Methane Ameliorates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Orchitis by Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidative, and Antiapoptotic Effects via Regulation of the PK2/PKR1 Pathway

The essential role of adenine nucleotide translocase 4 on male reproductive function in mice

Adenine nucleotide translocator 4 (Ant4), an ATP/ADP transporter expressed in the early phases of spermatogenesis, plays a crucial role in male fertility. While Ant4 loss causes early arrest of meiosis and increased apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in male mice, its other potential functions in male fertility remain unexplored. Here, we utilized Ant4 knockout mice to delineate the effects of Ant4-deficiency on male reproduction. Our observations demonstrated that Ant4-deficiency led to infertility and impaired testicular development, which was further investigated by evaluating testicular oxidative stress, autophagy, and inflammation. Specifically, the loss of Ant4 led to an imbalance of oxidation and antioxidants. Significant ultrastructural alterations were identified in the testicular tissues of Ant4-deficient mice, including swelling of mitochondria, loss of cristae, and accumulation of autophagosomes. Our results also showed that autophagic flux and AKT-AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway were affected in Ant4-deficient mice. Moreover, Ant4 loss increased the expression of pro-inflammatory factors. Overall, our findings underscored the importance of Ant4 in regulating oxidative stress, autophagy, and inflammation in testicular tissues. Taken together, these insights provided a nuanced understanding of the significance of Ant4 in testicular development.

GPNMB promotes peripheral nerve regeneration by activating the Erk1/2 and Akt pathways via binding Na+/K+-ATPase α1 in Schwann cells

Glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) is ubiquitously expressed and has protective effects on the central nervous system. In particular, it is also expressed in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and upregulated after peripheral nerve injury. However, the role and underlying mechanism of GPNMB in the PNS, especially in peripheral nerve regeneration (PNR), are still unknown and need to be further investigated. In this study, recombinant human GPNMB (rhGPNMB) was injected into a sciatic nerve injury model. It was found that rhGPNMB facilitated the regeneration and functional recovery of the injured sciatic nerve in vivo. Moreover, it was also confirmed that GPNMB activated the Erk1/2 and Akt pathways via binding with Na+/K + -ATPase α1 (NKA α1) and promoted the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells (SCs) and their expression and secretion of neurotrophic factors and neural adhesion molecules in vitro. Our findings demonstrate that GPNMB facilitates PNR through activation of the Erk1/2 and Akt pathways in SCs by binding with NKA α1 and may be a novel strategy for PNR.

The crucial role of LncRNA MIR210HG involved in the regulation of human cancer and other disease

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have evoked considerable interest in recent years due to their critical functions in the regulation of disease processes. Abnormal expression of lncRNAs is found in multiple diseases, and lncRNAs have been exploited for diverse medical applications. The lncRNA MIR210HG is a recently discovered lncRNA that is widely dysregulated in human disease. MIR210HG was described to have biological functions with potential roles in disease development, including cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and energy metabolism. And MIR210HG dysregulation was confirmed to have promising clinical values in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. In this review, we systematically summarize the expression profiles, roles, underlying mechanisms, and clinical applications of MIR210HG in human disease.

Prokineticin 2/PROK2 and Male Infertility

Male infertility represents about 50% of the causes of infertility in couples. The diagnosis process represents an important procedure for defining, when possible, the causes and approaching treatments (pharmacological, surgical) aimed at overcoming the problem. Several scientific studies have set out to discover early and indicative markers capable of providing information on the biological origin of infertility and increase current knowledge in the context of new potential therapeutic approaches. The prokineticin system (PROK) consists of the prokineticin 1 (PROK1) and prokineticin 2 (PROK2) proteins. Through the activation of two G-protein receptors (PROKR1 and PROKR2) regulate a wide range of biological functions, including gastrointestinal motility, circadian rhythm regulation, neurogenesis, angiogenesis, pain perception, and mood regulation. Several studies have highlighted the crucial role of the PROK system in the development and maturation of both male and female human reproductive organs. Particularly in men, the PROK system represents a new system useful to clarify some aspects of testicular pathophysiology and provide new potential hypotheses for therapeutic intervention. This narrative review aims to illustrate the state of the art regarding, in particular, the role of PROK2 in male infertility.

Effect of acute ammonia toxicity on inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in head kidney macrophage of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco and the alleviation of curcumin

Ammonia is one of the most major pollutant and stress factors of aquaculture systems, and has seriously endangered fish health. However, few studies have been performed on mechanisms of the detrimental impact of ammonia stress and mitigation in fish. A study was carried out to investigate the response of genes involved in inflammation, antioxidation, polarization and apoptosis in head kidney macrophages to acute ammonia toxicity, and the alleviation effect of curcumin. The cells were divided into six groups, as follows: The control group composed of untreated macrophages (CON), the experimental groups, consisting of macrophages treated with 0.23 mg L^-1 ammonia (AM), 45 μmol L^-1 curcumin (CUR), 0.23 mg L^-1 ammonia and 5 μmol L^-1 curcumin (5A), 0.23 mg L^-1 ammonia and 25 μmol L^-1 curcumin (25A), 0.23 mg L^-1 ammonia and 45 μmol L^-1 curcumin (45A). The cells were pretreated with different concentrations of curcumin for 1 h and then incubated with ammonia for 24 h. The results showed that ammonia poisoning could increase ROS levels, up-regulate the expression of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GPx), inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α) and inflammatory mediators (NF-κB p65 and COX-2), decrease cell viability, down-regulate the expression of M2 marker (Arg-1) and anti-apoptosis (Bcl-2), but curcumin could alleviate the adverse effect of ammonia toxicity. Overall, these results have important implications for understanding of the mechanism of ammonia toxicity and the mitigating effect of curcumin in fish.

OCT4 Represses Inflammation and Cell Injury During Orchitis by Regulating CIP2A Expression

Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) and cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) are upregulated in testicular cancer and cell lines. However, its contribution to orchitis (testicular inflammation) is unclear and was thus, investigated herein. Cell-based experiments on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced orchitis mouse model revealed robust inflammation, apoptotic cell death, and redox disorder in the Leydig (interstitial), Sertoli (supporting), and, germ cells. Meanwhile, real-time quantitative PCR revealed low OCT4 and CIP2A levels in testicular tissue and LPS-stimulated cells. A gain-of-function study showed that OCT4 overexpression not only increased CIP2A expression but also repressed LPS-induced inflammation, apoptosis, and redox disorder in the aforementioned cells. Furthermore, the re-inhibition of CIP2A expression by TD-19 in OCT4-overexpressing cells counteracted the effects of OCT4 overexpression on inflammation, apoptosis, and redox equilibrium. In addition, our results indicated that the Keap1-Nrf2-HO-1 signaling pathway was mediated by OCT4 and CIP2A. These findings provide insights into the potential mechanism underlying OCT4- and CIP2A-mediated testicular inflammation.