Impact of alcoholic extract from sea cucumber(Holothuria parva)on letrozole-induced polycystic ovary syndrome in adult female rats

Objective:To explore the potential therapeutic impact of an alcoholic extract derived from the sea cucumber(Holothuria parva)on letrozole-induced polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)in adult female Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods:Sixteen female rats,aged 8 to 10 weeks,with a mean weight of(200±20)g,were randomly assigned to four groups:the control,PCOS,and two treatment groups receiving sea cucumber extract and metformin,respectively.PCOS was induced by administering letrozole at a dose of 1 mg/kg to initiate the treatment period at 60 days of age.The study spanned four weeks,during which ovarian and uterine tissues were collected for histological examination,and blood samples were collected for hormonal levels.Results:Significant decreases in luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone(LH/FSH)and testosterone and increases progesterone levels among groups treated with sea cucumber extract were observed.While no significant differences were observed in follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)and testosterone levels,the distinctive variations in key hormones suggested a potential role for sea cucumber alcoholic extract in ameliorating PCOS symptoms.Conclusions:This research highlights the moderate efficacy of sea cucumber extract as a therapeutic intervention for PCOS,providing a novel perspective in the search for effective remedies.The observed hormonal alterations,particularly in LH,estradiol,and progesterone,underscore the need for further exploration into the underlying mechanisms and for optimizing the application of sea cucumber extract in PCOS management.

MRI tracking of human Wharton’s jelly stem cells seeded onto acellular dermal matrix labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in burn wounds

Background:In vivo cell tracking after transplantation in regenerative medicine remains an unmet challenge and limits current understanding of the wound healing mechanism through cell-based therapies.This study investigated tracking of human Wharton’s jelly stem cells(hWJSCs)seeded onto an acellular dermal matrix(ADM)and labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparti-cles(SPIONs)by magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)in burn injury.Method:The hWJSCs were characterized and assessed for growth kinetics.A total of 30 rats were enrolled in three equal groups.Group 1 underwent scald burn injury left without treatment,the group 2 was treated by an ADM that was prepared from cosmetic surgery skin samples and the group 3 received hWJSCs labeled with SPIONs seeded onto an ADM.Tensile strength was evaluated before and after interventions,real time PCR assessed apoptosis,and Prussian blue staining,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and MRI were used for the tracking of labeled cells.Results:The hWJSCs exhibited mesenchymal stem cell properties.Population doubling time was 40.1 hours.SPIONs did not show any toxic effect.The hWJSCs seeded onto an ADM decreased Bax and increased Bcl-2 gene expression.Internalization of SPIONs within hWJSCs was confirmed by Prussian blue staining,SEM and MRI until day 21.There was a significant difference between the Young’s moduli of normal skin and the group receiving hWJSCs seeded onto an ADM.Histological observations and SEM imaging confirmed that MRI is an accurate method to track SPION-labeled hWJSCs in vivo.Conclusions:This study showed that SPION labeling coupled with MRI can be used to further understand the fate of stem cells after transplantation in a burn model.

The Experimental Study on Treating Transgenic HBV Mice with Recombined IL-2-PreS DNA Vaccine

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and mechanism of hIL-2-preS DNA vaccine as prevention and therapeutic approach against Hepatitis B. Eukaryon expression vector involving hIL-2 and preS gene was constructed with recombinant technique and transferred into normal BALB/c mice and HBV transgenic mice (Tg-Mice) respectively. Then a series of detection were performed: detection of anti-preS2, HBs antibody and HBsAg in BALB/c mice and Tg-mice with ELISA, quantification of HBV DNA copies in HBV Tg-mice serum with real-time PCR, determination of hepatitis degree with immunopathological HE staining and detection of liver function. Anti-preS1 can be detected at 4 th , 6 th and 10 th week in inoculated BALB/c mice. Injection with gene gun gained an advantage over muscular and subcutaneous injection since it acquired just 1/10 inoculation quantity (10 μg/mouse). Highest expression of IgG2a at 4 th week suggested Th1-mediated immune response, which facilitated HBV cleaning. Of all inoculated HBV Tg-mice, 80% of them showed anti-preS2, HBs antibody positive and HBV DNA decreased, and 20% showed negative for HBsAg. HE staining to hepatic tissue showed obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells, swelling and granular degeneration of hepatocytes. In our study, IL-2-preS DNA vaccine which can provoke the humoral and cellular immune response and break the immune tolerance supports the designation and construction of new vaccine against HBV and specific immune remedy for HBV continuous infection.