Deoxynivalenol (DON) is an unavoidable cereal crops contaminants and environmental pollutants, which seriously threated the health of human and animal. DON has been reported to exert significant toxicity effects on spermatogenesis , but the underlying mechanisms remain largely inconclusive. The blood-testis barrier (BTB) provides a specialized biochemical microenvironment for maintaining spermatogenesis. Thus, we hypothesized that DON could impair BTB and lead to spermatogenesis disorder. To confirm this hypothesis, sixty male mice were intragastrically administered with 0, 1.2, 2.4 and 4.8 mg/kg body weight DON for 28 days, and several important observations were obtained in present study. First, we found that DON induced spermatogenesis disorder, reflected by the declines of sperm concentration and quality, sperm ultrastructural damage as well as seminiferous tubular damage. Then, we proved that DON induced BTB disruption as well as decreased the expressions of BTB junction proteins, including Occludin, Connexin 43 and N-cadherin. Finally, the present study showed that DON induced inflammation and inhibited T biosynthesis in testis of mice. These results revealed that DON induced spermatogenesis disorder by BTB disruption associated with testosterone deficiency and inflammation in mice, which shed a new light on the potential mechanisms of reproductive toxicity induced by DON.
Introduction: Deficiency of testosterone was associated with the susceptibility of atrial fibrillation (AF). Angiotensin-II (AngII) receptor antagonists were shown to reduce AF by improving atrial electrical remodeling. This study investigated the effects and mechanism of valsartan, an AngII receptor antagonist, on the susceptibility to AF with testosterone deficiency. Methods and Results: Five-week-old male ICR mice were castrated and valsartan was administered orally (50 mg/kg/d). High-frequency electrical stimulation method was used to induce atrial arrhythmia. Patch-clamp technique was used for recording action potential duration (APD), transient outward potassium current ( I to ), sustained outward potassium current ( I ksus ), and late sodium current ( I Na-L ). Optical mapping technique was used to examine atrial conduction velocity (CV). The expression of connexin40 (Cx40) and Cx43 were detected by Western blot analysis. The occurrence rate of AF was significantly increased in castrated mice and APDs measured at 50% and 90% repolarization were markedly prolonged in castrated mice than controls, which were alleviated by the administration of valsartan. Valsartan suppressed the increase of I Na-L and rescued the reduction of I to and I ksus in castrated mice. The left atrial CV in castrated mice was decreased and the expression of Cx43 reduced than controls, which were restored after valsartan treatment. Conclusions: Valsartan reduced the susceptibility of AF in castrated mice, which may be related to the inhibition of action potential prolongation and improvement of atrial conduction impairment. This study indicates that valsartan may represent a useful agent for the prevention of AF pathogenesis in elderly male patients.
Sun Lu,Huang Jiayu,Wang Xuezi,Huang Peng,Dong Baolin,Liang Zehang,Wu Jiahong,Wang Jiancheng
Background Testosterone deficiency (TD) occurs most frequently in older men and can cause many health problems. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is widely used to treat TD, but this regimen can lead to a series of side effects. Stem cell therapy has been wildly studied in vitro. However, due to the multidirectional differentiation potential and heterogeneity of stem cells, it is difficult to achieve the good efficiency and reproducibility in basic research and clinical applications. This study aims to identify a new strategy for the treatment of TD. Methods Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) were enucleated by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. The organelles and cellular functions of enucleated BMSCs were analyzed by immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) were isolated by ultracentrifugation and characterized. For the animal studies, enucleated BMSCs were labelled with Mitotracker and injected into ethane dimethanesulfone (EDS)-treated rats. Testosterone production and spermatogenesis were detected at different time points through various tests. To determine the mechanism of efferocytosis, we analysed the number of macrophages by immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results The injection of enucleated BMSCs (Cargocytes) into the testes of EDS-treated rats restored the levels of serum testosterone, increased the number of Leydig cells (LCs), and improved spermatogenesis. We found that enucleated BMSCs underwent apoptosis earlier than BMSCs did. Subsequently, testicular interstitial macrophages phagocytosed apoptotic enucleated BMSCs through efferocytosis. Efferocytosis promoted macrophage polarization from the M1 to the M2 phenotype, reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, and decreased the levels of inflammation and oxidative stress. Conclusions In summary, this study pioneered the application of stromal cell enucleation technology to repair tissue damage in the reproductive system, explored the potential of cell burial in the treatment of reproductive system diseases and provided a new approach for the clinical treatment of male infertility.
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