简介:AbstractBackground:Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious complication that affects maternal and perinatal outcomes. However, the mechanisms have not been fully explained. This study was designed to analyze longitudinal gut microbiota alterations in pregnant women with and without PE in the second (T2) and third trimesters (T3).Methods:In this nested case-control study, which was conducted at Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, fecal samples from 25 PE patients (25 fecal samples obtained in T2 and 15 fecal samples obtained in T3) and 25 matched healthy controls (25 fecal samples obtained in T2 and 22 fecal samples obtained in T3) were collected, and the microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The diversity and composition of the microbiota of PE cases and controls were compared.Results:No significant differences in diversity were found between the PE and control groups (P > 0.05). In the control group, from T2 to T3, the relative abundances of Proteobacteria (median [Q1, Q3]: 2.25% [1.24%, 3.30%] vs. 0.64% [0.20%, 1.20%], Z = -3.880, P < 0.05), and Tenericutes (median [Q1, Q3]: 0.12% [0.03%, 3.10%] vs. 0.03% [0.02%, 0.17%], Z= -2.369, P < 0.05) decreased significantly. In the PE group, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in T2 was lower than in T3 (median [Q1, Q3]: 18.16% [12.99%, 30.46%] vs. 31.09% [19.89%, 46.06%], Z= -2.417, P < 0.05). In T2, the relative abundances of mircrobiota showed no significant differences between the PE group and the control group. However, in T3, the relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly lower in the PE group than in the control group (mean ± standard deviation: 60.62% ± 15.17% vs. 75.57% ± 11.53%, t= -3.405, P < 0.05). The relative abundances of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae were significantly higher in the PE group than in the control group (median [Q1, Q3]: 31.09% [19.89%, 46.06%] vs. 18.24% [12.90%, 32.04%], Z=-2.537, P < 0.05; 1.52% [1.05%, 2.61%] vs. 0.64% [0.20%, 1.20%], Z=-3.310, P < 0.05; 0.75% [0.20%, 1.00%] vs. 0.01% [0.004%, 0.023%], Z = -4.152, P < 0.05). Linear discriminant analysis combined effect size measurements analysis showed that the relative abundances of the phylum Bacteroidetes, class Bacteroidia and order Bacteroidales were increased in the PE group, while those of the phylum Firmicutes, the class Clostridia, the order Clostridiales, and the genus unidentified Lachnospiraceae were decreased in the PE group; and these differences were identified as taxonomic biomarkers of PE in T3.Conclusion:From T2 to T3, there was an obvious alteration in the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota of PE patients in T3 was significantly different from that of the control group.
简介:AbstractBackground:Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease with limited therapeutic options, ultimately leading to right heart failure and death. Recent findings indicate the role of the Warburg effect (aerobic glycolysis) in the development of PH. However, the effect of the glycolysis inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) on the pathogenesis of PH has not been well investigated. This study aimed to determine whether 3-BrPA inhibits PH and its possible mechanism.Methods:PH was induced in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline (MCT). 3-BrPA, or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was administered via intraperitoneal injection every other day from the first day of MCT-injection to 4 weeks of follow-up, and indices such as right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI), pulmonary arteriolar remodeling indicated by percent media thickness (% MT), lactate levels and glucose consumption, were evaluated. Pulmonary arteriolar remodeling and right ventricular hypertrophy were observed in hematoxylin-eosin-stained lung sections. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and/or immunofluorescence analyses were used to measure the expression of relevant proteins. A cytochrome C release apoptosis assay and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling staining were used to measure cell apoptosis.Results:MCT-induced PH showed a significant increase in glucose consumption (0 vs. 4 weeks: 0.87 ± 0.23 vs. 2.94 ± 0.47, P = 0.0042) and lactate production (0 vs. 4 weeks: 4.19 ± 0.34 vs. 8.06 ± 0.67, P = 0.0004). Treatment with 3-BrPA resulted in a concomitant reduction in glucose consumption (1.10 ± 0.35 vs. 3.25 ± 0.47, P = 0.0063), lactate production (5.09 ± 0.55 vs. 8.06 ± 0.67, P= 0.0065), MCT-induced increase in RVSP (39.70 ± 2.94 vs. 58.85 ± 2.32, P= 0.0004), pulmonary vascular remodeling (% MT, 43.45% ± 1.41% vs. 63.66% ± 1.78%, P < 0.0001), and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVHI, 38.57% ± 2.69% vs. 62.61% ± 1.57%, P < 0.0001) when compared with those of the PBS-treated group. 3-BrPA, a hexokinase 2 inhibitor, exerted its beneficial effect on PH by decreasing aerobic glycolysis and was also associated with inhibiting the expression of glucose transporter protein-1, inducing apoptosis, and suppressing inflammation.Conclusions:3-BrPA might have a potential beneficial effect on the PH treatment.
简介:AbstractObjective:Second-generation antipsychotics are widely used in mental illness, but the treatment effects and side effects are affected by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of related genes. Quetiapine and aripiprazole are two frequently used secondgeneration antipsychotic drugs. The aim of this study was to develop two different SNP detection methods for four SNP alleles associated with the pharmacokinetics of quetiapine and aripiprazole, based on high-resolution melting (HRM) and multicolor melting curve assay (MMCA) respectively.Methods:Whole genome DNA samples were obtained from 240 healthy people (107 females and 133 males) without genetic diseases. HRM methods were established using four kinds of specific primers and a saturated fluorescent dye. Each SNP allele with their own primers was detected in a single reaction. In the MMCA method, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction with 4 different-colored fluorescent probes was established to detect four SNP alleles in a single reaction. All experimental protocols were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, China (SCMC-201015) on November 22, 2010.Results:Two detection methods for the pharmacogenomics of quetiapine and aripiprazole, based on HRM and MMCA respectively, were established in this study. The single-target HRM method can be completed in 96 minutes, whereas the quadruplex MMCA method takes 133 minutes. It was found that the results of HRM and MMCA for the four SNP alleles had 100% coincidence with Sanger sequencing in the 240 samples.Conclusion:This study developed two methods for the detection of four pharmacogenomic SNP alleles that correlated with quetiapine and aripiprazole. Both methods are rapid, cost-saving, highly accurate and potentially facilitate rational use of second-generation antipsychotics for clinical medication.