Mettl3-mediated m6A modification of Fgf16 restricts cardiomyocyte proliferation during heart regeneration.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide due to the inability of adult heart to regenerate after injury. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation catalyzed by the enzyme methyltransferase-like 3 (Mettl3) plays an important role in various physiological and pathological bioprocesses. However, the role of m6A in heart regeneration remains largely unclear. To study m6A function in heart regeneration, we modulated Mettl3 expression in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown of Mettl3 significantly increased the proliferation of cardiomyocytes and accelerated heart regeneration following heart injury in neonatal and adult mice. However, Mettl3 overexpression decreased cardiomyocyte proliferation and suppressed heart regeneration in postnatal mice. Conjoint analysis of methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) and RNA-seq identified Fgf16 as a downstream target of Mettl3-mediated m6A modification during postnatal heart regeneration. RIP-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays revealed that Mettl3 negatively regulates Fgf16 mRNA expression in an m6A-Ythdf2-dependent manner. The silencing of Fgf16 suppressed the proliferation of cardiomyocytes. However, the overexpression of ΔFgf16, in which the m6A consensus sequence was mutated, significantly increased cardiomyocyte proliferation and accelerated heart regeneration in postnatal mice compared with wild-type Fgf16. Our data demonstrate that Mettl3 post-transcriptionally reduces Fgf16 mRNA levels through an m6A-Ythdf2-dependen pathway, thereby controlling cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration.

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the world's biggest killers. Even for patients who survive a heart attack, recovery can be difficult. This is because ­ unlike some amphibians and fish ­ humans lack the ability to produce enough new heart muscle cells to replace damaged tissue after a heart injury. In other words, the human heart cannot repair itself. Molecules known as messenger RNA (mRNA) carry the 'instructions' from the DNA inside the cell nucleus to its protein-making machinery in the cytoplasm of the cell. These messenger molecules can also be altered by different enzymes that attach or remove chemical groups. These modifications can change the stability of the mRNA, or even 'silence' it altogether by stopping it from interacting with the protein-making machinery, thus halting production of the protein it encodes. For example, a protein called Mettl3 can attach a methyl group to a specific part of the mRNA, causing a reversible mRNA modification known as m⁶A. This type of alteration has been shown to play a role in many conditions, including heart disease, but it has been unclear whether m⁶A could also be important for the regeneration of heart tissue. To find out more, Jiang, Liu, Chen et al. studied heart injury in mice of various ages. Newborn mice can regenerate their heart muscle for a short time, but adult mice lack this ability, which makes them a useful model to study heart disease. Analyses of the proteins and mRNAs in mouse heart cells confirmed that both Mettl3 and m⁶A-modified mRNAs were present. The amount of each also increased with age. Next, experiments in genetically manipulated mice revealed that removing Mettl3 greatly improved tissue repair after heart injury in both newborn and adult mice. In contrast, mouse hearts that produced abnormally high quantities of Mettl3 were unable to regenerate ­ even if the mice were young. Moreover, a detailed analysis of gene activity revealed that Mettl3 was suppressing heart regeneration by decreasing the production of a growth-promoting protein called FGF16. These results reveal a key biological mechanism controlling the heart's ability to repair itself after injury. In the future, Jiang et al. hope that Mettl3 can be harnessed for new, effective therapies to promote heart regeneration in patients suffering from heart disease.

Identification and profiling of microRNAs expressed in oral buccal mucosa squamous cell carcinoma of Chinese hamster.

MicroRNAs are known to play essential role in the gene expression regulation in cancer. In our research, next-generation sequencing technology was applied to explore the abnormal miRNA expression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in Chinese hamster. A total of 3 novel miRNAs (Novel-117, Novel-118, and Novel-135) and 11 known miRNAs (crg-miR-130b-3p, crg-miR-142-5p, crg-miR-21-3p, crg-miR-21-5p, crg-miR-542-3p, crg-miR-486-3p, crg-miR-499-5p, crg-miR-504, crg-miR-34c-5p, crg-miR-34b-5p and crg-miR-34c-3p) were identified. We conducted functional analysis, finding that 340 biological processes, 47 cell components, 46 molecular functions were associated with OSCC. Meanwhile the gene expression of Caspase-9, Caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2 were determined by qRT-PCR and the protein expression of PTEN and p-AKT by immunohistochemistry. Our research proposed further insights to the profiles of these miRNAs and provided a basis for investigating the regulatory mechanisms involved in oral cancer research.

Enhancing the CRISPR/Cas9 system based on multiple GmU6 promoters in soybean.

Small guide RNA (sgRNA) is an important component of the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The gene editing efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9 system could be enhanced by using highly active U6 promoters to drive the expression of sgRNA. Therefore, we constructed various expression vectors based on the 11 GmU6 promoters predicted and cloned in the whole soybean genome. The expression of truncated GUS driven by 11 GmU6 promoters was tested in hairy roots and by Arabidopsis thaliana transformation. The results indicated that higher transcriptional levels were driven by 5 GmU6 promoters (GmU6-4, GmU6-7, GmU6-8, GmU6-10 and GmU6-11) in both soybean hairy roots and Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, three genes, Glyma03g36470, Glyma14g04180 and Glyma06g136900, were selected as targets to detect the transcriptional levels of multiple GmU6 promoters. Mutations in these three genes were detected in soybean hairy roots after Agrobacterium rhizogenes infection, indicating efficient target gene editing, including nucleotide insertion, deletion, and substitution. Mutation efficiencies differed among the 11 GmU6 promoters, ranging from 2.8% to 20.6%, and markedly higher efficiencies were obtained with all three genes using the GmU6-8 (20.3%) and GmU6-10 (20.6%) promoters. These two GmU6 promoters also showed higher ability to drive truncated GUS transcription in both soybean hairy roots and transformed Arabidopsis thaliana. These results will help to construct an efficient CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system and promote the application of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system in soybean molecular breeding.

Forkhead box O3 protects the heart against paraquat-induced aging-associated phenotypes by upregulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes.

Paraquat (PQ) promotes cell senescence in brain tissue, which contributes to Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, PQ induces heart failure and oxidative damage, but it remains unknown whether and how PQ induces cardiac aging. Here, we demonstrate that PQ induces phenotypes associated with senescence of cardiomyocyte cell lines and results in cardiac aging-associated phenotypes including cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in vivo. Moreover, PQ inhibits the activation of Forkhead box O3 (FoxO3), an important longevity factor, both in vitro and in vivo. We found that PQ-induced senescence phenotypes, including proliferation inhibition, apoptosis, senescence-associated ß-galactosidase activity, and p16INK4a expression, were significantly enhanced by FoxO3 deficiency in cardiomyocytes. Notably, PQ-induced cardiac remolding, apoptosis, oxidative damage, and p16INK4a expression in hearts were exacerbated by FoxO3 deficiency. In addition, both in vitro deficiency and in vivo deficiency of FoxO3 greatly suppressed the activation of antioxidant enzymes including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) in the presence of PQ, which was accompanied by attenuation in cardiac function. The direct in vivo binding of FoxO3 to the promoters of the Cat and Sod2 genes in the heart was verified by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Functionally, overexpression of Cat or Sod2 alleviated the PQ-induced senescence phenotypes in FoxO3-deficient cardiomyocyte cell lines. Overexpression of FoxO3 and CAT in hearts greatly suppressed the PQ-induced heart injury and phenotypes associated with aging. Collectively, these results suggest that FoxO3 protects the heart against an aging-associated decline in cardiac function in mice exposed to PQ, at least in part by upregulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes and suppressing oxidative stress.

[Research advances on preventive and therapeutic effects of hydrogen on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and underlying mechanisms].

For a long time, hydrogen (H2) has been considered as a physiological inert gas. However, recent studies have demonstrated that molecular H2 exerts significant therapeutic effects on various disease models due to its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic capabilities, which have also been well confirmed in many clinical trials. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs) are the leading cause of death in the world, constituting a serious threat to human life and public health. In this paper, we reviewed the latest research progress of the biomedical effects of H2 in CCVDs and its possible molecular mechanisms, in the hope of providing new clues for the treatment of some CCVDs.

Plasma Phospholipid Transfer Protein Promotes Platelet Aggregation.

It remains unclear whether plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is involved in hyper-coagulation or hypo-coagulation. This study investigated the direct effect of PLTP on platelet aggregation and the underlying mechanism. Washed platelets from humans or mice and mouse platelet-rich plasma and human recombinant PLTP were isolated. PLTP is present in human platelets. We assessed adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-, collagen- and thrombin-induced platelet aggregation, phosphatidylserine externalization and photothrombosis-induced cerebral infarction in mice. PLTP over-expression increased platelet aggregation, while PLTP deficiency had the opposing reaction. Human recombinant PLTP increased both mouse and human platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. Phosphatidylserine externalization provides a water/lipid surface for the interaction of coagulation factors, which accelerates thrombosis. Compared with wild-type controls, platelets from PLTP transgenic mice had significantly more phosphatidylserine on the exterior surface of the plasma membrane, whereas platelets from PLTP-deficient mice had significantly less phosphatidylserine on the surface, thus PLTP influences fibrinogen binding on the plasma membrane. Moreover, recombinant PLTP together with ADP significantly increased phosphatidylserine exposure on the plasma membrane of PLTP-deficient platelets, thereby increasing fibrinogen binding. PLTP over-expression significantly accelerated the incidence of photothrombosis-induced infarction in mice, whereas PLTP deficiency significantly reduced the frequency of infarction. We concluded that PLTP promotes phosphatidylserine externalization at the plasma membrane of platelets and accelerates ADP- or collagen-induced platelet aggregation. This effect plays an important role in the initiation of thrombin generation and platelet aggregation under sheer stress conditions. Thus, PLTP is involved in hyper-coagulation. Therefore, PLTP inhibition could be a novel approach for countering thrombosis.

Hydrogen-rich water ameliorates rat placental stress induced by water restriction.

Dehydration is one of the intrauterine abnormalities that could lead to fetal growth retardation and to increase the risk of a variety of adult diseases later in life. This study were to determine the impact of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) supplementation on placental angiotensin II type 1 receptor and placental oxidative stress induced by water restriction. Pregnant Wistar rat were randomly assigned to one of the three groups (n =12 per group). In control group, pure water and food were supplied ad libitum. Water restriction group and HRW group were respectively given pure water and HRW with free access to food, excepting only one hour was available for drinking from day 7 to day 17 of pregnancy. The placental damages and biomarkers of stress were detected by histopathology, immunohistochemistry and western blot, as well as serological test were performed. We demonstrated that maternal water restriction resulted in reduced urine volume and increased serum osmotic pressure, along with decreased fetus weight and crown-rump length. Although placental weight and the number of fetuses had no significant difference among groups, the placental efficiency significantly increased after the oral administration of HRW to the mothers. Meanwhile, the serological derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites decreased, a significant improvement of placental microstructure with more developed junctional zone and denser labyrinth was manifested, the upregulated expression of angiotensin II type 1 receptor, nuclear factoκB, malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and down-regulation of superoxide dismutase were revealed in the placenta. Collectively, HRW administration is able to effectively attenuate placental stress induced by water restriction.

CpG oligodeoxynucleotide preconditioning improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction via modulation of energy metabolism and angiogenesis.

Unmethylated CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN), a Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) ligand, has been shown to protect against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the potential effects of CpG-ODN on myocardial infarction (MI) induced by persistent ischemia remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether and how CpG-ODN preconditioning protects against MI in mice. C57BL/6 mice were treated with CpG-ODN by i.p. injection 2 hr prior to MI induction, and cardiac function, and histology were analyzed 2 weeks after MI. Both 1826-CpG and KSK-CpG preconditioning significantly improved the left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) and LV fractional shortening (LVFS) when compared with non-CpG controls. Histological analysis further confirmed the cardioprotection of CpG-ODN preconditioning. In vitro studies further demonstrated that CpG-ODN preconditioning increases cardiomyocyte survival under hypoxic/ischemic conditions by enhancing stress tolerance through TLR9-mediated inhibition of the SERCA2/ATP and activation of AMPK pathways. Moreover, CpG-ODN preconditioning significantly increased angiogenesis in the infarcted myocardium compared with non-CpG. However, persistent TLR9 activation mediated by lentiviral infection failed to improve cardiac function after MI. Although CpG-ODN preconditioning increased angiogenesis in vitro, both the persistent stimulation of CpG-ODN and stable overexpression of TLR9 suppressed the tube formation of cardiac microvascular endothelial cells. CpG-ODN preconditioning significantly protects cardiac function against MI by suppressing the energy metabolism of cardiomyocytes and promoting angiogenesis. Our data also indicate that CpG-ODN preconditioning may be useful in MI therapy.

The Relationship between Secondary Forest and Environmental Factors in the Southern Taihang Mountains.

It is important to understand the effects of environmental factors on secondary forest assembly for effective afforestation and vegetation restoration. We studied 24 20 m × 20 m quadrats of natural secondary forest in the southern Taihang Mountains. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and two-way indicator hydrocarbon analysis were used to analyse the relationship between community vegetation and environmental factors. The CCA showed that 13 terrain and soil variables shared 68.17% of the total variance. The principal environmental variables, based on the most parsimonious CCA model, were (in order) elevation, soil total N, soil gravel content, slope, soil electrical conductivity, and pH. Samples were clustered into four forest types, with forest diversity affected by elevation, nutrients, and water gradients. Topographical variables affected forest assembly more than soil variables. Species diversity was evaluated using the Shannon-Wiener, Simpson's diversity, and Pielou's evenness indexes. The environmental factors that affected species distribution had different effects on species diversity. The vegetation-environment relationship in the southern region was different than the central region of the Taihang Mountains, and vegetation restoration was at an early stage. The terrain of the southern region, especially elevation and slope, should be considered for vegetation restoration and conservation.

Gene delivery of hypoxia-inducible VEGF targeting collagen effectively improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays important roles in improvement of cardiac function following myocardial infarction (MI). However, the lack of a steerable delivery system of VEGF targeting the infarcted myocardium reduces the therapeutic efficacy and safety. Here, we constructed a series of lentiviral vector systems which could express a fusion protein consisted of a collagen-binding domain (CBD) and hVEGF (CBDhVEGF), under the control of 5HRE-hCMVmp (5HRE), the hypoxia-inducible promoter consists of five copies of the hypoxia-responsive element (HRE) and a human cytomegalovirus minimal promoter (hCMVmp). We demonstrated that 5HRE has the comparable ability to strongly drive CBDhVEGF under hypoxic condition as the ubiquitous CMV promoter, but it can hardly drive target gene under normoxic condition. 5HRE-drived CBDhVEGF specifically bound to type I collagen and significantly promoted the viability of HUVEC cells. Moreover, after injection of lentivirus into heart of mouse with MI, CBDhVEGF was mainly retained in infarcted myocardium where containing rich collagen and significantly improved angiogenesis and cardiac function when compared with hVEGF. Moreover, CBDhVEGF mediated by lentivirus has little leakage from infarcted zone into blood than hVEGF. Taken together, our results indicate that 5HRE-CBDhVEGF lentiviral vector system could improve cardiac function in the collagen-targeting and hypoxia-inducible manners.

[Changes in biological functions of high-density lipoprotein after abnormal modification].

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is composed of apolipoproteins, lipids and functional proteins. HDL protects against atherosclerosis (AS) by reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). HDL inhibits the lipid oxidation, inflammation and restores endothelial function. During systemic inflammation or metabolic disorders, HDL can be modified abnormally and converted to a dysfunctional type, which results in the loss of anti-inflammatory factors including apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), paraoxonase (PON) and platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH), and gains of pro-inflammatory factors such as serum amyloid A (SAA), triglyceride (TG) and oxidative lipid. Therefore, understanding the changes in compositions and biological functions of dysfunctional HDL might help to comprehend its pathogenic mechanism.

Hydrogen-rich saline attenuates spinal cord hemisection-induced testicular injury in rats.

To study how hydrogen-rich saline (HS) promotes the recovery of testicular biological function in a hemi-sectioned spinal cord injury (hSCI) rat model, a right hemisection was performed at the T11-T12 of the spinal cord in Wistar rats. Animals were divided into four groups: normal group; vehicle group: sham-operated rats administered saline; hSCI group: subjected to hSCI and administered saline; HRST group: subjected to hSCI and administered HS. Hind limb neurological function, testis index, testicular morphology, mean seminiferous tubular diameter (MSTD) and seminiferous epithelial thickness (MSET), the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), mitofusin-2 (MFN-2), and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1), cell ultrastructure, and apoptosis of spermatogenic cells were studied. The results indicated that hSCI significantly decreased the hind limb neurological function, testis index, MSTD, and MSET, and induced severe testicular morphological injury. The MFN-2 level was decreased, and HO-1 and HMGB-1 were overexpressed in testicular tissues. In addition, hSCI accelerated the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells and the ultrastructural damage of cells in the hypophysis and testis. After HS administration, all these parameters were considerably improved, and the characteristics of hSCI testes were similar to those of normal control testes. Taken together, HS administration can promote the recovery of testicular biological function by anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic action. More importantly, HS can inhibit the hSCI-induced ultrastructural changes in gonadotrophs, ameliorate the abnormal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testis axis, and thereby promote the recovery of testicular injury. HS administration also inhibited the hSCI-induced ultrastructural changes in testicular spermatogenic cells, Sertoli cells and interstitial cells.

SP600125 reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced apoptosis and restores the early-stage differentiation of osteoblasts inhibited by LPS through the MAPK pathway in MC3T3-E1 cells.

Bone degradation is a serious complication of chronic inflammatory diseases such as septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and infected orthopedic implant failure. Effective therapeutic treatments for bacteria-caused bone destruction are limited. In a previous study, we found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced osteoblast apoptosis and inhibited early and late-stage differentiation of osteoblasts via activation of the C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. This study aimed to investigate the effect of JNK inhibition by SP600125 on the apoptosis and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts suppressed by LPS. Following pretreatment with SP600125 for 2 h, MC3T3-E1 cells were treated LPS. Following this treatment, cell viability, activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and caspase-3 were measured. mRNA and protein expression of osteoblast-specific genes, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis. The results showed that SP600125 significantly restored LPS-inhibited cell metabolism and ALP activity and reduced the upregulated caspase-3 activity of MC3T3-E1 cells induced by LPS. SP600125 also significantly restored the LPS-suppressed mRNA and protein expression levels of early-stage osteoblast-associated genes in a dose-dependent manner. SP600125 significantly downregulated expression of Bax and caspase-3 but upregulated Bcl-2 expression in MC3T3-E1 cells stimulated by LPS. Furthermore, SP600125 selectively triggered the MAPK pathway by reducing the expression of JNK1, while enhancing the expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1). Our results suggested that SP600125 reduced LPS-induced osteoblast apoptosis and restored early-stage differentiation of osteoblasts inhibited by LPS through MAPK signaling. These findings suggest that the therapeutic agent that inhibited JNK1 is of potential use for the restoration of osteoblast function in bacteria-induced bone diseases.

Effects of Fluoride on DNA Damage and Caspase-Mediated Apoptosis in the Liver of Rats.

Fluoride compounds are abundant and widely distributed in the environment at a variety of concentrations. Further, fluoride induces toxic effects in target organs such as the liver. In this study, we investigated liver histopathology, DNA damage, apoptosis, and the mRNA and protein expressions of caspase-3 and -9 in the rat livers by administering varying concentrations of fluoride (0, 50, 100, 200 mg/L ) for 120 days. The results showed fluoride-induced morphological changes and significantly increased apoptosis and DNA damage in rats exposed to fluoride, especially in response to higher doses. The immunohistochemical and qRT-PCR results indicated that caspase-3, caspase-9 protein positive expression and mRNA relative expression enhanced with increasing NaF concentration. In summary, our findings suggest that chronic exposure to fluoride causes damages to liver histopathology and leads to liver apoptosis through caspase-mediated pathways.

Toxic effects of sodium fluoride on cell proliferation and apoptosis of Leydig cells from young mice

The biological effects of fluoride on human health are often extensive, either beneficial or detrimental. Among the various effects of fluoride exposure in different organs, the reproductive tract is particularly susceptible to disruption by fluoride at a sufficient concentration. It has attracted much attention to the effect of sodium fluoride on male fertility, gestational female, and offspring. Herein, we applied a widespread natural compound sodium fluoride (NaF) and investigated the effects of acute NaF exposure on Leydig cells, including their proliferation, apoptosis, and signal pathway changes. Our results demonstrated that high dosage of NaF could inhibit cell proliferation by stress-induced apoptosis, which was confirmed by cellular and molecular evidences. We found that fluoride exposure affected the expression levels of stress response factors, signal transduction components, and apoptosis-related proteins, including caspase-3/caspase-9, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and Bax. This study suggests that the complex effects of fluoride on Leydig cells are closely related to its dosage

Sodium fluoride induces apoptosis in the kidney of rats through caspase-mediated pathways and DNA damage

Long-term excessive sodium fluoride (NaF) intake can cause many bone diseases and nonskeletal fluorosis. The kidneys are the primary organs involved in the excretion and retention of NaF. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of NaF treatment on renal cell apoptosis, DNA damage, and the protein expression levels of cytosolic cytochrome C (Cyt C) and cleaved caspases 9, 8, and 3 in vivo. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into four groups (control, low fluoride, medium fluoride, and high fluoride) and administered 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg/L of NaF, respectively, via drinking water for 120 days. Histopathological changes in the kidneys were visualized using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Renal cell apoptosis was examined using flow cytometry, and renal cell DNA damage was detected using the comet assay. Cytosolic Cyt C and cleaved caspases 9, 8, and 3 protein expression levels were visualized using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The results showed that NaF treatment increased apoptosis and DNA damage. In addition, NaF treatment increased the protein expression levels of cytosolic Cyt C and cleaved caspases 9, 8, and 3. These results indicated that NaF induces apoptosis in the kidney of rats through caspase-mediated pathway, and DNA damage may be involved in this process

Sodium fluoride induces apoptosis in the kidney of rats through caspase-mediated pathways and DNA damage.

Long-term excessive sodium fluoride (NaF) intake can cause many bone diseases and nonskeletal fluorosis. The kidneys are the primary organs involved in the excretion and retention of NaF. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of NaF treatment on renal cell apoptosis, DNA damage, and the protein expression levels of cytosolic cytochrome C (Cyt C) and cleaved caspases 9, 8, and 3 in vivo. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into four groups (control, low fluoride, medium fluoride, and high fluoride) and administered 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg/L of NaF, respectively, via drinking water for 120 days. Histopathological changes in the kidneys were visualized using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Renal cell apoptosis was examined using flow cytometry, and renal cell DNA damage was detected using the comet assay. Cytosolic Cyt C and cleaved caspases 9, 8, and 3 protein expression levels were visualized using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The results showed that NaF treatment increased apoptosis and DNA damage. In addition, NaF treatment increased the protein expression levels of cytosolic Cyt C and cleaved caspases 9, 8, and 3. These results indicated that NaF induces apoptosis in the kidney of rats through caspase-mediated pathway, and DNA damage may be involved in this process.

[Ox-LDL down-regulates expression of pigment epithelium-derived factor in human umbilical vein endothelial cells].

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a multifunctional protein with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antithrombotic properties and plays a protective role against atherosclerosis (AS). The purpose of the present study is to explore the effects of oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) on the expression of PEDF in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were cultured and incubated with ox-LDL at different concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 150 mg/L) for 24 h. Apoptosis of endothelial cells were assayed by morphological staining and flow cytometry. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured by flow cytometry. Cell viability was assayed by MTT assay. PEDF protein and mRNA expressions in HUVECs were analyzed by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. The results showed that ox-LDL significantly induced apoptosis, reduced cell viability, increased intracellular ROS levels and decreased the PEDF expression in HUVECs in a concentration-dependent manner. Ox-LDL at 50 mg/L obviously decreased the PEDF protein expression compared with control group (P < 0.05), whereas 25 mg/L ox-LDL already markedly reduced the PEDF mRNA expression (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results suggest that ox-LDL down-regulates the PEDF expression through an increased ox-LDL-induced intracellular production of ROS.

Toxic effects of sodium fluoride on cell proliferation and apoptosis of Leydig cells from young mice.

The biological effects of fluoride on human health are often extensive, either beneficial or detrimental. Among the various effects of fluoride exposure in different organs, the reproductive tract is particularly susceptible to disruption by fluoride at a sufficient concentration. It has attracted much attention to the effect of sodium fluoride on male fertility, gestational female, and offspring. Herein, we applied a widespread natural compound sodium fluoride (NaF) and investigated the effects of acute NaF exposure on Leydig cells, including their proliferation, apoptosis, and signal pathway changes. Our results demonstrated that high dosage of NaF could inhibit cell proliferation by stress-induced apoptosis, which was confirmed by cellular and molecular evidences. We found that fluoride exposure affected the expression levels of stress response factors, signal transduction components, and apoptosis-related proteins, including caspase-3/caspase-9, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and Bax. This study suggests that the complex effects of fluoride on Leydig cells are closely related to its dosage.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces the apoptosis and inhibits osteoblast differentiation through JNK pathway in MC3T3-E1 cells.

Bone degradation is a serious complication of chronic inflammatory diseases such as septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and infected orthopedic implant failure. Up to date, effective therapeutic treatments for bacteria-caused bone destruction are limited. In our previous study, we found that LPS promoted osteoclast differentiation and activity through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway such as c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK1/2). The current study was to evaluate the mechanism of LPS on the apoptosis and osteoblast differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells. MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts were non-treated, treated with LPS. After treatment, the cell viability, the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and caspase-3 were measured. The expressions of osteoblast-specific genes and Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Protein levels of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, and phosphorylation of MAPKs were measured using Western blotting assays. The MAPK signaling pathway was blocked by pretreatment with JNK inhibitor SP600125. LPS treatment induced a significant decrease in cell metabolism, viability, and ALP activity in MC3T3-E1 cells. LPS also significantly decreased mRNA expressions of osteoblast-related genes in MC3T3-E1 cells. On the other hand, LPS significantly upregulated mRNA expressions and protein levels of Bax and caspase-3 as well as activation of caspase-3, whereas decreased Bcl-2 expression in MC3T3-E1 cells. Furthermore, LPS significantly promoted MAPK pathway including the phosphorylation of JNK and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2; moreover, pretreatment with JNK inhibitor not only attenuated both of phosphorylation-JNK and ERK1/2 enhanced by LPS in MC3T3-E1 cells, but also reversed the downregulated expressions of osteoblast-specific genes including ALP and BSP induced by LPS. In conclusion, LPS could induce osteoblast apoptosis and inhibit osteoblast differentiation via activation of JNK pathway.