Hematopoietic stem cell stretches and moves in its bone marrow niche

Danggui Buxue decoction alleviates cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression by regulating β-hydroxybutyric acid metabolism and suppressing oxidative stress

CONTEXT

Danggui Buxue Decoction (DBD) is an effective complementary medicine in alleviating myelosuppression after chemotherapy (MAC). However, its mechanism of action is elusive.

OBJECTIVE

To illustrate that regulating β-hydroxybutyric acid (β-OHB) metabolism and suppressing oxidative stress could be a potential mechanism of action for DBD in alleviating MAC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After HPLC quantification and dose testing (3, 6 and 10 g/kg, gavage) of DBD, Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, cyclophosphamide (CTX) (30 mg/kg CTX for 5 days, intraperitoneal administration) and CTX + DBD groups (6 g/kg DBD for 14 days, gavage). Blood cell counts, thigh bone histological examination, β-OHB levels, oxidative stress indices and HDAC1 activity were tested. The biological function of β-OHB was verified in vitro (hBMSC cells were incubated in culture mediums that contained 40 μM CTX and β-OHB in 0, 1, 2.5, 5, 10 mM) and in vivo (MAC rat model, 3 g/kg β-OHB for 14 days, gavage).

RESULTS

Rats in the CTX + DBD group showed upregulated blood cell counts (118-243%), β-OHB levels (495 nmol/mL in blood, 122 nmol/mg in marrow supernatant) and downregulated HDAC1 activity (59%), and oxidative stress indices (60-85%). In vitro, 5 mM β-OHB improved hBMSC cell migration (123%) and proliferation (131%). In vivo, rats treated with 3 g/kg β-OHB showed upregulated blood cell counts (121-182%) and downregulated HDAC1 activity (64%) and oxidative stress indices (65-83%).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

DBD, a traditional Chinese medicine, alleviates MAC by intervening in β-OHB metabolism and oxidative stress.

Review on kidney diseases: types, treatment and potential of stem cell therapy

Renal disorders are an emerging global public health issue with a higher growth rate despite progress in supportive therapies. In order to find more promising treatments to stimulate renal repair, stem cell-based technology has been proposed as a potentially therapeutic option. The self-renewal and proliferative nature of stem cells raised the hope to fight against various diseases. Similarly, it opens a new path for the treatment and repair of damaged renal cells. This review focuses on the types of renal diseases; acute and chronic kidney disease-their statistical data, and the conventional drugs used for treatment. It includes the possible stem cell therapy mechanisms involved and outcomes recorded so far, the limitations of using these regenerative medicines, and the progressive improvement in stem cell therapy by adopting approaches like PiggyBac, Sleeping Beauty, and the Sendai virus. Specifically, about the paracrine activities of amniotic fluid stem cells, renal stem cells, embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cell, induced pluripotent stem cells as well as other stem cells.

Identification of early biomarkers in saliva in genetically engineered mouse model C(3)1-TAg of breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of leading causes of death worldwide in the female population. Deaths from breast cancer could be reduced significantly through earlier and more efficient detection of the disease. Saliva, an oral fluid that contains an abundance of protein biomarkers, has been recognized as a promising diagnostic biofluid that is easy to isolate through non-invasive techniques. Assays on saliva can be performed rapidly and are cost-effective. Therefore, our work aimed to identify salivary biomarkers present in the initial stages of breast cancer, where cell alterations are not yet detectable by histopathological analysis. Using state-of-the-art techniques, we employed a transgenic mouse model of mammary cancer to identify molecular changes in precancerous stage breast cancer through protein analysis in saliva. Through corroborative molecular approaches, we established that proteins related to metabolic changes, inflammatory process and cell matrix degradation are detected in saliva at the onset of tumor development. Our work demonstrated that salivary protein profiles can be used to identify cellular changes associated with precancerous stage breast cancer through non-invasive means even prior to biopsy-evident disease.

Circulating Nestin-GFP+ Cells Participate in the Pathogenesis of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in the Lungs

Multiple infectious diseases lead to impaired lung function. Revealing the cellular mechanisms involved in this impairment is crucial for the understanding of how the lungs shift from a physiologic to a pathologic state in each specific condition. In this context, we explored the pathogenesis of Paracoccidioidomycosis, which affects pulmonary functioning. The presence of cells expressing Nestin-GFP has been reported in different tissues, and their roles as tissue-specific progenitors have been stablished in particular organs. Here, we explored how Nestin-GFP⁺ cells are affected after lung infection by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a model of lung granulomatous inflammation with fibrotic outcome. We used Nestin-GFP transgenic mice, parabiosis surgery, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry to investigate the participation of Nestin-GFP⁺ cells in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis pathogenesis. We revealed that these cells increase in the lungs post-Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection, accumulating around granulomas. This increase was due mainly to Nestin-GPF⁺ cells derived from the blood circulation, not associated to blood vessels, that co-express markers suggestive of hematopoietic cells (Sca-1, CD45 and CXCR4). Therefore, our findings suggest that circulating Nestin-GFP⁺ cells participate in the Paracoccidioides brasiliensis pathogenesis in the lungs.