Naturally occurring androgen excess cows are present in dairy and beef herds and have similar characteristics to women with PCOS.

Beef cows with excess androstenedione (A4; High A4) in follicular fluid (FF) and secreted by the ovarian cortex have been reported from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln physiology herd displaying characteristics reminiscent of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Thus, we hypothesized that naturally occurring High A4 cows were present in other dairy and beef herds. Fourteen Jordan (Amman, Jordon) dairy heifers and 16 U.S. Meat Animal Research Center beef heifers were classified by FF (High A4: A4 > 40 ng/mL and Control: A4 < 20 ng/mL) and/or cortex culture media (High A4 > 1 ng/mL/d or Control < 1 ng/mL/d). High A4 dairy heifers (n = 6) had greater A4 concentrations (7.6-fold) in FF and (98-fold) greater in ovarian cortex culture media with greater numbers of primordial and fewer later-stage follicles than Controls (n = 8) even after 7 d of culture. Also, the ovarian cortex had greater staining for Picro Sirius red in High A4 dairy heifers compared with Controls indicating increased fibrosis. Thecal cells from High A4 dairy heifers had greater STAR, LHCGR, CYP17A, CD68, and PECAM mRNA expression with increased mRNA abundance of CYP17A1 and CD68 in the ovarian cortex cultures compared with Control dairy heifers. Similarly, cortex culture media from High A4 beef heifers (n = 10) had increased A4 (290-fold; P ≤ 0.001), testosterone (1,427-fold; P ≤ 0.001), and progesterone (9-fold; P ≤ 0.01) compared with Control heifers with increased primordial follicles and decreased later-stage follicles even after 7 d of culture, indicating abnormal follicular development. High A4 ovarian cortex cultures from beef heifers also had increased fibrosis markers and greater expression of PECAM (P = 0.01) with a tendency for increased vascular endothelial cadherin compared with Controls (n = 6). These two trials support our hypothesis that naturally occurring androgen excess cows are present in other dairy and beef herds. The ability to identify these females that have excess A4 ovarian microenvironments may allow for their use in understanding factors causing abnormal follicle development linked to androgen excess and inflammation.

Androgen steroid hormones, normally present in the male, but produced in excess in the female, can result in inflammation and dysfunction of tissues, which, in turn, can lead to ovulatory dysfunction. We have previously identified females with naturally occurring excess androgen in our research herd. In the current paper, we have also identified two other cow populations (one dairy and one beef) that have similar excess androgen production. This suggests that these excess androgen females occur naturally and may be used as models to study androgen excess situations that contribute to subfertility.

The effect of platelet lysate in culture of PDLSCs: an in vitro comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Cellular therapy clinical applications require large-scale production of stem cells. Therefore, abundance, ease of isolation, and proliferative potential are the most important factors in choosing the appropriate source of cells for transplantation studies. Multipotent stem cells obtained from periodontal ligament (PDL) can be used in periodontal tissue regeneration. In this study, we aimed to evaluate and compare the characteristics of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), extracted by either enzymatic digestion or explant methods, and expanded using two different serum types: fetal bovine serum (FBS) and xeno-free platelet lysate (PL). METHODS: Expanded PDLSCs were assessed for their proliferation capacity, surface markers expression, colony formation, differentiation potential and ability to self-renewal. Most importantly, PDLSCs were evaluated for their ability to produce osteoblasts in vitro. RESULTS: PDLSCs isolated by explant method and expanded in PL serve as a promising source of stem cells for osteoblasts regeneration. These cells showed higher proliferation capacity, they retained their stemness characteristics throughout the passages and they revealed an increase in the expression level of osteogenic markers, without showing any karyotypic abnormalities after cell expansion. CONCLUSIONS: PDLSCs produced using explant extraction method and expanded in cell culture media supplemented with PL provide an excellent source of xeno-free cells for the generation of functional osteoblasts.

Platelet lysate promotes re-epithelialization of persistent epithelial defects: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: To study the use of autologous platelet lysate prepared in a standardized method for the healing of persistent corneal epithelial defects (PED). STUDY DESIGN: Clinical and experimental investigation. METHODS: In this prospective pilot study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02979912), ten patients with a PED duration of a minimum 14 days were included. Autologous platelet lysate was prepared in a standardized methodology. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles were used to lyse the platelets. Patients were advised to apply the eye drops four times a day and were evaluated at baseline and on days 7, 14, 21, 28. RESULTS: No adverse events were reported due to the use of undiluted autologous platelet lysate. A total of 70% of patients had complete re-epithelialization within 28 days. Of these, 40% healed within 14 days (effective group) and 30% within 28 days (partially effective group). CONCLUSIONS: Undiluted autologous platelet lysate, prepared according to a standardized methodology, is a safe and effective adjunct therapy for the treatment of PED.