Naringenin mitigates cadmium-induced cell death, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation in KGN cells by regulating the expression of sirtuin-1.

The objective of this study was to examine the potential protective role of naringenin against the harmful effects induced by cadmium in KGN cell line. Cell viability was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 assay. Caspase-3/-9 activities were determined by caspase-3/-9 activity assay kits, respectively. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by ROS-Glo™ H2O2 Assay, antioxidant capacity was determined by a total antioxidant capacity assay kit. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ATP level, and ATP synthase activity were determined by JC-1, ATP assay kit, and ATP synthase activity assay kit, respectively. The mRNA expression was determined by qRT-PCR. Cadmium reduced cell viability and increased caspase-3/-9 activities in a concentration-dependent manner. Naringenin improved cell viability and reduced caspase-3/-9 activities in cadmium-stimulated KGN cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Cadmium diminished the antioxidant capacity, increased ROS production, and induced mitochondrial dysfunction in KGN cells. These effects were ameliorated by naringenin treatment in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, naringenin reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in KGN cells exposed to cadmium. SIRT1 knockdown downregulated its expression in KGN cells and compromised the protective effects of naringenin on cell viability and caspase-3/-9 activities in cadmium-stimulated KGN cells. Naringenin prevented the reduction of MMP, ATP levels, and ATP synthase activity in cadmium-stimulated KGN cells in a concentration-dependent manner. However, these protective effects were significantly reversed by SIRT1 knockdown. In conclusion, this study suggests that naringenin protects against cadmium-induced damage by regulating oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and inflammation in KGN cells, with SIRT1 playing a potential mediating role.

Effects of intrauterine infusion of platelet-rich plasma on hormone levels and endometrial receptivity in patients with repeated embryo implantation failure.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of intrauterine infusion on platelet-rich plasma on hormone levels and endometrial receptivity of patients with repeated embryo implantation failure (RIF). METHODS: A total of 64 patients with repeated implantation failure and re-fertilization-embryo transfer who were admitted to our hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them were 30 patients who did not receive the platelet-rich plasma perfusion therapy. This became the control group (CG). The 34 patients who received the therapy were regarded as the research group (RG). The changes of hormone levels before and after the treatment and endometrial receptivity after the treatment were evaluated. The outcomes of IVF assisted pregnancy, including rates of embryo implantation, clinical pregnancy, and early miscarriage, were compared after the treatment. Risk factors for clinical pregnancy were analyzed by logistic regression. RESULTS: After treatment, the estradiol (E2) level increased and the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level decreased (P<0.05), but there was no marked difference in luteinizing hormone (LH) before or after the treatment (P>0.05). The E2 level in the RG was higher than that in the CG, and FSH in the RG was lower (P<0.05). In comparison to CG, the endometrial thickness on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection and embryo transfer in the RG increased dramatically (P<0.05). The uterine artery pulsation index (PI) and uterine artery resistance index (RI) decreased (P<0.05). The embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy rates in the RG increased markedly (P<0.01), and the early abortion rate decreased significantly (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis identified that age, number of transplant failures, treatment regimens, and FSH were risk factors for clinical pregnancy outcomes in patients. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine infusion of platelet-rich plasma can improve the hormone levels in RIF patients, increase endometrial thickness, and enhance endometrial blood flow, increasing the pregnancy rate of patients and improving clinical pregnancy.

Efficacy of Letrozole Combined with Urinary Gonadotropin for Ovulation Induction in Endocrine Abnormal Infertility Patients: A Retrospective Single-Center, Case-Control Study.

Aims: To ask lots of questions and try to find the truth about the medicine-based effectiveness of letrozole (LE) combined with human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) in the treatment of inability to have children crops patients with endocrine (things that are different from what is usually expected and the effect on ovulation-related chemicals produced by the body). Materials and Methods: A total of 160 unable to have children crops patients with endocrine things that are different from what is usually expected who were treated in our hospital from March 2019 to March 2022 were selected as the subjects of this look at how things were in the past study and were divided into instance of watching, making a statement group was treated with human menopausal gonadotropin on the basis of the control group. The differences in serum related to the process of making children, chemical produced by the body levels, ovarian function, and ovulation induction effect between the two groups were watched and compared. Results: After treatment, LH, FSH, PRL, and E2 in the observation group were better than those in the control group. The ovarian volume, follicle size, follicle diameter, and endometrial thickness of the two groups of patients were significantly improved, and the observation group was better than the control group. Significance is P < 0.05. After treatment, the ovarian volume, follicle size, follicle diameter, and endometrial thickness in the two groups were significantly improved, and the observation group was better than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, singleton pregnancy rate, and multiple pregnancy rate of the observation group were higher than those of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant by the chi-square test (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Letrozole can promote the improvement of sex hormones in infertile patients. After being combined with human menopausal gonadotropin treatment, the follicle development and ovulation of patients are significantly improved, and infertility is improved to a certain extent. It has a certain reference value in the clinical treatment of endocrine abnormal infertility.

Resveratrol regulates the inflammation and oxidative stress of granulosa cells in PCOS via targeting TLR2.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is featured as a common endocrine disorder in reproductive-aged women, while its pathophysiology is not fully illustrated. This study examined potential actions of resveratrol in PCOS cellular model and explored the underlying interaction between resveratrol and toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). This study performed the bioinformatics analysis on two microarray datasets (GSE34526 and GSE138518). We found that TLR2 was one of potential hub genes that may be associated with PCOS. Further examination showed that TLR2 was highly expressed in granulosa cells from PCOS group compared with control. The in vitro studies showed that LPS intervention caused an increased expression of TLR2 and the pro-inflammatory mediators, and induced oxidative stress in the granulosa cells, which was concentration-dependently antagonized by resveratrol treatment. TLR2 silence significantly attenuated LPS-induced increase TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-8 expression and oxidative stress of granulosa cells. Furthermore, TLR2 overexpression promoted inflammatory response and oxidative stress in the granulosa cells, which was antagonized by resveratrol treatment. In conclusion, resveratrol could attenuate LPS-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in granulosa cells, and the underlying mechanisms may be related to the inhibitory effect of resveratrol on TLR2 expression in granulosa cells.

[Content of seminal plasma plasticizer in the patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia and its impact on male fertility].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between di-(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and male infertility by detecting the concentration of DEHP in the seminal plasma of the patient with idiopathic asthenozoospermia (IAS). METHODS: This study included 45 infertile males with diagnosed IAS in the observation group and another 45 men with normal sperm parameters as controls. We obtained the general baseline data on the subjects, determined the concentration of DEHP in the seminal plasma, the ROS level and the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), and compared them between the two groups of males. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of subjects in age, living habits and other general in baseline data (P > 0.05). The IAS patients, in comparison with the normal controls, showed significantly increased DEHP concentration in the seminal plasma (ï¼»0.45 ± 0.09ï¼½ vs ï¼»0.23 ± 0.05ï¼½ µg/ml, P < 0.05), ROS level (ï¼»569.4 ± 45.3ï¼½ vs ï¼»317.6 ± 27.8ï¼½ pmol/106 sperm, P < 0.05) and sperm DFI (ï¼»22.1 ± 8.3ï¼½% vs ï¼»10.5 ± 6.7ï¼½%, P < 0.05). The concentration of DEHP in the seminal plasma was correlated positively with the ROS level (r = 0.77, P < 0.05) and sperm DFI (r = 0.75, P < 0.05) but negatively with the percentage of progressively motile sperm (r = －0.81, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The DEHP level is escalated in the seminal plasma of the IAS patient, which may be responsible for the reduced sperm motility and increased DFI of the patient.

[Oral Testosterone Undecanoate Capsules combined with Qilin Pills for late-onset hypogonadism in males].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effects of oral Testosterone Undecanoate Capsules (TUC) combined with Qilin Pills (QLP) on late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) in men. METHODS: Sixty-three LOH patients meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a control group (aged ï¼»48.4 ± 6.2ï¼½ yr, n = 32) and an experimental group (aged ï¼»47.2 ± 5.6ï¼½ yr, n = 31) to be treated with oral TUC (80 mg, qd) and TUC + QLP (6g, tid), respectively, both for 3 months. Comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in the IIEF-5 scores, total testosterone (TT) levels, and scores in the Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale before and after treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, the patients of the experimental group, as compared with the controls, showed a significantly increased IIEF-5 score (21.7 ± 5.8 vs 15.9 ± 4.7, P <0.05) and TT level (ï¼»16.7 ± 2.2ï¼½ vs ï¼»13.1 ± 2.8ï¼½ nmol/L, P <0.05), but a decreased AMS score (20.7 ± 5.7 vs 31.3±6.5, P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TUC combined with Qilin Pills has a better effect and a lower rate of adverse reactions than TUC used alone in the treatment of late-onset hypogonadism in males.

[Expressions of phospho-Erk1/2 and phospho-Akt1 in the corpus cavernosum of aged rats].

OBJECTIVE: Nitric oxide (NO) is a key factor for penile erection. Its generation is mainly regulated by nitric oxide synthase (NOS), while both phospho-Erkl/2 (P-Erkl/2) and phospho-Aktl (P-Aktl) can affect the expression and activity of NOS and consequently penile erection. This experiment aimed to study the expressions of P-Erkl/2 and P-Aktl in the corpus cavernosum and their possible roles in erectile dysfunction in aged rats. METHODS: We included 10 two-month-old male SD rats in Group A and another 10 eighteen-month-old ones in Group B, measured the levels of serum testosterone, and detected the expressions of P-Erkl/2 and P-Aktl in the corpus cavernosum by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with Group A, Group B showed a significantly decreased level of serum testosterone (9.57 +/- 1.57 nmol/L vs 4.73 +/- 0.94 nmol/L, P < 0.05), and remarkably increased mRNA expressions of P-Erk1 and P-Erk2 and protein expression of P-Erkl/2 (0.47 +/- 0.09, 0.61 +/- 0.11 and 7.50 +/- 1.81 vs 0.95 +/- 0.06, 0.92 +/- 0.05 and 32.09 +/- 8.45, P < 0.05). But there were no significant differences in the mRNA and protein expressions of P-Akt1 between the two groups (0.97 +/- 0.04 and 11.67 +/- 5.61 vs 0.94 +/- 0.05 and 10.93 +/- 3.06, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The overexpression of P-Erk1/2 in the corpus cavernous may be one of the important mechanisms of aging-related erectile dysfunction.

[Expressions of Erk1/2 and PKB/Akt in the corpus cavernosum of castrated rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the expressions of Erk1/2 and PKB/Akt in the corpus cavernosum of castrated rats and investigate their action mechanism in the development of erectile dysfunction (ED) after castration. METHODS: We randomly divided 20 eight-week-old SD rats into Groups A (sham-operation) and B (castration), and, 4 weeks after the operation, determined the level of serum testosterone (T) and the expressions of P-Erk1/2 and P-PKB/Akt proteins (integrated optical density/area, IA/area) and those of Erk1/2 and PKB/Akt mRNA (Marker: GAPDH) in the corpus cavernosum of the rats by immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR. RESULTS: Four weeks after the operation, the serum T level was significantly decreased in Group B in comparison with A ([10.090 +/- 3. 026] nmol/L versus [1.339 +/- 0.642] nmol/L, P < 0.05). Erk1/2 and PKB/Akt expressed in the corpus cavernosum of both groups of rats. The expressions of Erk1 and Erk2 mRNA and P-Erk1/2 were significantly higher in Group B (0. 840 +/- 0.062, 0.876 +/- 0.141 and 0.142 +/- 0.020) than in A (0.479 +/- 0.090, 0.599 +/- 0.100 and 0.119 +/- 0.029) (P < 0.05). But no statistically significant differences were found in the expressions of PKB/Akt mRNA and P-PKB/Akt between Groups B (0.974 +/- 0.040 and 0.164 +/- 0.036) and A (0.942 +/- 0.054 and 0.162 +/- 0.025) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Erk1/2 and PKB/Akt expressed in the penile tissues of both castrated and sham-operation rats. The increased expression of P-Erk1/2 in the corpus cavernosum may be involved in the development of ED in castrated rats.

[Expressions of phospho-Erk1/2 and phospho-Akt1 in the corpus cavernosum of spontaneous hypertensive rats].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the expressions of phosphor Erk1/2 (P-Erk1/2) and phosphor Akt1 (P-Akt1) in the corpus cavernosum of spontaneous hypertensive (SH) and normotensive rats, and to investigate their relationship with penile erectile function. METHODS: A series of electric stimuli were applied to the corpus cavernosum nerves of 8 SH rats, the changes of ICP/MAP observed continuously, and the expressions of P-Erk1/2 and P-Akt1 in the corpus cavernosum detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Another 8 male WKY rats were taken as controls. RESULTS: ICP/MAP was significantly lower in the SH rats than in the controls (P < 0.01). The mRNA expressions of P-Erk1 and P-Erk2 and the protein expression of P-Erk1/2 were significantly increased in the SH group (0.81 +/- 0.05, 0.91 +/- 0.06 and 54.22 +/- 10.05), as compared with 0.42 +/- 0.04, 0.68 +/- 0.14 and 7.05 +/- 1.45 in the WKY rats (P < 0.05). The mRNA and protein levels of P-Akt exhibited no significant differences between the SH and control groups (0.90 +/- 0.05 and 11.17 +/- 2.21 versus 0.92 +/- 0.06 and 10.91 +/- 1.86, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Erectile dysfunction in hypertension patients is associated with the overexpression of P-Erk1/2 in the cavernous tissue, but not obviously correlated with the expression of P-Akt1.