the expression of anti-oxidant-related genes (glutathione peroxidase 4 [GPX4], catalase [CAT], superoxide dismutase 1 [SOD1], superoxide dismutase 2 [SOD2], and mitochondrial solute carrier family 25, member 39 [SLC25A39]), decreased the lipid peroxidation caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) by enhancing the functions of mitochondria, peroxisomes and lipid droplets (LDs) and the levels of lipid metabolism-related factors (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor coactivator 1 alpha [PGC-1α], peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ [PPARγ], sterol regulatory element binding factor 1 [SREBF1], autocrine motility factor receptor [AMFR], and ATP). These effects further reduced ferroptosis and maintained the normal structure and function of the cell membrane. Our results suggest that glycine plays an important role in oocyte maturation and later development by regulating ROS-induced lipid metabolism, thereby protecting against biomembrane damage.

Production of high-quality gametes is the premise of livestock reproduction and conservation of germplasm resources, especially high-quality oocytes, as oocyte quality determines the quality of offspring. Due to the limitations in approaches and the number of mature oocytes in vivo, in vitro maturation (IVM) culture has become an important way to obtain mature oocytes. However, IVM-cultured oocytes are separated from the follicular microenvironment in vivo and are, thus, more vulnerable than in vivo oocytes to changes in the external environment. Our study was conducted to determine if exogenous supplementation of glycine, the highest content of amino acids in oviduct fluid and follicular fluid, can improve oocyte maturation efficiency in vitro, and analyze the mechanism of glycine. This study demonstrated that glycine can maintain redox balance and block reactive oxygen species-induced lipid peroxidation, thereby protecting against biomembrane damage and reducing the occurrence of ferroptosis to maintain normal oocyte development function. This study will provide a theoretical basis for preventing and improving oxidative damage during oocyte culture in vitro.

Hematological Changes in Sika Doe and Suckling Fawn Fed with Spent Mushroom Substrate of Pleurotus ostreatus.

Sika deer velvet antler is the most important animal nutraceutic in traditional Chinese medicine. Reducing the breeding cost of sika deer by looking for a low-cost diet is the main research direction at present. The purpose of this experiment was to find an alternative diet for sika deer and reduce the cost of the diet by using spent mushroom substrate (SMS) as a concentrate supplement. The apparent digestibility for sika doe and the hematological changes of sika doe and suckling fawn were measured by replacing 10% of the concentrate supplement with SMS of Pleurotus ostreatus (SMS-MP). Compared with the control group, the digestibility of dry matter (DM), total protein (TP), globulin (GLO), and cholesterol (CHOL) of sika doe were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), and glucose (GLU), alanine (Ala), phenylalanine (Phe), and proline (Pro) of sika doe were significantly increased (p < 0.05) after the replacement of SMS-MP. Compared with the control group, the serum GLU of suckling fawn was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and the phosphatase (ALP) was significantly increased after the replacement of SMS-MP (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the immune globulin and amino acid of suckling fawns between the two groups (p > 0.05). The present findings confirm the applicability of SMS-MP as a sika doe concentrate supplement. At the same time, using SMS, a waste resource, can not only reduce the breeding cost of sika doe, but also make full use of SMS to reduce environmental pollution.

An update on the use of laser technology in skin vaccination.

Vaccination via skin often induces stronger immune responses than via muscle. This, in line with potential needle-free, painless delivery, makes skin a very attractive site for immunization. Yet, despite decades of effort, effective skin delivery is still in its infant stage and safe and potent adjuvants for skin vaccination remain largely undefined. We have shown that laser technologies including both fractional and non-fractional lasers can greatly augment vaccine-induced immune response without incurring any significant local and systemic side effects. Laser illumination at specific settings can accelerate the motility of antigen-presenting cells or trigger release of 'danger' signals stimulating the immune system. Moreover, several other groups including the authors explore laser technologies for needle-free transcutaneous vaccine delivery. As these laser-mediated resurfacing technologies are convenient, safe and cost-effective, their new applications in vaccination warrant clinical studies in the very near future.

Fu's subcutaneous needling: possible clinical evidence of the subcutaneous connective tissue in acupuncture.

OBJECTIVES: Recently it was reported that the loose connective tissue in the subcutaneous layer rapidly responded to mechanical forces evoked by acupuncture, massage, and normal physical movements. However, there were no clinical studies to substantiate these findings so far. Fu's Subcutaneous Needling (FSN) is the innovative needling strategy acting specifically in the subcutaneous layer. A single-blinded and randomized trial was designed to compare the immediate effects of FSN with different needling directions on myofascial trigger points (MTrP) in the neck. DESIGN: For simplicity, we chose two mutually perpendicular needle directions in this study. In one group, the needle was along the local muscle fibers and pointed to the MTrP (Along Group). In the other group, the needle was across the local muscle fibers and also pointed to the MTrP (Across Group). SUBJECTS: Forty-seven (47) patients were randomly divided into two groups: the Along Group (n = 22) and the Across Group (n = 25). There were no significant differences with respect to age, duration of pain, and gender between the two groups. INTERVENTIONS: FSN needles were inserted and swayed in the subcutaneous layer 200 times in 2 minutes. RESULTS: Before and after FSN treatment, patients were subjected to the assessment of the following three parameters: motion-related pain, pain under pressure, and the range of cervical movement. Three parameters were all reduced after the FSN intervention. There were no significant differences in variation of the three parameters between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Immediate effects of FSN on alleviating MTrP in the neck were not relevant to the needling directions.

Lung endothelium targeting for pulmonary embolism thrombolysis.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary embolism occurs frequently in hospitalized patients. Thrombolytic therapy, currently used as the major treatment, has often been associated with severe bleeding complications and has thereby been life-threatening. We have developed a novel therapeutic method based on our newly created pulmonary endothelium-specific antibody. METHODS AND RESULTS: We isolated membrane proteins of rat pulmonary vascular luminal endothelium and obtained a monoclonal antibody, RE8F5, which antigen was uniquely expressed by the pulmonary capillary endothelium. In vivo biodistribution showed that RE8F5 and its urokinase conjugate were rapidly and specifically accumulated in lung. Urokinase and the conjugate were compared in rats with pulmonary, hepatic, and lower-limb embolus. In a pulmonary embolus model, the conjugate exhibited 12-fold enhanced thrombolytic potency over urokinase, whereas plasma fibrinogen and bleeding time were unaffected. In 2 other models, no significant thrombolysis was induced by the conjugate. In contrast, thrombolysis by urokinase was found to be comparable to the pulmonary embolus model. In addition, urokinase caused significant consumption of fibrinogen in all experiments. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that urokinase equipped with lung endothelium-specific antibody is an ideal treatment for pulmonary embolism, with a high efficacy of thrombolysis and low risk of bleeding.