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Jahanbani F, Sing JC, Maynard RD, Jahanbani S, Dafoe J, Dafoe W, Jones N, Wallace KJ, Rastan A, Maecker HT, Röst HL, Snyder MP, Davis RW. Longitudinal cytokine and multi-modal health data of an extremely severe ME/CFS patient with HSD reveals insights into immunopathology, and disease severity. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1369295. [PMID: 38650940 PMCID: PMC11033372 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1369295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) presents substantial challenges in patient care due to its intricate multisystem nature, comorbidities, and global prevalence. The heterogeneity among patient populations, coupled with the absence of FDA-approved diagnostics and therapeutics, further complicates research into disease etiology and patient managment. Integrating longitudinal multi-omics data with clinical, health,textual, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical data offers a promising avenue to address these complexities, aiding in the identification of underlying causes and providing insights into effective therapeutics and diagnostic strategies. Methods This study focused on an exceptionally severe ME/CFS patient with hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) during a period of marginal symptom improvements. Longitudinal cytokine profiling was conducted alongside the collection of extensive multi-modal health data to explore the dynamic nature of symptoms, severity, triggers, and modifying factors. Additionally, an updated severity assessment platform and two applications, ME-CFSTrackerApp and LexiTime, were introduced to facilitate real-time symptom tracking and enhance patient-physician/researcher communication, and evaluate response to medical intervention. Results Longitudinal cytokine profiling revealed the significance of Th2-type cytokines and highlighted synergistic activities between mast cells and eosinophils, skewing Th1 toward Th2 immune responses in ME/CFS pathogenesis, particularly in cognitive impairment and sensorial intolerance. This suggests a potentially shared underlying mechanism with major ME/CFS comorbidities such as HSD, Mast cell activation syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and small fiber neuropathy. Additionally, the data identified potential roles of BCL6 and TP53 pathways in ME/CFS etiology and emphasized the importance of investigating adverse reactions to medication and supplements and drug interactions in ME/CFS severity and progression. Discussion Our study advocates for the integration of longitudinal multi-omics with multi-modal health data and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to better understand ME/CFS and its major comorbidities. These findings highlight the significance of dysregulated Th2-type cytokines in patient stratification and precision medicine strategies. Additionally, our results suggest exploring the use of low-dose drugs with partial agonist activity as a potential avenue for ME/CFS treatment. This comprehensive approach emphasizes the importance of adopting a patient-centered care approach to improve ME/CFS healthcare management, disease severity assessment, and personalized medicine. Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of ME/CFS and offer avenues for future research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fereshteh Jahanbani
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Justin Cyril Sing
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Donnelly Center, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rajan Douglas Maynard
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Shaghayegh Jahanbani
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Janet Dafoe
- ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center at Stanford, Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Whitney Dafoe
- ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center at Stanford, Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Nathan Jones
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Kelvin J. Wallace
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Azuravesta Rastan
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Holden T. Maecker
- Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Institute of Immunity, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Hannes L. Röst
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Donnelly Center, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael P. Snyder
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Ronald W. Davis
- ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center at Stanford, Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
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Armstrong CW, Mensah FFK, Leandro MJ, Reddy V, Gooley PR, Berkovitz S, Cambridge G. In vitro B cell experiments explore the role of CD24, CD38, and energy metabolism in ME/CFS. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1178882. [PMID: 38259473 PMCID: PMC10800820 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1178882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Disturbances of energy metabolism contribute to the clinical manifestations of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Previously, we found that B cells from ME/CFS patients have an increased expression of CD24, a modulator of many cellular functions including those of cell stress. The relative ability of B cells from ME/CFS patients and healthy controls (HC) to respond to rapid changes in energy demand was compared. Methods CD24, the ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73, the NAD-degrading enzyme CD38, and mitochondrial mass (MM) were measured following cross-linking of the B cell receptor and costimulation with either T-cell-dependent or Toll-like-receptor-9-dependent agonists. The levels of metabolites consumed/produced were measured using 1H-NMR spectroscopy and analyzed in relation to cell growth and immunophenotype. Results Proliferating B cells from patients with ME/CFS showed a lower mitochondrial mass and a significantly increased usage of essential amino acids compared with those from HC, with a significantly delayed loss of CD24 and an increased expression of CD38 following stimulation. Discussion The immunophenotype results suggested the triggering of a stress response in ME/CFS B cells associated with the increased usage of additional substrates to maintain necessary ATP levels. Disturbances in energy metabolism in ME/CFS B cells were thus confirmed in a dynamic in vitro model, providing the basis for further mechanistic investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W. Armstrong
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Fane F. K. Mensah
- Department of Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maria J. Leandro
- Department of Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Venkat Reddy
- Department of Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul R. Gooley
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Saul Berkovitz
- Chronic Fatigue Service, Royal London Hospital of Integrated Medicine, University College Hospitals National Health Service Trust, London, United Kingdom
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Gottschalk CG, Peterson D, Armstrong J, Knox K, Roy A. Potential molecular mechanisms of chronic fatigue in long haul COVID and other viral diseases. Infect Agent Cancer 2023; 18:7. [PMID: 36750846 PMCID: PMC9902840 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-023-00485-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Historically, COVID-19 emerges as one of the most devastating diseases of humankind, which creates an unmanageable health crisis worldwide. Until now, this disease costs millions of lives and continues to paralyze human civilization's economy and social growth, leaving an enduring damage that will take an exceptionally long time to repair. While a majority of infected patients survive after mild to moderate reactions after two to six weeks, a growing population of patients suffers for months with severe and prolonged symptoms of fatigue, depression, and anxiety. These patients are no less than 10% of total COVID-19 infected individuals with distinctive chronic clinical symptomatology, collectively termed post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) or more commonly long-haul COVID. Interestingly, Long-haul COVID and many debilitating viral diseases display a similar range of clinical symptoms of muscle fatigue, dizziness, depression, and chronic inflammation. In our current hypothesis-driven review article, we attempt to discuss the molecular mechanism of muscle fatigue in long-haul COVID, and other viral diseases as caused by HHV6, Powassan, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and HIV. We also discuss the pathological resemblance of virus-triggered muscle fatigue with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Gunnar Gottschalk
- Simmaron Research INC, 948 Incline Way, Incline Village, NV 89451 USA ,grid.267468.90000 0001 0695 7223Research and Development Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211 USA ,Coppe Laboratories, W229N1870 Westwood Dr, Waukesha, WI 53186 USA
| | - Daniel Peterson
- Simmaron Research INC, 948 Incline Way, Incline Village, NV 89451 USA ,Coppe Laboratories, W229N1870 Westwood Dr, Waukesha, WI 53186 USA
| | - Jan Armstrong
- Simmaron Research INC, 948 Incline Way, Incline Village, NV 89451 USA ,Coppe Laboratories, W229N1870 Westwood Dr, Waukesha, WI 53186 USA
| | - Konstance Knox
- grid.267468.90000 0001 0695 7223Research and Development Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211 USA ,Coppe Laboratories, W229N1870 Westwood Dr, Waukesha, WI 53186 USA
| | - Avik Roy
- Simmaron Research INC, 948 Incline Way, Incline Village, NV, 89451, USA. .,Research and Development Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA. .,Coppe Laboratories, W229N1870 Westwood Dr, Waukesha, WI, 53186, USA.
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Van Booven DJ, Gamer J, Joseph A, Perez M, Zarnowski O, Pandya M, Collado F, Klimas N, Oltra E, Nathanson L. Stress-Induced Transcriptomic Changes in Females with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Reveal Disrupted Immune Signatures. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:2698. [PMID: 36769022 PMCID: PMC9916639 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic, complex multi-organ illness characterized by unexplained debilitating fatigue and post-exertional malaise (PEM), which is defined as a worsening of symptoms following even minor physical or mental exertion. Our study aimed to evaluate transcriptomic changes in ME/CFS female patients undergoing an exercise challenge intended to precipitate PEM. Our time points (baseline before exercise challenge, the point of maximal exertion, and after an exercise challenge) allowed for the exploration of the transcriptomic response to exercise and recovery in female patients with ME/CFS, as compared to healthy controls (HCs). Under maximal exertion, ME/CFS patients did not show significant changes in gene expression, while HCs demonstrated altered functional gene networks related to signaling and integral functions of their immune cells. During the recovery period (commonly during onset of PEM), female ME/CFS patients showed dysregulated immune signaling pathways and dysfunctional cellular responses to stress. The unique functional pathways identified provide a foundation for future research efforts into the disease, as well as for potential targeted treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek J. Van Booven
- John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Jackson Gamer
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
- Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
| | - Andrew Joseph
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
- Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
| | - Melanie Perez
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
- Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
| | - Oskar Zarnowski
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
- Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
| | - Meha Pandya
- Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
- Farquhar Honors College, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
| | - Fanny Collado
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Miami VA Healthcare System, Research Service, Miami, FL 33125, USA
- South Florida Veterans Affairs Foundation for Research and Education Inc., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33125, USA
| | - Nancy Klimas
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Miami VA Healthcare System, Research Service, Miami, FL 33125, USA
| | - Elisa Oltra
- School of Medicine, Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, 46001 Valencia, Spain
| | - Lubov Nathanson
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA
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Williams ESCP, Martins TB, Hill HR, Coiras M, Shah KS, Planelles V, Spivak AM. Plasma cytokine levels reveal deficiencies in IL-8 and gamma interferon in Long-COVID. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2022:2022.10.03.22280661. [PMID: 36238724 PMCID: PMC9558442 DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.03.22280661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Up to half of individuals who contract SARS-CoV-2 develop symptoms of long-COVID approximately three months after initial infection. These symptoms are highly variable, and the mechanisms inducing them are yet to be understood. We compared plasma cytokine levels from individuals with long-COVID to healthy individuals and found that those with long-COVID had 100% reductions in circulating levels of interferon gamma (IFNγ) and interleukin-8 (IL-8). Additionally, we found significant reductions in levels of IL-6, IL-2, IL-17, IL-13, and IL-4 in individuals with long-COVID. We propose immune exhaustion as the driver of long-COVID, with the complete absence of IFNγ and IL-8 preventing the lungs and other organs from healing after acute infection, and reducing the ability to fight off subsequent infections, both contributing to the myriad of symptoms suffered by those with long-COVID.
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Tate W, Walker M, Sweetman E, Helliwell A, Peppercorn K, Edgar C, Blair A, Chatterjee A. Molecular Mechanisms of Neuroinflammation in ME/CFS and Long COVID to Sustain Disease and Promote Relapses. Front Neurol 2022; 13:877772. [PMID: 35693009 PMCID: PMC9174654 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.877772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disease now well-documented as having arisen commonly from a viral infection, but also from other external stressors, like exposure to agricultural chemicals, other types of infection, surgery, or other severe stress events. Research has shown these events produce a systemic molecular inflammatory response and chronic immune activation and dysregulation. What has been more difficult to establish is the hierarchy of the physiological responses that give rise to the myriad of symptoms that ME/CFS patients experience, and why they do not resolve and are generally life-long. The severity of the symptoms frequently fluctuates through relapse recovery periods, with brain-centered symptoms of neuroinflammation, loss of homeostatic control, "brain fog" affecting cognitive ability, lack of refreshing sleep, and poor response to even small stresses. How these brain effects develop with ME/CFS from the initiating external effector, whether virus or other cause, is poorly understood and that is what our paper aims to address. We propose the hypothesis that following the initial stressor event, the subsequent systemic pathology moves to the brain via neurovascular pathways or through a dysfunctional blood-brain barrier (BBB), resulting in chronic neuroinflammation and leading to a sustained illness with chronic relapse recovery cycles. Signaling through recognized pathways from the brain back to body physiology is likely part of the process by which the illness cycle in the peripheral system is sustained and why healing does not occur. By contrast, Long COVID (Post-COVID-19 condition) is a very recent ME/CFS-like illness arising from the single pandemic virus, SARS-CoV-2. We believe the ME/CFS-like ongoing effects of Long COVID are arising by very similar mechanisms involving neuroinflammation, but likely with some unique signaling, resulting from the pathology of the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. The fact that there are very similar symptoms in both ongoing diseases, despite the diversity in the nature of the initial stressors, supports the concept of a similar dysfunctional CNS component common to both.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren Tate
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Max Walker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Eiren Sweetman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Amber Helliwell
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Katie Peppercorn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Christina Edgar
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Anna Blair
- Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Renz-Polster H, Tremblay ME, Bienzle D, Fischer JE. The Pathobiology of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Case for Neuroglial Failure. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:888232. [PMID: 35614970 PMCID: PMC9124899 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.888232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) has a specific and distinctive profile of clinical features, the disease remains an enigma because causal explanation of the pathobiological matrix is lacking. Several potential disease mechanisms have been identified, including immune abnormalities, inflammatory activation, mitochondrial alterations, endothelial and muscular disturbances, cardiovascular anomalies, and dysfunction of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Yet, it remains unclear whether and how these pathways may be related and orchestrated. Here we explore the hypothesis that a common denominator of the pathobiological processes in ME/CFS may be central nervous system dysfunction due to impaired or pathologically reactive neuroglia (astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes). We will test this hypothesis by reviewing, in reference to the current literature, the two most salient and widely accepted features of ME/CFS, and by investigating how these might be linked to dysfunctional neuroglia. From this review we conclude that the multifaceted pathobiology of ME/CFS may be attributable in a unifying manner to neuroglial dysfunction. Because the two key features - post exertional malaise and decreased cerebral blood flow - are also recognized in a subset of patients with post-acute sequelae COVID, we suggest that our findings may also be pertinent to this entity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herbert Renz-Polster
- Division of General Medicine, Center for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health Baden-Württemberg (CPD-BW), University Medicine Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marie-Eve Tremblay
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
- Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Center for Advanced Materials and Related Technology (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Dorothee Bienzle
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Joachim E. Fischer
- Division of General Medicine, Center for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health Baden-Württemberg (CPD-BW), University Medicine Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Raijmakers R, Roerink M, Keijmel S, Joosten L, Netea M, van der Meer J, Knoop H, Klein H, Bleeker-Rovers C, Doorduin J. No Signs of Neuroinflammation in Women With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Q Fever Fatigue Syndrome Using the TSPO Ligand [ 11C]-PK11195. NEUROLOGY(R) NEUROIMMUNOLOGY & NEUROINFLAMMATION 2022; 9:9/1/e1113. [PMID: 34815320 PMCID: PMC8611501 DOI: 10.1212/nxi.0000000000001113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives The pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and Q fever fatigue syndrome (QFS) remains elusive. Recent data suggest a role for neuroinflammation as defined by increased expression of translocator protein (TSPO). In the present study, we investigated whether there are signs of neuroinflammation in female patients with CFS and QFS compared with healthy women, using PET with the TSPO ligand 11C-(R)-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-methyl-N-(1-methylpropyl)-3-isoquinoline-carbox-amide ([11C]-PK11195). Methods The study population consisted of patients with CFS (n = 9), patients with QFS (n = 10), and healthy subjects (HSs) (n = 9). All subjects were women, matched for age (±5 years) and neighborhood, aged between 18 and 59 years, who did not use any medication other than paracetamol or oral contraceptives, and were not vaccinated in the last 6 months. None of the subjects reported substance abuse in the past 3 months or reported signs of underlying psychiatric disease on the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. All subjects underwent a [11C]-PK11195 PET scan, and the [11C]-PK11195 binding potential (BPND) was calculated. Results No statistically significant differences in BPND were found for patients with CFS or patients with QFS compared with HSs. BPND of [11C]-PK11195 correlated with symptom severity scores in patients with QFS, but a negative correlation was found in patients with CFS. Discussion In contrast to what was previously reported for CFS, we found no significant difference in BPND of [11C]-PK11195 when comparing patients with CFS or QFS with healthy neighborhood controls. In this small series, we were unable to find signs of neuroinflammation in patients with CFS and QFS. Trial Registration Information EudraCT number 2014-004448-37.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruud Raijmakers
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Megan Roerink
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Stephan Keijmel
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Leo Joosten
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Mihai Netea
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jos van der Meer
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Knoop
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Klein
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Chantal Bleeker-Rovers
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Janine Doorduin
- From the Radboud Expertise Center for Q Fever (R.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Internal Medicine (R.R., M.R., S.K., L.J., M.N., J.M., C.B.-R.), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Medical Psychology (H. Knoop), Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam; Department of Psychiatry (H. Klein), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (J.D.), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands
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9
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Williams ESCP, Martins TB, Shah KS, Hill HR, Coiras M, Spivak AM, Planelles V. Cytokine Deficiencies in Patients with Long-COVID. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL & CELLULAR IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 13:672. [PMID: 36742994 PMCID: PMC9894377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Up to half of individuals who contract SARS-CoV-2 develop symptoms of long-COVID approximately three months after initial infection. These symptoms are highly variable, and the mechanisms inducing them are yet to be understood. We compared plasma cytokine levels from individuals with long-COVID to healthy individuals and found that those with long-COVID had 100% reductions in circulating levels of Interferon Gamma (IFNγ) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8). Additionally, we found significant reductions in levels of IL-6, IL-2, IL-17, IL-13, and IL-4 in individuals with long-COVID. We propose immune exhaustion as the driver of long-COVID, with the complete absence of IFNγ and IL-8preventing the lungs and other organs from healing after acute infection, and reducing the ability to fight off subsequent infections, both contributing to the myriad of symptoms suffered by those with long-COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth SCP Williams
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Thomas B. Martins
- ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, 1950 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Kevin S. Shah
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Harry R. Hill
- ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, 1950 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, United States;,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States;,Department of Pathology and Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Mayte Coiras
- AIDS Immunopathology Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adam M. Spivak
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States;,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Vicente Planelles
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
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10
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Mathur R, Carnes MU, Harding A, Moore A, Thomas I, Giarrocco A, Long M, Underwood M, Townsend C, Ruiz-Esparza R, Barnette Q, Brown LM, Schu M. mapMECFS: a portal to enhance data discovery across biological disciplines and collaborative sites. J Transl Med 2021; 19:461. [PMID: 34749736 PMCID: PMC8576927 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-021-03127-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating disease which involves multiple body systems (e.g., immune, nervous, digestive, circulatory) and research domains (e.g., immunology, metabolomics, the gut microbiome, genomics, neurology). Despite several decades of research, there are no established ME/CFS biomarkers available to diagnose and treat ME/CFS. Sharing data and integrating findings across these domains is essential to advance understanding of this complex disease by revealing diagnostic biomarkers and facilitating discovery of novel effective therapies. Methods The National Institutes of Health funded the development of a data sharing portal to support collaborative efforts among an initial group of three funded research centers. This was subsequently expanded to include the global ME/CFS research community. Using the open-source comprehensive knowledge archive network (CKAN) framework as the base, the ME/CFS Data Management and Coordinating Center developed an online portal with metadata collection, smart search capabilities, and domain-agnostic data integration to support data findability and reusability while reducing the barriers to sustainable data sharing. Results We designed the mapMECFS data portal to facilitate data sharing and integration by allowing ME/CFS researchers to browse, share, compare, and download molecular datasets from within one data repository. At the time of publication, mapMECFS contains data curated from public data repositories, peer-reviewed publications, and current ME/CFS Research Network members. Conclusions mapMECFS is a disease-specific data portal to improve data sharing and collaboration among ME/CFS researchers around the world. mapMECFS is accessible to the broader research community with registration. Further development is ongoing to include novel systems biology and data integration methods. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-021-03127-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Mathur
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Megan U Carnes
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Alexander Harding
- Center for Data Science, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Amy Moore
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Ian Thomas
- Center for Data Science, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Alex Giarrocco
- Center for Data Science, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Michael Long
- Center for Data Science, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Marcia Underwood
- Center for Data Science, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Roman Ruiz-Esparza
- Center for Data Science, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Quinn Barnette
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Linda Morris Brown
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Matthew Schu
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
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11
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Mueller C, Lin JC, Sheriff S, Maudsley AA, Younger JW. Evidence of widespread metabolite abnormalities in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: assessment with whole-brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 14:562-572. [PMID: 30617782 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-018-0029-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies have detected markers of neuroinflammation in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is suitable for measuring brain metabolites linked to inflammation, but has only been applied to discrete regions of interest in ME/CFS. We extended the MRS analysis of ME/CFS by capturing multi-voxel information across the entire brain. Additionally, we tested whether MRS-derived brain temperature is elevated in ME/CFS patients. Fifteen women with ME/CFS and 15 age- and gender-matched healthy controls completed fatigue and mood symptom questionnaires and whole-brain echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI). Choline (CHO), myo-inositol (MI), lactate (LAC), and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) were quantified in 47 regions, expressed as ratios over creatine (CR), and compared between ME/CFS patients and controls using independent-samples t-tests. Brain temperature was similarly tested between groups. Significant between-group differences were detected in several regions, most notably elevated CHO/CR in the left anterior cingulate (p < 0.001). Metabolite ratios in seven regions were correlated with fatigue (p < 0.05). ME/CFS patients had increased temperature in the right insula, putamen, frontal cortex, thalamus, and the cerebellum (all p < 0.05), which was not attributable to increased body temperature or differences in cerebral perfusion. Brain temperature increases converged with elevated LAC/CR in the right insula, right thalamus, and cerebellum (all p < 0.05). We report metabolite and temperature abnormalities in ME/CFS patients in widely distributed regions. Our findings may indicate that ME/CFS involves neuroinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Mueller
- Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave S, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Joanne C Lin
- Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave S, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Sulaiman Sheriff
- Department of Radiology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1600 NW 10th Ave #1140, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Andrew A Maudsley
- Department of Radiology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1600 NW 10th Ave #1140, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Jarred W Younger
- Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave S, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
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12
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Giloteaux L, O'Neal A, Castro-Marrero J, Levine SM, Hanson MR. Cytokine profiling of extracellular vesicles isolated from plasma in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: a pilot study. J Transl Med 2020; 18:387. [PMID: 33046133 PMCID: PMC7552484 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02560-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating disease of unknown etiology lasting for a minimum of 6 months but usually for many years, with features including fatigue, cognitive impairment, myalgias, post-exertional malaise, and immune system dysfunction. Dysregulation of cytokine signaling could give rise to many of these symptoms. Cytokines are present in both plasma and extracellular vesicles, but little investigation of EVs in ME/CFS has been reported. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the content of extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from plasma (including circulating cytokine/chemokine profiling) from individuals with ME/CFS and healthy controls. METHODS We included 35 ME/CFS patients and 35 controls matched for age, sex and BMI. EVs were enriched from plasma by using a polymer-based precipitation method and characterized by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and immunoblotting. A 45-plex immunoassay was used to determine cytokine levels in both plasma and isolated EVs from a subset of 19 patients and controls. Linear regression, principal component analysis and inter-cytokine correlations were analyzed. RESULTS ME/CFS individuals had significantly higher levels of EVs that ranged from 30 to 130 nm in size as compared to controls, but the mean size for total extracellular vesicles did not differ between groups. The enrichment of typical EV markers CD63, CD81, TSG101 and HSP70 was confirmed by Western blot analysis and the morphology assessed by TEM showed a homogeneous population of vesicles in both groups. Comparison of cytokine concentrations in plasma and isolated EVs of cases and controls yielded no significant differences. Cytokine-cytokine correlations in plasma revealed a significant higher number of interactions in ME/CFS cases along with 13 inverse correlations that were mainly driven by the Interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), whereas in the plasma of controls, no inverse relationships were found across any of the cytokines. Network analysis in EVs from controls showed 2.5 times more significant inter-cytokine interactions than in the ME/CFS group, and both groups presented a unique negative association. CONCLUSIONS Elevated levels of 30-130 nm EVs were found in plasma from ME/CFS patients and inter-cytokine correlations revealed unusual regulatory relationships among cytokines in the ME/CFS group that were different from the control group in both plasma and EVs. These disturbances in cytokine networks are further evidence of immune dysregulation in ME/CFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Giloteaux
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 323 Biotechnology Building, 526 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Adam O'Neal
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 323 Biotechnology Building, 526 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Jesús Castro-Marrero
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 323 Biotechnology Building, 526 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- CFS/ME Unit, Division of Rheumatology, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08035, Spain
| | | | - Maureen R Hanson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 323 Biotechnology Building, 526 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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13
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Anti-Inflammatory Diets and Fatigue. Nutrients 2019; 11:nu11102315. [PMID: 31574939 PMCID: PMC6835556 DOI: 10.3390/nu11102315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating data indicates a link between a pro-inflammatory status and occurrence of chronic disease-related fatigue. The questions are whether the observed inflammatory profile can be (a) improved by anti-inflammatory diets, and (b) if this improvement can in turn be translated into a significant fatigue reduction. The aim of this narrative review was to investigate the effect of anti-inflammatory nutrients, foods, and diets on inflammatory markers and fatigue in various patient populations. Next to observational and epidemiological studies, a total of 21 human trials have been evaluated in this work. Current available research is indicative, rather than evident, regarding the effectiveness of individuals’ use of single nutrients with anti-inflammatory and fatigue-reducing effects. In contrast, clinical studies demonstrate that a balanced diet with whole grains high in fibers, polyphenol-rich vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods might be able to improve disease-related fatigue symptoms. Nonetheless, further research is needed to clarify conflicting results in the literature and substantiate the promising results from human trials on fatigue.
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14
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Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: From pathophysiological insights to novel therapeutic opportunities. Pharmacol Res 2019; 148:104450. [PMID: 31509764 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2019.104450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a common and disabling condition with a paucity of effective and evidence-based therapies, reflecting a major unmet need. Cognitive behavioural therapy and graded exercise are of modest benefit for only some ME/CFS patients, and many sufferers report aggravation of symptoms of fatigue with exercise. The presence of a multiplicity of pathophysiological abnormalities in at least the subgroup of people with ME/CFS diagnosed with the current international consensus "Fukuda" criteria, points to numerous potential therapeutic targets. Such abnormalities include extensive data showing that at least a subgroup has a pro-inflammatory state, increased oxidative and nitrosative stress, disruption of gut mucosal barriers and mitochondrial dysfunction together with dysregulated bioenergetics. In this paper, these pathways are summarised, and data regarding promising therapeutic options that target these pathways are highlighted; they include coenzyme Q10, melatonin, curcumin, molecular hydrogen and N-acetylcysteine. These data are promising yet preliminary, suggesting hopeful avenues to address this major unmet burden of illness.
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15
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Strawbridge R, Sartor ML, Scott F, Cleare AJ. Inflammatory proteins are altered in chronic fatigue syndrome-A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:69-83. [PMID: 31465778 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Immune dysfunction has been posited as a key element in the aetiology of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) since the illness was first conceived. However, systematic reviews have yet to quantitatively synthesise inflammatory biomarkers across the literature. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify available data on circulating inflammatory proteins, examining studies recruiting patients with a CFS diagnosis and a non-affected control group. Results were meta-analysed from 42 studies. Patients with CFS had significantly elevated tumour necrosis factor (ES = 0.274, p < 0.001), interleukin-2 (ES = 0.203, p = 0.006), interleukin-4 (ES = 0.373, p = 0.004), transforming growth factor-β (ES = 0.967, p < 0.001) and c-reactive protein (ES = 0.622, p = 0.019). 12 proteins did not differ between groups. These data provide some support for an inflammatory component in CFS, although inconsistency of results indicates that inflammation is unlikely to be a primary feature in all those suffering from this disorder. It is hoped that further work will elucidate whether there are subgroups of patients with clinically-relevant inflammatory dysfunction, and whether inflammatory cytokines may provide a prognostic biomarker or moderate treatment effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Strawbridge
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Maria-Laura Sartor
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Fraser Scott
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Anthony J Cleare
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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16
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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2019; 9:diagnostics9030091. [PMID: 31394725 PMCID: PMC6787585 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics9030091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating chronic disease of unknown aetiology that is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) as a disorder of the brain. The disease predominantly affects adults, with a peak age of onset of between 20 and 45 years with a female to male ratio of 3:1. Although the clinical features of the disease have been well established within diagnostic criteria, the diagnosis of ME/CFS is still of exclusion, meaning that other medical conditions must be ruled out. The pathophysiological mechanisms are unclear but the neuro-immuno-endocrinological pattern of CFS patients gleaned from various studies indicates that these three pillars may be the key point to understand the complexity of the disease. At the moment, there are no specific pharmacological therapies to treat the disease, but several studies' aims and therapeutic approaches have been described in order to benefit patients' prognosis, symptomatology relief, and the recovery of pre-existing function. This review presents a pathophysiological approach to understanding the essential concepts of ME/CFS, with an emphasis on the population, clinical, and genetic concepts associated with ME/CFS.
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17
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Yang T, Yang Y, Wang D, Li C, Qu Y, Guo J, Shi T, Bo W, Sun Z, Asakawa T. The clinical value of cytokines in chronic fatigue syndrome. J Transl Med 2019; 17:213. [PMID: 31253154 PMCID: PMC6599310 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-019-1948-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a heterogeneous disorder with uncertain pathogenesis. Without effective therapy, CFS is characterized by disabling fatigue, depression, memory loss, and somatic discomfort. This comprehensive and impartial review aimed to assess the available evidence and examined the potential clinical value of using cytokines for the monitoring of CFS and as targets for the treatment of CFS. Inflammatory reactions and immune modulation are considered to contribute to the pathophysiology of CFS, and it is well documented that cytokines present in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are closely associated with the progression and severity of CFS. However, pathophysiological and methodological limitations prevent using circulating cytokines as independent diagnostic indices. Moreover, there is no evidence to support the use of CSF cytokines as independent diagnostic indices. Nevertheless, a comprehensive evaluation of changes in circulating and CSF cytokines may improve clinical understanding of the pathophysiology of patients with CFS, aiding in the establishment of an appropriate diagnosis. Importantly, the available evidence does not support the value of cytokines as therapeutic targets. We believe that an improved understanding of cytokine-related mechanisms will be helpful to explore new cytokine-related therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiansong Yang
- First Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 26 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Delong Wang
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Chaoran Li
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Yuanyuan Qu
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Tianyu Shi
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Wang Bo
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China
| | - Zhongren Sun
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 24 Heping Road, Harbin, China.
| | - Tetsuya Asakawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Handayama, 1-20-1, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan. .,Research Base of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, China.
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18
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Günther OP, Gardy JL, Stafford P, Fluge Ø, Mella O, Tang P, Miller RR, Parker SM, Johnston SA, Patrick DM. Immunosignature Analysis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:4249-4257. [PMID: 30298340 PMCID: PMC6505503 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1354-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
A random-sequence peptide microarray can interrogate serum antibodies in a broad, unbiased fashion to generate disease-specific immunosignatures. This approach has been applied to cancer detection, diagnosis of infections, and interrogation of vaccine response. We hypothesized that there is an immunosignature specific to ME/CFS and that this could aid in the diagnosis. We studied two subject groups meeting the Canadian Consensus Definition of ME/CFS. ME/CFS (n = 25) and matched control (n = 25) sera were obtained from a Canadian study. ME/CFS (n = 25) sera were obtained from phase 1/2 Norwegian trials (NCT01156909). Sera from six healthy controls from the USA were included in the analysis. Canadian cases and controls were tested for a disease immunosignature. By combining results from unsupervised and supervised analyses, a candidate immunosignature with 654 peptides was able to differentiate ME/CFS from controls. The immunosignature was tested and further refined using the Norwegian and USA samples. This resulted in a 256-peptide immunosignature with the ability to separate ME/CFS cases from controls in the international data sets. We were able to identify a 256-peptide signature that separates ME/CFS samples from healthy controls, suggesting that the hit-and-run hypothesis of immune dysfunction merits further investigation. By extending testing of both our signature and one previously reported in the literature to larger cohorts, and further interrogating the specific peptides we and others have identified, we may deepen our understanding of the origins of ME/CFS and work towards a clinically meaningful diagnostic biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer L Gardy
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Øystein Fluge
- Department of Oncology and Medical Physics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Olav Mella
- Department of Oncology and Medical Physics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Ruth R Miller
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Shoshana M Parker
- Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - David M Patrick
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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19
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Morris G, Maes M, Berk M, Puri BK. Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome: how could the illness develop? Metab Brain Dis 2019; 34:385-415. [PMID: 30758706 PMCID: PMC6428797 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-019-0388-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
A model of the development and progression of chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis), the aetiology of which is currently unknown, is put forward, starting with a consideration of the post-infection role of damage-associated molecular patterns and the development of chronic inflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative stress in genetically predisposed individuals. The consequences are detailed, including the role of increased intestinal permeability and the translocation of commensal antigens into the circulation, and the development of dysautonomia, neuroinflammation, and neurocognitive and neuroimaging abnormalities. Increasing levels of such stress and the switch to immune and metabolic downregulation are detailed next in relation to the advent of hypernitrosylation, impaired mitochondrial performance, immune suppression, cellular hibernation, endotoxin tolerance and sirtuin 1 activation. The role of chronic stress and the development of endotoxin tolerance via indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase upregulation and the characteristics of neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages and T cells, including regulatory T cells, in endotoxin tolerance are detailed next. Finally, it is shown how the immune and metabolic abnormalities of chronic fatigue syndrome can be explained by endotoxin tolerance, thus completing the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerwyn Morris
- IMPACT Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael Maes
- IMPACT Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Michael Berk
- IMPACT Strategic Research Centre, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Basant K Puri
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, England, W12 0HS, UK.
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20
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VanElzakker MB, Brumfield SA, Lara Mejia PS. Neuroinflammation and Cytokines in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): A Critical Review of Research Methods. Front Neurol 2019; 9:1033. [PMID: 30687207 PMCID: PMC6335565 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is the label given to a syndrome that can include long-term flu-like symptoms, profound fatigue, trouble concentrating, and autonomic problems, all of which worsen after exertion. It is unclear how many individuals with this diagnosis are suffering from the same condition or have the same underlying pathophysiology, and the discovery of biomarkers would be clarifying. The name "myalgic encephalomyelitis" essentially means "muscle pain related to central nervous system inflammation" and many efforts to find diagnostic biomarkers have focused on one or more aspects of neuroinflammation, from periphery to brain. As the field uncovers the relationship between the symptoms of this condition and neuroinflammation, attention must be paid to the biological mechanisms of neuroinflammation and issues with its potential measurement. The current review focuses on three methods used to study putative neuroinflammation in ME/CFS: (1) positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging using translocator protein (TSPO) binding radioligand (2) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) neuroimaging and (3) assays of cytokines circulating in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. PET scanning using TSPO-binding radioligand is a promising option for studies of neuroinflammation. However, methodological difficulties that exist both in this particular technique and across the ME/CFS neuroimaging literature must be addressed for any results to be interpretable. We argue that the vast majority of ME/CFS neuroimaging has failed to use optimal techniques for studying brainstem, despite its probable centrality to any neuroinflammatory causes or autonomic effects. MRS is discussed as a less informative but more widely available, less invasive, and less expensive option for imaging neuroinflammation, and existing studies using MRS neuroimaging are reviewed. Studies seeking to find a peripheral circulating cytokine "profile" for ME/CFS are reviewed, with attention paid to the biological and methodological reasons for lack of replication among these studies. We argue that both the biological mechanisms of cytokines and the innumerable sources of potential variance in their measurement make it unlikely that a consistent and replicable diagnostic cytokine profile will ever be discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B. VanElzakker
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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21
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Germain A, Ruppert D, Levine SM, Hanson MR. Prospective Biomarkers from Plasma Metabolomics of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Implicate Redox Imbalance in Disease Symptomatology. Metabolites 2018; 8:metabo8040090. [PMID: 30563204 PMCID: PMC6315598 DOI: 10.3390/metabo8040090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disease of enigmatic origin with no established cure. Its constellation of symptoms has silently ruined the lives of millions of people around the world. A plethora of hypotheses have been vainly investigated over the past few decades, so that the biological basis of this debilitating condition remains a mystery. In this study, we investigate whether there is a disturbance in homeostasis of metabolic networks in the plasma of a female 32-patient cohort compared to 19 healthy female controls. Extensive analysis of the 832-metabolite dataset generated by Metabolon®, covering eight biological classes, generated important insight into metabolic disruptions that occur in ME/CFS. We report on 14 metabolites with differences in abundance, allowing us to develop a theory of broad redox imbalance in ME/CFS patients, which is consistent with findings of prior work in the ME/CFS field. Moreover, exploration of enrichment analysis using www.MetaboAnalyst.ca provides information concerning similarities between metabolite disruptions in ME/CFS and those that occur in other diseases, while its biomarker analysis unit yielded prospective plasma biomarkers for ME/CFS. This work contributes key elements to the development of ME/CFS diagnostics, a crucial step required for discovering a therapy for any disease of unknown origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Germain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - David Ruppert
- Department of Statistical Science and School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Susan M Levine
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Maureen R Hanson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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22
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FitzGerald G, Botstein D, Califf R, Collins R, Peters K, Van Bruggen N, Rader D. The future of humans as model organisms. Science 2018; 361:552-553. [PMID: 30093589 DOI: 10.1126/science.aau7779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Garret FitzGerald
- The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - David Botstein
- Calico Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Robert Califf
- Duke Forge, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Rory Collins
- Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK
| | - Keith Peters
- University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2SP, UK
| | | | - Dan Rader
- The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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23
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Hatziagelaki E, Adamaki M, Tsilioni I, Dimitriadis G, Theoharides TC. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-Metabolic Disease or Disturbed Homeostasis due to Focal Inflammation in the Hypothalamus? J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2018; 367:155-167. [PMID: 30076265 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.118.250845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex disease characterized by debilitating fatigue, lasting for at least 6 months, with associated malaise, headaches, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment, which severely impacts quality of life. A significant percentage of ME/CFS patients remain undiagnosed, mainly due to the complexity of the disease and the lack of reliable objective biomarkers. ME/CFS patients display decreased metabolism and the severity of symptoms appears to be directly correlated to the degree of metabolic reduction that may be unique to each individual patient. However, the precise pathogenesis is still unknown, preventing the development of effective treatments. The ME/CFS phenotype has been associated with abnormalities in energy metabolism, which are apparently due to mitochondrial dysfunction in the absence of mitochondrial diseases, resulting in reduced oxidative metabolism. Such mitochondria may be further contributing to the ME/CFS symptomatology by extracellular secretion of mitochondrial DNA, which could act as an innate pathogen and create an autoinflammatory state in the hypothalamus. We propose that stimulation of hypothalamic mast cells by environmental, neuroimmune, pathogenic and stress triggers activates microglia, leading to focal inflammation in the brain and disturbed homeostasis. This process could be targeted for the development of novel effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erifili Hatziagelaki
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon General Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece (E.H., M.A., G.D.); Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology (I.T., T.C.T.) and Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences (T.C.T.), Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (T.C.T.)
| | - Maria Adamaki
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon General Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece (E.H., M.A., G.D.); Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology (I.T., T.C.T.) and Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences (T.C.T.), Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (T.C.T.)
| | - Irene Tsilioni
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon General Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece (E.H., M.A., G.D.); Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology (I.T., T.C.T.) and Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences (T.C.T.), Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (T.C.T.)
| | - George Dimitriadis
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon General Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece (E.H., M.A., G.D.); Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology (I.T., T.C.T.) and Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences (T.C.T.), Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (T.C.T.)
| | - Theoharis C Theoharides
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon General Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece (E.H., M.A., G.D.); Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, Department of Immunology (I.T., T.C.T.) and Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences (T.C.T.), Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and Departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (T.C.T.)
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24
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Blomberg J, Gottfries CG, Elfaitouri A, Rizwan M, Rosén A. Infection Elicited Autoimmunity and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Explanatory Model. Front Immunol 2018; 9:229. [PMID: 29497420 PMCID: PMC5818468 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) often also called chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a common, debilitating, disease of unknown origin. Although a subject of controversy and a considerable scientific literature, we think that a solid understanding of ME/CFS pathogenesis is emerging. In this study, we compiled recent findings and placed them in the context of the clinical picture and natural history of the disease. A pattern emerged, giving rise to an explanatory model. ME/CFS often starts after or during an infection. A logical explanation is that the infection initiates an autoreactive process, which affects several functions, including brain and energy metabolism. According to our model for ME/CFS pathogenesis, patients with a genetic predisposition and dysbiosis experience a gradual development of B cell clones prone to autoreactivity. Under normal circumstances these B cell offsprings would have led to tolerance. Subsequent exogenous microbial exposition (triggering) can lead to comorbidities such as fibromyalgia, thyroid disorder, and orthostatic hypotension. A decisive infectious trigger may then lead to immunization against autoantigens involved in aerobic energy production and/or hormone receptors and ion channel proteins, producing postexertional malaise and ME/CFS, affecting both muscle and brain. In principle, cloning and sequencing of immunoglobulin variable domains could reveal the evolution of pathogenic clones. Although evidence consistent with the model accumulated in recent years, there are several missing links in it. Hopefully, the hypothesis generates testable propositions that can augment the understanding of the pathogenesis of ME/CFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Blomberg
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Clinical Microbiology, Academic Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Amal Elfaitouri
- Department of Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, Benghazi University, Benghazi, Libya
| | - Muhammad Rizwan
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Clinical Microbiology, Academic Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Rosén
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Cell Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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25
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Moneghetti KJ, Skhiri M, Contrepois K, Kobayashi Y, Maecker H, Davis M, Snyder M, Haddad F, Montoya JG. Value of Circulating Cytokine Profiling During Submaximal Exercise Testing in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2779. [PMID: 29426834 PMCID: PMC5807550 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20941-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a heterogeneous syndrome in which patients often experience severe fatigue and malaise following exertion. Immune and cardiovascular dysfunction have been postulated to play a role in the pathophysiology. We therefore, examined whether cytokine profiling or cardiovascular testing following exercise would differentiate patients with ME/CFS. Twenty-four ME/CFS patients were matched to 24 sedentary controls and underwent cardiovascular and circulating immune profiling. Cardiovascular analysis included echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise and endothelial function testing. Cytokine and growth factor profiles were analyzed using a 51-plex Luminex bead kit at baseline and 18 hours following exercise. Cardiac structure and exercise capacity were similar between groups. Sparse partial least square discriminant analyses of cytokine profiles 18 hours post exercise offered the most reliable discrimination between ME/CFS and controls (κ = 0.62(0.34,0.84)). The most discriminatory cytokines post exercise were CD40L, platelet activator inhibitor, interleukin 1-β, interferon-α and CXCL1. In conclusion, cytokine profiling following exercise may help differentiate patients with ME/CFS from sedentary controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kegan J Moneghetti
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Mehdi Skhiri
- General Medical Disciplines, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kévin Contrepois
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Yukari Kobayashi
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Holden Maecker
- Human Immune Monitoring Center, Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mark Davis
- Human Immune Monitoring Center, Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael Snyder
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Francois Haddad
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jose G Montoya
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation Toxoplasma Serology Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA, USA
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