Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women at reproductive age. However, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms have not been completely understood. Hyperandrogenism is an important clinic feature in patients with PCOS, suggesting its pathologic role in the development and progression of PCOS. However, the actual role of androgen and the related signals in PCOS and PCOS‐related complications have not yet been clarified. In this review, we surveyed the origin and effects of androgen on PCOS and the related complications, highlighted the cellular signals affecting androgen synthesis and summarized the pathological processes caused by hyperandrogenism. Our review well reveals the important mechanisms referring the pathogenesis of PCOS and provides important clues to the clinic strategies in patients with PCOS.

Lung cancer is the most common and most lethal type of cancer. A sustained proliferative capacity is one of the hallmarks of cancer, and microtubules serve an important role in maintaining a sustained cell cycle. Therefore, understanding the regulation of microtubule proteins in the cell cycle is important for tumor prevention and treatment. Centromere protein E (CENPE) is a human kinetochore protein that is highly expressed in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. The present study identified that CENPE is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissues. Following knockdown of CENPE expression, the proliferation of lung cancer cells was inhibited. In addition, it was revealed that forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) is significantly correlated with CENE expression. Following FOXM1-knockdown, the expression level of CENPE was decreased and the proliferation of lung cancer cells was inhibited. Overexpression of FOXM1 promoted the expression of CENPE and the proliferation of lung cancer cells. A chromatin immunoprecipitation assay identified that FOXM1 binds directly to the promoter region of CENPE. Therefore, the present data demonstrated that CENPE can promote the proliferation of LUAD cells and is directly regulated by FOXM1.

Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel is a commonly used Chinese medicine for clearing away heat and detoxification, cooling blood, stopping dysentery, and anti-inflammatory effects. Pulsatilla chinensis saponins (PRS) have been identified to be responsible for producing these pharmacological activities. Studies have shown that Pulsatilla decoction has a good therapeutic effect on ulcerative colitis (UC), however, the therapeutic effect of PRS on UC has not been reported. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible anti-UC activity of PRS using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced rat model, and further study the mechanism of PRS in the treatment of UC. The fecal and colon samples were collected from rats to monitor the changes in the composition and diversity of the intestinal flora, and pathological colon sections were also made to examine the mesenteric hemorheological characteristics. The results showed that PRS significantly reduced the mesenteric blood flow in UC rats and significantly alleviated the inflammatory response, which indicates that saponins are involved in the anti-UC effects of PRS. At the same time, it is also suggested that the regulation of intestinal flora by Pulsatilla chinensis saponins is an important pathway for its anti-UC activity, which may be ascribed to the increase in beneficial bacteria like norank_F_Muribaculaceae and norank_F_norank_O_Clostridia_UCG-014, and decrease in the harmful Bacteroides.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is closely related with the onset and development of metabolic abnormalities. However, the correlation between PCOS and kidney injury has not been clarified, and the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Herein, we performed a prospective survey in 55 PCOS and 69 healthy participants. Furthermore, the correlation analyses between serum testosterone and renal functional manifestations of patients and healthy subjects, including urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR), urinary κ‐light chains (KapU), urinary λ‐light chains (LamU), urinary α1‐microglobulin (α1‐MU), and urinary β2‐microglobulin (β2‐MU), were analyzed. Compared with that in normal subjects, the levels of serum testosterone and UACR were significantly higher in PCOS patients. Serum testosterone is significantly correlated with the disease severity of PCOS. Although urinary excretions of KapU, LamU, α1‐MU, and β2‐MU did not increase in PCOS patients, they had a significantly positive correlation with the extent of serum testosterone in PCOS patients. IN vitro, primary cultured human ovary granulosa cells (GCs) were isolated from the follicular fluid (FF) extracting from PCOS patients and controls. FF, especially which extracted from PCOS patients with a high expression of serum testosterone, significantly induced cell apoptosis and inflammation in human GCs. To examine the communication between PCOS and kidney injury, a human proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HKC‐8) was cultured and administered FF. Interestingly, FF from PCOS patients with a higher level of serum testosterone induced fibrotic lesions in HKC‐8 cells. These data suggest serum testosterone plays a critical role in PCOS and PCOS‐associated kidney injury. Serum testosterone may serve as a promising indicator for kidney fibrotic injury outcomes in PCOS patients.