Activators and target genes of Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factors

Efficacy of vamorolone in treatment of Duchene muscle dystrophy. A meta-analysis

Background and aim

Recent studies evaluated the role of vamorolone in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), so we aimed in our Meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of vamorolone in comparison with placebo and corticosteroids for treating DMD patients.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases. We included any randomized control trials and controlled observational studies that investigated the role of vamorolone in treating DMD patients. We used RevMan software, version 5.4. to perform our meta-analysis.

Results

After a search of the literature, 4 studies were included in the meta-analysis; the total number of patients included in the study is 277 patients, 125 patients in the vamorolone group, 106 in the glucocorticoids group, and 46 in placebo (steroid naïve) group. The pooled analysis showed a statistically significant association between the vamorolone group and increased TTSTAND velocity, TTRW velocity and TTCLIMB velocity compared with the placebo group (MD = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.02-0.07, p = 0.002), (MD = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.11-0.37, p = 0.0003), and (MD = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.05-0.06, p < 0.00001), respectively. Also, the analysis showed a statistically significant association between vamorolone and increased TTRW velocity and increased Height percentile for age compared with the glucocorticoid group (MD = -0.14, 95% CI = -0.26 to -0.01, p = 0.03) and (MD = 17.82, 95% CI = 3.89-31.75, p = 0.01), respectively.

Conclusion

Our study revealed a significant association between vamorolone and increased TTSTAND velocity, TTRW velocity, and TTCLIMB velocity compared with the placebo (steroid naïve), also showed a statistically significant association between increased TTRW velocity and increased Height percentile for age compared with the glucocorticoid that enhances the privilege of vamorolone over glucocorticoid in treating DMD patients. More multicenter randomized studies are needed to support our results.

New Insights into Artesunate as a Pleiotropic Regulator of Innate and Adaptive Immune Cells

Artesunate, one of the derivatives of artemisinin (“qinghaosu” in Chinese), is known as an antimalarial drug with high efficiency and low toxicity. Of interest, emerging evidences suggest that artesunate also possesses an immunomodulatory effect during innate and adaptive immune responses in cell types and context-dependent manner. Although it shows promising application in many diseases, such as inflammatory diseases, hypersensitivity, autoimmune diseases, and cancers, little is known about underlying molecular. In this review, we summarize recent advances of how artesunate regulates innate and adaptive immune cells. In addition, its potential application in immune-related diseases is also highlighted.

A network pharmacology approach: Inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway contributes to the NASH preventative effect of an Oroxylum indicum seed extract in oleic acid-stimulated HepG2 cells and high-fat diet-fed rats

BACKGROUND

The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), especially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has significantly increased in recent years and has become an important public health issue. However, no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved first-line drug is currently available for the treatment of NAFLD and NASH; therefore, research on new drugs is currently a hot topic. Oroxylum indicum (Linn.) Kurz is extensively distributed in South China and South Asia and has many biological activities. However, its effects on NAFLD or even NASH and the corresponding mechanisms are still not clear.

PURPOSE

To investigate the effect and mechanism of O. indicum seed extract (OISE) on preventing anti-inflammatory action in the progression from simple nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to NASH.

METHODS

A network pharmacology method to construct ingredient-target networks and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of OISE in NASH were constructed for topological analyses and hub-target screening. Enrichment analyses were performed to identify the critical biological processes and signaling pathways. Simultaneously, in vitro and in vivo experiments investigated the effect and mechanism of OISE, baicalein, and chrysin on inflammation by biochemical indicator detection, luciferase reporters, pathological staining, and immunoblotting in oleic acid-stimulated HepG2 cells or in high-fat diet-fed rats.

RESULTS

The network pharmacology showed that OISE prevented the development and progression of NAFL into NASH through various pathways and targets and that the nuclear factor NF-κB (NF-κB) pathway regulated by baicalein and chrysin played an important role in the treatment of NASH. In in vitro experiments, we further showed that OISE and its ingredients, namely, baicalein and chrysin, all improved the inflammatory status in oleic acid-stimulated HepG2 cells, inhibited the nuclear transcriptional activities of NF-κB, increased the IκB level, and decreased the phosphorylation level of NF-κB. Furthermore, in a high-fat diet-induced NASH model in rats, we also showed that OISE prevented the development and progression of NASH by inhibiting the nuclear transcriptional activity of NF-κB.

CONCLUSION

OISE suppressed inflammatory responses and prevented the development and progression of NAFL into NASH through inhibition of the nuclear transcriptional activity of NF-κB. OISE may be used to treat NAFLD through many functions, including an increase in insulin sensitivity, a decrease in lipid accumulation in the liver, suppression of inflammation, and clearance of free radicals.

Isoflurane Preconditioning Attenuates Brain Injury Induced by Electromagnetic Pulse via the TLR4/NFκB Signaling Pathway

Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a unique type of electromagnetic radiation, and EMP exposure causes a series of biological effects. The nervous system is sensitive to EMP. We studied the neuroprotective effects of isoflurane preconditioning against EMP exposure and used hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) to observe the effects of electromagnetic pulse and isoflurane preconditioning on neurons. Inflammatory cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to detect the expression of caspase-3, CD11b, TLR4, and NFκBp65. We found that after EMP exposure, the number of abnormal neurons had increased, and the expression of caspase-3, CD11b, TLR4, and NFκBp65 had also increased. Isoflurane preconditioning can reverse the above phenomenon. Moreover, we found that isoflurane preconditioning can reduce neuronal apoptosis and improve cognitive impairment induced by EMP. These findings indicate that isoflurane preconditioning can protect neurons in the cerebral cortex from EMP exposure, alleviate the inflammatory reaction and cell apoptosis, and improve cognitive impairment induced by EMP. These effects may occur through the downregulation of the TLR4/NFκB signaling pathway and the inhibition of microglial activation.

Constitutive renal Rel/nuclear factor-κB expression in Lewis polycystic kidney disease rats

AIM: To determine the temporal expression and pattern of Rel/nuclear factor (NF)-κB proteins in renal tissue in polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

METHODS: The renal expression of Rel/NF-κB proteins was determined by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and immunoblot analysis in Lewis polycystic kidney rats (LPK, a genetic ortholog of human nephronopthsis-9) from postnatal weeks 3 to 20. At each timepoint, renal disease progression and the mRNA expression of NF-κB-dependent genes (TNFα and CCL2) were determined. NF-κB was also histologically assessed in human PKD tissue.

RESULTS: Progressive kidney enlargement in LPK rats was accompanied by increased renal cell proliferation and interstitial monocyte accumulation (peaking at weeks 3 and 10 respectively), and progressive interstitial fibrosis (with α smooth muscle actin and Sirius Red deposition significantly increased compared to Lewis kidneys from weeks 3 to 6 onwards). Rel/NF-κB proteins (phosphorylated-p105, p65, p50, c-Rel and RelB) were expressed in cystic epithelial cells (CECs) of LPK kidneys as early as postnatal week 3 and sustained until late-stage disease at week 20. From weeks 10 to 20, nuclear p65, p50, RelB and cytoplasmic IκBα protein levels, and TNFα and CCL2 expression, were upregulated in LPK compared to Lewis kidneys. NF-κB proteins were consistently expressed in CECs of human PKD. The DNA damage marker γ-H2AX was also identified in the CECs of LPK and human polycystic kidneys.

CONCLUSION: Several NF-κB proteins are consistently expressed in CECs in human and experimental PKD. These data suggest that the upregulation of both the canonical and non-canonical pathways of NF-κB signaling may be a constitutive and early pathological feature of cystic renal diseases.

Immortalized fibroblasts from NF-kappaB RelA knockout mice show phenotypic heterogeneity and maintain increased sensitivity to tumor necrosis factor alpha after transformation by v-Ras

Activation of the NF-kappaB pathway can either promote or block apoptosis and oncogenesis in different cell types and circumstances. In this report, we show that independently derived immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblast cell lines prepared from RelA knockout mice have different phenotypes, based on their sensitivity to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-induced apoptosis, morphology, ability to form colonies in soft agar, and the presence of distinct kappaB site-binding complexes. In addition, these RelA-deficient cell lines appear to have distinct alterations in the p53 pathway, which correlate with the normal vs transformed status of individual cell lines. We have also infected mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking RelA, c-Rel or p50 with a retrovirus for the expression of v-Ha-Ras to determine whether individual NF-kappaB family members are required for Ras-mediated transformation. All three NF-kappaB-deficient cell types could be transformed by v-Ha-Ras. However, v-Ras-infected RelA-deficient cells formed colonies in soft agar at an approximately fourfold reduced efficiency compared to v-Ras-transformed control mouse 3T3 and p50-deficient cells. Ras transformation did not alter the sensitivity of RelA-deficient cells to TNFalpha-induced apoptosis, and Ras transformation did not affect the general resistance of 3T3, c-Rel-deficient, and p50-deficient cells to TNFalpha-induced apoptosis. However, TNFalpha specifically and dose-dependently decreased the ability of v-Ras-transformed RelA-deficient cells to form colonies in soft agar. These results suggest that RelA is a potential protein target for human tumors driven by oncogenic Ras mutations, but caution that inhibition of RelA may promote tumorigenesis in some circumstances.