Publications by authors named "Xianqing Cao"

Decidualization accompanies with extensive stromal cell proliferation and differentiation, is a crucial step in early pregnancy. Aberrant decidualization is linked to infertility and miscarriage but the mechanisms remain unclear. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) is an enzyme catalyzing key steps in the fatty acid beta-oxidation pathway.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ethylparaben (EtP) and propylparaben (PrP) are common preservatives and well-known endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Studies have demonstrated that they can reduce female fertility, but the underlying mechanism, especially that on embryo implantation, is still poorly understood. Endometrial decidualization is a critical event for embryo implantation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The activation of microglia is a hallmark of neuroinflammation and contributes to various neurodegenerative diseases. Chronic inorganic arsenic exposure is associated with impaired cognitive ability and increased risk of neurodegeneration. The present study aimed to investigate whether chronic inorganic arsenic-induced learning and memory impairment was associated with microglial activation, and how organic (DMA 600 μM, MMA 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ferroptosis is a newly identified form of cell death characterized by accumulation of intracellular iron and requirement of lipid peroxidation. However, whether arsenite triggers testicular cell death via ferroptosis remains unclear. In this study, after administrating of adult male mice with 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a ubiquitous neurotoxic pollutant that widely distributes in the natural environment. However, the exact mechanism of B[a]P-induced neurotoxicity has not been well established. As one key synaptic protein, SNAP-25 plays an important role in the regulation of neurotransmitter release, including synaptic dopamine release.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Male spermatogenesis dysfunctions are associated with environmental pollutants, but the detailed mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, healthy C57BL/6 J mice were used to establish an animal model of maternal exposure to traffic pollutant during pregnancy, and the toxic effects on the reproductive system of F2 male mice were analysed using mRNA and miRNA microarray. Our results showed that 54 miRNAs and 1927 mRNAs were significantly altered in the exposed group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arsenite exposure is known to increase the risk of neurological disorders via alteration of dopamine content, but the detailed molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, using both dopaminergic neurons of the PC-12 cell line and C57BL/6J mice as in vitro and in vivo models, our results demonstrated that 6 months of arsenite exposure via drinking water caused significant learning and memory impairment, anxiety-like behavior and alterations in conditioned avoidance and escape responses in male adult mice. We also were the first to reveal that the reduction in dopamine content induced by arsenite mainly resulted from deficits in dopaminergic neurotransmission in the synaptic cleft.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ferroptosis is a novel iron-dependent form of cell death implicated in brain pathology. However, whether arsenite is an inducer of ferroptosis in the neuron remains completely unknown. In this study, the seven-week-old healthy C57BL/6 J male mice were treated with environmental related doses (0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The 'Conclusion' section in the Abstract was published incorrectly in the original publication of the article [1] and is corrected with this erratum as below: "Fetal exposure to the Chinese famine may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension in adulthood in women."

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between exposure to the Great Chinese Famine (1959-1961) during early life and hypertension in adulthood.

Methods: From July to September 2009, 1224 eligible adults were recruited in a cross-sectional survey using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method in Chongqing China. A questionnaire was used to collect information of hypertension and sociodemographic factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a ubiquitous chemical contaminant in the environment, is a well-established neurotoxicant to human. However, the molecular mechanisms for B[a]P neurotoxicity are still unclear. In the present study, after treating Sprague-Dawley rats with 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To investigate whether postnatal benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) exposure caused the impairments on the process of neurodevelopment and the alteration in the calcium medium in the neonatal rats.

Material And Methods: Eighty neonatal Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (untreated control group, vehicle group, 0.02 mg/kg, 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The developmental origins hypothesis postulates that under-nutrition in the early stage of life is associated with an increased risk of disease in adulthood. This study aimed to examine the association of exposure to the Chinese famine of 1959 to 1961 in early life with the risk of arthritis in adulthood.From July to September 2009, the study adopted multistage stratified random sampling cross-sectional survey to recruit 1224 eligible adults in Chongqing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate the effects of occupational exposures to coke oven emissions (COEs) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on the prevalence of hypertension and abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) in coke oven workers.

Methods: We included 880 coke oven workers and 710 oxygen employees in the exposed and control groups, respectively. Blood pressure (BP), ECG, blood lipid levels, and glucose levels of all subjects were measured.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous studies demonstrate that benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) can affect hippocampal function and cause spatial cognition impairment. However, the mechanism is incomplete. Some evidence implies that B(a)P may cause an oxidative damage linking to the function of the hippocampus and antioxidant can prevent the oxidative damage in rats, but the ATPase and Ca(2+) in the hippocampus and the protective effect of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) have not been studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A sensitive and selective electrochemical method was developed for the detection of DNA methylation, determination of DNA methyltransferase (MTase) activity and screening of MTase inhibitor. Methylene blue (MB) was employed as electrochemical indicator and DNA-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used as signal amplification unit because the DNA strands in this composite have strong adsorption ability for MB. First, the thiolated single-stranded DNA S1 was self-assembled on gold electrode, hybridization between the lower portion of DNA S1 and its complementary DNA S2 formed an identical double-stranded tetranucleotide target sequence for both DNA adenine methylation (Dam) MTase and methylation-resistant endonuclease Mbo I, then the upper portion of DNA S1 was hybridized with its complementary DNA S3 modified on AuNPs to bring the DNA S3-AuNPs amplification units onto the electrode.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF