Journal: ChemistryOpen

Article Title: Phytochemical Profiling of the Halophyte Artemisia fukudo Makino and Its In Vitro Effects on Androgen‐Related Pathways Associated With Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Alopecia

doi: 10.1002/open.202500481

Figure Lengend Snippet: The effects of 90% MeOH fraction of A. fukudo (AFE) on the expressions of androgen receptor (AR), prostate‐specific antigen (PSA), and 5‐alpha reductase type 2 (5αR2) in LNCaP cells activated with TP (testosterone propionate). Cells were treated with TP (0.5 μM) and then treated with AFE (6.25, 12.5, and 25 μg/mL) or finasteride (10 μM) for 72 h. The expression levels of AR, 5αR2, and PSA in cells were analyzed by Western blotting. Band intensities were quantified by densitometry, normalized to α‐tubulin, and expressed relative to the TP‐treated group (set to 1). Data are presented as the mean ± SD (error bars) from three independent experiments ( n = 3). Statistical analysis was performed by one‐way ANOVA followed by Duncan's multiple range test; * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, and *** p < 0.001 compared to TP‐treated cells. Fina, finasteride; NC, nontreated control; TP, testosterone propionate.

Article Snippet: RWPE‐1 cell (human prostatic epithelial cell line; RRID: CVCL‐3791) and LNCaP cell (human prostate adenocarcinoma cell line; RRID: CVCL‐0395) were purchased from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Manassas, VA, United States; CRL‐11609D and CRL‐1740).

Techniques: Expressing, Western Blot, Control

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: Epigenetic Regulation of Inflammation by Dopamine in Primary Human Macrophages

doi: 10.64898/2026.01.21.700899

Figure Lengend Snippet: Primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) from sixteen donors were treated with dopamine (10 -6 M) for 3 hours with or without pre-treatment using hypomethylating agents 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine (dAZA; 10 -6 M), 5-azacytidine (AZA; 10 -6 M), or vehicle control. RNA and DNA were isolated for analysis of IL-1β gene expression by qPCR and IL-1β DNA methylation, respectively. (A) Dopamine increased IL-1β mRNA expression, an effect inhibited by dAZA (n= 7-8 donors, *p<0.05). (B) AZA pretreatment produced a similar inhibitory effect on dopamine-induced IL-1β expression, trending toward statistical significance (n=5-6, p=0.0513). (C) Dopamine treatment significantly increased methylated IL-1β levels compared to vehicle control (n=16, p<0.05). (D) Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increased IL-1β DNA methylation; however, this effect did not reach statistical significance in this donor cohort (n=16). (E) LPS-induced changes in IL-1β DNA methylation were significantly correlated with dopamine-induced changes within the same donors, indicating consistent donor-specific responsiveness across stimuli (n=16, **p<0.01).

Article Snippet: Both high-methylated and low-methylated human genomic DNA (80-8061-HGHM5 and 80-8062-HGUM5 from EpigenDx) were bisulfite treated and used as controls for the primer sets.

Techniques: Derivative Assay, Control, Isolation, Gene Expression, DNA Methylation Assay, Expressing, Produced, Methylation

Journal: Nature

Article Title: Baby-to-baby strain transmission shapes the developing gut microbiome

doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09983-z

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a-b ) Validation of the chain of transmission of a strain of Akkermansia muciniphila SGB9226 (Fig. ) using a SGB-specific PCR assay; a , Sensitivity of the SGB9226-specific PCR assay, assessed by testing a SGB9226-negative human fecal DNA spiked with seven ten-fold dilutions of genomic DNA from A. muciniphila ATCC BAA-835, corresponding to an estimated 106 to 1 genome copies (“D1” to “D7”). Controls included the human fecal matrix alone (“Spike-in Matrix”) and a no-template control (NTC). b , Application of the SGB9226-specific PCR to fecal samples in Fig. . Sample IDs include the volunteer type and family number, while per volunteer longitudinal samples are identified by timepoint. Relative abundances according to MetaPhlAn 4 (“Rel. Abun., %”) and sample IDs are colored dark blue (positive) or grey (negative) based on strain identification according to StrainPhlAn (Fig. ). Genomic DNA from A. muciniphila ATCC BAA-835 is included as a positive control, alongside a NTC. ( c ) Phylogenetic tree of Alistipes finegoldii SGB2301 (left) and chain of transmission events of one strain in group 1 of nursery B (right). Participant types are identified by shape (educator, cross; baby, circle; mother, diamond) containing participant identifiers (with the initial identifying the participant type followed by specific family number). Familial relations are highlighted by same-color filling. Each circle represents a sample collected from participants depicted, with color filling indicating the identity of the strain of Alistipes finegoldii SGB2301 detected in the sample (except gray, used to indicate the SGB was not detected/typable) and arrows indicating the most likely transmission event. ( d-e ) Strain-sharing between pets ( n = 5) and human hosts within the same family (turquoise) and across different ones (gray). d , The average total number of strains shared between participant pairs across contemporaneous samples are reported above the connecting lines; in brackets are indicated the number of pet-human pairs with at least one strain shared over the total number of pet-human pairs. Statistical significance according to a two-sided Fisher’s exact test is depicted for the same family vs different family pet-baby comparison. All other comparisons are non significant. e , Average number shared strains between pet and human across contemporaneous samples, in different vs same family. In the box plots, box edges indicate the lower and upper quartiles, the center line represents the median, and whiskers extend to the most extreme data point within 1.5× the IQR. Statistical significance P -values refer to two-sided Mann-Whitney U tests, with n indicating the number of pet-human pairs. All other comparisons are non significant.

Article Snippet: Extended Data Fig. 6 Validation and dynamics of multi-host strain transmission. ( a-b ) Validation of the chain of transmission of a strain of Akkermansia muciniphila SGB9226 (Fig. ) using a SGB-specific PCR assay; a , Sensitivity of the SGB9226-specific PCR assay, assessed by testing a SGB9226-negative human fecal DNA spiked with seven ten-fold dilutions of genomic DNA from A. muciniphila ATCC BAA-835, corresponding to an estimated 106 to 1 genome copies (“D1” to “D7”).

Techniques: Biomarker Discovery, Transmission Assay, Control, Positive Control, Comparison, MANN-WHITNEY