Exposure to X-rays Causes Depression-like Behaviors in Mice via HMGB1-mediated Pyroptosis

Astragaloside IV promotes the pyroptosis of airway smooth muscle cells in childhood asthma by suppressing HMGB1/RAGE axis to inactivate NF-κb pathway

Childhood asthma, a common chronic childhood disease, leads to high mortality and morbidity in the world. Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) is a group of multifunctional cells that has been found to be correlated with the pathogenesis of asthma. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is a compound extracted from Astragalus membranaceus, which has the anti-asthmatic effect. However, the role of molecular mechanisms regulated by AS-IV in the biological processes of ASMCs in asthma remains unclear. Our current study aims to investigate the downstream molecular mechanism of AS-IV in modulating the aberrant proliferation and pyroptosis of ASMCs in asthma. At first, we determined that the viability of ASMCs could be efficiently suppressed by AS-IV treatment (200 μM). Moreover, AS-IV promoted the pyroptosis and suppressed PDGF-BB-induced aberrant proliferation. Through mechanism investigation, we confirmed that AS-IV could suppress high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression and prevent it from entering the cytoplasm. Subsequently, AS-IV blocked the interaction between HMGB1 and advanced glycosylation end product-specific receptor (RAGE) to inactivate NF-κB pathway. Finally, in vivo experiments demonstrated that AS-IV treatment can alleviate the lung inflammation in asthma mice. Collectively, AS-IV alleviates asthma and suppresses the pyroptosis of AMSCs through blocking HMGB1/RAGE axis to inactivate NF-κB pathway.

Radiation injury and gut microbiota-based treatment

The exposure to either medical sources or accidental radiation can cause varying degrees of radiation injury (RI). RI is a common disease involving multiple human body parts and organs, yet effective treatments are currently limited. Accumulating evidence suggests gut microbiota are closely associated with the development and prevention of various RI. This article summarizes 10 common types of RI and their possible mechanisms. It also highlights the changes and potential microbiota-based treatments for RI, including probiotics, metabolites, and microbiota transplantation. Additionally, a 5P-Framework is proposed to provide a comprehensive strategy for managing RI.

Treatment of Depression with Acupuncture Based on Pathophysiological Mechanism

Depression is a prevalent mental disorder and has a profound impact on an individual's psychological and physical well-being. It is characterized by a persistently depressed mood, loss of interest, energy loss, and cognitive dysfunction. In recent years, more and more people have changed to mental diseases, such as depression, anxiety, mania and so on. In the incidence of depression, covering all ages, but still mainly young and middle-aged women. Traditional treatments for depression mainly rely on medication and psychotherapy, but these methods are not effective for all patients and are often accompanied by certain side effects. Therefore, finding safe and effective alternative or adjuvant treatments has become a priority. Here we highlight the research progress of acupuncture in the treatment of depression and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of depression. Acupuncture treatment of depression is an ancient and effective method, the mechanism involves multiple biological pathways, for example, by regulating neurotransmitter levels, regulating the neuroendocrine axis, improving neuroplasticity, anti-inflammatory and other effects, improving emotional state and play an antidepressant role. To provide evidence to support the widespread use of acupuncture in clinical practice. We hope to provide new treatment ideas and methods for patients with depression, and even reduce the incidence of depression.

Pyroptotic cell death: an emerging therapeutic opportunity for radiotherapy

Pyroptotic cell death, an inflammatory form of programmed cell death (PCD), is emerging as a potential therapeutic opportunity for radiotherapy (RT). RT is commonly used for cancer treatment, but its effectiveness can be limited by tumor resistance and adverse effects on healthy tissues. Pyroptosis, characterized by cell swelling, membrane rupture, and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, has been shown to enhance the immune response against cancer cells. By inducing pyroptotic cell death in tumor cells, RT has the potential to enhance treatment outcomes by stimulating anti-tumor immune responses and improving the overall efficacy of RT. Furthermore, the release of danger signals from pyroptotic cells can promote the recruitment and activation of immune cells, leading to a systemic immune response that may target distant metastases. Although further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and optimize the use of pyroptotic cell death in RT, it holds promise as a novel therapeutic strategy for improving cancer treatment outcomes. This review aims to synthesize recent research on the regulatory mechanisms underlying radiation-induced pyroptosis and to elucidate the potential significance of this process in RT. The insights gained from this analysis may inform strategies to enhance the efficacy of RT for tumors.

Pyroptosis in glioma: Current management and future application

Glioma, the predominant form of central nervous system (CNS) malignancies, presents a significant challenge due to its high prevalence and low 5-year survival rate. The efficacy of current treatment methods is limited by the presence of the blood-brain barrier, the immunosuppressive microenvironment, and other factors. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising approach, as it can overcome the blood-brain barrier. A tumor's immune privilege, which is induced by an immunosuppressive environment, constricts immunotherapy's clinical impact in glioma. Pyroptosis, a programmed cell death mechanism facilitated by gasdermins, plays a significant role in the management of glioma. Its ability to initiate and regulate tumor occurrence, progression, and metastasis is well-established. However, it is crucial to note that uncontrolled or excessive cell death can result in tissue damage, acute inflammation, and cytokine release syndrome, thereby potentially promoting tumor advancement or recurrence. This paper aims to elucidate the molecular pathways involved in pyroptosis and subsequently discuss its induction in cancer therapy. In addition, the current treatment methods of glioma and the use of pyroptosis in these treatments are introduced. It is hoped to provide more ideas for the treatment of glioma.

The protective role of HMGB1 in affecting the balance between autophagy and pyroptosis to maintain neutrophils homeostasis during β-glucan-induced mice lung inflammation

Fungal contamination is omnipresent, and inhalation of fungi-contaminated organic dust leads to hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), in which neutrophils played a pivotal role. Existing studies have suggested that cell homeostasis is crucial for the pathogenesis of the inflammatory disease. Although HMGB1 has been shown to contribute to suppressing HP, there is a lack of studies on its mechanisms, especially the regulation of neutrophil homeostasis. This study aims to investigate how HMGB1 regulates neutrophil function by affecting neutrophil homeostasis, and then affects lung inflammation induced by β-glucan, the exposure marker of fungi. Our results showed that deficient HMGB1 led to neutrophil death by disrupting the balance between autophagy and pyroptosis after β-glucan treatment. And HMGB1 deficiency exacerbated the β-glucan-induced lung inflammation and neutrophil dysfunction both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, HMGB1 contributed to remodeling neutrophil function by restricting autophagy and aggravating pyroptosis β-glucan exposure. Our funding suggested that HMGB1 deficiency could break the balance between autophagy and pyroptosis towards pyroptosis to cause neutrophil dysfunction during the exacerbated inflammatory response, which provides insights into the pathogenesis of HP and the potential biological targets for its treatment. DATA AVAILABILITY: The datasets used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Anti-depressant effects of acupuncture: The insights from NLRP3 mediated pyroptosis and inflammation

The NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis, which could affect inflammation response, plays a key role in the development of depression. Acupuncture has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression. In this study, we aimed to determine whether acupuncture could confer antidepressant activity via decreasing NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis by reducing inflammation. Here, depression model of rats was induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 4 weeks. Acupuncture group was subjected to acupuncture at the Shangxing (GV23) and Fengfu (GV16) acupoints for 20 min every other day (a total of 14 times). Fluoxetine group was administered with fluoxetine (2.1 mg/kg with the concentration of 0.21 mg/mL) by oral gavage (1 mL/100 g) once a day for 28 days. Rats' depression-like phenotypes were reflected with behavioral tests and biological detection methods. Results showed that acupuncture significantly improved the depression-like behavior of CUMS rat, suppressed the expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1β, IL-18, HMGB1, IFN-γ, IL-6 and TNF-α in the serum and hippocampus, restored the %area of microglia, astrocytes and neuronal cells in the hippocampus. These indicate that acupuncture can prevent CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors by reducing NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis and inflammation.

Microglia as Therapeutic Target for Radiation-Induced Brain Injury

Radiation-induced brain injury (RIBI) after radiotherapy has become an increasingly important factor affecting the prognosis of patients with head and neck tumor. With the delivery of high doses of radiation to brain tissue, microglia rapidly transit to a pro-inflammatory phenotype, upregulate phagocytic machinery, and reduce the release of neurotrophic factors. Persistently activated microglia mediate the progression of chronic neuroinflammation, which may inhibit brain neurogenesis leading to the occurrence of neurocognitive disorders at the advanced stage of RIBI. Fully understanding the microglial pathophysiology and cellular and molecular mechanisms after irradiation may facilitate the development of novel therapy by targeting microglia to prevent RIBI and subsequent neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

NLRP3-Dependent Pyroptosis: A Candidate Therapeutic Target for Depression

Depression, a major public health problem, imposes a significant economic burden on society. Recent studies have gradually unveiled the important role of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of depression. Pyroptosis, a programmed cell death mediated by Gasdermins (GSDMs), is also considered to be an inflammatory cell death with links to inflammation. Pyroptosis has emerged as an important pathological mechanism in several neurological diseases and has been found to be involved in several neuroinflammatory-related diseases. A variety of chemical agents and natural products have been found to be capable of exerting therapeutic effects by modulating pyroptosis. Studies have shown that depression is closely associated with pyroptosis and the induced neuroinflammation of relevant brain regions, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex neurons, etc., in which the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome plays a crucial role. This article provides a timely review of recent findings on the activation and regulation of pyroptosis in relation to depression.