Effects of the Hedgehog Signaling Inhibitor Itraconazole on Developing Rat Ovaries

Understanding the impact of triazoles on female fertility and embryo development: Mechanisms and implications

Triazoles are among the most widely used fungicides that were launched in 1980s and are one of the most important pesticide groups used in agriculture as plant growth regulators and stress protectors. Triazoles are also frequently used in the pharmaceutical industry to treat fungal and bacterial infections as well as to treat and prevent some forms of pneumonia. Humans are normally exposed to triazoles through food, water, and medications, which raises concerns about their potential adverse effects on health. Therefore, this review was planned to examine the impact of triazole fungicides on female fertility, as well as their teratogenic and embryotoxic effects. Various search engines such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Elsevier, IEEE were used to search the relevant articles published between 2006 and 2024 using the following keywords: "azoles," "female infertility," "reproductive toxicity," "teratogenicity," "triazoles," and "embryo toxicity." The findings suggest that triazoles might negatively affect female fertility and embryonic development through multiple mechanisms including inhibition or interference with key enzymes such as CYP17A1 and CYP19A1 (aromatase) involved in steroid hormone synthesis, endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, disruption of signaling pathways, and apoptosis. This review consolidates current knowledge on the teratogenic and embryotoxic properties of triazole fungicides, providing a comprehensive understanding of their health implications and addressing critical research gaps.

Signaling pathways and targeted therapeutic strategies for polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age. Although promising strides have been made in the field of PCOS over the past decades, the distinct etiologies of this syndrome are not fully elucidated. Prenatal factors, genetic variation, epigenetic mechanisms, unhealthy lifestyles, and environmental toxins all contribute to the development of this intricate and highly heterogeneous metabolic, endocrine, reproductive, and psychological disorder. Moreover, interactions between androgen excess, insulin resistance, disruption to the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axis, and obesity only make for a more complex picture. In this review, we investigate and summarize the related molecular mechanisms underlying PCOS pathogenesis from the perspective of the level of signaling pathways, including PI3K/Akt, TGF-β/Smads, Wnt/β-catenin, and Hippo/YAP. Additionally, this review provides an overview of prospective therapies, such as exosome therapy, gene therapy, and drugs based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and natural compounds. By targeting these aberrant pathways, these interventions primarily alleviate inflammation, insulin resistance, androgen excess, and ovarian fibrosis, which are typical symptoms of PCOS. Overall, we hope that this paper will pave the way for better understanding and management of PCOS in the future.

Liraglutide limits the immunogenic cell death-mediated ROS propagation and PI3K/AKT inactivation after doxorubicin-induced gonadotoxicity in rats: Involvement of the canonical Hedgehog trajectory

Chemotherapy-accompanied reproductive dysfunction has lately begun to draw the attention of the scientific community owing to the irreversible impact on the patient's quality of life. Here we tended to investigate the potential role of liraglutide (LRG) in modulating the canonical Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in doxorubicin (DXR)-induced gonadotoxicity in rats. Female virgin Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups; control, DXR-treated (25 mg/kg, single i.p. injection), LRG-treated (150 μg/Kg/day, s.c) and itraconazole (ITC; 150 mg/kg/day, p.o)-pretreated group, as the Hh pathway inhibitor. Treatment with LRG potentiated the PI3K/AKT/p-GSK3β cascade and relieved the oxidative burden-induced by the DXR-driven immunogenic cell death (ICD). LRG also upregulated the expression of the Desert hedgehog ligand (DHh) and the patched-1 (PTCH1) receptor and augmented the protein level of Indian hedgehog (IHh) ligand, Gli1 and cyclin-D1 (CD1). Besides, hypertranscription of IHh, DHh, Ptch1, Smo, Gli1/2 and CD1 genes along with a transcriptional recession of Gli3 gene were reported in LRG-treated group. ITC pre-administration partially abrogated this positive effect of LRG, proving the implication of the examined pathway. Microscopically, LRG ameliorated the follicular atresia noticed in the DXR group; effect that was, at least partially, declined by ITC pre-treatment. These findings end to a conclusion that LRG treatment might hinder the DXR-associated reproductive toxicity, resultant from ROS generated by the cells undergoing ICD, and trigger follicular growth and repair by the PI3K/AKT- dependent switching-on of the canonical Hh pathway.

Transcriptome Analysis of the Ovaries of Taihe Black-Bone Silky Fowls at Different Egg-Laying Stages

The poor egg-laying performance and short peak egg-laying period restrict the economic benefits of enterprises relating to the Taihe black-bone silky fowl. Ovaries are the main organ for egg production in poultry. Unlike that of mammals, the spawning mechanism of poultry has rarely been reported. As a prominent local breed in China, the reproductive performance of Taihe black-bone silky fowls is in urgent need of development and exploitation. To further explore the egg-laying regulation mechanism in the different periods of Taihe black-bone silky fowls, the ovarian tissues from 12 chickens were randomly selected for transcriptome analysis, and 4 chickens in each of the three periods (i.e., the pre-laying period (102 days old, Pre), peak laying period (203 days old, Peak), and late laying period (394 days old, Late)). A total of 12 gene libraries were constructed, and a total of 9897 differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified from three comparisons; the late vs. peak stage had 509 DEGs, the pre vs. late stage had 5467 DEGs, and the pre vs. peak stage had 3921 DEGs (pre-stage: pre-egg-laying period (102 days old), peak-stage: peak egg-laying period (203 days old), and late-stage: late egg-laying period (394 days old)). In each of the two comparisons, 174, 84, and 2752 differentially co-expressed genes were obtained, respectively, and 43 differentially co-expressed genes were obtained in the three comparisons. Through the analysis of the differential genes, we identified some important genes and pathways that would affect reproductive performance and ovarian development. The differential genes were LPAR3, AvBD1, SMOC1, IGFBP1, ADCY8, GDF9, PTK2B, PGR, and CD44, and the important signaling pathways included proteolysis, extracellular matrices, vascular smooth muscle contraction, the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway and the phagosome. Through the analysis of the FPKM (Fragments Per Kilobase of exon model per Million mapped fragments) values of the genes, we screened three peak egg-laying period-specific expressed genes: IHH, INHA, and CYP19A1. The twelve genes and five signaling pathways mentioned above have rarely been reported in poultry ovary studies, and our study provides a scientific basis for the improvement of the reproductive performance in Taihe black-bone silky fowls.

Repurposed itraconazole for use in the treatment of malignancies as a promising therapeutic strategy

Understanding cancer biology and the development of novel agents for cancer treatment has always been the goal of cancer researchers. However, the research and development of new drugs is hindered by its long development time, exorbitant cost, high regulatory hurdles, and staggering failure rates. Given the challenges involved drug development for cancer therapies, alternative strategies, in particular the repurposing of 'old' drugs that have been approved for other indications, are attractive. Itraconazole is an FDA-approved anti-fungal drug of the triazole class, and has been used clinically for more than 30 years. Recent drug repurposing screens revealed itraconazole exerts anti-cancer activity via inhibiting angiogenesis and multiple oncogenic signaling pathways. To explore the potential utilization of itraconazole in different types of malignancies, we retrieved the published literature relating to itraconazole in cancer and reviewed the mechanisms of itraconazole in preclinical and clinical cancer studies. Current research predicts the hedgehog signaling pathway as the main target by which itraconazole inhibits a variety of solid and hematological cancers. As clinical trial results become available, itraconazole could emerge as a new antitumor drug that can be used in combination with first-line antitumor drugs.

Azole Fungicides and Their Endocrine Disrupting Properties: Perspectives on Sex Hormone-Dependent Reproductive Development

Azoles are antifungal agents used in both agriculture and medicine. They typically target the CYP51 enzyme in fungi and, by so doing, disrupt cell membrane integrity. However, azoles can also target various CYP enzymes in mammals, including humans, which can disrupt hormone synthesis and signaling. For instance, several azoles can inhibit enzymes of the steroidogenic pathway and disrupt steroid hormone biosynthesis. This is of particular concern during pregnancy, since sex hormones are integral to reproductive development. In other words, exposure to azole fungicides during fetal life can potentially lead to reproductive disease in the offspring. In addition, some azoles can act as androgen receptor antagonists, which can further add to the disrupting potential following exposure. When used as pharmaceuticals, systemic concentrations of the azole compounds can become significant as combatting fungal infections can be very challenging and require prolonged exposure to high doses. Although most medicinal azoles are tightly regulated and used as prescription drugs after consultations with medical professionals, some are sold as over-the-counter drugs. In this review, we discuss various azole fungicides known to disrupt steroid sex hormone biosynthesis or action with a focus on what potential consequences exposure during pregnancy can have on the life-long reproductive health of the offspring.