Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes inhibits fibrosis in human endometrial stromal cells via miR-140-3p/FOXP1/Smad axis.

Endometrial fibrosis is the histologic appearance of intrauterine adhesion (IUA). Emerging evidences demonstrated umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (UCMSC-exo) could alleviate endometrial fibrosis. But the specific mechanism is not clear. In this study, we explored the effect of UCMSC-exo on endometrial fibrosis, and investigated the possible role of miR-140-3p/FOXP1/Smad axis in anti-fibrotic properties of UCMSC-exo. UCMSC-exo were isolated and identified. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) was used to induce human endometrial stromal cell (HESC) fibrosis. Dual luciferase assay was performed to verify the relationship between miR-140-3p and FOXP1. The expressions of fibrotic markers, SIP1, and p-Smad2/p-Smad3 in HESCs stimulated with UCMSC-exo were detected by western blot. In addition, the effects of miR-140-3p mimic, miR-140-3p inhibitor and FOXP1 over-expression on endometrial fibrosis were assessed. The isolated UCMSC-exo had a typical cup-shaped morphology and could be internalized into HESCs. The expressions of fibrotic markers were significantly increased by TGF-ß, which was reversed by UCMSC-exo. MiR-140-3p in UCMSC-exo ameliorated TGf-ß-induced HESCs fibrosis. FOXP1 was identified as the direct target of miR-140-3p, which could inversely regulate miR-140-3p's function on HESCs fibrosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that miR-140-3p in UCMSC-exo regulated Smad signal pathway to exert the anti-fibrotic effect in HESCs. The anti-fibrotic effect of UCMSC-derived exosomes against HESC fibrosis was at least partially achieved by miR-140-3p/FOXP1/Smad axis.

Potassium ferricyanide oxidizes silicon quantum dots under alkaline conditions to produce chemiluminescence for uric acid detection in human urine.

Potassium ferricyanide (K3 (Fe(CN)6 )) could directly oxidize silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) to generate chemiluminescence (CL) under alkaline conditions. It was noteworthy that in the Si QDs-K3 (Fe(CN)6 )-NaOH CL system, the Si QDs worked as a new luminescent material. In addition, the signal intensity of this CL system could be weakened with the addition of uric acid (UA). Based on these, we exploited a new easy and convenient determination method of UA. This method only needed filtration and dilution of UA, without other pretreatment. The constructed system exhibited a linear relationship that ranged from 0.50 to 4.50 mmol·L-1 , with 0.24 mmol·L-1 of detection limit, and this system had successfully demonstrated the detection of UA in human urine. In addition, this work also broaden the application of the Si QDs in CL research.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide protects against ethanol-induced spermiotoxicity and testicular degeneration in Immp2l+/- mice.

Studies have indicated that high levels of ethanol exposure impaired spermatogenesis in mice. However, the effects of chronic and low-dose alcohol consumption on susceptible populations remain unclear. The previous studies have confirmed that Immp2l mutant mice (Immp2lTg(Tyr)979Ove or Immp2l-/- ) suffered from increased levels of oxidative stress(OS) and male infertility, heterozygous lmmp2l mice (Immp2l+/- ) showed no altered ROS levels under physiological condition. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) significantly scavenge oxygen free radicals and enhance antioxidant enzyme activity. The objectives of present study were to research the effects of chronic and low-dose alcohol-induced damage on Immp2l+/- , explore the protective function of LBP and possible mechanism. The results indicated that chronic ethanol exposure leads to spermatogenic impairment and triggered a toxic effect on germ cell, 10 mg/kg LBP administration improved the quality of spermatozoon, decreased the ratio of apoptotic germ cells and the expression of Col1a1 and Col1a2, while increased the level of TNP2 and RPL31. In conclusion, the study may provide basic knowledge about LBP's important role against ethanol-induced spermiotoxicity and testicular degeneration in Immp2l+/- mice, and the mechanism may be that LBP influenced the state of the spermatogenic epithelium by decreasing the expression of Collagen level leading to alterations in protein biosynthesis during the process of spermatogenesis.

Administration effects of single-dose GnRH agonist for luteal support in females undertaking IVF/ICSI cycles: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of the addition of single-dose gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) for luteal support on pregnancy outcomes in females partaking in in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. In total, the studies were hand-searched from six electronic databases to compare the pregnancy outcomes between single-dose GnRHa administered as luteal phase support (GnRHa group) and regular luteal support (control group). In the GnRHa group, single-dose GnRH agonist were administered at 5/6 days after IVF/ICSI procedures. In the control group, single-dose GnRH agonist was not added during luteal phase support. Only randomized controlled trials were included. Sensitivity analysis was performed using Revman 5.3 software; the high heterogeneity identified in the present analysis was primarily caused by one study included. Following exclusion of this particular study, the meta-analysis results indicated significantly higher rates of ongoing pregnancy or live birth per transfer (P=0.002), clinical pregnancy per transfer (CPR; P=0.001) and multiple pregnancy per pregnancy (P=0.020) in the GnRHa group compared with those in the control group. Meta-analysis of a subgroup of trials with long-acting GnRH-a ovarian treatment protocols indicated that the rate of ongoing pregnancy or live birth (P=0.080), CPR (P=0.090) and multiple pregnancy per pregnancy (P=0.140) were not significantly different between the two groups. However, the results from trials that had used a multi-dose GnRH antagonist ovarian treatment protocol indicated a significantly higher ongoing pregnancy or live birth rate per transfer (P=0.010), CPR per transfer (P<0.0001) and multiple pregnancy rate per pregnancy (P=0.003) compared with those in the control group. The present results suggested that administration of single-dose GnRH agonist in the luteal phase may be an ideal choice for patients undergoing IVF/ICSI therapy.