Barakat, M. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

The Potential Effect of Vitamin D Supplement on Selected Coagulability Predictors in Vape-Exposed Female Rats

BackgroundVaping and vitamin D deficiency impact blood coagulation and health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on coagulation predictors in female rats exposed to E-cigarette vaping. ObjectiveTo examine the effect of vaping alone and vaping with different VD doses on some coagulation predictors, lungs, liver, and kidney functions MethodsForty-two female Wistar rats were divided into six groups, including vaping and non-vaping with high (50,000 IU) and low (1000 IU) vitamin D doses. Blood samples and histopathological analyses were conducted after one and three months. Nicotine, cotinine, Interleukin-6 (IL-6), D-dimer, coagulation factor X (FX), thrombomodulin (TM), Alanine Transaminase (ALT), and Creatinine levels were analyzed. Additionally, histopathological analyses were conducted on the rats liver, kidney, and lung. ResultsExposing rats to vaping for one month caused a significant acute increase in D-dimer, FX, and TM levels to 4402.05 ng/mL {+/-} 785.15, 1.8687 g/mL {+/-} 0.3132, and 34.71 ng/mL {+/-} 8.42, respectively. However, after three months of exposure, those levels decreased significantly compared to the one-month levels. Supplementation of the vape-exposed rats with a high vitamin D dose reduced levels of IL-6, D-dimer, FX, and TM levels to become 93.285 pg/mL {+/-} 12.715, 439.95 ng/mL {+/-} 294.05, 0.647 g/mL, and 17.375 ng/mL {+/-} 3.895, respectively, at the end of the three months. Moreover, vaping rats supplemented with the low and high doses of vitamin D had significantly lower nicotine and cotinine levels than the EC group, with a p-value of <0.0001. The histopathological examination revealed that the rats lung had necrotic pneumonia when exposed to vaping without vitamin D treatment. Moreover, all vaping groups had an alveolar hemorrhage. Bacterial pneumonia was seen in the high-dose vitamin D vape-exposed group. However, the histopathological examination of the liver indicated no major differences between the groups. One month of vaping raised D-dimer, FX, and TM levels, which decreased after three months. High-dose vitamin D supplementation reduced IL-6, D-dimer, and FX levels while increasing TM levels after three months. Vaping rats receiving vitamin D had lower nicotine and cotinine levels. Histopathological findings showed necrotic pneumonia and alveolar hemorrhage in vaping rats, with bacterial pneumonia in the high-dose group. ConclusionVaping activates inflammatory and coagulation pathways, while high-dose vitamin D appears to mitigate inflammation and blood coagulation issues associated with vaping, potentially aiding in reducing nicotine dependence.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Androgens modulate the immune profile in a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with a low-grade inflammation, but it is unknown how hyperandrogenism, the hallmark of PCOS, affects the immune system. Using a well-established PCOS-like mouse model, we demonstrate that androgen exposure affects immune cell populations in reproductive, metabolic, and immunological tissues differently in a site-specific manner. Co-treatment with flutamide, an androgen receptor antagonist, prevents most of these alterations, demonstrating that these effects are mediated through androgen receptor activation. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-exposed mice display a drastically reduced eosinophil population in uterus compared to controls, coupled with lower levels of eotaxin (CCL11), suggesting a reduced recruitment from blood. Decreased frequencies of eosinophils were also seen in visceral adipose tissue (VAT). A higher expression level of CD69, a marker of activation or tissue residency, was consistently found on natural killer (NK) cells in all analyzed tissues. However, a higher frequency of NK cells and elevated levels of IFN-{gamma} and TNF- were only seen in uteri of androgen-exposed mice, while NK cell frequencies were unaffected in all other analyzed compartments. Distinct alterations of macrophages in ovaries, uterus and VAT were also found in DHT-exposed mice and could potentially be linked to PCOS-like traits of the model. Indeed, androgen-exposed mice were insulin resistant and displayed an aberrant immune profile in VAT, albeit unaltered fat mass. Collectively, we demonstrate that hyperandrogenism causes tissue-specific alterations of immune cells in reproductive organs and VAT, which could have considerable implications on tissue function and contribute to the reduced fertility and metabolic comorbidities associated with PCOS.

immunology↗