scholarly journals Methylprednisolone Protects SAP and Pancreatitis-Associated ALI in Mice by Inhibiting NLRP3 Inflammasome Through NF-κB

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan-jiang Liu ◽  
Qiang Fu ◽  
Wenjing Zhou ◽  
Xu Zhang ◽  
Rui Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Methylprednisolone (MP) is a synthetic corticosteroid with potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties used as therapy for a variety of diseases. The underlying mechanism of MP to reduce acute pancreatitis still needs to be elucidated.Methods: Twenty-four male C57BL/6 mice (6-8 weeks) were used to establish SAP mouse model by administering an intraperitoneal injection of Cae and LPS. Amylase expression levels of serum and PLF were measured with an amylase assay kit. The concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in the serum and PLF were detected by ELISA. The level of pancreatic and lung tissue damage and inflammation was assessed by H&E staining and immunofluorescence staining. Western blot and qPCR were used to detect the expression levels of NLRP3, IL-1β and TNF-αin vivo and in vitro.Results: In this study, we found MP, used in the early phase of SAP, decreased the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum and peritoneal lavage fluids (PLF), reduced the level of serum amylase and the expression of MPO in lung tissue, attenuated the pathological injury of the pancreas and lungs in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of NLRP3 and IL-1β in pancreas and lungs was down-regulated significantly depending on the MP concentration. In vitro, MP reduced the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α by down-regulating the expression of NLRP3, IL-1β and p-NF-κB in isolated peritoneal macrophages. Conclusion: MP can attenuate the injury of pancreas and lungs, and the inflammatory response in SAP mice by down-regulating the activation of NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Author(s):  
Jinxin Wang ◽  
Qun Ding ◽  
Qiankun Yang ◽  
Hui Fan ◽  
Guili Yu ◽  
...  

Vibrio alginolyticus is a food-borne marine Vibrio that causes gastroenteritis, otitis media, otitis externa, and septicemia in humans. The pathogenic mechanisms of V. alginolyticus have previously been studied in aquaculture animals; however, the underlying mechanisms in mammals remain unknown. In this study, an in vitro model of mouse peritoneal macrophages infected with V. alginolyticus was established. qPCR results revealed that V. alginolyticus induced the transcription levels of various cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-12, IL-18, TNF-α, IL-17, IL-6, IFN-γ, and IL-10, and the secretion level of IL-1β is the most significant. Inhibition assays with Ac-YVAD-CHO (a caspase-1 inhibitor) and Z-VAD-FMK (a pan-caspase inhibitor) were conducted to determine whether caspase-1 or caspase-11 is involved in V. alginolyticus-triggered IL-1β secretion. Results showed that IL-1β secretion was partly inhibited by Ac-YVAD-CHO and absolutely blocked by Z-VAD-FMK. To explore the sensed pattern recognition receptors, several NLR family members and the AIM2 receptor were detected and many receptors were upregulated especially NLRP3. Moreover, the NLRP3 protein displayed a puncta-like surrounding cell nucleus, which signified that the NLRP3 inflammasome was activated in response to V. alginolyticus infection. Inhibition assays with glyburide and CA-074 methyl ester (K+ outflow inhibitor and cathepsin B inhibitor) blocked IL-1β secretion, which demonstrated the essential role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in inflammatory response. To better understand how V. alginolyticus affects IL-1β release, the NLRP3 inflammasome was detected with doses ranging from 0.1 to 10 MOIs and time periods ranging from 3 to 12 h. Results showed that V. alginolyticus-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation was in a time- and dose-dependent manner and IL-1β release peaked at MOI of 1 for 12 h. Most importantly, blocking the NLRP3 inflammasome with inhibitors and the use of NLRP3-/- and caspase-1/11-/- mice could attenuate pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α. Taken together, our study first found that the NLRP3 inflammasome plays vital roles in V. alginolyticus triggered inflammatory response in mouse peritoneal macrophages. This may provide reference information for the development of potential anti-inflammatory treatments against V. alginolyticus infection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyang Li ◽  
Shuangqing Yang ◽  
Huaqing Ma ◽  
Mengjia Ruan ◽  
Luyan Fang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cervical cancer is a type of the most common gynecology tumor in women of the whole world. Accumulating data have shown that icariin (ICA), a natural compound, has anti-cancer activity in different cancers, including cervical cancer. The study aimed to reveal the antitumor effects and the possible underlying mechanism of ICA in U14 tumor-bearing mice and SiHa cells. Methods The antitumor effects of ICA were investigated in vivo and in vitro. The expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways were evaluated. Results We found that ICA significantly suppressed tumor tissue growth and SiHa cells viability in a dose-dependent manner. Also, ICA enhanced the anti-tumor humoral immunity in vivo. Moreover, ICA significantly improved the composition of the microbiota in mice models. Additionally, the results clarified that ICA significantly inhibited the migration, invasion capacity, and expression levels of TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-10 in SiHa cells. Meanwhile, ICA was revealed to promote the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells by down-regulating Ki67, survivin, Bcl-2, c-Myc, and up-regulating P16, P53, Bax levels in vivo and in vitro. For the part of mechanism exploration, we showed that ICA inhibits the inflammation, proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as promotes apoptosis and immunity in cervical cancer through impairment of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. Conclusions Taken together, ICA could be a potential supplementary agent for cervical cancer treatment.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Natalia K. Kordulewska ◽  
Justyna Topa ◽  
Małgorzata Tańska ◽  
Anna Cieślińska ◽  
Ewa Fiedorowicz ◽  
...  

Lipopolysaccharydes (LPS) are responsible for the intestinal inflammatory reaction, as they may disrupt tight junctions and induce cytokines (CKs) secretion. Osthole has a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects, thus its anti-inflammatory potential in the LPS-treated Caco-2 cell line as well as in Caco-2/THP-1 and Caco-2/macrophages co-cultures was investigated. In brief, Caco-2 cells and co-cultures were incubated with LPS to induce an inflammatory reaction, after which osthole (150–450 ng/mL) was applied to reduce this effect. After 24 h, the level of secreted CKs and changes in gene expression were examined. LPS significantly increased the levels of IL-1β, -6, -8, and TNF-α, while osthole reduced this effect in a concentration-dependent manner, with the most significant decrease when a 450 ng/mL dose was applied (p < 0.0001). A similar trend was observed in changes in gene expression, with the significant osthole efficiency at a concentration of 450 ng/μL for IL1R1 and COX-2 (p < 0.01) and 300 ng/μL for NF-κB (p < 0.001). Osthole increased Caco-2 monolayer permeability, thus if it would ever be considered as a potential drug for minimizing intestinal inflammatory symptoms, its safety should be confirmed in extended in vitro and in vivo studies.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 615
Author(s):  
Shang-En Huang ◽  
Erna Sulistyowati ◽  
Yu-Ying Chao ◽  
Bin-Nan Wu ◽  
Zen-Kong Dai ◽  
...  

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative arthropathy that is mainly characterized by dysregulation of inflammatory responses. KMUP-1, a derived chemical synthetic of xanthine, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Here, we aimed to investigate the in vitro anti-inflammatory and in vivo anti-osteoarthritis effects of KMUP-1. Protein and gene expressions of inflammation markers were determined by ELISA, Western blotting and microarray, respectively. RAW264.7 mouse macrophages were cultured and pretreated with KMUP-1 (1, 5, 10 μM). The productions of TNF-α, IL-6, MMP-2 and MMP- 9 were reduced by KMUP-1 pretreatment in LPS-induced inflammation of RAW264.7 cells. The expressions of iNOS, TNF-α, COX-2, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were also inhibited by KMUP-1 pretreatment. The gene expression levels of TNF and COX families were also downregulated. In addition, KMUP-1 suppressed the activations of ERK, JNK and p38 as well as phosphorylation of IκBα/NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, SIRT1 inhibitor attenuated the inhibitory effect of KMUP-1 in LPS-induced NF-κB activation. In vivo study showed that KMUP-1 reduced mechanical hyperalgesia in monoiodoacetic acid (MIA)-induced rats OA. Additionally, KMUP-1 pretreatment reduced the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in MIA-injected rats. Moreover, macroscopic and histological observation showed that KMUP-1 reduced articular cartilage erosion in rats. Our results demonstrated that KMUP-1 inhibited the inflammatory responses and restored SIRT1 in vitro, alleviated joint-related pain and cartilage destruction in vivo. Taken together, KMUP-1 has the potential to improve MIA-induced articular cartilage degradation by inhibiting the levels and expression of inflammatory mediators suggesting that KMUP-1 might be a potential therapeutic agent for OA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Ying Liang ◽  
Xu-Bin Deng ◽  
Xian-Tao Lin ◽  
Li-Li Jiang ◽  
Xiao-Ting Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly aggressive tumor characterized by distant metastasis. Deletion or down-regulation of the tumor suppressor protein ras-association domain family protein1 isoform A (RASSF1A) has been confirmed to be a key event in NPC progression; however, little is known about the effects or underlying mechanism of RASSF1A on the malignant phenotype. In the present study, we observed that RASSF1A expression inhibited the malignant phenotypes of NPC cells. Stable silencing of RASSF1A in NPC cell lines induced self-renewal properties and tumorigenicity in vivo/in vitro and the acquisition of an invasive phenotype in vitro. Mechanistically, RASSF1A inactivated Yes-associated Protein 1 (YAP1), a transcriptional coactivator, through actin remodeling, which further contributed to Platelet Derived Growth Factor Subunit B (PDGFB) transcription inhibition. Treatment with ectopic PDGFB partially increased the malignancy of NPC cells with transient knockdown of YAP1. Collectively, these findings suggest that RASSF1A inhibits malignant phenotypes by repressing PDGFB expression in a YAP1-dependent manner. PDGFB may serve as a potential interest of therapeutic regulators in patients with metastatic NPC.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Feng ◽  
Junling Gu ◽  
Fang Gou ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Chenlin Gao ◽  
...  

While inflammation is considered a central component in the development in diabetic nephropathy, the mechanism remains unclear. The NLRP3 inflammasome acts as both a sensor and a regulator of the inflammatory response. The NLRP3 inflammasome responds to exogenous and endogenous danger signals, resulting in cleavage of procaspase-1 and activation of cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-33, ultimately triggering an inflammatory cascade reaction. This study observed the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling stimulated by high glucose, lipopolysaccharide, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibitor N-acetyl-L-cysteine in glomerular mesangial cells, aiming to elucidate the mechanism by which the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway may contribute to diabetic nephropathy. We found that the expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), NLRP3, and IL-1βwas observed by immunohistochemistry in vivo. Simultaneously, the mRNA and protein levels of TXNIP, NLRP3, procaspase-1, and IL-1βwere significantly induced by high glucose concentration and lipopolysaccharide in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner in vitro. This induction by both high glucose and lipopolysaccharide was significantly inhibited by N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Our results firstly reveal that high glucose and lipopolysaccharide activate ROS/TXNIP/ NLRP3/IL-1βinflammasome signaling in glomerular mesangial cells, suggesting a mechanism by which inflammation may contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy.


Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Sipol ◽  
Erik Hameister ◽  
Busheng Xue ◽  
Julia Hofstetter ◽  
Maxim Barenboim ◽  
...  

Cancer cells are in most instances characterized by rapid proliferation and uncontrolled cell division. Hence, they must adapt to proliferation-induced metabolic stress through intrinsic or acquired anti-metabolic stress responses to maintain homeostasis and survival. One mechanism to achieve this is to reprogram gene expression in a metabolism-dependent manner. MondoA (also known as MLXIP), a member of the MYC interactome, has been described as an example of such a metabolic sensor. However, the role of MondoA in malignancy is not fully understood and the underlying mechanism in metabolic responses remains elusive. By assessing patient data sets we found that MondoA overexpression is associated with a worse survival in pediatric common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Using CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA interference approaches, we observed that MondoA depletion reduces transformational capacity of B-ALL cells in vitro and dramatically inhibits malignant potential in an in vivo mouse model. Interestingly, reduced expression of MondoA in patient data sets correlated with enrichment in metabolic pathways. The loss of MondoA correlated with increased tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity. Mechanistically, MondoA senses metabolic stress in B-ALL cells by restricting oxidative phosphorylation through reduced PDH activity. Glutamine starvation conditions greatly enhance this effect and highlight the inability to mitigate metabolic stress upon loss of MondoA in B-ALL. Our findings give a novel insight into the function of MondoA in pediatric B-ALL and support the notion that MondoA inhibition in this entity offers a therapeutic opportunity and should be further explored.


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 2074-2087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liling Yang ◽  
Xiangjun Zhou ◽  
Weijuan Huang ◽  
Qin Fang ◽  
Jianlan Hu ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Forsythia suspensa Vahl. (Oleaceae) fruits are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat pneumonia, typhoid, dysentery, ulcers and oedema. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities have been reported for phillyrin (PHN), the main ingredient in Forsythia suspensa Vahl fruits, in vitro. However, the underlying mechanisms in vivo remain poorly defined. In this study, we discovered that PHN exerted potent anti-inflammatory effects in lethal LPS-induced neutrophil inflammation by suppressing the MyD88-dependent signalling pathway in zebrafish. Methods: LPS-yolk microinjection was used to induce a lethal LPS-infected zebrafish model. The effect of PHN on the survival of zebrafish challenged with lethal LPS was evaluated using survival analysis. The effect of PHN on neutrophil inflammation grading in vivo was assessed by tracking neutrophils with a transgenic line. The effects of PHN on neutrophil production and migration were analysed by SB+ cell counts during consecutive hours after modelling. Additionally, key cytokines and members of the MyD88 signalling pathway that are involved in inflammatory response were detected using quantitative RT-PCR. To assess gene expression changes during consecutive hours after modelling, the IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MyD88, TRIF, ERK1/2, JNK, IκBa and NF-κB expression levels were measured. Results: PHN could protect zebrafish against a lethal LPS challenge in a dose-dependent manner, as indicated by decreased neutrophil infltration, reduced tissue necrosis and increased survival rates. Up-regulated IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α expression also showed the same tendencies of depression by PHN. Critically, PHN significantly inhibited the LPS-induced activation of MyD88, IκBa, and NF-κB but did not affect the expression of ERK1/2 MAPKs or JNK MAPKs in LPS-stimulated zebrafish. Additionally, PHN regulated the MyD88/IκBα/NF-κB signalling pathway by controlling IκBα, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α expression. Conclusion: This study provides a rationale for the clinical application of PHN as an anti-inflammatory agent.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (15) ◽  
pp. 3930-3935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongshi Chen ◽  
Jingshan Tong ◽  
Liheng Yang ◽  
Liang Wei ◽  
Donna B. Stolz ◽  
...  

Necroptosis, a form of regulated necrotic cell death, is governed by RIP1/RIP3-mediated activation of MLKL. However, the signaling process leading to necroptotic death remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that PUMA, a proapoptotic BH3-only Bcl-2 family member, is transcriptionally activated in an RIP3/MLKL-dependent manner following induction of necroptosis. The induction of PUMA, which is mediated by autocrine TNF-α and enhanced NF-κB activity, contributes to necroptotic death in RIP3-expressing cells with caspases inhibited. On induction, PUMA promotes the cytosolic release of mitochondrial DNA and activation of the DNA sensors DAI/Zbp1 and STING, leading to enhanced RIP3 and MLKL phosphorylation in a positive feedback loop. Furthermore, deletion of PUMA partially rescues necroptosis-mediated developmental defects in FADD-deficient embryos. Collectively, our results reveal a signal amplification mechanism mediated by PUMA and cytosolic DNA sensors that is involved in TNF-driven necroptotic death in vitro and in vivo.


Author(s):  
Pingping Jia ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Jian Xu ◽  
Mei Zhu ◽  
Shize Peng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Resistance to anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug is a major issue in TB control, and demands the discovery of new drugs targeting virulence factor ESX-1. Methods We first established a high-throughput screen (HTS) assay for the discovery of ESX-1 secretion inhibitors. The positive hits were then evaluated for the potency of diminishing the survival of virulent mycobacterium and reducing bacterial virulence. We further investigated the probability of inducing drug-resistance and the underlying mechanism using M-PFC. Results A robust HTS assay was developed to identify small molecules that inhibit ESX-1 secretion without impairing bacterial growth in vitro. A hit named IMB-BZ specifically inhibits the secretion of CFP-10 and reduces virulence in an ESX-1-dependent manner, therefore resulting in significant reduction in intracellular and in vivo survival of mycobacteria. Blocking the CFP-10-EccCb1 interaction directly or indirectly underlies the inhibitory effect of IMB-BZ on the secretion of CFP-10. Importantly, our finding shows that the ESX-1 inhibitors pose low risk of drug resistance development by mycobacteria in vitro as compared with traditional anti-TB drug, and exhibit high potency against chronic mycobacterial infection. Conclusion Targeting ESX-1 may lead to the development of novel therapeutics for tuberculosis. IMB-BZ holds the potential for future development into a new anti-TB drug.


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