Ultrahigh dose-rate FLASH irradiation increases the differential response between normal and tumor tissue in mice

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (245) ◽  
pp. 245ra93-245ra93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Favaudon ◽  
Laura Caplier ◽  
Virginie Monceau ◽  
Frédéric Pouzoulet ◽  
Mano Sayarath ◽  
...  

In vitro studies suggested that sub-millisecond pulses of radiation elicit less genomic instability than continuous, protracted irradiation at the same total dose. To determine the potential of ultrahigh dose-rate irradiation in radiotherapy, we investigated lung fibrogenesis in C57BL/6J mice exposed either to short pulses (≤500 ms) of radiation delivered at ultrahigh dose rate (≥40 Gy/s, FLASH) or to conventional dose-rate irradiation (≤0.03 Gy/s, CONV) in single doses. The growth of human HBCx-12A and HEp-2 tumor xenografts in nude mice and syngeneic TC-1 Luc+ orthotopic lung tumors in C57BL/6J mice was monitored under similar radiation conditions. CONV (15 Gy) triggered lung fibrosis associated with activation of the TGF-β (transforming growth factor–β) cascade, whereas no complications developed after doses of FLASH below 20 Gy for more than 36 weeks after irradiation. FLASH irradiation also spared normal smooth muscle and epithelial cells from acute radiation-induced apoptosis, which could be reinduced by administration of systemic TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor–α) before irradiation. In contrast, FLASH was as efficient as CONV in the repression of tumor growth. Together, these results suggest that FLASH radiotherapy might allow complete eradication of lung tumors and reduce the occurrence and severity of early and late complications affecting normal tissue.

Marine Drugs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Bin Yin ◽  
Yu Xin ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Guanlin Ye ◽  
...  

Chitin (CT) is a good material to prepare surgical sutures due to its conspicuous biological characteristics. However, the poor mechanical strength of pure CT sutures limits its application. In order to improve its strength, a composite monofilament absorbable suture was prepared in this study using graphene oxide and chitin (GO-CT) using a green method. FT-IR spectra showed that GO-CT contained the characteristic functional groups of GO and CT, indicating that a GO-CT suture was successfully obtained. With the addition of a small amount of GO (1.6wt% solution) in chitin, the breaking tensile strength, knot strength, and knot-pull strength of the GO-CT suture were significantly improved compared to the CT suture. The biocompatibility of the GO-CT suture in vitro was checked by tetrazolium-based colorimetric assays and no cytotoxicity to L929 cells was found. In vivo, the subcutaneous implantation of GO-CT sutures in the dorsal skin of rats found no abnormalities by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Furthermore, there were no significant changes in the gene expression of the inflammatory mediators, interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6, IL-17A, interferon-γ, or IL-10; however, the expression of transforming growth factor β was significantly increased in the first week. In summary, GO-CT sutures may have potential as a suture material in the clinic.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (24) ◽  
pp. 7495
Author(s):  
Shi-Qing Cai ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Xin-Huai Zhao ◽  
Jia Shi

Flavonols possess several beneficial bioactivities in vitro and in vivo. In this study, two flavonols galangin and quercetin with or without heat treatment (100 °C for 15–30 min) were assessed for their anti-inflammatory activities in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rat intestinal epithelial (IEC-6) cells and whether the heat treatment caused activity changes. The flavonol dosages of 2.5-20 μmol/L had no cytotoxicity on the cells but could enhance cell viability (especially using 5 μmol/L flavonol dosage). The flavonols could decrease the production of prostaglandin E2 and three pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, and simultaneously promote the production of two anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β. The Western-blot results verified that the flavonols could suppress the LPS-induced expression of TLR4 and phosphorylated IκBα and p65, while the molecular docking results also illustrated that the flavonols could bind with TLR4 and NF-kB to yield energy decreases of −(21.9-28.6) kJ/mol. Furthermore, an inhibitor BAY 11-7082 blocked the NF-kB signaling pathway by inhibiting the expression of phosphorylated IκBα/p65 and thus mediated the production of IL-6/IL-10 as the flavonols did, which confirmed the assessed anti-inflammatory effect of the flavonols. Consistently, galangin had higher anti-inflammatory activity than quercetin, while the heated flavonols (especially those with longer heat time) were less active than the unheated counterparts to exert these target anti-inflammatory effects. It is highlighted that the flavonols could antagonize the LPS-caused IEC-6 cells inflammation via suppressing TLR4/NF-κB activation, but heat treatment of the flavonols led to reduced anti-inflammatory efficacy.


2003 ◽  
Vol 198 (12) ◽  
pp. 1817-1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fakhreldin M. Omer ◽  
J. Brian de Souza ◽  
Patrick H. Corran ◽  
Ali A. Sultan ◽  
Eleanor M. Riley

Much of the pathology of malaria is mediated by inflammatory cytokines (such as interleukin 12, interferon γ, and tumor necrosis factor α), which are part of the immune response that kills the parasite. The antiinflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β plays a crucial role in preventing the severe pathology of malaria in mice and TGF-β production is associated with reduced risk of clinical malaria in humans. Here we show that serum-free preparations of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium yoelii 17XL, and Plasmodium berghei schizont-infected erythrocytes, but not equivalent preparations of uninfected erythrocytes, are directly able to activate latent TGF-β (LatTGF-β) in vitro. Antibodies to thrombospondin (TSP) and to a P. falciparum TSP-related adhesive protein (PfTRAP), and synthetic peptides from PfTRAP and P. berghei TRAP that represent homologues of TGF-β binding motifs of TSP, all inhibit malaria-mediated TGF-β activation. Importantly, TRAP-deficient P. berghei parasites are less able to activate LatTGF-β than wild-type parasites and their replication is attenuated in vitro. We show that activation of TGF-β by malaria parasites is a two step process involving TSP-like molecules and metalloproteinase activity. Activation of LatTGF-β represents a novel mechanism for direct modulation of the host response by malaria parasites.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109158182199894
Author(s):  
Brian T. Welsh ◽  
Ryan Faucette ◽  
Sanela Bilic ◽  
Constance J. Martin ◽  
Thomas Schürpf ◽  
...  

Checkpoint inhibitors offer a promising immunotherapy strategy for cancer treatment; however, due to primary or acquired resistance, many patients do not achieve lasting clinical responses. Recently, the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling pathway has been identified as a potential target to overcome primary resistance, although the nonselective inhibition of multiple TGFβ isoforms has led to dose-limiting cardiotoxicities. SRK-181 is a high-affinity, fully human antibody that selectively binds to latent TGFβ1 and inhibits its activation. To support SRK-181 clinical development, we present here a comprehensive preclinical assessment of its pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and safety across multiple species. In vitro studies showed that SRK-181 has no effect on human platelet function and does not induce cytokine release in human peripheral blood. Four-week toxicology studies with SRK-181 showed that weekly intravenous administration achieved sustained serum exposure and was well tolerated in rats and monkeys, with no treatment-related adverse findings. The no-observed-adverse-effect levels levels were 200 mg/kg in rats and 300 mg/kg in monkeys, the highest doses tested, and provide a nonclinical safety factor of up to 813-fold (based on Cmax) above the phase 1 starting dose of 80 mg every 3 weeks. In summary, the nonclinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetic, and toxicology data demonstrate that SRK-181 is a selective inhibitor of latent TGFβ1 that does not produce the nonclinical toxicities associated with nonselective TGFβ inhibition. These data support the initiation and safe conduct of a phase 1 trial with SRK-181 in patients with advanced cancer.


Author(s):  
Theresia Indah Budhy ◽  
Ira Arundina ◽  
Meircurius Dwi Condro Surboyo ◽  
Anisa Nur Halimah

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of rice husk liquid smoke in Porphyromonas gingivalis-induced periodontitis in the inflammatory and proliferation marker such as nuclear factor kappa β (NF-kB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), collagen type 1 (COL-1) expression, and the number of macrophages, lymphocytes, and fibroblasts. Materials and Methods Rice husk liquid smoke is obtained by the pyrolysis process. Porphyromonas gingivalis-induced periodontitis in 20 μL phosphate-buffered saline containing 1 × 109 CFU was injected into the lower anterior gingival sulcus of Wistar rats. The periodontitis was then treated with 20 μL/20 g body weight of rice husk liquid smoke once a day for 2 and 7 days, respectively. After treatment, the bone and lower anterior gingival sulcus were analyzed with immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin–eosin staining. Results The treatment of periodontitis with rice husk liquid smoke showed a lower NF-kB, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression and a higher TGF-β, FGF2, and COL-1 expression than the control after treatment for 2 and 7 days (p < 0.05), respectively. The number of macrophages and fibroblasts was also higher when compared with the control group (p < 0.05), but the number of lymphocytes was lower than the control (p < 0.05). Conclusion Rice husk liquid smoke showed its effects on Porphyromonas gingivalis-induced periodontitis with a decrease in inflammatory markers and an increase in proliferation markers. The development of a rice husk liquid smoke periodontitis treatment is promising.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison B. Powell ◽  
Sridevi Yadavilli ◽  
Devin Saunders ◽  
Stacey Van Pelt ◽  
Elizabeth Chorvinsky ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Medulloblastoma (MB), the most common pediatric brain cancer, presents with a poor prognosis in a subset of patients with high risk disease, or at recurrence, where current therapies are ineffective. Cord blood (CB) natural killer (NK) cells may be promising off-the-shelf effector cells for immunotherapy due to their recognition of malignant cells without the need for a known target, ready availability from multiple banks, and their potential to expand exponentially. However, they are currently limited by immune suppressive cytokines secreted in the MB tumor microenvironment including Transforming Growth Factor β (TGF-β). Here, we address this challenge in in vitro models of MB. Methods CB-derived NK cells were modified to express a dominant negative TGF-β receptor II (DNRII) using retroviral transduction. The ability of transduced CB cells to maintain function in the presence of medulloblastoma-conditioned media was then assessed. Results We observed that the cytotoxic ability of nontransduced CB-NK cells was reduced in the presence of TGF-β-rich, medulloblastoma-conditioned media (21.21 ± 1.19% killing at E:T 5:1 in the absence vs. 14.98 ± 2.11% in the presence of medulloblastoma-conditioned media, n = 8, p = 0.02), but was unaffected in CB-derived DNRII-transduced NK cells (21.11 ± 1.84% killing at E:T 5:1 in the absence vs. 21.81 ± 3.37 in the presence of medulloblastoma-conditioned media, n = 8, p = 0.85. We also observed decreased expression of CCR2 in untransduced NK cells (mean CCR2 MFI 826 ± 117 in untransduced NK + MB supernatant from mean CCR2 MFI 1639.29 ± 215 in no MB supernatant, n = 7, p = 0.0156), but not in the transduced cells. Finally, we observed that CB-derived DNRII-transduced NK cells may protect surrounding immune cells by providing a cytokine sink for TGF-β (decreased TGF-β levels of 610 ± 265 pg/mL in CB-derived DNRII-transduced NK cells vs. 1817 ± 342 pg/mL in untransduced cells; p = 0.008). Conclusions CB NK cells expressing a TGF-β DNRII may have a functional advantage over unmodified NK cells in the presence of TGF-β-rich MB, warranting further investigation on its potential applications for patients with medulloblastoma.


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