Antimony-Doped Wide Bandgap Molybdenum Trioxide with Enhanced Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Nitrogen Photofixation.

Plasmonic metal oxides are promising photocatalysts for the artificial photosynthesis of green ammonia due to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) enhanced photoconversion and rich surface oxygen vacancies improved chemisorption and activation of dinitrogen molecules. However, these oxygen vacancies are unstable during the photocatalytic process and could be oxidized by photogenerated holes, leading to the vanishing of the LSPR. Here, we fabricated antimony-doped molybdenum trioxide nanosheets with stable plasmonic absorption extending into the near-infrared (NIR) range, even after harsh treatment in oxidative atmospheric conditions at high temperatures. For undoped plasmonic MoO3-x nanosheets, the LSPR originates from the abundant oxygen vacancies that vanish after heat treatment at high temperatures in air, leading to the disappearance of the LSPR absorption. Sb doping does not significantly increase the concentration of oxygen vacancies while donating more free electrons because Sb can keep a lower oxidation state. Heat treatment diminished the oxygen vacancies while not affecting the low oxidation state of Sb. As a result, heat-treated Sb-doped MoO3-x nanosheets still show strong LSPR absorption in the NIR range. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrated that add-on states close to the Fermi level are formed due to the Sb doping and high concentration of oxygen vacancies. The prepared samples were used for photocatalytic nitrogen reduction and showed an LSPR-dependent photocatalytic performance. The present work has provided an effective strategy to stabilize the LSPR of plasmonic semiconductor photocatalysts.

The emerging role of ferroptosis in female reproductive disorders.

Iron, as an essential trace element for the organism, is vital for maintaining the organism's health. Excessive iron can promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, thus damaging cells and tissues. Ferroptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death distinguished by iron overload and lipid peroxidation, which is unique from autophagy, apoptosis and necrosis, more and more studies are focusing on ferroptosis. Recent evidence suggests that ferroptosis is associated with the development of female reproductive disorders (FRDs), including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), endometriosis (EMs), ovarian cancer (OC), preeclampsia (PE) and spontaneous abortion (SA). Pathways and genes associated with ferroptosis may participate in processes that regulate granulosa cell proliferation and secretion, oocyte development, ovarian reserve function, early embryonic development and placental oxidative stress. However, its exact mechanism has not been fully revealed. Therefore, our review systematically elaborates the occurrence mechanism of ferroptosis and its research progress in the development of FRDs, with a view to providing literature references for clinical targeting of ferroptosis -related pathways and regulatory factors for the management of FRDs.

Linkages Make a Difference in the Photoluminescence of Covalent Organic Frameworks.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with structural designability and tunability of photophysical properties enable them to be a promising class of organic luminescent materials by incorporating well-designed fluorescent units directly into the periodic skeletons. The photophysical properties of COFs are mainly affected by the structural features, which determine the conjugation degree, charge delocalization ability, and exciton dynamics of COFs. To understand the relationship between COF structures and their photophysical properties, two COFs with the same pyrene chromophore units but different linkages (imine or vinylene) were designed and synthesized. Interestingly, different linkages endow COFs with huge differences in solid-state photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) for imine- and vinylene-linked pyrene-based COFs, which possess PLQY values of 0.34 % and 15.43 %, respectively. The femtosecond-transient absorption spectra and time-dependent density functional theory reveal the different charge-transfer pathways in imine- and vinylene-linked COFs, which influence the exciton relaxation way and fluorescence intensity. In addition, an effective white-light device was obtained by coating the vinylene-linked COF on a light-emitting diode strip.

Giant Out-of-Plane Exciton Emission Enhancement in Two-Dimensional Indium Selenide via a Plasmonic Nanocavity.

Out-of-plane (OP) exciton-based emitters in two-dimensional semiconductor materials are attractive candidates for novel photonic applications, such as radially polarized sources, integrated photonic chips, and quantum communications. However, their low quantum efficiency resulting from forbidden transitions limits their practicality. In this work, we achieve a giant enhancement of up to 34000 for OP exciton emission in indium selenide (InSe) via a designed Ag nanocube-over-Au film plasmonic nanocavity. The large photoluminescence enhancement factor (PLEF) is attributed to the induced OP local electric field (Ez) within the nanocavity, which facilitates effective OP exciton-plasmon interaction and subsequent tremendous enhancement. Moreover, the nanoantenna effect resulting from the effective interaction improves the directivity of spontaneous radiation. Our results not only reveal an effective photoluminescence enhancement approach for OP excitons but also present an avenue for designing on-chip photonic devices with an OP dipole orientation.

Renal enhanced CT images reveal the tandem mechanism between tumor cells and immunocytes based on bulk/single-cell RNA sequencing.

Metabolic reprogramming is essential for establishing the tumor microenvironment (TME). Glutamine has been implicated in cancer metabolism, but its role in clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unknown. Transcriptome data of patients with ccRCC and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, 539 ccRCC samples and 59 normal samples) database and GSE152938 (5 ccRCC samples). Differentially expressed genes related to glutamine metabolism (GRGs) were obtained from the MSigDB database. Consensus cluster analysis distinguished metabolism-related ccRCC subtypes. LASSO-Cox regression analysis was used to construct a metabolism-related prognostic model. The ssGSEA and ESTIMATE algorithms evaluated the level of immune cell infiltration in the TME, and the immunotherapy sensitivity score was obtained from TIDE. Cell-cell communication analysis was used to observe the distribution and effects of the target genes in the cell subsets. An image genomics model was constructed using imaging feature extraction and a machine learning algorithm. Results: Fourteen GRGs were identified. Overall survival and progression-free survival rates were lower in metabolic cluster 2, compared with those in cluster 1. The matrix/ESTIMATE/immune score in C1 decreased, but tumor purity in C2 increased. Immune cells were more active in the high-risk group, in which CD8 + T cells, follicular helper T cells, Th1 cells, and Th2 cells were significantly higher than those in the low-risk group. The expression levels of immune checkpoints were also significantly different between the two groups. RIMKL mainly appeared in epithelial cells in the single-cell analysis. ARHGAP11B was sparsely distributed. The imaging genomics model proved effective in aiding with clinical decisions. Glutamine metabolism plays a crucial role in the formation of immune TMEs in ccRCC. It is effective in differentiating the risk and predicting survival in patients with ccRCC. Imaging features can be used as new biomarkers for predicting ccRCC immunotherapy.

Intestinal flora: A new target for traditional Chinese medicine to improve lipid metabolism disorders.

Lipid metabolism disorders (LMD) can cause a series of metabolic diseases, including hyperlipidemia, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atherosclerosis (AS). Its development is caused by more pathogenic factors, among which intestinal flora dysbiosis is considered to be an important pathogenic mechanism of LMD. In recent years, the research on intestinal flora has made great progress, opening up new perspectives on the occurrence and therapeutic effects of diseases. With its complex composition and wide range of targets, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used to prevent and treat LMD. This review takes intestinal flora as a target, elaborates on the scientific connotation of TCM in the treatment of LMD, updates the therapeutic thinking of LMD, and provides a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

The impact of herbal medicine in regulating intestinal flora on female reproductive disorders.

As an important part of the human intestinal microecology, the intestinal flora is involved in a number of physiological functions of the host. Several studies have shown that imbalance of intestinal flora and its regulation of the intestinal barrier, intestinal immune response, and intestinal flora metabolites (short-chain fatty acids and bile acids) can affect the development and regression of female reproductive disorders. Herbal medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of female reproductive disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and premature ovarian insufficiency, although its mechanism of action is still unclear. Therefore, based on the role of intestinal flora in the occurrence and development of female reproduction-related diseases, the progress of research on the diversity, structure and composition of intestinal flora and its metabolites regulated by botanical drugs, Chinese herbal formulas and active ingredients of Chinese herbal medicines is reviewed, with a view to providing reference for the research on the mechanism of action of Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of female reproductive disorders and further development of new herbal medicines.

PRRX1/FOXM1 reduces gemcitabin-induced cytotoxicity by regulating autophagy in bladder cancer.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is a common urological malignancy with high mortality worldwide. Many proteins can influence tumorigenesis by participating in cellular processes. Recently, abundant evidence has illustrated that paired related homeobox 1 (PRRX1) is closely related to the progression and development of human cancers. However, the function of PRRX1 in BC remains poorly understood. The aim of our study is to explore the role of PRRX1 in BC progression. Methods: The expression of genes (PRRX1, FOXM1, LC3B, and Beclin-1) was examined through real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot. The expression of proteins (PRRX1, FOXM1, LC3B, and Beclin-1) was measured through immunohistochemistry. Cell viability and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration were detected using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed through flow cytometry. Autophagy was tested by GFP-LC3 immunofluorescence assay. Tumors were grown in nude mice in vivo, and the tumor size, volume, and weight were evaluated. Results: In our study, PRRX1 was highly expressed in BC tissues and cells, and high PRRX1 expression resulted in poor overall survival in patients with BC. PRRX1 accelerated the viability and hindered the apoptosis of BC cells. It also weakened gemcitabine-induced cytotoxicity and strengthened gemcitabine-induced autophagy. PRRX1 was found to cooperate with forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) to influence downstream genes, and FOXM1 was found to regulate Beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) genes to influence autophagy. PRRX1 up-regulated the expression of LC3 and Beclin-1 by cooperating with FOXM1. In rescue assays, FOXM1 reversed the effects of PRRX1 on gemcitabine-induced cytotoxicity and autophagy. Knockdown of PRRX1 enhanced the inhibitive effects of gemcitabine on tumor growth in vivo. Conclusions: PRRX1 reduces gemcitabine-induced cytotoxicity in BC cells by regulating the expression of the autophagy proteins LC3 and Beclin-1. This discovery suggests that PRRX1 may be a useful therapeutic biomarker for BC.

Giant Enhancement and Directional Second Harmonic Emission from Monolayer WS2 on Silicon Substrate via Fabry-Pérot Micro-Cavity.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) possess large second-order optical nonlinearity, making them ideal candidates for miniaturized on-chip frequency conversion devices, all-optical interconnection, and optoelectronic integration components. However, limited by subnanometer thickness, the monolayer TMD exhibits low second harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency (<0.1%) and poor directionality, which hinders their practical applications. Herein, we proposed a Fabry-Pérot (F-P) cavity formed by coupling an atomically thin WS2 film with a silicon hole matrix to enhance the SH emission. A maximum enhancement (∼1580 times) is achieved by tuning the excitation wavelength to be resonant with the microcavity modes. The giant enhancement is attributed to the strong electric field enhancement in the F-P cavity and the oscillator strength enhancement of excitons from suspended WS2. Moreover, directional SH emission (divergence angle ∼5°) is obtained benefiting from the resonance of the F-P microcavity. Our research results can provide a practical sketch to develop both high-efficiency and directional nonlinear optical devices for silicon-based on-chip integration optics.

Ultrafast Internal Exciton Dissociation through Edge States in MoS2 Nanosheets with Diffusion Blocking.

Edge states of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are crucial to quantum circuits and optoelectronics. However, their dynamics are pivotal but remain unclear due to the edge states being obscured by their bulk counterparts. Herein, we study the state-resolved transient absorption spectra of ball-milling-produced MoS2 nanosheets with 10 nm lateral size with highly exposed free edges. Electron energy loss spectroscopy and first-principles calculations confirm that the edge states are located in the range from 1.23 to 1.78 eV. Upon above bandgap excitations, excitons populate and diffuse toward the boundary, where the potential gradient blocks excitons and the edge states are formed through interband transitions within 400 fs. With below bandgap excitations, edge states are slowed down to 1.1 ps due to the weakened valence orbital coupling. These results shed light on the fundamental exciton dissociation processes on the boundary of functionalized TMDCs, enabling the ground work for applications in optoelectronics and light-harvesting.

Protective Effect of XinJiaCongRongTuSiZiWan on the Reproductive Toxicity of Female Rats Induced by Triptolide.

Background: Although triptolide (TP) has been widely used for the treatment of inflammatory, autoimmune diseases, and various kinds of tumors, the long experimental and clinical applications have exhibited severe reproductive system toxicity in TP-treated animals and patients. More importantly, the underlying molecular mechanism involved in TP-induced reproductive system toxicity still needs more research. Methods: Adult female Sprague Dawley rats and human ovarian granulosa cell lines were treated with TP and then treated with XinJiaCongRongTuSiZiWan (XJCRTSZW). Histological analysis and follicle count were executed using H&E staining. Hormone (E2, AMH, FSH, LH, and INH B) concentrations, inflammation indicators (IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α), oxidative stress indicators (SOD, GSH-Px, and MDA), apoptosis rate, protein distribution and expression (SIRT1, AMPK, and 8-OhdG), cell viability, relative protein levels (beclin-1, LC3-II/LC3-I, p62, procaspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, p-SIRT1, SIRT1, p-AMPKα-1, AMPKα-1, Akt, and p-Akt), autophagosome were detected by ELISA, commercial biochemical detection kits, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, CCK-8, western blotting, and transmission electron microscope, respectively. Results: XJCRTSZW administration notably improved the TP-treated pathological symptoms, including few mature follicles in the ovary and less granular cell layer, and disordered the arrangement of the follicle, lymphocytes and plasma cells infiltration, and necrosis, shedding, and follicular cystic dilatation of the granular layer follicle cells in the ovarian stroma. Furthermore, XJCRTSZW treatment observably enhanced the TP-induced reduction of primary follicles and secondary follicles numbers and decreased the TP-induced elevation of atretic follicle numbers and the expression of AMPK, SIRT1, and 8-OhdG in GCs in vivo. Moreover, XJCRTSZW application significantly increased the TP-induced diminishment of E2, AMH, and LNH-B concentrations, apoptosis rate, SOD and GSH-Px concentrations, and p62 protein level; however, it declined the TP-induced augmentation of MDA level, the levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, autophagosome, beclin-1, LC3-II/LC3-I, cleaved-caspase-3, p-AMPKα-1, and p-SIRT1 protein levels both in vivo and in vitro. Besides, XJCRTSZW treatment prominently enhanced the TP-induced decrease of cell viability in vitro. Conclusion: XJCRTSZW can alleviate TP-induced reproductive toxicity via apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, XJCRTSZW ameliorates TP-induced reproductive toxicity through AMPK/SIRT and Akt signaling axis mediated autophagy both in vivo and in vitro.

Isoalantolactone Increases the Sensitivity of Prostate Cancer Cells to Cisplatin Treatment by Inducing Oxidative Stress.

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among men worldwide. Platinum (II)-based chemotherapy has been used to treat a number of malignancies including prostate cancer. However, the potential of cisplatin for treating prostate cancer is restricted owing to its limited efficacy and toxic side effects. Combination therapies have been proposed to increase the efficacy and reduce the toxic side effects. In the present study, we investigated how isoalantolactone (IATL), a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from the medicinal plant Inula helenium L., acts synergistically with cisplatin on human prostate cancer cells. We show that IATL significantly increased cisplatin-induced growth suppression and apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells. Mechanistically, the combined treatment resulted in an excessive accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which leads to the activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the JNK signaling pathway in human prostate cancer cells. Pretreatment of cells with the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) significantly abrogated the combined treatment-induced ROS accumulation and cell apoptosis. In addition, the activation of ER stress and the JNK signaling pathway prompted by IATL and cisplatin was also reversed by NAC pretreatment. In vivo, we found that IATL combined with cisplatin showed the strongest antitumor effects compared with single agents. These results support the notion that IATL and cisplatin combinational treatment may be more effective for treating prostate cancer than cisplatin alone.

Catalpol protects rat ovarian granulosa cells against oxidative stress and apoptosis through modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Disrupted follicular development may result in increased follicular atresia, which is a crucial mechanism of various ovarian pathologies. It has been demonstrated that oxidative stress is associated with disrupted follicular development. Catalpol is a natural compound that has been found to possess antioxidative stress. However, the effects of catalpol on oxidative stress-induced disrupted follicular development remain unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the protective effect of catalpol on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative damage in granulosa cells (GCs), which play crucial roles in the follicular development. Our results showed that catalpol significantly improved cell viability, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in H2O2-induced GCs. Catalpol treatment caused significant increase in bcl-2 expression, and decreases in bax and caspase-9 expressions. Compared with the H2O2-induced GCs, caspase-3 activity in catalpol-treated cells was markedly decreased. Furthermore, catalpol caused significant activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in GCs in response to H2O2 stimulation. Additionally, inhibition of this pathway reversed the inhibitory effects of catalpol on H2O2-induced oxidative injury and apoptosis in GCs. In conclusion, these findings suggested that catalpol protected GCs from H2O2-induced oxidative injury and apoptosis via activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Thus, catalpol might serve as a therapeutic approach for regulating disrupted follicular development.

Treatment of landfill leachate using magnetically attracted zero-valent iron powder electrode in an electric field.

This study combined electro-oxidation (EO) and electrocoagulation (EC) process (EO/EC) to treat landfill leachate by using RuO2-IrO2/Ti plate and microscale zero-valent iron powder composite anode. EO was achieved by direct oxidation and indirect oxidation on RuO2-IrO2/Ti plate, whereas EC was achieved using iron powder to lose electrons and produce coagulants in situ. The influences of variables including type of anode material, applied voltage, zero-valent iron dosage, interelectrode gap, and reaction temperature on EO/EC were evaluated. Results showed that at an applied voltage of 10 V, zero-valent iron dosage of 0.2 g, interelectrode gap of 1 cm, and non-temperature-controlled mode, the removal efficiencies were 72.5 % for total organic carbon (TOC), 98.5 % for ammonia, and 98.6 % for total phosphorus (TP). Some heavy metals and hardness were also removed. Further analysis indicated that the removal of TOC, ammonia, and TP followed pseudo-first order, pseudo-zero order, and pseudo-second order kinetic models, respectively. Other characteristics were examined by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Overall, our results showed that EO/EC can be used to efficiently remove organic matter, ammonia, TP, and heavy metals from landfill leachate.

Acupuncture and clomiphene citrate for anovulatory infertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of acupuncture or acupuncture combined with clomiphene citrate (CC) versus CC alone on the outcomes of anovulatory infertility. METHODS: A literature search in eight databases yielded nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the comparative effectiveness of acupuncture and CC in anovulatory infertility. Subsequently, data were extracted and the studies were assessed for the quality of their methodological designs and risk of bias. Meta-analyses of the RCT data were conducted. RESULTS: Nine trials including 1441 women were included in the meta-analysis. There were no significant differences in the rates of pregnancy (odds ratio (OR) 1.18, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.69), ovulation (OR 2.57, 95% CI 0.59 to 11.29) or pregnancy loss (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.63) when acupuncture was used as an adjuvant therapy alongside CC. Although acupuncture alone did not increase the ovulation rate (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.11 to 1.49), our review demonstrated superior effects in patients who received acupuncture as a separate treatment modality with respect to both the pregnancy rate (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.76 to 3.10) and the maximum follicular diameter (mean difference 0.50 mm, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.56 mm) when compared with CC alone. Statistical analysis also showed a reduction in the rate of pregnancy loss when acupuncture was used as a separate treatment compared with CC alone (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.45). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the above pooled results of the studies, the use of acupuncture as a monotherapy significantly improved the rate of pregnancy among the study participants compared with the use of CC alone. However, any results drawn from these studies should be interpreted with caution when considering the context of clinical practice.

Simultaneous removal of ammonia and phosphate by electro-oxidation and electrocoagulation using RuO2-IrO2/Ti and microscale zero-valent iron composite electrode.

Electro-oxidation using RuO2-IrO2/Ti plate anode and electrocoagulation using iron plate anode were widely applied to remove ammonia and phosphate in an aquatic environment, respectively. In this work, we designed magnetically bound ZVI microparticles on RuO2-IrO2/Ti plate as a composite electrode for the simultaneous removal of ammonia and phosphate from aqueous solution via combined EO and EC (EO/EC) processes. We present a series of experiments to study such simultaneous removal under an electric field via the EO/EC process. In the electrochemical unit, mZVI-RuO2-IrO2/Ti, mZVI-graphite, and RuO2-IrO2/Ti electrodes were used as anodes. The influence of applied voltage, initial pH, zero-valent iron dosage, reaction temperature, and organic compounds on the EO/EC process was also examined. Ammonia and phosphate could be completely removed at an applied voltage of 10 V, pH of 7, zero-valent iron dosage of 0.1 g, and reaction temperature of 35 °C using mZVI-RuO2-IrO2/Ti anode when influent ammonia and phosphate concentrations is 200 and 100 mg L-1. Ammonia degradation was consistent with pseudo-zero-order kinetic model. The characterization was analyzed by scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Hence, the mZVI-RuO2-IrO2/Ti electrode can be used for efficient simultaneous removal of ammonia and phosphate.

[Triptolide induces autophagy of ovarian granulosa cells via PI3K/AKT/m TOR pathway].

The aim of this paper was to observe the concentration,time and mechanism of autophagy induced by triptolide( TP) in ovarian granulosa cells( OGCs). CCK-8 method was used to compare the inhibitory effects of TP at different concentrations on primary cultured rat OGCs and IC50 was calculated. The effects of TP at different concentrations and time points on the expression of OGCs autophagy factor protein and the cascade of PI3 K/AKT/m TOR pathway were detected by Western blot. The effects of TP,autophagy inducer( brefeldin A) and PI3 K/m TOR inhibitor( NVP-BEZ235) on the expression of PI3 K/AKT/m TOR cascade and autophagy related factor protein were detected by Western blot. The results show that the IC50 of different concentrations of TP on OGCs of rat ovary was14. 65 µmol·L-1,and the minimum inhibitory concentration of TP was 0. 1 µmol·L-1( 100 nmol·L-1). Compared with the control group,the expression levels of beclin1 and LC3Ⅱ in each group were significantly higher than those in the control group( P<0. 05 or P<0. 01). After 12 hours of treatment with TP,brefeldin A and NVP-BEZ235,respectively,compared with the control group,TP could significantly promote the expression level of downstream autophagy effect or molecule beclin1,LC3Ⅱ and inhibit the expression level of LC3Ⅰ,p62 protein( P<0. 05 or P< 0. 01). Moreover,the expression of beclin1 and LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ in TP group was higher than that in brefeldin A group( P<0. 05 or P<0. 01),and the expression of p62 in TP group was lower than that in brefeldin A group( P<0. 05 or P<0. 01). At the same time,TP could significantly inhibit the expression of p-PI3 K,p-AKT,p-mTOR protein,and the inhibitory effect of TP was better than that of NVP-BEZ235 group. This study suggests that 100 nmol·L-1 TP could induce OGCs autophagy successfully in cultured rat ovary for 12 h; TP may induce OGCs autophagy by inhibiting PI3 k/Akt/m TOR signaling pathway.

Expression of Tripartite Motif-Containing Proteactiin 11 (TRIM11) is Associated with the Progression of Human Prostate Cancer and is Downregulated by MicroRNA-5193.

BACKGROUND Tripartite motif-containing protein 11 (TRIM11), encoded by the TRIM11 gene, has been studied in some human malignant tumors. MicroRNA-5193 (miRNA-5193) was predicted to target TRIM11, according to bioinformatics data from TargetScan. However, the roles of TRIM11 and miRNA-5193 in prostate cancer remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory effects of miRNA-5193 on the expression of TRIM11 in prostate cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal prostate, and in human prostate cancer cell lines, PC3 and DU145 in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS Prostate tumor tissue and adjacent normal tissue from 137 patients with stage T1c (n=66), stage T2 (n=48), and stage T3 (n=23) prostate cancer were studied. Expression levels of the TRIM 11 protein and the TRIM11 gene in prostate cancer, normal prostate tissue, and human prostate cancer cell lines, PC3 and DU145, were measured by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), respectively. Transfection with TRIM11 small interfering RNA (siRNA) resulted in gene knockdown. Transfection with a miR-5193 mimic resulted in overexpression of miR-5193. Proliferation and invasion assays were performed for PC3 and DU145 cells in vitro. RESULTS TRIM11 expression was upregulated in prostate cancer specimens compared with normal prostate tissue and was significantly correlated with reduced outcome. In human prostate cancer cell lines, PC3 and DU145, TRIM11 overexpression promoted cell proliferation. Upregulation of miR-5193 downregulated the expression of TRIM11. CONCLUSIONS TRIM11 was upregulated in prostate cancer tissue and was associated with reduced prognosis. TRIM11 expression increased cell proliferation in vitro and was downregulated by miR-5193.

[Explore microcosmic connection between autophagy mechanism and follicular development based on "kidney governing reproduction" theory].

In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) that "kidney storing essence and governing reproduction", reproductive essence is an important part of the kidney essence and acts as the original material of offspring embryos. Sperm, oocyte and zygote should be all included in the range of reproductive essence. Ovum is the essence of reproduction from inborn. The follicles maturation depends on the quality of oocyte and the vigor of kidney essence. Meanwhile, discharge of mature ovum relies on the stimulation and promotion by kidney Qi. Autophagy almost exists in different cells stages and all various of mammalian cells. Many studies have found that autophagy not only participates in the formation of follicles, but also in every phase of the follicles development, and is involved in the occurrence and development of ovarian diseases. Recently, more and more scholars believe that autophagy is a new field to explore the microcosmic relationship between autophagy and TCM. Kidney-nourishing TCM could promote follicular growth and improve variety clinical symptoms by inhibiting the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells and reducing follicular atresia. Meanwhile, apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells is closely related to autophagy of ovarian granulosa cells. In order to provide some theoretical foundation for kidney-nourishing therapy's promoting effect on follicular growth and improving effect on ovarian function, also to further explore the molecular mechanism of kidney-nourishing medicine in promoting follicular development, this paper would explain the microcosmic relationship between autophagy and follicular development based on the theory of "kidney governing reproduction". All of these would be of great significance to prevent and intervene the diseases of reproductive system timely and effectively.