Search

Ba 0.70 Ca 0.30 Ti 1- x (Nb 0.5 Fe 0.5) x O 3 lead-free ceramics (abbreviated as BCTNF x , x = 0–0.12) were prepared by solid-state reaction method. The influence of B-site (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ substitution on phase structure, microstructure, dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of Ba 0.70 Ca 0.30 TiO 3 ceramics were systematically studied. The BCTNF x ceramics consist of diphasic tetragonal (T) and orthorhombic (O) phases at x = 0–0.04, pseudocubic (PC) and O phases at x = 0.05–0.08, cubic (C) and O phases at 0.08 < x ≤ 0.12. Increase of (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ doping improves sinterability, depresses the ferroelectric - paraelectric phase transition temperature (T m) monotonically from 128 °C at x = 0 to -86 °C at x = 0.12, induces enhanced relaxor behavior and weakens piezoelectric properties. The room temperature relative dielectric constant (ε r) and dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) increase with increasing x and reach the maximum values of 4869 and 0.06 respectively at x = 0.06. Whereas the average grain size (abbreviated as AGS), ferroelectric properties and electric field induced strain increase significantly by introducing 2.0 mol% B-site complex cations (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ into Ba 0.70 Ca 0.30 TiO 3 ceramics. The BCTNF0.02 ceramics achieve optimal electrical properties with ε r = 1268, tan δ = 0.03, T m = 102 °C, P max = 12.8 μC/cm2, P r = 6.1 μC/cm2, E C = 6.0 kV/cm, d 33 = 117 pC/N, k p % = 0.18%, Q m = 236, bipolar S max % = 0.20%, unipolar S max % = 0.16% and d 33 ∗ = 314 pm/V. The variation of electrical properties of BCTNF x ceramics is attributed to the combined action of grain size effect, phase transition, weakness of octahedral distortion, clamping effects of the internal bias electric field E i on domain wall motion induced by B-site cations (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by pancreatic fibrosis, associated with excessive activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and increased expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Recently, our studies have shown that autophagy inhibitor could inhibit PSCs activation and reduce collagen secretion. Saikosaponin d (SSd), the major active component of bupleurum falcatum (a medicinal plant), has anti-fibrosis effects in liver. However, it is unclear whether SSd has a role in pancreatic fibrosis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of SSd on the autophagy and activation of PSCs in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, a rat chronic pancreatitis model was induced by intravenous injection of dibutyltin dichloride. SSd was administered at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg body weight per day by gavage. After 4 weeks, the pancreas was collected for histological and molecular analysis. In vitro, PSCs were isolated and cultured for treatment with different dosages of SSd. The results showed that SSd inhibited PSCs autophagy and activation while also reducing extracellular matrix (ECM) formation and pancreatic damage. SSd inhibited autophagy through activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. SSd also promoted degradation of ECM with an increasing ratio of MMPs/TIMPs and suppressed the TGF-β1/Smads pathway. From these results, we concluded that SSd prevents pancreatic fibrosis by reducing autophagy of PSCs through PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which has crosstalk with the TGF-β1/Smads pathway. Highlights • Saikosaponin d improved pancreatic damage induced by DBTC in rat model. • Saikosaponin d inhibited PSCs activation and ECM formation in pancreas. • Saikosaponin d inhibited PSCs activation through reducing autophagy of PSCs. • Saikosaponin d repressed autophagy through activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway in PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Autophagy is an intracellular metabolic process that degrades and recycles own constituents to maintain homeostasis and supply substrates. Disruption of collagen degradation is one of the pathogenesis of pancreatic fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the effects of inhibiting autophagy on the collagen degradation of PSCs. Main methods Rats were injected dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) to induce chronic pancreatitis (CP) model. The expression of LC3B was measured by western blotting. Rat PSCs were isolated from pancreas tissues, and the experiments used the primary PSCs. Autophagosome was confirmed by transmission electron microscope. Immunofluorescence for LC3B and α-SMA were applied to assess autophagy and activated PSCs. The effects of autophagy inhibition of 3-MA on the expressions of LC3B, Atg5, and Beclin-1 were investigated by real-time PCR and Western blotting, as well as the α-SMA, TGF-β1, ColI, Col III, FN, MMP-2, MMP-13, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2. Meanwhile, the secretion of ColI, Col III and FN were investigated by ELISA. Key findings The LC3-II/I ratio was increased in rat CP model. Autophagosomes and an increased autophagic level were observed during PSCs activation. Inhibiting autophagy could down-regulate the expressions of α-SMA, TGF-β1, FN, ColI, Col III, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, while the expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-13 were increased. Significance This study confirmed that autophagic level is increased during PSCs activation in vivo and in vitro. Inhibiting autophagy prevents the activation of PSCs, and suppresses fibrosis through promoting extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation by decreasing the expression of TGF-β1 and increasing MMPs/TIMPs ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The effects of Mn doping on structures, electric, magnetic, and magnetocapacitive properties of the 0.33Ba0.70Ca0.30TiO3–0.67BiFeO3 + x wt%MnO2 (BCT-67BF:Mn100x, x =0–0.6) ceramics have been intensively investigated. [•] The BCT-67BF:Mn100x ceramics with x =0–0.6 have diphasic tetragonal–rhombohedral phases. Mn doping improves the densification and significantly decreases the grain size. [•] As x increases, the relaxor degree increases, the ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity weaken monotonically, while the magnetism enhances firstly, reaching the maximum near x =0.5, and then decreases. [•] The room temperature relative dielectric constant shows an obvious increase with increasing applied magnetic fields (H), the magnetocapacitive coefficient (ε r(H)− ε r(0))/ε r(0) decreases with increasing Mn content, from 2.96% for x =0 – 0.86% for x =0.6 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The adsorption of silane at CeO2 surfaces in solutions are studied by MD simulation. [•] Both single adsorbed silane as well as multiple adsorbed silanes are modeled. [•] The adsorption energy and RDFs were calculated for the adsorption process. [•] The solvent polarity affects the orientation and alignment of silane at CeO2 surface. [•] The number of adsorbed silanes within layer depends on the polarity of the solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics of Ba0.70Ca0.30Ti1−x Fe x O3 (x=0–0.03) have been synthesized by a conventional solid state reaction method. The influence of Fe content on the microstructure, phase transition, dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties is investigated systematically. The ceramics with x≤0.02 are diphasic composites of tetragonal Ba0.80Ca0.20TiO3:Fe and orthorhombic Ba0.07Ca0.93TiO3:Fe solid solutions. The tetragonal phase is gradually suppressed as x increases, the ceramic with x=0.03 is found to have diphasic pseudocubic and orthorhombic phases. And the grain size is dependent on Fe content significantly. Introduction of Fe at B-sites improves the densification and decreases the sintering temperature. As x increases from 0 to 0.03, the room temperature relative dielectric permittivity enhances, dielectric loss decreases, and the Curie temperature decreases monotonically from 128°C to 58°C. However, the ferroelectricity enhances slightly and reaches the maximum near x=0.005, and then weakens with increasing x. On the other hand, the piezoelectric coefficient (d 33) and the electromechanical coupling coefficient (k p ) decrease simultaneously with increasing x, whereas the mechanical quality factor (Q m ) increases significantly. The structure–electrical properties relationship is discussed intensively to give more information on (Ba,Ca)TiO3-based lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of sintering temperature and poling conditions on the electrical properties of tetragonal and orthorhombic diphasic Ba0.70Ca0.30TiO3 (BCT) lead-free ceramics have been systematically investigated. On the one hand, with increasing sintering temperature from 1270°C to 1400°C, the bulk density increases monotonically and the Curie temperature keeps almost constant with the value of ∼120°C, whereas the grain size, the maximum relative dielectric constant, room temperature polarization reach the maximum values for samples sintered at 1340°C. On the other hand, it is found that the piezoelectric property depends on poling electric field and poling temperature significantly. An enhanced piezoelectric behavior of d 33=126pC/N, k p =0.29, and Q m =588 is obtained for the BCT ceramics poled at 100°C with 30kV/cm field for 20min. The aging behavior of the piezoelectric property is also investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), a short-day annual legume plant, is an economically important industrial crop with richness in high valuable guar gum. The photoperiod limits guar's cultivated region, however, the mechanism of photoperiod effects on guar remains ambiguous. Based on Illumina RNA-seq, PacBio Iso-seq and UPLC-MS for analysis, the current study used different photoperiods to cultivate guar to illustrate the mechanism. The results showed that numerous genes responded to photoperiods differentially, involved in rhythm, flowering, biosynthesis and metabolism pathways. As processing time increased, the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) increased from 2518 to 5708. The genes of rhythm, flowering and key transcription factors phyA , GI, ELF3 , TOC1 , NF-Y and GATA positively responded to short-day, Whereas PRR , FLC , SVP , COL16 and B3 responded negatively to short-day, but positively to long-day. Additionally, the long-day inhibited the expression of genes related to phytohormones metabolism, such as GA synthetic correlation genes GA20ox and GA3ox , and JA synthesis genes AOS and ACX. As a result, the levels of GA and JA reduced, indicating their essential regulatory function in guar flowering. Furthermore, the expressions of the galactomannan synthesis genes were not influenced by photoperiod. In short, the phyA , GI, ELF3 , TOC1 , NF-Y , GATA, GA20ox and GA3ox were selected as candidate genes for flowering-promotion, while the PRR , FLC , SVP , COL16 and B3 for flowering-repression. This study provides several vital candidate genes for further genetic improvement for obtaining insensitive guar to photoperiod. • Reported mechanisms for the photoperiodic response in guar. • Revealed genes responsible for inhibition of guar flowering. • Provided insights for further breeding stable gum yield guar variety adapted to long-day or insensitive to photoperiod. • Constructed the first guar reference transcript dataset by third-generation transcriptome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.), an annual leguminous crop, with wide and important industrial applications. Its seeds contain large amounts of guar gum, main ingredient is galactomannan, have multiple application values. To reveal the genome resource of guar, this study describes the assembly of C. tetragonoloba chromosome-level genome CteV1.0. There were 18.35 Gb high accuracy HiFi data with the more than 40× sequencing depth were generated by the PacBio platform with average length 22.61 kb. Finally, the assembled size of C. tetragonoloba genome was 482.45 Mb with a 62.64 Mb scaffold N50. Then with Hi-C assembly and adjustment, the 99.07% (477.96 Mb/482.45 Mb) of genome data was assigned to 7 pseudochromosomes. A total of 31,251 genes (31251/31867, 98.07%) were successfully annotated, and 309 gene families contracted, 559 gene families expanded in C. tetragonoloba. This genome of guar provides fundamental biological information of the industrial benefits, biophysiological functions and unique evolutionary relationship. The comparison between guar and other related short-day and long-day species characterized the photoperiodic differences in genomic scale. The construction of genome assembly, gene function and photoperiod adaption in C. tetragonoloba may reveal the basic theoretical fundament of the special traits in C. tetragonoloba. This available high-quality genomic resource in this study will facilitate future research in guar field. [Display omitted] • The first available chromosome-level guar reference genome. • Genome size 482.45 Mb, scaffold N50 62.64 Mb, LAI 11.09, BUSCO score 98.45%, CEGMA score 99.34%. • Guar is similar to short-day leguminous species in gene families and gene copy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cadmium (Cd) stress induced oxidative stress and reduced photosynthesis in tomato. • E3 ubiquitin ligase gene SlRING1 highly expressed in roots in response to Cd stress. • Silencing SlRING1 aggravated Cd phytotoxicity, H 2 O 2 content and oxidative damage. • SlRING1 deficiency reduced Cd-induced expression of CAT , DHAR , MDHAR , GSH , and PCS. • Suppression of SlRING1 expression increased Cd accumulation in shoots and roots. The E3 ubiquitin ligases participate in the degradation of plant proteins and play a regulatory role in stress response. However, the role of tomato E3 ubiquitin ligase genes in plant response to heavy metal stress remains elusive. Here, we identified 17 tomato E3 ubiquitin ligase genes using blast analysis of highly expressed E3 ubiquitin ligase genes of Arabidopsis thaliana. Through organ expression analysis, three E3 ubiquitin ligase genes with higher expression levels in roots were further screened out, and they were named Sl1 , SlRHE1, and SlRING1. Among these three genes, SlRING1 expression was the highest in response to cadmium (Cd) stress. Silencing SlRING1 significantly decreased chlorophyll content, Fv/Fm, photosynthetic rate, and biomass accumulation under Cd stress. The levels of H 2 O 2 , electrolyte leakage, and malondialdehyde significantly increased in SlRING1 –silenced plants under Cd stress compared with that in non-silenced tomato plants. Cd stress-induced increases in the transcript levels of antioxidant and detoxification genes such as CAT, DHAR, MDHAR, GSH, and PCS were compromised by SlRING1 silencing. Moreover, Cd accumulation in shoots and roots significantly increased in SlRING1 -silenced plants compared with non-silenced tomato plants. These findings suggest that SlRING1 plays a positive role in plant tolerance to Cd stress in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identification of high-risk localised renal cell carcinoma is key for the selection of patients for adjuvant treatment who are at truly higher risk of reccurrence. We developed a classifier based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to improve the predictive accuracy for renal cell carcinoma recurrence and investigated whether intratumour heterogeneity affected the precision of the classifier.Methods: In this retrospective analysis and multicentre validation study, we used paraffin-embedded specimens from the training set of 227 patients from Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, Guangdong, China) with localised clear cell renal cell carcinoma to examine 44 potential recurrence-associated SNPs, which were identified by exploratory bioinformatics analyses of a genome-wide association study from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma (KIRC) dataset (n=114, 906 600 SNPs). We developed a six-SNP-based classifier by use of LASSO Cox regression, based on the association between SNP status and patients' recurrence-free survival. Intratumour heterogeneity was investigated from two other regions within the same tumours in the training set. The six-SNP-based classifier was validated in the internal testing set (n=226), the independent validation set (Chinese multicentre study; 428 patients treated between Jan 1, 2004 and Dec 31, 2012, at three hospitals in China), and TCGA set (441 retrospectively identified patients who underwent resection between 1998 and 2010 for localised clear cell renal cell carcinoma in the USA). The main outcome was recurrence-free survival; the secondary outcome was overall survival.Findings: Although intratumour heterogeneity was found in 48 (23%) of 206 cases in the internal testing set with complete SNP information, the predictive accuracy of the six-SNP-based classifier was similar in the three different regions of the training set (areas under the curve [AUC] at 5 years: 0·749 [95% CI 0·660-0·826] in region 1, 0·734 [0·651-0·814] in region 2, and 0·736 [0·649-0·824] in region 3). The six-SNP-based classifier precisely predicted recurrence-free survival of patients in three validation sets (hazard ratio [HR] 5·32 [95% CI 2·81-10·07] in the internal testing set, 5·39 [3·38-8·59] in the independent validation set, and 4·62 [2·48-8·61] in the TCGA set; all p<0·0001), independently of patient age or sex and tumour stage, grade, or necrosis. The classifier and the clinicopathological risk factors (tumour stage, grade, and necrosis) were combined to construct a nomogram, which had a predictive accuracy significantly higher than that of each variable alone (AUC at 5 years 0·811 [95% CI 0·756-0·861]).Interpretation: Our six-SNP-based classifier could be a practical and reliable predictor that can complement the existing staging system for prediction of localised renal cell carcinoma recurrence after surgery, which might enable physicians to make more informed treatment decisions about adjuvant therapy. Intratumour heterogeneity does not seem to hamper the accuracy of the six-SNP-based classifier as a reliable predictor of recurrence. The classifier has the potential to guide treatment decisions for patients at differing risks of recurrence.Funding: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Foundation of China, and Guangzhou Science and Technology Foundation of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective The inhibition of Aluminum (Al)-induced root tip cell elongation is a major cause of plant root elongation suppression. The inhibition of root tip cell elongation is caused by a disruption of cell wall component metabolism, growth signaling, or cellular damage. The aim of this study was to identify the proteins involved in the metabolism of the root cell wall components under Al stress in the Al-tolerant wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar ET8. Methods Differentially expressed proteins of Al-tolerant wheat roots were screened via isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ). Furthermore, their expression changes were detected via RT-PCR analysis. The contents of major components of the cell wall and their changes in metabolic enzyme activities were also investigated. Results A total of 97 differentially expressed proteins from Al-tolerant wheat roots were screened and nine of these 97 proteins were root cell wall component related. The known nucleic acid sequences of proteins were 14-3-3 protein, the plasm membrane (PM) H+-ATPase, phospholipase D, peroxidase, and glycosyltransferase. For 14-3-3 protein, phospholipase D and peroxidase, the protein expression and mRNA expression were consistent with Al-treatment; however, for PM H+-ATPase and glycosyltransferase, the protein expression and mRNA expression were inconsistent under Al-stress. Furthermore, both cellulase activity and callase activity were down-regulated by Al stress, while the phenylalanineammonialyase (PAL), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), and peroxidase (POD) activities were up-regulated. Furthermore, the PM H+-ATPase activity was decreased in response to Al stress. In addition, the contents of callose, cellulose, lignin, and H 2 O 2 varied significantly. Conclusions The cell wall components, relative metabolism enzymes activity, and gene expression also changed followed by protein expression changed in response to Al stress. The results suggest that Al stress leads to marked variations in metabolic enzyme activity, carbohydrate content, followed by changes of root cell components in wheat roots. Highlights • Differently expressed proteins related to root cell wall components metabolism under Al stress were screened by iTRAQ. • Al stress leads to marked variations in root cell wall metabolic enzyme activity. • Root cell wall components was changed by Al stress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Zn-Ni composite coatings with different Ni contents were deposited on low-carbon steel using Low pressure cold spray (LPCS) method. The morphology, element distribution and phase compositions of powders and as-sprayed coatings were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction respectively. The corrosion protection mechanism of these composite coatings were investigated using electrochemical technique and their corrosion morphologies. The results show that Zn-Ni composite coatings exhibited a better sacrificial anodic protection and physical shielding effect, where the corrosion resistance of the coating with 10 wt% Ni in the feedstock was best. The corrosion products were mainly composed of Zinc hydroxide Zn(OH) 2 , basic zinc chloride hydrate ZnCl 2 ·4Zn(OH) 2 ·H 2 O, basic zinc carbonate hydrate Zn 4 ·CO 3 (OH) 6 ·H 2 O and the corrosion products is not mixed with alumina. The corrosion process mainly includes active dissolution of zinc, zinc cathodic protection, physical shielding caused by corrosion products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in reducing Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) side effects while keeping intact its therapeutic efficacy. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of Sclerotia of Polyporus umbellatus FRIES (Zhuling) and its main ingredient Polyporus Polysaccharide (PPS) to attenuate side effects of BCG therapy in vivo. The results show that bladder cancer development in model rats exhibited significantly reduced cancer invasiveness with Zhuling PPS combined with BCG. Flow cytometric (FCM) analysis showed expression of costimulatory molecules CD86, CD40, and TLR4/CD14 significantly increased with Zhuling PPS in combination with BCG. Similarly, immunohistochemical analysis revealed stronger CD86 and CD40 staining. Our findings show Zhuling PPS strongly reduced side effects and displayed synergistic effects during BCG instillation in rat bladder cancer models. The findings also suggest that the attenuation effect may result from direct activation of dendritic cell (DC) TLR4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Glycyrrhiza uralensis licorice has long been used worldwide as a food additive and herbal medicine. It possesses a remarkable healing action on gastrointestinal ulcers. The present study was carried out to assess the effect of licorice on intestinal crypt cell proliferation and to investigate the corresponding molecular mechanism. Considering the role of crypt stem cells in intestinal mucosa repair, a well-established cytostatic cellular model, polyamine-depleted IEC-6 cells, was utilized to evaluate the effect of aqueous licorice on the proliferation of intestinal crypt cells. The growth inhibition of IEC-6 cells caused by alpha-difluoromethylornithine could be significantly reversed by concomitant treatment with 40 μg/ml and 80 μg/ml licorice aqueous extract. In particular, the restoration of cell cycle progression was accompanied by a decrease in p21 mRNA level and cytoplasmic accumulation of the RNA-binding protein HuR, which was shown to be involved in the destabilization of p21 mRNA. Using a biotin pull-down assay and a luciferase assay, it was found that licorice-modulated p21 mRNA expression was achieved by HuR-targeted AU-rich and U-rich elements that resided in the 3′ untranslated region of p21 mRNA. These results demonstrate that licorice can exert its action on stimulating the growth of intestinal crypt cells by regulating p21 mRNA level at the posttranscriptional level by HuR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves are the dry leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Modern studies have shown that Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves and its extracts have many pharmacological effects, such as regulating hypothalamus pituitary ovary (HPO) axis function, estrogen like effects, correcting insulin resistance (IR), regulating lipids, and reducing weight, which are consistent with the clinical manifestations in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. PCOS patients often have HPO axis disorder, low estrogen, high androgen, high IR complication rate, and obesity. Previous preclinical studies have shown that total flavonoids from Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves (TFEL) can improve the imbalance in sex hormone secretion in perimenopausal animal models by regulating the function of the HPO axis. Thus, it is important to understand if flavonoids are the active parts of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves that interfere with polycystic ovary syndrome with insulin resistance (PCOS-IR), and determine the regulatory role they play in sex hormones and IR? Investigate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway in the ovary and kisspeptin/insulin like growth factor/leptin receptor1/androgen receptor (Kiss1/IGF-1/LEPR/AR) in the HPO axis to determine the mechanism of TFEL intervention in a rat model of PCOS-IR model rats. A rat model of PCOS-IR was established using a high-fat diet (49 d) combined with letrozole (1 mg/kg·d, for 28 d). Then, metformin (300 mg/kg·d) and TFEL (220 mg/kg·d, 110 mg/kg·d, and 55 mg/kg·d) were administered continuously for 21 days. At the end of the experiment, samples were taken and the related indexes were measured. TFEL reduced the body weight, Lee's index, ovarian index, ovarian area and ovarian volume, increased serum E 2 , SHBG levels and ISI, decreased serum levels of T, LEP, INS, and FBG (whole blood), and reduced the HOMA-IR in rats with PCOS-IR. TFEL downregulate Kiss1, IGF-1, and AR in the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus, and upregulate Kiss1, downregulate IGF-1 and AR in the pituitary gland, and upregulate Kiss1, downregulate IGF-1, LEPR, and AR in the ovary of rats with PCOS-IR. TFEL could downregulate p-IRS-1Ser307, upregulate IRS-1, p-IRS-1Tyr895, PI3Kp85α, p-PI3Kp85α, AKT, p-AKT, and GLUT4 in the ovary, and ameliorated histopathological changes in the ovary and pancreas of rats with PCOS-IR. TFEL can inhibit ovarian hyperplasia, regulate disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism and improve the secretion of sex hormones, by regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-related proteins in the ovary and Kiss1/IGF-1/LEPR/AR in the HPO axis. Schematic diagram of TFEL action in PCOS-IR model rats. TFEL plays a protective role in PCOS-IR model rats by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and then regulating the expression of Kiss1, IGF-1, LEPR, and AR in the HPO axis. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]