Ameliorative effects of Lycium chinensis on male sexual dysfunction and testicular oxidative damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Yifeng Zhou,Opeyemi Joshua Olatunji,Hongxia Chen 한국식품과학회 2019 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.28 No.4

The root bark of Lycium chinense (LC) has beenreported to have potent antioxidant and antidiabetic properties. In the present study, we investigated the attenuativeeffect of LC against diabetes induced sexual dysfunctionand testicular damages in animal models. Diabetic animalswere treated with LC (100 and 400 mg/kg) once daily for6 weeks. At the end of the treatment, mating behavior testswere performed and the animals were sacrificed for thedetermination of hormonal profile, oxidative stress indicesand sperm analysis. LC administration significantlydecreased blood glucose level, enhancement of theantioxidant enzyme activities, restored altered spermcharacteristics and markedly improved levels of luteinizinghormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and testosterone ascompared to the untreated diabetic animals. Furthermore,LC also improved sperm count, viability, motility,increased the reproductive organs weight. The resultsobtained indicated that L. chinense has beneficial effects indiabetes sexual dysfunction.

Exercise-induced FNDC5/irisin protects nucleus pulposus cells against senescence and apoptosis by activating autophagy

Zhou Wenxian,Shi Yifeng,Wang Hui,Chen Linjie,Yu Caiyu,Zhang Xufei,Yang Lei,Zhang Xiaolei,Wu Aimin 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a major cause of low back pain (LBP), and excessive senescence and apoptosis of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells are major pathological changes in IVDD. Physical exercise could effectively delay the process of intervertebral disc degeneration; however, its mechanism is still largely unknown. Irisin is an exercise-induced myokine released upon cleavage of the membrane-bound precursor protein fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), and its levels increase after physical exercise. Here, we show that after physical exercise, FNDC5/irisin levels increase in the circulation and NP, senescence and apoptosis are reduced, autophagy is activated in NP tissue, and the progression of IVDD is delayed. Conversely, after knocking out FNDC5, the benefits of physical exercise are compromised. Moreover, the overexpression of FNDC5 in NP tissue effectively alleviated the degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) in rats. By showing that FNDC5/irisin is an important mediator of the beneficial effects of physical exercise in the IVDD model, the study proposes FNDC5/irisin as a novel agent capable of activating autophagy and protecting NP from senescence and apoptosis.

Geometry and Mechanical Behaviour of Radially Retractable Roof Structures During the Movement Process

Jianguo Cai,Yuhang Zhou,Yifeng Zhu,Yixiang Xu,Jin Zhang 한국강구조학회 2016 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.16 No.3

In this paper, the kinematic characteristic of the radially retractable roof structure was firstly discussed and the motion boundary of the system was also studied. The results show that the diameter of the outer boundary of the system increases firstly and then decreases when the roof is open. Moreover, the numerical study of the structural behavior of the retractable roof with radial foldable bars and circumferential foldable bars was carried out, respectively. It can be found the latter one has a better structural behavior. Then the mechanical behaivor of the system during the motion was also investigated. Finally, a loop linkage based on a special scissor-like element was proposed to support the retractable roof.

Authentication of an Endangered Herb Changium smyrnioides from Different Producing Areas Based on rDNA ITS Sequences and Allele- Specific PCR

Xiaoqin Sun,Yueyu Hang,Yanglian Wei,Minjian Qin,Qiaosheng Guo,Jianlin Guo,Yifeng Zhou 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.4

The rDNA ITS region of 18 samples of Changium smyrnioides from 7 areas and of 2 samples of Chuanminshen violaceum were sequenced and analyzed. The amplified ITS region of the samples, including a partial sequence of ITS1 and complete sequences of 5.8S and ITS2, had a total length of 555 bp. After complete alignment, there were 49 variable sites, of which 45 were informative,when gaps were treated as missing data. Samples of C. smyrnioides from different locations could be identified exactly based on the variable sites. The maximum parsimony (MP) and neighbor joining (NJ) tree constructed from the ITS sequences based on Kumar’s two-parameter model showed that the genetic distances of the C. smyrnioides samples from different locations were not always related to their geographical distances. A specific primer set for Allele-specific PCR authentication of C. violaceum from Jurong of Jiangsu was designed based on the SNP in the ITS sequence alignment. C. violaceum from the major genuine producing area in Jurong of Jiangsu could be identified exactly and quickly by Allele-specific PCR.

AP2α negatively regulates PDHA1 in cervical cancer cells to promote aggressive features and aerobic glycolysis in vitro and in vivo

Lijie Zhao,Rong Geng,Yi Huang,Jiping Zhang,Haiying Cheng,Cankun Zhou,Yifeng Wang 대한부인종양학회 2023 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.34 No.5

Objective: As a gate-keeper enzyme link, pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 subunit alpha (PDHA1) functions as a key regulator during glycolysis and the mitochondrial citric acid cycle, which has been reported in several tumors. Nevertheless, the effects of PDHA1 on biological behaviors and metabolism remain unclear in cervical cancer (CC) cells. The study aims to explore the PDHA1 effects on glucose metabolism in CC cells and its possible mechanism. Methods: We first determined the expression levels of PDHA1 and activating protein 2 alpha (AP2α) as a PDHA1 potential transcription factor. The effects of PDHA1 in vivo were evaluated through a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) labeling assay, Transwell invasion assay, wound healing assay, Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay and flow cytometry were performed in CC cells. Oxygen consumption rate (OCR) levels were determined to reflect aerobic glycolysis level in gastric cancer cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was measured with 2′, 7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate kit. The relationship between PDHA1 and AP2α was examined by conducting chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Results: In CC tissues and cell lines, PDHA1 was downregulated, while AP2α was upregulated. Overexpression of PDHA1 remarkedly inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of CC cells, and tumor growth in vivo, as well as promoted OCR, apoptosis and ROS production. Moreover, AP2α directly bound to PDHA1 within suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 promoter region to negatively regulate PDHA1 expression level. What is more, PDHA1 knockdown could effectively reversed the AP2α silencing-mediated suppressive effects on cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and the promotive effects of AP2α knockdown on OCR, apoptosis and ROS production. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that AP2α negatively regulated PDHA1 via binding to PDHA1 gene promoter to promote malignant CC cell behaviors, which may provide a potential approach for CC therapeutics.

A Derivative of Chrysin Suppresses Two-Stage Skin Carcinogenesis by Inhibiting Mitogen- and Stress-Activated Kinase 1

Liu, Haidan,Hwang, Joonsung,Li, Wei,Choi, Tae Woong,Liu, Kangdong,Huang, Zunnan,Jang, Jae-Hyuk,Thimmegowda, N.R.,Lee, Ki Won,Ryoo, In-Ja,Ahn, Jong-Seog,Bode, Ann M.,Zhou, Xinmin,Yang, Yifeng,Erikson, American Association for Cancer Research 2014 CANCER PREVENTION RESEARCH Vol.7 No.1

<P>Mitogen- and stress-activated kinase 1 (MSK1) is a nuclear serine/threonine protein kinase that acts downstream of both extracellular signal-regulated kinases and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in response to stress or mitogenic extracellular stimuli. Increasing evidence has shown that MSK1 is closely associated with malignant transformation and cancer development. MSK1 should be an effective target for cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy. However, very few MSK1 inhibitors, especially natural compounds, have been reported. We used virtual screening of a natural products database and the active conformation of the C-terminal kinase domain of MSK1 (PDB id 3KN) as the receptor structure to identify chrysin and its derivative, compound 69407, as inhibitors of MSK1. Compared with chrysin, compound 69407 more strongly inhibited proliferation and 12-<I>O</I>-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced neoplastic transformation of JB6 P+ cells with lower cytotoxicity. Western blot data demonstrated that compound 69407 suppressed phosphorylation of the MSK1 downstream effector histone H3 in intact cells. Knocking down the expression of MSK1 effectively reduced the sensitivity of JB6 P+ cells to compound 69407. Moreover, topical treatment with compound 69407 before TPA application significantly reduced papilloma development in terms of number and size in a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis model. The reduction in papilloma development was accompanied by the inhibition of histone H3 phosphorylation at Ser10 in tumors extracted from mouse skin. The results indicated that compound 69407 exerts inhibitory effects on skin tumorigenesis by directly binding with MSK1 and attenuates the MSK1/histone H3 signaling pathway, which makes it an ideal chemopreventive agent against skin cancer. <I>Cancer Prev Res; 7(1); 74–85. ©2013 AACR</I>.</P>