Exposure to cigarette smoke affects endometrial maturation including angiogenesis and decidualization

Effects of cigarette smoke extract on angiogenesis and aromatase activity in KGN cells

Cigarette smoking is associated with negative reproductive outcomes and an increased likelihood of failed in vitro fertilization. We investigated the impact of cigarette smoke on angiogenesis and aromatase activity in human granulosa cells. The human ovarian granulosa-like tumor cell line (KGN) was exposed to different cigarette smoke extract (CSE) concentrations and/or 10-μM forskolin. mRNA and protein levels and their secretion were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques, respectively. Additionally, KGN cells were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) for 24 h, followed by treatment with or without (control) CSE for 48 h. Data were statistically analyzed. Compared with the control group, the CSE group showed significantly increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), and HIF-1α expression. Overexpression of VEGF and NDRG1 induced by CSE was inhibited by HIF-1α siRNA transfection. Furthermore, CSE exposure decreased progesterone and estradiol levels and increased testosterone levels. It also affected the expression of genes associated with steroid hormone synthesis, decreased anti-Müllerian hormone and anti-Müllerian hormone receptor II levels, and caused SMAD signaling pathway desensitization. Thus, CSE adversely affects the maturation of human granulosa cells, affecting both angiogenesis and aromatase activity.

Decidual Disrupting Effects of Low-Dose Benzophenone-Type UV Filters in Human Endometrial Stromal Cells via ER/PR/FOXO1 Signaling

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), particularly benzophenone (BP)-type UV filters, has been epidemiologically linked to endometrium-related reproductive risks in women. However, their effects on hormone-driven endometrial events and key receptor signaling at the human cellular level remain unexplored. Herein, using human primary endometrial stromal cells (HESCs), we investigated the disrupting effects of five BP congeners and deciphered the underlying mechanism on decidualization, a functional change of the endometrium preparing for pregnancy. BP-8, its two metabolites, BP-3, and BP-1 at 10 nM significantly disrupted progesterone-dependent decidualization in HESCs, marked by 1.5-1.8-fold and 2.2-2.6-fold upregulation of IGFBP-1 and LEFTY, respectively. Decidual transcriptional activators, WNT-FOXO1, were significantly induced by BPs, which are implicated in G2 phase cell arrest (from 3.26% to 8.93%) and apoptosis (from 12.29% to 25.61%). Mechanistically, the inhibition of estrogen receptor α (ERα) effectively alleviated these decidual disrupting effects. BPs increased the transcription of ERα and progesterone receptor (PR) signaling and enhanced nuclear translocation and interaction between ERα and PR during decidualization. The ERα-mediated enhancement of PR signaling activity by BPs was further validated in progesterone response element-luciferase transfected cells. Collectively, our findings elucidate the molecular pathway through which BPs disrupt endometrial decidualization via ERα/PR/FOXO1, providing critical mechanistic insights for the reproductive risk assessment of BPs and structurally related EDCs.

A comprehensive assessment of smokeless tobacco (Shammah) extract: unraveling the effects on hematological parameters, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and organ health in rats

Shammah, also known as smokeless tobacco, is a form of tobacco product consumed without combustion, commonly used in various cultures, particularly in the Middle East and parts of Africa. The experiment was conducted in four groups control male and female, also treated male and female. The administration of Shammah extract induced significant hematological, biochemical, and histopathological changes in both female and male rats. Treated females showed a decrease in total leukocyte count (TLC) to 9900, while treated males increased to 14,525. Lymphocyte percentage decreased by 9.5% in females and 6.02% in males, with neutrophil counts rising by 24.6% and 20.5%, respectively. Eosinophil levels surged by 240% in females and 50.3% in males. Hemoglobin levels decreased by 12.4-13.1% in females, while males showed a non-significant increase to 15.68. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased to 1.57 in females (57% increase) and 1.93 in males (70.8% increase). Antioxidant enzymes decreased, with superoxide dismutase (SOD) at 3.53 (116.2% decrease) in females and 3.90 (45.8% decrease) in males. Kidney function assessments revealed elevated urea levels of 36.35 (84.8% increase) in females and 43.17 (131.2% increase) in males, alongside creatinine levels of 1.28 (75.3% increase) in females and 1.56 (90.2% increase) in males. Histopathological examinations showed untreated livers with a typical structure, while treated livers exhibited infiltrative cell aggregations, venous congestion, hemorrhage, and edema. Treated kidneys showed severe glomerular atrophy and degeneration. Spleens from treated groups had blending of white and red pulp, while brains displayed hemorrhage and distorted neurons in males, and ghost neurons in females. Treated testes exhibited dilated blood vessels, edema, and reduced spermatogenesis, while treated ovaries showed cyst formation and vacuolar degeneration. These findings indicate significant oxidative stress and organ damage associated with Shammah extract exposure.

Antagonistic effects of smoking and maternal glycemia on fetal growth: a retrospective study among 13,958 pregnant French women

Introduction

Smoking and hyperglycemia first diagnosed during pregnancy (H1inP) have opposing effects on fetal growth. The aim of this study was to explore adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly fetal growth, according to the smoking and H1inP status.

Methods

We included 13,958 women from a large French dataset (2012-2018). Using multivariable regression analyses, we retrospectively evaluated the risk of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) babies and other adverse outcomes according to the H1inP and smoking status in four groups: no H1inP/non-smoker (group A: n = 10,454, 88.2%), no H1inP/smoker (group B: n = 819, 5.9%), H1inP/non-smoker (group C: n = 2,570, 18.4%), and H1inP/smoker (group D: n = 115, 0.8%).

Results

The rates of LGA were 8.9%, 4.0%, 14.6%, and 8.7% in groups A, B, C, and D, respectively (global ANOVA p < 0.0001, factor H1inP p = 0.0003, factor smoking p = 0.0002, and interaction p = 0.48). After adjustment for potential confounders including age, body mass index, employment, ethnicity, parity, hypertension before pregnancy, gestational weight gain, and alcohol and drug consumption, H1inP was associated with a higher risk [odds ratio (OR) = 1.50, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.30-1.74] and smoking with a lower risk (OR = 0.35, 95%CI = 0.25-0.50) of LGA. In addition, H1inP was associated with a lower total gestational weight gain and a lower rate of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) babies, but higher rates of hypertensive disorders and more frequent caesarean sections and admissions in the neonatal intensive care unit. Smoking was associated with higher rates of SGA, including severe SGA (<3rd centile), and this despite a higher total gestational weight gain. Smoking increased the risk of hypertensive disorders only in women with H1inP.

Discussion

Smoking among women with H1inP could mask the risk of maternal hyperglycemia for LGA babies. This could provide a false sense of security for women with H1inP who smoke, particularly when assessing for LGA alone, but these women still face other risks to their health, such as hypertensive disorders and the health of the fetus.

PAI-1 promotes human endometrial stromal decidualization via inhibiting VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway mediated F-actin reorganization

Decidualization of endometrial stromal cells is a prerequisite for successful embryo implantation and early pregnancy. Decidualization dysregulation results in implantation failure. In our previous study, we reported that PAI-1 is abnormally downregulated in the endometrial tissue samples of patients with recurrent implantation failure. This study will explore the dynamic expression changes of PAI-1 in the endometrium during the menstrual cycle and its molecular mechanism affecting endometrial decidualization. Our findings indicated that the abundance of PAI-1 increased in the mid-secretory phase and attached a peak in the decidual phase in the endometrium of women with regular menstrual cycles. In human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs), PAI-1 knockdown attenuated endometrial decidualization by upregulating VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and impaired the F-actin reorganization. Furthermore, axitinib (a VEGFR2 inhibitor) was used to inhibit the VEGFR2 protein activity and the results suggested that it eliminated the effects of PAI-1 on PI3K/AKT signaling pathways and F-actin remodeling. In addition, the interaction between PAI-1 and KNG1 was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation assay in HESCs. Altogether, PAI-1-KNG1 may enhance the decidualization of endometrium by inhibiting VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-mediated F-actin reorganization in healthy females.

Hyperglycaemia in Pregnancy Is Less Frequent in Smokers: A French Observational Study of 15,801 Women

Background: We aimed to explore the still-debated association between smoking and hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP). Methods: A multiethnic prospective study of 15,801 women who delivered at Jean Verdier University Hospital between 2012 and 2018. Of these, 13,943 (88.2%) were non-smokers, 624 (4.5%) former smokers, and 1234 (7.8%) current smokers. Universal HIP screening was proposed to the entire sample (IADPSG/WHO criteria). Results: A total of 13,958 women were screened for HIP. Uptake differed between non-smokers, former smokers, and current smokers (89.5%, 88.3%, and 75.7%, respectively, p < 0.0001). HIP prevalence in these groups was 19.9%, 15.4%, and 12.3%, respectively (p < 0.0001). After adjusting for age, body mass index, family history of diabetes, history of HIP, history of macrosomic baby, and ethnicity, current (odds ratio 0.790 [95% confidence interval 0.636-0.981], p < 0.05) but not former (1.017 [0.792-1.306]) smokers were less likely to have HIP than non-smokers. Furthermore, 1 h and 2 h oral plasma glucose test values were lower in current smokers than in non-smokers (p < 0.01). To exclude potential selection bias, we compared risk factors for HIP and HIP-related adverse pregnancy outcomes in current smokers according to HIP screening status. Compared with screened current smokers (n = 934), their unscreened counterparts (n = 300) were younger, less frequently employed, and more likely to be of non-European origin. Moreover, infant birthweight was lower in this group, and preterm deliveries and perinatal deaths were more likely (all p < 0.01). Conclusions: Smoking during pregnancy was independently associated with lower HIP prevalence. The low HIP screening rate in current smokers did not explain this finding.

Differential gene expression in decidualized human endometrial stromal cells induced by different stimuli

Decidualization can be induced by culturing human endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) with several decidualization stimuli, such as cAMP, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) or Estradiol (E2). However, it has been unclear how decidualized cells induced by different stimuli are different. We compared transcriptomes and cellular functions of decidualized ESCs induced by different stimuli (MPA, E2 + MPA, cAMP, and cAMP + MPA). We also investigated which decidualization stimulus induces a closer in vivo decidualization. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and altered cellular functions by each decidualization stimuli were identified by RNA-sequence and gene-ontology analysis. DEGs was about two times higher for stimuli that use cAMP (cAMP and cAMP + MPA) than for stimuli that did not use cAMP (MPA and E2 + MPA). cAMP-using stimuli altered the cellular functions including angiogenesis, inflammation, immune system, and embryo implantation whereas MPA-using stimuli (MPA, E2 + MPA, and cAMP + MPA) altered the cellular functions associated with insulin signaling. A public single-cell RNA-sequence data of the human endometrium was utilized to analyze in vivo decidualization. The altered cellular functions by in vivo decidualization were close to those observed by cAMP + MPA-induced decidualization. In conclusion, decidualized cells induced by different stimuli have different transcriptome and cellular functions. cAMP + MPA may induce a decidualization most closely to in vivo decidualization.

Effect of beta-cypermethrin on the reproductive capacity of female mice in advanced age

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether exposure to pesticides beta-cypermethrin (β-CYP) harms the reproductive capacity of advanced-age female mice. The results evidenced that peri-implantation β-CYP exposure significantly reduced the number of fetuses per advanced-age female in the first litter, and the number and weight of implantation sites. The levels of decidualization markers were significantly reduced in β-CYP-administered advanced-age mice. Lower expression of Pcna, Cdk6, Foxo1, Ki67, and p62 protein and mRNA was found in the decidua of β-CYP-treated advanced-age mice. The levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, Lc3a/b, Atg, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein, and the ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR protein expression were clearly downregulated by peri-implantation β-CYP exposure. These results indicated that peri-implantation β-CYP exposure may elevate the decline in reproductive capacity of early pregnant mice in advanced age.

Risk factors associated with age at onset of Parkinson's disease in the UK Biobank

Substantial evidence shown that the age at onset (AAO) of Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major determinant of clinical heterogeneity. However, the mechanisms underlying heterogeneity in the AAO remain unclear. To investigate the risk factors with the AAO of PD, a total of 3156 patients with PD from the UK Biobank were included in this study. We evaluated the effects of polygenic risk scores (PRS), nongenetic risk factors, and their interaction on the AAO using Mann-Whitney U tests and regression analyses. We further identified the genes interacting with nongenetic risk factors for the AAO using genome-wide environment interaction studies. We newly found physical activity (P < 0.0001) was positively associated with AAO and excessive daytime sleepiness (P < 0.0001) was negatively associated with AAO, and reproduced the positive associations of smoking and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug intake and the negative association of family history with AAO. In the dose-dependent analyses, smoking duration (P = 1.95 × 10-6), coffee consumption (P = 0.0150), and tea consumption (P = 0.0008) were positively associated with AAO. Individuals with higher PRS had younger AAO (P = 3.91 × 10-5). In addition, we observed a significant interaction between the PRS and smoking for AAO (P = 0.0316). Specifically, several genes, including ANGPT1 (P = 7.17 × 10-7) and PLEKHA6 (P = 4.87 × 10-6), may influence the positive relationship between smoking and AAO. Our data suggests that genetic and nongenetic risk factors are associated with the AAO of PD and that there is an interaction between the two.

High incidence of decidualization failure in infertile women

Purpose

Decidualization is an important event for embryo implantation and successful pregnancy. Impaired decidualization leads to implantation failure and miscarriage. However, it is unclear how often decidualization failure occurs in infertile women. By analyzing the endometrium at late-secretory phase, we investigated the incidence and pathogenesis of decidualization failure among infertile women.

Methods

Endometrial dating was performed on the endometria obtained in the late-secretory phase from 33 infertile women. Endometrial dating of more than 2 days delay was taken as an indication of decidualization failure. The expression of essential transcription factors for decidualization (FOXO1, WT1, and C/EBPβ) was examined by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Among 32 cases, 20 cases (62.5%) showed decidualization failure. These patients tended to have a history of more frequent miscarriages than those without decidualization failure. The percentage of cells that immunostained positive for the expression of three transcription factors was significantly lower in the patients with decidualization failure than in those without decidualization failure. Serum progesterone levels measured in the mid- and late-secretory phase were not significantly different between the cases with and without decidualization failure.

Conclusions

The incidence of decidualization failure is high in infertile women.

LncRNA H19 promotes tumor angiogenesis in smokers by targeting anti-angiogenic miRNAs

A key concept in drug discovery is the identification of candidate therapeutic targets such as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) because of their extensive involvement in neoplasms, and impressionability by smoking. Induced by exposure to cigarette smoke, lncRNA H19 targets and inactivates miR-29, miR-30a, miR-107, miR-140, miR-148b, miR-199a and miR-200, which control the rate of angiogenesis by inhibiting BiP, DLL4, FGF7, HIF1A, HIF1B, HIF2A, PDGFB, PDGFRA, VEGFA, VEGFB, VEGFC, VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3. Nevertheless, these miRNAs are often dysregulated in bladder cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, glioma, gastric adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, meningioma, non-small-cell lung carcinoma, oral squamous cell carcinoma, ovarian cancer, prostate adenocarcinoma and renal cell carcinoma. As such, the present perspective article seeks to establish an evidence-based hypothetical model of how a smoking-related lncRNA known as H19 might aggravate angiogenesis by interfering with miRNAs that would otherwise regulate angiogenesis in a nonsmoking individual.

A review of experimental techniques for erectile function researches and development of medical technology using animal erectile dysfunction models in sexual and reproductive medicine

Background

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the causes of male infertility and is a disease that requires treatment. The first-line drugs for ED are phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, and further treatment options are currently limited. Medical technologies, such as genetic control and regenerative medicine, are developing rapidly. Research on erectile function is progressing rapidly, coupled with technological innovations in other areas.

Methods

A PubMed search using the keywords "animal (rat, mouse, rabbit, dog, and monkey)" and "erectile" was conducted, and all relevant peer-reviewed English results were evaluated.

Main findings

The methods for evaluating erectile function include intracavernous pressure (ICP) measurements, isometric tension studies, and dynamic infusion cavernosometry. Papers also reported various disease model animals for the study of diabetes mellitus, cavernous nerve injury, and drug-induced ED.

Conclusion

Basic research on ED treatment has progressed rapidly over the past 20 years. In particular, research on the mechanism of ED has been accelerated by the publication of a study on the evaluation of erectile function using ICP measurements in rats. In addition, molecular biological experimental methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting have become relatively easy to perform due to technological progress, thus advancing research development.

The Regulators of Human Endometrial Stromal Cell Decidualization

Several factors are important for implantation and subsequent placentation in the endometrium, including immunity, angiogenesis, extracellular matrix, glucose metabolism, reactive oxidative stress, and hormones. The involvement or abnormality of these factors can impair canonical decidualization. Unusual decidualization can lead to perinatal complications, such as disruption of trophoblast invasion. Drastic changes in the morphology and function of human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) are important for decidualization of the human endometrium; hESCs are used to induce optimal morphological and functional decidualization in vitro because they contain estrogen and progesterone receptors. In this review, we will focus on the studies that have been conducted on hESC decidualization, including the results from our laboratory.

Diabetic dyslipidemia impairs coronary collateral formation: An update

Coronary collateralization is substantially impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes and occlusive coronary artery disease, which leads to aggravated myocardial ischemia and a more dismal prognosis. In a diabetic setting, altered serum lipid profiles and profound glycoxidative modification of lipoprotein particles induce endothelial dysfunction, blunt endothelial progenitor cell response, and severely hamper growth and maturation of collateral vessels. The impact of dyslipidemia and lipid-lowering treatments on coronary collateral formation has become a topic of heightened interest. In this review, we summarized the association of triglyceride-based integrative indexes, hypercholesterolemia, increased Lp(a) with its glycoxidative modification, as well as quantity and quality abnormalities of high-density lipoprotein with impaired collateral formation. We also analyzed the influence of innovative lipid-modifying strategies on coronary collateral development. Therefore, clinical management of diabetic dyslipidemia should take into account of its effect on coronary collateralization in patients with occlusive coronary artery disease.

Effects of smoking on the tissue regeneration-associated functions of human endometrial stem cells via a novel target gene SERPINB2

BACKGROUND

Smokers directly inhale mainstream cigarette smoke, which contains numerous known and potential toxic substances, and thus, smoking is expected to have broad harmful effects that cause tissue injury and dysfunction. Interestingly, many studies have suggested that the recent decline in female fertility and increased rate of spontaneous abortion could be associated with increased smoking rates. Indeed, women that smoked for 10 years or more were reported to have a ~ 20% higher infertility rate than women that had never smoked. However, the reasons for the underlying harmful aspects of smoking on female fertility remain a matter of debate. Importantly, a previous study revealed that resident endometrial stem cell deficiency significantly limits the cyclic regeneration potential of endometrium, which, in turn, decreases successful pregnancy outcomes. In this context, we postulated that exposure to mainstream cigarette smoke extracts might decrease female fertility by inhibiting the functions of resident endometrial stem cells.

METHODS

We investigated whether cigarette mainstream smoke exposure directly inhibits various tissue regeneration-associated functions of endometrial stem cells, such as self-renewal, migration, pluripotency, and differentiation capacity in vitro. Next, we determined whether SERPINB2 mediates cigarette smoke-induced suppressive effects on various tissue regeneration-associated functions by depleting SERPINB2 expression with specific shRNA targeting SERPINB2. Mice were injected intraperitoneally with low (0.5 mg/kg) or high (1 mg/kg) doses of cigarette smoke extract (10 times for two weeks), and endometrial stem cells were then isolated from mice uterine tissues.

RESULTS

We found that exposure to cigarette smoke extracts remarkably suppressed various tissue regeneration-associated functions of endometrial stem cells, such as self-renewal, migration, multilineage differentiation ability, and pluripotency in vitro and in vivo by activating the SERPINB2 gene. Indeed, cigarette smoke-induced inhibitory effects on various endometrial stem cell functions were significantly abolished by SERPINB2 knockdown.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide valuable information on the harmful effects of cigarette smoking on resident endometrial stem cells and hopefully will facilitate the developments of promising therapeutic strategies for subfertile or infertile women that smoke cigarettes.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) Enhance Endometrial Stromal Cell Migration and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Adenomyosis Through Upregulation of Neuropilin 1

Hormone support (estrogen and progesterone) is a key factor in decidualization and embryo implantation. Elevated levels of estrogen lead to luteal phase defects through Neuropilin 1, a membranecytoskeleton junction protein. This study aimed to explore the effect of BMSCs on endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) in adenomyosis. ESCs obtained from patients with adenomyosis were cocultured with BMSCs in the absence of presence of Neuropilin 1 inhibitor followed by analysis of expression of decidualization-related genes by RT-qPCR and western blot, cell viability by MTT assay, cell invasion and migration by Transwell assay, oxidative stress factors by ROS kit. Treatment with Neuropilin 1 inhibitor significantly decreased ESC proliferation and invasion, blocked epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT) process, and restrained decidualization with a downregulation of decidualization-related genes. Furthermore, inhibition of Neuropilin 1 exerted effects through estrogen regulation. However, co-culture with BMSCs restored ESC activity by promoting Neuropilin expression and enhanced intrauterine ESC decidualization. In conclusion, Neuropilin 1 inhibitor restrains decidualization through estrogen regulation which can be abrogated by estrogen receptor antagonists. BMSCs restore the damaged ESC decidualization through increasing Neuropilin 1 expression, which provides new insights into the adverse effect of Neuropilin 1 on human ESCs, suggesting that BMSC is a potential therapeutic drug candidate for adenomyosis.