Aim To investigate the protective effects of ginsenosides ( GS) on reactive oxygen species-induced oxidative damage in mouse spermatogonial cells. Meth-ods Mouse spermatogonial cell oxidative stress model was established and the attenuating effects of ginsen-osides on germ cell oxidative damage were evaluated by determination of cell viability,malondialdehyde( MDA) formation,superoxide dismutase ( SOD) activity and glutathione ( GSH) level. Results The exposure to hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase ( HX/XO) induced an elevation in MDA,while a decrease in germ cell viability,SOD activity and GSH level. However,supplementation with GS ( 10 mg?L -1) restored HX/XO-induced decrease in cell viability,SOD activity and GSH level and HX/XO-induced increase in MDA formation. Conclusion GS may exert antioxidant activity to attenuate reactive oxygen species-induced oxidative damage in mouse spermatogonial cells.

BACKGROUND: Current research on Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. mainly focuses on its use in the treatment of osteoarthritis that Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. can enhance the healing ability of bone tissue. However, research on its bone repair ability in periapical periodontitis has not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of alcohol extract of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. on cathepsin K expression in periapical periodontitis rats. METHODS: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal control group (n=4) and apical periodontitis group (n=20). In the periapical periodontitis group, a periapical periodontitis model was established after exposure of the dental pulp in the first molar of the right mandible. The normal control group did not deal with any treatment. After 4 weeks of feeding, four rats from each group were taken for micro-CT detection. Bone destruction was quantified to confirm whether the rat model of periapical periodontitis was successfully constructed. After 5 weeks of feeding, the remaining 16 rats with periapical periodontitis were equally randomized into alcohol extract group (given alcohol extract of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. via intragastric administration, 5 mL/kg per day) and normal saline group (given the same dose of normal saline via intragastric administration every day). After 4 weeks of gavage, four mice from each group were selected to perform micro-CT examination. The ability of alcohol extract of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. to repair periapical bone tissue was analyzed. First molars of the right mandible from the other four rats in each group were extracted to detect the expression of cathepsin K in the alveolar bone using immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Micro-CT results showed that the rat model of periapical periodontitis was successfully constructed as there was a significant difference in the bone resorption volume between the normal control and apical periodontitis groups [(0.223±0.009) mm3 vs. (0.945±0.037) mm3, P=0.00]. After 4 weeks of gavage, the micro-CT results showed that the alcohol extract of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. significantly reduced the bone resorption volume in the rat model of periapical periodontitis (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry results showed that the alcohol extract of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. significantly inhibited the expression of cathepsin K, a marker of bone destruction, in the rat model of periapical periodontitis. Therefore, these findings indicate that the alcohol extract of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. can inhibit the expression of cathepsin K and promote the healing of bone tissue in the rats with periapical periodontitis.

Bone Transplantation ; Dental Research ; Humans ; Tooth

Objective To translate the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire for Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-MLUTS) and ICIQ-MLUTS long form (ICIQ-MLUTS LF) into Chinese and assess their metric properties and applicability.Methods After obtaining permission from the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ),original ICIQ-MLUTS and ICIQ-MLUTS LF were translated into Chinese according to ICIQ validation protocol and cultural adaptation guideline.During November 2017 to August 2018,Chinese version of ICIQ-MLUTS and ICIQ-MLUTS LF were tested by administering them in 6 and 12 hospitals in China respectively.To validate the translated questionnaires,the following tests were undertaken.The content validity was determined by indepth interviews with participants and experts.The correlation coefficients of ICIQ-MLUTS and ICIQ-MLUTS LF with International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) were assessed to validate criterion validity.Cronbach's alpha test was used to explore internal consistency.And the test-retest reliability was evaluated by calculation of intraclass correlation coefficient.Results In total,Chinese ICIQ-MLUTS and ICIQ-MLUTS LF were administrated to 135 and 230 male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms respectively.Both questionnaires had good content validity and good criterion validity with IPSS (Pearson correlation 0.846 and 0.833 for ICIQ-MLUTS and ICIQ-MLUTS LF respectively,both P ＜ 0.001).The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.797 for ICIQ-MLUTS,and 0.853 for ICIQ-MLUTS LF.Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.986 and 0.985 respectively (both P ＜ 0.001),showing good test-retest reliability.Conclusions The Chinese version of ICIQ-MLUTS and ICIQ-MLUTS LF had good validity and reliability,which can be used to assess Chinese male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms.

Objective To investigate the effects of radical prostatectomy on the overall survival (OS)and tumor-specific survival in prostate cancer(PCa)patients aged 75 years and older.Methods Clinical data of patients aged 75 and older with localized PCa from Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)Database from 2004 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 17 899 cases of PCa undergoing radical prostatectomy and 3 648 cases of PCa without surgery in this study.The OS and prostate cancer-specific survival(PSS)were compared between the surgery group and the nonsurgery group.Results For 75-79-year-old patients with high-risk localized PCa,the OS and PSS in the surgery group were better than in the non-surgery group (OR =1.49,95 ％ CI:1.22 ～ 1.82,P ＜ 0.01;OR=1.43,95％CI:1.09～2.04,P＜0.05).For patients aged 75-79 years with low-risk PCa and patients aged 80 years and older with low-,middle-,or high-risk PCa,the OS was worse in the surgery group than in the non-surgery group(OR =0.54,95％CI:0.38～0.76,P＜0.01;OR =0.47,95％CI:0.34～0.66,P＜0.01;OR =0.58,95％CI:0.44～0.78,P＜0.01;OR =0.59,95％CI:0.51 ～0.68,P＜0.01).For patients aged 75-79 years with low-or medium-risk PCa and patients aged 80 years and older with medium-risk PCa,there was no statistical difference in PSS between the surgery and non-surgery groups(P＞0.05).Conclusions Age limits for prostatectomy should be extended as a result of increasing average life expectancy.Patients aged 75-79 years with high-risk PCa can be considered for surgical treatment,while it should not be recommended for patients aged 75-79 years with low-or medium-risk localized PCa or aged more than 80 years.Many factors should be considered in making treatment decisions for prostate cancer.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage after ischemia significantly influences stroke outcome. Compound LFHP-1c was previously discovered with neuroprotective role in stroke model, but its mechanism of action on protection of BBB disruption after stroke remains unknown. Here, we show that LFHP-1c, as a direct PGAM5 inhibitor, prevented BBB disruption after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) in rats. Mechanistically, LFHP-1c binding with endothelial PGAM5 not only inhibited the PGAM5 phosphatase activity, but also reduced the interaction of PGAM5 with NRF2, which facilitated nuclear translocation of NRF2 to prevent BBB disruption from ischemia. Furthermore, LFHP-1c administration by targeting PGAM5 shows a trend toward reduced infarct volume, brain edema and neurological deficits in nonhuman primate

Gypenosides, structurally analogous to ginsenosides and derived from a sustainable source, are recognized as the principal active compounds found in Gynostemma pentaphyllum, a Chinese medicinal plant used in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome. By bioactive tracking isolation of the plants collected from different regions across China, we obtained four new gypenosides (1-4), together with nine known gypenosides (5-13), from the methanol extract of the plant. The structures of new gypenosides were elucidated by one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, complemented by chemical degradation experiments. Through comprehensive evaluation involving COL1A1 promoter assays and PP2Cα activity assays, we established a definitive structure-activity relationship for these dammarane-type triterpenoids, affirming the indispensability of the C-3 saccharide chain and C-17 lactone ring in effectively impeding extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition within hepatic stellate cells. Further in vivo study on the CCl₄-induced liver damage mouse model corroborated that compound 5 significantly ameliorated the process of hepatic fibrosis by oral administration. These results underscore the potential of dammarane-type triterpenoids as prospective anti-fibrotic leads and highlight their prevalence as key molecular frameworks in the therapeutic intervention of chronic hepatic disorders.
Animals ; Mice ; Gynostemma ; Liver Cirrhosis/drug therapy* ; Triterpenes/pharmacology* ; Ginsenosides ; Extracellular Matrix ; Dammaranes