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Relationships between diet, sex hormone concentrations, and the estrous cycle are important from the perspective of infertility and estrogen-dependent disease prevention and treatment. Four dietary interventions reflecting modern eating behaviors were explored. The study involved 50 female rats divided into five feeding groups. The impact of the amount of sucrose consumed (9% and 18% of the dietary energy content), alternating high-sucrose and sucrose-free diets, and a high-sucrose diet combined with intermittent one-day fasting on the estrous cycle and sex hormone concentrations in female rats was assessed. Even low amounts of dietary sucrose (9% of the dietary energy content) were found to lead to increased estradiol (E2) concentrations and decreased progesterone (Pg) concentrations. A high-sucrose diet, even when periodically applied, additionally led to a reduced concentration of luteinizing hormone (LH). The largest changes in the hormones tested were observed with one-day fasting coupled with the high-sucrose diet; in addition, the estrous phase was shortened and the estrous cycle was disrupted. The results of this study show that both the amount of dietary sucrose and also its uptake pattern affect the estrous cycle and sex hormone concentrations in female rats.

DudzińskaWioletta, Chilińska Oliwia, Warias Paulina, Maskiewicz Paulina,Maniak Eliza, StrońskaAleksandra. The role of vitamin D in the human body and the influence of vitamin D on the proliferation of cancer cells.Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2021;11(5):33-43. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2021.11.05.003 https://apcz.umk.pl/czasopisma/index.php/JEHS/article/view/JEHS.2021.11.05.003 https://zenodo.org/record/4755989 The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. § 8. 2) and § 12. 1. 2) 22.02.2019. © The Authors 2021; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 21.04.2021. Revised: 26.04.2021. Accepted: 13.05.2021. The role of vitamin D in the human body and the influence of vitamin D on the proliferation of cancer cells Wioletta Dudzińska1, Oliwia Chilińska2, Paulina Warias2, Paulina Maskiewicz2, ElizaManiak2, Aleksandra Strońska3 1Institute of Biology, University of Szczecin, Felczaka 3c, 70-215 Szczecin, Poland 2Student Research at the Science Club of Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Poland 3Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Medicines, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland ABSTRACT The publication focuses on the presentation of the role of vitamin D3 in the human body. The content contains important information on the influence of vitamin D3 on the course of Covid-19 disease caused by the Sars-Cov-19 virus. Cholecalciferol has been studied for years. Its basic functions include the regulation of bone mineral metabolism and calcium-phosphorus metabolism. In addition, the publication characterizes the course of vitamin D3 synthesis and presents the important role of vitamin D3 in the body. Additionally, the currently conducted research in terms of anti-cancer properties of selected vitamin D3 analogues was described. Key words: Covid-19; Human physiology; cancer; Vitamin D

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of different models of sucrose intake on carbohydrate-lipid metabolism and changes in oxidant balance in the ovaries and uterus of rats. Animals were divided into three groups: I—basic feed, II—feed contains 8% of sucrose, III—alternately every second week the basic feed and modified feed contains 16% of sucrose. The diet containing 8% of sucrose was found to result in an increased activity of antioxidant enzymes in the blood, with unchanged malonylodialdehyde concentration. Variable sucrose administration pattern intensified oxidative stress in the blood and led to disturbed redox equilibrium in the rat uterus, even at a comparable long-term sucrose uptake as in the group II. This was manifested as a reduced superoxide dismutase activity (in the blood and uterus) and a higher malonylodialdehyde concentration (in the uterus). The changes observed could have been a result of metabolic disorders (higher amount of visceral fat, higher glucose concentration, higher index of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and reduced HDL-cholesterol concentration) and endocrine disorders (higher oestrogen concentrations). Changes in the antioxidant status in the rats kept on the alternating diet, may underpin the failure of fertilised egg implantation in the uterine tissue and pregnancy completion.

This study aimed at evaluating the concentration of erythrocyte purine nucleotides (ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP) in trained and sedentary subjects before and after maximal physical exercise together with measuring the activity of purine metabolism enzymes as well as the concentration of purine (hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid) and pyrimidine (uridine) degradation products in blood. The study included 15 male elite rowers [mean age 24.3 ± 2.56 years; maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) 52.8 ± 4.54 mL/kg/min; endurance and strength training 8.2 ± 0.33 h per week for 6.4 ± 2.52 years] and 15 sedentary control subjects (mean age 23.1 ± 3.41 years; VO2max 43.2 ± 5.20 mL/kg/min). Progressive incremental exercise testing until refusal to continue exercising was conducted on a bicycle ergometer. The concentrations of ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP and the activities of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT), hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) and phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase (PRPP-S) were determined in erythrocytes. The concentrations of hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid and uridine were determined in the whole blood before exercise, after exercise, and 30 min after exercise testing. The study demonstrated a significantly higher concentration of ATP in the erythrocytes of trained subjects which, in part, may be explained by higher metabolic activity on the purine re-synthesis pathway (significantly higher PRPP-S, APRT and HGPRT activities). The ATP concentration, just as the ATP/ADP ratio, as well as an exercise-induced increase in this ratio, correlates with the VO2max level in these subjects which allows them to be considered as the important factors characterising physical capacity and exercise tolerance. Maximal physical exercise in the group of trained subjects results not only in a lower post-exercise increase in the concentration of hypoxanthine, xanthine and uric acid but also in that of uridine. This indicates the possibility of performing high-intensity work with a lower loss of not only purine but also pyrimidine.

This study aimed to assess the changes in red blood cell (RBC) energy status and plasma purine metabolites concentration over a one-year training cycle in endurance-trained (EN, n = 11, 20‒26 years), and sprint-trained (SP, n = 11, 20&ndash, 30 years) competitive athletes in comparison to recreationally-trained individuals (RE, n = 11, 20‒26 years). Somatic, physiological, and biochemical variables were measured in four training phases differing in exercise load profile: transition, general, specific, and competition. Significantly highest values of RBC adenylate energy charge (AEC, p &le, 0.001), ATP-to-ADP and ADP-to-AMP ratios (p &le, 0.05), and plasma levels of adenosine (Ado, 0.05) were noted in the competition phase in the EN and SP, but not in the RE group. Significantly lowest plasma levels of adenosine diphosphate (ADP, 0.05), adenosine monophosphate (AMP, 0.001), inosine (Ino, 0.001), and hypoxanthine (Hx, 0.001) accompanied by higher erythrocyte hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) activity (p &le, 0.001), were observed in the competition phase in both athletic groups. No significant alterations were found in the erythrocyte concentration of guanine nucleotides in any group. In conclusion, periodized training of competitive athletes&rsquo, results in a favorable adaptation of RBC metabolism. The observed changes cover improved RBC energy status (increased AEC and ATP/ADP ratio) and reduced purine loss with more efficient erythrocyte purine pool recovery (increased HGPRT activity and plasma levels of Ado, decreased Hx and Ino concentration).

The effect of a sucrose diet and repeated one-day starvation on oxidative status in the ovary and uterus is still unknown. Our analysis focused on carbohydrate-lipid metabolism parameters and the changes in red blood cells, ovary and uterus superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and malonylodialdehyde (MDA) concentration in rats fed with a diet containing 16% of sucrose and subjected to systematic one-day starvation when using such a diet. It was found that a diet with 16% sucrose contributed to the increase of antioxidant enzyme activity in the blood (GPx and CAT) and uterus (SOD), without changes in MDA concentrations, which indicates an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentration in these tissues, being balanced by an increase in antioxidant enzyme activity. The introduction of a regular one-day starvation period into the diet intensified oxidative stress and led to a redox imbalance in the reproductive tissues of female rats. This was manifested by higher GPx activity, lower CAT activity and higher MDA concentration in the uterus and lower GPx and CAT activities and lower MDA concentration in the ovaries. The observed changes may be the cause of fertility disorders and possible problems with fertilised egg cell implantation into the uterine tissue.

Studies have shown that uridine concentration in plasma may be an indicator of uric acid production in patients with gout. It has been also postulated that uridine takes part in blood pressure regulation. Since physical exercise is an effective tool in treatment and prevention of cardio-vascular diseases that are often accompanied by hyperuricemia and hypertension, it seemed advisable to attempt to evaluate the relationship between oxypurine concentrations (Hyp, Xan and UA) and that of Urd and BP after physical exercise in healthy subjects. Sixty healthy men (17.2±1.71 years, BMI 23.2±2.31 kg m−2, VO2max 54.7±6.48 ml kg−1 min−1) took part in the study. The subjects performed a single maximal physical exercise on a bicycle ergometer. Blood for analyses was sampled three times: immediately before exercise, immediately after exercise, and in the 30th min of rest. Concentrations of uridine and hypoxanthine, xanthine and uric acid were determined in whole blood using high-performance liquid chromatography. We have shown in this study that the maximal exercise-induced increase of uridine concentration correlates with the post-exercise increase of uric acid concentration and systolic blood pressure. The results of our study show a relationship between uridine concentration in blood and uric acid concentration and blood pressure. We have been the first to demonstrate that a maximal exercise-induced increase in uridine concentration is correlated with the post-exercise and recovery-continued increase of uric acid concentration in healthy subjects. Thus, it appears that uridine may be an indicator of post-exercise hyperuricemia and blood pressure.

Maximal physical exertion is accompanied by increased degradation of purine nucleotides in muscles with the products of purine catabolism accumulating in the plasma. Thanks to membrane transporters, these products remain in an equilibrium between the plasma and red blood cells where they may serve as substrates in salvage reactions, contributing to an increase in the concentrations of purine nucleotides. In this study, we measured the concentrations of adenine nucleotides (ATP, ADP, AMP), inosine nucleotides (IMP), guanine nucleotides (GTP, GDP, GMP), and also pyridine nucleotides (NAD, NADP) in red blood cells immediately after standardized physical effort with increasing intensity, and at the 30th min of rest. We also examined the effect of muscular exercise on adenylate (guanylate) energy charge--AEC (GEC), and on the concentration of nucleosides (guanosine, inosine, adenosine) and hypoxanthine. We have shown in this study that a standardized physical exercise with increasing intensity leads to an increase in IMP concentration in red blood cells immediately after the exercise, which with a significant increase in Hyp concentration in the blood suggests that Hyp was included in the IMP pool. Restitution is accompanied by an increase in the ATP/ADP and ADP/AMP ratios, which indicates an increase in the phosphorylation of AMP and ADP to ATP. Physical effort applied in this study did not lead to changes in the concentrations of guanine and pyridine nucleotides in red blood cells.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the erythrocyte concentrations of ATP, ADP, AMP, NAD+, NADP+ and adenylate energy charge (AEC) and their metabolites: inosine (Ino), hypoxanthine (Hyp), uric acid (UA), selected blood antioxidants: superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) of goats during the periparturient period. The study was conducted on 12 clinically healthy pregnant goats (Capra hircus) - 75% genotype of the Polish noble white aged between 2-3 years. Blood was taken from the external jugular vein early in the morning before feeding and obtained twice (4 weeks and 1 week) before delivery and twice (2 and 3 weeks) after delivery. The ATP concentration did not change significantly. One week before delivery ADP, AMP and Ino concentrations were significantly higher and AEC value significantly lower compared to values in the third week after delivery (p ≤ 0.02, p ≤ 0.05, p ≤ 0.03 and p ≤ 0.01, respectively). One week before and two weeks after delivery we observed a significant increase in SOD and GR activities and an increase in NAD+ and NADP+ concentrations but a significant decrease in Hyp and UA concentrations. Constant ATP concentration and the changes in the dynamics and tendency of Hyp and UA concentrations show that in the periparturient period in goats, purine metabolism undergoes adaptive changes. The balance between resynthetic processes and adenine nucleotide degradation is retained in order to level the oxygen and energy lacks. The results of our study show that the maintenance of prooxidative homeostasis in goats of peripartal period depends mainly on enzymatic mechanisms.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship between serum adiponectin and leptin concentrations and body composition, hematological indices and lipid profile parameters in adults. The study involved 95 volunteers (BMI from 23.3 to 53 kg/m2). Anthropometric parameters were measured: body weight and height, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat mass (BMF), subcutaneous and visceral fat mass (SFM, VFM), lean body mass (LBM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM). In serum we determined adiponectin and leptin concentrations, extracellular hemoglobin, total bilirubin, as well as lipid metabolism (TCh, HDL-Ch, LDL-Ch, TG). Mean adipokine levels were significantly higher in women (p ≤ 0.01), adiponectin significantly negatively correlated with body height and weight, systolic blood pressure and absolute LBM and SMM values. The same relation was observed for erythroid system indicators and lipid indicators. A positive correlation was exceptionally found between adiponectin and HDL-Ch. LEP negatively correlated with some percentage rates (%LBM, %SMM). Only in women, we observed a positive correlation between LEP and body weight, BMI and WHR. Studies on ADPN and the ADPN/LEP ratio as a valuable complementary diagnostic element in the prediction and prevention of cardiovascular diseases need to be continued.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of six-month-long physical exercise programme with a two-time exposure to whole-body cryostimulation (WBC) in 20 sessions on antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid profile, and body composition changes in obese people (30 adult subjects; BMI = 30.39 ± 4.31 kg/m2). Blood samples were taken before the programme, one month following the exercise programme, before and after the first WBC treatment, six months following the exercise programme, after the second WBC treatment, and finally one month after the intervention. Six months of moderate aerobic activity combined with WBC did not change body mass or fat and lean body mass percentages, or circulating adiponectin, leptin, and resistin concentrations. In response to intervention a significant decrease in the level of low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides was observed, with a slight increase in high-density lipoprotein concentration. The nature of changes in the activity of respective antioxidant enzymes was not identical. After one month of increased physical activity, a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione reductase activities was observed (13%, 8%, and 70%, resp.). The SOD activity increased significantly after successive whole-body cryostimulation sessions. As regards catalase, a significant progressive decrease in its activity was observed.

During prolonged maximal exercise, oxygen deficits occur in working muscles. Progressive hypoxia results in the impairment of the oxidative resynthesis of ATP and increased degradation of purine nucleotides. Moreover, ATP consumption decreases the conversion of UDP to UTP, to use ATP as a phosphate donor, resulting in an increased concentration of UDP, which enhances pyrimidine degradation. Because the metabolism of pyrimidine nucleotides is related to the metabolism of purines, in particular with the cellular concentration of ATP, we decided to investigate the impact of a standardized exercise with increasing intensity on the concentration of uridine, inosine, hypoxanthine, and uric acid. Twenty-two healthy male subjects volunteered to participate in this study. Blood concentrations of metabolites were determined at rest, immediately after exercise, and after 30 min of recovery using high-performance liquid chromatography. We also studied the relationship between the levels of uridine and indicators of myogenic purine degradation. The results showed that exercise with increasing intensity leads to increased concentrations of inosine, hypoxanthine, uric acid, and uridine. We found positive correlations between blood uridine levels and indicators of myogenic purine degradation (hypoxanthine), suggesting that the blood uridine level is related to purine metabolism in skeletal muscles.

Kidneys are the main organs regulating water-electrolyte homeostasis in the body. They are responsible for maintaining the total volume of water and its distribution in particular water spaces, for electrolyte composition of systemic fluids and also for maintaining acid-base balance. These functions are performed by the plasma filtration process in renal glomeruli and the processes of active absorption and secretion in renal tubules, all adjusted to an 'activity-rest' rhythm. These diurnal changes are influenced by a 24-hour cycle of activity of hormones engaged in the regulation of renal activity. Studies on spontaneous rhythms of renal activity have been carried out mainly on humans and laboratory animals, but few studies have been carried out on livestock animals. Moreover, those results cover only some aspects of renal physiology. This review gives an overview of current knowledge concerning renal function and diurnal variations of some renal activity parameters in livestock, providing greater understanding of general chronobiological processes in mammals. Detailed knowledge of these rhythms is useful for clinical, practical and pharmacological purposes, as well as studies on their physical performance.

This review summarizes currently available information about a crucial part of erythrocyte metabolism, that is, purine nucleotide conversions and their relationships with other conversion pathways. We describe the cellular resynthesis, interconversion, and degradation of purine compounds, and also the regulatory mechanisms in the conversion pathways. We also mention purine metabolism disorders and their clinical consequences. The literature is fragmentary because studies have concentrated only on selected aspects of purine metabolism; hence the need for a synthetic approach.