Gene expression analysis of intestinal IL-8, IL-17 A and IL-10 in patients with celiac and inflammatory bowel diseases

Effects of Branched-Chain Amino Acids on the Inflammatory Response Induced by LPS in Caco-2 Cells

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential for maintaining intestinal mucosal integrity. However, only a few studies have explored the role of BCAA in the modulation of intestinal inflammation. In this study, we investigated in vitro effects of BCAA on the inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1 µg/mL) in Caco-2 cells. Caco-2 cells were assigned to six groups: control without BCAA (CTL0), normal BCAA (CTL; 0.8 mM leucine, 0.8 mM isoleucine, and 0.8 mM valine); leucine (LEU; 2 mM leucine), isoleucine (ISO; 2 mM isoleucine), valine (VAL; 2 mM valine), and high BCAA (LIV; 2 mM leucine, 2 mM isoleucine, and 2 mM valine). BCAA was added to the culture medium 24 h before LPS stimulation. Our results indicated that BCAA supplementation did not impair cell viability. The amino acids leucine and isoleucine attenuated the synthesis of IL-8 and JNK and NF-kB phosphorylation induced by LPS. Furthermore, neither BCAA supplementation nor LPS treatment modulated the activity of glutathione peroxidase or the intracellular reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio. Therefore, leucine and isoleucine exert anti-inflammatory effects in Caco-2 cells exposed to LPS by modulating JNK and NF-kB phosphorylation and IL-8 production. Further in vivo studies are required to validate these findings and gather valuable information for potential therapeutic or dietary interventions.

Association between inflammatory bowel disease and interleukins, chemokines: a two-sample bidirectional mendelian randomization study

Background

Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to evaluate the bidirectional causal relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and interleukins (ILs), chemokines.

Methods

Genetic instruments and summary data of five ILs and six chemokines were obtained from a genome-wide association study database, and instrumental variables related to IBD were obtained from the FinnGen Consortium. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) was used as the main MR analysis method, and several other MR methods including MR-Egger and weighted median were used to confirm the reliability of the results. Sensitivity analyses such as heterogeneity and pleiotropy were also performed.

Results

The IVW method provided evidence to support that genetically predicted IL-16, IL-18, and CXCL10 significantly positively correlated with IBD, while IL-12p70 and CCL23 significantly negatively correlated with IBD. IL-16 and IL-18 had a suggestive association with an increased risk of ulcerative colitis (UC), and CXCL10 had a suggestive association with an increased risk of Crohn's disease (CD). However, there was no evidence to support that IBD and two main subtypes (UC and CD) are associated with changes in the levels of ILs and chemokines. The results of the sensitivity analyses were robust and no evidence of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy was observed.

Conclusions

The present study showed that some ILs and chemokines affect IBD, but IBD and its main subtypes (UC and CD) have no effect on the level changes of ILs and chemokines.

Deciphering the pharmacological mechanisms of Fraxini Cortex for ulcerative colitis treatment based on network pharmacology and in vivo studies

BACKGROUND

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a common type of inflammatory bowel disease. Due to the elusive pathogenesis, safe and effective treatment strategies are still lacking. Fraxini Cortex (FC) has been widely used as a medicinal herb to treat some diseases. However, the pharmacological mechanisms of FC for UC treatment are still unclear.

METHODS

An integrated platform combining network pharmacology and experimental studies was introduced to decipher the mechanism of FC against UC. The active compounds, therapeutic targets, and the molecular mechanism of action were acquired by network pharmacology, and the interaction between the compounds and target proteins were verified by molecular docking. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model was employed to assess the therapeutic effect of FC on UC, and validate the molecular mechanisms of action predicted by network pharmacology.

RESULTS

A total of 20 bioactive compounds were retrieved, and 115 targets were predicted by using the online databases. Ursolic acid, fraxetin, beta-sitosterol, and esculetin were identified as the main active compounds of FC against UC. PPI network analysis identified 28 FC-UC hub genes that were mainly enriched in the IL-17 signaling pathway, the TNF signaling pathway, and pathways in cancer. Molecular docking confirmed that the active compounds had high binding affinities to the predicted target proteins. GEO dataset analysis showed that these target genes were highly expressed in the UC clinical samples compared with that in the healthy controls. Experimental studies showed that FC alleviated DSS-induced colitis symptoms, reduced inflammatory cytokines release, and suppressed the expression levels of IL1β, COX2, MMP3, IL-17 and RORγt in colon tissues.

CONCLUSION

FC exhibits anti-UC properties through regulating multi-targets and multi-pathways with multi-components. In vivo results demonstrated that FC alleviated DSS-induced colitis.

Rectal prolapse as a manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease with celiac disease in a 2-year-old male: a rare case report

The co-occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and celiac disease (CeD) is uncommon. The typical sign of this co-occurrence is malabsorption which leads to anemia, diarrhea, and malnutrition. In rare cases, recurrent rectal prolapse may also occur.

Case presentation

A 2-year-old Syrian male baby presented with failure to thrive and chronic diarrhea for 18 months, along with recurrent rectal prolapse for the last 6 months. Biopsies taken confirmed a diagnosis of stage 3b celiac disease according to the Marsh classification. Furthermore, biopsies taken confirmed a diagnosis of IBD. Then, a high-fiber diet to manage IBD and celiac diet were both needed simultaneously, with signs of rectal prolapse, diarrhea, and bloating, occurring when either or both diets were stopped.

Clinical discussion

The diagnosis was initially explained by the malnutrition and anemia. Even after the gluten-free diet, the patient showed no improvement in diarrhea and developed inferior gastrointestinal bleeding suggested anal fissure, infectious colitis, polyps, IBD, or solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. The relationship between celiac disease and IBD, in children, is still unclear. Current studies suggest that such co-occurrence is associated with higher risks of developing other autoimmune-related disorders, growth and puberty delay, and comorbidities.

Conclusions

In the cases of pediatric co-occurrence of IBD and celiac disease, a conservative therapy consisting of two-fold diets for the two diseases should be tried first. If this step succeeds in controlling the clinical picture, it removes the necessity of introducing immunological pharmacologic treatments that may induce unfavorable side effects in a child.

The Role of Gluten in Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Review

Gluten is only partially digested by intestinal enzymes and can generate peptides that can alter intestinal permeability, facilitating bacterial translocation, thus affecting the immune system. Few studies addressed the role of diet with gluten in the development of intestinal inflammation and in other gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of this narrative review was to analyse the role of gluten in several gastrointestinal diseases so as to give a useful overview of its effectiveness in the prevention and management of these disorders.

Assessment of Anti-inflammatory Efficacy of Acupuncture in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Inflammation has a significant role in the onset and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Increasing attention has been paid to the use of acupuncture in IBD patients; however, its regulatory effects on inflammatory factors in IBD still require validation. Here, we systematically evaluated the effects of acupuncture on inflammatory factors in IBD patients.

METHODS

Eight electronic databases were searched for studies that met the inclusion criteria. After evaluating the quality of the studies selected by two reviewers, the meta-analysis was performed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in IBD patients and the impact on inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-8 and IL-10).

RESULTS

Four randomized controlled trials with a total of 228 patients satisfied the inclusion criteria. Acupuncture has a positive therapeutic impact on IBD (MD = 1.22, 95% CI [1.07, 1.39], P =0.003). Moreover, it regulates the levels of TNF-α (MD =-60.58, 95% CI [-100.30, -20.89], P =0.003), IL-8 (MD =-56.40, 95% CI [-60.02, -52.14], P<0.00001) and IL-10 (MD =35.96, 95% CI [11.02, 60.91], P =0.005) in IBD patients. However, the P value of meta-analysis in IL-1 great than 0.05.(MD =-27.90, 95% CI [-97.82, 42.02], P =0.11).

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture has a positive therapeutic impact on IBD and can effectively regulate inflammatory factors in IBD patients. TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-10 are more appropriate inflammatory indicators for clinically evaluating the anti-inflammatory response in the blood of IBD patients by acupuncture.

Akkermansia muciniphila exerts immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects on gliadin-stimulated THP-1 derived macrophages

Macrophages (MQs) pro-inflammatory phenotype is triggered by gliadin peptides. Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) showed to enhance the anti-inflammatory phenotype of MQs. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of A. muciniphila, on gliadin stimulated THP-1 derived macrophages. THP-1 cell line monocytes were differentiated into MQs by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). MQs were treated with A. muciniphila before and after stimulation with gliadin (pre- and post-treat). CD11b, as a marker of macrophage differentiation, and CD206 and CD80, as M1 and M2 markers, were evaluated by flow cytometry technique. The mRNA expression of TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-10 and protein levels of IL-10 and TNF-α were measured by RT-PCR and ELISA techniques, respectively. Results show an increased percentage of M1 phenotype and release of proinflammatory cytokines (like TNF-α and IL-6) by macrophages upon incubation with gliadin. Pre- and post-treatment of gliadin-stimulated macrophages with A. muciniphila induced M2 phenotype associated with decreased proinflammatory (IL-6, TNF-α) and increased anti-inflammatory (IL-10, TGF-β) cytokines expression relative to the group that was treated with gliadin alone. This study suggests the potential beneficial effect of A. muciniphila on gliadin-stimulated MQs and the importance of future studies focusing on their exact mechanism of action on these cells.

Investigation of roles of IL-8 (+ 781 C/T) and MMP-2 (-735 C/T) gene variations in early diagnosis of bladder cancer and progression

BACKGROUND

The aim of our study is to investigate the roles of IL-8 (+ 781 C/T) and MMP-2 (-735 C/T) gene variations in early diagnosis and progression of BCA.

METHODS

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods were used to determine the genotype distributions of IL-8 (+ 781 C/T) and MMP-2 (-735 C/T) gene variations.

RESULTS

In our study, the genotype distributions of IL-8 (+ 781 C/T) and MMP-2 (-735 C/T) gene variations were not found to be significantly different between the patient and control groups. In addition, C and T allele frequencies for these gene variations were not different from the Hardy-Weinberg distribution in patient and control groups. However, when the combined genotype analyzes for these gene variations were evaluated, CC-CC and CT-CC combined genotypes for + 781 C/T / -735 C/T gene variations were observed significantly more in the patient group compared to other genotypes.

CONCLUSION

Although IL-8 (+ 781 C/T) and MMP-2 (-735 C/T) gene variations were not found to be genetic risk factors in the Thrace population in our study, CC-CC and CT-CC combined genotypes were determined as genetic risk factors for BCA susceptibility. The combined genotypes obtained as a result of the combined genotype analysis of these genetic variations that are effective in tumor progression may be considered to be important biomarkers for the early diagnosis and progression of BCA.