Relationship of small non-coding RNA in the seminal plasma with male infertility: An update / 中华男科学杂志

The incidence of male infertility is increasing year by year, but there is a lack of non-invasive accurate diagnostic indicators for this disease, and the pathogenesis of idiopathic infertility is not yet fully clarified. Recent studies have found that there are various small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) in the human seminal plasma and spermatic exosomes, which can be used as a novel non-invasive biomarker of male infertility. This review outlines the latest research updates on the relationship between sncRNAs in the seminal plasma and male infertility, aiming to provide some new ideas for the screening of the molecular markers of male infertility and study of its underlying molecular mechanisms.

Difference of alkaloid components between old stems and tender stems of Gelsemium elegans / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to comprehensively assess the difference of alkaloid components between old stems and tender stems of Gelsemium elegans by using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo-diode array and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry( UPLC-Q-TOF/MS~E) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV detector( HPLC-UV). Firstly,the different components in old stems and tender stems were analyzed by UHPLC-Q-TOF/MSEcombined with principal component analysis( PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis( OPLS-DA),respectively. As a result,17 major different components were found. At the same time,the distribution of these alkaloids in old stems and tender stems was determined,and the alkaloids with higher polarity are relatively higher in the tender stems,while the old stems are in the opposite case. In addition,three main components in the G. elegans were quantified by HPLC-UV. The results showed that the contents of koumine and humantenmine in old stems were higher than those in tender stems,and the content of gelsemine in tender stems was relatively high. This study systematically evaluated the differences of alkaloids between the old stems and tender stems of G. elegans,and quantified the main three alkaloids. It laid the foundation of the safe and effective application of G. elegans.

Chromatographic fingerprint analysis of Toosendan Fructus by HPLC-CAD coupled with chemometrics methods / 药学学报

A new method was developed for the chromatographic fingerprint analysis of Toosendan Fructus by HPLC coupled with the charged aerosol detector (CAD) in the present study. Samples were well separated on an Agilent ZOBAX SB C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) by gradient elution using acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid (v/v) at the flow rate of 1.0 mL·min-1. The column temperature was 30℃ and the injection volume was 5 μL. The nitrogen inlet pressure of the charged aerosol detector (CAD) was 35 psi, and the nebulizer chamber temperature was 35℃. In addition, the method of the chromatographic fingerprints combined with multivariate statistical analysis was effective and reasonable lead to an accurate classification of 20 batches of samples from different locations. The results showed that 28 common peaks were observed in the fingerprint and the samples were classified into three clusters. The established method was well validated, and showed high precision, good repeatability, and satisfactory stability. It may serve in the quality control and evaluation of Toosendan Fructus.

MicroRNAs in seminal plasma: an update / 中华男科学杂志

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), present abundantly in human body fluids, may serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis of a variety of diseases. Recent studies show that they are also abundantly and stably expressed in the seminal plasma of men. Some seminal plasma-specific miRNAs can be used as potential markers for forensic body fluid identification. Furthermore, the expression profile of seminal plasma miRNAs in normal fertile men is quite different from that in idiopathic infertile patients. The specifically altered profile of seminal plasma miRNA is closely related with male infertility and spermatogenic dysfunction and therefore can be used as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of male infertility. A deeper insight into the specific changes of seminal miRNA may point a new direction in the studies of the molecular mechanisms of male infertility.

MicroRNAs and prostate cancer / 中华男科学杂志

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), with the length of about 22 nucleotides, are a growing family of small non-protein-coding RNAs that function as post-transcriptional regulators of target genes, involved in multiple processes of life and closely related with tumorigenesis. Recently, some aberrantly expressed miRNAs have been discovered in the prostate, indicating that miRNA may play a critical role in the molecular mechanism of the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. With deeper studies on human serum and plasma miRNAs, serum miRNA is promising to be a potential diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer.

Updated relationship between microRNA and reproduction / 中华男科学杂志

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding single-stranded RNA molecules, about 22 nucleotides in length, and highly conserved in evolution. They participate in a variety of important biological processes, including the development, differentiation, and apoptosis of eukaryotes. Recent studies have discovered that miRNAs play important roles in the development of primordial germ cells, spermatogenesis, and the process of fertilization.

Down-regulation of PGC-1alpha expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of PGC-1alpha in human liver carcinogenesis, and explore the regulatory role of PGC-1alpha in the development of liver cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The changes of PGC-1alpha mRNA level in normal human liver tissues and human liver tumors was examined by quantitative RT-PCR. PGC-1alpha mRNA level was interfered by siRNA in human liver cell line L02 in vitro, and their morphological changes were observed by pathology with HE staining. The ultrastructure of cells was observed by electron microscopy. In addition, the gene expression pattern of decreasing PGC-1alpha in L02 cells and liver tumor tissue was compared by human genome 70-mer oligonucleotide microarray analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PGC-1alpha expression was weaker in the malignant liver tumors compared with that in normal liver tissues. When PGC-1alpha expression was suppressed in human liver L02 cells, the cells became smaller with enlarged nuclei, and myelin figures were observed in mitochondria by electron microscopy, similar with the ultrastructure of liver cancer cells. Microarray analysis showed that the decrease of PGC-1alpha in L02 cells induced up-regulation of some oncogenes and adhesive genes, and down-regulation of a number of tumor suppressor genes and cell proliferation suppressor genes. The changes of decreasing expression pattern of PGC-1alpha gene in L02 cells were similar to those in human liver cancer tissue.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results of the present study show that PGC-1alpha is down-regulated in liver cancers and is involved in the malignant transformation in human normal liver cells in vitro, suggesting an important regulatory role of PGC-1alpha in the development of liver cancer.</p>