Estrogen receptors alpha and beta in male and female gerbil prostates

The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus, Gerbilinae: Muridae) is useful for prostate studies, because both males and females spontaneously develop prostatic disorders with age. Estrogens regulate prostate homeostasis via two estrogen receptors, ER alpha (ESR1) and ER beta (ESR2), but the cellular distribution and regulation of these receptors in the gerbil prostate has not been described. Both receptors were localized by immunohistochemistry in the ventral prostate of intact male and female gerbils, in males 7 and 21 days after castration, and in females treated with testosterone for 7 and 21 days. In male and female adult gerbils, ER alpha was detected mainly in prostatic stromal cells, whereas ER beta was present mostly in secretory and basal cells. More ER alpha-positive stromal cells were found in females than in males, as was a reduction toward the male value in females treated with testosterone. Castration did not alter ER alpha expression. Testosterone was necessary for maintenance of ER beta in the male prostate epithelium: ER beta expression declined markedly in prostates of males older than 1 yr, and castration of 4-mo-old males caused a reduction in ER beta to levels seen in 1-yr-old males. Because ER beta is an antiproliferative receptor, its loss with age may predispose the aging gerbil to proliferative diseases of the prostate. © 2013 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Enzyme replacement therapy for Anderson-Fabry disease.

Anderson-Fabry disease is an X-linked defect of glycosphingolipid metabolism. Progressive renal insufficiency is a major source of morbidity, additional complications result from cardio- and cerebro-vascular involvement. Survival is reduced among affected males and symptomatic female carriers. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of enzyme replacement therapy compared to other interventions, placebo or no interventions, for treating Anderson-Fabry disease. We searched 'Clinical Trials' on The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and the Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group's Inborn Errors of Metabolism Trials Register (date of the most recent search: 11 September 2012). The original search was performed in September 2008.Date of the most recent search of the Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group's Inborn Errors of Metabolism Trials Register: 11 September 2012. Randomized controlled trials of agalsidase alfa or beta in participants diagnosed with Anderson-Fabry disease. Two authors selected relevant trials, assessed methodological quality and extracted data. Six trials comparing either agalsidase alfa or beta in 223 participants fulfilled the selection criteria.Both trials comparing agalsidase alfa to placebo reported on globotriaosylceramide concentration in plasma and tissue; aggregate results were non-significant. One trial reported pain scores, there was a statistically significant improvement for participants receiving treatment at up to three months, mean difference -2.10 (95% confidence interval (CI) -3.79 to -0.41); at up to five months, mean difference -1.90 (95% CI -3.65 to -0.15); and at up to six months, mean difference -2.00 (95% CI -3.66 to -0.34). There was a significant difference in pain-related quality of life at over five months and up to six months, mean difference -2.10 (95% CI -3.92 to -0.28) but not at other time-points. Neither trial reported deaths.One of the three trials comparing agalsidase beta to placebo reported on globotriaosylceramide concentration in plasma and tissue and showed significant improvement: kidney, mean difference -1.70 (95% CI -2.09 to -1.31); heart, mean difference -0.90 (95% CI -1.18 to -0.62); and composite results (renal, cardiac, and cerebrovascular complications and death), mean difference -4.80 (95% CI -5.45 to -4.15). There was no significant difference between groups for death; no trials reported on pain.Only one trial compared agalsidase alfa to agalsidase beta. There was no significant difference between the groups for any adverse events, risk ratio 0.36 (95% CI 0.08 to 1.59), or any serious adverse events; risk ratio 0.30; 95% CI 0.03 to 2.57). Six small, poor quality randomised controlled trials provide no robust evidence for use of either agalsidase alfa and beta to treat Anderson-Fabry disease.

Melatonin and ethanol intake exert opposite effects on circulating estradiol and progesterone and differentially regulate sex steroid receptors in the ovaries, oviducts, and uteri of adult rats

Chronic ethanol intake is associated with sex hormone disturbances, and it is well known that melatonin plays a key role in regulating several reproductive processes. We report the effects of ethanol intake and melatonin treatment (at doses of 100. μg/100. g. BW/day) on sex hormones and steroid receptors in the ovaries, oviducts and uteri of ethanol-preferring rats. After 150 days of treatment, animals were euthanized, and tissue samples were harvested to evaluate androgen, estrogen, progesterone and melatonin receptor subunits (AR, ER-α and ER-β, PRA, PRB and MT1R, respectively). Melatonin decreased estradiol (E2) and increased progesterone (P4) and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (6-STM), while an ethanol-melatonin combination reduced both P4 and E2. Ovarian AR was not influenced by either treatment, and oviduct AR was reduced after ethanol-melatonin combination. Oviduct ER-α, ER-β and uterine ER-β were down-regulated by either ethanol or melatonin. Conversely, ovarian PRA and PRB were positively regulated by ethanol and ethanol-melatonin combination, whereas PRA was down-regulated in the uterus and oviduct after ethanol consumption. MT1R was increased in ovaries and uteri of melatonin-treated rats. Ethanol and melatonin exert opposite effects on E2 and P4, and they differentially regulate the expression of sex steroid receptors in female reproductive tissues. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Evaluation of Estrogenic Potential of Flavonoids Using a Recombinant Yeast Strain and MCF7/BUS Cell Proliferation Assay

Phytoestrogens are of interest because of their reported beneficial effects on many human maladies including cancer, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Furthermore, there is a search for compounds with estrogenic activity that can replace estrogen in hormone replacement therapy during menopause, without the undesirable effects of estrogen, such as the elevation of breast cancer occurrence. Thus, the principal objective of this study was to assess the estrogenic activity of flavonoids with different hydroxylation patterns: quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, fisetin, chrysin, galangin, flavone, 3-hydroxyflavone, 5-hydroxyflavone and 7-hydroxyflavone via two different in vitro assays, the recombinant yeast assay (RYA) and the MCF-7 proliferation assay (E-screen), since the most potent phytoestrogens are members of the flavonoid family. In these assays, kaempferol was the only compound that showed ERα-dependent transcriptional activation activity by RYA, showing 6.74±1.7 nM EEQ, besides acting as a full agonist for the stimulation of proliferation of MCF-7/BUS cells. The other compounds did not show detectable levels of interaction with ER under the conditions used in the RYA. However, in the E-screen assay, compounds such as galangin, luteolin and fisetin also stimulated the proliferation of MCF-7/BUS cells, acting as partial agonists. In the evaluation of antiestrogenicity, the compounds quercetin, chrysin and 3-hydroxyflavone significantly inhibited the cell proliferation induced by 17-β-estradiol in the E-screen assay, indicating that these compounds may act as estrogen receptor antagonists. Overall, it became clear in the assay results that the estrogenic activity of flavonoids was affected by small structural differences such as the number of hydroxyl groups, especially those on the B ring of the flavonoid. © 2013 Resende et al.

Eficiência do protocolo superestimulatório P-36, associado à administração de eCG ou LH, em animais da raça Angus

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influência do estrógeno (17B-estradiol) no osso alveolar e na movimentação dentária em ratas, após remoção do aparelho ortodôntico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Expressão dos fatores de crescimento fibroblástico 17 e 18 (FGF-17 e FGF-18) em folículos antrais bovinos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Efeito de tratamentos com progesterona e/ou estradiol na incidência de regressão prematura do corpo lúteo após a primeira ovulação em vacas nelore pós-parto

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Influência hormonal sobre o sistema pigmentar em Eupemphix nattereri (Anura): efeitos do alpha-MSH, estradiol e testosterona

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Polimorfismo XmnI e haplótipos do gene beta globina e suas relações com os níveis de hemoglobina Fetal em beta talassemia

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Increasing length of an estradiol and progesterone timed artificial insemination protocol decreases pregnancy losses in lactating dairy cows

Our hypothesis was that increasing the length of an estradiol and progesterone (P4) timed artificial insemination (TAI) protocol would improve pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI). Lactating Holstein cows (n = 759) yielding 31 +/- 0.30 kg of milk/d with a detectable corpus luteum (CL) at d - 11 were randomly assigned to receive TAI (d 0) following 1 of 2 treatments: (8d) d - 10 controlled internal drug release (CIDR) and 2.0 mg of estradiol benzoate, d - 3 = PGF(2 alpha) (25 mg of dinoprost tromethamine), d - 2 = CIDR removal and 1.0 mg of estradiol cypionate, d 0 = TAI; or (9d) d - 11 = CIDR and estradiol benzoate, d -4 = PGF(2 alpha), d -2 CIDR removal and estradiol cypionate, d 0 TAI. Cows were considered to have their estrous cycle synchronized in response to the protocol by the absence of a CL at artificial insemination (d 0) and presence of a CL on d 7. Pregnancy diagnoses were performed on d 32 and 60. The ovulatory follicle diameter at TAI (d 0) did not differ between treatments (14.7 +/- 0.39 vs. 15.0 +/- 0.40 mm for 8 and 9 d, respectively). The 9d cows tended to have greater P4 concentrations on d 7 in synchronized cows (3.14 +/- 0.18 ng/mL) than the 8d cows (3.05 +/- 0.18 ng/mL). Although the P/AI at d 32 [45 (175/385) vs. 43.9% (166/374) for 8d and 9d, respectively] and 60 [38.1 (150/385) vs. 40.4% (154/374) for 8d and 9d, respectively] was not different, the 9d cows had lower pregnancy losses [7.6% (12/166)] than 8d cows [14.7% (25/175)]. The cows in the 9d program were more likely to be detected in estrus [72.0% (269/374)] compared with 8d cows [62% (240/385)]. Expression of estrus improved synchronization [97.4 (489/501) vs. 81% (202/248)], P4 concentrations at d 7 (3.22 +/- 0.16 vs. 2.77 +/- 0.17 ng/mL), P/AI at d 32 [51.2 (252/489) vs. 39.4% (81/202)], P/AI at d 60 [46.3 (230/489) vs. 31.1% (66/202)], and decreased pregnancy loss [9.3 (22/252) vs. 19.8% (15/81)] compared with cows that did not show estrus, respectively. Cows not detected in estrus with small (<11 mm) or large follicles (>17 mm) had greater pregnancy loss; however, in cows detected in estrus, no effect of follicle diameter on pregnancy loss was observed. In conclusion, increasing the length of the protocol for TAI increased the percentage of cows detected in estrus and decreased pregnancy loss.

Antioxidant activity and determination of total phenol contents, carotenoids, beta-carotene, lycopene and zinc in white, yellow and pinkish varieties of manihot esculenta crantz

There are cassava varieties that present compounds as carotenoids, beta-carotene, lycopene and minerals important for human and animal health. The present study evaluated the antioxidant activity of the white, yellow and pinkish varieties of Manihot esculenta, by mean of the DPPH test and by the ferrous ion-chelating activity. Furthermore, the total phenols, carotenoids, beta-carotene, lycopene and zinc contents were also determined. Utilizing the DPPH test it was possible to find that extracts of boiled samples presented higher antioxidant activity (89.53% -pinkish) in comparison to the fresh samples (1.97% -white). For the ferrous ion-chelating test, the highest activity was found for the boiled pinkish variety extract (63.43%) and the lowest was for fresh yellow extract (17.34%) the white sample did not present activity. The highest concentration of total phenols and zinc content was obtained for the boiled pinkish variety extract 136.12 mg EAG/g of extract and 0,811ppm, respectively, in the concentration of 1000 mu g/mL. The pinkish variety presented also higher quantity of pigments, including carotenoid (29.40 mu g/g), beta-carotene (9.14 mu g/100g) and lycopene (68.92%). According to the results obtained in this study it was possible to conclude that the yellow and pinkish varieties of M. esculenta present quantity of phenolic compounds and minerals sufficient to attribute the antioxidant activity and may thus contribute to reduce oxidative damage and be used as nutraceuticals or directly ingested in the diet to maintain good health.

Effects of catecholamines on volemic replacement with saline solution and the impact on heart rate variability in rabbits subjected to hemorrhage. A study by spectral analysis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Análise tomográfica, histológica, histométrica e imunoistoquímica do beta tricálcio fosfato com osso autógeno em aumento do soalho de seio maxilar

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of dexmedetomidine on pulse pressure variation changes induced by hemorrhage followed by volume replacement in isoflurane-anesthetized dogs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)