Temporal Regulation of the Bacterial Metabolite Deoxycholate during Colonic Repair Is Critical for Crypt Regeneration.

Colonic wound repair is an orchestrated process, beginning with barrier re-establishment and followed by wound channel formation and crypt regeneration. Elevated levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) promote barrier re-establishment; however, we found that persistently elevated PGE2 hinders subsequent repair phases. The bacterial metabolite deoxycholate (DCA) promotes transition through repair phases via PGE2 regulation. During barrier re-establishment, DCA levels are locally diminished in the wound, allowing enhanced PGE2 production and barrier re-establishment. However, during transition to the wound channel formation phase, DCA levels increase to inhibit PGE2 production and promote crypt regeneration. Altering DCA levels via antibiotic treatment enhances PGE2 levels but impairs wound repair, which is rescued with DCA treatment. DCA acts via its receptor, farnesoid X receptor, to inhibit the enzyme cPLA2 required for PGE2 synthesis. Thus, colonic wound repair requires temporally regulated signals from microbial metabolites to coordinate host-associated signaling cascades. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Oncolytic Virus-Mediated Targeting of PGE2 in the Tumor Alters the Immune Status and Sensitizes Established and Resistant Tumors to Immunotherapy.

Immunotherapies are highly promising cancer treatments, but understanding the factors mediating their resistance remains critical. Successes in randomized clinical testing have supported the growing appreciation that oncolytic virotherapies primarily act as immunotherapies. Here we identified prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the tumor as a key mediator of resistance to immunotherapies, including oncolytic vaccinia virotherapy. Elevated levels of PGE2 coupled to suppressive chemokine profiles and high levels of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells resulted in loss of immunotherapeutic potential. Viral vectors engineered to target PGE2 were capable of overcoming localized immunosuppression leading to profound changes in the tumor's immune status. This allowed the viral vectors to raise robust anti-tumor adaptive immune responses and sensitized established and previously resistant tumors to immunotherapies.

15-PGDH inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth through 15-keto-PGE2/PPARγ-mediated activation of p21WAF1/Cip1.

15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) is a key enzyme in prostaglandin (PG) metabolism. This study provides important evidence for inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth by 15-PGDH through the 15-keto-prostaglandin E2 (15-keto-PGE2)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ)/p21(WAF1/Cip1) signaling pathway. Forced overexpression of 15-PGDH inhibited HCC cell growth in vitro, whereas knockdown of 15-PGDH enhanced tumor growth parameters. In a tumor xenograft model in severe combined immunodeficiency mice, inoculation of human HCC cells (Huh7) with overexpression of 15-PGDH led to significant inhibition of tumor growth, whereas knockdown of 15-PGDH enhanced tumor growth. In a separate tumor xenograft model in which mouse HCC cells (Hepa1-6) were inoculated into syngeneic C57BL/6 mice, intratumoral injection of adenovirus vector expressing 15-PGDH (pAd-15-PGDH) significantly inhibited xenograft tumor growth. The antitumor effect of 15-PGDH is mediated through its enzymatic product, 15-keto-PGE2, which serves as an endogenous PPARγ ligand. Activation of PPARγ by 15-PGDH-derived 15-keto-PGE2 enhanced the association of PPARγ with the p21(WAF1/Cip1) promoter and increased p21 expression and association with cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), CDK4 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Depletion of p21 by short hairpin RNA reversed 15-PGDH-induced inhibition of HCC cell growth; overexpression of p21 prevented 15-PGDH knockdown-induced tumor cell growth. These results show a key 15-PGDH/15-keto-PGE2-mediated activation of PPARγ and p21(WAF1/Cip1) signaling cascade that regulates hepatocarcinogenesis and tumor progression.

Effect of 2'-carboxymethoxy-4,4'-bis(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)chalcone (SU-88) on prostaglandin metabolism in hog gastric mucosa.

SU-88 [2'-carboxymethoxy-4,4'-bis(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)chalcone] inhibited the activity of the prostaglandin (PG)-metabolizing enzyme, 15-hydroxy-PG-dehydrogenase (15-OH-PG-DH), in a cytoplasmic fraction of gastric mucosa. This compound had no effect on the PG synthetase of bovine seminal vesicle microsomes and lactate dehydrogenase in rat liver. The 15-OH-PG-DH activity of gastric mucosa was not influenced by a specific inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase, 4-methylpyrazole. Carbenoxolone (CBX) also inhibited 15-OH-PG-DH activity. The IC50 values for SU-88 and CBX were approximately 20 and 40 microM respectively. SU-88 inhibited 15-OH-PG-DH activity uncompetitively or competitively according to whether PGE1 or NAD was used as substrate. CBX inhibited competitively the activity of this enzyme for both substrates. After the addition of SU-88 or CBX to the incubation medium of gastric mucosa, the PGE2 level of the medium was increased significantly while that of the tissue remained unchanged. These results indicate that SU-88 specifically inhibited 15-OH-PG-DH activity and suggest that 15-OH-PG-DH activity regulates the level of PGs in gastric mucosa and may have an anti-ulcer influence.

Effects on fertilization of rabbits of insemination with ejaculates treated with PG-dehydrogenase and antisera to PGE-2 and PGF-2 alpha.

PGE-2 and PGF-2 alpha in rabbit semen were selectively inactivated by incubation with antisera, or most of the seminal prostaglandins were transformed into biologically inactive 15-keto-prostaglandins by prostaglandin-15-hydroxydehydrogenase(PG-15-HDH). These treated ejaculates were vaginally inseminated. Compared to the controls (738 eggs of which 94% were fertilized) a dose-dependent reduction of the fertilization rate was observed with the anti-PGF-2 alpha-treated ejaculates. A non-uniformly, but statistically significantly reduced fertility was found in the other 2 treatment groups. After incubation with higher doses of PG-15-HDH, some fertilization was accomplished with ejaculates showing an extremely weak forward progression or immotile spermatozoa. An improvement in sperm motility, however, was observed in ejaculates treated with antiserum to PGF-2 alpha. Seminal prostaglandins may not exclusively affect sperm motility. The observed influences on the fertilization rate after treatment of spermatozoa with antisera to PGE-2 and PGF-2 alpha or PG-15-HDH suggest that these are local effects in the female genital tract.

The influence of prostaglandins on sperm motility.

Prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha were measured in ejaculates from 10 fertile and 55 infertile men. Prostaglandin F2 alpha was negatively correlated with motility (r = 0.77; p less than 0.01) in normal men. In patients with disturbed fertility, prostaglandin F2 alpha was always higher than in the controls, while prostaglandin E2 was elevated only in patients with persisting varicocele and in those with very low sperm counts and severely impaired motility. There was neither de novo synthesis of prostaglandins in spermatozoa nor were binding sites for prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha detectable. Inactivation of seminal prostaglandins by incubation with prostaglandin 15-hydroxydehydrogenase resulted in a dramatic fall in motility. The results suggest that prostaglandin F2 alpha act on motility, but the action is not mediated by receptors.

The role of prostaglandins in the ADP-induced aggregation of rabbit platelets shown by the use of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase.

The initial shape change and subsequent aggregation of platelets in citrated rabbit platelet-rich plasma caused by ADP in vitro was inhibited by 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase. This inhibition was NAD-dependent and was also seen when shape change and aggregation were initiated by sodium arachidonate or by collagen. The aggregation of gel-filtered rabbit platelets by thrombin was not, however, affected by removal of 15-hydroxyprostaglandins. Indomethacin was found to inhibit ADP-induced aggregation but at a concentration (250 micron) much higher than that required to inhibit collagen-induced aggregation. Moreover the platelet release reaction had not taken place 3 min after ADP stimulation. The direct role 15-hydroxyprostaglandin production in ADP-induced aggregation of rabbit platelets is proposed. The involvement of 15-hydroxyprostaglandins in platelet aggregation caused by other inducers is also discussed.

Prostaglandin synthesis in human placenta and fetal membranes.

The conversion of exogenous arachidonic acid into prostaglandins was studied in human placenta and fetal membrane microsomes. Only one prostaglandin was formed, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), in fetal membrane microsomes. In placental microsomes PGE2 was further transformed into 15 keto-PGE2. Cofactor requirements and some characteristics of the system were studied. 1 to 3% conversion of arachidonic acid into prostaglandins was observed in placental microsomes and 5 to 8% conversion in fetal membrane microsomes.