The regulation of ovarian reserve function by Zuogui pills combined with cetrorelix / 药学学报

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Zuogui pills from the Kidney-tonifying and Nourishing Yin formula, in combination with the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist cetrorelix, affected the ovarian local oxidative stress response in decreasing ovarian reserve (DOR) mice. All animal experiments were carried out in accordance with the guidelines and standards established by Jinan University's Experimental Animal Management Committee. Cyclophosphamide (CTX)-treated DOR mice were given Zuogui pills, cetrorelix, or a combination of the two drugs intragastrically. After treatment, there were changes in the estrous cycle, serum sex hormone levels, oxidative stress-related indexes, growth biochemical factor levels, and SIRT1/P53/P21 expression. In comparison to the model group, the Zuogui pills and the cetrorelix+Zuogui pills group had significantly prolonged estrous periods and shortened interestrous periods, and the cetrorelix+Zuogui pills group had a significantly shortened cycle length. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) decreased and estradiol (E2) increased in all treatment groups compared to the model group, oxidative stress indexes nitric oxide synthase (NOS), nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) decreased, growth biochemical factors brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9) concentrations increased significantly, and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) showed no significant change. SIRT1/P53/P21 immunohistochemical results revealed that, when compared to the model group, the expression of SIRT1 increased while the expression of P53 and P21 proteins decreased in all treatment groups, with the cetrorelix+Zuogui pills group having the largest decrease, with significant differences in all indicators. We conclude that cetrorelix combined with Zuogui pills for kidney nourishing and Yin recipe improved the oxidative stress response in the follicle by regulating the SIRT1/P53/P21 pathway, reducing peroxide product production, protecting ovarian function, and regulating ovarian hormone secretion, and its efficacy is superior to that of cetrorelix or Zuogui pills alone.

The complete chloroplast genome of the Taiwan red pine Pinus taiwanensis (Pinaceae).

The complete nucleotide sequence of the Taiwan red pine Pinus taiwanensis Hayata chloroplast genome (cpDNA) is determined in this study. The genome is composed of 119,741 bp in length, containing a pair of very short inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 495 bp, which was divided by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 65,670 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 53,080 bp in length. The cpDNA contained 115 genes, including 74 protein-coding genes (73 PCG species), 4 ribosomal RNA genes (four rRNA species) and 37 tRNA genes (22 tRNA species). Out of these genes, 12 harbored a single intron, and one (rps12) contained a couple of introns. The overall AT content of the Taiwan red pine cpDNA is 61.5%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC and IR regions are 62.2%, 60.6% and 63.6%, respectively. A maximum parsimony phylogenetic analysis suggested that the genus Pinus, Picea, Abies and Larix were strongly supported as monophyletic, and the cpDNA of P. taiwanensis is closely related to that of P. thunbergii.

The complete chloroplast genome of Armand pine Pinus armandii, an endemic conifer tree species to China.

The complete chloroplast genome (cpDNA) sequence of an endemic conifer species, Armand pine Pinus armandii Franch., is determined in this study. The cpDNA was 117,265 bp in length, containing a pair of 475 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions those distinguished in large and small single copy (LSC and SSC) regions of 64,548 and 51,767 bp in length, respectively. The cpDNA contained 114 genes, including 74 protein-coding genes (74 PCG species), 4 ribosomal RNA genes (four rRNA species) and 36 transfer RNA genes (33 tRNA species). Out of these genes, 12 harbor a single intron and most of the genes occurred in a single copy. The overall AT content of the Armand pine cpDNA was 61.2%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC and IR regions were 62.0%, 60.2% and 62.7%, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that P. armandii chloroplast genome is closely related to that of the P. koraiensis within the genus Pinus.