The influence of mutant lactobacilli on serum creatinine and urea nitrogen concentrations and renal pathology in 5/6 nephrectomized rats

Peptide NCTX15 derived from spider toxin gland effectively relieves hyperuricemia in mice

Hyperuricemia is a clinical disease characterized by a continuous increase in uric acid (UA) due to purine metabolism disorder. As current drug treatments are limited, it is imperative to explore new drugs that offer better safety and efficacy. In this study, Nephila clavata toxin gland homogenates were isolated and purified by exclusion chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography, resulting in the identification and isolation of a short peptide (NCTX15) with the sequence 'QSGHTFK'. Analysis showed that NCTX15 exhibited no cytotoxicity in mouse macrophages or toxic and hemolytic activity in mice. Notably, NCTX15 inhibited UA production by down-regulating urate transporter 1 and glucose transporter 9 and up-regulating organic anion transporter 1, thus promoting UA excretion. In addition, NCTX15 alleviated the inflammatory response and renal injury by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha, NLR family, pyrin domain-containing 3, and pyroptosis-related factor gasdermin D. These results indicate that NCTX15 displayed urate-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. As the first urate-reducing short peptide isolated from a spider toxin gland homogenate, NCTX15 exhibits considerable potential as a novel drug molecule for anti-gout and hyperuricemia treatment.

Novel Curcumin Derivative-Decorated Ultralong-Circulating Paclitaxel Nanoparticles: A Novel Delivery System with Superior Anticancer Efficacy and Safety

Purpose

Paclitaxel (PTX) has been widely utilized for the treatment of breast cancer. However, drawbacks, such as poor aqueous solubility, rapid blood clearance and severe toxicity, greatly reduce its efficacy and safety. Herein, a novel self-developed curcumin derivative (CUD) was chosen as the carrier to develop a long-acting PTX nano-delivery system (PTX-Sln@CUD) in order to improve its pharmacokinetic behavior, anti-breast cancer efficacy and safety.

Methods

PTX-Sln@CUD was prepared using solid dispersion and ultrasonic technology. Relevant physical and chemical properties, including stability and release behavior, were characterized. The clearance of PTX-Sln@CUD in vivo was studied by pharmacokinetic experiments. The anti-tumor activity of PTX-Sln@CUD was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Hemolysis experiments, acute toxicity and cumulative toxicity studies were performed in mice to determine the safety of PTX-Sln@CUD.

Results

The average particle size, PDI, Zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency of the PTX-Sln@CUD were 238.5 ± 4.79 nm, 0.225 ± 0.011, −33.8 ± 1.26 mV, 94.20 ± 0.49% and 10.98 ± 0.31%, respectively. PTX-Sln@CUD was found to be stable at room temperature for half a year. The cumulative release rates of PTX-Sln@CUD at 24, 96 and 168 h were 17.98 ± 2.60, 57.09 ± 2.32 and 72.66 ± 4.16%, respectively, which were adherent to zero-order kinetics. T_1/2, MRT _(0-t) and AUC _(0-t) of the PTX-Sln@CUD group were 4.03-fold (44.293 h), 7.78-fold (38.444 h) and 6.18-fold (14.716 mg/L*h) of the PTX group, respectively. PTX-Sln@CUD group demonstrated stronger anti-breast cancer activity than the PTX group. Importantly, the PTX-Sln@CUD group was safer compared to the PTX group both in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusion

PTX-Sln@CUD was verified as promising therapeutic nanoparticles for breast cancer and provided a novel strategy to solve the problem of low efficacy and poor safety of clinical chemotherapy drugs.

The Administration of the Synbiotic Lactobacillus bulgaricus 6c3 Strain, Inulin and Fructooligosaccharide Decreases the Concentrations of Indoxyl Sulfate and Kidney Damage in a Rat Model

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is involved in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in its cardiovascular complications. One of the approaches proposed to decrease IS is the administration of synbiotics. This work aimed to search for a probiotic strain capable to decrease serum IS levels and mix it with two prebiotics (inulin and fructooligosaccharide (FOS)) to produce a putative synbiotic and test it in a rat CKD model. Two groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were nephrectomized. One group (Lac) received the mixture for 16 weeks in drinking water and the other no (Nef). A control group (C) included sham-nephrectomized rats. Serum creatinine and IS concentrations were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Optical microscopy and two-photon excitation microscopy was used to study kidney and heart samples. The Lac group, which received the synbiotic, reduced IS by 0.8% while the Nef group increased it by 38.8%. Histological analysis of kidneys showed that the Lac group increased fibrotic areas by 12% and the Nef group did it by 25%. The synbiotic did not reduce cardiac fibrosis. Therefore, the putative synbiotic showed that function reducing IS and the progression of CKD in a rat model, but no heart protection was observed.

Effects of Selenium Supplement on B Lymphocyte Activity in Experimental Autoimmune Thyroiditis Rats

METHODS

45 healthy and adult female SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group, EAT model group, and selenium yeast supplement EAT group. The EAT model rats were induced by subcutaneous injection of porcine thyroglobulin and fed with high iodine water. The concentrations of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), TGAb, TPOAb, and B cell activating factor (BAFF) were detected in each group by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in thyroid tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. B cells and regulatory B cells (Bregs) ratios in the spleen of rats were analyzed by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

In contrast with the EAT model group, the levels of serum TSH, TGAB, TPOAb, and BAFF were decreased, while IL-10 expression was increased in thyroid tissue, and Bregs ratio was upregulated in the spleen (all p < 0.05) in the selenium yeast supplement EAT group.

CONCLUSION

Selenium yeast supplement could partially attenuate immune imbalance in EAT rats, which may be related to the mechanism of modulating B lymphocyte activity.

WISP1 silencing confers protection against epithelial-mesenchymal transition of renal tubular epithelial cells in rats via inactivation of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in uremia

Uremia can affect hepatic metabolism of drugs by regulating the clearance of drugs, but it has not been clarified whether gene silencing could modulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in uremia. Hence, we investigated the effect of WISP1 gene silencing on the renal tubular EMT in uremia through the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Initially, microarray-based gene expression profiling of uremia was used to identify differentially expressed genes. Following the establishment of uremia rat model, serum creatinine, and urea nitrogen of rats were detected. Renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) were transfected with shRNA-WISP1 lentivirus interference vectors and LiCI (the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activator) to explore the regulatory mechanism of WISP1 in uremia in relation to the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Then, expression of WISP1, wnt2b, E-cadherin, α-SMA, c-myc, Cyclin D1, MMP-2, and MMP-9 was determined. Furthermore, TEC migration and invasion were evaluated. Results suggested that WISP1 and the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were associated with uremia. Uremic rats exhibited increased serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels, upregulated WISPl, and activated wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Subsequently, WISP1 silencing decreased wnt2b, c-myc, Cyclin D1, α-SMA, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expression but increased E-cadherin expression, whereas LiCI treatment exhibited the opposite trends. In addition, WISP1 silencing suppressed TEC migration and invasion, whereas LiCI treatment promoted TEC migration and invasion. The findings indicate that WISP1 gene silencing suppresses the activation of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thus reducing EMT of renal TECs in uremic rats.