Use of high-dose nandrolone aggravates septic shock in a mouse model

Novel insights into the regulatory role of N6-methyladenosine methylation modified autophagy in sepsis

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. It is characterized by high morbidity and mortality and one of the major diseases that seriously hang over global human health. Autophagy is a crucial regulator in the complicated pathophysiological processes of sepsis. The activation of autophagy is known to be of great significance for protecting sepsis induced organ dysfunction. Recent research has demonstrated that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is a well-known post-transcriptional RNA modification that controls epigenetic and gene expression as well as a number of biological processes in sepsis. In addition, m6A affects the stability, export, splicing and translation of transcripts involved in the autophagic process. Although it has been suggested that m6A methylation regulates the biological metabolic processes of autophagy and is more frequently seen in the progression of sepsis pathogenesis, the underlying molecular mechanisms of m6A-modified autophagy in sepsis have not been thoroughly elucidated. The present article fills this gap by providing an epigenetic review of the processes of m6A-modified autophagy in sepsis and its potential role in the development of novel therapeutics.

Diagnostic, clustering, and immune cell infiltration analysis of m6A regulators in patients with sepsis

RNA N6-methladenosine (m6A) regulators are required for a variety of biological processes, including immune responses, and increasing evidence indicates that their dysregulation is closely associated with many diseases. However, the potential roles of m6A regulators in sepsis remain unknown. We comprehensively analyzed the transcriptional variations in and interactions of 26 m6A regulators in sepsis based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. A random forest (RF) model and nomogram were established to predict the occurrence and risk of sepsis in patients. Then, two different m6A subtypes were defined by consensus clustering analysis, and we explored the correlation between the subtypes and immune cells. We found that 17 of the 26 m6A regulators were significantly differentially expressed between patients with and without sepsis, and strong correlations among these 17 m6A regulators were revealed. Compared with the support vector machine (SVM) model, the RF model had better predictive ability, and therefore was used to construct a reliable nomogram containing 10 candidate m6A regulators to predict the risk of sepsis in patients. In addition, a consensus clustering algorithm was used to identify two different subtypes of m6A, which helped us distinguish different levels of immune cell infiltration and inflammation in patients with sepsis. Comprehensive analysis of m6A regulators in sepsis revealed their potential roles in sepsis occurrence, immune cell infiltration and inflammation in patients with sepsis. This study may contribute to the development of follow-up treatment strategies for sepsis.

Boldenone undecylenate disrupts the immune system and induces autoimmune clinical hypothyroidism in rats: Vitamin C ameliorative effects

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of boldenone undecylenate (BL) abuse alone and in combination with vitamin C (VC) on the immune responses and thyroid structure and function in rats. Thirty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five equal groups and were subjected to various treatment regimens for eight weeks as follows: control group, vehicle control group, VC group orally received VC (120 mg/Kg BW/day), BL-treated group intramuscularly injected with BL (5 mg/kg BW, once/week), and BL+VC group received BL and VC. At the end of this experiment, blood and tissue samples (thyroid, thymus, and spleen) were subjected to hematological evaluation, biochemical analysis, histopathological, and immunohistochemical examinations. In comparison to controls, BL significantly increased the levels of serum proinflammatory interleukins (IL-1 β and IL-6), immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM), and complement 3 but reduced anti-inflammatory interleukin-10, lysosome, and nitric oxide. Besides, altered platelet count and leukogram were evident in BL-injected rats. BL notably disturbed thyroid profile as revealed by a significant increase of thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroid peroxidase antibody. In contrast, both total and free forms of thyroid hormones (tri-iodothyronine and thyroxine), thyroglobulin, and thyroid peroxidase, were significantly decreased. Moreover, BL caused histopathological changes in the thyroid, thymus, and spleen tissues.CD4⁺ immuno-expression was reduced, but CD8⁺ immunolabelling was increased in both spleen and thymus. The daily dosing of VC to BL-exposed rats significantly corrected most of the deviations in immune parameters. It restored most of the thyroid architecture and function, revealing a significant protective effect of this vitamin. This experimental study demonstrates that BL abusing disrupts the immune system by different mechanisms and addresses BL, for the first time, as an autoimmune clinical hypothyroidism inducer drug. Additionally, VC is helpful in the management of BL abuse.