Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology最新文献

Objective: The activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome has been implicated in male infertility. Our study aimed to investigate the therapeutic role of Thiolutin (THL), an inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, on oligoasthenospermia (OA) and to elucidate its mechanisms.

Materials and methods: Semen from 50 OA and 20 healthy males were analyzed to assess the sperm quality and levels of inflammatory markers. Their correlation was determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The BALB/c mice were intraperitoneal injected by cyclophosphamide at 60 mg/kg/day for five days to induce OA, followed by a two-week treatment with THL or L-carnitine. Reproductive organ size and H&E staining were determined to observe the organ and seminiferous tubule morphology. ELISA and western blotting were utilized to measure sex hormone levels, inflammatory markers, and NLRP3 inflammasome levels. Furthermore, male and female mice were co-housed to observe pregnancy success rates.

Results: OA patients exhibited a decrease in sperm density and motility compared to healthy individuals, along with elevated levels of IL-1β, IL-18 and NLRP3 inflammasome. In vivo, THL ameliorated OA-induced atrophy of reproductive organs, hormonal imbalance, and improved sperm density, motility, spermatogenesis and pregnancy success rates with negligible adverse effects on weight or liver-kidney function. THL also demonstrated to be able to inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and associated proteins in OA mice.

Discussion: THL can improve sperm quality and hormonal balance in OA mice through the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Thus, THL holds promising potential as a therapeutic agent for OA.

Objective: Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling play an important role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the link between TLR2 and ERS in IBD is unclear. This study investigated whether Thapsigargin (TG) -induced ER protein expression levels contributed to TLR2-mediated inflammatory response.

Methods: The THP-1 cells were treated with TLR2 agonist (Pam3CSK4), ERS inducer Thapsigargin (TG) or inhibitor (TUDCA). The mRNA expressions of TLR1-TLR10 were detected by qPCR. The production and secretion of inflammatory factors were detected by PCR and ELISA. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of GRP78 and TLR2 in the intestinal mucosa of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The IBD mouse model was established by TNBS in the modeling group. ERS inhibitor (TUDCA) was used in the treatment group.

Results: The expression of TLRs was detected via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in THP-1 cells treated by ERS agonist Thapsigargin (TG). According to the findings, TG could promote TLR2 and TLR5 expression. Subsequently, in TLR2 agonist Pam3CSK4 induced THP-1 cells, TG could lead to increased expression of the inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8, and ERS inhibitor (TUDCA) could block this effect. However, Pam3CSK4 did not significantly impact the GRP78 and CHOP expression. Based upon the immunohistochemical results, TLR2 and GRP78 expression were significantly increased in the intestinal mucosa of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). For in vivo experiments, TUDCA displayed the ability to inhibit intestinal mucosal inflammation and reduce GRP78 and TLR2 proteins.

Conclusions: ERS and TLR2 is upregulated in inflammatory bowel disease, ERS may promote TLR2 pathway-mediated inflammatory response. Moreover, ERS and TLR2 signaling could be novel therapeutic targets for IBD.

Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic and refractory nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease, affects millions of patients worldwide and increases the risk of colorectal cancer. Teprenone is an acylic polyisoprenoid that exerts anti-inflammatory properties in rat models of peptic ulcer disease. This in vitro and in vivo study was designed to investigate the effects of teprenone on UC and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 cells) serve as the in vitro experimental model. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 μg/mL) was employed to stimulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α), Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), MyD88 expression, and NF-κB activation. A trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced chronic UC rat model was employed for the in vivo assay.

Results: Pro-inflammatory cytokine stimulation by LPS in Caco-2 cells was inhibited by teprenone at 40 μg/mL through the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Teprenone attenuated TNBS-induced UC, decreased myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde, induced TLR4 expression and NF-κB activation, and increased glutathione and zonula occludens-1 level in the rat colonic tissue. Moreover, Fusobacterium, Escherichia coli, Porphyromonas gingivalis elevation, and Mogibacterium timidum decline in UC rats were inhibited by teprenone.

Conclusion: Based on our results, the protective effects of teprenone for UC may be related to its ability to modulate the gut microbiota and reduce the inflammatory response.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a pulmonary fibrotic disease characterized by a poor prognosis, which its pathogenesis involves the accumulation of abnormal fibrous tissue, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Ivermectin, a positive allosteric modulator of GABA_A receptor, exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in preclinical studies. The present study investigates the potential protective effects of ivermectin treatment in rats against bleomycin-induced IPF.

Materials and methods: The present study involved 42 male Wistar rats, which were divided into five groups: control (without induction of IPF), bleomycin (IPF-induced by bleomycin 2.5 mg/kg, by intratracheal administration), and three fibrosis groups receiving ivermectin (0.5, 1, and 3 mg/kg). lung tissues were harvested for measurement of oxidative stress [via myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH)] and inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin-1β [IL-1β], and transforming growth factor-β [TGF-β]). Histological assessments of tissue damage were performed using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining methods.

Results: The induction of fibrosis via bleomycin was found to increase levels of MPO as well as TNF-α, IL-1β, and TGF-β while decrease SOD activity and GSH level. Treatment with ivermectin at a dosage of 3 mg/kg was able to reverse the effects of bleomycin-induced fibrosis on these markers. In addition, results from H&E and Masson's trichrome staining showed that ivermectin treatment at this same dose reduced tissue damage and pulmonary fibrosis.

Conclusion: The data obtained from this study indicate that ivermectin may have therapeutic benefits for IPF, likely due to its ability to reduce inflammation and mitigate oxidative stress-induced toxicity.

Background: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has emerged as a potential and secure antiproteinuric agent in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). This study endeavored to explore the impact of HCQ on the immune functionality and intestinal flora disorders in IgAN rats, as well as to elucidate the underlying mechanisms through in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Methods: IgAN model was established in Sprague-Dawley rats through the administration of BSA, LPS, and CCl₄, and the IgAN rats received a continuous 8-week treatment with HCQ. Moreover, the human glomerular mesangial cells (HMCs) were incubated with IgA1 to establish an in vitro cellular model of IgAN. At the end of experimental period, samples were collected for further analysis.

Results: HCQ ameliorated the elevated levels of 24hUTP, SCr, BUN, the number of urinary RBC, and the activation of inflammation-related proteins within the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. In the IgAN rat group, there was a pronounced escalation in IgA deposition, mesangial matrix hyperplasia, and glomerular inflammatory cell infiltration, while the administration of HCQ effectively mitigated these pathological changes. In addition, the reduced production of CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg in the IgAN group was effectively reversed by HCQ. Furthermore, HCQ has the capacity to restore the compromised state of the intestinal mucosal barrier induced by IgAN and mitigate the circumstances of intestinal permeability and disruption in the intestinal flora.

Conclusion: HCQ diminishes IgA aberrant glycosylation levels, ameliorates renal and intestinal histopathological damage, and attenuates intestinal flora disorders and immune dysfunction in IgAN rats by means of activating the C1GALT1/Cosmc pathway.

Aim: One of the serious complications of sepsis is liver damage and liver failure. This study aimed to evaluate the protective and therapeutic potential of melatonin in rats with lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis.

Main methods: Female Spraque-Dawley rats received single a dose of 7.5 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide in saline to create a 24-h sepsis model. One of the other groups received melatonin at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day beginning 1 week before sepsis induction to the end of the experiment. The melatonin group received the same doses of melatonin for the same duration but not lipopolysaccharide. The vehicle group received the same doses of saline, the vehicle of melatonin, for the same duration. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, the rats were decapitated. By appropriate histochemical, immunohistochemical, biochemical, and molecular techniques, anti-necrotic, anti-apoptotic, anti-necroptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of melatonin were assessed.

Key findings: Lipopolysaccharide has disrupted liver functions by inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, necrotic, apoptotic, and necroptotic cell death, thus disrupting liver functions. Melatonin was found to be beneficial in terms of inhibiting the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis and tissue oxidant levels, stimulating tissue antioxidant enzyme levels, and restoring hepatocyte functions.

Significance: Melatonin, at those doses and duration, was found to be hepatoprotective by mainly modulating oxidative status and apoptosis rate, however, failed to significantly reduce histopathological damage. We suggest that longer-term melatonin administration may produce anti-inflammatory and anti-necrotic effects as well.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that early life stress (ELS) and neuroinflammation are associated with the pathophysiology of depression. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Vortioxetine (VOR), a novel antidepressant, on ELS-induced behavioral changes and neuroinflammation.

Method: Wistar Albino 4-week-old male rats were divided into four groups: control; chronic unpredictable stress (CUMS), VOR, CUMS + VOR. Neurobehavioral assessment was performed on the first, 21st, and 42nd days. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of P2X7, NLRP3, IL1β, IL18 in the prefrontal cortex. To assess the microglial activities of the prefrontal cortex, immunohistochemically stained CD68, and leukocyte common antigen (LCA) preparations were scanned with Manual WSI software, Basler camera, and scored.

Result and discussion: Exposure to CUMS was associated with depression and anxiety-like behaviors, and administration of VOR led to improvement in these behaviors. NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18 were shown to be upregulated in the prefrontal cortex of CUMS rats, while their high expression was inhibited by VOR treatment. CD68 and LCA expressions were significantly higher in the CUMS group compared to the other groups.

Conclusion: According to these results, it may be considered that NLRP3 inflammasome-associated neuroinflammatory response and microglial activation may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of ELS.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the protective action and mechanism of songorine on sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI).

Methods: The sepsis-induced ALI mouse and cell models were established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induction. Lung injury was assayed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, lung injury score, and lung wet-to-dry (W/D) weight ratio. Apoptosis in lung tissues was evaluated by TUNEL assay, and the expression of apoptosis-related markers (Bcl2, Bax, and caspase-3) was measured by western blotting. Levels of pro-inflammatory factors and oxidative stress markers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice were measured by ELISA and RT-qPCR. The expression of PI3K/AKT/NRF2 pathway-related proteins was analyzed by western blotting.

Results: Songorine treatment at 40 mg/kg mitigated sepsis-induced ALI, characterized by improved histopathology, lung injury score, and lung W/D weight ratio (p < 0.05). Moreover, songorine markedly attenuated sepsis-induced apoptosis in lung tissues; this was evidenced by an increase in Bcl2 levels and a decrease in Bax and caspase-3 levels (p < 0.01). Also, songorine reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and MPO) and oxidative stress regulators (SOD and GSH) in the BALF of LPS-induced sepsis mice and RAW264.7 cells (p < 0.05). In addition, songorine upregulated the PI3K/AKT/NRF2 pathway-related proteins in LPS-induced sepsis mice and RAW264.7 cells (p < 0.05). Furthermore, LY294002 (a PI3K inhibitor) treatment reversed the protective effect of songorine on sepsis-induced ALI.

Conclusion: Songorine inhibits oxidative stress-related inflammation in sepsis-induced ALI via the activation of the PI3K/AKT/NRF2 signaling pathway.