Abstract Objectives The objective of the present study is to investigate the mechanism of perfluorooctane sulfonate-induced low body weight of fetus by analysis of glucocorticoid metabolizing enzyme ...11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 and gene expression profiling of the placenta after in utero PFOS exposure. Study design Pregnant Sprague–Dawley dams were gavaged with 0, 5, and 20 mg/kg body weight PFOS daily from gestational day 12–18. On gestational day 18, pregnant dams were euthanized, placentas, and fetuses were collected. Main outcome measures Body weights of fetuses and placentas were measured, the corticosterone levels in fetal serum, and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 as well as the placental gene profiling were analyzed. Results 20 mg/kg PFOS significantly reduced fetal body weight and placental weight. Both 5 and 20 mg/kg PFOS increased fetal serum corticosterone levels. PFOS potently inhibited placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 activity. Of 21,910 genes, 45 genes were significantly downregulated ≥2 fold by 20 mg/kg PFOS, including extracellular matrix ( Slpi and Pi16 ), growth factors and hormones ( Trh and Pdf ), ion transporters ( Aqp1 , S100a4 , and Abp1 ), signal transducers ( Kap and Ampd3 ), and structural constituents ( A2m and Des ). Conclusions PFOS exposure may alter placental development and function, causing intrauterine growth restriction via inhibiting placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease associated with serious complications, including male infertility. Umbelliferone (UMB) is a coumarin with promising antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and ...other beneficial effects. This study investigated the ameliorative effect of UMB against testicular injury, oxidative stress and altered steroidogenesis in rats with type 2 DM.
Rats received a high fat diet for 4 weeks followed by a single injection of streptozotocin. Diabetic rats were treated with UMB or pioglitazone (PIO) for 6 weeks and samples were collected for analysis.
Diabetic rats exhibited hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia associated with increased serum pro-inflammatory cytokines, and decreased gonadotropins and testosterone. UMB significantly ameliorated metabolic alterations, decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increased gonadotropins and testosterone levels. UMB prevented testicular injury, suppressed lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide and increased antioxidants in diabetic rats. In addition, UMB upregulated testicular gonadotropins receptors, steroidogenesis markers (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, cytochrome P450 family 17 subfamily A member 1 CYP17A1, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3ß-HSD and 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 17ß-HSD), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) expression.
UMB prevents testicular injury by preventing metabolic alterations, suppressing oxidative damage and inflammation, and boosting antioxidant defenses in diabetic rats. UMB enhanced pituitary-gonadal axis and steroidogenesis and upregulated testicular PPARγ in diabetic rats. Thus, UMB may represent a protective agent against testicular injury and sexual dysfunction associated with chronic hyperglycemia.
To investigate the expression levels and activation differences of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) gene in bone microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) in different regions of human ...femoral head.
Tissue specimens of femoral heads were obtained from hip arthroplasty carried out in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from January 2017 to June 2018. And the BMECs we isolated, purified, identified and cultured from different regions of the human femoral head: in the subchondral and cancellous bone regions. The BMECs from the two regions were intervened by hydrocortisone with a series of low concentration gradients (0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.10 mg/ml) respectively. The cell phenotype and functional status of BMECs and cell migration were detected by scratch experiments, and the angiogenesis in different regions of the femoral head was observed. The mRNA and protein expression of 11beta-HSD1, 11beta-HSD2 in BMECs were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western
RNA editing is a feature of RNA maturation resulting in the formation of transcripts whose sequence differs from the genome template. Brain RNA editing may be altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD). ...Here, we analyzed data from 1,865 brain samples covering 9 brain regions from 1,074 unrelated subjects on a transcriptome-wide scale to identify inter-regional differences in RNA editing. We expand the list of known brain editing events by identifying 58,761 previously unreported events. We note that only a small proportion of these editing events are found at the protein level in our proteome-wide validation effort. We also identified the occurrence of editing events associated with AD dementia, neuropathological measures and longitudinal cognitive decline in: SYT11, MCUR1, SOD2, ORAI2, HSDL2, PFKP, and GPRC5B. Thus, we present an extended reference set of brain RNA editing events, identify a subset that are found to be expressed at the protein level, and extend the narrative of transcriptomic perturbation in AD to RNA editing.
Two novel abiraterone (Abi, 3β-OH-Abi) metabolites in human serum were identified as 3α-OH-Abi and Δ
5
-Abi (D5A). Both metabolites were confirmed by their retention times on LC/MS and their ...product-ion mass spectra on LC–MS/MS compared to those of authentic compounds, which were chemically synthesized. The plausible metabolic pathways of these two metabolites are as follows: Abi is first oxidized to D5A by 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and then irreversibly converted to Δ
4
-Abi (D4A) by ∆
5
–∆
4
isomerase. Presumably, D5A detection is difficult because of its rapid conversion to D4A and its low concentration in serum samples. In contrast, the low concentration 3α-OH-Abi was generated by reducing the remaining D5A using 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD).
Graphical Abstract
Neuroactive steroids can rapidly regulate multiple physiological functions in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The aims of the present study were to determine whether allopregnanolone ...(ALLO), administered in low nanomolar and high micromolar concentrations, can: (i) induce changes in the ovarian progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2) release; (ii) modify the ovarian mRNA expression of Hsd3b1 (3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 3β-HSD)3β-, Akr1c3 (20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 20α-HSD), and Akr1c14 (3α-hydroxy steroid oxidoreductase, 3α-HSOR)); and (iii) modulate the ovarian expression of progesterone receptors A and B, α and β estrogenic receptors, luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR). To further characterize ALLO peripheral actions, the effects were evaluated using a superior mesenteric ganglion-ovarian nervous plexus-ovary (SMG-ONP-O) and a denervated ovary (DO) systems. ALLO SMG administration increased P4 concentration in the incubation liquid by decreasing ovarian 20α-HSD mRNA, and it also increased ovarian 3α-HSOR mRNA expression. In addition, ALLO neural peripheral modulation induced an increase in the expression of ovarian LHR, PRA, PRB, and ERα. Direct ALLO administration to the DO decreased E2 and increased P4 concentration in the incubation liquid. The mRNA expression of 3β-HSD decreased and 20α-HSD increased. Further, ALLO in the OD significantly changed ovarian FSHR and PRA expression. This is the first evidence of ALLO's direct effect on ovarian steroidogenesis. Our results provide important insights about how this neuroactive steroid interacts both with the PNS and the ovary, and these findings might help devise some of the pleiotropic effects of neuroactive steroids on female reproduction. Moreover, ALLO modulation of ovarian physiology might help uncover novel treatment approaches for reproductive diseases.
We have functionally characterized an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) gene AtHSD1 (At5g50600) that encodes a protein with homology to animal 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD). Transgenic ...Arabidopsis plants overexpressing AtHSD1 (designated AOHSD plants) under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter showed increased growth and seed yield as well as increased tolerance of saline stress and reduced seed dormancy. In canola (Brassica napus), transgenic plants overexpressing AtHSD1 also outgrew wild-type plants. AOHSD phenotypes were similar to those of plants that overproduced brassinosteroids (BRs) or overexpressed the BR receptor gene BRI1. A loss-of-function hsd mutant produced by RNA interference displayed a semidwarfed phenotype with reduced sensitivity to BRs. In contrast, AOHSD plants were hypersensitive to BRs and exhibited increased catabolism of abscisic acid (ABA). Germination of AOHSD seeds was less sensitive to ABA, while hsd seed was more sensitive to ABA during germination. AtHSD transcription was rapidly induced by BR treatment in wild type and was expressed widely in aerial plant parts, especially vascular tissues. This study demonstrates that AtHSD1 is involved in regulating growth and development in plants and is likely to promote or mediate BR effects. The gene has significant potential for improving growth and yield of canola and other agricultural crops.
► AKR1C2 is expressed in the model cell lines of peritoneal endometriosis. ► Higher AKR1C2 mRNA levels were detected in the stromal cell line 22-B. ► AKR1C2 catalyses the metabolism of progesterone ...and progestin dydrogesterone. ► Progestins 20α-dihydrodydrogesterone and MPA potently inhibit AKR1C2 in vitro.
The human aldo-keto reductase AKR1C2 converts 5α-dihydrotestosterone to the less active 3α-androstanediol and has a minor 20-ketosteroid reductase activity that metabolises progesterone to 20α-hydroxyprogesterone. AKR1C2 is expressed in different peripheral tissues, but its role in uterine diseases like endometriosis has not been studied in detail. Some progestins used for treatment of endometriosis inhibit AKR1C1 and AKR1C3, with unknown effects on AKR1C2. In this study we investigated expression of AKR1C2 in the model cell lines of peritoneal endometriosis, and examined the ability of recombinant AKR1C2 to metabolise progesterone and progestin dydrogesterone, as well as its potential inhibition by progestins. AKR1C2 is expressed in epithelial and stromal endometriotic cell lines at the mRNA level. The recombinant enzyme catalyses reduction of progesterone to 20α-hydroxyprogesterone with a 10-fold lower catalytic efficiency than the major 20-ketosteroid reductase, AKR1C1. AKR1C2 also metabolises progestin dydrogesterone to its 20α-dihydrodydrogesterone, with 8.6-fold higher catalytic efficiency than 5α-dihydrotestosterone. Among the progestins that are currently used for treatment of endometriosis, dydrogesterone, medroxyprogesterone acetate and 20α-dihydrodydrogesterone act as AKR1C2 inhibitors with low μM Ki values in vitro. Their potential in vivo effects should be further studied.
Adipogenesis and lipid storage in human adipose tissue are inhibited by androgens such as DHT. Inactivation of DHT to 3α-diol is stimulated by glucocorticoids in human preadipocytes. We sought to ...characterize glucocorticoid-induced androgen inactivation in human preadipocytes and to establish its role in the antiadipogenic action of DHT. Subcutaneous and omental primary preadipocyte cultures were established from fat samples obtained in subjects undergoing abdominal surgeries. Inactivation of DHT to 3α/β-diol for 24 h was measured in dexamethasone- or vehicle-treated cells. Specific downregulation of aldo-keto reductase 1C (AKR1C) enzymes in human preadipocytes was achieved using RNA interference. In whole adipose tissue sample, cortisol production was positively correlated with androgen inactivation in both subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue (P < 0.05). Maximal dexamethasone (1 μM) stimulation of DHT inactivation was higher in omental compared with subcutaneous fat from men as well as subcutaneous and omental fat from women (P < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between BMI and maximal dexamethasone-induced DHT inactivation rates in subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue of men and women (r = 0.24, n = 26, P < 0.01). siRNA-induced downregulation of AKR1C2, but not AKR1C1 or AKR1C3, significantly reduced basal and glucocorticoid-induced androgen inactivation rates (P < 0.05). The inhibitory action of DHT on preadipocyte differentiation was potentiated following AKR1C2 but not AKR1C1 or AKR1C3 downregulation. Specifically, lipid accumulation, G3PDH activity, and FABP4 mRNA expression in differentiated preadipocytes exposed to DHT were reduced further upon AKR1C2 siRNA transfection. We conclude that glucocorticoid-induced androgen inactivation is mediated by AKR1C2 and is particularly effective in omental preadipocytes of obese men. The interplay between glucocorticoids and AKR1C2-dependent androgen inactivation may locally modulate adipogenesis and lipid accumulation in a depot-specific manner.
Significant advances have taken place in our knowledge of the enzymes involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis since the last comprehensive review in 1988. Major developments include the cloning, ...identification, and characterization of multiple isoforms of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, which play a critical role in the biosynthesis of all steroid hormones and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase where specific isoforms are essential for the final step in active steroid hormone biosynthesis. Advances have taken place in our understanding of the unique manner that determines tissue-specific expression of P450aromatase through the utilization of alternative promoters. In recent years, evidence has been obtained for the expression of steroidogenic enzymes in the nervous system and in cardiac tissue, indicating that these tissues may be involved in the biosynthesis of steroid hormones acting in an autocrine or paracrine manner. This review presents a detailed description of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of active steroid hormones, with emphasis on the human and mouse enzymes and their expression in gonads, adrenal glands, and placenta.
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