Antrodia cinnamomea extract alleviates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive diffuse parenchymal lung disorder with a high mortality rate. Studies have indicated that injured lung tissues release various pro-inflammatory factors, and produce a large amount of nitric oxide. There is also accumulation of collagen and oxidative stress-induced injury, collectively leading to pulmonary fibrosis. Antrodia cinnamomea is an endemic fungal growth in Taiwan, and its fermented extracts exert anti-inflammatory effects to alleviate liver damages. Hence, we hypothesized and tested the feasibility of using A. cinnamomea extracts for treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: The TGF-ß1-induced human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5) in vitro cell assay were used to evaluate the effects of A. cinnamomea extracts on the collagen production in MRC-5. Eight-week-old ICR mice were intratracheally administered bleomycin and then fed with an A. cinnamomea extract on day 3 post-administration of bleomycin. At day 21 post-bleomycin administration, the pulmonary functional test, the expression level of inflammation- and fibrosis-related genes in the lung tissue, and the histopathological change were examined. RESULTS: The A. cinnamomea extract significantly attenuated the expression level of collagen in the TGF-ß1-induced MRC-5 cells. In the A. cinnamome-treated bleomycin-induced lung fibrotic mice, the bodyweight increased, pulmonary functions improved, the lung tissues expression level of inflammatory factor and the fibrotic indicator were decreased, and the histopathological results showed the reduction of thickening of the inter-alveolar septa. CONCLUSIONS: The Antrodia cinnamomea extract significant protects mice against bleomycin-induced lung injuries through improvement of body weight gain and lung functions, and attenuation of expression of inflammatory and fibrotic indicators.

Arabidopsis DOK1 encodes a functional dolichol kinase involved in reproduction.

Dolichol phosphate (Dol-P) serves as a carrier of complex polysaccharides during protein glycosylation. Dol-P is synthesized by the phosphorylation of dolichol or the monodephosphorylation of dolichol pyrophosphate (Dol-PP); however, the enzymes that catalyze these reactions remain unidentified in Arabidopsis thaliana. We performed a genome-wide search for cytidylyltransferase motif-containing proteins in Arabidopsis, and found that At3g45040 encodes a protein homologous with Sec59p, a dolichol kinase (DOK) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. At3g45040, designated AtDOK1, complemented defects in the growth and N-linked glycosylation of the S. cerevisiae sec59 mutant, suggesting that AtDOK1 encodes a functional DOK. To characterize the physiological roles of AtDOK1 in planta, we isolated two independent lines of T-DNA-tagged AtDOK1 mutants, dok1-1 and dok1-2. The heterozygous plants showed developmental defects in male and female gametophytes, including an aberrant pollen structure, low pollen viability, and short siliques. Additionally, the mutations had incomplete penetrance. These results suggest that AtDOK1 is a functional DOK required for reproductive processes in Arabidopsis.

Mediating effects of social support on depression and quality of life among patients with HIV infection in Taiwan.

Few empirical studies have evaluated the mediating effects of quality of life (QoL) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The purposes of this study were to identify the predictors of QoL and to test the mediating effects of social support on depression and QoL among patients enrolled in an HIV case-management program in Taiwan. A cross-sectional, descriptive correlation design collected data from 108 HIV-infected individuals. Individuals were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II, the short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support between September 2007 and April 2010. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics (including age, gender, and mode of transmission) and clinical information (including CD4 count and time since diagnosis with HIV), the study findings showed that QoL was significantly and positively correlated with both social support and the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), and was negatively correlated with depression and time since diagnosis with HIV. The strongest predictors for QoL were depression followed by the initiation of HAART and social support, with an R(2) of 0.40. Social support partially mediated the relationship between depression and QoL. Health professionals should enhance HIV-infected individuals' social support to alleviate the level of depression and further increase the QoL among PLWHA.