Capacitation Suppression by Mouse Seminal Vesicle Autoantigen Involves a Decrease in Plasma Membrane Ca2+-Atpase Pmca-Mediated Intracellular Calcium

Successful fertilization is tightly regulated by capacitation and decapacitation processes. Without appropriate decapacitation regulation, sperm would undergo a spontaneous acrosome reaction which leads to loss of fertilization ability. Seminal plasma is known to negatively regulate sperm capacitation. However, the suppressive mechanisms still remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate the decapacitation mechanism of mouse seminal vesicle autoantigen SVA might target membrane sphingomyelin SPM and regulate plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase PMCA activity. The SVA was shown to suppress sperm capacitation induced by a broad panel of capacitation factors bovine serum albumin BSA, PAF, and cyclodextrin CD. Furthermore, SVA significantly decreased [Ca2+]i and NaHCO3-induced [cAMP] i. Cyclic AMP agonists bypassed the SVAs suppressive ability. Importantly, the SVA may regulate PMCA activity which was evidenced by the fact that the SVA decreased the [Ca2+]i and intracellular pH pHi of sperm; meanwhile , a PMCA inhibitor carboxyeosin could reverse SVAs suppression of [Ca2+]i. The potential target of the SVA on membrane SPM/lipid rafts was highlighted by the high binding affinity of SPM-SVA with a K -d of similar to 3 mu M which was close to the IC50 of SVAs suppressive activity. Additionally, treatment of mink lung epithelial cells with the SVA enhanced plasminogen activator inhibitor PAI-1 expression stimulated by tumor growth factor TGF-beta and CD. These observations supported the membrane lipid-raft targeting of SVA. In summary, in this paper, we demonstrate that the decapacitation mechanism of the SVA might target membrane sphingolipid SPM and regulate PMCA activity to lower [Ca2+]i, thereby decreasing the [cAMP ]i level and preventing sperm pre- capacitation

Chinese text classification by the Naïve Bayes Classifier and the associative classifier with multiple confidence threshold values

[[abstract]]Each type of classifier has its own advantages as well as certain shortcomings. In this paper, we take the advantages of the associative classifier and the Naïve Bayes Classifier to make up the shortcomings of each other, thus improving the accuracy of text classification. We will classify the training cases with the Naïve Bayes Classifier and set different confidence threshold values for different class association rules (CARs) to different classes by the obtained classification accuracy rate of the Naïve Bayes Classifier to the classes. Since the accuracy rates of all selected CARs of the class are higher than that obtained by the Naïve Bayes Classifier, we could further optimize the classification result through these selected CARs. Moreover, for those unclassified cases, we will classify them with the Naïve Bayes Classifier. The experimental results show that combining the advantages of these two different classifiers better classification result can be obtained than with a single classifier.[[incitationindex]]SCI[[incitationindex]]EI[[booktype]]紙

Osteoporosis Prevention by Adlay (薏苡 Yì Yǐ: The Seeds of Coix Lachryma-Jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) in a Mouse Model

Osteoporosis is characterized by reduced bone mass and quality due to an imbalanced bone remodeling. A grass crop, adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi), is a kind of nourishing food, which has also been used in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we investigated the effect of adlay (C. lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) on osteoporosis using an ovariectomized mouse model. The adlay diet (10% and 30% adlay in mouse diet) or water extract of adlay (0.3 g/kg/day) was given to ovariectomized mice for 4 weeks. In some experiments, the primary rat osteoblast cells were used to test the possible mechanism of adlay on osteoporosis. The body weight was slightly increased and uterus weight was markedly decreased in ovariectomized mice, which were not affected by adlay treatment. Adlay diet (30%) and adlay extract feedings significantly reversed the decreased bone alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium contents and bone mineral density in ovariectomized mice. Moreover, adlay extracts increased the osteoblast cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Adlay extracts also increased the protein expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 in osteoblast cells. ERK inhibitor PD98059 significantly reversed the increased osteoblast cell proliferation by adlay extracts. Taken together, these findings indicate that adlay effectively alleviates the osteoporotic status in ovariectomized mice. Adlay is capable of increasing the proliferation of osteoblast cells via an ERK-regulated signaling pathway. Adlay may be a helpful healthy food for osteoporosis prevention

The Anti-Obesity Effect of Polysaccharide-Rich Red Algae (Gelidium amansii) Hot-Water Extracts in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Hamsters

This study investigated the anti-obesity effect of a polysaccharide-rich red algae Gelidium amansii hot-water extract (GHE) in high-fat (HF) diet-induced obese hamsters. GHE contained 68.54% water-soluble indigestible carbohydrate polymers. Hamsters were fed with a HF diet for 5 weeks to induce obesity, and then randomly divided into: HF group, HF with 3% guar gum diet group, HF with 3% GHE diet group, and HF with orlistat (200 mg/kg diet) group for 9 weeks. The increased weights of body, liver, and adipose in the HF group were significantly reversed by GHE supplementation. Lower plasma leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 levels were observed in the GHE+HF group compared to the HF group. GHE also increased the lipolysis rate and decreased the lipoprotein lipase activity in adipose tissues. GHE induced an increase in the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the protein expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and uncoupling protein (UCP)-2 in the livers. The decreased triglyceride and total cholesterol in the plasma and liver were also observed in obese hamsters fed a diet with GHE. These results suggest that GHE exerts a down-regulation effect on hepatic lipid metabolism through AMPK phosphorylation and up-regulation of PPARα and UCP-2 in HF-induced obese hamsters

Evaluation of Purinergic Mechanism for the Treatment of Voiding Dysfunction: A Study in Conscious Spinal Cord-injured Rats

To investigate the effect of a selective P2X3–P2X2/3 purinergic receptor antagonist (A-317491) on detrusor hyperreflexia in conscious chronic spinal cord-injured female rats. Methods: Six chronic spinal cord-transected female Sprague-Dawley rats (290–336 g) were used in this study. Spinal transection at the T8–T9 segmental level was performed using aseptic techniques under halothane anesthesia. Fourteen to 16 weeks after spinal transection, A-317491, a selective P2X3 purinergic receptor antagonist, was administered intravenously in cystometry studies at increasing doses of 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10 and 30 mmol/kg at 40–50 minute intervals. Cystometrograms (CMGs) were performed before and after the administration of each dose of the drug. Results: The continuous filling of CMGs revealed a large number of small-amplitude (> 8 cmH2O), non-voiding contractions (NVCs) (average, 9.7 per voiding cycle) preceding voiding contractions (mean amplitude, 31 cmH2O; duration, 2.5 minutes), which occurred at an interval of 539 seconds and at a pressure threshold of 5.7 cmH2O. When tested in a range of doses (0.03–30 μmol/kg, intravenous), A-317491 in doses between 1 and 30 mmol/kg significantly (p < 0.05) increased the interval between voids by 25%, reduced the number of NVCs by 42–62%, and increased the pressure threshold for voiding by 53–73%, but did not change the amplitude of the duration of the voiding contractions. The effects of the drug were apparent within 10 minutes following administration. Conclusion: These results indicate that purinergic mechanisms, presumably involving P2X3 or P2X2/3 receptors on bladder C-fiber afferent nerves, play an important role in the detrusor hyperreflexia that occurs after spinal cord injury in rats

Evaluation of osteoporosis prevention by adlay using a tissue culture model

Stapf ) is a grass crop, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine and also as a nourishing food. Recently, some studies have indicated that adlay possesses some pharmacological effects including anti-allergic, anti-mutagenic, hypolipemic, and anti-diabetic effects. However, the effect of adlay on osteoporosis is still unknown. In this study, we investigated and evaluated the effect of adlay seed on the osteoporosis prevention. The methods of in vitro cultures of neonatal rat calvaria tissues or adult rat femoral metaphyseal tissues of bones isolated from normal or ovariectomized female rats were used for further investigation. Treatment with water extract of adlay seed could reverse the decreased alkaline phosphatase activities and calcium levels and increased tartrate-resistant acidic phosphatase activities induced by parathyroid hormone in cultured metaphyseal tissues. In ovariectomized rats, the alkaline phosphatase activities and calcium levels were significantly decreased and tartrate-resistant acidic phosphatase activities were increased in femoral metaphyseal tissues as compared with sham-control. Treatment with water extract of adlay seed could counteract these effects in ovariectomized rats. Taken together, these findings imply that adlay is capable of reversing the osteoporotic status in rats, and may be a helpful healthy food for osteoporosis prevention