Comparative Serum Proteome Profiling of Canine Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia before and after Castration.

BPH is the most prevalent prostatic condition in aging dogs. Nevertheless, clinical diagnosis and management remain inconsistent. This study employed in-solution digestion coupled with nano-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to assess serum proteome profiling of dogs with BPH and those dogs after castration. Male dogs were divided into two groups; control and BPH groups. In the BPH group, each dog was evaluated at two time points: Day 0 (BF subgroup) and Day 30 after castration (AT subgroup). In the BF subgroup, three proteins were significantly upregulated and associated with dihydrotestosterone: solute carrier family 5 member 5, tyrosine-protein kinase, and FRAT regulator of WNT signaling pathway 1. Additionally, the overexpression of polymeric immunoglobulin receptors in the BF subgroup hints at its potential as a novel protein linked to the BPH development process. Conversely, alpha-1-B glycoprotein (A1BG) displayed significant downregulation in the BF subgroup, suggesting A1BG's potential as a predictive protein for canine BPH. Finasteride was associated with increased proteins in the AT subgroup, including apolipoprotein C-I, apolipoprotein E, apolipoprotein A-II, TAO kinase 1, DnaJ homolog subfamily C member 16, PH domain and leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 1, neuregulin 1, and pseudopodium enriched atypical kinase 1. In conclusion, this pilot study highlighted alterations in various serum proteins in canine BPH, reflecting different pathological changes occurring in this condition. These proteins could be a source of potential non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosing this disease.

Sperm quality and the morphology of cryopreserved testicular tissues recovered post-mortem from diverse wild species.

This study compared the effects of slow and fast freezing of testicular tissue of wild animals collected at post-mortem on testicular structure and testicular sperm. The testes of seven animals that had died in captivity; three felids (jungle cat, lion and leopard), two cervids (rusa deer and fea's muntjac) and two bovids (Sumatran serows) were cryopreserved using slow- and fast-freezing protocols. There were greater reductions in the integrity of the sperm membrane and DNA in tissues cryopreserved using slow freezing compared to fast freezing (membrane integrity reduced by 21.5 ± 12.4% vs. 13.0 ± 6.9%, P = 0.11 and DNA integrity reduced by 22.7 ± 16.3% vs. 6.6 ± 6.3%, P = 0.13). Histologically, there were similar degrees of detachment and shrinkage of the seminiferous tubules whereas, TUNEL assay revealed a tendency towards more apoptotic changes in the intra-tubular cells of tissues frozen using fast freezing compared to slow freezing (P = 0.09). In conclusion, fast freezing tended to cause less damage to testicular sperm but its protective effect on intra-tubular cells was likely compromised. This is the first report of gamete recovery in the wild and of the comparison in various wildlife species, between testicular tissues cryopreserved using different protocols.

Effects of thyroxin (T4) and activin A on in vitro growth of preantral follicles in domestic cats.

Preantral follicle culture is a promising technique for rescuing gametes from endangered animals that die abruptly. The objective was to determine effects of thyroxin (T(4)) and activin A on in vitro growth and morphology of preantral feline ovarian follicles. Preantral follicles (86.3 ± 18.7 µm) were isolated from fresh ovaries of domestic cats. Healthy follicles were cultured individually for 14 days in 20-µL microdrops of M199 supplemented with 0.23 mmol/L sodium pyruvate, 2 mmol/L L-glutamine, 12.5 mmol/L HEPES, 0.3% (wt/vol) BSA, 1% (vol/vol) insulin-transferrin-selenite solution, 100 IU/mL penicillin, 0.1 mg/mL streptomycin, 1.0 mIU/mL growth hormone, 2.13 µg/mL FSH, and 10 ng/mL insulin-like growth factor I. The effect of various concentrations of T(4) (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 µg/mL) or activin A (10, 100, or 200 ng/mL) on follicle growth and follicular integrity were assessed. Follicle diameter was measured on Days 0, 3, 7, and 14 of culture. Follicle morphology was characterized based on granulosa cell proliferation, dissociation of somatic cells, and detachment of oocytes from follicles. On Day 14, follicles were assessed for viability using ethidium homodimer-1 staining. In the control sample, diameters of follicles increased from initial sizes on Day 3, and peaked on Day 7. This pattern was also observed in both T(4)- and activin A-treated follicles. On Day 7, diameters and diameter gains of follicles treated with 10 ng/mL (mean ± SEM; 170.8 ± 7.6 and 35.9 ± 5.1 µm, respectively) and 200 ng/mL activin A (165.2 ± 10.4 and 32.8 ± 5.5 µm, respectively) were larger than those of the control follicles (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 10 ng/mL activin A increased percentage of viable follicles on Day 14 (46.9% viable; P < 0.05). Follicles treated with activin A had rapid granulosa cell proliferation until Day 7. In conclusion, activin A promoted growth of preantral feline follicles and supported follicle viability during a 14-day culture, whereas T(4) supplementation had no beneficial effects.