The role and therapeutic strategies for tissue-resident memory T cells, central memory T cells, and effector memory T cells in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a skin disease that is inflammatory and persistent, causing a high rate of recurrence, poor quality of life, and significant socioeconomic burden. Its main pathological manifestations are abnormal activation and infiltration of T cells and excessive proliferation of keratinocytes (KCs). The great majority of patients with psoriasis will relapse after remission. It usually lasts a lifetime and necessitates long-term treatment strategies. During periods of activity and remission, one of the main cell types in psoriasis is memory T cells, which include tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, central memory T (TCM) cells, and effector memory T (TEM) cells. They work by releasing inflammatory factors, cytotoxic particles, or altering cell subpopulations, leading to increased inflammation or recurrence. This review summarizes the role of memory T cells in the pathology and treatment of psoriasis, with a view to potential novel therapies and therapeutic targets.

Calycosin enhances Treg differentiation for alleviating skin inflammation in atopic dermatitis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disorder that poses a significant global health challenge. There is a lack of safe and effective medications to treat AD. Astragalus membranaceous is a traditional Chinese medicine widely used in clinical treatment of skin diseases. Calycosin (CA), derived from the root of Astragalus membranaceous, exhibits dual attributes of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, suggesting its promise for addressing cutaneous inflammation. Nonetheless, the precise mechanisms underlying CA's therapeutic actions in AD remain elusive. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CA in treating AD while also delving into the mechanistic underpinnings of CA's action in AD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cell viability and anti-inflammatory impacts of CA in vitro were first gauged using CCK-8 and RT-qPCR. The potential mechanisms of CA were then probed using modular pharmacology. Flow cytometry was employed to ascertain the differentiation of Treg and Th17 cells derived from naïve T cells, as well as the proportions and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of human iTreg cells. The expressions of IL-10 and TGF-ß1 were measured and Treg suppression assay was performed. The in vivo therapeutic efficacy of topical CA application was assessed using a calcipotriol (MC903)-induced AD mouse model. The expression metrics of inflammatory cytokines, IL-17A, FOXP3, and RORγt were authenticated via immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, Western blot, and ELISA. RESULTS: CA exhibited a favorable safety profile and reduced the mRNA expressions of Th2 inflammatory cytokines in HaCaT cells. Modular pharmacology analysis pinpointed Th17 differentiation as the pivotal mechanism behind CA's therapeutic effect on AD. In vitro, CA fostered the differentiation of naïve T cells into Tregs while inhibiting their differentiation into Th17 cells. Furthermore, CA augmented the proliferation of human iTregs. In vivo, CA alleviated skin manifestations and decreased the levels of inflammatory mediators (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TSLP, and NF-κB related cytokines) in AD-like mouse models. Simultaneously, it regulated Treg/Th17 balance through suppressing IL-17A and RORγt expressions and bolstering FOXP3 expression. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides insights into the mechanistic pathways through which CA exerts its anti-inflammatory effects, particularly through promoting Treg cell differentiation and inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation. Furthermore, CA emerges as an alternative or adjunctive treatment strategy for managing AD.

Liquiritin exerts psoriasis therapy and prevention by regulating the YY1/RBP3 axis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis (PSO) poses a global health threat. The current research challenge in PSO is relapse. Liquiritin (LIQ), a major active compound from Glycyrrhiza inflata Batalin, has multiple pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative. Nonetheless, the precise mechanisms underlying LIQ's therapeutic actions in PSO and prevention abilities remain elusive. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to delve into the potential to treat and prevent PSO and the mechanism of LIQ. METHODS: The anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects of LIQ were studied in vitro with the HaCaT cell line. Then, Transcriptional analysis and bioinformatic analysis were used to determine the internal associations of the target set. Subsequently, functional experiment, luciferase report assay, ChIP-PCR, and immunohistochemical validation of clinical samples were performed to investigate the mechanism of LIQ. Finally, the anti-psoriatic effects and prevention abilities of LIQ were verified in vivo with imiquimod (IMQ)-induced PSO-like mouse models. RESULTS: Here, we identified differentially expressed genes in LIQ-stimulated HaCaT cells and Retinol-Binding Protein 3 (RBP3) as the core target, whereas YY1 was a predicted upstream transcription factor of RBP3. The YY1/RBP3 axis was obviously altered after administering LIQ at optimal doses of 20 µM in vitro and 100 µg/ml in vivo. LIQ can significantly inhibit the progression of PSO in vivo. Notably, LIQ also prevented the relapse of psoriatic lesions induced by the second round of low-dose IMQ. Mechanistically, we observed that LIQ could increase the promotion of YY1 for RBP3 by enhancing the binding affinity between them. CONCLUSION: These findings revealed that the YY1/RBP3 axis is a potential psoriatic target, and LIQ is a promising and innovative therapeutic candidate for the treatment and prevention of PSO.

Case report: Safety and efficacy of adalimumab in treating difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis in a human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient, one year follow-up.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a joint-disabling inflammatory disease associated with the pathology of synovitis. Some patients with RA are difficult to treat, using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Biology and targeted synthetic DMARDs (b/tsDMARDs) are options for patients with RA. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Adalimumab is an anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy commonly used in patients with RA. However, there are no reports or related data on patients with RA-HIV/AIDS treated with adalimumab are available. In this report, we described the first successful case of a 60-year-old HIV-positive woman with difficult-to-treat RA treated with ADA after being screened for hepatitis virus, latent tuberculosis (LTBI), and other infections. She contracted HIV from sexual exposure while on adalimumab therapy. As the patient was resistant to first-line DMARDs, she continued adalimumab along with the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The patient was treated with adalimumab therapy for a year; her CD4+ lymphocyte count was normal, HIV-1 RNA decreased, and no new infections were triggered. The patient achieved clinical remission of RA. In conclusion, adalimumab is a safe option for patients with RA-HIV and may slow the progression of HIV infection. Furthermore, HAART has the potential to reduce joint pain and fatigue in patients with difficult-to-treat RA. Conclusions: Adalimumab is a safe option for patients with RA-HIV, and may slow down the progression of HIV infection. The HAART therapy has the potential to reduce joint pain and fatigue in patients with difficult-to-treat RA.

Association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with renal impairment among patients with acute gouty arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Gouty arthritis (GA) is an inflammatory disease, and renal impairment may occur to varying degrees with the progress of disease. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an inflammatory marker. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between NLR and renal impairment in GA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects comprised 499 patients with gouty arthritis (GA) (473 men, 26 women; age range, 39-61 years old) from our hospital. They were divided into a chronic kidney disease (CKD) group (n = 206) and non-CKD group (n = 293) according to the glomerular filtration rate. Blood samples were collected during the gout flares. The differences in NLR, general data, and laboratory indexes of patients with GA between the two groups were compared, such as serum uric acid (SUA), serum creatinine (SCREA), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). RESULTS: NLR (3.38 vs. 2.38 (p < 0.001)) was higher in the CKD group, compared to the non-CKD group. Similarly, both SUA (527 vs. 507 (p < 0.05)) and SCREA (122 vs. 87 (p < 0.001)) were higher in the CKD group than in the non-CKD group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NLR (OR = 1.122, p < 0.05), age, hypertension, and SUA were risk factors for CKD in patients with GA, although HDL and HGB were protective factors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve of NLR for predicting CKD in patients with GA was 0.646 (95% CI 0.597-0.694). CONCLUSION: Our data showed that NLR might be an important potential factor for evaluating renal impairment in GA during flares.