Human maternal placentophagy is a rare but growing practice in several industrialized countries among postpartum mothers seeking a variety of purported health benefits attributed to the practice. These postpartum mothers typically consume their placenta as a processed, encapsulated supplement. To determine whether free (unconjugated) steroid hormones and melatonin in placenta can survive the encapsulation process (namely steaming and dehydration), we analyzed 28 placenta samples processed for encapsulation using liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to evaluate the concentration of 17 hormones. The results revealed detectable concentrations for 16 of the hormones analyzed, some in concentrations that could conceivably yield physiological effects.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2016.05.005 | DOI Listing |
Adv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, Republic of Korea.
The physical abrasion of plastics from simple everyday entered the food chain, with associated risks recently emphasized. Although many studies have reported the adverse effects of microplastics (MPs) on human, the reproductive implications of continuous exposure to physically abraded polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-MPs remain unexplored. Ingestion of physically abraded PET-MPs (size range: 50-100 µm) in mice from 5 to 34 weeks of age at an annual intake relevant dose of MPs (5 mg week) significantly impaired male reproductive function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Clinical Evaluation Technology for Medical Device of Zhejiang Province, Department of Clinical Engineering and Material Supplies, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China.
The structural alterations in the constituent materials of nanocomposites such as graphene nanocomposites typically induce changes in their properties including mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. Therefore, by altering the preparation conditions of nanocomposites and investigating their responsiveness to basic biomolecules (such as proteins), it is possible to explore the application potentials of the composites and guide development of new nanocomposite preparation. In this study, different composites of graphene oxide and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs/GO) were obtained by varying the volumes of reducing agents used in the one-pot hydrothermal method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, Sydney, Australia.
Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has held significant cultural and medicinal value since the Greek-Minoan civilization. As a triploid spice with vegetative propagation from the Iridaceae family, the three-branch style of C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Cancer Res
January 2025
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States.
Elevated blood levels of estrogens are associated with poor prognosis in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers, but the relationship between circulating blood hormone levels and intracellular hormone concentrations are not well characterized. We observed that MCF-7 cells treated acutely with 17β-estradiol (E2) retain a substantial amount of the hormone even upon removal of the hormone from the culture medium. Moreover, global patterns of E2-dependent gene expression are sustained for hours after acute E2 treatment and hormone removal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Physiol (Oxf)
February 2025
Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Aim: Somatostatin from pancreatic δ-cells is a paracrine regulator of insulin and glucagon secretion, but the release kinetics and whether secretion is altered in diabetes is unclear. This study aimed to improve understanding of somatostatin secretion by developing a tool for real-time detection of somatostatin release from individual pancreatic islets.
Methods: Reporter cells responding to somatostatin with cytoplasmic Ca concentration ([Ca]) changes were generated by co-expressing somatostatin receptor SSTR2, the G-protein Gα15 and a fluorescent Ca sensor in HeLa cells.
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