Endometritis, inflammation of the endometrium, is a common reproductive obstacle disease that can lead to infertility in female animals. Astragaloside IV (AS IV), one of the major and active components of the Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge, is known for its anti-inflammatory effects. In the present study, the effects and mechanisms of AS IV on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endometritis were investigated using a mouse model. Female mice were prepared with AS IV (0.01 mg/g) by gavage for six days before being stimulated with LPS. The results showed that the histopathological changes, levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α), concentration of NO, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in LPS-induced uteri were attenuated significantly by pretreatment with AS IV. Furthermore, LPS-induced activations of NF-κB, p38, and JNK signal pathways were suppressed by pretreatment with AS IV. In conclusion, the data provided new evidence that AS IV effectively attenuates LPS-induced endometritis through inhibition of TLR4-mediated NF-κB, p38, and JNK signaling pathways, implying that AS IV might become a promising potential anti-inflammatory agent for endometritis and other inflammatory diseases.

Ammonia is one of the major toxic components of metabolites in blood and tissues of high-producing dairy cows and could affect the health of bovine mammary glands. Bovine mammary epithelial cells are sensitive to oxidative stress induced by intensive cell metabolism. In our previous study, we found that ammonia could induce oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammatory responses in bovine mammary epithelial cells. In the present study, the cytoprotective effects of astragaloside IV against ammonia in vitro were explored. The results demonstrated that pretreatment of MAC-T cells with astragaloside IV could potently suppress the increase in the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the rate of cell apoptosis, inhibit the ammonia-induced inflammatory responses, and rescue the decrease of cell viability. Astragaloside IV prevented ammonia-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress. Astragaloside IV also significantly suppressed the levels of BAX, caspase 3 and p53 phosphorylation in ammonia-induced MAC-T cells. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2) was essential for cytoprotective effects of astragaloside IV in MAC-T cells, as knockdown of Nrf2 dramatically abolished the prosurvival effects of astragaloside IV on treated cells. Furthermore, the PI3K/AKT and ERK/MAPK pathways were responsible for the induction of Nrf2 by astragaloside IV. In conclusion, astragaloside IV played a beneficial role against ammonia-induced damage of MAC-T cells. This provides a cue for future study to use astragaloside IV as a protective and curative agent against ammonia exposure of mammary glands in dairy cows.

Due to the surface adsorption and interlayer insertion behavior of chloride anions, the Fe–Ni(oxy)hydroxide catalytic surface is easily destroyed, making it difficult to be used for long-term seawater electrolysis. Here, we developed a time- and labor-saving rapid surface reconstruction assisted by a directional anodic corrosion strategy to in situ construct a chrysanthemum shaped active catalytic layer of Fe–Ni(oxy)hydroxide used for seawater electrolysis on the surface of commercial self-supported metal materials. The purpose of the initial artificial anodic corrosion process is to directionally control the rapid corrosion of Fe on the surface of Fe–Ni foam to form a relatively stable Ni-rich structure, which can act as the host of Fe* (Fe* or Ni* represent surface active species of high-valence generated by the oxidation activation) redeposition to slow down the loss of active Fe*. Due to the special structure of the Fe–Ni(oxy)hydroxide catalytic layer tightly loaded on the surface of the Fe–Ni alloy, during the later stability test in natural seawater, the Cl⁻ corrosion can accelerate the surface reconstruction of Fe–Ni(oxy)hydroxide to cause “rapid self-healing”, which is not only conducive to the regular renewal of the catalytic layer, but can prolong the stability of its resistance to seawater electrolysis. Eventually, the sample prepared by anodic corrosion and electrochemical reconstruction (named AC-FeNi(O)OH) only required 252 mV of low overpotential to provide a current density of 100 mA cm⁻², and also tolerated over 100 hours in alkaline brine and natural seawater.

At present, pre-eclampsia is a growing concern and still a diagnostic challenge for obstetricians.This study aimed to evaluate whether the relationship of second trimester of pregnancy neutrophil c...