There is sufficient molecular, histological and morphological evidence, in part deriving from knowledge of the pathophysiology, to support a deleterious effect of the endometrioma on the adjacent ovarian cortical tissue, independent of the mere mechanical stretching owing to its size.
Sam Wiebe: acquisition of data, analysis or interpretation of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. Gary Gronseth: study concept and design, acquisition of data, analysis or interpretation of data, drafting/revising the manuscript, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. David Gloss: study concept and design, acquisition of data, analysis or interpretation of data, drafting/revising the manuscript, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.
Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory condition that affects women in their reproductive period causing infertility and pelvic pain. The disease, especially at the ovarian site has been shown to have a detrimental impact on ovarian physiology. Indeed, sonographic and histologic data tend to support the idea that ovarian follicles of endometriosis patients are decreased in number and more atretic. Moreover, the local intrafollicular environment of patients affected is characterized by alterations of the granulosa cell compartment including reduced P450 aromatase expression and increased intracellular reactive oxygen species generation. However, no comprehensive evaluation of the literature addressing the effect of endometriosis on oocyte quality from both a clinical and a biological perspective has so far been conducted. Based on this systematic review of the literature, oocytes retrieved from women affected by endometriosis are more likely to fail in vitro maturation and to show altered morphology and lower cytoplasmic mitochondrial content compared to women with other causes of infertility. Results from meta-analyses addressing IVF outcomes in women affected would indicate that a reduction in the number of mature oocytes retrieved is associated with endometriosis while a reduction in fertilization rates is more likely to be associated with minimal/mild rather than with moderate/severe disease. However, evidence in this field is still far to be conclusive, especially with regards to the effects of different stages of the disease and to the impact of patients’ previous medical/surgical treatment(s).
Capsaicin, the pungent ingredient of hot chilli pepper, has been recently shown to induce apoptosis in several cell lines through a not well known mechanism. Here, we investigated the role of the vanilloid capsaicin in the death regulation of the human cancer androgen-resistant cell line PC-3. Capsaicin inhibited the growth of PC-3 with an IC(50) of 20 microM cells and induced cell apoptosis, as assessed by flow cytometry and nuclei staining with DAPI. Capsaicin induced apoptosis in prostate cells by a mechanism involving reactive oxygen species generation, dissipation of the mitochondrial inner transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) and activation of caspase 3. Capsaicin-induced apoptosis was not reduced by the antagonist capsazepine in a dose range from 0.1 microM to 20 microM, suggesting a receptor-independent mechanism. To study the in vivo effects of capsaicinoids, PC-3 cells were grown as xenografts in nude mice. Subcutaneous injection of either capsaicin or capsazepine (5 mg/kg body weight) in nude mice suppressed PC-3 tumor growth in all tumors investigated and induced apoptosis of tumor cells. Our data show a role for capsaicin against androgen-independent prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and suggest that capsaicin is a promising anti-tumor agent in hormone-refractory prostate cancer, which shows resistance to many chemotherapeutic agents.
Communication between embryo and maternal endometrium occurs during a specific time frame in which implantation is possible. Here we demonstrate for the first time that conditioned media from non-manipulated human embryos cultured in vitro for 3 days or up to the blastocyst stage contain extracellular vesicles (EVs) with a diameter of 50 to 200 nm and bearing the traditional microvesicle and exosome marker proteins CD63, CD9 and ALIX. The embryonic origin of these EVs has been confirmed by the presence of stemness gene transcripts and their enrichment in the non-classical HLA-G protein. NANOG and POU5F1 transcripts were shown to be contained in vesicles deriving from embryos at different stages of development. In line with a higher detection rate of the HLA-G protein in blastocysts compared to cleavage stage embryos, a significantly higher amount of HLA-G was found in vesicles accumulated in spent media from day 3 to day 5 of development compared to those isolated from the earlier stage. Uptake of dye-labeled embryo-derived EVs by human primary endometrial epithelial and stromal cells was also demonstrated with a fluorescence intensity signal significantly higher for cells treated with vesicles derived from blastocysts. Based on these findings, EV exchange may be suggested as an emerging way of communication at the maternal-fetal interface.Since the first gestation reported in 1976 1 , more than five million pregnancies have been achieved worldwide by in vitro fertilization and its modifications, known generically as assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Currently, ART accounts for 1 to 3 percent of live births in the United States and Europe. Despite significant advances in the understanding of infertility mechanisms and the overcoming of many deficiencies in human fertility by evolving ART, the number of 'take-home' babies still remains low 2 . Research in this area is moving toward the improvement of success rates through a better understanding of embryo and uterine physiology 3 .Embryo implantation and consequent pregnancy is thought to involve a two-way communication between maternal uterus and the blastocyst, a dialogue whose success seems essential for the progression through the processes of embryo apposition, adhesion, attachment and penetration [4][5][6] . Some embryonic signals modulating this dialogue have been identified 7-9 . Among them, human chorionic gonadotrophin synthesized early by the trophoblast cells acts on the uterine environment via the luteinizing hormone/hCG receptor and exerts both autocrine effects, promoting differentiation 10 and migration of trophoblasts 11 , and paracrine effects on the maternal endometrium 12 . Another molecule identified in embryo culture media and supposed to be involved in the regulation of local maternal immune response is represented by sHLA-G 13 . HLA-G1/G5 protein expression has been detected in human preimplantation embryos in association with β2-microglobulin and the soluble spliced isoform has been proposed as a noninvasive tool for embryo select...
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