In the field of assisted reproductive technology, female fertility preservation, particularly ovarian tissue cryopreservation in adolescent cancer patients, has attracted much attention. Melatonin (MLT) is well known for its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic properties; however, whether it can ameliorate the cryoinjury and inhibit the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cryopreserved ovarian tissues (OTs) has not yet been reported. Here, we demonstrated that MLT could protect follicular integrity; prevent cell apoptosis; decrease ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO) levels; and increase activities of glutathione peroxidases (GSH-Px), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in cryopreserved OTs. Furthermore, these effects may be related with the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway, as evidenced by increased mRNA levels of Nrf2 downstream genes, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1), SOD, and CAT. In summary, MLT can not only directly scavenge ROS but also significantly induce the activation of antioxidative enzymes via the Nrf2 signaling pathway, which is a new mechanism underlying the protection effects of MLT on cryopreserved OTs.

In recent years, the age of children entering puberty is getting lower and the incidence of central precocious puberty is increasing. It is known that melatonin plays an increasingly important role in regulating animal reproduction, but the specific role and mechanism of melatonin in regulating the initiation of puberty remain unclear. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of subcutaneous melatonin injection on pubertal development in female mice and its mechanism of action. Female mice that were 22 days old received 1 mg/kg doses of melatonin subcutaneously every day for 10, 15 and 20 days. The vaginal opening was checked daily. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stain was used to determine the growth of the uterus and ovaries. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in serum. By using RT-PCR and Western blotting, the mRNA and protein expression of the hypothalamus GnRH, GnIH, Kisspeptin (Kp), Proopiomelanocortin (POMC), Neuropeptide Y (NPY), as well as G protein-coupled receptor 147 (GPR147) were identified. The findings demonstrated that melatonin could suppress ovarian follicle and uterine wall growth as well as delay vaginal opening, decrease serum levels of GnRH and FSH and increase levels of GnIH. Melatonin increased GnIH and GPR147 expression in the hypothalamus in comparison to the saline group, while decreasing the expression of GnRH, Kisspeptin, POMC, and NPY. In conclusion, exogenous melatonin can inhibit the onset of puberty in female mice by modulating the expression of hypothalamic GnRH, GnIH, Kisspeptin, POMC and NPY neurons and suppressing the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis.

The hypothalamic peptide gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a relatively novel hypothalamic neuropeptide, identified in 2000. It can influence the hypothalamic‑pituitary‑gonadal axis and reproductive function through various neuroendocrine systems. The present study aimed to explore the effects and potential underlying molecular mechanism of RFamide‑related peptide‑3 (RFRP‑3) injection on the uterine fluid protein profile of ovariectomized estrogen‑primed (OEP) rats using proteomics. In addition, the possible effects of RFRP‑3 on the viability and apoptosis of the human endometrial cancer cell line HEC‑1A and associated molecular mechanism were investigated. The OEP rat model was established through injection with GnIH/RFRP‑3 through the lateral ventricle. At 6 h after injection, the protein components of uterine fluid of rats in the experimental and control groups were analyzed using liquid chromatography (LC)‑tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were analyzed using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. Protein‑protein interactions (PPI) were investigated using the STRING database. PPI networks were then established before hub proteins were selected using OmicsBean software. The expression of one of the hub proteins, Kras, was then detected using western blot analysis. Cell Counting Kit‑8, Annexin V‑FITC/PI, reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting were also performed to analyze cell viability and apoptosis. In total, 417 DEPs were obtained using LC‑MS/MS, including 279 upregulated and 138 downregulated proteins. GO analysis revealed that the majority of the DEPs were secretory proteins. According to KEGG enrichment analysis, the DEPs found were generally involved in tumor‑associated pathways. In particular, five hub proteins, namely G protein subunit α (Gna)13, Gnaq, Gnai3, Kras and MMP9, were obtained following PPI network analysis. Western blot analysis showed that expression of the hub protein Kras was downregulated following treatment with 10,000 ng/ml RFRP‑3. RFRP‑3 treatment (10,000 ng/ml) also suppressed HEC‑1A cell viability, induced apoptosis, downregulated Bcl‑2 and upregulated Bax protein expression, compared with those in the control group. In addition, compared with those in the control group, RFRP‑3 significantly reduced the mRNA expression levels of PI3K, AKT and mTOR, while upregulating those of LC3‑II. Compared with those in the control group, RFRP‑3 significantly decreased the protein expression levels of PI3K, AKT, mTOR and p62, in addition to decreasing AKT phosphorylation. By contrast, RFRP‑3 significantly increased the LC3‑II/I ratio and G protein‑coupled receptor 147 (GPR147) protein expression. In conclusion, the present data suggest that RFRP‑3 can alter the protein expression profile of the uterine fluid of OEP rats by upregulating MMP9 expression whilst downregulating that of key hub proteins Gna13, GnaQ, Gnai3 and Kras. Furthermore, RFRP‑3 can inhibit HEC‑1A cell viability while promoting apoptosis. The underlying molecular mechanism may involve activation of GPR147 receptor by the direct binding of RFRP‑3, which further downregulates the hub protein Kras to switch on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. This subsequently reduces the Bcl‑2 expression and promotes Bax expression to induce autophagy.