Erythritol modulates the polarization of macrophages: Potential role of tumor necrosis factor-α and Akt pathway.

Low-calorie sweeteners are substitutes for sugar and frequently used by patients with cardiometabolic diseases. Erythritol, a natural low-calorie sugar alcohol, was linked to cardiometabolic diseases in several recent metabolomics studies. However, the characterization of its role in disease development is lacking. Macrophage polarization orchestrates the immune response in various inflammatory conditions, most notably cardiometabolic disease. Therefore, the physiological effects of Erythritol on THP-1 macrophages were investigated. We observed an increased cellular abundance of proinflammatory M1 macrophages, characterized by CD11c, TNF-α, CD64, CD38, and HLA-DR markers and decreased anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, characterized by mannose receptor CD206. The, Erythritol increased ROS generation, and the activation of the AKT pathway, cytosolic calcium overload, and cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. Concomitantly, an increased population of necroptotic macrophages was observed. In conclusion, we provide evidence that Erythritol induced the proinflammatory phenotype in THP-1 macrophages and this was associated with an increased population of necroptotic macrophages. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This assessment provides evidence of the effects of Erythritol on macrophages, particularly THP-1-derived macrophages. Our results support the role of Erythritol in driving the inflammation that is associated with cardiometabolic diseases and provide insights in the role of Erythritol as an inducer of necroptosis in THP-1 derived macrophages that could be associated the disease.

Increased Oxygen Solubility in Aqueous Media Using PEG-Poly-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl Methacrylate Copolymer Micelles and Their Potential Application As Volume Expanders and As an Artificial Blood Product.

One of the most important functions of blood is to solubilize and distribute oxygen within the body. As such, it is vital that this property is replicated (safely) by any artificial blood product. In this paper, we describe the facile synthesis of a series of simple diblock polymers capable of self-assembling into micellar structures at concentrations around 3 × 10-3 mg/mL. Using a dissolved oxygen meter, we were able to demonstrate that aqueous solutions of these aggregated structures could retain higher amounts oxygen and release it (into the aqueous bulk phase). The increased oxygen retention was quantified by measuring the rate of oxygen release and its half-life. These experiments indicated that oxygen retention/binding was dependent on the fluorine concentration. 19F NMR experiments on a micellar solution saturated with oxygen showed small upfield shifts in the fluorine peaks, which provided qualitative evidence that indicated oxygen binding occurred within the fluorine region of the polymer aggregates. Using a modified enzyme/glucose oxidation assay, we were able to establish that the aqueous oxygen concentrations were 33% higher in a solution of polymer.