Allicin reduces inflammation by regulating ROS/NLRP3 and autophagy in the context of A. fumigatus infection in mice

Garlic-derived Exosomes Alleviate Osteoarthritis Through Inhibiting the MAPK Signaling Pathway

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Garlic-derived exosomes (GDEs) are nanoparticles extracted from garlic that exhibit anti-inflammatory effects on other diseases, but the effect of GDEs on OA has not been elucidated. In this study, GDEs were extracted and characterized. Chondrocytes were treated with IL-1β and incubated with GDEs in vitro, and the expression of cartilage matrix components (collagen II and aggrecan) and matrix degrading enzymes (MMP3 and MMP9) was evaluated via Western blotting. Changes in the MAPK pathway was also examined using Western blotting. The transcriptomic changes associated with GDE intervention were evaluated using high-throughput RNA-seq method. In vivo, we used anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) combined with destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery to establish a mouse OA model, and GDEs was intraarticularly injected into the joint cavity. The therapeutic effect of GDE was evaluated by behavioral and histopathological analysis. The results showed that IL-1β treatment inhibited the expression of collagen II and aggrecan, and upregulated the expression of MMP3 and MMP9, while GDE intervention alleviated these effects. GDEs also inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and P38. In vivo, GDE alleviated the sensitivity to heat stimulation and altered walking gait in a mouse OA model. Histopathological analysis indicated that GDE intervention ameliorated joint destruction in the knee joint without obvious toxicity. The results proved that GDEs alleviated the progression of OA in vitro and in vivo, and may be a potential disease-modifying drug for OA.

Garlic-Derived Quorum Sensing Inhibitors: A Novel Strategy Against Fungal Resistance

In recent years, the incidence of fungal infections has been rising annually, especially among immunocompromised populations, posing a significant challenge to public health. Although antifungal medications provide some relief, the escalating problem of resistance sharply curtails their effectiveness, presenting an urgent clinical dilemma that demands immediate attention. Research has shown that fungal resistance is closely related to quorum sensing (QS), and QS inhibitors (QSIs) are considered an effective solution to this issue. Garlic, as a natural QSI, has demonstrated significant effects in inhibiting fungal growth, preventing biofilm formation, enhancing immunity, and combating resistance. This study explores the potential of garlic in mitigating fungal drug resistance and identifies its key role in inhibiting the QS mechanism, these findings offer a new perspective for the treatment of fungal infections, especially in addressing the increasingly severe problem of resistance. However, the clinical application of garlic still faces several challenges, such as ensuring the standardization of active ingredient extraction, as well as issues of safety and stability. Future research should focus on the QS mechanism and promote interdisciplinary collaboration to develop more natural, effective, and safe QSI drugs like garlic, while actively conducting clinical trials to validate their efficacy and safety. Additionally, incorporating advanced technologies such as nanotechnology to enhance drug stability and targeting, provide a more comprehensive strategy for the treatment of fungal infections. Overall, Our study provides scientific evidence supporting the potential of garlic as a novel antifungal treatment and lays the groundwork for the development of future natural QSIs for therapeutic use. It offers new insights, particularly for the treatment of immunocompromised populations and drug-resistant fungal strains.

Allicin regulates Sestrin2 ubiquitination to affect macrophage autophagy and senescence, thus inhibiting the growth of hepatoma cells

BACKGROUND

Allicin regulates macrophage autophagy and senescence, and inhibits hepatoma cell growth. This study investigated the mechanism by which allicin inhibits the growth of hepatoma cells.

METHODS

Hepa1-6 mouse hepatoma cells were subcutaneously injected into C57BL/6 J mice to construct a tumor transplantation model. Macrophages were cultured with the supernatant of hepatoma cells to construct a cell model. The levels of mRNA and proteins and the level of Sestrin2 ubiquitination were measured by RTqPCR, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. The levels of autophagy-related factors and the activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase were determined by kits, and protein stability was detected by cycloheximide (CHX) tracking.

RESULTS

Data analysis of clinical samples revealed that RBX1 was highly expressed in tumor tissues, while Sestrin2 was expressed at low levels in tumor tissues. Allicin can promote the expression of the autophagy-related proteins LC3 and Beclin-1 in tumor macrophages and inhibit the expression of the aging-related proteins p16 and p21, thus promoting autophagy in macrophages and inhibiting cell senescence. Moreover, allicin can inhibit the expression of RBX1, thereby reducing the ubiquitination of Sestrin2, enhancing the stability of Sestrin2, activating autophagy in tumor macrophages and inhibiting senescence. In addition, allicin treatment inhibited the proliferation and migration of hepatoma carcinoma cells cocultured with macrophages and significantly improved the development of liver cancer in mice.

CONCLUSION

Allicin can affect the autophagy of macrophages and restrain the growth of hepatoma cells by regulating the ubiquitination of Sestrin2.

Oxidative Stress Initiates Receptor-Interacting Protein Kinase-3/Mixed Lineage Kinase Domain-Like-Mediated Corneal Epithelial Necroptosis and Nucleotide-Binding Oligomerization Domain-Like Receptor Protein 3 Inflammasome Signaling during Fungal Keratitis

Fungal keratitis remains a major cause of severe visual loss in developing countries because of limited choices of therapy. The progression of fungal keratitis is a race between the innate immune system and the outgrowth of fungal conidia. Programmed necrosis (necroptosis), a type of proinflammatory cell death, has been recognized as a critical pathologic change in several diseases. However, the role and potential regulatory mechanisms of necroptosis have not been investigated in corneal diseases. The current study showed, for the first time, that fungal infection triggered significant corneal epithelial necroptosis in human/mouse/in vitro models. Moreover, a reduction in excessive reactive oxygen species release effectively prevented necroptosis. NLRP3 knockout did not affect necroptosis in vivo. In contrast, ablation of necroptosis via RIPK3 knockout significantly delayed migration and inhibited the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in macrophages, which enhanced the progression of fungal keratitis. Taking these findings together, the study indicated that overproduction of reactive oxygen species in fungal keratitis leads to significant necroptosis in the corneal epithelium. Furthermore, the necroptotic stimuli-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome serves as a driving force in host defense against fungal infection.

Role of mitochondrial stress and the NLRP3 inflammasome in lung diseases

BACKGROUND

As an organelle essential for intracellular energy supply, mitochondria are involved in intracellular metabolism and inflammation, and cell death. The interaction of mitochondria with the NLRP3 inflammasome in the development of lung diseases has been extensively studied. However, the exact mechanism by which mitochondria mediate the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and trigger lung disease is still unclear.

METHODS

The literatures related to mitochondrial stress, NLRP3 inflammasome and lung diseases were searched in PubMed.

RESULTS

This review aims to provide new insights into the recently discovered mitochondrial regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in lung diseases. It also describes the crucial roles of mitochondrial autophagy, long noncoding RNA, micro RNA, altered mitochondrial membrane potential, cell membrane receptors, and ion channels in mitochondrial stress and regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, in addition to the reduction of mitochondrial stress by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). The effective components of potential drugs for the treatment of lung diseases under this mechanism are also summarized.

CONCLUSION

This review provides a resource for the discovery of new therapeutic mechanisms and suggests ideas for the development of new therapeutic drugs, thus promoting the rapid treatment of lung diseases.

Garlic Powder Supplementation Improves Growth, Nonspecific Immunity, Antioxidant Capacity, and Intestinal Flora of Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir sinensis)

This study was conducted to survey the effects of garlic powder on growth performance, nonspecific immunity, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal flora structure of Chinese mitten crabs. Altogether, 216 crabs which originally weigh 20.71 ± 0.13 g were randomly allocated into three treatment groups with 6 replicates of 12 crabs per replicate. The control group (CN) was fed a basal diet, while the other two groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 1000 mg/kg (GP1000) and 2000 mg/kg (GP2000) garlic powder, respectively. This trial lasted 8 weeks. The results showed that the supplementation of garlic powder improved the final body weight, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate of the crabs (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, in serum, better nonspecific immune was confirmed by the enhancement of phenoloxidase and lysozyme levels, with the improvement of phosphatase activities in GP1000 and GP2000 (P < 0.05). On the other hand, the levels of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidases, and total superoxide dismutase in serum and hepatopancreas were increased (P < 0.05) while malondialdehyde content declined (P < 0.05) as the garlic powder was added to the basal diet. And, catalase in serum also shows an increase (P < 0.05). In both GP1000 and GP2000, genes related to antioxidant and immunity, for instance, Toll-like receptor 1, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, myeloid differentiation factor 88, TuBe, Dif, relish, crustins, antilipopolysaccharide factor, lysozyme, and prophenoloxidase mRNA expression levels, were increased (P < 0.05). The abundance of Rhizobium and Rhodobacter was reduced by adding garlic powder (P < 0.05). This study indicated that dietary addition of garlic powder promoted growth, enhanced nonspecific immunity and antioxidant capacity, activated Toll pathway, IMD pathway, and proPO system, increased antimicrobial peptide expression, while simultaneously improving the intestinal flora of Chinese mitten crabs.

Novel Treatment Approach for Aspergilloses by Targeting Germination

Germination of conidia is an essential process within the Aspergillus life cycle and plays a major role during the infection of hosts. Conidia are able to avoid detection by the majority of leukocytes when dormant. Germination can cause severe health problems, specifically in immunocompromised people. Aspergillosis is most often caused by Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) and affects neutropenic patients, as well as people with cystic fibrosis (CF). These patients are often unable to effectively detect and clear the conidia or hyphae and can develop chronic non-invasive and/or invasive infections or allergic inflammatory responses. Current treatments with (tri)azoles can be very effective to combat a variety of fungal infections. However, resistance against current azoles has emerged and has been increasing since 1998. As a consequence, patients infected with resistant A. fumigatus have a reported mortality rate of 88% to 100%. Especially with the growing number of patients that harbor azole-resistant Aspergilli, novel antifungals could provide an alternative. Aspergilloses differ in defining characteristics, but germination of conidia is one of the few common denominators. By specifically targeting conidial germination with novel antifungals, early intervention might be possible. In this review, we propose several morphotypes to disrupt conidial germination, as well as potential targets. Hopefully, new antifungals against such targets could contribute to disturbing the ability of Aspergilli to germinate and grow, resulting in a decreased fungal burden on patients.

Casein micelles embedded composite organohydrogel as potential wound dressing

Excellent mechanical and tissue adhesive properties, long-lasting environmental suitability and reliable biocompatibility are essential factors for the hydrogels to be applied as wound dressing in the clinical fields. Based on the self-assembly micelle structures, a new type of casein micelles (CEs)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) GW (glycerol-water) organohydrogel was designed and synthesized by a simple one-pot method. Through a unique "load sharing" effect, the CEs which own suitable adhesion abilities and drug loading capacities simultaneously were embedded into the PVA networks by rich hydrogen bonds, so that to obtain the composite organ hydrogel with not only excellent adhesive abilities, but also enhanced mechanical properties. Benefited from the unique GW binary solvent system, the organohydrogel showed long-lasting moisture lock-in capacity and extreme temperature tolerance (in the range of --20 °C ~ 60 °C). Particularly, after loading the model antibacterial drugs (allicin) within the CEs, the as-developed CEs/PVA GW gel exhibited a prominent long-lasting (>100 h) antibacterial properties (>90%). Furthermore, the organohydrogel was confirmed with prominent biocompatibility to support fibroblast cell proliferation and migration. This work proposed a new strategy to build CEs-based gel system, which have a great potential application in terms of prevent bacterial infection, accelerate tissue proliferation and wound healing.

Allicin in Digestive System Cancer: From Biological Effects to Clinical Treatment

Allicin is the main active ingredient in freshly-crushed garlic and some other allium plants, and its anticancer effect on cancers of digestive system has been confirmed in many studies. The aim of this review is to summarize epidemiological studies and in vitro and in vivo investigations on the anticancer effects of allicin and its secondary metabolites, as well as their biological functions. In epidemiological studies of esophageal cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and biliary tract cancer, the anticancer effect of garlic has been confirmed consistently. However, the results obtained from epidemiological studies in gastric cancer and colon cancer are inconsistent. In vitro studies demonstrated that allicin and its secondary metabolites play an antitumor role by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis, controlling tumor invasion and metastasis, decreasing angiogenesis, suppressing Helicobacter pylori, enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs, and reducing the damage caused by chemotherapeutic drugs. In vivo studies further demonstrate that allicin and its secondary metabolites inhibit cancers of the digestive system. This review describes the mechanisms against cancers of digestive system and therapeutic potential of allicin and its secondary metabolites.

Allicin supressed Escherichia coli-induced urinary tract infections by a Novel MALT1/NF-κB pathway

Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains cause the majority of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and are resistant to various antibiotics. Therefore, it is imperative to explore novel host-target therapies. As a...

HA of H1N1 enhanced the expression of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in HUVECs and pathological injury in the lungs in mice

Objective

Both COVID-19 and influenza are viral respiratory tract infections and the epidemics of viral respiratory tract infections remain highly prevalent with lethal consequences in susceptible individuals. Expression of ICAM-1 on vascular endothelium recruits leukocytes which initiates inflammation. IL-6 induces ICAM-1. Both ICAM-1 and IL-6 can be enhanced in influenza virus infection and COVID-19 patients. Besides initiation of virus entry host cells, whether HA alone, instead of whole virus, of influenza has the effects on expression of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in vascular endothelium with injury in the lungs, remains to be demonstrated.

Methods

RT-qPCR and Western blot as well as histopathologic examination were used to examine mRNA and protein of ICAM-1 and IL-6 as well as pathological injury in the lung tissues, respectively.

Results

After incubation of the Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) with HA of H1N1 for 24 h, the mRNA and protein of ICAM-1 and IL-6 in HUVECs were increased in group of 5 μg/ml concentration with statistical significance (p < 0.05). Pathological injury in lung tissues of the mice was shown 12 h after tail intravenous injection with 100 μl of HA (50 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml in normal saline), including widened alveolar spaces with angiotelectasis in alveolar wall, alveolar luminal and interstitial inflammatory infiltrates, alveolar luminal erythrocyte effusion.

Conclusions

HA alone, instead of whole H1N1 virus, induced more expression of ICAM-1 and IL-6, two molecules involving in pathological and inflammatory responses, in HUVECs and pathological injury in lung tissues of the mice. This knowledge provides a new HA-targeted potential direction for prevention and treatment of disease related to H1N1 infection.

Neuroprotective effects of garlic extract on dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra in a rat model of Parkinson's disease: motor and non-motor outcomes

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common and severe neurodegenerative disorder associated with a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta. The crucial role of oxidative stress and inflammation in PD onset and progression is evident. It has been proven that garlic extract (GE) protects the cells from oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. That is, we aimed to investigate if GE reveals protective features on the preclinical model of PD. The study has been designed to evaluate both preventive (GE administered before 6-OHDA injection) and therapeutic (GE administered after 6-OHDA injection) effects of GE on the animal model. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups including control, lesion, treatment I (received GE before 6-OHDA injection) and treatment II (received GE both before and after 6-OHDA injection). At the end of treatment, hanging, rotarod, open field and passive avoidance tests as well as immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of garlic against PD. Our immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that the tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells (TH+) in GE treated groups were significantly higher (p˂0.001) than the lesion group. The motor deficiency significantly improved in hanging, rotarod, open-field and apomorphine-induced rotational tests. We observed an attenuation in memory impairment induced by PD on GE treated group. Therefore, we found that GE protects dopaminergic neurons in 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity and ameliorates movement disorders and behavioral deficits.

Virtual screening of natural compounds for potential inhibitors of Sterol C-24 methyltransferase of Leishmania donovani to overcome leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by trypanosomatid parasite belonging to the genera Leishmania. Leishmaniasis is transmitted from one human to other through the bite of sandflies. It is endemic in around 98 countries including tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Southern America, and the Mediterranean region. Sterol C-24 methyltransferase (LdSMT) of Leishmania donovani (L. donovani) mediates the transfer of CH3-group from S-adenosyl methionine to C-24 position of sterol side chain which makes the ergosterol different from cholesterol. Absence of ortholog in human made it potential druggable target. Here, we performed virtual screening of library of natural compounds against LdSMT to identify the potential inhibitor for it and to fight leishmaniasis. Gigantol, flavan-3-ol, and parthenolide showed the best binding affinity towards LdSMT. Further, based on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties and biological activity prediction, gigantol showed the best lead-likeness and drug-likeness properties. Therefore, we further elucidated its antileishmanial properties. We found that gigantol inhibited the growth and proliferation of promastigotes as well as intra-macrophagic amastigotes. Gigantol exerted its antileishmanial action through the induction of reactive oxygen species in dose-dependent manner. Our study, suggested the possible use of gigantol as antileishmanial drug after further validations to overcome leishmaniasis.

A novel strategy for exploring food originated anti-adipogenesis substances and mechanism by structural similarity evaluation, ADME prediction, network pharmacology and experimental validation

Screening potential functional substances based on active compounds is still a challenge faced by researchers since hundreds and thousands of possible compounds exist in natural products (food, herb, etc.). In this study, an integrated strategy by a combination of structural similarity evaluation, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) prediction, network pharmacology and experimental validation (SANE strategy) was proposed and applied to explore anti-adipogenesis substances. This strategy was divided into four parts: first, potential compounds were screened based on representative active compounds by similarity evaluation and ADME prediction. Second, the activity of targeted compounds was evaluated in vitro based on the molecular biology method. Third, network pharmacology was used to explore potential targets and pathways. Last, the core pharmacological mechanism was confirmed by modern pharmacology methods. As a result, 8-prenylgenistein (8PG) was screened with chemical structure similarity with genistein and improved ADME propriety. Meanwhile, 8PG was found to present significant anti-adipogenesis effects in pre-adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells and primary human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSC). Through using methods including: chemical staining, functional assays, and Real time PCR, 8PG was found to present more potency than genistein in suppressing the adipocyte differentiation. Further, the potential pharmacological mechanism was predicted, and significant effects of 8PG on activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in 3T3-L1 cells and hBMSC were confirmed by  immunoblotting in the absence/presence of signaling pathway blocker and immunofluorescence staining. A new insight for exploring more potent compounds based on accurate effect compounds is provided in our work. Moreover, a potential compound (8PG), suppressing adipogenesis, was also supplied.