Background— Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) inhibits cell proliferation. This may be mediated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). TGF-β directly stops cell proliferation, restrains cells in G 0 , and inhibits the uptake of platelet-derived growth factor and insulin-like growth factor. These effects are identical to those observed with ASA treatment. Methods and Results— We cultured rat thoracic aorta vascular smooth muscle cells and measured cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, cell cycle, transcription of TGF-β 1 , and concentration of TGF-β 1 in supernatant medium. ASA dose-dependently restrained cells in G 0 phase with no cytotoxic effect and inhibited cell proliferation by 30.86%. Anti–TGF-β 1 reversed this inhibition by 30.21%. However, ASA treatment decreased TGF-β 1 transcription and had no significant effect on TGF-β 1 concentration. Conclusions— TGF-β seems to play an important role in ASA-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation. Therefore, treatment with ASA prevents coronary disease not only by means of its antiplatelet properties but also by an important inhibition of plaque growth. This relationship between ASA and TGF-β explains many other effects, such as cancer chemoprevention, immunomodulation, and wound healing. The aim of this study was to demonstrate this link.

Native wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations are expanding across Europe. This is cause for concern in some areas where overabundant populations impact natural ecosystems and adjacent agronomic systems. To better manage the potential for impacts, managers require more information about how the species may affect other organisms. For example, information regarding the effect of wild boar on soil fungi for management application is lacking. Soil fungi play a fundamental role in ecosystems, driving essential ecological functions; acting as mycorrhizal symbionts, sustaining plant nutrition and providing defense; as saprotrophs, regulating the organic matter decomposition; or as plant pathogens, regulating plant fitness and survival. During autumn (Sep–Nov) 2018, we investigated the effects of wild boar (presence/absence and rooting intensity) on the abundance (number of individuals) of fungal sporocarps and their functional guilds (symbiotic, saprotrophic and pathogenic). We selected eleven forested sites (400–500 × 150–200 m) in central Sweden; six with and five without the presence of wild boar. Within each forest, we selected one transect (200 m long), and five plots (2 × 2 m each) for sites without wild boar, and ten plots for sites with boars (five within and five outside wild boar disturbances), to determine the relationship between the intensity of rooting and the abundance of sporocarps for three fungal guilds. We found that the presence of wild boar and rooting intensity were associated with the abundance of sporocarps. Interestingly, this relationship varied depending on the fungal guild analyzed, where wild boar rooting had a positive correlation with saprophytic sporocarps and a negative correlation with symbiotic sporocarps. Pathogenic fungi, in turn, were more abundant in undisturbed plots (no rooting) but located in areas with the presence of wild boar. Our results indicate that wild boar activities can potentially regulate the abundance of fungal sporocarps, with different impacts on fungal guilds. Therefore, wild boar can affect many essential ecosystem functions driven by soil fungi in boreal forests, such as positive effects on energy rotation and in creating mineral availability to plants, which could lead to increased diversity of plants in boreal forests.

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