Systematic biological and proteomics strategies to explore the regulation mechanism of Shoutai Wan on recurrent spontaneous Abortion's biological network

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Shoutai Wan (STW) is a classic herbal formula for the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), and clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of STW on RSA. However, the molecular mechanism of STW treatment of RSA is still unclear.

METHODS

(1) Animal experiments: The normal pregnancy model was established with CBA/J*BALB/C, and the RSA model was established by CBA/J*DBA/2. The RSA model CBA/J*DBA/2 pregnant mice were randomly divided into four groups (RSA model group, STW low, medium and high dose groups) according to the order of pregnancy, respectively. The drug administration starts from the first day of pregnancy to the 14th day of pregnancy. The embryo loss rate (ELR) of each group was calculated. (2) Proteomic analysis of decidual tissue: The total protein of decidual tissue of each group was isolated by solid phase pH gradient 2-DE technique. The differentially expressed protein spots were analyzed and identified by PDQuest images; the peptide quality fingerprinting (PMF) was obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Then, the proteins were identified by Mascot software searching, their functions were identified by bioinformatics strategy. (3) The expression of HSP27, α-enolase and Transferrin was detected by Western blotting and the expression of Annexin A2 and Transferrin was detected by immunohistochemistry. (4) The differential proteins and potential targets were analyzed by systematic biological strategy.

RESULTS

(1) Compared with the normal group, the ELR in the RSA model group was significantly higher (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the ELR in the STW high, medium dose groups was lower (P < 0.01). (2) A 2-DE map of the decidual tissue of the RSA model group, normal pregnancy group, STW low, medium and high dose groups was established. Thirty proteins were identified. (3) The results of western blot showed that the expression of HSP27 and a-enolase in the RSA model group was higher than that in the normal group, and the expression of transferrin was lower (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of HSP27 and a-enolase in STW high, medium dose groups was decreased (P < 0.01); Compared with the model group, the expression of Transferrin in the STW high dose group was increased (P < 0.01). (5) A lot of RSA treatment-related targets, biological processes and pathways were found after the systematic biological analysis.

CONCLUSION

(1) STW may reduce the ELR of the RSA mice. (2) The results of proteomics suggest that RSA is a complex process involving multiple proteins. STW can regulate the expression of various proteins in the decidual tissue of RSA mice, suggesting that it can act on multiple targets. (3) The results of western blotting of HSP27, a-enolase, transferrin were consistent with the results of proteomic analysis. (4) STW may achieve therapeutic effects by interfering with the targets, biological processes and signaling pathways discovered in this study.

Age-Dependent Effects of Acute Alcohol Administration in the Hippocampal Phosphoproteome

Alcohol consumption during adolescence is deleterious to the developing brain and leads to persistent deficits in adulthood. Several results provide strong evidence for ethanol-associated alterations in glutamatergic signaling and impaired synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. Protein phosphorylation is a well-known and well-documented mechanism in memory processes, but information on phosphoprotein alterations in hippocampus after ethanol exposure is limited. This study focuses on age-related changes in the hippocampal phosphoproteome after acute alcohol administration. We have compared the phosphoprotein expression in the hippocampus of adult and adolescent Wistar rats treated with a single dose of ethanol (5 g/kg i.p.), using a proteomic approach including phosphoprotein enrichment by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Our proteomic analysis revealed that 13 proteins were differentially affected by age, ethanol administration, or both. Most of these proteins are involved in neuroprotection and are expressed less in young rats treated with ethanol. We conclude that acute alcohol induces important changes in the expression of phosphoproteins in the hippocampus that could increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders, especially when the alcohol exposure begins in adolescence.

Effects of 13 developmentally toxic chemicals on the migration of rat cephalic neural crest cells in vitro

The inhibition of neural crest cell (NCC) migration has been considered as a possible pathogenic mechanism underlying chemical developmental toxicity. In this study, we examined the effects of 13 developmentally toxic chemicals on the migration of rat cephalic NCCs (cNCCs) by using a simple in vitro assay. cNCCs were cultured for 48 h as emigrants from rhombencephalic neural tubes explanted from rat embryos at day 10.5 of gestation. The chemicals were added to the culture medium at 24 h of culture. Migration of cNCCs was measured as the change in the radius (radius ratio) calculated from the circular spread of cNCCs between 24 and 48 h of culture. Of the chemicals examined, 13-cis-retinoic acid, ethanol, ibuprofen, lead acetate, salicylic acid, and selenate inhibited the migration of cNCCs at their embryotoxic concentrations; no effects were observed for acetaminophen, caffeine, indium, phenytoin, selenite, tributyltin, and valproic acid. In a cNCC proliferation assay, ethanol, ibuprofen, salicylic acid, selenate, and tributyltin inhibited cell proliferation, suggesting the contribution of the reduced cell number to the inhibited migration of cNCCs. It was determined that several developmentally toxic chemicals inhibited the migration of cNCCs, the effects of which were manifested as various craniofacial abnormalities.