Activities of genes controlling sphingolipid metabolism in human fibroblasts treated with flavonoids

Aberrations in ion channels interacting with lipid metabolism and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most prevalent malignant gastrointestinal tumor. Ion channels contribute to tumor growth and progression through interactions with their neighboring molecules including lipids. The dysregulation of membrane ion channels and lipid metabolism may contribute to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), leading to metastatic progression. Herein, transcriptome profiles of patients with ESCC were analyzed by performing differential gene expression and weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify the altered ion channels, lipid metabolism- and EMT-related genes in ESCC. A total of 1,081 differentially expressed genes, including 113 ion channels, 487 lipid metabolism-related, and 537 EMT-related genes, were identified in patients with ESCC. Thereafter, EMT scores were correlated with altered co-expressed genes. The altered co-expressed genes indicated a correlation with EMT signatures. Interactions among 22 ion channels with 3 hub lipid metabolism- and 13 hub EMT-related proteins were determined using protein-protein interaction networks. A pathway map was generated to depict deregulated signaling pathways including insulin resistance and the estrogen receptor-Ca²⁺ signaling pathway in ESCC. The relationship between potential ion channels and 5-year survival rates in ESCC was determined using Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 3 (ITPR3) was found to be associated with poor prognosis of patients with ESCC. Additionally, drugs interacting with potential ion channels, including GJA1 and ITPR3, were identified. Understanding alterations in ion channels with lipid metabolism and EMT in ESCC pathophysiology would most likely provide potential targets for the better treatment of patients with ESCC.

Soy isoflavone ameliorated the alterations in circulating adipokines and microRNAs of mice fed a high-fat diet

In mice fed a high-fat diet, soy isoflavone consumption regulated the circulating miRNA profiles, which were significantly associated with adiposity and serum levels of adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin.

Uncovering the mechanism of Astragali Radix against nephrotic syndrome by intergrating lipidomics and network pharmacology

BACKGROUND

Astragali Radix (AR), a common Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is commonly used for treating nephrotic syndrome (NS) in China. At present, the research on the efficacy of AR against NS is relative clearly, but there are fewer researches on the mechanism.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of AR in an adriamycin-induced nephropathy rat model, as well as investigate the possible mechanisms of action and potential lipid biomarkers.

METHODS

In this work, a rat model of NS was established by two injections of ADR (3.5 + 1 mg/kg) into the tail vein. The potential metabolites and targets involved in the anti-NS effects of AR were predicted by lipidomics coupled with the network pharmacology approach, and the crucial metabolite and protein were further validated by western blotting and ELISA.

RESULTS

The results showed that 22 metabolites such as l-carnitine, LysoPC (20:3), and SM (d18:1/16:0) were associated with renal injury. Moreover, SMPD1, CPT1A and LCAT were predicted as lipids linked targets of AR against NS, whilst glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid and fatty acids metabolism were involved as key pathways of AR against NS. Besides, AR could play a critical role in NS by improving oxidative stress, inhibiting apoptosis and reducing inflammation. Interestingly, our results indicated that key metabolite l-carnitine and target CPT1 were one of the important metabolites and targets for AR to exert anti-NS effects.

CONCLUSION

In summary, this study offered a new understanding of the protection mechanism of AR against NS by network pharmacology and lipidomic method.

Microraft array-based platform for sorting of viable microcolonies based on cell-lethal immunoassay of intracellular proteins in microcolony biopsies

The majority of bioassays are cell-lethal and thus cannot be used for cell assay and selection prior to live-cell sorting. A quad microraft array-based platform was developed to perform semi-automated cell sampling, bioassay, and banking on ultra-small sample sizes. The system biopsies and collects colony fragments, quantifies intracellular protein levels via immunostaining, and then retrieves the living mother colonies based on the fragments' immunoassay outcome. To accomplish this, a magnetic, microwell-based plate was developed to mate directly above the microraft array and capture colony fragments with a one-to-one spatial correspondence to their mother colonies. Using the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) model pathway in basophilic leukemia cells, the system was used to sort cells based on the amount of intracellular STAT3 protein phosphorylation (pSTAT3). Colonies were detected on quad arrays using bright field microscopy with 96 ± 20% accuracy (true-positive rate), 49 ± 3% of the colonies were identified as originating from a single cell, and the majority (95 ± 3%) of biopsied clonal fragments were successfully collected into the microwell plate for immunostaining. After assay, biopsied fragments were matched back to their mother colonies and mother colonies with fragments possessing the greatest and least pSTAT3/STAT3 were resampled for expansion and downstream biological assays for pSTAT3/STAT3 and immune granule exocytosis. This approach has the potential to enable colony screening and sorting based on assays not compatible with cell viability, greatly expanding the cell selection criteria available to identify cells with unique phenotypes for subsequent biomedical research.

The Role of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Gene Expression Modulation and Glycosaminoglycan Metabolism in Lysosomal Storage Disorders on an Example of Mucopolysaccharidosis

Obstacles to effective therapies for mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) determine the need for continuous studies in order to enhance therapeutic strategies. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is frequently utilised as a solvent in biological studies, and as a vehicle for drug therapy and the in vivo administration of water-insoluble substances. In the light of the uncertainty on the mechanisms of DMSO impact on metabolism of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) pathologically accumulated in MPSs, in this work, we made an attempt to investigate and resolve the question of the nature of GAG level modulation by DMSO, the isoflavone genistein solvent employed previously by our group in MPS treatment. In this work, we first found the cytotoxic effect of DMSO on human fibroblasts at concentrations above 3%. Also, our results displayed the potential role of DMSO in the regulation of biological processes at the transcriptional level, then demonstrated a moderate impact of the solvent on GAG synthesis. Interestingly, alterations of lysosomal ultrastructure upon DMSO treatment were visible. As there is growing evidence in the literature that DMSO can affect cellular pathways leading to numerous changes, it is important to expand our knowledge concerning this issue.

Abnormal Sphingolipid World in Inflammation Specific for Lysosomal Storage Diseases and Skin Disorders

Research in recent years has shown that sphingolipids are essential signalling molecules for the proper biological and structural functioning of cells. Long-term studies on the metabolism of sphingolipids have provided evidence for their role in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases. As many inflammatory diseases, such as lysosomal storage disorders and some dermatologic diseases, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and ichthyoses, are associated with the altered composition and metabolism of sphingolipids, more studies precisely determining the responsibilities of these compounds for disease states are required to develop novel pharmacological treatment opportunities. It is worth emphasizing that knowledge from the study of inflammatory metabolic diseases and especially the possibility of their treatment may lead to insight into related metabolic pathways, including those involved in the formation of the epidermal barrier and providing new approaches towards workable therapies.

Self-renewing Monolayer of Primary Colonic or Rectal Epithelial Cells

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Three-dimensional organoid culture has fundamentally changed the in vitro study of intestinal biology enabling novel assays; however, its use is limited because of an inaccessible luminal compartment and challenges to data gathering in a three-dimensional hydrogel matrix. Long-lived, self-renewing 2-dimensional (2-D) tissue cultured from primary colon cells has not been accomplished.

METHODS

The surface matrix and chemical factors that sustain 2-D mouse colonic and human rectal epithelial cell monolayers with cell repertoires comparable to that in vivo were identified.

RESULTS

The monolayers formed organoids or colonoids when placed in standard Matrigel culture. As with the colonoids, the monolayers exhibited compartmentalization of proliferative and differentiated cells, with proliferative cells located near the peripheral edges of growing monolayers and differentiated cells predominated in the central regions. Screening of 77 dietary compounds and metabolites revealed altered proliferation or differentiation of the murine colonic epithelium. When exposed to a subset of the compound library, murine organoids exhibited similar responses to that of the monolayer but with differences that were likely attributable to the inaccessible organoid lumen. The response of the human primary epithelium to a compound subset was distinct from that of both the murine primary epithelium and human tumor cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that a self-renewing 2-D murine and human monolayer derived from primary cells can serve as a physiologically relevant assay system for study of stem cell renewal and differentiation and for compound screening. The platform holds transformative potential for personalized and precision medicine and can be applied to emerging areas of disease modeling and microbiome studies.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs modulate cellular glycosaminoglycan synthesis by affecting EGFR and PI3K signaling pathways

In this report, selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), indomethacin and nimesulide, and analgesics acetaminophen, alone, as well as in combination with isoflavone genistein as potential glycosaminoglycan (GAG) metabolism modulators were considered for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) with neurological symptoms due to the effective blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration properties of these compounds. We found that indomethacin and nimesulide, but not acetaminophen, inhibited GAG synthesis in fibroblasts significantly, while the most pronounced impairment of glycosaminoglycan production was observed after exposure to the mixture of nimesulide and genistein. Phosphorylation of the EGF receptor (EGFR) was inhibited even more effective in the presence of indomethacin and nimesulide than in the presence of genistein. When examined the activity of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) production, we observed its most significant decrease in the case of fibroblast exposition to nimesulide, and afterwards to indomethacin and genistein mix, rather than indomethacin used alone. Some effects on expression of individual GAG metabolism-related and lysosomal function genes, and significant activity modulation of a number of genes involved in intracellular signal transduction pathways and metabolism of DNA and proteins were detected. This study documents that NSAIDs, and their mixtures with genistein modulate cellular glycosaminoglycan synthesis by affecting EGFR and PI3K signaling pathways.