Marine-Derived Alternariol Monomethyl Ether Alleviates Ovalbumin-Induced Food Allergy by Suppressing MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways of Mast Cells.

The prevalence of food allergies has grown dramatically over the past decade. Recently, studies have shown the potential of marine substances to alleviate food allergies. We utilized a rat basophilic leukemia (RBL)-2H3 model to evaluate the antiallergic effects of alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) extracted from marine fungi Alternaria sp. Our results showed that AME attenuated food allergy symptoms in mice and reduced histamine release in serum. The population of mast cells in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes was considerably reduced. Moreover, in vitro assays also revealed that AME inhibited the release of ß-hexosaminidase and histamine. Transcriptomic analysis uncovered that AME regulated gene expression associated with mast cells. Additionally, Western blotting demonstrated that AME suppressed mast cell activation by modulating MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Taken together, these findings provide a theoretical basis for the potential antiallergic use of marine-derived compounds in the development of functional foods.

Role of vitamin C in wound healing after dental implant surgery in patients treated with bone grafts and patients with chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative wound healing is an important part of the success of the dental implant surgery. However, in case of complex surgery or unfavorable factors, wound healing is often unsatisfactory. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of vitamin C supplementation in wound healing, following the placement of dental implants with or without bone grafts and patients with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: This randomized controlled clinical trial included 128 patients requiring dental implants to replace missing teeth. Patients were divided into four groups, group A received dental implants supported by guided bone regeneration (GBR) technique, group B received dental implants with Bio-Oss Collagen, group C received dental implants in patients with chronic periodontitis, and group D received dental implants without any bone grafting or periodontal disease. Each group was divided into an experimental subgroup, who received vitamin C, and a control subgroup. Follow-up appointments were performed at day 3, day 7, and day 14 postsurgery, during which soft tissue healing and pain response scores were evaluated using the Landry index and visual analogue scale, respectively. RESULTS: The experimental subgroups had significantly higher healing indices than the controls (P < .05) at day 7 postsurgery for group B and day 14 postsurgery for groups A, B, and C. Group D displayed no difference between the experimental and control groups at any time point. In reference to vitamin C for pain relief, there were no statistically significant differences between the study groups. CONCLUSION: Using vitamin C supplementation improves postoperative healing following dental implant surgery in patients with chronic periodontitis and patients treated with GBR or Bio-Oss Collagen grafts. However, vitamin C supplementation does not decrease the postoperative pain associated with dental implant surgery.

Novel IL31RA gene mutation and ancestral OSMR mutant allele in familial primary cutaneous amyloidosis.

Primary cutaneous amyloidosis (PCA) is an itchy skin disorder associated with amyloid deposits in the superficial dermis. The disease is relatively common in Southeast Asia and South America. Autosomal dominant PCA has been mapped earlier to 5p13.1-q11.2 and two pathogenic missense mutations in the OSMR gene, which encodes the interleukin-6 family cytokine receptor oncostatin M receptor beta (OSMRbeta), were reported. Here, we investigated 29 Taiwanese pedigrees with PCA and found that 10 had heterozygous missense mutations in OSMR: p.D647V (one family), p.P694L (six families), and p.K697T (three families). The mutation p.P694L was associated with the same haplotype in five of six families and also detected in two sporadic cases of PCA. Of the other 19 pedigrees that lacked OSMR pathology, 8 mapped to the same locus on chromosome 5, which also contains the genes for 3 other interleukin-6 family cytokine receptors, including interleukin-31 receptor A (IL31RA), which can form a heterodimeric receptor with OSMRbeta through interleukin-31 signaling. In one family, we identified a point mutation in the IL31RA gene, c.1562C>T that results in a missense mutation, p.S521F, which is also sited within a fibronectin type III-like repeat domain as observed in the OSMR mutations. PCA is a genetically heterogeneous disorder but our study shows that it can be caused by mutations in two biologically associated cytokine receptor genes located on chromosome 5. The identification of OSMR and IL31RA gene pathology provides an explanation of the high prevalence of PCA in Taiwan as well as new insight into disease pathophysiology.