Int J Med Sci
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Background: Urethral stricture is a common disorder of the lower urinary tract in men. A complex network of pathways and interactions are involved in the pathogenesis of urethral fibrosis. However, the mechanisms underlying urethral fibrosis remain poorly understood. ⋯ DKK1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, collagen content, cell migration and promoted cell apoptosis in TGFβ1-induced HUFs. DKK1 significantly suppressed myofibroblast differentiation of TGFβ1-induced HUFs by downregulating collagen I, collagen III, α-SMA, β-catenin and p-GSK-3β with a mechanism independent of Smad2/3. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that canonical Wnt pathway may be an essential mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of urethral fibrosis and explored the potential role of DKK1 participation in the development of urethral fibrosis.
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Herbal galactagogues have been widely used as a treatment for postpartum hypogalactia due to the potential side effects associated with pharmacological therapy. Tri-Than-Thip (Tri-TT) is a Thai herbal medicine remedy that contains three main components: Cassia fistula, Pithecellobium dulce, and Ficus benjamina. These components are believed to have properties that contribute to milk production. ⋯ Furthermore, both the Tri-TT and Domperidone-treated groups exhibited a larger alveolar diameter of the mammary gland in comparison to the control group. In summary, these findings provide supportive evidence for the galactagogue activity of Tri-TT. The observed enhancement in milk production may be associated with Tri-TT could potentially be attributed to its ability to widen the alveolar diameter of the mammary gland, thereby facilitating increased milk volume.
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Introduction: Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is common after liver surgery, particularly in patients of older age. However, an understanding of the mechanism of injury remains incomplete. In this study, we explored the molecular mechanisms underlying hepatic I/R injury and associations with age in a murine model. ⋯ Before and after hepatic I/R injury, mmu-miR-9-5p, mmu-miR-329-3p, and mmu-miR-290a-5p showed significant differential expression both in young (1 month old) and old (1 year old) mice. miR-329-3p had the most significant differential expression, and its predicted target genes Adamts4 and Dnajb1 were also significantly upregulated. Conclusions: The decrease in miR-329-3p expression upregulated Adamts4 and Dnajb1 expression in mouse hepatic I/R injury in an age-independent manner. This finding contributes to our understanding of hepatic I/R injury, and highlights novel molecular targets for future therapeutic development.
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Sirtuin6 (SIRT6) has been demonstrated to be involved in a range of physiological processes and diseases, while its role in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains unclear. Therefore, this study focused on the role and underlying mechanism of SIRT6 in ARDS with the aim of identifying potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we found that SIRT6 was significantly decreased in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced A549 cells and a murine model. ⋯ In vivo, the SIRT6-specific inhibitor OSS_128167 also significantly accelerated LPS-induced loss of tight junction proteins, lung inflammation, and apoptosis. Meanwhile, the SIRT6-specific inhibitor OSS_128167 also activated the ERK1/2 pathway and inhibited lung autophagy. These results suggested that SIRT6 could ameliorate the loss of tight junction proteins, inflammation, and apoptosis in LPS-induced ARDS by inhibiting the ERK1/ 2 pathway and enhancing autophagy, indicating that SIRT6 plays a beneficial role in ARDS and might be a potential therapeutic target for ARDS.
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Chewing is beneficial not only for digestion and absorption of food, but also for various physiological functions, such as cognition and immunity. In this study, the effect of chewing on hormonal changes and the immune response was investigated under fasting conditions in mice. We investigated leptin and corticosterone levels, which are hormones with well-known associations with immune response and large changes during fasting. ⋯ In contrast, chewing stimulation inhibited the increase in corticosterone production, but did not affect the decrease in leptin levels. Antibody production significantly increased under separate and combined treatments. Taken together, our results showed that chewing stimulation during fasting inhibited the increase in corticosterone production and improved antibody production after immunization.