63 documents found, page 1 of 7
Energetics of Male Reproduction
Bastos, Ana; Alves, Marco G.; Silva, Branca M.; Oliveira, Pedro F.; Rato, LuísSpermatogenesis is a finely tuned process marked by specific metabolic adjustments at each stage of germ cell differentiation and sperm production. The Sertoli cell, often referred to as the "nurse cell," assumes a pivotal role in furnishing germ cells with the requisite metabolic substrates for their sustenance and differentiation. This dynamic establishes a continual metabolic partnership between Sertoli cell...
Tributyltin at Nanomolar Levels Impairs Antioxidant Capacity and Alters the Exp...
Rato, Luís; Silva, Branca M.; Sousa, Ana C. A.Objective: Obesogens are environmental pollutants promoting weight gain and metabolic disturbances. Among them, tributyltin (TBT) is a prototypical obesogen with well-documented detrimental effects on male reproductive health. Within the testes, Sertoli cells (SCs) are essential in supporting spermatogenesis and are considered sensitive targets of reproductive toxicity. This study aimed to evaluate whether TBT ...
White Tea Intake Mitigates SIRT1 Suppression in Prediabetes Skeletal Muscle: A ...
Fernandes, Bruno; Penha, A.; Capitão, Ana; Sousa, Ana C. A.; Silva, Branca M.; Rato, LuísObjective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) impairs skeletal muscle function, reducing metabolic flexibility and mitochondrial efficiency while increasing oxidative stress due to excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and weak antioxidant defenses. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), NAD⁺-dependent deacetylases, support mitochondrial health and activate ROS-detoxifying enzymes. We hypothesized that prediabete...
Tributyltin-Induced Disruption of Acetylation-Related Proteins and Epigenetic R...
Rato, Luís; Silva, Branca M.; Sousa, Ana C. A.Objective: Acetylation-related proteins like CREB-binding protein (CBP), general control non-depressible 5 (GCN5), and P300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF) are critical for chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation, particularly affecting the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α). This study examines how exposure to the environmental obesogen tributyl...
Hyperoside Supplementation in Preservation Media Surpasses Vitamin C Protection...
Moreira, Mafalda V; Pereira, Sara C; Guerra-Carvalho, Bárbara; Carrageta, David F; Pinto, Soraia; Barros, Alberto; Silva, Branca M.; Oliveira, Pedro F.Oxidative Stress (OS) is reported as one of the main causes of male infertility. Infertile couples often resort to assisted reproductive technology (ART) to achieve parenthood. However, preparation for ART protocols increases the exposer of gametes to OS. Thus, it is crucial to find suitable preservation media that can counteract the OS-induced damages in spermatozoa. In this work, we tested and compared the ef...
Metabolic dynamics of human Sertoli cells are differentially modulated by physi...
Martins, Ana D.; Monteiro, Mariana P.; Silva, Branca M.; Barros, Alberto; Sousa, Mário; Carvalho, Rui A.; Oliveira, P.F.; Alves, Marco G.Obesity incidence has pandemic proportions and is expected to increase even further. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based therapies are well-established pharmacological resources for obesity treatment. GLP-1 regulates energy and glucose homeostasis, which are also crucial for spermatogenesis. Herein, we studied the GLP-1 effects in human Sertoli cells (hSCs) metabolism and mitochondrial function. hSCs were cul...
The Action of Polyphenols in Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer's Disease: A Commo...
Silveira, Ana C.; Dias, Jane; Santos, Vanessa M.; Oliveira, P.F.; Alves, Marco G; Rato, Luís; Silva, Branca M.Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are two prevalent diseases in modern societies, which are caused mainly by current lifestyle, aging and genetic alterations. It has already been demonstrated that these two diseases are associated, since individuals suffering from DM are prone to develop AD. Conversely, it is also known that individuals with AD are more susceptible to DM, namely type 2 diabete...
L-Theanine promotes cultured human Sertoli cells proliferation and modulates gl...
Dias, T. R.; Bernardino, Raquel; Alves, Marco G; Silva, Joaquina; Barros, Alberto; Sousa, Mário; Casal, Susana; Silva, Branca M.; Oliveira, P.F.L-Theanine is the major free amino acid present in tea (Camellia sinensis L.). The effects of several tea constituents on male reproduction have been investigated, but L-theanine has been overlooked. Sertoli cells (SCs) are essential for the physical and nutritional support of germ cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate the ability of L-theanine to modulate important mechanisms of human SCs (hSCs) metabo...
Pharmacological potential of methylxanthines: Retrospective analysis and future...
Monteiro, João; Alves, Marco G; Oliveira, P.F.; Silva, Branca M.Methylated xanthines (methylxanthines) are available from a significant number of different botanical species. They are ordinarily included in daily diet, in many extremely common beverages and foods. Caffeine, theophylline and theobromine are the main methylxanthines available from natural sources. The supposedly relatively low toxicity of methylxanthines, combined with the many beneficial effects that have be...
8-(3-phenylpropyl)-1,3,7-triethylxanthine is a synthetic caffeine substitute wi...
Carrageta, David F; Dias, Tânia R.; Jarak, Ivana; Alves, Marco G; Oliveira, P.F.; Walt, Mietha Van Der; Terre'Blanche, Gisella; Monteiro, Mariana P.Caffeine is one of the most worldwide consumed methylxanthines. It is well-known for its thermogenic and cell metabolism modulating effects. Based on methylxanthines' chemical structure, 8-(3-phenylpropyl)-1,3,7-triethylxanthine (PTX) is a novel adenosine antagonist with higher receptor affinity than caffeine. Therefore, we hypothesized that PTX metabolic effects could be stronger than those of caffeine. For th...