Intestinal melatonin levels and gut microbiota homeostasis are independent of the pineal gland in pigs.

Introduction: Melatonin (MEL) is a crucial neuroendocrine hormone primarily produced by the pineal gland. Pinealectomy (PINX) has been performed on an endogenous MEL deficiency model to investigate the functions of pineal MEL and its relationship with various diseases. However, the effect of PINX on the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) MEL levels and gut microbiome in pigs has not been previously reported.

Cysteine dioxygenase and taurine are essential for embryo implantation by involving in E-ERα and P-PR signaling in mouse.

Background: Taurine performs multiple physiological functions, and the maintenance of taurine level for most mammals relies on active uptake from diet and endogenous taurine synthesis through its synthesis enzymes, including cysteine dioxygenase (CDO). In addition, uterus tissue and uterus fluid are rich in taurine, and taurine synthesis is regulated by estrogen (E) and progesterone (P), the key hormones priming embryo-uterine crosstalk during embryo implantation, but the functional interactions and mechanisms among which are largely unknown. The present study was thus proposed to identify the effects of CDO and taurine on embryo implantation and related mechanisms by using Cdo knockout (KO) and ovariectomy (OVX) mouse models.

CCl inhibits the expressions of hepatic taurine biosynthetic enzymes and taurine synthesis in the progression of mouse liver fibrosis.

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl) is a widely used hepatotoxin for the studies of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and taurine has function to abate liver fibrosis induced by CCl. But the interacting mechanisms between taurine and CCl in liver are still largely unknown. These made us to hypothesize that CCl may induce liver fibrosis by affecting the expressions of taurine biosynthetic enzymes and taurine synthesis.