Attenuation of indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal injury by prophylactic administration of sake yeast-derived thioredoxin

Unveiling the interplay between NSAID-induced dysbiosis and autoimmune liver disease in children: insights into the hidden gateway to autism spectrum disorders. Evidence from ex vivo, in vivo, and clinical studies

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent a diverse group of neuropsychiatric conditions, and recent evidence has suggested a connection between ASD and microbial dysbiosis. Immune and gastrointestinal dysfunction are associated with dysbiosis, and there are indications that modulating the microbiota could improve ASD-related behaviors. Additionally, recent findings highlighted the significant impact of microbiota on the development of autoimmune liver diseases, and the occurrence of autoimmune liver disease in children with ASD is noteworthy. In the present study, we conducted both an in vivo study and a clinical study to explore the relationship between indomethacin-induced dysbiosis, autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and the development of ASD. Our results revealed that indomethacin administration induced intestinal dysbiosis and bacterial translocation, confirmed by microbiological analysis showing positive bacterial translocation in blood cultures. Furthermore, indomethacin administration led to disturbed intestinal permeability, evidenced by the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasomes pathway and elevation of downstream biomarkers (TLR4, IL18, caspase 1). The histological analysis supported these findings, showing widened intestinal tight junctions, decreased mucosal thickness, inflammatory cell infiltrates, and collagen deposition. Additionally, the disturbance of intestinal permeability was associated with immune activation in liver tissue and the development of AIH, as indicated by altered liver function, elevated ASMA and ANA in serum, and histological markers of autoimmune hepatitis. These results indicate that NSAID-induced intestinal dysbiosis and AIH are robust triggers for ASD existence. These findings were further confirmed by conducting a clinical study that involved children with ASD, autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and a history of NSAID intake. Children exposed to NSAIDs in early life and complicated by dysbiosis and AIH exhibited elevated serum levels of NLRP3, IL18, liver enzymes, ASMA, ANA, JAK1, and IL6. Further, the correlation analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between the measured parameters and the severity of ASD. Our findings suggest a potential link between NSAIDs, dysbiosis-induced AIH, and the development of ASD. The identified markers hold promise as indicators for early diagnosis and prognosis of ASD. This research highlights the importance of maintaining healthy gut microbiota and supports the necessity for further investigation into the role of dysbiosis and AIH in the etiology of ASD.

Effect of chronic administration with human thioredoxin-1 transplastomic lettuce on diabetic mice

SCOPE

Human thioredoxin-1 (hTrx-1) is a defensive protein induced by various stresses and exerts antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. Previously, we described a transplastomic lettuce overexpressing hTrx-1 that exerts a protective effect against oxidative damage in a pancreatic β-cell line. In this study, we treated diabetic mice (Akita mice) with exogenous hTrx-1 and evaluated the effects.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Treatment with drinking water and single applications of exogenous hTrx-1 did not influence the feeding, drinking behavior, body weight, blood glucose, or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in Akita mice. However, chronic administration of a 10% hTrx-1 lettuce-containing diet was associated with a significant reduction from the baseline of HbA1c levels compared with mice fed a wild-type lettuce-containing diet. It also resulted in an increased number of goblet cells in the small intestine, indicating that mucus was synthesized and secreted.

CONCLUSION

Our results revealed that the administration of an hTrx-1 lettuce-containing diet improves the baseline level of HbA1c in Akita mice. This effect is mediated through goblet cell proliferation and possibly related to protection against postprandial hyperglycemia by mucus, which results in the improvement of blood glucose control. These findings suggest that the hTrx-1 lettuce may be a useful tool for the continuous antioxidative and antidiabetic efficacies of the hTrx-1 protein.

A new cationic palladium(II) dithiocarbamate exhibits anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities through inhibition of inflammatory mediators in in vivo models

Inflammation is being a protective mechanism of the body towards the injury. However, chronic and progressive inflammation may lead to some chronic diseases. Due to the serious unwanted effects associated with available drugs, new and safe anti-inflammatory agents are still required. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, analgesics, and antipyretic properties of a new compound (4-benzylpiperidine-1-carbodithioato-κ2S,S')(1,4-bis-(diphenylphosphino)butane)palladium(II)chloride monohydrate (compound-1) in albino mice models. Compound-1 was characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. Initially, compound-1 was evaluated for cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities by performing MTT assay, carrageenan-, histamine-, serotonin-, and CFA-induced paw edema, mechanical hyperalgesia, thermal hyperalgesia, and mechanical allodynia (0.1, 1, and 10 mg/kg, b.w). Antipyretic activity was evaluated in brewer's yeast-induced model. The pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured by using commercially available ELISA kits. Additionally, nitrite production, antioxidant enzymes, H&E staining, muscle activity and motor coordination, and kidney and liver function tests were also determined. The results demonstrated that compound-1 significantly inhibited inflammation, pain, and febrile responses in all models at a dose of 10 mg/kg without effecting viability of cells in vitro at concentrations up to 100 μM. Similarly, the data clearly demonstrated significant reduction in the pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitrite production while enhancing antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, pretreatment with compound-1 did not produce any prominent side effect on kidney, liver, stomach, and muscles. These findings suggest that compound-1 has potent anti-inflammatory-, pain-, and pyrexia-relieving properties. Hence, compound-1 might be a potential candidate for the therapeutic management of chronic inflammation and pain.

Anti-Inflammatory Thioredoxin Family Proteins for Medicare, Healthcare and Aging Care

Human thioredoxin (TRX) is a 12-kDa protein with redox-active dithiol in the active site -Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys-, which is induced by biological stress due to oxidative damage, metabolic dysfunction, chemicals, infection/inflammation, irradiation, or hypoxia/ischemia-reperfusion. Our research has demonstrated that exogenous TRX is effective in a wide variety of inflammatory diseases, including viral pneumonia, acute lung injury, gastric injury, and dermatitis, as well as in the prevention and amelioration of food allergies. Preclinical and clinical studies using recombinant TRX (rhTRX) are now underway. We have also identified substances that induce the expression of TRX in the body, in vegetables and other plant ingredients. Skincare products are being developed that take advantage of the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic action of TRX. Furthermore, we are currently engaged in the highly efficient production of pure rhTRX in several plants, such as lettuce, grain and rice.

A 35 kDa Phyllanthus niruri protein suppresses indomethacin mediated hepatic impairments: Its role in Hsp70, HO-1, JNKs and Ca2+ dependent inflammatory pathways

The present study has been conducted to explore a novel strategy to modulate the unfavourable effects of indomethacin by Phyllanthus niruri protein (PNP) and the underlying mechanism PNP exploits for the amelioration of that pathophysiology. In hepatocytes, indomethacin enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduced intracellular antioxidant capacity, up regulated mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPKs), disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, activated apoptotic pathways and there by reduced the viability of the hepatocytes. Simultaneous treatment with PNP modulated these detrimental actions of the drug and retained cell viability. Similarly, in mice, indomethacin elevated serum marker enzymes (e.g. Alanine Transaminase), decreased antioxidant enzyme activities, elevated oxidations of lipids and proteins, increased intracellular calcium overload mediated endoplasmic reticular stress (ER stress) pathways, up regulated the pro-inflammatory cytokines and there by leading to the mitochondrial dependent caspase-3 activation and poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage. Moreover investigation of these inherent molecular pathways exhibited that these alterations are associated with up regulation of MAPKs, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), heme oxygenase-1 and down regulation of survival proteins. However, PNP suppressed those apoptotic indices as evidenced from histopathological studies and DNA fragmentation analysis. Combining, results suggest that PNP could possibly provide a protection against indomethacin-induced hepatic pathophysiology.

Thiol redox barrier; local and systemic surveillance against stress and inflammatory diseases

A 12-kDa protein with redox-active dithiol in the active site -Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys-, human thioredoxin 1 (TRX) has demonstrated an excellent anti-inflammatory effect in various animal models. TRX is induced by various oxidative stress factors, including ultraviolet rays, radiation, oxidation, viral infections, ischemia reperfusion and anticancer agents, and are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of various diseases. We have demonstrated that systemic administration and transgenic overexpression of TRX is effective in a wide variety of in vivo inflammatory disease models, such as viral pneumonia, acute lung injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, indomethacin-induced gastric injury, and dermatitis. Our recent studies indicate that topically applied TRX prevents skin inflammation via the inhibition of local formation of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. These indicate that the activation of inflammasome in skin and mucosa may be regulated by TRX. These suggest that application of TRX may be useful for the treatment of various skin and mucosal inflammatory disorders. Based on these results, we are conducting clinical studies to develop human recombinant thioredoxin 1 (rhTRX) pharmaceuticals. We have also developed substances that increase the expression of TRX in the body (TRX-inducing substances) in vegetables and other plant ingredients, and we are also developing skin-care products and functional foods that take advantage of the anti-inflammation and anti-allergic action of TRX.

Protective effects of oral administration of yeast thioredoxin against gastric mucosal injury

Thioredoxin (TRX) is a redox regulating protein which has protective effects against oxidative stress-induced damage to cells and tissues. In this study, we investigated the effects of orally administered TRX derived from edible yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, on gastric mucosa. First, we examined the digestibility of orally administered yeast TRX in mice, and detected yeast TRX in the stomach for 4 h after administration. Next, we investigated the mitigation of gastric mucosal injury after the oral administration of yeast TRX in water-immersion restraint stress and HCl/ethanol-induced gastric ulcer models. Furthermore, we conducted DNA microarray analysis, using the HCl/ethanol-induced model, which revealed that several groups of genes related to tissue repair were upregulated in ulcer regions in the stomachs of rats administered with yeast TRX. These results demonstrated the viability of the use of oral administrations of yeast TRX to protect the gastric mucosa.

Ongoing applicative studies of plant thioredoxins

Studies triggered by the discovery of the function of thioredoxin (Trx) in photosynthesis have revealed its role throughout biology. Parallel biochemical and proteomic analyses have led to the identification of its numerous putative targets. Recently, to verify the biological significance of these targets, in vivo studies using transformants in which Trx is overexpressed or suppressed are in progress, and the transformants themselves that are being used in such studies show their potential applicative values. Moreover, Trx's mitigation of allergenicity for some proteins offers promising prospects in the food industry. Practical studies based on redox regulation, once only on the horizon, are now achieving new dimensions. This short review focuses on the industrial applications of Trx studies, the current situation, and future perspectives. The putative targets obtained by the proteomics approach in comparison with in vivo observations of the transformants are also examined. Applicative studies of glutathione, a counterpart of Trx, are also discussed briefly.

Identification of Sake Extract as a New Anti-melanogenic Ingredient by in vitro and Clinical Trials

Overproduction of melanin is the cause of skin hyperpigmentation, which is related to several skin diseases and cosmetic concerns. Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage produced from rice and water by fermentation, but is little known for its effect on melanogenesis. To identify the effect of sake extract on melanin synthesis, a melanin assay was performed in melan-A murine melanocytes. Sake extract treatment significantly inhibited melanin production in a dose-dependent manner, and tyrosinase, the rate-limiting enzyme of melanogenesis, decreased significantly at the protein level. Further investigations were performed with multiple assay systems; a sake extract reduced melanin production in melan-A/SP-1 murine cell co-culture, and also in MelanoDermTM, a skin equivalent model of human keratinocytes-melanocytes. Finally, subjects were treated with a formula containing the sake extract. Topical application of the sake extract product improved skin lightness (L*) significantly within 7 days. We identified sake extract as a new anti-melanogenic ingredient through in vitro and in vivo experiments. These results suggest that a sake extract can be used to improve skin hyperpigmentation.

Thioredoxin ameliorates cutaneous inflammation by regulating the epithelial production and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines

Human thioredoxin-1 (TRX) is a 12-kDa protein with redox-active dithiol in the active site -Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys-. It has been demonstrated that systemic administration and transgenic overexpression of TRX ameliorate inflammation in various animal models, but its anti-inflammatory mechanism is not well characterized. We investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of topically applied recombinant human TRX (rhTRX) in a murine irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) induced by croton oil. Topically applied rhTRX was distributed only in the skin tissues under both non-inflammatory and inflammatory conditions, and significantly suppressed the inflammatory response by inhibiting the production of cytokines and chemokines, such as TNF-α, Il-1β, IL-6, CXCL-1, and MCP-1. In an in vitro study, rhTRX also significantly inhibited the formation of cytokines and chemokines produced by keratinocytes after exposure to croton oil and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. These results indicate that TRX prevents skin inflammation via the inhibition of local formation of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. As a promising new approach, local application of TRX may be useful for the treatment of various skin and mucosal inflammatory disorders.