Development & reproduction最新文献

As the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations increases, various side effects are being reported, and menstrual abnormalities have been reported as a side effect in women. However, it is still unclear whether the COVID-19 vaccine has detrimental effects on the female reproductive system. Therefore, we investigated the effect of excessive immune response on reproductive function by administering Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) instead of the COVID-19 vaccine. The immune response in mice was induced by injection of LPS. Mice injected with saline 5 times were used as a control group, and mice injected with LPS 5 times were used as an experimental group. Repeated administration of LPS significantly reduced the number of corpus luteum (CL). On the other hand, the injection of LPS did not affect the development of follicles leading before the CL. The expression of the apoptosis-related genes Fas and Fas-L increased in the experimental group. In addition, the expression of the inflammation-related genes increased in the experimental group. In this study, we confirmed that LPS had detrimental effects on the uterus and ovaries in mice. These results suggest that injection of LPS can cause immune reactions within the uterus and ovaries and cause hormonal changes, which can have adverse effects such as abnormal operation or bleeding of the menstrual cycle. These results are expected to help determine the cause of decreased reproductive function, infertility, or physiological disorders caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

Previous studies, including our own, indicate that distinct morphological changes in rodent adrenal cortex could be induced by exposure of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). In the present study, we conducted histological analyses of adrenocortical substructure using a nonylphenol-treated F1 rat model. The adrenal weight of NP-5000 group was significantly declined in female rats (p<0.001), while the adrenal weights of NP-treated groups were not significantly changed in male rats. The thickness of zona glomerulosa layers of female rats in NP-5000 group was significantly declined (p<0.001) but zona fasciculata layers were not changed. The zona reticularis layers of NP-treated group were significantly thinner than those of control group (NP-50, p<0.05; NP-5000, p<0.01). In male adrenal glands, there was no significant change of zona glomerulosa layers in NP-treated groups while the thickness of zona fasciculata in NP-5000 group was significantly decreased (p<0.01). Like female rats, the thickness of zona reticularis in NP-treated groups was significantly decreased (NP-50, p<0.001; NP-5000, p<0.05). Present study demonstrated that the adrenal histology could be altered by low-dose NP exposure in F1 rats, and the effect might be sexually dimorphic. Further study will be helpful for understanding possible adrenal pathophysiology induced by EDC exposure, and EDC-related sexually dimorphic phenomena in rodent adrenals.

The gut microbiota is involved in the maintenance of physiological homeostasis and is now recognized as a regulator of many diseases. Although germ-free mouse models are the standard for microbiome studies, mice with antibiotic-induced sterile intestines are often chosen as a fast and inexpensive alternative. Pathophysiological changes in the gut microbiome have been demonstrated, but there are no reports so far on how such alterations affect the bacterial composition of the uterus. Here we examined changes in uterine microbiota as a result of gut microbiome disruption in an antibiotics-based sterile-uterus mouse model. Sterility was induced in 6-week-old female mice by administration of a combination of antibiotics, and amplicons of a bacteria marker gene (16S rRNA) were sequenced to decipher bacterial community structures in the uterus. At the phylum-level, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were found to be dominant, while Ralstonia, Escherichia, and Prauserella were the major genera. Quantitative comparisons of the microbial contents of an antibiotic-fed and a control group revealed that the treatment resulted in the reduction of bacterial population density. Although there was no significant difference in bacterial community structures between the two animal groups, β-diversity analysis showed a converged profile of uterus microbiotain the germ-free model. These findings suggest that the induction of sterility does not result in changes in the levels of specific taxa but in a reduction of individual variations in the mouse uterus microbiota, accompanied by a decrease in overall bacterial population density.

Three proteins [myosin heavy chain (MHC), filamin-C fragment (FIL-C), and actin 2 (ACT2)] were identified in adductor muscle from diploid and triploid Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and the relationship between the condition index (CI) and mRNA expression of these genes was investigated, together with the mRNA expression of molluscan insulin-related peptide (MIP), C. gigas insulin receptor-related receptor (CIR), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein complex acid labile subunit (IGFBP-ALS). Monthly changes in the CI were similar to the changes in the tissue weight rate in both groups. ACT2 and MHC mRNA expression was statistically higher in the triploid than the diploid, while FIL-C mRNA expression was significantly higher in the diploid (p<0.05). The MIP, CIR, and IGFBP-ALS mRNA expression of the diploid oysters were all significantly higher in July than in other months (p<0.05). The MIP, CIR, and IGFBP-ALS mRNA expression in the triploid oysters was high in July, but there were no significant differences (p>0.05). Changes in the expression levels of the genes investigated in this study could be used as intrinsic indicators of the annual growth, maturity, and spawning period of cultured diploid and triploid C. gigas in Tongyeong, Korea.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can give rise to a vast array of differentiated derivatives, which have gained great attention in the field of in vitro toxicity evaluation. We have previously demonstrated that hPSC-derived alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) are phenotypically and functionally similar to primary AECs and could be more biologically relevant alternatives for assessing the potential toxic materials including in fine dust and cigarette smoking. Therefore, in this study, we employed hPSC-AECs to evaluate their responses to exposure of various concentrations of diesel particulate matter (dPM), cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and nicotine for 48 hrs in terms of cell death, inflammation, and oxidative stress. We found that all of these toxic materials significantly upregulated the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1α, IL-β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Furthermore, the exposure of dPM (100 μg/mL) strongly induced upregulation of genes related with cell death, inflammation, and oxidative stress compared with other concentrations of CSE and nicotine. These results suggest that hPSC-AECs could be a robust in vitro platform to evaluate pulmotoxicity of various air pollutants and harmful chemicals.

Today's Eastern philosophers try to use the formal logic organized by Aristotle, saying that there was no logic in the East. This researcher found that Confucius and other Asians used Che-Yong logic. The Che-Yong logic is based on the Che-Yong law, which is a natural law. The Che-Yong law consists of the Che-Yong principle and the Hyeon-Mi principle. The Hyeon-Mi principle is that if there is an appearance on the outside, there is a corresponding cause in it. The Che-Yong principle is that the highest common cause of various appearances is Che, and the Che grows and changes on its own to become a Yong. Identifying Che and predicting Yong is Che-Yong logic. Here, I'd like to introduce Che-Yong logic and suggest a new research methodology to apply it.