Effect of Nano-eugenol and Aerobic Exercise Against the Streptozotocin Toxicity and Inflammatory Mediators P38-MAPK, NPY, and A-Rα2A in the Dorsal Root Ganglia of Diabetic Rats

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of nano-eugenol combined with aerobic exercise against the streptozotocin toxicity and inflammatory mediators P38-MAPK, NPY and A-Rα2A in the dorsal root ganglia of diabetic rats. Methods: Twenty-five, 8-week-old Wistar male rats were divided into 5 groups: 1) normal control group (normal model); 2) diabetic control group (diabetic model); 3), diabetic + exercise group (diabetic+exercise model); 4) diabetic group + nano-eugenol (diabetic+nano model); and 5) diabetic + exercise + nano-eugenol (diabetic+exercise+nano model). Diabetes was induced in the experimental groups 2 through 5 by the intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at 4mg/100 grams of the rats’ body weight. The nano-eugenol supplement was also gavaged into the supplement groups 4 and 5 only. Groups 3 and 5 exercised progressively at a speed of 8 to 20 meter/min for 5 to 30 min, five days a week over the 8-week study duration. Results: The diabetic rats that exercised and were treated with the nano-eugenol, showed a significant decrease in P38-MAPK gene expression compared to the normal model group (P=0.001). The study of the therapeutic modalities also showed that only the diabetic + exercise + nano-eugenol group showed a significant increase in NPY and A-Rα2A genes compared to the normal model (P=0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results, the use of nano-eugenol supplementation combined with aerobic exercise is likely to be effective in controlling the neurological damages due to diabetes by negatively regulating the P38-MAPK gene while positively regulating the NPY and A-Rα2A genes in the DRG region.

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of MKK and MAPK Gene Families in Brassica Species and Response to Stress in Brassica napus

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are common and conserved signal transduction pathways and play important roles in various biotic and abiotic stress responses and growth and developmental processes in plants. With the advancement of sequencing technology, more systematic genetic information is being explored. The work presented here focuses on two protein families in Brassica species: MAPK kinases (MKKs) and their phosphorylation substrates MAPKs. Forty-seven MKKs and ninety-two MAPKs were identified and extensively analyzed from two tetraploid (B. juncea and B. napus) and three diploid (B. nigra, B. oleracea, and B. rapa) Brassica species. Phylogenetic relationships clearly distinguished both MKK and MAPK families into four groups, labeled A–D, which were also supported by gene structure and conserved protein motif analysis. Furthermore, their spatial and temporal expression patterns and response to stresses (cold, drought, heat, and shading) were analyzed, indicating that BnaMKK and BnaMAPK transcript levels were generally modulated by growth, development, and stress signals. In addition, several protein interaction pairs between BnaMKKs and C group BnaMAPKs were detected by yeast two-hybrid assays, in which BnaMKK3 and BnaMKK9 showed strong interactions with BnaMAPK1/2/7, suggesting that interaction between BnaMKKs and C group BnaMAPKs play key roles in the crosstalk between growth and development processes and abiotic stresses. Taken together, our data provide a deeper foundation for the evolutionary and functional characterization of MKK and MAPK gene families in Brassica species, paving the way for unraveling the biological roles of these important signaling molecules in plants.

Elevation of MPF and MAPK gene expression, GSH content and mitochondrial distribution quality induced by melatonin promotes porcine oocyte maturation and development in vitro

The MPF and MAPK genes play crucial roles during oocyte maturation processes. However, the pattern of MPF and MAPK gene expression induced by melatonin (MT) and its correlation to oocyte maturation quality during the process of porcine oocyte maturation in vitro remains unexplored. To unravel it, in this study, we cultured the porcine oocytes in maturation medium supplemented with 0, 10−6, 10−9, and 10−12 mol/L melatonin. Later, we analyzed the MPF and MAPK gene expression levels by RT-PCR and determined the maturation index (survival and maturation rate of oocytes). The GSH content in the single oocyte, and cytoplasmic mitochondrial maturation distribution after porcine oocyte maturation in vitro was also evaluated. We also assessed the effects of these changes on parthenogenetic embryonic developmental potential. The oocytes cultured with 10−9mol/L melatonin concentration showed higher oocyte maturation rate, and MPF and MAPK genes expression levels along with better mitochondrial distribution than the 0, 10−6, and 10−12 mol/L melatonin concentrations (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the survival rates when the oocytes were cultured with different melatonin concentrations. The expression of the MPF gene in the oocytes cultured with 10−6 mol/L melatonin was higher than with 10−12 and 0 mol/L melatonin, and the expression of the MAPK gene in 10−6 and 10−12 group was higher than the control (p < 0.05). As far as the embryonic developmental potential is concerned, the cleavage and blastocyst rate of oocytes cultured with 10−6 and 10−9 mol/L melatonin was significantly higher than the 10−12 mol/L melatonin and control. In conclusion, 10−9–10−6 mol/L melatonin significantly induced the MPF and MAPK gene expression; besides, it could also be correlated with GSH content of single oocyte, mitochondrial maturation distribution, and the first polar body expulsion. These changes were also found to be associated with parthenogenetic embryo developmental potential in vitro.

Expression Levels of the Immune-Related p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Transcript in Response to Environmental Pollutants on Macrophthalmus japonicus Crab

Environmental pollution in the aquatic environment poses a threat to the immune system of benthic organisms. The Macrophthalmus japonicus crab, which inhabits tidal flat sediments, is a marine invertebrate that provides nutrient and organic matter cycling as a means of purification. Here, we characterized the M. japonicus p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) gene, which plays key roles in the regulation of cellular immune and apoptosis responses. M. japonicusp38 MAPK displayed the characteristics of the conserved MAPK family with Thr-Gly-Tyr (TGY) motif and substrate-binding site Ala-Thr-Arg-Trp (ATRW). The amino acid sequence of the M. japonicus p38 MAPK showed a close phylogenetic relationship to Eriocheir sinensis MAPK14 and Scylla paramamosainp38 MAPK. The phylogenetic tree displayed two origins of p38 MAPK: crustacean and insect. The tissue distribution patterns showed the highest expression in the gills and hepatopancreas of M. japonicus crab. In addition, p38 MAPK expression in M. japonicus gills and hepatopancreas was evaluated after exposure to environmental pollutants such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), irgarol, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and bisphenol A (BPA). In the gills, p38 MAPK expression significantly increased after exposure to all concentrations of the chemicals on day 7. However, on day 1, there were increased p38 MAPK responses observed after PFOS and irgarol exposure, whereas decreased p38 MAPK responses were observed after DEHP and BPA exposure. The upregulation of p38 MAPK gene also significantly led to M. japonicus hepatopancreas being undertested in all environmental pollutants. The findings in this study supported that anti-stress responses against exposure to environmental pollutants were reflected in changes in expression levels in M. japonicusp38 MAPK signaling regulation as a cellular defense mechanism.