Influence of mycotoxin zearalenone and its derivatives (alpha and beta zearalenol) on apoptosis and proliferation of cultured granulosa cells from equine ovaries

BACKGROUND: The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA) and its derivatives, alpha and beta-zearalenol (alpha and beta-ZOL), synthesized by genera Fusarium, often occur as contaminants in cereal grains and animal feeds. The importance of ZEA on reproductive disorders is well known in domestic animals species, particularly in swine and cattle. In the horse, limited data are available to date on the influence of dietary exposure to ZEA on reproductive health and on its in vitro effects on reproductive cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ZEA and its derivatives, alpha and beta-ZOL, on granulosa cells (GCs) from the ovaries of cycling mares. METHODS: The cell proliferation was evaluated by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test after 3 days exposure at different concentrations of ZEA and its derivatives (from 1 × 10-7 to 0.1 microM). The apoptosis induction was evaluated after 1 day exposure, by DNA analysis using flow cytometry. RESULTS: An increase in cell proliferation with respect to the control was observed in the presence of ZEA at 1 × 10-3 and 1 × 10-4 microM and apoptosis was induced by all mycotoxins at different concentrations. CONCLUSION: The simultaneous presence of apoptosis and proliferation in GC cultures treated with zearalenones could indicate that these mycotoxins could be effective in inducing follicular atresia. These effects of zearalenones may result from both direct interaction with oestrogen-receptors as well as interaction with the enzymes 3alpha (beta)-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD), involved in the synthesis and metabolism of endogenous steroid hormones. These cellular disturbances, described for the first time in equine GCs cultured in vitro, could be hypothesized as referred to reproductive failures of unknown ethiology in the mare

Effects of the environment on dog semen parameters and testosterone concentration.

Whether a mammal reproduces seasonally or continuously depends mostly on the environment and its effects on the endocrine pattern. Although the dog was the first species to have been domesticated, little information is available on the changes in reproduction that have occurred since. In this study, we evaluated whether environmental stimuli can act as modulators of male gonadal activity in the dog at the latitude of Bari (Italy). Therefore, for 1 year, serum and seminal testosterone (T) concentrations, together with seminal parameters, were recorded monthly and evaluated in relation to environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, and photoperiod. We found that, in temperate regions, the annual serum T profile is not affected by environmental conditions, whereas seminal T profile peaks in October and reaches its nadir in April. The percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa is also dependent on environmental cues. The results support the intuitive idea that recorded data require a proper analysis to be meaningful. In fact, we found that, in the dog, environmental changes appear to affect male gonadal physiology, and this is clear when recorded data are analyzed monthly; in contrast, pooling data into seasonal groups hides monthly environmental variations

Caretta caretta: Relationship between body size and sexual hormones

Sex determination in juvenile Caretta caretta is difficult because of the lack of heteromorphic sex chromosome and the absence of dimorphic secondary traits. Up till now the most reliable method of gender determination is laparoscopy, that is an invasive and time consuming surgical technique. Testosterone or vitellogenin concentration are proposed as alternative methods but are still not satisfactory. We tried to predict sex of juvenile loggerhead during winter combining the evaluation of body size with the concentration of sexual steroid hormones and vitellogenin. Our results didn’t evidence any correlation between the variables analyzed confirming the general idea of laparoscopy as essential technique in juvenile Caretta caretta sex determination during winter

Espressione del recettore mu per gli oppioidi nell’epitelio seminifero di gatto

The presence of endogenous opioids has been evidenced both in the male and female reproductive tract, but less is still known on the role that they have on the reproductive function. On the contrary lots of studies evidenced the role that calcium has on capacitation and acrosome reaction, two important steps in the process that leads sperm cells to acquire the ability of fertilizing the egg. In this study by means of immunostaining techniques the mu-opioid receptor has been localized-on male cat germ cells and its presence and expression has been studied during spermatogenesis

A multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the effects of the training system on the performance of "Aglianico del Vulture" vineyards

Vineyards are complex agro-ecosystems with high spatial and temporal variability. An efficient training system may counteract the adverse effects of this variability. Moreover, considering the climate change issues, choosing an efficient training system that enhances water use and protects the vines from radiative thermal stress has become a priority for the farmers. A multidisciplinary approach that assesses the soil-crop-yield-wine relationships of vineyards in a distributed and holistic way could bring added knowledge on the behavior of the different training systems. This ongoing research aimed to implement a multidisciplinary approach to study the behavior of "Aglianico del Vulture" grapevines trained with two different systems: a spurred cordon (SC) and an "Alberello in parete" (AL), grown in a high-quality wine production area of Basilicata region (Italy). The approach merged several methods and scales of soil, ecophysiology, must/wine quality, and spectral data collection to assess the influence of the training system. Homogeneous zones (HZs) in both training systems were defined through a procedure based on geomorphological classification, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) images analysis, and a traditional soil survey supported by geophysical scanning. During the 2021 season, TDR probes monitored soil water content, while grapevine health status was assessed using eco- physiological measurements (LWP, chlorophyll content, PSII photosynthetic efficiency, LAI, and point-based field spectroscopy). These grapevine in-vivo measurements validated the spectral vegetation indexes (NDVI, RENDVI, CVI, and TVI) derived from the UAV multispectral imagery, which monitored the grapevine status in a distributed and non-invasive way. Grape yield, quality of berries, must and wine were measured to assess the effects of the training systems. The first experimental year results showed the variability of the vineyards and revealed relationships among soil parameters, crop characteristics, and vegetation indices of the SC and AL training systems. This multidisciplinary study could bring new insights into the vineyard training system's effects on grape yield and wine quality

Journal of Anthropological Sciences (JASs)

Dal 2007 la Rivista è stata inserita nel Social Science Citation Index. Alla rivista e’ stato attribuito il ranking “B” (Standard, international level publication) nel pannello “Evolutionary Anthropology" dall'European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) della European Science Foundation (ESF

Turismo, territorio, identit\ue0. Ricerche ed esperienze nell'area mediterranea

Tutta una serie di fattori hanno portato alla formazione di un mercato turistico globale, che viene ad offrirsi con i suoi modelli standardizzati (forme organizzative, modalit\ue0 di insediamento, comportamenti) ai turisti di tutto il mondo. Le differenze tra i luoghi, che costituiscono uno dei pi\uf9 importanti fondamenti della motivazione turistica, vengono cos\uec esposte al rischio di venire ridotte, mascherate o anche del tutto cancellate dalla diffusione dei modelli dominanti. La difesa del patrimonio naturale e culturale di ogni specifica regione e la sua valorizzazione quale segno dell'identit\ue0 locale vengono rese pi\uf9 difficili, ma al tempo stesso diventano pi\uf9 importanti, sia per i fruitori esterni, che per quelli interni. Il presente volume affronta questo problema e raccoglie studi su numerose localit\ue0 e regioni turistiche dell'area mediterranea, documentando esperienze e processi in atto finalizzati a cogliere le opportunit\ue0 che si offrono oggi alla valorizzazione delle risorse pi\uf9 specifiche di ogni luogo. Particolare attenzione viene riservata ai processi di aggregazione imprenditoriale e territoriale che si propongono di utilizzare proprio la specificit\ue0 dell'offerta locale per penetrare pi\uf9 efficacemente le grandi reti infrastrutturali della dimensione globale