MOHAMMAD SALEHI

Seminal proteins can be considered as factors that control fertilization. Clusterin is one such protein that has been implicated in many activities, including apoptosis inhibition, cell cycle control, DNA repair, and sperm maturation. In this study, the relationship between human secretory clusterin in seminal plasma with sperm parameters, protamine deficiency, and DNA fragmentation was investigated. Semen samples were collected from 63 Iranian men and semen analysis was performed according to World Health Organization criteria and Computer Aided Semen Analysis (CASA). The concentration of secretory clusterin (sCLU) in seminal plasma was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), protamine deficiency was determined by chromomycin A3 staining, and sperm DNA fragmentation was checked by sperm chromatin dispersion. The level of sCLU in seminal fluid of fertile patients was 48.3 ± 38.6 ng/ml and in infertile patients was 15.5 ± 9.7 ng/ml, and the difference was significant (...

Nutrients and antioxidants in the medium of immature oocyte have a profound effect on maturation, fertilization and development of resulting embryos. In this study the effects of melatonin as an antioxidant agent on maturation, glutathione level and expression of High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) gene were evaluated in immature oocytes of mice stained with brilliant cresyl blue (BCB). In this experimental study, immature oocytes were harvested from ovaries of Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice. Oocytes were stained with 26 μM BCB for 90 minutes and transferred to in vitro maturation medium containing varying doses of melatonin (10-12, 10-9, 10-6, 10-3 M) and without melatonin, for 22-24 hours. Maturation was monitored using an inverted microscope. Glutathione was assessed by monochlorobimane (MCB) staining and HMGB1 expression in mature oocyte was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Melatonin in the concentration of 10-6 M had the most effect on matur...

Nuclear transfer-embryonic stem cells (NT-ESCs) are genetically identical to the donor's cells; provide a renewable source of tissue for replacement, and therefore, decrease the risk of immune rejection. Trichostatin A (TSA) as a histone deacetylase in- hibitor (HDACi) plays an important role in the reorganization of the genome and epigenetic changes. In this study, we examined whether TSA treatment after somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) can improve the developmental rate of embryos and establishment rate of NT-ESCs line, as well as whether TSA treatment can improve histone modification in NT-ESCs lines. In this experimental study, mature oocytes were recovered from BDF1 [C57BL/6×DBA/2) F 1 mice] mice and enucleated by micromanipulator. Cumulus cells were injected into enucleated oocytes as donor. Reconstructed embryos were ac- tivated in the presence or absence of TSA and cultured for 5 days. Blastocysts were transferred on inactive mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF), so ESC...

Many studies have focused on the epigenetic characteristics of donor cells to improve somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). We hypothesized that the epigenetic status and chromatin structure of undifferentiated bovine adipose tissue-derived stem cells (BADSCs) would not remain constant during different passages. The objective of this study was to determine the mRNA expression patterns of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT3a, DNMT3b) and histone deacetyltransferses (HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC3) in BADSCs. In addition, we compared the measured levels of octamer binding protein-4 expression (OCT4) and acetylation of H3K9 (H3K9ac) in BADSCs cultures and different passages in vitro. In this experimental study, subcutaneous fat was obtained from adult cows immediately post-mortem. Relative level of DNMTs and HDACs was examined using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR), and the level of OCT4 and H3K9ac was analyzed by flow cytometry at passages 3 (P3), 5 (P5) and 7 (P7). The ...

ABSTRACT Dietary intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids are thought to mediate a wide range of actions in reproductive tissues. This includes the effects on ovarian follicle and corpus luteum functions via improved energy efficiency as well as providing precursors for the synthesis of signalling molecules such as steroids and prostaglandins. An appropriate level of α-linolenic acid (ALA) in the oocyte maturation medium has been shown to induce molecular changes associated with oocyte maturation and embryo developmental competence. In that light, we hypothesised that supplementation of exogenous ALA to maturation media could enhance nuclear maturation and embryonic development in the goat. A preliminary experiment was executed to measure the level of ALA in antral follicles by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. Our results revealed that the concentration of ALA in follicular fluids ranged from 0.006 to 0.02 mg mL–1 (21.5 to 71.8 µM, with a mean of ~50 µM). To test the effect of ALA on the competence of goat oocytes to complete meiotic maturation to metaphase II and sustain embryonic development, ovaries were obtained from a local abattoir. Cumulus–oocyte complexes were recovered by the slicing method followed by selection of oocytes with a homogenous cytoplasm and at least three layers of compact cumulus cells. The cumulus–oocyte complexes were placed in maturation media supplemented with 50 µM ALA. Oocytes in the control group were incubated in the same maturation medium without ALA. In vitro maturation (IVM) was performed in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2, 5% O2, and 90% N2 at 38.5°C for 24 h. After IVM, several oocytes from the treatment (n = 170) and control (n = 166) groups were stained with Hoechst and were evaluated in relation to their metaphase-II rate. Other groups of oocytes from both the treatment (n = 70) and control (n = 61) groups were subjected to parthenogenetic activation by applying 1 min of exposure to 2.5 µM ionomycin followed by 2 mM 6-DMAP treatment for 3 h. After activation, oocytes were cultured in CR1aa medium for 7 days under the conditions stated above. Four replications were performed. Differences in developmental rates were analysed for significance by one-way ANOVA using SAS version 8.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA), considering P < 0.05 to be significant. As a result, supplementation of the maturation media with ALA did not appear to affect cumulus expansion. In contrast, IVM of goat oocytes in the presence of ALA resulted in a significantly higher maturation rate compared with maturation without ALA supplementation (66.4% v. 57.9%). Likewise, addition of ALA to the IVM medium significantly increased the rate of cleavage (60.1% v. 52.4%) and blastocyst formation (22.6% v. 14.9%), calculated from the activated oocytes. Collectively, the results of our study show that supplementation of IVM media with 50 µM ALA promotes nuclear maturation, increases cleavage rate, and results in higher blastocyst rate in goat oocytes after parthenogenetic activation. Thus, providing appropriate levels of ALA in maturation media could have beneficial effects on embryo development and reproductive efficiency in the goat.

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which is a member of neurotrophic factor family on developmental competence of oocytes in sheep. In vitro maturation was performed in presence of various concentrations (0, 10, and 100 ng/mL) of BDNF. Meiotic maturation, levels of intracellular glutathione, embryonic developmental potential after parthenogenetic activation, number of total and apoptotic cells in blastocysts, and expression of Bax and Bcl-2 genes in blastocyst cells were determined. Under unstressed condition, while at 100 ng/mL concentration, BDNF increased the IVM rate; an increase of glutathione level was observed at 10 ng/mL concentration. Moreover, when BDNF-treated oocytes were used for parthenogenetic activation, more blastocyst at both 10 and 100 ng/mL levels was obtained in comparison with the untreated group. Under heat stress (HS), the blastocyst rate was dramatically reduced in untreated oocytes compared to that obtained from 10 ng/mL BDNF groups. Total cell number in blastocysts was not affected by the treatment groups. The mean of Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive nuclei in blastocysts was not influenced by addition of BDNF in medium and that presence or absence of thermal stress during IVM than the control group. Moreover, our data revealed that the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 genes in blastocysts was affected by both BDNF concentration and HS. Conclusively, supplementation of IVM medium with 10 ng/mL BDNF had a beneficial effect on sheep oocyte competence by increasing the rate of blastocyst especially when HS exists.

Autoimmune diseases precede a complex dysregulation of the immune system. T helper17 (Th17) and interleukin (IL)-17 have central roles in initiation of inflammation and subsequent autoimmune diseases. IL-27 significantly controls autoimmune diseases by Th17 and IL-17 suppression. In the present study we have created genetic engineered mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that mediate with lentiviral vectors to release IL-27 as an adequate vehicle for ex vivo gene therapy in the reduction of inflammation and autoimmune diseases. In this experimental study, we isolated adipose-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) from lipoaspirate and subsequently characterized them by differentiation. Two subunits of IL-27 (p28 and EBI3) were cloned in a pCDH-513B-1 lentiviral vector. Expressions of p28 and EBI3 (Epstein-Barr virus induced gene 3) were determined by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MSCs were transduced by a pCDH-CMV-p28-IRES- EBI3-EF-copGFP-Pur lentiviral vector and the bioassay of IL-27 was ev...

The failure of regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) has been attributed to axonal demyelination and neuronal death. Cellular replacement and white matter regeneration are both necessary for SCI repair. In this study, we evaluated the co-transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) and embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived motor neurons (ESMN) on contused SCI. OEC cultured from olfactory nerve rootlets and olfactory bulbs. ESMN was generated by exposing mouse ES cells to retinoic acid and sonic hedgehog. Thirty female rats were used to prepare SCI models in five groups. Control and medium-injected groups was subjected to induce lesion without cell transplantation. OEC or ESMN or both were transplanted into the site of the lesion in other groups. The purity of OEC culture was 95%. Motor neuron progenitor markers (Olig2, Nkx6.1 and Pax6) and motor neuron markers (Isl1, Isl2 and Hb9) were expressed. Histological analysis showed that significantly more (P<0.001) spinal tissu...

Electrospun silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds (ESFNSs) were successfully prepared by electrospinning of various Bombyx mori silk fibroin concentrations (10, 12 and 14% in formic acid). After characterizing the purified silk fibroin, the morphology, porosity, fibers' diameter and uniformity of the prepared scaffolds were examined in detail. In addition, biological responses such as effects on bone marrow cell viability, cytotoxicity and cell adhesion were evaluated in vitro. Biocompatibility and bioactivity properties of the ESFNSs were evaluated in vitro and in vivo by cell culturing and subcutaneous implantation in rat models for 7 and 28 days, respectively. According to the obtained results, no beaded fibers were seen in any of the prepared scaffolds, while ESFNS-10% provided more uniformity and porosity with nano-scaled fibers (90 ± 0.021 nm). Furthermore, the scaffolds also showed good cell adhesion and spreading (68.7 ± 11.8 and 7.6 ± 3.3 total length and width, respectively) with no detectable effect on cell viability and cytotoxicity. The in vivo biocompatibility evaluation indicated that the scaffolds did not stimulate detectable cellular inflammatory response (lymphocytes), and increased the total cell number (cellularity) in the implantation area. Furthermore, the results suggest the potential use of the prepared ESFNS-10%-bone marrow cells constructs in direct implantation for tissue engineering applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The beneficial effect of supplementing culture medium with melatonin has been reported during in vitro embryo development of species such as mouse, bovine and porcine. However, the effect of melatonin on mouse somatic cell nuclear transfer remains unknown. In this study, we assessed the effects of various concentrations of melatonin (10-6 to 10-12 M) on the in vitro development of mouse somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos for 96 h. Embryos cultured without melatonin were used as control. There was no significant difference in cleavage rates between the groups supplemented with melatonin, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) and the control. The rate of development to blastocyst stage was significantly higher in the group supplemented with 10-12 M melatonin compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Thus, our data demonstrated that adding melatonin to pre-implantation mouse nuclear-transferred embryos can accelerate blastocyst formation.

Seminal proteins can be considered as factors that control fertilization. Clusterin is one such protein that has been implicated in many activities, including apoptosis inhibition, cell cycle control, DNA repair, and sperm maturation. In this study, the relationship between human secretory clusterin (sCLU) in seminal plasma with sperm parameters, protamine deficiency, and DNA fragmentation was investigated. Semen samples were collected from 63 Iranian men, and semen analysis was performed according to World Health Organization criteria and computer aided semen analysis (CASA). The concentration of sCLU in seminal plasma was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), protamine deficiency was determined by chromomycin A3 staining (CMA3 ), and sperm DNA fragmentation was checked by sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) assay. The level of sCLU in seminal fluid of fertile patients was 48.3 ± 38.6 ng/ml and in infertile patients was 15.5 ± 9.7 ng/ml; this difference was significant (P < 0.001). sCLU correlated negatively with protamine deficiency, sperm DNA fragmentation, and abnormal morphology. In conclusion, seminal clusterin can be considered as a marker for the quick assessment of semen quality in male infertility studies.

To associate glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity in goat oocytes with intracellular glutathione (GSH) content, meiotic competence, developmental potential, and relative abundance of Bax and Bcl-2 genes transcripts. Goat oocytes were exposed to brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) staining test and categorized into BCB(+) (blue-cytoplasm), and BCB(-) (colorless-cytoplasm) groups. A group of oocytes were not exposed to BCB test and was considered as a control group. After maturation in vitro, a group of oocytes were used for determination of nuclear status and intracellular GSH content while another group was subjected to parthenogenetic activation followed by in vitro embryo culture. We found that BCB(+) oocytes not only yielded higher rate of maturation, but also showed an increased level of intracellular GSH content than BCB(-) and control oocytes. Furthermore, BCB(+) oocytes produced more blastocysts than BCB(-) and control oocytes. Our data revealed that the expression of anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) and pro-apoptotic (Bax) genes were interacted with G6PDH-activity in mature oocyte, their surrounding cumulus cells, and blastocyst-stage embryos. The results of this study demonstrate that selection of goat oocytes based on G6PDH-activity through the BCB test improves their developmental competence, increases intracellular GSH content, and affects the expression of the apoptosis-related genes.

To describe the possible effects of cryotop vitrification on maturation rate and ultrastructural morphology of human in vitro matured germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes. A total of 301surplus immature GV oocytes obtained from infertile patients were allocated into two groups: (i) GV oocytes (n=150) matured in vitro (fIVM), and (ii) GV oocytes (n=151) that were first vitrified, then matured in vitro (vIVM). Supernumerary fresh in vivo matured oocytes (n=10) were used as controls. The maturation media was Ham's F10 supplemented with FSH+LH and human follicular fluid. After 36h of incubation, the oocytes were investigated for nuclear maturation and ultrastructural changes using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Oocyte maturation rates were reduced (P<0.001) in vIVM (45.92%) in comparison with fIVM oocytes (75.33%). The rate of degeneration was also significantly higher in vIVM than in the fIVM group (44.4% vs. 6.0%). Large and numerous mitochondria and minute vesicles of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) complexes (MV complexes) were observed in both fIVM and vIVM groups. In addition, TEM revealed a drastic reduction in amount of cortical granules (CGs) at the cortex of vitrified-warmed GV oocytes, as well as appearance of vacuoles and small mitochondria-SER aggregates in the ooplasm. The vitrification procedure is associated with ultrastructural alterations in specific oocyte microdomains, presumably related to the reduced competence of cryopreserved oocytes for maturation. This information emphasizes the need for further work on advancing the cryotechnology of human oocytes.

Nutrients and antioxidants in the medium of immature oocyte have a profound effect on maturation, fertilization and development of resulting embryos. In this study the effects of melatonin as an antioxidant agent on maturation, glutathione level and expression of High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) gene were evaluated in immature oocytes of mice stained with brilliant cresyl blue (BCB). In this experimental study, immature oocytes were harvested from ovaries of Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice. Oocytes were stained with 26 μM BCB for 90 minutes and transferred to in vitro maturation medium containing varying doses of melatonin (10-12, 10-9, 10-6, 10-3 M) and without melatonin, for 22-24 hours. Maturation was monitored using an inverted microscope. Glutathione was assessed by monochlorobimane (MCB) staining and HMGB1 expression in mature oocyte was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Melatonin in the concentration of 10-6 M had the most effect on maturation and HMGB1 expression of BCB+ oocytes (p<0.05). Meanwhile melatonin had no effects on glutathione levels. Additionally in immature BCB- oocytes, compared to the control group, melatonin did not affect cytoplasm maturation (p>0.05). In vitro treatment with melatonin increases the maturation and HMGB1 expression in BCB+ immature oocytes and has no significant effect on glutathione levels.