Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2025
09:08
Integration of Bioinformatics Approaches and Experimental Validations to Understand the Role of Notch Signaling in Ovarian Cancer
Published on: January 12, 2020
6.7K
Ti3C2 nanosheet-induced autophagy derails ovarian functions
Limei Yang1,2, Zhiting He3, Le Hu4
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No. 120 Longshan Road, Yubei District, Chongqing, 401147, China.
Journal of Nanobiotechnology
|May 12, 2024
Summary
Titanium carbide (Ti3C2) nanosheets accumulate in ovaries, causing autophagy dysfunction and disrupting follicular development. This leads to altered hormone levels and potential female reproductive toxicity.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Toxicology
Background:
- Two-dimensional ultrathin Ti3C2 (MXene) nanosheets are used in biomedical applications.
- Previous studies noted Ti3C2 accumulation in testes and placenta.
- Ovarian translocation and damage by Ti3C2 nanosheets remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate Ti3C2 nanosheet translocation to ovaries.
- Assess Ti3C2-induced ovarian damage and functional impairment.
- Elucidate the underlying mechanisms of Ti3C2 ovarian toxicity.
Main Methods:
- Established a mouse model with intravenous Ti3C2 nanosheet injections.
- Analyzed ovarian histology, hormone levels (FSH, LH, E2, P4, T), and autophagy markers (Beclin1, ATG5, LC3II/I, P62).
- Utilized KGN cells for in vitro validation of autophagy's role in hormone secretion.
Main Results:
- Ti3C2 nanosheets entered ovaries and granulosa cells, reducing follicle counts.
- Follicle reduction correlated with altered FSH, LH, E2, P4, and T levels.
- Ti3C2 activated autophagy via PI3K/AKT/mTOR, causing autophagic flux blockade and oxidative stress.
- Autophagy modulation in KGN cells affected estradiol and progesterone secretion.
Conclusions:
- Ti3C2 nanosheet-induced ovarian hormone secretion is mediated by autophagy activation and flux impairment.
- Autophagy dysfunction contributes to Ti3C2-induced damage in ovarian granulosa cells.
- This study reveals mechanisms of Ti3C2-induced female reproductive toxicity.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Autophagic Cell Death
3.4K
Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
3.4K
02:07Oogenesis
63.7K
In human women, oogenesis produces one mature egg cell or ovum for every precursor cell that enters meiosis. This process differs in two unique ways from the equivalent procedure of spermatogenesis in males. First, meiotic divisions during oogenesis are asymmetric, meaning that a large oocyte (containing most of the cytoplasm) and minor polar body are produced as a result of meiosis I, and again following meiosis II. Since only oocytes will go on to form embryos if fertilized, this unequal...
63.7K
01:27Autophagy
4.2K
Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
4.2K
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
3.8K
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.8K
01:46Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II
13.1K
The mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is the main energy generation system in the eukaryotic cells. However, mitochondria also produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to the large electron flow during oxidative phosphorylation. While Complex I is one of the primary sources of superoxide radicals, ROS production by Complex II is uncommon and may only be observed in cancer cells with mutated complexes.
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
13.1K