Photobiomodulation ameliorates inflammatory parameters in fibroblast-like synoviocytes and experimental animal models of rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic destructive inflammatory disease that afflicts over one percent of the world's population. Current pharmacological treatments remain relatively ineffective. In this context, photobiomodulation (PBM) is a potential resource for the treatment of RA. This study investigates investigate the anti-arthritic effects and related mechanisms of PBM on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) from RA patients and a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Methods: The RA-FLSs were irradiated with a light emitting diode (LED) at a wavelength of 610 nm for 20 min, and the corresponding power intensities were 5 and 10 mW/cm2. After the LED irradiation, cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were performed. Male DBA/1J mice were used to establish an animal model of CIA. Light stimulation with 10 mW/cm2 was applied to the ankle joints via direct contact with the skin for 40 min, daily for 2 weeks. Results and Discussion: PBM significantly reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced increase in proliferation, migration, and invasion in RA-FLSs, and downregulated the activation of nuclear factor-κappa B (NF-κB) and NLRP3 inflammasome by TNF-α. Moreover, PBM greatly inhibited the induction and development of CIA, resulting in the inhibition of synovial inflammation and cartilage degradation. PBM therapy decreased the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, while increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokines. PBM suppressed the translocation of NF-κB and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in the ankle joint. Furthermore, PBM showed a more pronounced anti-arthritic effect when combined with methotrexate (MTX), a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). The results showed that the effectiveness of MTX + PBM in CIA is superior to that of either MTX or PBM and that both work synergistically. Therefore, PBM with LED may be a potential therapeutic intervention for against RA.

Membrane-Free Stem Cell Extract Enhances Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity by Suppressing NF-κB-Mediated Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome in Mice with Ischemic Stroke.

Membrane-free stem cell extract (MFSCE) of human adipose tissues possesses various biological activities. However, the effects of MFSCE on blood-brain barrier dysfunction and brain damage are unknown. In this study, we determined the role of MFSCE in an ischemic stroke mouse model. Mice were treated with MFSCE once daily for 4 days and 1 h before ischemic damage. Experimental ischemia was induced by photothrombosis. Pretreatment with MFSCE reduced infarct volume and edema and improved neurological, as well as motor functions. Evans blue leakage and water content in the brain tissue were reduced by MFSCE pretreatment relative to those in the vehicle group. MFSCE increased the expression of the tight junction proteins zonula occludens 1 and claudin-5, as well as vascular endothelial-cadherin, but decreased that of matrix metalloproteinase 9. Notably, MFSCE treatment decreased cell death and the level of NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome, consistent with the downregulated expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-18 in the ischemic brain. These effects might have occurred via the suppression of the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and activation of nuclear factor-κB. The results highlighted the potential of MFSCE treatment as a novel and preventive strategy for patients at a high risk of ischemic stroke.

Light-emitting diode irradiation induces AKT/mTOR-mediated apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells and xenograft mouse model.

The beneficial effects of light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation have been reported in various pathologies, including cancer. However, its effect in pancreatic cancer cells remains unclear. Herein, we demonstrated that blue LED of 460 nm regulated pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis by suppressing the expression of apoptosis-related factors, such as mutant p53 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and decreasing the expression of RAC-ß serine/threonine kinase 2 (AKT2), the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Blue LED irradiation also increased the levels of cleaved poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 in pancreatic cancer cells, while it suppressed AKT2 expression and inhibited tumor growth in xenograft tumor tissues. In conclusion, blue LED irradiation suppressed pancreatic cancer cell and tumor growth by regulating AKT/mTOR signaling. Our findings indicated that blue LEDs could be used as a nonpharmacological treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Anti-oxidant and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Aquatic Exercise in Allergic Airway Inflammation in Mice.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are key pathways responsible for the pathogenesis of asthma. Aquatic exercise (AE) has been proven to elicit a variety of biological activities such as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, although proper forms of AE provide beneficial health effects, incorrect forms and types of AE are potentially injurious to health. Several studies have investigated AE, but the relationship between types of AE and asthma has not been fully elucidated. This study evaluated the effects of two types of AE according to resistance on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airway inflammation in mice. BALB/c mice were subjected to OVA sensitization and challenge, and then to different types of AE including, walking and swimming, in a pool filled with water to a height of 2.5 and 13 cm for 30 min, respectively. AE reduced OVA-induced eosinophilic inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness, and serum immunoglobulin E level. AE significantly inhibited increases in interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-13, histamine, leukotriene D4, and tryptase levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). AE also effectively suppressed mucus formation, lung fibrosis, and hypertrophy of airway smooth muscle within the lung tissues. This exercise markedly reduced the levels of malondialdehyde while increased glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in lung tissues. Furthermore, AE significantly decreased tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6 levels, and prostaglandin E2 production in BALF. The inhibitory effects of swimming on the levels of biomarkers related to oxidative stress and inflammation were greater than that of walking. These effects may have occurred through upregulation of NF-E2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 signaling and suppression of mitogen-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor-κB pathway. Cumulative results from this study suggest that AE might be beneficial in mitigating the levels of biomarkers related to oxidative stress and inflammation. Thus, this therapy represents a crucial non-pharmacological intervention for treatments of allergic airway inflammation.

Snail maintains metastatic potential, cancer stem-like properties, and chemoresistance in mesenchymal mouse breast cancer TUBO­P2J cells.

Snail, a zinc-finger transcriptional repressor of E-cadherin expression, is one of the key inducers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in epithelial cancer. In breast cancer, EMT has been associated with malignancies, including metastasis, cancer stem-like properties, and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In this study, we analysed the role of Snail in the highly metastatic mesenchymal TUBO­P2J mouse breast cancer cells, by loss of function using short hairpin RNA. Though silencing Snail did not restore the E-cadherin expression or induce morphological changes, Snail silencing significantly ablated in vitro and in vivo metastatic potentials. In addition, Snail silencing also reduced resistance to chemotherapy drugs and cancer stem-like properties, such as CD44 expression, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity, colony formation, and in vivo tumour formation and growth. However, radioresistance was not decreased by silencing Snail. Collectively, this study suggested that Snail is a main regulator of the maintenance of malignancy potentials and is a good target to prevent cancer metastasis and to increase chemotherapy susceptibility.

Transforming growth factor-ß1 regulates human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell susceptibility to natural killer cells via modulation of the NKG2D ligands.

Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) has a significant role in the response to injury and tissue repair, and it has been detected in various cell types. However, the mechanism by which it regulates the response to ischemia­reperfusion injury (IRI) and manipulates natural killer (NK) cells is not well understood. In the present study, TGF­ß modulated NK cell function, thereby promoting recovery from renal IRI. Human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK­2) treated with TGF­ß exhibited increased surface and intracellular expression of the NK group 2 member D (NKG2D) ligand MICA. This increased surface expression of MICA inhibited NK cell cytotoxicity to the HK­2 cells. In addition, an enzyme­linked immunosorbent assay revealed that TGF­ß treatment evidently increased the amount of soluble MICA released into the culture supernatant from HK­2 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that TGF­ß­induced release of soluble MICA leads to downregulation of NKG2D, thereby preventing NK cell­mediated cytotoxicity toward renal proximal tubular epithelial cells in renal IRI, which in turn improves the survival of these cells.

The NADPH oxidase inhibitor DPI can abolish hypoxia-induced apoptosis of human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells through Bcl2 up-regulation via ERK activation without ROS reduction.

AIMS: Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), resulting from hypoxic damage within a graft, is the leading cause of cell death and graft rejection. In this study, we investigated whether a HIF-1α inhibitor or various antioxidants were able to prevent ischemic injury in a cellular model in which experimental hypoxia was induced using CoCl2. MAIN METHODS: The ischemic injury induced in HK-2 cells by CoCl2 was validated by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reduced cell viability, and increased apoptosis at different times and doses. The preventative effects of various anti-oxidants on ischemic injury were evaluated using ROS levels, cell viability, and apoptosis. The MAPK phosphorylation status and Bcl2/Bax expression levels were evaluated after treatment with various antioxidants. KEY FINDINGS: The increase in ROS induced by hypoxia was significantly inhibited by NAC and CAPE, but not by any other treatment. The reduction in cell viability induced by CoCl2 was significantly inhibited by NAC and DPI, but not by any other treatment. The apoptosis induced by CoCl2 was also significantly inhibited by NAC and DPI, but not by any other treatment. Moreover, NAC and DPI prevented CoCl2-induced apoptosis in HK-2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Treatment of CoCl2 and HK-2 cells treated with DPI, but not NAC, significantly induced ERK activation and Bcl2 expression. NAC and DPI treatment prevented the apoptosis of cells cultured under hypoxic conditions. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that DPI should be investigated further as a novel protective agent that prevents kidney ischemia.