Distinct patterns of monocular advantage for facial emotions in social anxiety.

Individuals with social anxiety often exhibit atypical processing of facial expressions. Previous research in social anxiety has primarily emphasized cognitive bias associated with face processing and the corresponding abnormalities in cortico-limbic circuitry, yet whether social anxiety influences early perceptual processing of emotional faces remains largely unknown. We used a psychophysical method to investigate the monocular advantage for face perception (i.e., face stimuli are better recognized when presented to the same eye compared to different eyes), an effect that is indicative of early, subcortical processing of face stimuli. We compared the monocular advantage for different emotional expressions (neutral, angry and sad) in three groups (N = 24 per group): individuals clinically diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD), individuals with high social anxiety in subclinical populations (SSA), and a healthy control (HC) group of individuals matched for age and gender. Compared to SSA and HC groups, we found that individuals with SAD exhibited a greater monocular advantage when processing neutral and sad faces. While the magnitudes of monocular advantages were similar across three groups when processing angry faces, individuals with SAD performed better in this condition when the faces were presented to different eye. The former findings suggest that social anxiety leads to an enhanced role of subcortical structures in processing nonthreatening expressions. The latter findings, on the other hand, likely reflect an enhanced cortical processing of threatening expressions in SAD group. These distinct patterns of monocular advantage indicate that social anxiety altered representation of emotional faces at various stages of information processing, starting at an early stage of the visual system.

Mechanisms of myeloid-derived suppressor cell-mediated immunosuppression in colorectal cancer and related therapies.

Severe immunosuppression is a hallmark of colorectal cancer (CRC). Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), one of the most abundant components of the tumor stroma, play an important role in the invasion, metastasis, and immune escape of CRC. MDSCs create an immunosuppressive microenvironment by inhibiting the proliferation and activation of immunoreactive cells, including T and natural killer cells, as well as by inducing the proliferation of immunosuppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells and tumor-associated macrophages, which, in turn, promote the growth of cancer cells. Thus, MDSCs are key contributors to the emergence of an immunosuppressive microenvironment in CRC and play an important role in the breakdown of antitumor immunity. In this narrative review, we explore the mechanisms through which MDSCs contribute to the immunosuppressive microenvironment, the current therapeutic approaches and technologies targeting MDSCs, and the therapeutic potential of modulating MDSCs in CRC treatment. This study provides ideas and methods to enhance survival rates in patients with CRC.

Beaconet: A Reference-Free Method for Integrating Multiple Batches of Single-Cell Transcriptomic Data in Original Molecular Space.

Integrating multiple single-cell datasets is essential for the comprehensive understanding of cell heterogeneity. Batch effect is the undesired systematic variations among technologies or experimental laboratories that distort biological signals and hinder the integration of single-cell datasets. However, existing methods typically rely on a selected dataset as a reference, leading to inconsistent integration performance using different references, or embed cells into uninterpretable low-dimensional feature space. To overcome these limitations, a reference-free method, Beaconet, for integrating multiple single-cell transcriptomic datasets in original molecular space by aligning the global distribution of each batch using an adversarial correction network is presented. Through extensive comparisons with 13 state-of-the-art methods, it is demonstrated that Beaconet can effectively remove batch effect while preserving biological variations and is superior to existing unsupervised methods using all possible references in overall performance. Furthermore, Beaconet performs integration in the original molecular feature space, enabling the characterization of cell types and downstream differential expression analysis directly using integrated data with gene-expression features. Additionally, when applying to large-scale atlas data integration, Beaconet shows notable advantages in both time- and space-efficiencies. In summary, Beaconet serves as an effective and efficient batch effect removal tool that can facilitate the integration of single-cell datasets in a reference-free and molecular feature-preserved mode.

Assessing the functional vulnerability of woody plant communities within a large scale tropical rainforest dynamics plot.

Introduction: Tropical forests are characterized by intricate mosaics of species-rich and structurally complex forest communities. Evaluating the functional vulnerability of distinct community patches is of significant importance in establishing conservation priorities within tropical forests. However, previous assessments of functional vulnerability in tropical forests have often focused solely on isolated factors or individual disturbance events, with limited consideration for a broad spectrum of disturbances and the responses of diverse species. Methods: We assessed the functional vulnerability of woody plant communities in a 60-ha dynamic plot within a tropical montane rainforest by conducting in silico simulations of a wide range disturbances. These simulations combined plant functional traits and community properties, including the distribution of functional redundancy across the entire trait space, the distribution of abundance across species, and the relationship between species trait distinctiveness and species abundance. We also investigated the spatial distribution patterns of functional vulnerability and their scale effects, and employed a spatial autoregressive model to examine the relationships between both biotic and abiotic factors and functional vulnerability at different scales. Results: The functional vulnerability of tropical montane rainforest woody plant communities was generally high (the functional vulnerability of observed communities was very close to that of the most vulnerable virtual community, with a value of 72.41% on average at the 20m×20m quadrat scale), and they exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity. Functional vulnerability decreased with increasing spatial scale and the influence of both biotic and abiotic factors on functional vulnerability was regulated by spatial scale, with soil properties playing a dominant role. Discussion: Our study provides new specific insights into the comprehensive assessment of functional vulnerability in the tropical rainforest. We highlighted that functional vulnerabilities of woody plant communities and their sensitivity to environmental factors varied significantly within and across spatial scales in the tropical rainforest landscape. Preserving and maintaining the functionality of tropical ecosystems should take into consideration the variations in functional vulnerability among different plant communities and their sensitivity to environmental factors.

The basal forebrain to lateral habenula circuitry mediates social behavioral maladaptation.

Elucidating the neural basis of fear allows for more effective treatments for maladaptive fear often observed in psychiatric disorders. Although the basal forebrain (BF) has an essential role in fear learning, its function in fear expression and the underlying neuronal and circuit substrates are much less understood. Here we report that BF glutamatergic neurons are robustly activated by social stimulus following social fear conditioning in male mice. And cell-type-specific inhibition of those excitatory neurons largely reduces social fear expression. At the circuit level, BF glutamatergic neurons make functional contacts with the lateral habenula (LHb) neurons and these connections are potentiated in conditioned mice. Moreover, optogenetic inhibition of BF-LHb glutamatergic pathway significantly reduces social fear responses. These data unravel an important function of the BF in fear expression via its glutamatergic projection onto the LHb, and suggest that selective targeting BF-LHb excitatory circuitry could alleviate maladaptive fear in relevant disorders.

Pan-cancer identified ARPC1B as a promising target for tumor immunotherapy and prognostic biomarker, particularly in READ.

ARPC1B encodes the protein known as actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 1 B (ARPC1B), which controls actin polymerization in the human body. Although ARPC1B has been linked to several human malignancies, its function in these cancers remains unclear. TCGA, GTEx, CCLE, Xena, CellMiner, TISIDB, and molecular signature databases were used to analyze ARPC1B expression in cancers. Visualization of data was primarily achieved using R language, version 4.0. Nineteen tumors exhibited high levels of ARPC1B expression, which were associated with different tumor stages and significantly affected the prognosis of various cancers. The level of ARPC1B expression substantially connected the narrative of ARPC1B expression with several TMB cancers and showed significant changes in MSI. Additionally, tolerance to numerous anticancer medications has been linked to high ARPC1B gene expression. Using Gene Set Variation Analysis/Gene Set Enrichment Analysisanalysis and concentrating on Rectum adenocarcinoma (READ), we thoroughly examined the molecular processes of the ARPC1B gene in pan-cancer. Using WGCNA, we examined the co-expression network of READ and ARPC1B. Meanwhile, ten specimens were selected for immunohistochemical examination, which showed high expression of ARPC1B in READ. Human pan-cancer samples show higher ARPC1B expression than healthy tissues. In many malignancies, particularly READ, ARPC1B overexpression is associated with immune cell infiltration and a poor prognosis. These results imply that the molecular biomarker ARPC1B may be used to assess the prognosis and immune infiltration of patients with READ.

Complement C1q-mediated microglial synaptic elimination by enhancing desialylation underlies sevoflurane-induced developmental neurotoxicity.

BACKGROUND: Repeated neonatal sevoflurane exposures led to neurocognitive disorders in young mice. We aimed to assess the role of microglia and complement C1q in sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity and explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Neonatal mice were treated with sevoflurane on postnatal days 6, 8, and 10, and the Morris water maze was performed to assess cognitive functions. For mechanistic explorations, mice were treated with minocycline, C1q-antibody ANX005, and sialidase-inhibitor N-acetyl-2,3-dehydro-2-deoxyneuraminic acid (NADNA) before sevoflurane exposures. Western blotting, RT-qPCR, Golgi staining, 3D reconstruction and engulfment analysis, immunofluorescence, and microglial morphology analysis were performed. In vitro experiments were conducted in microglial cell line BV2 cells. RESULTS: Repeated neonatal sevoflurane exposures resulted in deficiencies in learning and cognition of young mice, accompanied by microglial activation and synapse loss. Sevoflurane enhanced microglia-mediated synapse elimination through C1q binding to synapses. Inhibition of microglial activation and phagocytosis with minocycline significantly reduced the loss of synapses. We further revealed the involvement of neuronal sialic acids in this process. The enhanced activity of sialidase by sevoflurane led to the loss of sialic acids, which facilitated C1q binding to synapses. Inhibition of C1q with ANX005 or inhibition of sialidase with NADNA significantly rescued microglia-mediated synapse loss and improved neurocognitive function. Sevoflurane enhanced the engulfment of BV2 cells, which was reversed by ANX005. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that C1q-mediated microglial synaptic elimination by enhancing desialylation contributed to sevoflurane-induced developmental neurotoxicity. Inhibition of C1q or sialidase may be a potential therapeutic strategy for this neurotoxicity.

An advanced high-rate capability sodium-ion anode: Few-layered NbSe2 with a mechanism of parallel running intercalation and conversion.

The unique superconductivity and charge density wave transition characteristics of NbSe2 make it worthy of exploring its electrochemical performance and potential applications in the field of batteries. Herein, the bulk NbSe2 was successfully exfoliated into few-layered NbSe2 nanostructures by wet grinding exfoliation approach, which solved the issues of its long activation period and poor cycle stability. The strong Nb-Se bond in the plane and weak van der Waals force between the adjacent layers could render the fast Na+ diffusion, provide abundant reaction sites and multi-directional migration paths, thus accelerate the ionic conductivity. The theoretical calculations verified the high Na+ adsorption tendency between the NbSe2 interlayers stemming from the continuous region of charge accumulation. Thanks to the unique electronic and two-dimensional few-layered structures, the exfoliated NbSe2 exhibited a high cyclic stability with a capacity of 502 mA h g-1 over 2800 cycles at 10 A/g. In addition, the reaction mechanism was studied by in-situ X-ray diffraction and other tests, indicating a reaction mechanism containing of simultaneous intercalation (NbSe2↔NaxNbSe2↔NaNbSe2↔Na1+xNbSe2) and conversion processes in NbSe2. This parallelly running mechanism not only alleviates the volume change but also ensures a high specific capacity. Additionally, different lattice planes of the NaNbSe2 intermediate in the intercalation process experience varying degrees of contraction and expanding in d-spacing due to the influence of Coulombic force.

Age-stratified analysis of HTO and UKA clinical effects in cross-indicated anterior medial osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) for anterior medial osteoarthritis (AMOA) as well as offer surgical recommendations through age stratification. METHODS: Between May 2019 and May 2021, 68 cross-indicated AMOA patients were analyzed. The patients were divided into HTO and UKA groups and further into two age groups of 55-60 and 60-65 years. Additionally, general data, visual analog scale (VAS) score, and Hospital for Special Surgery knee score (HSS) were analyzed. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up for 18 months. Knee joint HSS significantly improved, and VAS score decreased in both groups (P < 0.05). In the 55-60 age group, HTO showed superior knee HSS at 1 and 3 months (P < 0.05), with no significant difference at 6, 12, and 18 months. HTO had a significantly lower VAS score at one month, and the VAS scores of the two groups decreased gradually with no significant difference. In the 60-65 age group, the UKA group showed superior knee joint HSS at one month, with no significant difference at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. The UKA group had a significantly lower VAS score at one month, and both groups' VAS scores decreased gradually with no significant difference. CONCLUSION: Both methods yield satisfactory results for AMOA cross-indications, improving knee joint function. The observed recovery trends have implications for personalized surgical recommendations, guiding interventions based on age-specific considerations for optimal outcomes in anterior medial osteoarthritis cases.

Core-Shell Gold Nanoparticles@Pd-Loaded Covalent Organic Framework for In Situ Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Monitoring of Catalytic Reactions.

A core-shell nanostructure of gold nanoparticles@covalent organic framework (COF) loaded with palladium nanoparticles (AuNPs@COF-PdNPs) was designed for the rapid monitoring of catalytic reactions with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The nanostructure was prepared by coating the COF layer on AuNPs and then in situ synthesizing PdNPs within the COF shell. With the respective SERS activity and catalytic performance of the AuNP core and COF-PdNPs shell, the nanostructure can be directly used in the SERS study of the catalytic reaction processes. It was shown that the confinement effect of COF resulted in the high dispersity of PdNPs and outstanding catalytic activity of AuNPs@COF-PdNPs, thus improving the reaction rate constant of the AuNPs@COF-PdNPs-catalyzed hydrogenation reduction by 10 times higher than that obtained with Au/Pd NPs. In addition, the COF layer can serve as a protective shell to make AuNPs@COF-PdNPs possess excellent reusability. Moreover, the loading of PdNPs within the COF layer was found to be in favor of avoiding intermediate products to achieve a high total conversion rate. AuNPs@COF-PdNPs also showed great catalytic activities toward the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. Taken together, the proposed core-shell nanostructure has great potential in monitoring and exploring catalytic processes and interfacial reactions.

Effective Management of Polycythemia Vera With Ropeginterferon Alfa-2b Treatment.

Background: Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm. Ropeginterferon alfa-2b is a new-generation polyethylene glycol-conjugated proline-interferon. It is approved for the treatment of PV at a starting dose of 100 µg (50 µg for patients receiving hydroxyurea (HU)) and dose titrations up to 500 µg by 50 µg increments. The study was aimed at assessing its efficacy and safety at a higher starting dose and simpler intra-patient dose escalation. Methods: Forty-nine patients with PV having HU intolerance from major hospitals in China were treated biweekly with an initial dose of 250 µg, followed by 350 µg and 500 µg thereafter if tolerated. Complete hematological response (CHR) was assessed every 12 weeks based on the European LeukemiaNet criteria. The primary endpoint was the CHR rate at week 24. The secondary endpoints included CHR rates at weeks 12, 36 and 52, changes of JAK2V617F allelic burden, time to first CHR, and safety assessments. Results: The CHR rates were 61.2%, 69.4% and 71.4% at weeks 24, 36, and 52, respectively. Mean allele burden of the driver mutation JAK2V617F declined from 58.5% at baseline to 30.1% at 52 weeks. Both CHR and JAK2V617F allele burden reduction showed consistent increases over the 52 weeks of the treatment. Twenty-nine patients (63.0%) achieved partial molecular response (PMR) and two achieved complete molecular response (CMR). The time to CHR was rapid and median time was 5.6 months according to central lab results. The CHRs were durable and median CHR duration time was not reached at week 52. Mean spleen index reduced from 55.6 cm2 at baseline to 50.2 cm2 at week 52. Adverse events (AEs) were mostly mild or moderate. Most common AEs were reversible alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase increases, which were not associated with significant elevations in bilirubin levels or jaundice. There were no grade 4 or 5 AEs. Grade 3 AEs were reversible and manageable. Only one AE led to discontinuation. No incidence of thromboembolic events was observed. Conclusion: The 250-350-500 µg dosing regimen was well tolerated and effectively induced CHR and MR and managed spleen size increase. Our findings demonstrate that ropeginterferon alfa-2b at this dosing regimen can provide an effective management of PV and support using this dosing regimen as a treatment option.

Study on Water Splitting of the 214-Type Perovskite Oxides LnSrCoO4 (Ln = La, Pr, Sm, Eu, and Ga).

We present a study on the electrocatalysis of 214-type perovskite oxides LnSrCoO4 (Ln = La, Pr, Sm, Eu, and Ga) with semiconducting-like behavior synthesized using the sol-gel method. Among these five catalysts, PrSrCoO4 exhibits the optimal electrochemical performance in both the oxygen evolution reaction and the hydrogen evolution reaction, mainly due to its larger electrical conductivity, mass activity, and turnover frequency. Importantly, the weak dependency of LSV curves in a KOH solution with different pH values, revealing the adsorbate evolving mechanism in PrSrCoO4, and the density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that PrSrCoO4 has a smaller Gibbs free energy and a higher density of states near the Fermi level, which accelerates the electrochemical water splitting. The mutual substitution of different rare-earth elements will change the unit-cell parameters, regulate the electronic states of catalytic active site Co ions, and further affect their catalytic performance. Furthermore, the magnetic results indicate strong spin-orbit coupling in the electroactive sites of Co ions in SmSrCoO4 and EuSrCoO4, whereas the magnetic moments of Co ions in the other three catalysts mainly arise from the spin itself. Our experimental results expand the electrochemical applications of 214-type perovskite oxides and provide a good platform for a deeper understanding of their catalytic mechanisms.

Advances in the study of tertiary lymphoid structures in the immunotherapy of breast cancer.

Breast cancer, as one of the most common malignancies in women, exhibits complex and heterogeneous pathological characteristics across different subtypes. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER2-positive breast cancer are two common and highly invasive subtypes within breast cancer. The stability of the breast microbiota is closely intertwined with the immune environment, and immunotherapy is a common approach for treating breast cancer.Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), recently discovered immune cell aggregates surrounding breast cancer, resemble secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) and are associated with the prognosis and survival of some breast cancer patients, offering new avenues for immunotherapy. Machine learning, as a form of artificial intelligence, has increasingly been used for detecting biomarkers and constructing tumor prognosis models. This article systematically reviews the latest research progress on TLSs in breast cancer and the application of machine learning in the detection of TLSs and the study of breast cancer prognosis. The insights provided contribute valuable perspectives for further exploring the biological differences among different subtypes of breast cancer and formulating personalized treatment strategies.

Clinical efficacy and safety of combined anti-BCMA and anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The low rates of durable response against relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in recent studies prompt that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies are yet to be optimized. The combined anti-BCMA and anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy showed high clinical efficacy in several clinical trials for RRMM. We here conducted a meta-analysis to confirm its efficacy and safety. Methods: We collected data from Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang and Cochrane databases up to April 2023. We extracted and evaluated data related to the efficacy and safety of combined anti-BCMA and anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapies in RRMM patients. The data was then analyzed using RevMan5.4 and StataSE-64 software. PROSPERO number was CRD42023455002. Results: Our meta-analysis included 12 relevant clinical trials involving 347 RRMM patients who were treated with combined anti-BCMA and anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapies. For efficacy assessment, the pooled overall response rate (ORR) was 94% (95% CI: 91%-98%), the complete response rate (CRR) was 50% (95% CI: 29%-71%), and the minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate within responders was 73% (95% CI: 66%-80%). In terms of safety, the pooled all-grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS) rate was 98% (95% CI: 97%-100%), grade≥3 CRS rate was 9% (95% CI: 4%-14%), and the incidence of neurotoxicity was 8% (95% CI: 4%-11%). Of hematologic toxicity, neutropenia was 82% (95% CI: 75%-89%), anemia was 71% (95% CI: 53%-90%), thrombocytopenia was 67% (95% CI: 40%-93%) and infection was 42% (95% CI: 9%-76%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12.97 months (95% CI: 6.02-19.91), and the median overall survival (OS) was 26.63 months (95% CI: 8.14-45.11). Conclusions: As a novel immunotherapy strategy with great potential, the combined anti-BCMA and anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy showed high efficacy in RRMM, but its safety needs further improvement. This meta-analysis suggests possible optimization of combined CAR-T therapy. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42023455002.

Single-cell analysis revealing the metabolic landscape of prostate cancer.

Tumor metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer development, and targeting metabolic vulnerabilities has been proven to be an effective approach for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treatment. Nevertheless, treatment failure inevitably occurs, largely due to cellular heterogeneity, which cannot be deciphered by traditional bulk sequencing techniques. By employing computational pipelines for single-cell RNA sequencing, we demonstrated that epithelial cells within the prostate are more metabolically active and plastic than stromal cells. Moreover, we identified that neuroendocrine (NE) cells tend to have high metabolic rates, which might explain the high demand for nutrients and energy exhibited by neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), one of the most lethal variants of prostate cancer (PCa). Additionally, we demonstrated through computational and experimental approaches that variation in mitochondrial activity is the greatest contributor to metabolic heterogeneity among both tumor cells and nontumor cells. These results establish a detailed metabolic landscape of PCa, highlight a potential mechanism of disease progression, and emphasize the importance of future studies on tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment from a metabolic perspective.

Magneto-optical Properties of Chiral Co2Ln and Co3Ln2 (Ln = Dy and Er) Clusters.

A series of chiral heterometallic Ln-Co clusters, denoted as Co2Ln and Co3Ln2 (Ln = Dy and Er), were synthesized by reacting the chiral chelating ligand (R/S)-2-(1-hydroxyethyl)pyridine (Hmpm), CoAc2·4H2O, and Ln(NO3)3·6H2O. Co2Ln and Co3Ln2 exhibit perfect mirror images in circular dichroism within the 320-700 nm range. Notably, the Co2Er and Co3Er2 clusters display pronounced magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) responses of the hypersensitive f-f transitions 4I15/2-4G11/2 at 375 nm and 4I15/2-2H11/2 at 520 nm of ErIII ions. This study highlights the strong magneto-optical activity associated with hypersensitive f-f transitions in chiral 3d-4f magnetic clusters.

ROS-responsive & scavenging NO nanomedicine for vascular diseases treatment by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress and improving NO bioavailability.

Vascular diseases seriously threaten human life and health. Exogenous delivery of nitric oxide (NO) represents an effective approach for maintaining vascular homeostasis during pathological events. However, the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at vascular injury sites would react with NO to produce damaging peroxynitrite (ONOO-) species and limit the therapeutic effect of NO. Hence, we design a ROS-responsive NO nanomedicine (t-PBA&NO NP) with ROS scavenging ability to solve the dilemma of NO-based therapy. t-PBA&NO NP targets NO and anti-oxidant ethyl caffeate (ECA) to the injury sites via collagen IV homing peptide. The ROS-triggered ROS depletion and ECA release potently alleviate local oxidative stress via ROS scavenging, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial regulation. It subsequently maximizes vascular modulation effects of NO, without production of harmful compounds, reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Therefore, it significantly increases competitiveness of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) over human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) both in vitro and in vivo. The strategy proved effective in inducing faster re-endothelialization, inhibiting neointimal formation and restoring vascular homeostasis. The synergy between ROS depletion and NO therapy served as a new inspiration for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and other ROS-associated illnesses.

Preservative Effects of Curcumin on Semen of Hu Sheep.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important factors that lead to a decline in sperm quality during semen preservation. Excessive ROS accumulation disrupts the balance of the antioxidant system in sperm and causes lipid oxidative damage, destroying its structure and function. Curcumin is a natural plant extract that neutralizes ROS and enhances the function of endogenous antioxidant enzymes. The effect of curcumin on the preservation of sheep semen has not been reported. This study aims to determine the effects of curcumin on refrigerated sperm (4 °C) and analyze the effects of curcumin on sperm metabolism from a Chinese native sheep (Hu sheep). The results showed that adding curcumin significantly improved (p < 0.05) the viability of refrigerated sperm at an optimal concentration of 20 µmol/L, and the plasma membrane and acrosome integrity in semen were significantly improved (p < 0.05). Adding curcumin to refrigerated semen significantly increased (p < 0.05) the levels of antioxidant enzymes (T-AOC, CAT, and SOD) and significantly decreased (p < 0.05) ROS production. A total of 13,796 metabolites in sperm and 20,581 metabolites in negative groups and curcumin-supplemented groups were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The proportion of lipids and lipid-like molecules among all metabolites in the sperm was the highest, regardless of treatment. We identified 50 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in sperm between the negative control and curcumin-treated groups. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that DEMs were mainly enriched in the calcium signaling pathway, phospholipase D signaling pathway, sphingolipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism, and other metabolic pathways. The findings indicate that the addition of an appropriate concentration (20 µm/L) of curcumin to sheep semen can effectively suppress reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and extend the duration of cryopreservation (4 °C) by modulating the expression of sphingosine-1-phosphate, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, phytosphingosine, and other metabolites of semen. This discovery offers a novel approach to enhancing the cryogenic preservation of sheep semen.