Metabolomics reveals that ferroptosis participates in bisphenol A-induced testicular injury.

Objective: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common environmental endocrine disruptor that negatively impairs male reproductive ability. This study aimed to explore the alterations in serum metabolomics that occur following BPA exposure and the mechanism via which BPA induces the death of testicular cells in a male mouse model. Methods: The mice were classified into two groups: BPA-exposed and control groups, and samples were collected for metabolomic determination, semen quality analysis, electron microscopy, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time PCR, pathological staining, and Western blot analysis. Results: BPA exposure caused testicular damage and significantly decreased sperm quality in mice. Combined with non-target metabolomic analysis, this was closely related to ferroptosis induced by abnormal metabolites of arachidonic acid and phosphatidylcholine, and the expression of its related genes, acyl CoA synthetase 4, glutathione peroxidase 4, lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3, and phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 were altered. Conclusion: BPA induced ferroptosis, caused testicular damage, and reduced fertility by affecting lipid metabolism in male mice. Inhibiting ferroptosis may potentially function as a therapeutic strategy to mitigate the male reproductive toxicity induced by BPA.

Bisphenol A induces testicular oxidative stress in mice leading to ferroptosis.

Bisphenol A is a common environmental factor and endocrine disruptor that exerts a negative impact on male reproductive ability. By exploring bisphenol A-induced testicular cell death using the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mouse model, we found that a ferroptosis phenomenon may exist. Mice were divided into six groups and administered different doses of bisphenol A via intragastric gavage once daily for 45 consecutive days. Serum was then collected to determine the levels of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde. Epididymal sperm was also collected for semen analysis, and testicular tissue was collected for ferritin content determination, electron microscope observation of mitochondrial morphology, immunohistochemistry, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis. Exposure to bisphenol A was found to decrease sperm quality and cause oxidative damage, iron accumulation, and mitochondrial damage in the testes of mice. In addition, bisphenol A was confirmed to affect the expression of the ferroptosis-related genes, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), and acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) in mouse testicular tissues. Accordingly, we speculate that bisphenol A induces oxidative stress, which leads to the ferroptosis of testicular cells. Overall, the inhibition of ferroptosis may be a potential strategy to reduce male reproductive toxicity caused by bisphenol A.

SRSF3 functions as an oncogene in colorectal cancer by regulating the expression of ArhGAP30.

BACKGROUND: Splicing factor SRSF3 is an oncogene and overexpressed in various kinds of cancers, however, the function and mechanism involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) remained unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between SRSF3 and carcinogenesis and progression of CRC. METHODS: The expression of SRSF3 in CRC tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The proliferation and invasion rate was analyzed by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell invasion assay and xenograft experiment. The expression of selected genes was detected by western blot or real time PCR. RESULTS: SRSF3 is overexpressed in CRC tissues and its high expression was associated with CRC differentiation, lymph node invasion and AJCC stage. Upregulation of SRSF3 was also associated with shorter overall survival. Knockdown of SRSF3 in CRC cells activated ArhGAP30/Ace-p53 and decreased cell proliferation, migration and survival; while ectopic expression of SRSF3 attenuated ArhGAP30/Ace-p53 and increases cell proliferation, migration and survival. Targeting SRSF3 in xenograft tumors suppressed tumor progression in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data identify SRSF3 as a regulator for ArhGAP30/Ace-p53 in CRC, and highlight potential prognostic and therapeutic significance of SRSF3 in CRC.

Association between age­related hearing loss and cognitive decline in C57BL/6J mice.

Accumulating evidence has revealed the link between age­related hearing loss (presbycusis) and cognitive decline; however, their exact association remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the association between age­related hearing loss and cognitive decline, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Briefly, three groups of C57BL/6J mice were evaluated, based on their age, as follows: Young group, 3 months; adult group, 6 months; and middle­aged group, 15 months. The results of an auditory brainstem response (ABR) test demonstrated that the hearing threshold levels of the mice were increased in those aged 6 and 15 months compared with those aged 3 months, thus suggesting that significant hearing loss occurred at 6 months, and worsened at 15 months. The results of a Morris water maze test demonstrated that spatial learning and memory function was significantly decreased in 15­month­old mice, but not in 6­month­old mice. Pearson analysis indicated that the escape latency was positively correlated with hearing threshold at 16 kHz and percentage of time in the target quadrant was negatively correlated with hearing threshold at 16 kHz, thus suggesting a correlation between age­related hearing loss and cognitive decline. The auditory cortex and hippocampal CA1 region in 15­month­old mice exhibited significantly decreased cell numbers, abnormal arrangement and morphological alterations. Transmission electron microscopy revealed reduced synapse numbers and synaptic vesicle density in mice aged 15 months. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)­9 in the auditory cortex and hippocampus in the 15­month­old mice were significantly higher than in the 3­month­old mice. In conclusion, these findings support the correlation between age­related hearing loss and cognitive decline in C57BL/6J mice, and indicated that MMP­9 expression in the auditory cortex and hippocampus may be associated with the underlying mechanisms.

CD24 Overexpression Related to Lymph Node Invasion and Poor Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cluster of differentiation 24 (CD24) has recently been reported as a biomarker for colorectal cancer. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of CD24 in colorectal cancer remains controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify this issue. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed using Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI, and the statistical analysis was conducted using Stata software. RESULTS: A total of thirteen studies including 2,180 cases were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis indicated that CD24 expression was associated with lymph node invasion (RR = 0.71 (negative versus positive), 95% CI = 0.52 - 0.96, p = 0.02, Figure 3), differentiation (RR = 0.81 (well versus poor), 95% CI = 0.67 - 0.99, p = 0.04), and T stage (RR = 0.74 (T1 + T2 versus T3 + T4), 95% CI = 0.65 - 0.85, p = 0.00). The prognosis analysis also suggested CD24 overexpression indicating poorer 5-year OS rate (RR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.58 - 0.93, p = 0.01) However, CD24 was not associated with other clinicopathological features such as tumor size, tumor grade, distant metastasis, TNM stage and Dukes stage. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, this meta-analysis suggested that CD24 is an efficient prognostic factor in colorectal cancer.

Effects of Erlong Zuoci decoction on the age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Erlong Zuoci decoction (ELZCD), a typical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has long been clinically used in treatment of deafness and tinnitus with the syndrome of "kidney yin deficiency". However, there are few studies to investigate its pharmacological mechanisms. Until now, there is not report about its effects on the age-related hearing loss (ARHL). AIM OF STUDY: The present study was conducted to observe the effects of ELZCD on the ARHL in C57BL/6J mice and explore the mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ELZCD was fed to C57BL/6J mice from 3 months to 6 months in ELZCD group as a dose of 6g/kg/d. And the same volume of saline was fed to mice in ARHL group. 3-months-old C57BL/6J mice were used as control group. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the quality control of ELZCD. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) was used to assess the hearing function of mice. The morphologic changes were observed by hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining. Apoptosis was tested by terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. Mitochondrial damage was detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to observe the mRNA expression of p53 and Bak. Fluorescence immunohistochemical technique was used to test the protein expression of p53 and Bak. RESULTS: The hearing threshold of ARHL group was higher than that of control group (P<0.001) and ELZCD decreased the rise of hearing threshold levels of ARHL mice (P<0.001), which suggested ELZCD inhibited the hearing loss of ARHL mice. HE staining showed that ELZCD decreased the spiral ganglion (SG) cell damage and loss in ARHL. TUNEL test showed that the apoptotic SG cells increased in ARHL group compared to control group and decreased in ELZCD group compared to ARHL group. TEM observation showed that mitochondrial damage was obvious in SG cells of ARHL group and ELZCD inhibited the mitochondrial damage. The qRT-PCR results showed that the mRNA expression of p53 and Bak in ARHL group increased compared to that of control group (P<0.05), and ELZCD reduced the elevated mRNA expression levels of p53 and Bak (P<0.01, P<0.05). In addition, ELZCD inhibited the increased proteins expression (green fluorescence) of p53 and Bak. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that ELZCD prevented ARHL in C57BL/6J mice and p53/Bak-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis of SG cells might be involved in the mechanisms.

Metabolic markers and microecological characteristics of tongue coating in patients with chronic gastritis.

BACKGROUND: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), tongue diagnosis has been an important diagnostic method for the last 3000 years. Tongue diagnosis is a non-invasive, simple and valuable diagnostic tool. TCM treats the tongue coating on a very sensitive scale that reflects physiological and pathological changes in the organs, especially the spleen and stomach. Tongue coating can diagnose disease severity and determine the TCM syndrome ("Zheng" in Chinese). The biological bases of different tongue coating appearances are still poorly understood and lack systematic investigation at the molecular level. METHODS: Tongue coating samples were collected from 70 chronic gastritis patients and 20 normal controls. 16S rRNA denatured gradient gel electrophoresis (16S rRNA-DGGE) and liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were designed to profile tongue coatings. The statistical techniques used were principal component analysis and partial least squares-discriminate analysis. RESULTS: Ten potential metabolites or markers were found in chronic gastritis patients, including UDP-D-galactose, 3-ketolactose, and vitamin D2, based on LC-MS. Eight significantly different strips were observed in samples from chronic gastritis patients based on 16S rRNA-DGGE. Two strips, Strips 8 and 10, were selected for gene sequencing. Strip 10 sequencing showed a 100% similarity to Rothia mucilaginosa. Strip 8 sequencing showed a 96.2% similarity to Moraxella catarrhalis. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in glucose metabolism could possibly form the basis of tongue coating conformation in chronic gastritis patients. The study revealed important connections between metabolic components, microecological components and tongue coating in chronic gastritis patients. Compared with other diagnostic regimens, such as blood tests or tissue biopsies, tongue coating is more amenable to, and more convenient for, both patients and doctors.

HPLC-MS/MS method to determine genipin in rat plasma after hydrolysis with sulfatase and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the quantification of genipin in rat plasma after hydrolysis with sulfatase. Genipin could not be detected directly as it could be transformed into other forms such as conjugated-genipin immediately after administration. The conjugated genipin could be hydrolyzed by sulfatase to genipin. The conditions of hydrolysis were investigated. Genipin and the internal standard, peoniflorin (IS), were separated on a reversed-phase column by gradient elution and detected using an electrospray ion source on a 4000 QTrap triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The quantification was performed using multiple reaction monitoring with selected precursor-product ion pairs of the transitions m/z 225.0 → 122.7 and m/z 479.1 → 449.1 for genipin and peoniflorin. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 1.368-1368 ng/mL, with correlation coefficients of 0.9989. Intra- and inter-day precisions and accuracy were all within 15%. The lower limit of quantification was 1.368 ng/mL. The recoveries of genipin and peoniflorin were more than 53.3 and 51.2%. The highly sensitive method was successfully applied to estimated pharmacokinetic parameters of genipin following oral and intravenous administration to rats. The absolute bioavailability of genipin was 80.2% in rat, which is the first report.