scholarly journals A Novel Combination of Vitamin C, Curcumin and Glycyrrhizic Acid Potentially Regulates Immune and Inflammatory Response Associated with Coronavirus Infections: A Perspective from System Biology Analysis

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Chen ◽  
Chun Hu ◽  
Molly Hood ◽  
Xue Zhang ◽  
Lu Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Vitamin C ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
System Biology ◽  
Glycyrrhizic Acid ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Gene Target

Novel coronaviruses (CoV) have emerged periodically around the world in recent years. The recurrent spreading of CoVs imposes an ongoing threat to global health and the economy. Since no specific therapy for these CoVs is available, any beneficial approach (including nutritional and dietary approach) is worth investigation. Based on recent advances in nutrients and phytonutrients research, a novel combination of vitamin C, curcumin and glycyrrhizic acid (VCG Plus) was developed that has potential against CoV infection. System biology tools were applied to explore the potential of VCG Plus in modulating targets and pathways relevant to immune and inflammation responses. Gene target acquisition, gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were conducted consecutively along with network analysis. The results show that VCG Plus can act on 88 hub targets which are closely connected and associated with immune and inflammatory responses. Specifically, VCG Plus has the potential to regulate innate immune response by acting on NOD-like and Toll-like signaling pathways to promote interferons production, activate and balance T-cells, and regulate the inflammatory response by inhibiting PI3K/AKT, NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. All these biological processes and pathways have been well documented in CoV infections studies. Therefore, our findings suggest that VCG Plus may be helpful in regulating immune response to combat CoV infections and inhibit excessive inflammatory responses to prevent the onset of cytokine storm. However, further in vitro and in vivo experiments are warranted to validate the current findings with system biology tools. Our current approach provides a new strategy in predicting formulation rationale when developing new dietary supplements.

TLR2 ligand engagement upregulates airway smooth muscle TNFα-induced cytokine production

2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (9) ◽  
pp. L838-L845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Manetsch ◽  
Petra Seidel ◽  
Udo Heintz ◽  
Wenchi Che ◽  
J. Margaret Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Tlr2 Expression ◽  
Chronic Airway

Airway inflammation and respiratory infections are important factors contributing to disease exacerbation in chronic airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells express Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and may be involved in the amplification of airway inflammatory responses during infectious exacerbations. We determined whether infectious stimuli (mimicked using Pam3CSK4, a synthetic bacterial lipopeptide that binds to TLR2/TLR1) further enhance ASM cell inflammatory responses to TNFα in vitro and the signaling pathways involved. Human ASM cells were pretreated for 1 h with Pam3CSK4 (1 μg/ml) in the absence or presence of TNFα (10 ng/ml), and IL-6 and IL-8 release was measured after 24 h. As expected, stimulation with Pam3CSK4 or TNFα alone induced significant IL-6 and IL-8 release. Furthermore, Pam3CSK4 significantly increased TNFα-induced IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA expression and protein release and neutrophil chemotactic activity. The potentiating effect of Pam3CSK4 on TNFα-induced inflammatory responses was not due to enhanced TLR2 expression nor did it involve augmentation of NF-κB or MAPK signaling pathways. Rather, Pam3CSK4 induced cAMP response element (CRE) binding protein phosphorylation and induced CRE-mediated transcriptional regulation, suggesting that Pam3CSK4 and TNFα are acting in concert to enhance ASM cytokine secretion via parallel transcriptional pathways. Our findings suggest that ASM cells may be involved in the amplification of airway inflammatory responses during infectious exacerbations in chronic airway disease.

Panax notoginseng Saponins Modulate the Inflammatory Response and Improve IBD-Like Symptoms via TLR/NF-κB and MAPK Signaling Pathways

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Hua Luo ◽  
Chi Teng Vong ◽  
Dechao Tan ◽  
Jinming Zhang ◽  
Hua Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Panax Notoginseng ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Panax Notoginseng Saponins

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are the main active ingredients of Panax notoginseng (Burk) F. H. Chen, which are used as traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and have various clinical effects, including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and cardiovascular protection. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex gastrointestinal inflammatory disease that cannot be cured completely nowadays. The anti-inflammatory and protective effects of PNS were analyzed in vitro and in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. PNS inhibited the release of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] (TNF-[Formula: see text], interleukin-6 (IL-6), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in Pam3CSK4-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. In the animal study, compared with DSS-induced mice, PNS reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-[Formula: see text], IL-6, and MCP-1) in the colon tissues. Furthermore, PNS treatment led to a remarkable reduction in the activation of the inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] (IKK[Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], I[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text] and p65 induced by DSS. On the other hand, PNS inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). Taken together, our results suggested that PNS conferred profound protection for colitis mice through the downregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathways, which were associated with reducing inflammatory responses, alleviating tissue damage, and maintaining of intestinal integrity and functionality.

scholarly journals Predicting Experimental Sepsis Survival with a Mathematical Model of Acute Inflammation

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared Barber ◽  
Amy Carpenter ◽  
Allison Torsey ◽  
Tyler Borgard ◽  
Rami A. Namas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Experimental Sepsis ◽  
Initial Inoculum ◽  
Molecular Pattern ◽  
Parameter Values

Sepsis is characterized by an overactive, dysregulated inflammatory response that drives organ dysfunction and often results in death. Mathematical modeling has emerged as an essential tool for understanding the underlying complex biological processes. A system of four ordinary differential equations (ODEs) was developed to simulate the dynamics of bacteria, the pro- and anti-inflammatory responses, and tissue damage (whose molecular correlate is damage-associated molecular pattern [DAMP] molecules and which integrates inputs from the other variables, feeds back to drive further inflammation, and serves as a proxy for whole-organism health status). The ODE model was calibrated to experimental data from E. coli infection in genetically identical rats and was validated with mortality data for these animals. The model demonstrated recovery, aseptic death, or septic death outcomes for a simulated infection while varying the initial inoculum, pathogen growth rate, strength of the local immune response, and activation of the pro-inflammatory response in the system. In general, more septic outcomes were encountered when the initial inoculum of bacteria was increased, the pathogen growth rate was increased, or the host immune response was decreased. The model demonstrated that small changes in parameter values, such as those governing the pathogen or the immune response, could explain the experimentally observed variability in mortality rates among septic rats. A local sensitivity analysis was conducted to understand the magnitude of such parameter effects on system dynamics. Despite successful predictions of mortality, simulated trajectories of bacteria, inflammatory responses, and damage were closely clustered during the initial stages of infection, suggesting that uncertainty in initial conditions could lead to difficulty in predicting outcomes of sepsis by using inflammation biomarker levels.

scholarly journals A Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Human and Porcine Choroid Plexus Cells in Response to Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 Infection Points to a Role of Hypoxia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexa N. Lauer ◽  
Rene Scholtysik ◽  
Andreas Beineke ◽  
Christoph Georg Baums ◽  
Kristin Klose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Choroid Plexus ◽  
Cellular Proliferation ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Streptococcus Suis ◽  
Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Rna Seq

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an important opportunistic pathogen, which can cause septicemia and meningitis in pigs and humans. Previous in vivo observations in S. suis-infected pigs revealed lesions at the choroid plexus (CP). In vitro experiments with primary porcine CP epithelial cells (PCPEC) and human CP epithelial papilloma (HIBCPP) cells demonstrated that S. suis can invade and traverse the CP epithelium, and that the CP contributes to the inflammatory response via cytokine expression. Here, next generation sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to compare global transcriptome profiles of PCPEC and HIBCPP cells challenged with S. suis serotype (ST) 2 infected in vitro, and of pigs infected in vivo. Identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were, amongst others, involved in inflammatory responses and hypoxia. The RNA-seq data were validated via quantitative PCR of selected DEGs. Employing Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), 18, 28, and 21 enriched hallmark gene sets (GSs) were identified for infected HIBCPP cells, PCPEC, and in the CP of pigs suffering from S. suis ST2 meningitis, respectively, of which eight GSs overlapped between the three different sample sets. The majority of these GSs are involved in cellular signaling and pathways, immune response, and development, including inflammatory response and hypoxia. In contrast, suppressed GSs observed during in vitro and in vivo S. suis ST2 infections included those, which were involved in cellular proliferation and metabolic processes. This study suggests that similar cellular processes occur in infected human and porcine CP epithelial cells, especially in terms of inflammatory response.

scholarly journals Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) Mitigates the Host Inflammatory Response during Clostridioides difficile Infection by Altering Gut Bile Acids

2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenessa A. Winston ◽  
Alissa J. Rivera ◽  
Jingwei Cai ◽  
Rajani Thanissery ◽  
Stephanie A. Montgomery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Bile Acid ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Innate Immune Response ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Colonization Resistance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clostridioides Difficile

ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality posing an urgent threat to public health. Recurrence of CDI after successful treatment with antibiotics is high, thus necessitating discovery of novel therapeutics against this enteric pathogen. Administration of the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA; ursodiol) inhibits the life cycles of various strains of C. difficile in vitro, suggesting that the FDA-approved formulation of UDCA, known as ursodiol, may be able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) by which ursodiol is able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile remains unknown. Here, we confirmed that ursodiol inhibits C. difficile R20291 spore germination and outgrowth, growth, and toxin activity in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. In a murine model of CDI, exogenous administration of ursodiol resulted in significant alterations in the bile acid metabolome with little to no changes in gut microbial community structure. Ursodiol pretreatment resulted in attenuation of CDI pathogenesis early in the course of disease, which coincided with alterations in the cecal and colonic inflammatory transcriptome, bile acid-activated receptors nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and transmembrane G-protein-coupled membrane receptor 5 (TGR5), which are able to modulate the innate immune response through signaling pathways such as NF-κB. Although ursodiol pretreatment did not result in a consistent decrease in the C. difficile life cycle in vivo, it was able to attenuate an overly robust inflammatory response that is detrimental to the host during CDI. Ursodiol remains a viable nonantibiotic treatment and/or prevention strategy against CDI. Likewise, modulation of the host innate immune response via bile acid-activated receptors FXR and TGR5 represents a new potential treatment strategy for patients with CDI.

Inducing inflammatory response in RAW264.7 and NK-92 cells by an arabinogalactan isolated from Ferula gummosa via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways

2020 ◽  
Vol 241 ◽  
pp. 116358
Author(s):  
Mehdi Tabarsa ◽  
Elham Hashem Dabaghian ◽  
SangGuan You ◽  
Khamphone Yelithao ◽  
Subramanian Palanisamy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Mapk Signaling Pathways

scholarly journals Inhibition effects of patchouli alcohol against influenza a virus through targeting cellular PI3K/Akt and ERK/MAPK signaling pathways

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunjia Yu ◽  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Shuyao Wang ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Cui Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Plaque Assay ◽  
Mapk Signaling ◽  
Western Blot Assay ◽  
Patchouli Alcohol ◽  
Erk Mapk ◽  
Mapk Signaling Pathways

Abstract Background Patchouli alcohol (PA) is a tricyclic sesquiterpene extracted from Pogostemonis Herba, which is a traditional Chinese medicine used for therapy of inflammatory diseases. Recent studies have shown that PA has various pharmacological activities, including anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects. Methods In this study, the anti-influenza virus (IAV) activities and mechanisms were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effects of PA against IAV in vitro were evaluated by plaque assay and immunofluorescence assay. The neuraminidase inhibition assay, hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay, and western blot assay were used to explore the anti-viral mechanisms. The anti-IAV activities in vivo were determined by mice pneumonia model and HE staining. Results The results showed that PA significantly inhibited different IAV strains multiplication in vitro, and may block IAV infection through inactivating virus particles directly and interfering with some early stages after virus adsorption. Cellular PI3K/Akt and ERK/MAPK signaling pathways may be involved in the anti-IAV actions of PA. Intranasal administration of PA markedly improved mice survival and attenuated pneumonia symptoms in IAV infected mice, comparable to the effects of Oseltamivir. Conclusions Therefore, Patchouli alcohol has the potential to be developed into a novel anti-IAV agent in the future.

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