Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are fatty acid signaling molecules synthesized by cytochrome P450 epoxygenases from arachidonic acid. The biological activity of EETs is terminated when being metabolized by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), a process that serves as a key regulator of tissue EETs levels. EETs act through several signaling pathways to mediate various beneficial effects, including anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-oxidation with relieve of endoplasmic reticulum stress, thereby sEH has become a potential therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease and cancer therapy. Enzymes for EET biosynthesis and metabolism are both widely detected in both neuron and glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies discovered that astrocyte-derived EETs not only mediate neurovascular coupling and neuronal excitability by maintaining glutamate homeostasis but also glia-dependent neuroprotection. Genetic ablation as well as pharmacologic inhibition of sEH has greatly helped to elucidate the physiologic actions of EETs, and maintaining or elevating brain EETs level has been demonstrated beneficial effects in CNS disease models. Here, we review the literature regarding the studies on the bioactivity of EETs and their metabolic enzyme sEH with special attention paid to their action mechanisms in the CNS, including their modulation of neuronal activity, attenuation of neuroinflammation, regulation of cerebral blood flow, and improvement of neuronal and glial cells survival. We further reviewed the recent advance on the potential application of sEH inhibition for treating cerebrovascular disease, epilepsy, and pain disorder.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Physical activity is widely recognized to improve health and its inclusion in daily life at all ages is highly recommended. Gonadal hormones are known to be affected by physical activity. The exercise-induced effects on male runners of different ages were investigated by dividing 31 runners by age (Young, Y, 30–55 years; Old, O, 56–70 years) and amount of training (Light, L, <50 km/week; Heavy, H, 50 or more km/week). To test the somatic, sexual, and psychological health aspects, the Aging Male's Symptoms Scale (AMS) and the International Index of Erectile Function-6 (IIEF-6) questionnaires were administered and blood samples were drawn for adrenocorticotropic hormone, testosterone (Total-TT), free testosterone (Free-T), cortisol (C), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin determinations. Clinical evaluations and questionnaire results showed the presence in all groups of some subclinical symptoms and “Light” dysfunctions. TT in the old-heavy (OH) group was significantly lower than in the OL group (2.38 ± 0.18 ng/mL vs. 3.36 ± 0.44 ng/ml, P = 0.05). The TT/DHT ratio was significantly higher in YH than in OH (3.64 ± 0.16 vs. 2.92 ± 0.23, P < 0.05). TT was positively correlated with AMS sexual subscale and negatively correlated with IIEF-6. Physical activity can significantly affect andrological health and testosterone levels in runners at all ages. Thus, due to the important testosterone-mediated vital functions in men, the evaluation of these parameters would be indicated in old as well as in young subjects.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women worldwide. Surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted drugs are the main methods currently used in clinical treatment of breast cancer. Although they can improve the symptoms of patients, they are also accompanied by a large number of side effects. Because of its multiple targets, traditional Chinese medicine can improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients and reduce the side effects associated with chemotherapy, which plays an important role in the treatment of breast cancer. To a certain extent, traditional Chinese medicine has advantages that modern medicine does not have in the treatment of breast cancer. Alkaloids are active ingredients widely distributed in traditional Chinese medicine, which have a variety of pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antitumor effects. The author reviewed the literature on the treatment of breast cancer with alkaloids extracted from traditional Chinese medicine in recent years, and discussed the unique advantages of alkaloids in the treatment of breast cancer.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been successfully cultured and proliferated in vitro and can differentiate into a variety of specific cell types, such as adipocytes or osteocytes, through chemical stimulation. One of the major applications of MSCs is in regenerative medicine research. MSCs can be collected from many adult tissues. In this experiment, an 8-week-old expresses green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic mouse, FVB/NCrl-Tg(Pgk1-EGFP)01Narl, was used to obtain adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) from abdominal adipose tissue and bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) from femur bone marrow. We compared the differences in the growth rate and differentiation ability of ADSCs and BMSCs. The growth curves of different generations (P1 and P3) of the stem cells showed that the proliferation rate of ADSCs was significantly higher than that of BMSCs. The purity of stem cells was measured by the number of colony-forming unit fibroblast. The results show that the number of colonies of ADSCs at different generations (P1 and P3) was significantly higher than that of BMSCs and that the purity of ADSCs was greater than that of BMSCs. Comparing the ability of ADSCs and BMSCs to induce osteogenic differentiation and the expression of Runx2 and Opn genes, the results show that ADSCs had a higher rate of osteogenic differentiation than BMSCs. In summary, mouse ADSCs display similar osteogenic differentiation ability to BMSCs but have a better capacity than BMSCs in terms of stem cell purity and cell proliferation in vitro.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Hepatotoma is the leading type of primary liver cancer in adults and third cause of death in the world. Hydroxytyrosol is a natural phenol existing in olive (Olea europaea L.). Hydroxytyrosol is the chief ingredient of olive oil, which was early deemed to be the most robust antioxidant in olive oil. Hydroxytyrosol is known to inhibit various types of cancer by different methods. This study was aimed to delineate the action of hydroxytyrosol on viability and [Ca²⁺]_i in HepG2 hepatoma cells. Fura-2 was used to detect [Ca²⁺]_i, and WST-1 assays were applied to explore cell cytotoxicity. Hydroxytyrosol elicited [Ca²⁺]_i raises. Eliminating external Ca²⁺ diminished the Ca²⁺ signal by 30%. Hydroxytyrosol-evoked Ca²⁺ influx was diminished by 20% by three inhibitors of store-operated Ca²⁺ channels and by a protein kinase C activator and an inhibitor. In the absence of Ca²⁺, thapsigargin eradicated hydroxytyrosol-provoked [Ca²⁺]_i raises. Suppression of phospholipase C (PLC) with U73122, a PLC inhibitor, did not inhibit hydroxytyrosol-elicited [Ca²⁺]_i raises. Hydroxytyrosol reduced cell viability. This cytotoxic action was not reversed by preincubation with BAPTA/AM, a cytosolic Ca²⁺ binder. In sum, in HepG2 hepatoma cells, hydroxytyrosol elicited [Ca²⁺]_i raises by provoking PLC-unrelated discharge of Ca²⁺ from ER and Ca²⁺ influx through PKC-sensitive store-operated Ca²⁺ entry. In addition, hydroxytyrosol elicited Ca²⁺-dissociated cytotoxicity.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Full text not available  [PDF]

Carbohydrate mouth rinsing (CMR) potentially affects the interval training performance of taekwondo athletes. This study explored the effect of CMR on vertical jump, kicking speed, and fatigue index before and after simulated taekwondo competition. In a crossover experimental design, 13 trained taekwondo athletes were randomly divided into the CMR and control trials. After warming up, the participants used 6.6% maltodextrin (CMR trial) or mineral water (control trial) to rinse their mouth. Next, the participants underwent tests of vertical jump, kicking speed, and maximum number of kicks. After the tests, the participants rinsed their mouth again, followed by using Wingate testing bikes for 5-s sprint and 25-s rest to simulate taekwondo competitions. Four repetitions were performed in each round for 2 min for a total of three rounds. The results revealed that the fatigue index of the participants in the CMR trial before and after the simulated competition was significantly lower than that of the control trial. However, the two trials differed nonsignificantly in their performance in vertical jump, kicking speed, and the simulated competition. Overall, the study results indicated that CMR reduces the fatigue index but no change was observed in performance for vertical jump, kicking speed, and the simulated competition of trained taekwondo athletes.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub]  [PubMed]