NF-κB

Neuropilin-1 (Nrp-1) contributes to maintaining the stability of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs ). We investigated the impact of Nrp-1 on the stability of CD4+ CD25+ Tregs , and the underlying signaling pathways, in a model of sepsis. Splenic CD4+ CD25+ Tregs were either treated with anti-Nrp-1, transfected to silence Nrp-1 and inhibitor of NF-κB kinase subunit beta (IKKβ), or administered ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), followed by recombinant semaphorin 3A (rSema3A), in a simulation of sepsis...

Coal combustion emits a large amount of PM2.5 (particulate matters with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 μm) and causes adverse damages to the cardiovascular system. In this study, emissions from anthracite and bitumite were examined. Red mud (RM) acts as an additive and is mixed in coal briquettes with a content of 0-10% as a single variable to demonstrate the reduction in the PM2.5 emissions. Burnt in a regulated combustion chamber, the 10% RM-containing bitumite and anthracite briquettes showed 52.3 and 18...

Inflammasomes are multimolecular complexes with potent inflammatory activity. As such, their activity is tightly regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. In this review, we present the transcriptional regulation of inflammasome genes from sensors (e.g., NLRP3) to substrates (e.g., IL-1β). Lineage-determining transcription factors shape inflammasome responses in different cell types with profound consequences on the responsiveness to inflammasome-activating stimuli. Pro-inflammatory signals (sterile or microbial) have a key transcriptional impact on inflammasome genes, which is largely mediated by NF-κB and that translates into higher antimicrobial immune responses...

Chitosan is used in various drug delivery approaches as a pharmaceutical excipient. Although its potential as an immunomodulatory agent has been reported, its use in this capacity has not been fully explored. The efficacy of chitosan as an active pharmacological agent, particularly in anti-inflammatory therapy in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), was investigated in this study. The potential impact of the molecular weight (MW) and degree of deacetylation (DD) of chitosan was investigated together with 5-amino salicylic acid (5-ASA) for its efficacy in a combination anti-inflammatory therapy in murine experimental colitis...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an allergic and chronic inflammatory skin disease. The present study investigates the anti-allergic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanolic extract of Cornus officinalis (COFE) for possible applications in the treatment of AD. COFE inhibits the release of β-hexosaminidase from RBL-2H3 cells sensitized with the dinitrophenyl-immunoglobulin E (IgE-DNP) antibody after stimulation with dinitrophenyl-human serum albumin (DNP-HSA) in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 0...

The seeds (nutmegs) of Myristica fragrans Houtt have been used as popular spices and traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases. A phenolic compound, ((7S)-8'-(benzo[3',4']dioxol-1'-yl)-7-hydroxypropyl)benzene-2,4-diol (7-HYB) was isolated from the seeds of M. fragrans . This study aimed to investigate the anabolic effects of 7-HYB in osteogenesis and bone mineralization. In the present study, 7-HYB promotes the early and late differentiation of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts. 7-HYB also elevated cell migration rate during differentiation of the preosteoblasts with the increased phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) including ERK1/2, p38, and JNK...

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is an important regulator of innate and immune responses, and is involved in the pain process, including neuropathic and cancer pain. The current study demonstrated that inflammatory soup (IS) dural infusions elicited the activation of microglia and astrocytes. In comparison, IS dural infusions induced the upregulation of IL-18 and IL-18R in microglia and astrocytes, respectively. Blocking the IL-18 signaling pathway attenuated nociceptive behavior. In comparison, blocking IL-18 signaling also suppressed the activation of astrocytes and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)...

Bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (BAG5) is a kind of molecular chaperone that can bind to the Bcl-2 and modulate cell survival. However, little is known about the functions of fish BAG5. In this study, we characterized a BAG5 homolog from orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) gene (Ec-BAG5) and investigated its roles during viral infection. The Ec-BAG5 protein encoded 468 amino acids with four BAG domains, which shared high identities with reported BAG5. The highest transcriptional level of Ec-BAG5 was found in the peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL)...

In this study, we investigated the putative cytotoxic effect elicited by the garlic-derived compound S-allylcysteine (SAC) in two human cancer cell lines (HCC827 and NCI-H1975) in order to develop an experimental approach to the therapeutic potential of this molecule for lung cancer. Cells were incubated for 24, 48 and 72 h in the presence of SAC (10 or 20 mM), which resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent decrease in cell viability and culture confluence in both cell lines. These effects were contrasted with - and validated through - those observed in an immortalized but nontumorigenic epithelial cell line from human bronchial epithelium (BEAS-2B, negative control) and an adenocarcinoma human alveolar basal epithelial cell line (A549, positive control)...

Osteoarthritis (OA), a common chronic disease, is characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and inflammation. Recent studies report that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exhibit protective effects against OA, while n-6 PUFAs are more likely to damage cartilage. However, the effects of edible oils with different n-6/n-3 PUFA ratios on OA are rarely reported. This study investigates the effect of linseed oil (LO), soybean oil (SO), and peanut oil (PO) on cartilage changes in mice joints following destabilization of the medial meniscus...

Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) acts as a mediator of aberrant retinal angiogenesis and has been implicated in the progression of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Patients with PDR, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) have been found to have elevated levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the eye. In fibrovascular membranes (FVMs) taken from patients with PDR RUNX1 expression was increased in the vasculature, while in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs), TNF-α stimulation causes increased RUNX1 expression, which can be modulated by RUNX1 inhibitors...

Correction for 'Turmeronol A and turmeronol B from Curcuma longa prevent inflammatory mediator production by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages, partially via reduced NF-κB signaling' by Chinatsu Okuda-Hanafusa et al., Food Funct., 2019, 10, 5779-5788. DOI: 10.1039/C9FO00336C.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Following a fat-rich diet, alterations in gut microbiota contribute to enhanced gut permeability, metabolic endotoxemia, and low grade inflammation-associated metabolic disorders. To better understand whether commensal bifidobacteria influence the expression of key metaflammation-related biomarkers (chemerin, MCP-1, PEDF) and modulate the pro-inflammatory bacteria- and lipid-coupled intracellular signaling pathways, we aimed at i) investigating the influence of the establishment of microbial signaling molecules-based cell-cell contacts on the involved intercellular communication between enterocytes, immune cells, and adipocytes, and ii) assessing their inflammatory mediators' expression profiles within an inflamed adipose tissue model...

As a novel and robust gene-editing tool, the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system has revolutionized gene therapy. Plasmid vector delivery is the most commonly used method for integrating the CRISPR-Cas9 system into cells. However, such foreign cytosolic DNAs trigger an innate immune response (IIR) within cells, which can hinder gene editing by inhibiting transgene expression. Although some small molecules have been shown to avoid the action of IIR on plasmids, they only work on a single target and may also affect cell viability...

Aseptic prosthetic loosening due to wear particle-induced inflammatory osteolysis is the main cause of failure for artificial joint replacement. The inflammatory response and the production of pro-osteoclastic factors lead to elevation of osteoclast formation and excessive activity results in extensive bone destruction around the bone-implant interface. Here we showed that Nepetin, a natural bioactive flavonoid with proven anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties, potently inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation, formation and bone resorption in vitro, and protected mice against the deleterious effects of titanium particle-induced calvarial osteolysis in vivo...

Icariin (ICA) has anti-inflammatory effects in some diseases, but its role in gouty arthritis (GA) is not clear. This study investigated the effects of ICA in monosodium urate (MSU)-induced GA rat models. GA rat models were induced by MSU, and co-treated with ICA of low-dose (20 mg/kg), medium-dose (40 mg/kg), and high-dose (80 mg/kg), respectively. The ankle swelling rates, haematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining changes, inflammatory factors (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) levels in synovial tissues were detected...

AIMS: During atherosclerosis, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) accumulate in the intima where they switch from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype. From porcine coronary artery, we isolated spindle-shaped (S) SMCs exhibiting features of the contractile phenotype and rhomboid (R) SMCs typical of the synthetic phenotype. S100A4 was identified as a marker of R-SMCs in vitro and intimal SMCs, in pig and man. S100A4 exhibits intra- and extracellular functions. In this study, we investigated the role of extracellular S100A4 in SMC phenotypic transition...

Our aim was to determine whether the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is involved in Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP), and its possible mechanism of action. MALAT1 expression in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of 50 hospitalized children with MPP was compared to its expression in 30 children with intrabronchial foreign bodies. MALAT1 expression was higher in children with MPP, accompanied by increased inflammatory mediators interleukin 8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), compared to the controls...

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. Chitosan oligosaccharides (COSs) are agents with antioxidant properties. We developed porous COS@SiO2 nanocomposites to study the protective effects and mechanisms of COS nanomedicine for the treatment of acute pancreatitis. Porous COS@SiO2 nanocomposites released COSs slowly under pH control, enabling sustained release and maintaining the drug at a higher concentration. This study aimed to determine whether porous COS@SiO2 nanocomposites ameliorate SAP and associated lung injury...

In late December 2019, the outbreak of respiratory illness emerged in Wuhan, China, and spreads worldwide. World Health Organization (WHO) named this disease severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused by a new member of beta coronaviruses. Several medications are prescribed to patients, and some clinical trials are underway. Scientists are trying to find a specific drug against this virus. In this review, we summarize the pathogenesis, clinical features, and current treatments of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)...