LTB4 Promotes Acute Lung Injury via Upregulating the PLCε-1/TLR4/NF-κB Pathway in One-Lung Ventilation

Background. Mechanical ventilation (MV) can provoke acute lung injury (ALI) by increasing inflammation activation and disrupting the barrier in lung tissues even causing death. However, the inflammation-related molecules and pathways in MV-induced ALI remain largely unknown. Hence, the purposes of this study are to examine the role and mechanism of a novel inflammation-related molecule, leukotriene B4 (LTB4), in ALI. Methods. The functions of LTB4 in one-lung ventilation (OLV) model were detected by the loss-of-function experiments. H&E staining was used to examine the pathologic changes of lung tissues. Functionally, PLCε-1 knockdown and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB pathway inhibitor were used to detect the regulatory effects of LTB4 on the phospholipase Cε (PLCε-1)/TLR4/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. The levels of genes and proteins were determined by RT-qPCR and western blotting assay. The levels of inflammation cytokines and chemokines were measured by ELISA. Results. Here, we found LTA4H, leukotriene B (4) receptor 1 (BLT1), LTB4, and PLCε-1 upregulated in OLV rats and associated with inflammatory activation and lung permeability changes of lung tissues. Inhibition of LTB4 alleviated the OLV-induced ALI by inhibiting inflammatory activation and lung permeability changes of lung tissues. For mechanism analyses, LTB4 promoted OLV-induced ALI by activating the PLCε-1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Conclusion. LTB4 induced ALI in OLV rats by activating the PLCε-1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Our findings might supply a new potential therapeutic for OLV-induced ALI.

YKL-40 Enhanced the Permeability of HDMECs with Histamine Through Activating Akt and p38 Pathways

Background, YKL-40 is currently considered as an important marker of endothelial dysfunction. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a common vascular skin disease. The increased vascular permeability play an important role in the occurrence and pathogenesis of CSU.Objective, the aim of this study is to explore the role of YKL-40 on the permeability of HDMECs.Methods, in this study, the mRNA level of YKL-40 in human mast cell line (HMC-1) were detected by RT-PCR. The effects of YKL-40 on vascular permeability, VE-cadherin release, VE-cadherin disruption in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) were investigated by transwell, ELISA or immunofluorescence. The phosphorylation of VE-cadherin, p38 and Akt, in histamine plus YKL-40 treated HDMECs were detected by Western Blot.Results, we found that YKL-40 significantly promoted the permeability changes and leaded to the released, disruption of VE-cadherin in HDMECs induced by histamine. Furthermore, YKL-40 also enhanced the Akt and p38 pathways. Conclusion, we suggest that YKL-40 may serve as pro-permeability cytokines, and play a role in the pathogenesis of CSU. This study will help to further elucidate the pathogenesis of CSU and provide a new target for the development of anti-histamine resistance drugs for CSU.

Inactivation effects of plasma-activated water on Fusarium graminearum

The continuous usage of fungicides poses a potential threat to the environment, ranging from mere irritation to being very toxic to human beings and organisms. Plasma-activated water (PAW) has recently gained much interest as a promising candidate to inactivate fungi. However, the inactivation mechanisms of PAW are still not well understood. In this study, the effect of PAW on the viability and the cellular responses of Fusarium graminearum in PAW inactivation were investigated. The results showed that microbial activity of spores was significantly inhibited by PAW treatment "(P<0.05)" . The symptoms caused by F. graminearum were significantly reduced on the spikelets. Our data indicated that PAW could induce cell wall sculpturing, membrane permeability changes, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Differential gene expression analysis also confirmed that the cell membrane, the cell wall and the mitochondria were the organelles most affected by PAW. The results from this study facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the responses of F. graminearum to PAW and the development of PAW as a potential fungicidal agent or an effective supplement to fungicides.