Lithium chloride confers protection against viral myocarditis via suppression of coxsackievirus B3 virus replication

Unlocking the power of Zc3h12c: Orchestrating Macrophage activation and elevating the innate immune response

The activation of macrophages, essential for the innate defense against invading pathogens, revolves around Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing TLR signaling in the course of macrophage activation remains to be fully clarified. Although Zc3h12c was originally identified as being enriched in organs associated with macrophages, its precise function remains elusive. In this study, we observed a significant induction of Zc3h12c in macrophages following stimulation with TLR agonists and pathogens. Overexpression of Zc3h12c significantly mitigated the release of TNF-α and IL-6 triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), whereas depletion of Zc3h12c increased the production of the cytokines mentioned above. Notably, the expression of IFN-β was not influenced by Zc3h12c. Luciferase reporter assays revealed that Zc3h12c could suppress the TNF-α promoter activity. Moreover, Zc3h12c exerted a notable inhibitory effect on JNK, ERK, p38, and NF-κB signaling induced by LPS. In summary, the findings of our study suggest that Zc3h12c functions as a robust suppressor of innate immunity, potentially playing a role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.

Identification of inositol monophosphatase as a broad-spectrum antiviral target of ivermectin

Ivermectin has broad-spectrum antiviral activities. Despite the failure in clinical application of COVID-19, it can serve as a lead compound for the development of more effective broad-spectrum antivirals, for which a better understanding of its antiviral mechanisms is essential. We thus searched for potential novel targets of ivermectin in host cells by label-free thermal proteomic profiling using Huh-7 cells. Inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) was found among the proteins with shifted thermal stability by ivermectin. Ivermectin could inhibit IMPase activity and reduce cellular myo-inositol and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate levels. On the other hand, inositol could impair the antiviral activity of ivermectin and lithium, an IMPase inhibitor with known antiviral activity. As phosphatidylinositol phosphate is crucial for the replication of many RNA viruses, inhibition of cellular myo-inositol biosynthesis may be an important antiviral mechanism of ivermectin. Hence, inhibition of IMPase could serve as a potential target for broad-spectrum antiviral development.

Revitalizing myocarditis treatment through gut microbiota modulation: unveiling a promising therapeutic avenue

Numerous studies have demonstrated that gut microbiota plays an important role in the development and treatment of different cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, and atherosclerosis. Furthermore, evidence from recent studies has shown that gut microbiota contributes to the development of myocarditis. Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease that often results in myocardial damage. Myocarditis is a common cause of sudden cardiac death in young adults. The incidence of myocarditis and its associated dilated cardiomyopathy has been increasing yearly. Myocarditis has gained significant attention on social media due to its association with both COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccinations. However, the current therapeutic options for myocarditis are limited. In addition, little is known about the potential therapeutic targets of myocarditis. In this study, we review (1) the evidence on the gut-heart axis, (2) the crosslink between gut microbiota and the immune system, (3) the association between myocarditis and the immune system, (4) the impact of gut microbiota and its metabolites on myocarditis, (5) current strategies for modulating gut microbiota, (6) challenges and future directions for targeted gut microbiota in the treatment of myocarditis. The approach of targeting the gut microbiota in myocarditis is still in its infancy, and this is the study to explore the gut microbiota-immune system-myocarditis axis. Our findings are expected to pave the way for the use of gut microbiota as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of myocarditis.

Direct-Acting Antivirals and Host-Targeting Approaches against Enterovirus B Infections: Recent Advances

Enterovirus B (EV-B)-related diseases, which can be life threatening in high-risk populations, have been recognized as a serious health problem, but their clinical treatment is largely supportive, and no selective antivirals are available on the market. As their clinical relevance has become more serious, efforts in the field of anti-EV-B inhibitors have greatly increased and many potential antivirals with very high selectivity indexes and promising in vitro activities have been discovered. The scope of this review encompasses recent advances in the discovery of new compounds with anti-viral activity against EV-B, as well as further progress in repurposing drugs to treat these infections. Current progress and future perspectives in drug discovery against EV-Bs are briefly discussed and existing gaps are spotlighted.

Li-Doped Bioactive Ceramics: Promising Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Lithium (Li) is a metal with critical therapeutic properties ranging from the treatment of bipolar depression to antibacterial, anticancer, antiviral and pro-regenerative effects. This element can be incorporated into the structure of various biomaterials through the inclusion of Li chloride/carbonate into polymeric matrices or being doped in bioceramics. The biocompatibility and multifunctionality of Li-doped bioceramics present many opportunities for biomedical researchers and clinicians. Li-doped bioceramics (capable of immunomodulation) have been used extensively for bone and tooth regeneration, and they have great potential for cartilage/nerve regeneration, osteochondral repair, and wound healing. The synergistic effect of Li in combination with other anticancer drugs as well as the anticancer properties of Li underline the rationale that bioceramics doped with Li may be impactful in cancer treatments. The role of Li in autophagy may explain its impact in regenerative, antiviral, and anticancer research. The combination of Li-doped bioceramics with polymers can provide new biomaterials with suitable flexibility, especially as bio-ink used in 3D printing for clinical applications of tissue engineering. Such Li-doped biomaterials have significant clinical potential in the foreseeable future.

Lithium salts as a treatment for COVID-19: Pre-clinical outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Identifying effective drugs for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is urgently needed. An efficient approach is to evaluate whether existing approved drugs have anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects. The antiviral properties of lithium salts have been studied for many years. Their anti-inflammatory and immune-potentiating effects result from the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3.

AIMS

To obtain pre-clinical evidence on the safety and therapeutic effects of lithium salts in the treatment of COVID-19.

RESULTS

Six different concentrations of lithium, ranging 2-12 mmol/L, were evaluated. Lithium inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV-2 virus in a dose-dependent manner with an IC₅₀ value of 4 mmol/L. Lithium-treated wells showed a significantly higher percentage of monolayer conservation than viral control, particularly at concentrations higher than 6 mmol/L, verified through microscopic observation, the neutral red assay, and the determination of N protein in the supernatants of treated wells. Hamsters treated with lithium showed less intense disease with fewer signs. No lithium-related mortality or overt signs of toxicity were observed during the experiment. A trend of decreasing viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs and lungs was observed in treated hamsters compared to controls.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide pre-clinical evidence of the antiviral and immunotherapeutic effects of lithium against SARS-CoV-2, which supports an advance to clinical trials on COVID-19's patients.

Efficacy and Safety of Lithium Treatment in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients

At the beginning of the pandemic, we observed that lithium carbonate had a positive effect on the recovery of severely ill patients with COVID-19. Lithium is able to inhibit the replication of several types of viruses, some of which are similar to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, increase the immune response and reduce inflammation by preventing or reducing the cytokine storm. Previously, we published an article with data from six patients with severe COVID-19 infection, where we proposed that lithium carbonate could be used as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Now, we set out to conduct a randomized clinical trial number EudraCT 2020–002008–37 to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lithium treatment in patients infected with severe SARS-CoV-2. We showed that lithium was able to reduce the number of days of hospital and intensive care unit admission as well as the risk of death, reduces inflammatory cytokine levels by preventing cytokine storms, and also reduced the long COVID syndromes. We propose that lithium carbonate can be used to reduce the severity of COVID-19.

LncRNA ROR promotes NLRP3-mediated cardiomyocyte pyroptosis by upregulating FOXP1 via interactions with PTBP1

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this design was to explore the specific role and related mechanism of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) regulators of reprogramming (ROR) in viral myocarditis (VMC).

METHODS

AC16 cells were infected with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) to establish a VMC cell model in vitro. The release of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Gene expression was calculated using quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR. Cell pyroptosis was determined by flow cytometry and Western blot assays. Cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) detected cell viability. The molecular associations were verified by employing RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pulldown and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays.

RESULTS

The lncRNA ROR was more highly expressed in CVB3 virus-infected AC16 cells than in controls. Knockdown of ROR markedly rescued cell viability and reduced the release of IL-1β and IL-18, cell pyroptosis and pyroptotic proteins such as NLRP3, ASC and cleaved caspase 1. Mechanistically, ROR destroyed the mRNA stability of Forkhead Box P Factor 1 (FOXP1) by binding polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1). FOXP1 repressed the transcription of NLRP3 by directly interacting with its promoter. Importantly, coinhibition of FOXP1 impeded the protective role of ROR silencing in CVB3-infected AC16 cells.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, these findings elucidated that ROR knockdown inhibited CVB3-induced cardiomyocyte inflammation and NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis by regulating the PTBP1/FOXP1 axis, implying that ROR might be a new inducer in CVB3-infected VMC.

Antiviral Effect of Lithium Chloride on Replication of Marek's Disease Virus in Chicken Embryonic Fibroblasts

To investigate the antiviral effect of lithium chloride (LiCl) on the replication of Marek's disease virus (MDV) in chicken embryonic fibroblast (CEF) cells, real-time PCR, Western blotting, plaque counting, and indirect immunofluorescence experiments were performed at different time points of LiCl treated CEF cells with virus infection. The results demonstrated that LiCl could affect multiple steps of virus replication and inhibit viral gene expression and protein synthesis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, LiCl could directly affect viral infectivity as well. In addition, LiCl significantly affected the gene expression of IFN-β related genes in virus-infected cells. These results indicate that LiCl significantly inhibits MDV replication and proliferation in CEF cells and it has the potential to be used as an antiviral agent against MDV.

Crocetin Exerts a Cardio-protective Effect on Mice with Coxsackievirus B3-induced Acute Viral Myocarditis

Previous research has proven that coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is broadly considered virus used in the experimental model of animals, which causes myocarditis in humans. To investigate whether there exists a cardio-protective effect of crocetin in an experimental murine model of acute viral myocarditis (AVM). Male BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to three groups: control, myocarditis treated with placebo and myocarditis treated with crocetin (n = 40 animals per group). Myocarditis was established by intraperitoneal injection with CVB3. Twenty-four hours after infection, crocetin was intraperitoneally administered for 14 consecutive days. Twenty mice were randomly selected from each group to monitor a 14-day survival rate. On day 7 and day 14, eight surviving mice from each group were sacrificed and their hearts and blood were obtained to perform serological and histological examinations. Expression of ROCKs, interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), RORγt, and Foxp3 was quantified by RT-PCR. Plasma levels of TNFα, IL-1β and IL-17 were measured by ELISA. In addition, protein levels of IL-17 and ROCK2 in cardiac tissues were analyzed by Western blot. Crocetin treatment significantly increased survival, attenuated myocardial necrotic lesions, reduced CVB3 replication and expression of ROCK2 and IL-17 in the infected hearts. ROCK pathway inhibition was cardio-protective in viral myocarditis with increased survival, decreased viral replication, and inflammatory response. These findings suggest that crocetin is a potential therapeutic agent for patients with viral myocarditis.

Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Aging and Longevity: The Foundation of Resilience

The interrelation of the processes of immunity and senescence now receives an unprecedented emphasis during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brings to the fore the critical need to combat immunosenescence and improve the immune function and resilience of older persons. Here we review the historical origins and the current state of the science of innate and adaptive immunity in aging and longevity. From the modern point of view, innate and adaptive immunity are not only affected by aging but also are important parts of its underlying mechanisms. Excessive levels or activity of antimicrobial peptides, C-reactive protein, complement system, TLR/NF-κB, cGAS/STING/IFN 1,3 and AGEs/RAGE pathways, myeloid cells and NLRP3 inflammasome, declined levels of NK cells in innate immunity, thymus involution and decreased amount of naive T-cells in adaptive immunity, are biomarkers of aging and predisposition factors for cellular senescence and aging-related pathologies. Long-living species, human centenarians, and women are characterized by less inflamm-aging and decelerated immunosenescence. Despite recent progress in understanding, the harmonious theory of immunosenescence is still developing. Geroprotectors targeting these mechanisms are just emerging and are comprehensively discussed in this article.

Does Lithium Deserve a Place in the Treatment Against COVID-19? A Preliminary Observational Study in Six Patients, Case Report

Lithium has shown the capacity to: a) inhibit the replication of several types of viruses, some of which are similar to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, b) increase the immune response by reducing lymphopenia, and c) reduce inflammation by preventing or reducing the cytokine storm. In the present study, we have treated six patients with severe COVID-19 infection with lithium carbonate. We found that lithium carbonate significantly reduced plasma reactive C-Protein levels, increased lymphocyte numbers and decreased the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, improving both inflammatory activity and the immune response in these patients. We propose that lithium carbonate may deserve a place in the treatment against COVID-19.