Tfh Exosomes Derived from Allergic Rhinitis Promote DC Maturation Through miR-142-5p/CDK5/STAT3 Pathway.

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role in allergen signal presentation. Many studies showed that follicular helper T cells (Tfhs) are related to allergic rhinitis (AR). However, the relationship between Tfhs and DCs and the mechanism of their interaction with AR remain unclear. Purpose: To explore the mechanism of Tfhs on DC maturation in AR. Methods: Tfhs were isolated from OVA-sensitized mice and co-cultured with DCs derived from mouse bone marrow. DCs maturity was monitored using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining. Exosomes of Tfhs were extracted, and miRNAs inside exosomes were analyzed using RNA-seq to identify differentially expressed genes. Using the TargetScan algorithm, it was predicted that CDK5 is a direct target gene, which is validated in a dual luciferase assay. DCs were treated with miR-142-5p mimics or inhibitors or transfected with CDK5 small interfering RNAs to verify the regulatory effects of miR-142-5p and CDK5 on DC maturation. How CDK5 regulates STAT3 signaling pathway was investigated to elucidate the molecular mechanism of DC maturation. Finally, in an in vivo experiment, the exosomes of AR-derived Tfhs were injected intravenously to detect their promotion of AR. Results: Tfh exosomes derived from AR mice contributed to DC maturation. RNA-seq results showed that miR-142-5p was the differentially decreased gene. Using the TargetScan algorithm, it was predicted that CDK5 was the target gene for the direct action of miR-142-5p. By detecting the effects of changes in the expression levels of miR-142-5p and CDK5 on DC maturation, it was demonstrated that miR-142-5p inhibits DC maturation by inhibiting CDK5 expression. CDK5-regulated STAT3 signaling pathway during DC maturation, and inhibition of the STAT3 signaling pathway can reverse the regulation of miR-142-5p/CDK5 on DC maturation. Finally, in vivo experiment indicated that the injection of AR-derived Tfhs promoted AR in mice. Conclusion: Tfh-derived exosomes induce DC maturation by regulating miR-142-5p/CDK5/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby promoting the occurrence of AR.

H1N1 Influenza Virus-Infected Nasal Mucosal Epithelial Progenitor Cells Promote Dendritic Cell Recruitment and Maturation.

The barrier function of nasal mucosal epithelial cells plays an irreplaceable role in the spread and expansion of viruses in the body. This study found that influenza A virus H1N1 could induce apoptosis of nasal mucosal epithelial progenitor cells, cause an inflammatory response, and trigger the maturation and recruitment of nasal submucosal dendritic cells (DCs), but the mechanism remained unclear. Therefore, we used RNA sequencing and high-resolution untargeted metabolomics to sequence and perform combined bioinformatic analysis of H1N1 virus-infected nasal mucosal epithelial cells from 6 different patients. The abnormal arginine metabolism signaling pathway caused by H1N1 virus infection was screened out, and arginase inhibitors were used to interfere with the abnormal arginine metabolism and the maturation and recruitment of submucosal DCs caused by the H1N1 virus in vitro and in vivo. We conclude that H1N1 influenza virus promotes the recruitment and maturation of submucosal DCs by causing abnormal arginine metabolism in nasal mucosal epithelial cells, thereby triggering respiratory mucosal immunity.

Shikonin Attenuates Cochlear Spiral Ganglion Neuron Degeneration by Activating Nrf2-ARE Signaling Pathway.

The molecular mechanisms that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of inner ear spiral ganglion cells (SGCs) remain largely unknown. Shikonin (a naphthoquinone pigment isolated from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine comfrey root) has anti-oxidation, anti-apoptosis and promoting proliferation and differentiation effects on neural progenitor cells. To study the protective effect of shikonin on auditory nerve damage, we isolated spiral ganglion neuron cells (SGNs) and spiral ganglion Schwann cells (SGSs) that provide nutrients in vitro and pretreated them with shikonin. We found that shikonin can reduce ouabain, a drug that can selectively destroy SGNs and induce auditory nerve damage, caused SGNs proliferation decreased, neurite outgrowth inhibition, cells apoptosis and mitochondrial depolarization. In addition, we found that shikonin can increase the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream molecules HO-1 and NQO1, thereby enhancing the antioxidant capacity of SGNs and SGSs, promoting cells proliferation, and inhibiting cells apoptosis by activating the Nrf2/antioxidant response elements (ARE) signal pathway. However, knockdown of Nrf2 rescued the protective effect of shikonin on SGNs and SGSs damage. In addition, we injected shikonin pretreatment into mouse that ouabain-induced hearing loss and found that shikonin pretreatment has a defensive effect on auditory nerve damage. In summary, the results of this study indicate that shikonin could attenuate the level of oxidative stress in SGNs and SGSs through the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway activated, induce the proliferation and differentiation of SGNs, and thereby improve the neurological hearing damage in mice. Therefore, shikonin may be a candidate therapeutic drug for endogenous antioxidants that can be used to treat neurological deafness.

NGR-modified PEG-PLGA micelles containing Shikonin enhance targeting of dendritic cells for therapy of allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a disease in the nasal mucosa related with Th2 lymphocyte inflammatory action. Dendritic cells (DCs) have been proved that they played a significant role in the development and maintenance of AR. However, there is still a lack of specific therapies for DCs in clinical practice. Shikonin (SHI) is a natural naphthoquinone compound isolated from the Chinese herb Radix Arnebiae. It is reported that SHI can interference the phenotype and function of dendritic cells, so we speculate that SHI may be an effective drug for the treatment of AR. However, the clinical usage of SHI has been limited by the bioactive properties of poor solubility, short retention time and low bioavailability. Therefore, in order to better exert the anti-inflammatory effect of SHI, an efficient SHI delivery system is urgently needed. METHODS: We prepared and characterized SHI-PM and NGR-SHI-PM with the thin-film hydration method. We used retrodialysis method to explore the release behavior. We took immunofluorescence to investigate the expression of CD13 in vitro. Then we tested BM-DCs mature cell detection by flow cytometry. An allergic rhinosinusitis murine model, hematoxylin and eosin stain and flow cytometry were established to test the efficiency of anti-inflammation in vivo. At last, western blot analysis and plasmid construction and transfection assay were taken to reveal the molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: In the present study, we revealed that NGR-modifified could strengthen the intracellular uptake of PM (p < 0.001) and CD13 was high expressed on mature BM-DCs (p < 0.001). NGR-modified could enhance the inhibition of SHI in vitro (p < 0.05). NGR-modifified could increase the distribution of PM in vivo by DiI fluorescently (p < 0.01). NGR-modified could enhance SHI anti-allergic activity in OVA-sensitized mice and enhance the inhibition of SHI on DC maturation in lymph node (p < 0.001). Our findings also suggest that SHI may have the inhibitory effect on AR through NF-κB pathway by targeting PARP. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we have shown that NGR-PM-SHI could be a novel strategy for targeted treating allergic rhinitis through the NF-κB pathway by targeting PARP.

Endothelial Dec1-PPARγ Axis Impairs Proliferation and Apoptosis Homeostasis Under Hypoxia in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Background: The hypoxia-induced pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic characteristics of pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) play critical roles in pulmonary vascular remodeling and contribute to hypoxic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) pathogenesis. However, the mechanism underlying this hypoxic disease has not been fully elucidated. Methods: Bioinformatics was adopted to screen out the key hypoxia-related genes in PAH. Gain- and loss-function assays were then performed to test the identified hypoxic pathways in vitro. Human PAECs were cultured under hypoxic (3% O2) or normoxic (21% O2) conditions. Hypoxia-induced changes in apoptosis and proliferation were determined by flow cytometry and Ki-67 immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Survival of the hypoxic cells was estimated by cell counting kit-8 assay. Expression alterations of the target hypoxia-related genes, cell cycle regulators, and apoptosis factors were investigated by Western blot. Results: According to the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset (GSE84538), differentiated embryo chondrocyte expressed gene 1-peroxisome proliferative-activated receptor-γ (Dec1-PPARγ) axis was defined as a key hypoxia-related signaling in PAH. A negative correlation was observed between Dec1 and PPARγ expression in patients with hypoxic PAH. In vitro observations revealed an increased proliferation and a decreased apoptosis in PAECs under hypoxia. Furthermore, hypoxic PAECs exhibited remarkable upregulation of Dec1 and downregulation of PPARγ. Dec1 was confirmed to be crucial for the imbalance of proliferation and apoptosis in hypoxic PAECs. Furthermore, the pro-surviving effect of hypoxic Dec1 was mediated through PPARγ inhibition. Conclusion: For the first time, Dec1-PPARγ axis was identified as a key determinant hypoxia-modifying signaling that is necessary for the imbalance between proliferation and apoptosis of PAECs. These novel endothelial signal transduction events may offer new diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients with hypoxic PAH.

The Antitumoral Effect of Paris Saponin II on Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas Mediated via the Nitric Oxide Metabolic Pathway.

Paris saponin has shown great therapeutic value in cancer therapy. We used isolated Paris saponin II (PSII), an active component of Paris saponin, and demonstrated its antitumor effect on human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Additionally, we investigated its mechanisms of action in vivo by establishing a xenograft mouse model. The results showed that PSII had presented strong anticancer effects on both hypopharyngeal malignant tumor cell lines (FaDu) and laryngeal carcinoma cell lines (Tu212 and Tu686). In addition, we successfully isolated and cultured the head and neck squamous stem cells and the primary fibroblasts to perform metabonomics studies. The results showed that RPII remarkably decreased energy metabolism, and type III nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) may be a target to block tumor growth. Furthermore, we found that PSII inhibited HNSCC proliferation and metastasis by inhibiting the nitric oxide metabolic pathway. Overall, these results demonstrated that PSII is a potent anticancer agent, and the metabonomics analysis is a valuable tool to investigate and establish the antitumor effects of traditional Chinese medicines.

Long noncoding RNA DLEU2 predicts a poor prognosis and enhances malignant properties in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma through the miR-30c-5p/PIK3CD/Akt axis.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as potential prognostic tools and therapeutic biomarkers for a variety of human cancers. However, the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of key lncRNAs affecting laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCCs) are largely unknown. Here, we adopted a novel subpathway strategy based on the lncRNA-mRNA profiles from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and identified the lncRNA deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2 (DLEU2) as an oncogene in the pathogenesis of LSCCs. We found that DLEU2 was significantly upregulated and predicted poor clinical outcomes in LSCC patients. In addition, ectopic overexpression of DLEU2 promoted the proliferation and migration of LSCC cells both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, DLEU2 served as a competing endogenous RNA to regulate PIK3CD expression by sponging miR-30c-5p and subsequently activated the Akt signaling pathway. As a target gene of DLEU2, PIK3CD was also upregulated and could predict a poor prognosis in LSCC patients. In conclusion, we found that the novel LSCC-related gene DLEU2 enhances the malignant properties of LSCCs via the miR-30c-5p/PIK3CD/Akt axis. DLEU2 and its targeted miR-30c-5p/PIK3CD/Akt axis may represent valuable prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for LSCCs.

Keratinocytes-derived exosomal miRNA regulates osteoclast differentiation in middle ear cholesteatoma.

The occurrence and development of osteoclasts can directly affect the severity of bone destruction in middle ear cholesteatoma. At the same time, cell communication between keratinocytes and fibroblasts can stimulate osteoclast differentiation. However, the molecular mechanism of osteoclast differentiation in cholesteatoma is still poorly understood. In this study, we try to isolate the exosomes of keratinocytes from patients with middle ear cholesteatoma, and explore the effects of keratinocyte-derived exosomes (Ker-Exo) on osteoclast differentiation by co-culturing Ker-Exo with fibroblasts and osteoclast precursor cells. As a result, we confirmed that Ker-Exo primed fibroblasts can up-regulate the expression of RANKL and promote osteoclast differentiation. We revealed that the effect of Ker-Exo depened on its miRNA-17 conponent. Analysis confirmed that miRNA-17 was down-regulated in Ker-Exo, and they can increase RANKL level in fibroblasts, thus promoting the differentiation of osteoclasts. In conclusions, we provide evidence that exosomes miRNA-17 secreted by keratinocytes in patients with middle ear cholesteatoma can up-regulate the expression of RANKL in fibroblasts and induce osteoclast differentiation.