Biology subjects

Bernabeu, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Bernabeu, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

The genital tract microbiota of IVF patients and oocyte donors: a comparative analysis

Recent studies have observed an association between genital tract microbiota and reproductive outcomes in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). This finding could be caused by ascending dysbiosis from the vagina to the endometrium. The main objective of this study was to compare the microbiota and total bacterial load in the vagina, cervix and endometrium of IVF patients and oocyte donors. Thus, a total of two cohorts were explored: IVF patients (N=27) and healthy oocyte donors (N=26). The microbiota was investigated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the V3-V4 hypervariable regions, as well as qPCR for common vaginal species and total bacterial load. The study used a transcervical sampling approach for the endometrial microbiota samples. The highest bacterial load was seen in the vagina (median 2.6*109; 95% CI 9.7*108 - 7.1*109; 16S rRNA gene copies/swab), followed by the cervix (median 9.0*107; 95% CI 3.3*107 - 2.4*108; 16S rRNA gene copies/swab) and the endometrium (median 8.6*106; 95%CI 3.1*106 - 2.4*107; 16S rRNA gene copies/swab). Only 1% of the observed variation between genital tract samples was explained by patient group (IVF patient or oocyte donor) and less than 1% of the variation between genital tract samples was explained by the anatomical site. Although, findings could be impacted by the transcervical sampling approach, 16S rRNA gene sequencing as well as species-specific qPCR showed a similar microbiota composition present in the cervix and the endometrium when compared to the vaginal microbiota.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Sex-specific maturational trajectory of endocannabinoid plasticity in the rat prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) develops until early adulthood in rodents and humans, but how synaptic plasticity evolves throughout postnatal development is not known. Here, we used a cross-sectional approach to establish the postnatal maturational trajectories of intrinsic properties and synaptic plasticity in the PFC of rats of both sexes. We found that while layer 5 PFC pyramidal neurons from rats of both sexes displayed similar current-voltage relationships, rheobases and resting potentials across all age groups, excitability was lower in female adults compared to the other developmental stages. NMDAR-dependent long-term potentiation and mGluR2/3-mediated long-term depression (LTD) were equally expressed at the juvenile, pubescent and adult developmental stages in animals of both sexes. However, the developmental course of endocannabinoid (eCB)-mediated LTD was sexually dimorphic. First, eCB-LTD emerged during the juvenile period in females. However, although CB1Rs were functional in both sexes at all developmental stages, eCB-LTDs first emerged during pubescence in male. Second, eCB-LTD engaged distinct receptors in males and females depending on their developmental stages. Female rats employ both CB1R and TRPV1R to produce eCB-LTD at the juvenile stage but solely CB1R at pubescence followed by only TRPV1R at adulthood. In contrast, in pubescent and adult males eCB-LTD always and exclusively depended on CB1R. Pharmacological blockade of 2AGs principal degrading enzyme allowed incompetent male juvenile synapses to express eCB-LTD. The data reveal different maturational trajectories in the PFC of male and female rats and provide new cellular substrates to the sex-specific behavioral and synaptic abnormalities caused by adolescent exposure to cannabinoids.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Sex specific endophenotypes of in-utero cannabinoid exposure

Cannabinoids can cross the placenta, thus may interfere with fetal endocannabinoid signaling during neurodevelopment, causing long-lasting deficits. Despite increasing cannabis consumption during pregnancy, the protracted consequences of prenatal cannabinoid exposure (PCE) remain incompletely understood. Here we report sex-specific differences in behavioral and neuronal deficits in the adult progeny of rat dams exposed to low doses of cannabinoids during gestation. In males, PCE reduced social interaction, ablated endocannabinoid long-term depression (LTD) and heightened excitability of prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons, while females were spared. Group 1 mGluR and endocannabinoid signaling regulate emotional behavior and synaptic plasticity. Notably, sex-differences following PCE included levels of mGluR1/5 and TRPV1R mRNA. Finally, positive allosteric modulation of mGlu5 and enhancement of anandamide levels restored LTD and social interaction in PCE adult males. Together, these results highlight marked sexual differences in the effects of PCE and introduce strategies for reversing detrimental effects of PCE.

neuroscience↗