System study of MPO promoter high-frequency polymorphic variants on transcription factor network

Orientin Attenuated d-GalN/LPS-Induced Liver Injury through the Inhibition of Oxidative Stress via Nrf2/Keap1 Pathway

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, including liver injury, a serious health problem worldwide. Natural polyphenols have attracted increasing attention as potential agents for the prevention and treatment of liver diseases. Orientin, a flavonoid component with antioxidant capacity, has been regarded as a promising nutraceutical for patients with liver damage. This study aimed to investigate the amelioration effect of orientin on d-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharides (d-GalN/LPS) induced liver injury in mice, with a focus on its underlying mechanisms by using the H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage model of HepG2 cells. Results indicated that orientin alleviated d-GalN/LPS-induced liver damage by improving the hepatic histological changes and reducing the levels of hepatic and serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartic acid aminotransferase. Additionally, supplementation of orientin improved the antioxidant ability in mice by decreasing the levels of hepatic malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl, myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, gluathione reductase, and superoxide dismutase. Orientin treatment significantly elevated both the protein and mRNA expressions of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1, heme oxygenase-1, and nicotinamide quinone oxidoreductase 1 in liver and HepG2 cells. The management of orientin also elevated the protein expression of glutathione S-transferase and Maf in HepG2 cells. Taken together, it suggested that orientin played an amelioration effect on liver injury by suppressing oxidative stress, which might be strongly related to the activation of Nrf2/ARE through PI3K/Akt and P38/MAPK signal pathways.

Identification of Potential Diagnostic Gene Targets for Pediatric Sepsis Based on Bioinformatics and Machine Learning

Purpose: To develop a comprehensive differential expression gene profile as well as a prediction model based on the expression analysis of pediatric sepsis specimens. Methods: In this study, compared with control specimens, a total of 708 differentially expressed genes in pediatric sepsis (case-control at a ratio of 1:3) were identified, including 507 up-regulated and 201 down-regulated ones. The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes indicated the close interaction between neutrophil activation, neutrophil degranulation, hematopoietic cell lineage, Staphylococcus aureus infection, and periodontitis. Meanwhile, the results also suggested a significant difference for 16 kinds of immune cell compositions between two sample sets. The two potential selected biomarkers (MMP and MPO) had been validated in septic children patients by the ELISA method. Conclusion: This study identified two potential hub gene biomarkers and established a differentially expressed genes-based prediction model for pediatric sepsis, which provided a valuable reference for future clinical research.

The effects of oxidative stress on the development of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) known widely world wide. Several hypothesizes are suggested to be involved in the narrowing of arteries during process of atherogenesis. The oxidative modification hypothesis is related to oxidative and anti-oxidative imbalance and is the most investigated. The aim of this study was to review the role of oxidative stress in atherosclerosis. Furthermore, it describes the roles of oxidative/anti-oxidative enzymes and compounds in the macromolecular and lipoprotein modifications and in triggering inflammatory events. The reactive oxygen (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are the most important endogenous sources produced by non-enzymatic and enzymatic [myeloperoxidase (MPO), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADH) oxidase and lipoxygenase (LO)] reactions that may be balanced with anti-oxidative compounds [glutathione (GSH), polyphenols and vitamins] and enzymes [glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), peroxiredoxins (Prdx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and paraoxonase (PON)]. However, the oxidative and anti-oxidative imbalance causes the involvement of cellular proliferation and migration signaling pathways and macrophage polarization leads to the formation of atherogenic plaques. On the other hand, the immune occurrences and the changes in extra cellular matrix remodeling can develop atherosclerosis process.