Differentiation of Type 17 Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in Circulation Contributes to the Severity of Sepsis.

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are essential in defending against infection. Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to infection and a leading cause of death. The relationship between the overall competency of the host immune response and disease severity is not fully elucidated. This study identified a higher proportion of circulating MAIT17 with expression of IL-17A and RAR-related orphan receptor γt in patients with sepsis. The proportion of MAIT17 was correlated with the severity of sepsis. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis revealed an enhanced expression of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) in MAIT17 in patients with sepsis. Cell-culture experiments demonstrated that phosphoinositide 3-kinase-LDHA signaling was required for RAR-related orphan receptor γt expression in MAIT17. Finally, the elevated levels of plasma IL-18 promoted the differentiation of circulating MAIT17 cells in sepsis. In summary, this study reveals a new role of circulating MAIT17 in promoting sepsis severity and suggests the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-LDHA signaling as a driving force in MAIT17 responses.

Activation and functional modification of mucosal-associated invariant T cells in patients with intracranial infection following craniotomy.

Intracranial infections are among the most common complications of neurosurgery, with their incidence remaining high despite advancements in current neurosurgical techniques and aseptic technology. While the role of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, a subset of innate-like T lymphocytes, in bacterial defense is well-established, their involvement in intracranial infections remains unclear. In this study, we utilized flow cytometry to assess the phenotype and function of circulating and CSF MAIT cells. Our findings revealed that MAIT cells were higher in the CSF compared to blood. Notably, a higher percentage of IL-17A + MAIT cells was detected in the CSF of patients with intracranial infections. Moreover, markers indicating activation and exhaustion were significantly upregulated in CSF MAIT cells. Furthermore, elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß, IL-12, and IL-18, were detected in the CSF supernatants. We hypothesized that the elevated levels of IL-1ß, IL-12, and IL-18 in the inflammatory milieu synergistically activate MAIT cells in the CSF. In particular, CD25 and Tim-3 expression of MAIT cells was increased by stimulation with IL-1ß, IL-12, and IL-18 or CSF supernatants of intracranial infection patients. Collectively, these findings provide important information underlying the innate immune response of patients with intracranial infections.

Euphejolkinolide A, a new ent-abietane lactone from Euphorbia peplus L. with promising biological activity in activating the autophagy-lysosomal pathway.

A new ent-abietane diterpenoid, named Euphejolkinolide A (1), was isolated from the whole plant of Euphorbia peplus L. Its structure, including absolute configurations, was determined by spectroscopic analyses and was corroborated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. This new compound was assessed for its activity to induce lysosome biogenesis through Lyso-Tracker Red staining, in which compound 1 could significantly induce lysosome biogenesis. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated a direct correlation between the observed lysosome biogenesis and the transcriptional activation of the lysosomal genes after treatment with the compound 1. Moreover, compound 1 promoted autophagic flux by upregulating LC3-II and downregulating SQSTM1 in both human microglia cells and U251 cells, which is required for cellular homeostasis. Further results suggested 1 induced lysosome biogenesis and autophagy which was mediated by TFEB (transcription factor EB). The structure activity relationships (SAR) analysis suggested that the carbony1 at C-7 in 1 might be a key active group. Overall, the current data suggested that 1 could be a potential compound for lysosome disorder therapy by induction of autophagy.

[An integrative metabolomics and network pharmacology method for exploring bioactive components and preliminary pharmacodynamics in medicinal parts of Harrisonia perforata].

In this paper,metabolomics and network pharmacology were used to investigate the bioactive components of Harrisonia perforata and their possible mechanisms of action. Metabolites in the flowers,fruits,branches,leaves and stalks of H. perforata were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Meanwhile,multiple statistical analysis methods including principal component analysis( PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis( OPLS-DA)were applied to screen and identify differential compounds. With metabolomics method,9 differential compounds were preliminarily identified from leaves and other non-traditional medicinal parts. Subsequently,these compounds were explored by using network pharmacology. With gastrointestinal absorption and drug-likeness as limiting conditions,they were imported into the Swiss ADME,from which 7 compounds with potential medicinal activity were obtained. Then,their targets were predicted by PharmMapper,with Human Protein Targets Only and Normalized Fit Score>0. 9 set as limiting conditions,and 60 standardized potential targets were identified with Uniprot. KEGG( Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathway data was obtained using metascape and the " potential active ingredients-target-pathway" network was constructed with Cytoscape 3. 7. 2. The enrichment analysis of KEGG demonstrated that the 60 targets were enriched in 78 signaling pathways( min overlap: 3,P value cutoff: 0. 01,min enrichment: 1. 5),many of which are related to anti-bacteria,anti-inflammation and anti-virus,such as IL-17 signaling pathway,RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. Finally,depending on the clinical activity of H. perforata,the relevant signaling pathways were analyzed through experimental data and literature. Dehydroconiferyl alcohol was reported to have the anti-inflammatory effect and perforamone D to possess the antimycobacterial activity. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that dehydroconiferyl alcohol could act on the Alzheimer's disease( AD) signaling pathway by targeting CDK5 R1 and BACE1. ACh E inhibitor is the most promising drug to treat AD,while dehydroconiferyl alcohol has been proved to inhibit ACh E according to literature. The experimental results revealed that the extract of leaves of H. perforata can effectively inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. These are consistent with the enrichment analysis results of KEGG. This study explored the bioactive components and pharmacodynamics of the leaves of the H. perforata,laying a theoretical foundation for its in-depth development and rational application.

New Secodaphnane-Type Alkaloids with Cytotoxic Activities from Daphniphyllum angustifolium Hutch.

One new Daphniphyllum alkaloid, daphnioldhanol A (1), together with three known ones, were isolated from the stem part of Daphniphyllum angustifolium Hutch. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and comparing with the literature data. Compound 2 is a new natural product, but known by synthesis as a racemate. Compound 1 exhibited week cytotoxic activity against Hela cell line with IC50 of 31.9 µM.

Three new diterpenoids from Euphorbia peplus.

Three new diterpenoids (1-3) (two abietane type diterpenoids and a paralianone type diterpenoid), together with four known compounds (4-7) were isolated from the whole plants of Euphorbia peplus. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis and physicochemical characteristics. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-7 against five human tumour cell lines were evaluated, however, they were inactive at the concentration of 40 µM. The compound 3 enhanced lysosomal biogenesis with Lyso Tracker staining intensity of 132.6%.

Sequential invasive-noninvasive mechanical ventilation weaning strategy for patients after tracheostomy.

BACKGROUND: Because the continuity and integrity of the trachea are likely damaged to some extent after tracheostomy, the implementation of sequential ventilation has certain difficulties, and sequential invasive-noninvasive ventilation on patients after tracheostomy is less common in practice. The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of invasive-noninvasive sequential weaning strategy in patients after tracheostomy. METHODS: Fifty patients including 24 patients with withdrawal of mechanical ventilation (conventional group) and 26 patients with sequential invasive-noninvasive weaning by directly plugging of tracheostomy (sequential group) were analyzed retrospectively after appearance of pulmonary infection control (PIC) window. The analysis of arterial blood gases, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) incidence, the total duration of mechanical ventilation, the success rate of weaning and total cost of hospitalization were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Arterial blood gas analysis showed that the sequential weaning group was better than the conventional weaning group 1 and 24 hours after invasive ventilation. The VAP incidence was lowered, the duration of mechanical ventilation shortened, the success rate of weaning increased, and the total cost of hospitalization decreased. CONCLUSION: Sequential invasive-noninvasive ventilator weaning is feasible in patients after tracheostomy.