Toll-like receptor-7 signaling in Kupffer cells exacerbates concanavalin A-induced liver injury in mice

In Vivo and In Vitro Models of Hepatic Fibrosis for Pharmacodynamic Evaluation and Pathology Exploration

Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is an important pathological state in the progression of chronic liver disease to end-stage liver disease and is usually triggered by alcohol, nonalcoholic fatty liver, chronic hepatitis viruses, autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), or cholestatic liver disease. Research on novel therapies has become a hot topic due to the reversibility of HF. Research into the molecular mechanisms of the pathology of HF and potential drug screening relies on reliable and rational biological models, mainly including animals and cells. Hence, a number of modeling approaches have been attempted based on human dietary, pathological, and physiological factors in the development of HF. In this review, classical and novel methods of modeling HF in the last 10 years were collected from electronic databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, Baidu Scholar, and CNKI. Animal models of HF are usually induced by chemical toxicants, special diets, pathogenic microorganisms, surgical operations, and gene editing. The advantages and limitations of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), organoids, and 3D coculture-based HF modeling methods established in vitro were also proposed and summarized. This information provides a scientific basis for the discovery of the pathological mechanism and treatment of HF.

Lectins in oncology and virology: Mechanisms of anticancer activity and SARS-CoV-2 inhibition

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins of non-immune origin with carbohydrate-binding properties. They are found both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The most abundant source of the lectins are plants. Many lectins have anticancer effects by directly exerting cytotoxic effects on malignant cells or indirectly activating the immune system. Lectins also have antiviral activities. These proteins can recognise glycoproteins on the surface of enveloped viruses and bind to them. This creates a physical barrier between them and the corresponding receptors on the surface of the host cell, which prevents the virus from entering the cell and can thus effectively inhibit the replication of the virus. In this review, we focus on the anticancer activities of selected lectins and the underlying mechanisms. We also discuss different types of lectins with antiviral activity. We have paid special attention to lectins with inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we outline the challenges of using lectins in therapy and suggest future research directions.