Dietary Vegetable Powders Modulate Immune Homeostasis and Intestinal Microbiota in Mice

As the largest immune organ of the human body, the intestine also plays a vital role in nutrient digestion and absorption. Some vegetables are considered to have improvement effects on the intestine. This experiment explored the effects of freeze-dried asparagus, broccoli and cabbage powder on the intestinal immune homeostasis and microflora of mice. Thirty-two mice were divided into four groups (n = 8), including control group (fed normal diet), asparagus group (fed normal diet with 5% asparagus power), broccoli group (fed normal diet with 5% broccoli power) and cabbage group (fed normal diet with 5% cabbage power). The experiment lasted 21 days. The results showed that the serum immunoglobulin concentration (IgA and IgM) and intestinal cytokine content (like IFN-γ and TNF-α) were increased after vegetable powder supplement. The experiment also detected that vegetable powder supplementation changed intestinal flora and their metabolites (short-chain fatty acid), which showed that the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Bacteroides were decreased, while the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus as well as propionic acid and butyric acid contents were increased. Together, these vegetable powders, especially cabbage, changed the intestinal immune response and microbial activity of mice.

The “Dialogue” Between Central and Peripheral Immunity After Ischemic Stroke: Focus on Spleen

The immune response generated by the body after the incidence of ischemic stroke, runs through the comprehensive process of aftermath. During this process of ischemic stroke, the central neuroinflammation and peripheral immune response seriously affect the prognosis of patients, which has been the focus of research in recent years. As this research scenario progressed, the “dialogue” between central nervous inflammation and peripheral immune response after ischemic stroke has become more closely related. It’s worth noting that the spleen, as an important peripheral immune organ, plays a pivotal role in this dialogue. Multiple mechanisms have previously been reported for brain-spleen crosstalk after ischemic stroke. Further, neuroinflammation in the brain can affect the peripheral immune state by activating/inhibiting spleen function. However, the activation of the peripheral immune inflammatory response can work reversibly in the spleen. It further affects intracerebral neuroinflammation through the injured blood-brain barrier. Therefore, paying close attention to the role of spleen as the pivot between central and peripheral immunity in ischemic stroke may help to provide a new target for immune intervention in the treatment of ischemic stroke. In the present review, we reviewed the important role of spleen in central neuroinflammation and peripheral immune response after ischemic stroke. We summarized the relevant studies and reports on spleen as the target of immune intervention which can provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of ischemic stroke.

Follow the Metaplasia: Characteristics and Oncogenic Implications of Metaplasia’s Pattern of Spread Throughout the Stomach

The human stomach functions as both a digestive and innate immune organ. Its main product, acid, rapidly breaks down ingested products and equally serves as a highly effective microbial filter. The gastric epithelium has evolved mechanisms to appropriately handle the myriad of injurious substances, both exogenous and endogenous, to maintain the epithelial barrier and restore homeostasis. The most significant chronic insult that the stomach must face is Helicobacter pylori (Hp), a stomach-adapted bacterium that can colonize the stomach and induce chronic inflammatory and pre-neoplastic changes. The progression from chronic inflammation to dysplasia relies on the decades-long interplay between this oncobacterium and its gastric host. This review summarizes the functional and molecular regionalization of the stomach at homeostasis and details how chronic inflammation can lead to characteristic alterations in these developmental demarcations, both at the topographic and glandular levels. More importantly, this review illustrates our current understanding of the epithelial mechanisms that underlie the pre-malignant gastric landscape, how Hp adapts to and exploits these changes, and the clinical implications of identifying these changes in order to stratify patients at risk of developing gastric cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Functional Morphology of the Immune Structures of the Spleen Under the Influence of Damaging Factors

In recent years, interest in the study of the morphological and functional characteristics of the organs of the immune system has grown significantly. The immune system makes a significant contribution to the processes of homeostasis and maintaining the health of the organism. Immunity determines the state of the body's resistance to infectious factors. At the same time, the spleen is of particular interest as an immune organ, since the immune system of humans and animals is one of the most sensitive systems of the body, which quickly reacts to any influences. The article presents a literature review devoted to modern concepts of the morphofunctional organization of the spleen in connection with the functions performed, as well as the influence of damaging factors on changes in the morphofunctional parameters of the components of the spleen.

The Role of Immunotherapy in a Tolerogenic Environment: Current and Future Perspectives for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In contrast to several tumors whose prognoses are radically affected by novel immunotherapeutic approaches and/or targeted therapies, the outcomes of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain poor. The underlying cirrhosis that is frequently associated with it complicates medical treatment and often determines survival. The landscape of HCC treatment had included sorafenib as the only drug available for ten years, until 2018, when lenvatinib was approved for treatment. The second-line systemic treatments available for hepatocellular carcinoma include regorafenib, cabozantinib, ramucirumab, and, more recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, the median survival remains below 15 months. The results obtained in clinics should be interpreted whilst considering the peculiar role of the liver as an immune organ. A healthy liver microenvironment ordinarily experiences stimulation by gut-derived antigens. This setup elucidates the response to chronic inflammation and the altered balance between tolerance and immune response in HCC development. This paper provides an overview of the mechanisms involved in HCC pathogenesis, with a special focus on the immune implications, along with current and future clinical perspectives.

Hepatopancreas-Specific Lectin Participates in the Antibacterial Immune Response by Regulating the Expression of Antibacterial Proteins

The hepatopancreas is an important digestive and immune organ in crustacean. There were low but stable numbers of microbes living in the hemolymph of crustacean, whereas the organs (including hepatopancreas) of crustacean were immersed in the hemolymph. It is very important to study the immune mechanism of the hepatopancreas against bacteria. In this study, a novel CTL (HepCL) with two CRDs, which was mainly expressed in the hepatopancreas, was identified in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). HepCL binds to bacteria in vitro and could enhance bacterial clearance in vivo. Compared with the C-terminal CRD of HepCL (HepCL-C), the N-terminal CRD (HepCL-N) showed weaker bacterial binding ability in vitro and stronger bacterial clearance activity in vivo. The expression of some antimicrobial proteins, such as FLP, ALF1 and ALF5, was downregulated under knockdown of HepCL or blocked with Anti-HepCL after challenge with Vibrio in crayfish. These results demonstrated that HepCL might be involved in the antibacterial immune response by regulating the expression of antimicrobial proteins.

Immunodiagnostic Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): The First Step in Detection and Treatment

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exerts huge effects on the health burden of the world because of its high mortality and poor prognosis. HCC is often clinically detected late in patients. If HCC could be detected and treated earlier, the survival rate of patients will be greatly improved. Therefore, identifying specific biomarkers is urgent and important for HCC. The liver is also recognized as an immune organ. The occurrence of HCC is related to exacerbation of immune tolerance and/or immunosurveillance escape. The host immune system plays an important role in the recognition and targeting of tumor cells in cancer immunotherapy, as can be seen from the clinical success of immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Thus, there is a pressing medical need to discover immunodiagnostic biomarkers specific to HCC for understanding the pathological mechanisms of HCC, especially for immunotherapy targets. We have reviewed the existing literature to summarize the immunodiagnostic markers of HCC, including autoantibodies against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and exosomes, to provide new insights into HCC and early detection of this deadly cancer.

Multi-Compartment Lymph-Node-on-a-Chip Enables Measurement of Immune Cell Motility in Response to Drugs

Organs On-a-Chip represent novel platforms for modelling human physiology and disease. The lymph node (LN) is a relevant immune organ in which B and T lymphocytes are spatially organized in a complex architecture, and it is the place where the immune response initiates. The present study addresses the utility of a recently designed LN-on-a-chip to dissect and understand the effect of drugs delivered to cells in a fluidic multicellular 3D setting that mimics the human LN. To do so, we analyzed the motility and viability of human B and T cells exposed to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). We show that the innovative LN platform, which operates at a microscale level, allows real-time monitoring of co-cultured B and T cells by imaging, and supports cellular random movement. HCQ delivered to cells through a constant and continuous flow induces a reduction in T cell velocity while promotes persistent rotational motion. We also find that HCQ increases the production of reactive oxygen species in T cells. Taken together, these results highlight the potential of the LN-on-a-chip to be applied in drug screening and development, and in cellular dynamics studies.

Effects of Soy Protein Concentrate in Starter Phase Diet on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemical Indices, Carcass Traits, Immune Organ Indices and Meat Quality of Broilers

Soybean meal (SBM) is high in antinutritional factors (ANFs), which is not conducive to the starter growth of broilers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of soy protein concentrate (SPC) in starter diet on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, immune organ indices and blood biochemical indices of broilers. A total of 384 1-day-old Arbor Acres (AA) male broilers (46.05 ± 0.37 g) with similar body weight were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 replicates in each group and 12 broilers in each replicate. The experiment was divided into three phases: in starter phase (1–10 d), birds were fed a corn-SBM-based basal mash diet (control) and the basal diet was supplemented with SPC at 4% (SPC4), 8% (SPC8), 12% (SPC12). In the grower phase (11–21 d) and the finisher phase (22–42 d), the birds in all four treatment groups were fed the same diets. The results showed that the body weight was significantly increased in the SPC8 and SPC12 groups of broilers at 10 d and 42 d (p < 0.05). The average daily gain was significantly increased in the SPC12 group of broilers at 1–10 d and 1–42 d (p < 0.05). The average daily feed intake was significantly increased in the SPC8 and SPC12 groups of broilers at 1-10 d (p < 0.05). The feed conversion rates at 1–42 d (p = 0.055) tended to decline in the SPC12 group. The carcass yield and the thymus indices were significantly increased in the SPC12 group of broilers at 42 d (p < 0.05). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) tended to decline in SPC12 group at 10 d (p = 0.055) and total protein (TP) tended to increase in the SPC12 group at 42 d (p = 0.080). The contents of total cholesterol (T-CHO) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were significantly elevated in the SPC12 group of broilers at 42 d (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary inclusion of 12% SPC as a starter diet can be recommended due to the positive effects on broilers.