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Li X, Zhang B, Yang H, Zhang L, Lou H, Zheng S. The emergence of natural products as potential therapeutics for male infertility. Andrology 2024. [PMID: 38191265 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Infertility is a major reproductive health problem. Approximately 50% of all documented cases of infertility are attributable to male factors, such as poor testicular function and semen quality. The recent significant global decline in sperm counts has serious implications for male fertility, but the armamentarium for improving testicular function and semen quality is limited. Natural products have a wide range of activities and are a major source of drugs for disease prevention and treatment. To provide ideas and a theoretical basis for the research and development of therapeutic drugs for male infertility, this review summarizes natural products (mostly monomers) that have been shown to improve testicular function and semen quality and their possible mechanisms of action. These natural products primarily improve testicular function and semen quality via antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects, in addition to increasing serum testosterone and reducing DNA damage in spermatozoa and testicular cells. Prospects for the application of natural products in the treatment of male infertility are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyun Li
- Maternal and Child Health Development Research Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Maternal and Child Health Development Research Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
| | - Huijun Yang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
| | - Liuping Zhang
- Pharmaceutical Department, Shanxian Central Hospital, Heze, China
| | - Hongxiang Lou
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shicun Zheng
- Maternal and Child Health Development Research Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
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Dou H, Yu PY, Liu YQ, Zhu Y, Li FC, Wang YY, Chen XY, Xiao M. Recent advances in caspase-3, breast cancer, and traditional Chinese medicine: a review. J Chemother 2023:1-19. [PMID: 37936479 DOI: 10.1080/1120009x.2023.2278014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Caspases (cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinases) are a group of structurally similar proteases in the cytoplasm that can be involved in cell differentiation, programmed death, proliferation, and inflammatory generation. Experts have found that caspase-3 can serve as a terminal splicing enzyme in apoptosis and participate in the mechanism by which cytotoxic drugs kill cancer cells. Breast cancer (BC) has become the most common cancer among women worldwide, posing a severe threat to their lives. Finding new therapeutic targets for BC is the primary task of contemporary physicians. Numerous studies have revealed the close association between caspase-3 expression and BC. Caspase-3 is essential in BC's occurrence, invasion, and metastasis. In addition, Caspase-3 exerts anticancer effects by regulating cell death mechanisms. Traditional Chinese medicine acting through caspase-3 expression is increasingly used in clinical treatment. This review summarizes the biological mechanism of caspase-3 and research progress on BC. It introduces a variety of traditional Chinese medicine related to caspase-3 to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Dou
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Ping Yang Yu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Yu Qi Liu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Yue Zhu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Fu Cheng Li
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - You Yu Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Xing Yan Chen
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
| | - Min Xiao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, P. R. China
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Wang M, Wu S, Yang B, Ye M, Tan J, Zan L, Yang W. Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins Improve the Quality of Fresh and Cryopreserved Semen in Bulls. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2781. [PMID: 37685044 PMCID: PMC10486383 DOI: 10.3390/ani13172781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress leads to a decrease in semen quality during semen cryopreservation and fresh semen production. Grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) are endowed with well-recognized antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-aging activities. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to explore the effects of GSPs on the quality of fresh and cryopreserved semen to provide a basis for GSPs as a new dietary additive and semen diluent additive for males' reproduction. Fresh semen from three healthy bulls aged 3 to 5 years old were gathered and mixed with semen diluents dissolved with 0 µg/mL, 30 µg/mL, 40 µg/mL, 50 µg/mL, and 60 µg/mL GSPs respectively. The motility, physiological structures (acrosome integrity, membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity), and antioxidant capacity of frozen-thawed sperm were measured after storage in liquid nitrogen for 7 days (d). Bulls were fed with 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) GSPs in their diet for 60 days; the weight of the bull is about 600 kg. Then, the reproductive performance and antioxidant indexes of bulls were measured before and after feeding. The results demonstrated that GSPs supplementation significantly increased sperm motility, physiological structures, GSH-Px, and CAT enzyme activities and significantly decreased MDA content in sperm during semen cryopreservation. The optimal concentration of GSPs was 40 µg/mL (p < 0.05). After 20 mg/kg (body weight) GSP supplementation, sperm motility was significantly heightened (p < 0.05), the sperm deformity rate was significantly reduced (p < 0.05), and antioxidant enzyme activities (such as SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px) were significantly enhanced (p < 0.05), and the production of MDA was significantly suppressed (p < 0.05) in serum compared with that before feeding. In conclusion, these results reveal that a certain concentration of GSPs has a good protective effect on sperm damage caused by semen cryopreservation and the reproductive performance reduction caused by stress in bulls, which may be attributed to the antioxidant function of GSPs. In summary, GSPs are a useful cryoprotective adjuvant and dietary additive for bull sperm quality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Wucai Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; (M.W.); (S.W.); (B.Y.); (M.Y.); (J.T.); (L.Z.)
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Li N, Zhao Z, Ma H, Liu Y, Nwafor EO, Zhu S, Jia L, Pang X, Han Z, Tian B, Pan H, Liu Z, Pan W. Optimization and Characterization of Low-Molecular-Weight Chitosan-Coated Baicalin mPEG-PLGA Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Cataract. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:3831-3845. [PMID: 36067066 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study was to evaluate the potential effectiveness of low-molecular-weight chitosan-coated baicalin methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (mPEG-PLGA) nanoparticles (BA LCH NPs) for the treatment of cataract. mPEG-PLGA NPs were optimized by the Box-Behnken design and the central composite design based on the encapsulation efficiency and drug loading. Then, the BA LCH NPs were characterized based on morphology, particle size, and zeta potentials. The analytical data of differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy depicted the drug excipient compatibility. In vitro, we evaluated cell viability, cellular uptake, potential ocular irritation, transcorneal permeability, and the precorneal retention of BA LCH NPs. In vivo, the chronic selenium cataract model was selected to assess the therapeutic effect of BA LCH NPs. The size of BA LCH NPs was within the range from 148 to 219 nm and the zeta potential was 19-25 mV. Cellular uptake results showed that the fluorescence intensity of the preparations in each group increased with time, and the fluorescence intensity of the LCH NP group was significantly higher than that of the solution group. The optimized BA LCH NPs improved precorneal residence time without causing eye irritation and also showed a sustained release of BA through the cornea for effective management of cataract. Also, fluorescence tracking on the rabbit cornea showed increased corneal retention of the LCH NPs. In addition, the results of therapeutic efficacy demonstrated that BA LCH NPs can significantly reduce the content of malondialdehyde and enhanced the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase, which was comparable to positive control and better than the BA solution group. Thus, it can be inferred that the BA LCH NPs are a promising drug delivery system for enhancing the ophthalmic administration of BA to the posterior segment of the eye and improving cataract symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.,Engineering Research Center of Modern Chinese Medicine Discovery and Preparation Technique, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Zhiyue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.,Engineering Research Center of Modern Chinese Medicine Discovery and Preparation Technique, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Hongfei Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.,Engineering Research Center of Modern Chinese Medicine Discovery and Preparation Technique, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Ebuka-Olisaemeka Nwafor
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.,Engineering Research Center of Modern Chinese Medicine Discovery and Preparation Technique, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Shan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Linlin Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.,Engineering Research Center of Modern Chinese Medicine Discovery and Preparation Technique, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Xiaochen Pang
- Binhai New Area Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300450, China
| | - Zhenzhen Han
- Baokang Hospital, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, People's Republic of China
| | - BaoCheng Tian
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, 346 Guanhai Road, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Hao Pan
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036, China
| | - Zhidong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.,Engineering Research Center of Modern Chinese Medicine Discovery and Preparation Technique, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Weisan Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Component Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.,Department of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
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