Bidirectional Estrogen-Like Effects of Genistein on Murine Experimental Autoimmune Ovarian Disease

A Systematic Review of Autoimmune Oophoritis Therapies

Autoimmune primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a devastating disease with limited clinical guidance. The objective of this systematic review was to identify treatments for autoimmune POI and analyze their efficacy. A comprehensive search of CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was performed from inception to April 2022. English language publications that evaluated women with autoimmune POI after a documented intervention were included. Animal models of autoimmune POI were also included. Risk of bias was assessed with the SYRCLE's risk of bias tool for animal studies or the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Case Series as appropriate. Twenty-eight studies were included in this review, with 11 RCTs, 15 case reports, and 2 case series. Seventeen studies were in humans, and 11 were in animal models. No completed RCTs, cohort studies, or case-control studies were identified in humans. In observational human studies, corticosteroids were effective in select patients. In many case reports, adequate treatment of comorbid autoimmune conditions resulted in return of menses, hormonal normalization, or spontaneous pregnancy. In terms of assisted reproductive technologies, there was case report evidence for both in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro maturation (IVM) in women wishing to conceive with their own oocytes. Ovulation induction, IVF, and IVM resulted in a total of 15 pregnancies and 14 live births. In animal models, there was additional evidence for stem cell therapies and treatments used in traditional Chinese medicine, although this research may not be generalizable to humans. Furthermore, litter size was not evaluated in any of the animal studies. Additional research is needed to establish the efficacy of current treatments for autoimmune POI with a controlled experimental design and larger sample size. Additionally, there is a critical need to develop novel therapies for this condition, as understanding of its pathophysiology and  available tools to modulate the immune response have progressed.

Bisphenol A and genistein have opposite effects on adult chicken ovary by acting on ERα/Nrf2-Keap1-signaling pathway

The reproductive toxicity of endocrine-disrupting chemicals has become a matter of great concern. However, the potential toxicological mechanism of typical environmental estrogens, bisphenol A (BPA) and genistein (GEN), on adult ovary remains ambiguous. In this study, we used laying hens as the experimental model and aimed to clarify the effect of long-term exposure to safe reference doses of BPA and GEN on adult ovary. Results demonstrated that 1/10 no-observable-adverse effect-level dose (1/10 NOAEL, 500 μg/kg body weight [bw]/day) of BPA significantly reduced the production performance and caused the degeneration of follicles and stromal cells and the increase of atretic follicles. Moreover, 1/10 NOAEL dose of BPA undermined the redox homeostasis of the ovary through activating Keap1 and suppressing the Nrf2-signaling pathway (Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1). On the contrary, GEN (20, 40 mg/kg bw/day) dramatically improved the antioxidant capacity of the ovary by regulating the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway, enhancing the activities of antioxidant-related enzymes (CAT, GSH-Px, and T-SOD), and inhibiting the excessive accumulation of lipid peroxidation products (MDA). Parallel in vitro studies confirmed that the differential role of BPA and GEN on ovarian redox balance was directly mediated by Nrf2-Keap1 antioxidant system. And GEN could ameliorate BPA-induced oxidative stress. Importantly, our research found that exposure to BPA and GEN altered estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression in the ovary. And the use of specific ERα agonist/antagonist confirmed that BPA and GEN have opposite regulatory effects on the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway by targeting ERα.

Apigenin acts as a partial agonist action at estrogen receptors in vivo

The flavone apigenin is widely distributed in vegetables and fruits and has a variety of pharmacological effects. However, there is no definitive scientific evidence that apigenin could act as a phytoestrogen and exert exerting estrogenic or antiestrogenic efficacy in vivo. Therefore, this study was established an ovariectomy (OVX) and estrogenized mouse model to evaluate the effects of apigenin on reproductive target tissues. Our data demonstrated that apigenin could exert a double-directional adjusting estrogenic effect in vivo. Specifically, treatment with apigenin reversed the weight changes caused by abnormal estrogen levels and altered the status of vaginal epithelial cells via the estrogen receptors. In addition, we found that apigenin exhibited a significant estrogenic activity, as indicated by the reversal of uterine atrophy. Apigenin treatment could also regulate the target tissue coefficient changes and estrogen disorders caused by excessive estrogen. Importantly, the administration of apigenin could upregulated the estrogen receptor (ER) α and ER β expression as a partial agonist. Our results demonstrate that apigenin has a double directional adjusting function in different physiological environments.

The effects of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on endometrial receptivity are associated with Th1/Th2 balance change and uNK cell expression of uterine in autoimmune premature ovarian failure mice

Background

To explore the mechanism of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hUMSC) transplantation to improve ovarian function and the endometrial receptivity in autoimmune premature ovarian failure (POF) mice.

Methods

The POF model was established in mice treated with zona pellucida 3 polypeptide fragment (zona pellucida 3, ZP3). The hUMSCs were transplanted into the POF mice through tail vein injection. Following the transplantation, the serum hormone levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estrogen (E₂), progesterone (P), γ-interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were evaluated by ELISA analysis. Morphological changes of ovarian and uterus tissues were examined by HE staining and immunohistochemistry. The expression of Th1/Th2 cytokines of T cells in spleen and CD56⁺CD16⁻ cells (uterine natural killer cells, uNK cells) in uterine was measured by flow cytometry (FCM) and immunohistochemistry. The expression of HOXA10 in uterine endometrium was examined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analysis. The pinopodes of epithelial cells in uterine endometrium were examined by scanning electron microscopy.

Results

Following hUMSC transplantation, the serum levels of E₂, P, and IL-4 were increased but FSH, IFN-γ, and IL-2 levels were decreased in POF mice. Also, the transplantation of hUMSCs caused an increase in total number of healthy follicles and decrease of atresia follicles. The expression of HOXA10 gene was significantly increased but the CD56⁺CD16⁻ uNK cells decreased in the endometrium of uterine. The ratio of Th1/Th2 cytokines was also significantly decreased.

Conclusion

The data suggest that the recovery of ovarian function and endometrial receptivity in POF mice was regulated by the balance of Th1/Th2 cytokines and expression of uNK cells in the endometrium following hUMSC transplantation.

Anabolic effects of chrysin on the ventral male prostate and female prostate of adult gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)

Chrysin is a bioflavonoid found in fruits, flowers, tea, honey and wine, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and anticarcinogenic properties. This flavone has also been considered as beneficial for reproduction due its testosterone-boosting potential. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chrysin on the prostate and gonads of male and female adult gerbils. In addition, a comparative analysis of the effects of testosterone on these same organs was conducted. Ninety-day-old male and female gerbils were treated with chrysin (50 mg kg−1 day−1) or testosterone cypionate (1 mg kg−1 week−1) for 21 days. The ventral male prostate and female prostate were dissected out for morphological, morphometric–stereological and ultrastructural assays. Testes and ovaries were submitted to morphological and morphometric­­–stereological analyses. Chrysin treatment caused epithelial hyperplasia and stromal remodelling of the ventral male and female prostate. Ultrastructurally, male and female prostatic epithelial cells in the chrysin group presented marked development of the organelles involved in the biosynthetic–secretory pathway, whereas cellular toxicity was observed only in female glands. Chrysin preserved normal testicular morphology and increased the number of growing ovarian follicles. Comparatively, testosterone treatment was detrimental to the prostate and gonads, since foci of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and gonadal degeneration were observed in both sexes. Thus, under the experimental conditions of this study, chrysin was better tolerated than testosterone in the prostate and gonads.