Tryptophan degradation as a systems phenomenon in inflammation - an analysis across 13 chronic inflammatory diseases.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) are systems disorders that affect diverse organs including the intestine, joints and skin. The essential amino acid tryptophan (Trp) can be broken down to various bioactive derivatives important for immune regulation. Increased Trp catabolism has been observed in some CIDs, so we aimed to characterise the specificity and extent of Trp degradation as a systems phenomenon across CIDs. METHODS: We used high performance liquid chromatography and targeted mass spectrometry to assess the serum and stool levels of Trp and Trp derivatives. Our retrospective study incorporates both cross-sectional and longitudinal components, as we have included a healthy population as a reference and there are also multiple observations per patient over time. FINDINGS: We found reduced serum Trp levels across the majority of CIDs, and a prevailing negative relationship between Trp and systemic inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Notably, serum Trp was low in several CIDs even in the absence of measurable systemic inflammation. Increases in the kynurenine-to-Trp ratio (Kyn:Trp) suggest that these changes result from increased degradation along the kynurenine pathway. INTERPRETATION: Increases in Kyn:Trp indicate the kynurenine pathway as a major route for CID-related Trp metabolism disruption and the specificity of the network changes indicates excessive Trp degradation relative to other proteogenic amino acids. Our results suggest that increased Trp catabolism is a common metabolic occurrence in CIDs that may directly affect systemic immunity. FUNDING: This work was supported by the DFG Cluster of Excellence 2167 "Precision medicine in chronic inflammation" (KA, SSchr, PR, BH, SWa), the BMBF (e:Med Juniorverbund "Try-IBD" 01ZX1915A and 01ZX2215, the e:Med Network iTREAT 01ZX2202A, and GUIDE-IBD 031L0188A), EKFS (2020_EKCS.11, KA), DFG RU5042 (PR, KA), and Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertakings ("Taxonomy, Treatments, Targets and Remission", 831434, "ImmUniverse", 853995, "BIOMAP", 821511).

Analysis of the Seasonal Fluctuation of γδ T Cells and Its Potential Relation with Vitamin D3.

In addition to its role in bone metabolism, vitamin D3 exerts immunomodulatory effects and has been proposed to contribute to seasonal variation of immune cells. This might be linked to higher vitamin D3 levels in summer than in winter due to differential sun exposure. γδ T cells comprise a numerically small subset of T cells in the blood, which contribute to anti-infective and antitumor immunity. We studied the seasonal fluctuation of γδ T cells, the possible influence of vitamin D3, and the effect of the active metabolite 1α,25(OH)2D3 on the in vitro activation of human γδ T cells. In a retrospective analysis with 2625 samples of random blood donors, we observed higher proportions of γδ T cells in winter when compared with summer. In a prospective study over one year with a small cohort of healthy adults who did or did not take oral vitamin D3 supplementation, higher proportions of γδ T cells were present in donors without oral vitamin D3 uptake, particularly in spring. However, γδ T cell frequency in blood did not directly correlate with serum levels of 25(OH)D3. The active metabolite 1α,25(OH)2D3 inhibited the in vitro activation of γδ T cells at the level of proliferation, cytotoxicity, and interferon-γ production. Our study reveals novel insights into the seasonal fluctuation of γδ T cells and the immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D3.

Synthesis, Labeling and Preclinical Evaluation of a Squaric Acid Containing PSMA Inhibitor Labeled with 68 Ga: A Comparison with PSMA-11 and PSMA-617.

The L-lysine urea-L-glutamate (KuE) represents a key motif in recent diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals targeting the prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA). Using a squaric acid moiety for coupling of KuE with a radioactive label, the squaric acid as a linker in the PSMA ligand seems to mimic the aromatic structure of the naphthylalanine unit on PSMA-617. In this work, we investigate the influence of squaric acid moiety on the biological activity of the compound carrying a KuE motif and three typical chelates. The derivatives TRAM.SA.KuE, DOTAGA.SA.KuE and NODAGA.SA.KuE were all synthesized in straightforward organic reactions and purified by HPLC afterward. Different amounts of tracer were labeled at different temperatures with 68 Ga. PET examinations were performed on NMRInu/nu nude mice with an LNCaP tumor on the right hind leg including ex vivo investigations of the organs. For comparison, 68 Ga-derivatives of PSMA-11 and PSMA-617, the derivatives most commonly used in clinics, were investigated in the same animal model.

A cyclen-based tetraphosphinate chelator for the preparation of radiolabeled tetrameric bioconjugates.

The cyclen-based tetraphosphinate chelator 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetrakis[methylene(2-carboxyethyl)phosphinic acid] (DOTPI) comprises four additional carboxylic acid moieties for bioconjugation. The thermodynamic stability constants (logK(ML)) of metal complexes, as determined by potentiometry, were 23.11 for Cu(II), 20.0 for Lu(III), 19.6 for Y(III), and 21.0 for Gd(III). DOTPI was functionalized with four cyclo(Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys) (RGD) peptides through polyethylene glycol (PEG4) linkers. The resulting tetrameric conjugate DOTPI(RGD)4 was radiolabeled with (177)Lu and (64)Cu and showed improved labeling efficiency compared with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA). The labeled compounds were fully stable in transchelation challenges against trisodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (DTPA) and disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (ETDA), in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), and human plasma. Integrin αvß3 affinities of the non-radioactive Lu(III) and Cu(II) complexes of DOTPI(RGD)4 were 18 times higher (both IC50 about 70 picomolar) than that of the c(RGDfK) peptide (IC50 = 1.3 nanomolar). Facile access to tetrameric conjugates and the possibility of radiolabeling with therapeutic and diagnostic radionuclides render DOTPI suitable for application in peptide receptor radionuclide imaging (PRRI) and therapy (PRRT).