Polyamine Signal through HCC Microenvironment: A Key Regulator of Mitochondrial Preservation and Turnover in TAMs.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, and, with increasing research on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), the immunosuppressive micro-environment of HCC hampers further application of immunotherapy, even though immunotherapy can provide survival benefits to patients with advanced liver cancer. Current studies suggest that polyamine metabolism is not only a key metabolic pathway for the formation of immunosuppressive phenotypes in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), but it is also profoundly involved in mitochondrial quality control signaling and the energy metabolism regulation process, so it is particularly important to further investigate the role of polyamine metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In this review, by summarizing the current research progress of key enzymes and substrates of the polyamine metabolic pathway in regulating TAMs and T cells, we propose that polyamine biosynthesis can intervene in the process of mitochondrial energy metabolism by affecting mitochondrial autophagy, which, in turn, regulates macrophage polarization and T cell differentiation. Polyamine metabolism may be a key target for the interactive dialog between HCC cells and immune cells such as TAMs, so interfering with polyamine metabolism may become an important entry point to break intercellular communication, providing new research space for developing polyamine metabolism-based therapy for HCC.

HTRA2/OMI-Mediated Mitochondrial Quality Control Alters Macrophage Polarization Affecting Systemic Chronic Inflammation.

Systemic chronic inflammation (SCI) due to intrinsic immune over-activation is an important factor in the development of many noninfectious chronic diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes mellitus. Among these immune responses, macrophages are extensively involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses by virtue of their polarization plasticity; thus, dysregulation of macrophage polarization direction is one of the potential causes of the generation and maintenance of SCI. High-temperature demand protein A2 (HtrA2/Omi) is an important regulator of mitochondrial quality control, not only participating in the degradation of mis-accumulated proteins in the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) to maintain normal mitochondrial function through its enzymatic activity, but also participating in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics-related protein interactions to maintain mitochondrial morphology. Recent studies have also reported the involvement of HtrA2/Omi as a novel inflammatory mediator in the regulation of the inflammatory response. HtrA2/Omi regulates the inflammatory response in BMDM by controlling TRAF2 stabilization in a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model; the lack of HtrA2 ameliorates pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in macrophages. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which HtrA2/Omi proteins are involved in macrophage polarization remodeling by influencing macrophage energy metabolism reprogramming through the regulation of inflammatory signaling pathways and mitochondrial quality control, elucidating the roles played by HtrA2/Omi proteins in inflammatory responses. In conclusion, interfering with HtrA2/Omi may become an important entry point for regulating macrophage polarization, providing new research space for developing HtrA2/Omi-based therapies for SCI.

Surface silverized meta-aramid fibers prepared by bio-inspired poly(dopamine) functionalization.

A facile method was developed to fabricate highly electrically conductive aramid fibers. The immobilization of silver nanoparticles on the surface of polymetaphenylene isophthamide (PMIA) fibers was carried out by the functionalization of the PMIA fibers with poly(dopamine), followed by electroless silver plating. The poly(dopamine) (PDA) layer was deposited on the PMIA surface by simply dipping the PMIA substrate into an alkaline dopamine solution. The silver ions can be chemically bound to the catechol and indole functional groups in PDA. The silver ions were reduced into silver nanoparticles by using glucose as the reducing agent, resulting in a distinct silver layer on the PMIA surface. The obtained silver deposit was homogeneous and compact. The chemical composition of the modified PMIA fibers was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and the crystalline structure of the silver-coated PMIA fibers was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The topography of the modified PMIA fibers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The four-point probe resistivity meter was used to study the electrical resistivity of the silver-coated PMIA fibers, the results indicated that the electrical resistivity could be as low as 0.61 mΩ·cm, with a controllable silver content, and a satisfactory stability by ultrasonic treatment.