Morphological and Transcriptomic Analysis of the Supplemental Boron in the Liver of Ostrich Chicks.

African ostrich chicks (Struthio camelus) were divided into six groups, and each received different levels of boric acid (source of boron) in the drinking water (0, 40, 80, 160, 320, and 640 mg/L respectively) to examine the histological, apoptotic, biochemical, and transcriptomic parameters. Morphological analysis in different groups was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining, and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay. The biochemical profile was evaluated spectrophotometrically.

The Cardioprotective Mechanism of Phenylaminoethyl Selenides (PAESe) Against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity Involves Frataxin.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline cancer chemotherapeutic that exhibits cumulative dose-limiting cardiotoxicity and limits its clinical utility. DOX treatment results in the development of morbid cardiac hypertrophy that progresses to congestive heart failure and death. Recent evidence suggests that during the development of DOX mediated cardiac hypertrophy, mitochondrial energetics are severely compromised, thus priming the cardiomyocyte for failure.

Drug Discovery and Development of Novel Therapeutics for Inhibiting TMAO in Models of Atherosclerosis and Diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus exists as a comorbidity with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, the exact molecular signaling mechanism linking CHF as the major form of mortality from diabetes remains unknown. Type 2 diabetic patients display abnormally high levels of metabolic products associated with gut dysbiosis.

Boron Supplementation Promotes Osteogenesis of Tibia by Regulating the Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Expression in African Ostrich Chicks.

The present study aimed to explore the effects of supplemental boron on osteogenesis of tibia and to investigate the possible relationship between additional boron and the expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in tibia of ostrich chicks. Therefore, forty-eight African ostrich chicks (15 days old) were supplemented with 0 mg/L, 40 mg/L, 80 mg/L, 160 mg/L, 320 mg/L, and 640 mg/L of boron in drinking water for 75 days. The paraffin sections of tibia used to measure histomorphometric parameters by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Masson's staining, and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RNA-Seq-Based Gene Expression Pattern and Morphological Alterations in Chick Thymus during Postnatal Development.

The thymus is a lobulated unique lymphoid immune organ that plays a critical role in the selection, development, proliferation, and differentiation of T cells. The thymus of developing chickens undergoes continued morphological alterations; however, the biomolecular and transcriptional dynamics of the postnatal thymus in avian species is not clear yet. Therefore, the thymuses from chickens at different stages of development (at weeks 0, 1, 5, 9, 18, and 27) were used in the present study.

Transcriptional Study Revealed That Boron Supplementation May Alter the Immune-Related Genes Through MAPK Signaling in Ostrich Chick Thymus.

The objective of this study is to construct a digital gene expression tag profile to identify genes potentially related to immune response in the ostrich. Exposure to boron leads to an immune response in the ostrich, although the underlying mechanism remains obscure. Thus, a dire need of biological resource in the form of transcriptomic data for ostriches arises to key out genes and to gain insights into the function of boron on the immune response of thymus.

The Physiological Role of Boron on Health.

Boron is an essential mineral that plays an important role in several biological processes. Boron is required for growth of plants, animals, and humans. There are increasing evidences of this nutrient showing a variety of pleiotropic effects, ranging from anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects to the modulation of different body systems.

Boron Affects the Development of the Kidney Through Modulation of Apoptosis, Antioxidant Capacity, and Nrf2 Pathway in the African Ostrich Chicks.

The nuclear-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway is the most important mechanism in antioxidant capacity, which regulates the cell's redox homeostasis. In addition, Nrf2 pathway also can inhibit cell apoptosis. The mechanism of boron actions on various organs is well documented.

Electroacupuncture Inhibits the Activation of p38MAPK in the Central Descending Facilitatory Pathway in Rats with Inflammatory Pain.

The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), especially p38MAPK, play a pivotal role in chronic pain. Electroacupuncture (EA) relieves inflammatory pain underlying the descending pathway, that is, the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), and the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH). However, whether EA antagonizes inflammatory pain through regulation of p38MAPK in this descending facilitatory pathway is unclear.

Lipopolysaccharide induces acute bursal atrophy in broiler chicks by activating TLR4-MAPK-NF-κB/AP-1 signaling.

We investigated the mechanisms that induce atrophy of the chicken bursa of Fabricius (BF) upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment in young chicks. LPS treatment resulted in ∼36% decrease in bursal weight within 36 h ( < 0.01).

Exploring the Mechanisms of Electroacupuncture-Induced Analgesia through RNA Sequencing of the Periaqueductal Gray.

Electroacupuncture (EA) can relieve various pains. However, its mechanism in terms of the transcriptome is still not well-known. To explore the full profile of EA-induced molecular modification in the central nerve system, three twins of goats were selected for a match-paired experiment: EA stimulation (60 Hz, 30 min) and none-EA (control).

Electroacupuncture Attenuates Visceral Hypersensitivity by Inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Pathway in the Descending Pain Modulation System.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been used for treating visceral hypersensitivity (VH). However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study was aim to testify the effect of EA on ileitis-provoked VH, and to confirm whether EA attenuates VH through Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway in the periaqueductal gray (PAG)-the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM)-the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) axis.

Toll like receptor 4 signaling pathway participated in Salmonella lipopolysaccharide-induced spleen injury in young chicks.

Spleen is one of the crucial sites for cellular and humoral immunity but it easily damaged during pathogenic infections resulting in immunosuppression. The current study was therefore performed to explore the mechanism of acute spleen injury induced by salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in young chicks. Healthy one-day-old Cobb strain broiler chicks were intra-peritoneally injected with saline or LPS.

Effects of Boron Supplementation on Expression of Hsp70 in the Spleen of African Ostrich.

Increased synthesis of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) occurs in prokaryotes and eukaryotes in response to physiological, environmental, and chemical exposures, thus allowing the cell survival from fatal conditions. Hsp70 cytoprotective properties may be clarified by its anti-apoptotic function. Boron has been reported to play an essential role in various organ developments and metabolisms.

Lipopolysaccharide mediates immuno-pathological alterations in young chicken liver through TLR4 signaling.

Background: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces acute liver injury and the complex mechanisms include the activation of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway in many species. However, immuno-pathological changes during TLR4 signaling under LPS stress in acute liver injury is poorly understood in avian species. The present investigation was therefore carried out to evaluate these alterations in TLR4 signaling pathway during acute liver injury in young chickens.

Transcriptome analysis indicated that Salmonella lipopolysaccharide-induced thymocyte death and thymic atrophy were related to TLR4-FOS/JUN pathway in chicks.

Background: Thymus is the crucial site for T cell development and once believed to be immune privileged. Recently, thymus has gained special attention as it is commonly targeted by infectious agents which may cause pathogenic tolerance and subsequent immunosuppression.

Results: We analyzed thymic responses to the challenge with Salmonella typhimurium (STm) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from STm in chicks.

Effects of lipopolysaccharide on the histomorphology and expression of toll-like receptor 4 in the chicken trachea and lung.

Endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure can cause injury to the respiratory airways and in response, the respiratory epithelia express toll-like receptors (TLRs) in many species. However, its role in the innate immunity in the avian respiratory system is poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of LPS on the chicken trachea and lung.

Adiponectin downregulation is associated with volume overload-induced myocyte dysfunction in rats.

Aim: Adiponectin has been reported to exert protective effects during pathological ventricular remodeling, but the role of adiponectin in volume overload-induced heart failure remains unclear. In this study we investigated the effect of adiponectin on cardiac myocyte contractile dysfunction following volume overload in rats.

Methods: Volume overload was surgically induced in rats by infrarenal aorta-vena cava fistula.

Enhanced stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation in suspension culture by delivery of nitric oxide using S-nitrosocysteine.

The development of cell-based treatments for heart disease relies on the creation of functionally mature stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes employing in vitro culture suspension systems, a process which remains a formidable and expensive endeavor. The use of nitric oxide as a signaling molecule during differentiation has demonstrated the potential for creating increased numbers of spontaneously contracting embryoid bodies in culture; however, the effects of nitric oxide signaling on the function and maturation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is not well understood. In this study, the effects of nitric oxide on mouse embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte contractile activity, protein, and gene expression, and calcium handling were quantified.

Molecular cloning, expression and bioactivity of B cell activating factor (BAFF) in African ostrich.

B cell activating factor (BAFF), which belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family, is testified to play a critical role in B cell survival, proliferation, maturation and immunoglobulin secretion. In the present study, the cDNA of open reading frame (ORF) in African ostrich (Struthio camelus) BAFF (designated OsBAFF) was cloned by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). The OsBAFF gene encodes a 288-amino acid protein containing a predicted transmembrane domain and a putative furin protease cleavage site like BAFFs from chicken (cBAFF), quail (qBAFF), duck (dBAFF), goose (gBAFF) and dove (doBAFF).

Effect of Boric Acid Supplementation on the Expression of BDNF in African Ostrich Chick Brain.

The degree of brain development can be expressed by the levels of brain brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF plays an irreplaceable role in the process of neuronal development, protection, and restoration. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of boric acid supplementation in water on the ostrich chick neuronal development.

The role of frataxin in doxorubicin-mediated cardiac hypertrophy.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a highly effective anti-neoplastic agent; however, its cumulative dosing schedules are clinically limited by the development of cardiotoxicity. Previous studies have attributed the cause of DOX-mediated cardiotoxicity to mitochondrial iron accumulation and the ensuing reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. The present study investigates the role of frataxin (FXN), a mitochondrial iron-sulfur biogenesis protein, and its role in development of DOX-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction.

Cardioprotective HIF-1α-frataxin signaling against ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Previous studies have demonstrated the protective signaling of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 α against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in the heart. In the present study, we provide further evidence for a cardioprotective mechanism by HIF-1α against I/R injury exerted via the mitochondrial protein frataxin, which regulates mitochondrial Fe-S cluster formation. Disruption of frataxin has been found to induce mitochondrial iron overload and subsequent ROS production.

Increased Thymic Cell Turnover under Boron Stress May Bypass TLR3/4 Pathway in African Ostrich.

Previous studies revealed that thymus is a targeted immune organ in malnutrition, and high-boron stress is harmful for immune organs. African ostrich is the living fossil of ancient birds and the food animals in modern life. There is no report about the effect of boron intake on thymus of ostrich.

Effect of boric acid supplementation of ostrich water on the expression of Foxn1 in thymus.

Foxn1 is essential for thymus development. The relationship between boric acid and thymus development, optimal dose of boric acid in ostrich diets, and the effects of boric acid on the expression of Foxn1 were investigated in the present study. Thirty healthy ostriches were randomly divided into six groups: Group I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and supplemented with boric acid at the concentration of 0 mg/L, 40 mg/L, 80 mg/L, 160 mg/L, 320 mg/L, 640 mg/L, respectively.