Thiazolidines derivatives and their anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Thiazolidine scaffolds have been investigated for decades, due to their wide range of biological activity. In this way, the main objective of this systematic review was to elucidate the anti-inflammatory activity of thiazolidine derivatives against nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. From 9718 identified registers, 13 articles were included, where 11 studies evaluated thiazolidinediones. The summary of relevance demonstrated that seven studies (53.8%) were relevant without restrictions, and 6 (46.2%) were relevant with restrictions. The certainty in cumulative evidence was considered moderate and the six studies included in the meta-analysis demonstrated the positive activity of thiazolidinediones against NO production when compared to the negative LPS control.

Preclinical evidence of the anti-inflammatory effect and toxicological safety of aryl-cyclohexanone in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory distress syndrome is a complex inflammatory condition defined by the presence of acute hypoxemia and cellular infiltration with diffuse alveolar injury following a tissue injury, such as acute lung injury. The inflammatory process involved in this pathology is a defense mechanism of the body against infectious agents and/or tissue injuries. However, when the condition is not reversed, it becomes a significant cause of tissue damage, sometimes leading to loss of function of the affected organ. Therefore, it is essential to understand the mechanisms underlying inflammation, as well as the development of new therapeutic agents that reduce inflammatory damage in these cases. Aryl-cyclohexanone derivatives have previously shown significant anti-inflammatory activity linked to an immunomodulatory capacity in vitro and may be good candidates for therapies in which inflammation plays a central role. METHODS: Was evaluated the anti-inflammatory capacity of a synthesized molecule aryl-cyclohexanone in the murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury. The assessment of acute oral toxicity follows the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guideline 423. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that the studied molecule protects against LPS-induced inflammation. We observed a decrease in the migration of total and differential leukocytes to the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), in addition to a reduction in exudation, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, nitric oxide metabolites, and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (alpha tumor necrosis factors [TNF-α], interleukin-6 [IL-6], interferon-gamma [IFN-γ], and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 [MCP-1]). Finally, aryl cyclohexanone did not show signs of acute oral toxicity (OECD 423). CONCLUSIONS: The results prove our hypothesis that aryl-cyclohexanone is a promising molecule for developing a new, safe anti-inflammatory drug.

Interference in Macrophage Balance (M1/M2): The Mechanism of Action Responsible for the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of a Fluorophenyl-Substituted Imidazole.

Traditionally, the treatment of inflammatory conditions has focused on the inhibition of inflammatory mediator production; however, many conditions are refractory to this classical approach. Recently, an alternative has been presented by researchers to solve this problem: The immunomodulation of cells closely related to inflammation. Hence, macrophages, a critical key in both innate and acquired immunity, have been presented as an alternative target for the development of new medicines. In this work, we tested the fluorophenyl-imidazole for its anti-inflammatory activity and possible immunomodulatory effect on RAW 264.7 macrophages. We also evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of the compound, and the macrophage repolarization to M2 was confirmed by the ability of the compound to reduce the M1 markers TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, IL-12p70, IFN-γ, and TLR4, the high levels of p65 phosphorylated, iNOS and COX-2 mRNA expression, and the fact that the compound was not able to induce the production of M1 markers when used in macrophages without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Moreover, fluorophenyl-imidazole had the ability to increase the M2 markers IL-4, IL-13, CD206, apoptosis and phagocytosis levels, arginase-1, and FIZZ-1 mRNA expression before LPS stimulation. Similarly, it was also able to induce the production of these same M2 markers in macrophages without being induced with LPS. These results reinforce the affirmation that the fluorophenyl-imidazole has an important anti-inflammatory effect and demonstrates that this effect is due to immunomodulatory activity, having the ability to trigger a repolarization of macrophages from M1 to M2a. These facts suggest that this molecule could be used as an alternative scaffold for the development of a new medicine to treat inflammatory conditions, where the anti-inflammatory and proregenerative properties of M2a macrophages are desired.

Lymphocyte B Subtypes in Peripheral Blood: A Prognostic Biomarker for COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: In view of the scientific gap in knowledge of the involvement of the B-cell compartment and clinical prognostic in SARS-CoV-2 infection, this work aims to evaluate the B-cell subsets and the presence of specific IgM and IgG, as well as neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, in unvaccinated patients diagnosed with COVID-19. METHODS: This study included 133 patients with COVID-19. Cellular components were assessed by flow cytometry, and immunoglobulin levels and reactivity were measured by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Our results showed no changes in less differentiated B cells. However, non-switched memory B cells (NS-MBCs) and class-switched memory B cells (CS-MBCs) were reduced in the patients with moderate disease. Also, plasmablasts and double-negative (DN) or "atypical" memory B cells were increased in groups of patients with moderate to critical conditions. In addition, the production of IgM, IgG, and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated a positive correlation between the positivity of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and disease severity. Besides being related to the development of a more severe course of the disease, the increase in DN B-cell count also contributed to a poorer disease outcome in patients with a higher percentage of these cells. On the other hand, we observed an increase in the absolute number of CS-MBCs in patients with greater chances of survival. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the B-cell compartment may contribute to the development of clinical symptoms of COVID-19, with changes in B-cell subset counts linked to disease course and patient prognosis.