Touraj Zamir Nasta , Mohammad Reza Tabandeh , Komail Amini , Ardeshir Abbasi , Dian Dayer , Cyrus Jalili
{"title":"The influence of indole propionic acid on molecular markers of steroidogenesis, ER stress, and apoptosis in rat granulosa cells exposed to high glucose conditions","authors":"Touraj Zamir Nasta , Mohammad Reza Tabandeh , Komail Amini , Ardeshir Abbasi , Dian Dayer , Cyrus Jalili","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106509","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106509","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Hyperglycemia is known as one of the main causes of infertility in human societies. Indole propionic acid (IPA) is produced by intestinal microbiota and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims to investigate the effects of IPA on molecular indices of steroidogenesis, ER stress, and apoptosis induced by high glucose (HG) in granulosa cells. Primary GCs, isolated from ovarian follicles of Rats were cultured in 5 mM (control) and 30 mM (HG) of glucose and in the presence of 10 and 20 µM of IPA for 24 h. The cell viability was assessed by MTT. The gene expression of P450SCC, 3βHSD, CYP19A, BAX, BCL2, and STAR was evaluated by Real-Time PCR. Protein expression of ATF6, PERK, GRP78, and CHOP determined by western blot. Progesterone, estradiol, IL-1β, and TNF-α were measured by ELISA. HG decreased the viability, and expression of P450SCC, 3βHSD, CYP19A, BCL2, STAR, and increased BAX. 10 and 20 µM of IPA increased cell viability, expression of P450SCC, 3βHSD, CYP19A, BCL2 and STAR and decreased BAX compared to the HG group. The expression of ATF6, PERK, GRP78, and CHOP proteins increased by HG and IPA decreased the expression of these proteins compared to the HG group. Also, HG decreased progesterone and estradiol levels and increased IL-1β and TNF-α. IPA significantly increased progesterone and estradiol and decreased IL-1β and TNF-α compared to the HG group. IPA can improve the side effects of HG in GCs of rats, as responsible cells for fertility, by improving steroidogenesis, regulation of ER-stress pathway, suppression of inflammation, and apoptosis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140177648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhen-Ru Zhou , Fen Liu , Shan Li , Chang-Zhi Dong , Lei Zhang
{"title":"A fungal P450 enzyme from Fusarium equiseti HG18 with 7β-hydroxylase activity in biosynthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid","authors":"Zhen-Ru Zhou , Fen Liu , Shan Li , Chang-Zhi Dong , Lei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106507","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106507","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cytochrome P450 enzyme with 7β-hydroxylation capacity has attracted widespread attentions due to the vital roles in the biosynthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a naturally active molecule for the treatment of liver and gallbladder diseases. In this study, a novel P450 hydroxylase (P450<sub>FE</sub>) was screen out from <em>Fusarium equiseti</em> HG18 and identified by a combination of genome and transcriptome sequencing, as well as heterologous expression in <em>Pichia pastoris</em>. The biotransformation of lithocholic acid (LCA) by whole cells of recombinant <em>Pichia pastoris</em> further confirmed the C7β-hydroxylation with 5.2% UDCA yield. It was firstly identified a fungal P450 enzyme from <em>Fusarium equiseti</em> HG18 with the capacity to catalyze the LCA oxidation producing UDCA. The integration of homology modeling and molecular docking discovered the substrate binding to active pockets, and the key amino acids in active center were validated by site-directed mutagenesis, and revealed that Q112, V362 and L363 were the pivotal residues of P450<sub>FE</sub> in regulating the activity and selectivity of 7β-hydroxylation. Specifically, V362I mutation exhibited 2.6-fold higher levels of UDCA and higher stereospecificity than wild-type P450<sub>FE</sub>. This advance provided guidance for improving the catalytic efficiency and selectivity of P450<sub>FE</sub> in LCA hydroxylation, indicative of the great potential in green synthesis of UDCA from biologically toxic LCA.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140162442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Despoina Kermpatsou , Frida Olsson, Erik Wåhlén, Ola Söderberg, Johan Lennartsson, Maria Norlin
{"title":"Cellular responses to silencing of PDIA3 (protein disulphide-isomerase A3): Effects on proliferation, migration, and genes in control of active vitamin D","authors":"Despoina Kermpatsou , Frida Olsson, Erik Wåhlén, Ola Söderberg, Johan Lennartsson, Maria Norlin","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106497","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106497","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>, is known to act via VDR (vitamin D receptor), affecting several physiological processes. In addition, PDIA3 (protein disulphide-isomerase A3) has been associated with some of the functions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>. In the present study we used siRNA-mediated silencing of PDIA3 in osteosarcoma and prostate carcinoma cell lines to examine the role(s) of PDIA3 for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>-dependent responses. PDIA3 silencing affected VDR target genes and significantly altered the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>-dependent induction of CYP24A1, essential for elimination of excess 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>. Also, PDIA3 silencing significantly altered migration and proliferation in prostate PC3 cells, independently of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub> increased thermostability of PDIA3 in cellular thermal shift assay, supporting functional interaction between PDIA3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>-dependent pathways. In summary, our data link PDIA3 to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>-mediated signalling, underline and extend its role in proliferation and reveal a novel function in maintenance of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub> levels.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076024000451/pdfft?md5=84f38e6f00d2f7e9a5f3765202c68492&pid=1-s2.0-S0960076024000451-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140068954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qinhua Gan , Haifeng Zheng , Xinyu Li , Jing Li , Jingxue Ma , Yuji Zhang , Jiakun Han , Lin Zhang , Wenxu Zhou , Yandu Lu
{"title":"Solving the Jigsaw puzzle of phytosterol diversity by a novel sterol methyltransferase from Zea mays","authors":"Qinhua Gan , Haifeng Zheng , Xinyu Li , Jing Li , Jingxue Ma , Yuji Zhang , Jiakun Han , Lin Zhang , Wenxu Zhou , Yandu Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106498","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106498","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Phytosterols are vital structural and regulatory components in plants. <em>Zea mays</em> produces a series of phytosterols that are specific to corn. However, the underline biosynthetic mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we identified a novel sterol methyltransferase from <em>Z. mays</em> (ZmSMT1–2) which showed a unique feature compared with documented plant SMTs. ZmSMT1–2 showed a substrate preference for cycloartenol. Using S-adenosyl-<em>L</em>-methionine (AdoMet) as a donor, ZmSMT1–2 converted cycloartenol into alkylated sterols with unique side-chain architectures, including Δ<sup>25(27)</sup> (i.e., cyclolaudenol and cycloneolitsol) and Δ<sup>24(25)</sup> (i.e., cyclobranol) sterols. Cycloneolitsol is identified as a product of SMTs for the first time. Our discovery provides a previously untapped mechanism for phytosterol biosynthesis and adds another layer of diversity of sterol biosynthesis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140050941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dried blood spot sampling of testosterone microdosing in healthy females","authors":"Reena Desai, Sasha Savkovic, David J. Handelsman","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106496","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106496","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Capillary dried blood spot (DBS) analysis coupled with multi-analyte steroid liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS) is attractive for field studies, home-based self-sampling as well as clinical trials by eliminating costly and laborious sample processing involving venipuncture and frozen storage/shipping while providing multiple steroid measurements from a single small sample. We investigated steroid measurements in DBS samples stored for four years at room temperature prior to analysis compared with the original venipuncture serum samples. Healthy women (n=12) provided paired DBS and blood samples over two weeks run-in before seven days treatment with daily transdermal T gel (12.5 mg) and after the end of treatment on days 0, 1, 2, 4, 7 and 14. Compliance with treatment and sampling was high and no adverse effects were reported. Testosterone (T), androstenedione (A<sub>4</sub>), 17 hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) and progesterone (P<sub>4</sub>) were measured in extracted DBS samples as whole blood concentrations with and without adjustment for hematocrit. Using the same LCMS methods, DBS T and A<sub>4</sub> measurements had high correlation with minimal bias from prior serum measurements with DBS T displaying the same pattern as serum, with or without hematocrit adjustment. However, serial whole blood measurements of T without hematocrit adjustment provided the best fitting model compared with serum, urine, or hematocrit-adjusted whole blood T measurements. These finding facilitate and simplify DBS methodology for wider field and home-based self-sampling studies of reproductive steroids indicating the need for hematocrit adjustment may be superfluous.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096007602400044X/pdfft?md5=9d697c78c37b9df8ffbd35ce2cfe03f9&pid=1-s2.0-S096007602400044X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140050940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuopo Fang , Xiaodan Huang , Fen Cai , Guodong Qiu , Fei Lin , Xiaorui Cai
{"title":"Design, synthesis and molecular docking of novel D-ring substituted steroidal 4,5-dihydropyrazole thiazole derivatives that act as iNOS/COX-2 inhibitors with potent anti-inflammatory activity against LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells","authors":"Shuopo Fang , Xiaodan Huang , Fen Cai , Guodong Qiu , Fei Lin , Xiaorui Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106478","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106478","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Inflammation, an important biological protective response to tissue damage or microbial invasion, is considered to be an alarming signal for the progress of varied biological complications. Based on the previous reports in the literature that proved the noticeable efficacy of pyrazole and thiazole scaffold as well as nitrogen heterocyclic based compounds against acute and chronic inflammatory disease, a new set of novel D-ring substituted steroidal 4,5-dihydropyrazole thiazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated their anti-inflammatory activities in vitro. Preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis was conducted by their inhibitory activities against nitric oxide (NO) release in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells, and the optimal compound <strong>12b</strong> [3β-hydroxy-pregn-5-en-17β-yl-5′- (o- chlorophenyl)− 1′-(4′′- phenyl -[1′′, 3′′]- thiazol-2′′- yl) − 4′,5′-dihydro − 1′H-pyrazol − 3′- yl] exhibited more potent anti-inflammatory activity than the positive control treatment <strong>methylprednisolone</strong> (<strong>MPS</strong>), with an IC<sub>50</sub> value of 2.59 μM on NO production and low cytotoxicity against RAW 264.7 cells. In further mechanism study, our results showed that compound <strong>12b</strong> significantly suppressed the production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and inhibited the expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) through blocking NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of IκBα. Compound <strong>12b</strong> also attenuated LPS-induced activation of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 phosphorylation in RAW 264.7 cells. Molecular docking study revealed the strong binding affinity of compound <strong>12b</strong> to the active site of the COX-2 proteins, which confirmed that compound <strong>12b</strong> acted as an anti-inflammatory mediator. These results indicate that steroidal derivatives bearing 4,5-dihydropyrazole thiazole structure might be considered for further research and scaffold optimization in designing anti-inflammatory drugs and compound <strong>12b</strong> might be a promising therapeutic anti-inflammatory drug candidate.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140023258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marc Poirot , Luigi Iuliano , William J. Griffiths , Gerard Lizard
{"title":"11th ENOR meeting: Oxysterols in human health and diseases","authors":"Marc Poirot , Luigi Iuliano , William J. Griffiths , Gerard Lizard","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106495","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106495","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139998155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Vitamin D fortification of foods – sensory, acceptability, cost, and public acceptance considerations","authors":"Kevin D. Cashman","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106494","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106494","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In terms of vitamin D food fortification, there are a number of important considerations in relation to selection of the food vehicle and fortificant. While there has been much research focus on the ability of fortified foods to improve vitamin D status, other considerations, such as sensory properties and acceptability, cost, and public attitudes around vitamin D-fortified foods, have received less attention. Thus, the present narrative review aimed to summarize the existing knowledge around these important considerations. In summary, its findings suggest that: i) vitamin D addition to various food vehicles, at levels consistent with the supply of part or all the recommended intake, does not alter their sensory characteristics or overall acceptability; ii) overall, vitamin D fortification of foods is relatively cost-effective, despite the fact that some attitudinal studies highlighted participant concerns about the potential cost/expense of vitamin D-fortified foods; iii) evidence from various attitudinal studies suggest a high level of acceptance and/or purchase intention (i.e., extent to which customers are willing and inclined to buy) of vitamin D-fortified food products by the general public; and iv) there have been repeated calls for vitamin D public health educational/information campaigns to help educate consumers about the health risks associated with vitamin D deficiency and nutritional benefits associated with consumption of vitamin D-fortified foods. Such campaigns could positively mediate attitudes and acceptance of vitamin D-fortified foods amongst the public, and could also help address misconceptions and allay fears around vitamin D for concerned individuals. Lastly, the findings of the present review also highlight the existence of between-country differences, even within Europe, in relation to attitudes and purchase intention of vitamin D-fortified foods and the perceived appropriateness of certain food vehicles for vitamin D fortification, as well as the best mix of communication channels for a vitamin D public health educational/information campaign.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139957266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of androgens on the risk of endometriosis sub-phenotypes and ovarian neoplasms: A Mendelian Randomization study","authors":"M. Gjorgoska, T. Rižner","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106482","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106482","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139773729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mengyu Wang , Suwan Hu , Xinghuo Fu, Huixuan Zhou, Siqi Yang, Chun Yang
{"title":"Neurosteroids: A potential target for neuropsychiatric disorders","authors":"Mengyu Wang , Suwan Hu , Xinghuo Fu, Huixuan Zhou, Siqi Yang, Chun Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106485","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106485","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Neurosteroids are steroids produced by endocrine glands and subsequently entering the brain, and also include steroids synthesis in the brain. It has been widely known that neurosteroids influence many neurological functions, including neuronal signaling, synaptic adaptations, and neuroprotective effects. In addition, abnormality in the synthesis and function of neurosteroids has been closely linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), schizophrenia (SZ), and epilepsy. Given their important role in brain pathophysiology and disorders, neurosteroids offer potential therapeutic targets for a variety of neuropsychiatric diseases, and that therapeutic strategies targeting neurosteroids probably exert beneficial effects. We therefore summarized the role of neurosteroids in brain physiology and neuropsychiatric disorders, and introduced the recent findings of synthetic neurosteroid analogues for potential treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, thereby providing insights for further research in the future.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51106,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139773785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}