Diet-Induced Obesity and NASH Impair Disease Recovery in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Golden Hamsters.

Obese patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are prone to severe forms of COVID-19. There is an urgent need for new treatments that lower the severity of COVID-19 in this vulnerable population. To better replicate the human context, we set up a diet-induced model of obesity associated with dyslipidemia and NASH in the golden hamster (known to be a relevant preclinical model of COVID-19). A 20-week, free-choice diet induces obesity, dyslipidemia, and NASH (liver inflammation and fibrosis) in golden hamsters. Obese NASH hamsters have higher blood and pulmonary levels of inflammatory cytokines. In the early stages of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the lung viral load and inflammation levels were similar in lean hamsters and obese NASH hamsters. However, obese NASH hamsters showed worse recovery (i.e., less resolution of lung inflammation 10 days post-infection (dpi) and lower body weight recovery on dpi 25). Obese NASH hamsters also exhibited higher levels of pulmonary fibrosis on dpi 25. Unlike lean animals, obese NASH hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 presented long-lasting dyslipidemia and systemic inflammation. Relative to lean controls, obese NASH hamsters had lower serum levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 activity and higher serum levels of angiotensin II-a component known to favor inflammation and fibrosis. Even though the SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in early weight loss and incomplete body weight recovery, obese NASH hamsters showed sustained liver steatosis, inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning, and marked liver fibrosis on dpi 25. We conclude that diet-induced obesity and NASH impair disease recovery in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters. This model might be of value for characterizing the pathophysiologic mechanisms of COVID-19 and evaluating the efficacy of treatments for the severe forms of COVID-19 observed in obese patients with NASH.

Alteration of the gut microbiota following SARS-CoV-2 infection correlates with disease severity in hamsters.

Mounting evidence suggests that the gut-to-lung axis is critical during respiratory viral infections. We herein hypothesized that disruption of gut homeostasis during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may associate with early disease outcomes. To address this question, we took advantage of the Syrian hamster model. Our data confirmed that this model recapitulates some hallmark features of the human disease in the lungs. We further showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with mild intestinal inflammation, relative alteration in intestinal barrier property and liver inflammation and altered lipid metabolism. These changes occurred concomitantly with an alteration of the gut microbiota composition over the course of infection, notably characterized by a higher relative abundance of deleterious bacterial taxa such as Enterobacteriaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae. Conversely, several members of the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families, including bacteria known to produce the fermentative products short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), had a reduced relative proportion compared to non-infected controls. Accordingly, infection led to a transient decrease in systemic SCFA amounts. SCFA supplementation during infection had no effect on clinical and inflammatory parameters. Lastly, a strong correlation between some gut microbiota taxa and clinical and inflammation indices of SARS-CoV-2 infection severity was evidenced. Collectively, alteration of the gut microbiota correlates with disease severity in hamsters making this experimental model valuable for the design of interventional, gut microbiota-targeted, approaches for the control of COVID-19.Abbreviations: SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; SCFAs, short-chain fatty acids; dpi, day post-infection; RT-PCR, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; IL, interleukin. ACE2, angiotensin converting enzyme 2; TMPRSS2, transmembrane serine protease 2.

Elafibranor improves diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in Golden Syrian hamsters.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of deaths in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients. Mouse models, while widely used for drug development, do not fully replicate human NASH nor integrate the associated cardiac dysfunction, i.e. heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). To overcome these limitations, we established a nutritional hamster model developing both NASH and HFpEF. We then evaluated the effects of the dual peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha/delta agonist elafibranor developed for the treatment of NASH patients. METHODS: Male Golden Syrian hamsters were fed for 10 to 20 weeks with a free choice diet, which presents hamsters with a choice between control chow diet with normal drinking water or a high fat/high cholesterol diet with 10% fructose enriched drinking water. Biochemistry, histology and echocardiography analysis were performed to characterize NASH and HFpEF. Once the model was validated, elafibranor was evaluated at 15 mg/kg/day orally QD for 5 weeks. RESULTS: Hamsters fed a free choice diet for up to 20 weeks developed NASH, including hepatocyte ballooning (as confirmed with cytokeratin-18 immunostaining), bridging fibrosis, and a severe diastolic dysfunction with restrictive profile, but preserved ejection fraction. Elafibranor resolved NASH, with significant reduction in ballooning and fibrosis scores, and improved diastolic dysfunction with significant reduction in E/A and E/E' ratios. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that the free choice diet induced NASH hamster model replicates the human phenotype and will be useful for validating novel drug candidates for the treatment of NASH and associated HFpEF.

PTHrP gene expression in cancer: do all paths lead to Ets?

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) came to the attention of the scientific community in the mid-1980s because of its association with the paraneoplastic syndrome of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. Recently, a crucial role for the peptide has been identified in the metastatic growth of cancer cells in bone. Efforts to understand the peptide's role in these pathological processes have evolved into the study of PTHrP gene expression. Currently, regulation of the third PTHrP promoter is beginning to be understood in the context of activation of certain signaling pathways involved in the growth and progression of specific neoplasms. In addition, factors that modulate the entire PTHrP-transcriptional unit, as well as the stability of the mRNA, are being elucidated at the level of cis-acting sequences.

Regulation of parathyroid hormone-related protein gene expression by epidermal growth factor-family ligands in primary human keratinocytes.

Cultured primary human keratinocytes were the first non-cancer-derived cell type reported to produce the humoral hypercalcemia factor, parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP). Emerging evidence suggests that only a subset of keratinocytes produce high levels of PTHrP in vivo. We found that the PTHrP mRNA content of intact human skin was minimal, whereas transcripts were easily detectable in primary keratinocytes derived from those skin samples. We hypothesized that conditions associated with growth in culture activated PTHrP gene expression in primary keratinocytes. In culture, keratinocytes produce a number of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like ligands (transforming growth factor-alpha, heparin binding-EGF and amphiregulin) and their receptor, ErbB1. Treatment of keratinocytes with a specific erbB1 inhibitor (PD153035) reduced PTHrP mRNA levels by >80% in rapidly growing keratinocytes. Treatment of keratinocytes with reagents that neutralize amphiregulin reduced PTHrP mRNA levels by approximately 60%. Blockade of erbB1 signaling reduces transcription from the endogenous PTHrP P3-TATA promoter. The Ets transcription factor-binding site, 40 bases upstream of the P3 promoter, is required for baseline expression of PTHrP reporter gene constructs in keratinocytes; in addition, cotransfection of Ets-1 and Ets-2 expression vectors activate the reporter gene constructs. Finally, disruption of both ras and raf signaling reduce reporter gene expression by 80%, suggesting that ErbB1 signaling is mediated by the classic ras/MAP kinase pathway. These findings suggest that acquisition of EGF-like ligand expression has the potential to substantially activate PTHrP gene expression in the epidermis.

Engraftment and tumorigenesis of HTLV-1 transformed T cell lines in SCID/bg and NOD/SCID mice.

Human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is recognized as the etiological agent of adult T cell leukemia (ATL). Although HTLV-1 can immortalize human lymphocytes in culture, identification of molecular events leading to tumorigenesis after HTLV-1 infection remain elusive. SCID/bg and NOD/SCID mice have reduced natural killer (NK) cell activity and were inoculated intraperitoneally with HTLV-1 transformed cells to refine and characterize the SCID mouse as a small animal model for investigation of HTLV-1 tumorigenesis. HTLV-1 transformed cell lines originally derived by cocultivation of uninfected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with lethally irradiated leukemic cells from patient samples (SLB-1, MT-2 and HT-1-RV) were lymphomagenic when inoculated into NOD/SCID mice. In contrast, immortalized cell lines generated by transfection PBMC with an infectious molecular clone of HTLV-1 (ACH or ACH.p12) were not tumorigenic. The differing behaviors of HTLV-1 infected cell lines in NOD/SCID mice indicates that viral infection and immortalization of human PBMC for growth in culture is not sufficient for induction of a tumorigenic phenotype. The higher level of engraftment of HTLV-1 transformed cell lines in NOD/SCID mice suggests that this is an effective animal model to investigate molecular determinants of HTLV-1 lymphomagenesis.

Detection of parathyroid hormone-related protein in cats with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Increased serum parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) concentration is used to diagnose humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM) in humans and animals. A commercially available assay for human PTHrP has diagnostic utility in the dog, but has not been assessed in cats. OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were to determine serum or plasma levels of PTHrP in a population of hypercalcemic cats and to determine whether increased PTHrP concentration was associated with malignancy. In addition, we validated immunoradiometric assays (IRMAs) for intact parathormone (iPTH) and PTHrP for use with feline samples. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of iPTH and PTHrP results from 322 hypercalcemic cats (ionized calcium concentration > 1.4 mmol/L) was performed. Immunoassays for human iPTH and PTHrP (residues 1-84) were validated using standard methods, and reference intervals were calculated using values from 31 healthy adult cats. Hypercalcemic cats were classified as parathyroid-independent (iPTH < 2.3 pmol/L), equivocal (iPTH 2.3-4.6 pmol/L), or parathyroid-dependent (iPTH > 4.6 pmol/L). Seven cats with detectable or increased PTHrP concentrations were evaluated further for underlying disease. Formalin-fixed neoplastic tissues were immunohistochemically stained using rabbit antibody to human midregion PTHrP. RESULTS: Assays for iPTH and PTHrP showed acceptable precision for feline samples. The reference interval for iPTH was 0.8-4.6 pmol/L and for PTHrP was < 1.5 pmol/L. The majority of hypercalcemic cats (263/322, 81.7%) were parathyroid-independent, with fewer cats in the equivocal (32/322, 9.9%) and parathyroid-dependent (27/322, 8.4%) groups. In 31 (9.6%) cats, PTHrP concentration was > 1.5 pmol/L (range 1.5-26.6 pmol/L). All 7 cats for which follow-up information was available had HHM; 6 had carcinomas (4 lung carcinomas, 1 undifferentiated carcinoma, 1 thyroid carcinoma) and 1 had lymphoma. All tumors had mild to moderate positive staining for PTHrP; however, lung carcinomas from normocalcemic cats also stained positive. CONCLUSIONS: Human IRMA for PTHrP (1-84) can be used to measure PTHrP in cats. Malignancies, particularly carcinomas, appear to secrete PTHrP and induce HHM in this species. Immunohistochemistry alone cannot predict the occurrence of HHM in cats.

A toxicogenomic approach for the prediction of murine hepatocarcinogenesis using ensemble feature selection.

The current strategy for identifying the carcinogenicity of drugs involves the 2-year bioassay in male and female rats and mice. As this assay is cost-intensive and time-consuming there is a high interest in developing approaches for the screening and prioritization of drug candidates in preclinical safety evaluations. Predictive models based on toxicogenomics investigations after short-term exposure have shown their potential for assessing the carcinogenic risk. In this study, we investigated a novel method for the evaluation of toxicogenomics data based on ensemble feature selection in conjunction with bootstrapping for the purpose to derive reproducible and characteristic multi-gene signatures. This method was evaluated on a microarray dataset containing global gene expression data from liver samples of both male and female mice. The dataset was generated by the IMI MARCAR consortium and included gene expression profiles of genotoxic and nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogens obtained after treatment of CD-1 mice for 3 or 14 days. We developed predictive models based on gene expression data of both sexes and the models were employed for predicting the carcinogenic class of diverse compounds. Comparing the predictivity of our multi-gene signatures against signatures from literature, we demonstrated that by incorporating our gene sets as features slightly higher accuracy is on average achieved by a representative set of state-of-the art supervised learning methods. The constructed models were also used for the classification of Cyproterone acetate (CPA), Wy-14643 (WY) and Thioacetamid (TAA), whose primary mechanism of carcinogenicity is controversially discussed. Based on the extracted mouse liver gene expression patterns, CPA would be predicted as a nongenotoxic compound. In contrast, both WY and TAA would be classified as genotoxic mouse hepatocarcinogens.

Comparison of rat and human responses to toll-like receptor 7 activation.

Toll-like receptors recognize invading microorganisms and activate innate immune responses. Their discovery has opened up a range of therapeutic possibilities, in particular for infectious diseases. Responses to TLR agonists have been largely studied in mice and little information exists in other species. Given that rats are commonly used for pharmacokinetic and toxicology studies in drug development, we compared TLR7 responses in rat and human. Stimulation of rat and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells with the TLR7 agonist SM360320 showed that in rat cells, the interferon-induced gene, 2', 5' oligoadenylate synthase and tumor necrosis factor alpha were induced at lower concentrations and to a greater degree compared with human cells. Both human and rat cells demonstrated tolerance and could not be restimulated following initial treatment with high concentrations of SM360320. Reducing the concentration of the initial treatment allowed cells to be restimulated following a period of recovery. The initial treatment concentration had to be reduced to a greater extent to enable restimulation of rat cells compared with human cells. Dosing whole rats repeatedly with different concentrations of SM360320 confirmed the in vitro results. Treatment of human cells with high concentrations of interferon alpha did not induce tolerance to subsequent treatment with SM360320 indicating that tolerance occurs in the TLR7 signaling pathway, rather than the interferon signaling pathway. We conclude that rat and human cells respond differently to TLR7 activation and that these differences should be considered when using rat as a model to study TLR7 agonists.

Object orientated automated image analysis: quantitative and qualitative estimation of inflammation in mouse lung.

Historically, histopathology evaluation is performed by a pathologist generating a qualitative assessment on thin tissue sections on glass slides. In the past decade, there has been a growing interest for tools able to reduce human subjectivity and improve workload. Whole slide scanning technology combined with object orientated image analysis can offer the capacity of generating fast and reliable results. In the present study, we combined the use of these emerging technologies to characterise a mouse model for chronic asthma. We monitored the inflammatory changes over five weeks by measuring the number of neutrophils and eosinophils present in the tissue, as well as, the bronchiolar associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) area on whole lungs sections. We showed that inflammation assessment could be automated efficiently and reliably. In comparison to human evaluation performed on the same set of sections, computer generated data was more descriptive and fully quantitative. Moreover optimisation of our detection parameters allowed us to be to more sensitive and to generate data in a larger dynamic range to traditional experimental evaluation, such as bronchiolar lavage (BAL) inflammatory cell counts obtained by flow cytometry. We also took advantage of the fact that we could increase the number of samples to be analysed within a day. Such optimisation allowed us to determine the best study design and experimental conditions in order to increase statistical significance between groups. In conclusion, we showed that combination of whole slide digital scanning and image analysis could be fully automated and deliver more descriptive and biologically relevant data over traditional methods evaluating histopathological pulmonary changes observed in this mouse model of chronic asthma.