Roxadustat reduces left ventricular mass index compared to rHuEPO in haemodialysis patients in a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is highly prevalent in haemodialysis (HD) patients and is associated with an increased risk of death. Roxadustat and recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO, abbreviated as EPO) are the main treatment strategies for renal anaemia in HD patients, but it has not been clear whether there is a difference in their effect on LVH. METHODS: In this multi-centre, prospective, randomized trial of 12-month duration, study participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the roxadustat group or the EPO group. The doses of both treatment regimens were adjusted so that the patients had a haemoglobin level of 10.0-12.0 g per dL. The primary study endpoint was the change from baseline to 12 months in the left ventricular mass index (LVMI, g/m2) measured by echocardiography. RESULTS: In total, 114 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 50 years, and the median dialysis duration was 33 months. Sixty-one patients were men, and 24 were diabetic. LVMI decreased from 116.18 ± 27.84 to 110.70 ± 25.74 g/m2 in the roxadustat group. However, it increased from 109.35 ± 23.41 to 114.99 ± 28.46 g/m2 in the EPO group, with a significant difference in the change in LVMI between the two groups [-5.48 (-11.60 to 0.65) vs. 5.65 (0.74 to 10.55), p < 0.05]. Changes in left ventricular mass, end-diastolic volume and 6-min walk test seemed superior in the roxadustat group. There were no significant differences in other cardiac geometry, biochemical parameters and major adverse cardiovascular events between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to EPO, roxadustat is more helpful in the regression of LVH in HD patients.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide alleviates endotoxin-induced acute lung injury by modulating macrophage polarization via the SIRT1/NF-κB pathway.

CONTEXT: Sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe condition with limited effective therapeutics; nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory activities. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the potential mechanisms by which NMN ameliorates sepsis-induced ALI in vivo and in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cultured MH-S cells and a murine model were used to evaluate the effect of NMN on sepsis-induced ALI. MH-S cells were stimulated with LPS (1 µg/mL) and NMN (500 µM) for 12 h grouping as control, LPS, and LPS + NMN. Cell viability, apoptotic status, and M1/2 macrophage-related markers were detected. The mice were pretreated intraperitoneally with NMN (500 mg/kg) and/or EX-527 (5 mg/kg) 1 h before LPS injection and randomized into 7 groups (n = 8): control, LPS, LPS + NMN, NMN, LPS + NMN + EX-527 (a SIRT1 inhibitor), LPS + EX-527, and EX-527. After 12 h, lung histopathology, W/D ratio, MPO activity, NAD+ and ATP levels, M1/2 macrophage-related markers, and expression of the SIRT1/NF-κB pathway were detected. RESULTS: In MH-S cells, NMN significantly decreased the apoptotic rate from 12.25% to 5.74%. In septic mice, NMN improved the typical pathologic findings in lungs and reduced W/D ratio and MPO activity, but increased NAD+ and ATP levels. Additionally, NMN suppressed M1 but promoted M2 polarization, and upregulated the expression of SIRT1, with inhibition of NF-κB-p65 acetylation and phosphorylation. Furthermore, inhibition of SIRT1 reversed the effects of NMN-induced M2 macrophage polarization. CONCLUSIONS: NMN protects against sepsis-induced ALI by promoting M2 macrophage polarization via the SIRT1/NF-κB pathway, it might be an effective strategy for preventing or treating sepsis-induced ALI.

CD36-mediated podocyte lipotoxicity promotes foot process effacement.

Background: Lipid metabolism disorders lead to lipotoxicity. The hyperlipidemia-induced early stage of renal injury mainly manifests as podocyte damage. CD36 mediates fatty acid uptake and the subsequent accumulation of toxic lipid metabolites, resulting in podocyte lipotoxicity. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: the normal control group and the high-fat diet group (HFD). Podocytes were cultured and treated with palmitic acid (PA) and sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate (SSO). Protein expression was measured by immunofluorescence and western blot analysis. Boron-dipyrromethene staining and Oil Red O staining was used to analyze fatty acid accumulation. Results: Podocyte foot process (FP) effacement and marked proteinuria occurred in the HFD group. CD36 protein expression was upregulated in the HFD group and in PA-treated podocytes. PA-treated podocytes showed increased fatty acid accumulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement. However, pretreatment with the CD36 inhibitor SSO decreased lipid accumulation and ROS production and alleviated actin cytoskeleton rearrangement in podocytes. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine suppressed PA-induced podocyte FP effacement and ROS generation. Conclusions: CD36 participated in fatty acid-induced FP effacement in podocytes via oxidative stress, and CD36 inhibitors may be helpful for early treatment of kidney injury.

Efficient and simultaneous removal of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, and zearalenone from vegetable oil by use of a metal-organic framework absorbent.

Vegetable oils are usually cocontaminated with different mycotoxins, including aflatoxins and zearalenone, which cause significant food safety issues. Establishment of multitarget, high-efficiency, and low-cost adsorption methods are considered to be ideal solutions for mycotoxin removal in vegetable oils. In this study, we used metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were used for the simultaneous removal of aflatoxins and zearalenone from vegetable oils. The results showed that MOF-235 simultaneously removed, within 30 min, more than 96.1% of aflatoxins and 83.3% of zearalenone from oils, and oils treated with MOF-235 exhibited di minimis cytotoxicity. Thus, synthesized MOF-235 exhibited sufficient efficacy to remove the targeted residues, as well as safety and reusability, which could be applied as a novel potential adsorbent in the removal of multiple mycotoxins from contaminated vegetable oils.

Protective Effect of Electroacupuncture on the Barrier Function of Intestinal Injury in Endotoxemia through HO-1/PINK1 Pathway-Mediated Mitochondrial Dynamics Regulation.

Background and Aims: Endotoxemia (ET) is a common critical illness in patients receiving intensive care and is associated with high mortality and prolonged hospital stay. The intestinal epithelial cell dysfunction is regarded as the "engine" of deteriorated ET. Although electroacupuncture (EA) can mitigate endotoxin-induced intestinal epithelial cell dysfunction in ET, the mechanism through which EA improves endotoxin-induced intestinal injury for preventing ET deterioration needs further investigation. Methods: An in vivo ET model was developed by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in wild-type and PINK1-knockout mice. An in vitro model was also established by incubating epithelial cells in the serum samples obtained from both groups of mice. Hemin and zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP) were applied to activate or inhibit heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) production. EA treatment was performed for 30 min consecutively for 5 days before LPS injection, and on the day of the experiment, EA was performed throughout the process. Samples were harvested at 6 h after LPS induction for analyzing tissue injury, oxidative stress, ATP production, activity of diamine oxidase (DAO), and changes in the levels of HO-1, PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), mitochondrial fusion and fission marker gene, caspase-1, and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß). Results: In the wild-type models (both in vivo and vitro), EA alleviated LPS-induced intestinal injury and mitochondrial dysfunction, as indicated by decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and reduced levels of mitochondrial fission proteins. EA treatment also boosted histopathological morphology, ATP levels, DAO activity, and levels of mitochondrial fusion proteins in vivo and vitro. The effect of EA was enhanced by hemin but suppressed by Znpp. However, EA + AP, Znpp, or hemin had no effects on the LPS-induced, PINK1-knocked out mouse models. Conclusion: EA may improve the HO-1/PINK1 pathway-mediated mitochondrial dynamic balance to protect the intestinal barrier in patients with ET.

Enteric fungi protect against intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury via inhibiting the SAA1-GSDMD pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Prophylactic antifungal therapy has been widely used for critical patients, but it has failed to improve patient prognosis and has become a hot topic. This may be related to disruption of fungal homeostasis, but the mechanism of fungi action is not clear. As a common pathway in critical patients, intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IIR) injury is fatal and regulated by gut microbiota. However, the exact role of enteric fungi in IIR injury remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: This is a clinical study that aims to provide new perspectives in clarifying the underlying mechanism of IIR injury and propose potential strategies that could be relevant for the prevention and treatment of IIR injury in the near future. METHODS: ITS sequencing was performed to detect the changes in fungi before and after IIR injury. The composition of enteric fungi was altered by pretreatment with single-fungal strains, fluconazole and mannan, respectively. Intestinal morphology and function impairment were evaluated in the IIR injury mouse model. Intestinal epithelial MODE-K cells and macrophage RAW264.7 cells were cultured for in vitro tests. RESULTS: Fecal fungi diversity revealed the obvious alteration in IIR patients and mice, accompanied by intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction. Fungal colonization and mannan supplementation could reverse intestinal morphology and function impairment that were exacerbated by fluconazole via inhibiting the expression of SAA1 from macrophages and decreasing pyroptosis of intestinal epithelial cells. Clodronate liposomes were used to deplete the number of macrophages, and it was demonstrated that the protective effect of mannan was dependent on macrophage involvement. CONCLUSION: This finding firstly validates that enteric fungi play a crucial role in IIR injury. Preventive antifungal treatment should consider damaging fungal balance. This study provides a novel clue to clarify the role of enteric fungi in maintaining intestinal homeostasis.

Tannins amount determines whether tannase-containing bacteria are probiotic or pathogenic in IBD.

The role of dietary tannin in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still not clear. Therefore, we aim to study the effect of TA in the progression of IBD. Dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced model was used to mimic IBD. Metagenomics and metabolomics were performed to study the alteration of intestinal microbiota and metabolites. NCM460 and THP-1 cells were used for in vitro study. The amount of TA was associated with the outcomes of DSS-induced IBD as evidenced by in vivo and in vitro studies. Metabolomic and metagenomic analyses revealed that TA-induced enrichment of microbial metabolite gallic acid (GA) was responsible for the action of TA. Mechanistically, protective dose of GA promoted colonic mucus secretion to suppress bacterial infection and that it ameliorated DSS-induced epithelial damage by inhibiting p53 signaling, whereas toxic dose of GA directly caused epithelial damage by promoting cell cycle arrest. Therapeutic experiment showed protective dose of GA-promoted recovery of DSS-induced colonic inflammation. The role of tannase-containing bacteria can be transformed under different conditions in IBD progression.

[Metal-organic framework UiO-67-based enrichment and purification of progesterone residues in milk].

Progesterone functions as an endocrine-disrupting compound. Imitating endogenous hormones disrupt the animals' hormone levels. The potential hazard of progesterone in milk cannot be neglected. Thus, research has focused on establishing an efficient and convenient pretreatment and analytical approach. In this study, a metal-organic framework (MOF) material UiO-67 was prepared, which possessed a large specific surface area and excellent stability. It was employed to enrich and purify trace progesterones in a complex milk matrix as a filler to integrate the solid phase extraction column. An approach based on MOF was developed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). This approach could simultaneously determine seven kinds of progesterone residues in milk. The element spectra of UiO-67 were first measured and analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The chemical interaction between UiO-67 and progesterone was proved by comparing the changes in binding energy and relative contents of functional groups, and the adsorption efficiency of 1 mg/L and 5 mg/L progesterones by UiO-67 was studied. The adsorption efficiencies of UiO-67 for 1 mg/L and 5 mg/L progesterones were 99.73%-99.95% and 88.87%-99.23%, respectively, according to the results. It proved the efficient adsorption of UiO-67 to progesterones and ensured that subsequent studies went smoothly. Furthermore, key parameters, such as the amount of sorbent, elution solvent type, and pH value, were examined and optimized to obtain optimal extraction recovery of the progesterones. Spiked concentrations of 50 µg/L were employed for extraction optimization. All experiments were performed three times. It also evaluated the matrix effect on mass spectrum signal of the progesterones. The optimized results showed that the seven progesterones could be satisfactorily recovered when the amount of adsorbent was 40 mg, pH value of the sample solution was 5, and elution solution was 5-mL acetone. Additionally, the matrix effect of progesterone in the milk sample was <20%. The matrix effect could be neglected using the aforementioned approach to extract and purify progesterones in milk. Finally, the seven progesterones showed good linearity between 1 and 100 µg/L under the optimized conditions, with linear correlation coefficients values >0.99. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.06 to 0.30 µg/L, and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.19 to 1.0 µg/L, respectively. At various concentration levels of progesterones in milk, the recoveries were 87.10%-105.58%, with relative standard deviations of 2.66%-9.64%. Most importantly, the approach was successfully employed to determine progesterone levels in milk samples, with results in good agreement with the standard SN/T 1980-2007. The proposed approach had the advantages of high sensitivity and satisfactory accuracy compared with the reported pretreatment and detection approaches of progesterone in milk. Satisfactory experimental results can be obtained without the calibration by isotope inner standard. Meanwhile, considering the excellent performance of MOF materials in reducing matrix interference in complex samples, such the application of materials offers a new approach. It can be employed to enrich and detect hazards in a complex matrix in the future.

Knockdown of miR-92a suppresses the stemness of colorectal cancer cells via mediating SOCS3.

ABBREVIATIONS: CRC, cancer cell; CSCs, cancer stem cells; SOCS3, suppressor of cytokine signaling 3.

Capsaicin regulates dyslipidemia by altering the composition of bile acids in germ-free mice.

The improvement of lipid metabolism by capsaicin (CAP) has been extensively studied, mostly with respect to the vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) ion channel and intestinal flora. In this study, a model was established in germ-free mice by using resiniferatoxin (RTX) to ablate TRPV1 ion channels. Bile acid composition, blood parameters, and colonic transcriptome analyses revealed that CAP could improve dyslipidemia caused by high-fat diet even in the absence of TRPV1 ion channels and intestinal flora. CAP fed to germ mice decreased the concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin, increased the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and decreased the levels of plasma endotoxin and pro-inflammatory factor interleukin 6 (IL-6). Furthermore, CAP could affect both classical and alternative pathways of cholesterol conversion by changing the composition of bile acids, reducing the concentrations of glycocholic acid (GCA), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA). First, changing the composition of bile acids inhibited the expression of colon Fgf15. CAP promoted the expression of Cyp7a1 (Cytochrome p450, family 7, subfamily a, and polypeptide 1) in the liver, and thus reduced TC and TG levels. In addition, it could change the composition of bile acids and increase the expression of Cyp7b1 (Cytochrome p450, family 7, subfamily b, and polypeptide 1) in the colon, increase Cyp7b1 protein in the liver and thus inhibit fat accumulation. In conclusion, CAP could alter the composition of bile acids and promote the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids, thereby improving lipid metabolism abnormalities caused by a high-fat diet.

Antifungal Treatment Aggravates Sepsis through the Elimination of Intestinal Fungi.

Prophylactic antifungal therapy is widely adopted clinically for critical patients and effective in reducing the morbidity of invasive fungal infection and improves outcomes of those diagnosed patients; however, it is not associated with higher overall survival. As intestinal commensal fungi play a fundamental role in the host immune response in health and disease, we propose that antifungal therapy may eliminate intestinal fungi and aggravate another critical syndrome, sepsis. Here, with murine sepsis model, we found that antifungal therapy with fluconazole dismissed intestinal fungal burden and aggravated endotoxin-induced but no gram-positive bacteria-induced sepsis. Nevertheless, antifungal therapy did not exert its detrimental effect on germ-free mice. Moreover, colonizing more commensal fungi in the mouse intestine or administration of fungal cell wall component mannan protected the mice from endotoxin-induced sepsis. On the molecular level, we demonstrated that antifungal therapy aggravated endotoxin sepsis through promoting Gasdermin D cleavage in the distal small intestine. Intestinal colonization with commensal fungi inhibited Gasdermin D cleavage in response to lipopolysaccharide challenge. These findings show that intestinal fungi inhibit Gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis and protect the mice from endotoxin-induced sepsis. This study demonstrates the protective role of intestinal fungi in the pathogenesis of endotoxin-induced sepsis in the laboratory. It will undoubtedly prompt us to study the relationship between antifungal therapy and sepsis in critical patients who are susceptible to endotoxin-induced sepsis in the future.

[Increased expression of LC3 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is related to disease status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Objective To detect the mRNA and protein expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to investigate its relationship with RA. Methods Twenty-two patients with RA and 16 healthy subjects with matching gender and age as controls were included in the study. PBMCs were isolated by density gradient centrifugation. The level of LC3 mRNA in PBMCs was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The protein level of LC3 in PBMCs was detected by Western blot analysis. The expression of LC3 protein in PBMCs was detected by immunofluorescence staining. Pearson analysis was used to analyze the correlation between LC3 expression and clinical parameters of RA patients. Results Compared with the normal control group, the levels of LC3 mRNA and protein in PBMCs of RA patients went up significantly, and the expression of LC3 significantly increased in PBMCs. The mRNA expression level of LC3 was obviously positively correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, r=0.7480), 28 joint disease activity (DAS28, r=0.5016), C-reactive protein (CRP, r=0.6518), and rheumatoid factor (RF, r=0.7232). Conclusion The expression of LC3 is up-regulated in RA patients and is associated with ESR, DAS28, CRP and RF.

Therapeutic effect of polysaccharide of large yellow croaker swim bladder on lupus nephritis of mice.

The therapeutic effect of polysaccharide of large yellow croaker swim bladder (PLYCSB) on lupus nephritis has been studied in vivo. A high concentration (50 mg/kg dose) of PLYCSB reduced the levels of serum inflammatory cytokine levels of IL-6, IL-12, TNF-α and IFN-γ compared to a low concentration (25 mg/kg dose) and control mice. SCr, BUN, TC and TG serum levels of PLYCSB treated mice were lower than those of control mice, and TP and ALB serum levels were higher than control mice. Control mice tested ds-DNA positive at the 6th week, and 50 mg/kg treated mice tested at the 10th week after the experiment began. The output of urine protein of 50 mg/kg PLYCSB treated mice was most closely comparable to the normal mice. The glomerular number of 50 mg/kg PLYCSB treated mice was more than the 25 mg/kg dose and control groups, and the 50 mg/kg dose group showed the lowest glomerular sclerosis index in lupus nephritis mice. By RT-PCR and western blot assay, PLYCSB significantly induced inflammation in kidney tissues of mice by downregulating NF-κB-p65, TGF-ß1, Fas, FasL and upregulating IκB-α. These results suggest that PLYCSB showed a potential curative effect on lupus nephritis as a drug or functional food.