Oxytocin protects neurons from hypoxic-ischemic brain injury by enhancing inhibitory neurotransmission in neonatal rats

Purpose: To study the protective effect of oxytocin on hypoxic-ischemic brain neuron injury in neonatal rats, and the mechanism of action involved.Methods: Hippocampal slices from neonatal SD rats were cultured in oxygen/glucose-deprived (OGD) solution, leading to establishment of hypoxic-ischemic model of hippocampal slices in vitro. The slices were assigned to 3 groups: control (ACSF solution), model (OGD solution), and oxytocin (OGD solution + 1 μM oxytocin). The effect of oxytocin on vertebral neurons in hippocampal CA1 region of HIBD rats was determined using TOPRO-3 staining, while the effects of oxytocin on hypoxic depolarization (AD) and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (iPSCs) were measured by cell patch clamp technique.Results: The fluorescence intensity of vertebral lamina in hippocampal CA1 area of model group was significantly higher than that of control group, while the corresponding value for oxytocin group was significantly lower than that of model group (p < 0.05). The time lapse before occurrence of AD in hippocampal CA1 area was significantly longer in oxytocin group than in model group, while the time lapse before neuronal AD in oxytocin receptor antagonist group was lower than that in oxytocin group. The frequency and amplitude of iPSCs in oxytocin group were markedly higher than the corresponding control values.Conclusion: Oxytocin exerts protective effect against hypoxic-ischemic brain neuronal damage in neonatal rats by regulating the activation of oxytocin receptor and GABA receptor, and inhibiting nerve transmission. These findings may be of benefit in the development of a suitable therapy for HIBD

The Case Study on Soil Fauna Diversity in Different Ecological System in Shilin NationalPark, Yunnan, China

Predhodno sta bili preučevani razporeditev in raznovrstnost talne favne v vrsti degradiranih ekosistemov v narodnem parku Shilin. Ti ekosistemi vključujejo pet tipov rastlinskega pokrova: 1. naravno grmišče, 2. umetno nasajen cipresov gozd, 3. naravni travnik, 4. drugotni travnik, 5. golo rdečo prst. Na vsakem izmed njih je bila talna favna nabrana s kvadrata velikosti 1 krat 1 m. Živali so bile nabrane ročno ali pa izločene s pomočjo segrevanja. V talni favni so prevladovale acarina, collembola, nematoda, coleoptera in opistopora. Toda razmeroma pogoste so bile tudi skupine enchytraeidae, araneida, lepidoptera in diptera. Indeks raznovrstnosti H je manjši od 1,5 in se močno znižuje vzporedno z degradacijo rastlinstva. V kraških prsteh so med najpogostejšimi parholaspidae. Biomasa trhypochthoniidae in ologamasidae je najbolj zgoščena v naravnem grmišču in kaže veliko občutljivost teh skupin na degradacijo rastlinstva. Razmerje biomase acarina v primerjavi s collembola je v razponu 0.7 do 1.5, kar je veliko odstopanje od podatkov za naravne prsti podobnih geografskih širin, znanih iz literature. Majhna biomasa talne favne in manjša raznovrstnost kažeta, da se habitati v preučevanih prsteh slabšajo in se torej slabša tudi zdravje celega ekosistema. Izsledki tudi kažejo na ranljivost talne favne v prsteh z vidika sonaravnega razvoja parka Shilin.A preliminary study of the distribution and diversity of soil fauna in a sequence of ecosystem degradation in the Shilin National Park, Yunnan, China has been made. The degraded ecologic system includes 5 types of vegetation cover: (1) natural bush; (2) human planted cypress forest; (3)natural grass; (4)secondary grass and (5) bared red earth. A quadrate of 1m×1m in each eco-tessera was sampled for soil fauna collection. The animals were obtained either by picking up or by heat-removing. The soil fauna were dominated by Acarina, Collembola, Nematode, Coleoptera,and Opistopora in these soils. However, Erchytraeidae, Araneida, Lepidoptera and Diptera were also common groups. The diversity index H turned to be less than 1.5, drastically decreasing with the vegetation degradation trend. In the karst soils, Parholaspidae was one of the most populous among the mites. The biomass of Trhypochthoniidae and Ologamasidae was very concentrated in the natural bush ecosystem, showing high sensitivity of mites to vegetation degradation. The biomass ratio of Acarina to Collembola in the studied soils ranged from 0.70 to 1.50, which was in great discrepancy to the results reported of the natural soils at similar latitude. The small soil fauna biomass and less diversity indicated that the studied soil was in a state of deterioration of soil fauna habitats and, in turn, the soil ecosystem health. The results also evidenced that the soil fauna in the karst soil was definitely vulnerable as regarded to the sustainable development of the Shilin Park

Regulatory effect of lactulose on intestinal flora and serum metabolites in colitis mice: In vitro and in vivo evaluation

Lactulose is a common component in foods. However, the effect of lactulose on intestinal flora and overall metabolic levels remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the regulative role of lactulose on intestinal flora and serum metabolites via in vitro simulated colonic fermentation model and in vivo colitis mouse model. The results showed that lactulose significantly enriched beneficial bacteria including Dubosiella and Bifidobacterium, and reduced pathogenic bacteria such as Fusobacterium. Moreover, lactulose significantly inhibited dextran sodium sulfate-induced body weight loss, colon shortening, colonic inflammatory infiltration, and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, and IL-1β. Lactulose significantly affected serum metabolome in colitis mice and total 24 metabolites representing a high inter-group difference were obtained. Correlation analysis revealed that the changes in serum metabolites were closely associated with the role of intestinal flora, and thus affected phenotypic indicators. Our study provides a reference for nutritional characteristics and application scenarios of dietary lactulose

Use of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes to understand evaporation from enclosed waterbodies

Getting information on evaporation is important for water resource protection and managing regional enclosed waterbodies. Some lake water samples were collected in May and June from a representative enclosed waterbody – the Pearl Lake, Suzhou, China – and the hydrogen and oxygen isotopes determined. Most samples taken in June have higher δ18O and δD values than those in May, indicating that there are differences between the intensity of evaporation of May and June. This was further confirmed by the water samples’ d-excess values, which were below the meteoric line. However, the variations of d-excess value have been shown to be influenced by source moistures or evaporation processes, which were controlled by the local environment, e.g., whether the water was shaded or not. The residual water quantities calculated were 53 to 63% and 49 to 56% for May and June, respectively, relative to the initial water, indicating that about 5% of the water evaporated between 5 May and 5 June

A Mechanistic Study of the Osteogenic Effect of Arecoline in an Osteoporosis Model: Inhibition of Iron Overload-Induced Osteogenesis by Promoting Heme Oxygenase-1 Expression

Iron overload-associated osteoporosis presents a significant challenge to bone health. This study examines the effects of arecoline (ACL), an alkaloid found in areca nut, on bone metabolism under iron overload conditions induced by ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) treatment. The results indicate that ACL mitigates the FAC-induced inhibition of osteogenesis in zebrafish larvae, as demonstrated by increased skeletal mineralization and upregulation of osteogenic genes. ACL attenuates FAC-mediated suppression of osteoblast differentiation and mineralization in MC3T3-E1 cells. RNA sequencing analysis suggests that the protective effects of ACL are related to the regulation of ferroptosis. We demonstrate that ACL inhibits ferroptosis, including oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial damage, and cell death under FAC exposure. In this study, we have identified heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) as a critical mediator of ACL inhibiting ferroptosis and promoting osteogenesis, which was validated by HO-1 knockdown and knockout experiments. The study links ACL to HO-1 activation and ferroptosis regulation in the context of bone metabolism. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the modulation of osteogenesis by ACL. Targeting the HO-1/ferroptosis axis is a promising therapeutic approach for treating iron overload-induced bone diseases

Protective Effect of the Naringin–Chitooligosaccharide Complex on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Systematic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Model in Mice

Naringin is one of the common flavonoids in grapefruit, which has anti-cancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, its poor solubility limits its wide application. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of naringin combined with chitooligosaccharides with good biocompatibility by constructing a mouse model of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The results showed that the naringin–chitooligosaccharide (NG-COS) complex significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced weight loss, reduced food intake, tissue inflammatory infiltration, and proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, INF-γ, and IL-1β levels. The complex also significantly affected the content of malondialdehyde and the activities of MPO, SOD, and GSH in the liver, spleen, lungs, and serum of mice with systemic inflammation. In addition, NG-COS significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors in the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Principal component analysis showed that the complexes could inhibit LPS-induced systemic inflammation in mice, and the effect was significantly better than that of naringin and chitooligosaccharides alone. This study explored the synergistic effects of chitosan and naringin in reducing inflammation and could contribute to the development of novel biomedical interventions

Design, Synthesis, Phloem Mobility, and Bioactivities of a Series of Phenazine-1-Carboxylic Acid-Amino Acid Conjugates

Developing fungicides with phloem mobility that can be applied to leaves to control root or vascular pathogens has long been desirable. To achieve this goal, an efficient and economical strategy involves introducing an amino acid into the existing highly active parent pesticide molecule. Hence, 12 L-phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA)-amino acid conjugates 4a–l were designed and synthesized via a simple synthetic route. In vitro bioassays results showed that all synthesized compounds 4a–l exhibited certain fungicidal activities against six tested fungi. Compound 4c exhibited relatively good fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani, and the EC50 value was 0.084 ± 0.006 mmol/L. The phloem mobility experiments revealed that introducing an amino acid to PCA could effectively endow PCA with phloem mobility in R. communis L. Among them, nine conjugates were found in phloem sap, and L-PCA-Valine 4d exhibited the highest phloem mobility. Analysis results from the prediction of the Kleier model indicated that an active carrier-mediated mechanism may be involved in L-PCA-amino acid conjugates—a result that needs to be confirmed and complemented with further tests. The current research provides useful data for modifying non-phloem-mobile fungicidal molecules to phloem-mobile types

Selenium Nanoparticles Attenuate Cobalt Nanoparticle-Induced Skeletal Muscle Injury: A Study Based on Myoblasts and Zebrafish

Cobalt alloys have numerous applications, especially as critical components in orthopedic biomedical implants. However, recent investigations have revealed potential hazards associated with the release of nanoparticles from cobalt-based implants during implantation. This can lead to their accumulation and migration within the body, resulting in adverse reactions such as organ toxicity. Despite being a primary interface for cobalt nanoparticle (CoNP) exposure, skeletal muscle lacks comprehensive long-term impact studies. This study evaluated whether selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) could mitigate CoNP toxicity in muscle cells and zebrafish models. CoNPs dose-dependently reduced C2C12 viability while elevating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis. However, low-dose SeNPs attenuated these adverse effects. CoNPs downregulated myogenic genes and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in C2C12 cells; this effect was attenuated by SeNP cotreatment. Zebrafish studies confirmed CoNP toxicity, as it decreased locomotor performance while inducing muscle injury, ROS generation, malformations, and mortality. However, SeNPs alleviated these detrimental effects. Overall, SeNPs mitigated CoNP-mediated cytotoxicity in muscle cells and tissue through antioxidative and antiapoptotic mechanisms. This suggests that SeNP-coated implants could be developed to eliminate cobalt nanoparticle toxicity and enhance the safety of metallic implants

Li/Na Ion Storage Performance of a FeOF Nano Rod with Controllable Morphology

Although the conversion material iron oxyfluoride (FeOF) possesses a high theoretical specific capacity as a cathode material for Li/Na ion batteries, its poor rate and cycling performances, caused mainly by sluggish (Li+/Na+) reaction kinetics, restrict its practical application. Herein, FeOF with high purity, a fusiform nanorod shape and high crystallinity is prepared through a facile chemical solution reaction. The electrochemical measurements show that the present FeOF exhibits high capacity and good cycling stability as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries. Capacities of 301, 274, 249, 222, and 194 mAh/g at stepwise current densities of 20, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mA/g are achieved, respectively. Additionally, the capacity at 100 mA/g retains 123 mAh/g after 140 cycles. Meanwhile, as a cathode material for Na ion battery, it delivers discharge capacities of 185, 167, 151, 134 and 115 mAh/g at stepwise current densities of 20, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mA/g, respectively. A discharge capacity of 83 mAh/g at 100 mA/g is achieved after 140 cycles. The excellent lithium/sodium-storage performance of the present FeOF material is ascribed to its unique nanostructure