Inosine induces acute hyperuricaemia in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) as a potential disease animal model

Studying the role of Bombyx mori molybdenum cofactor sulfurase in Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus infection

Molybdenum cofactor sulfurase (MoCoS) is a key gene involved in the uric acid metabolic pathway that activates xanthine dehydrogenase to synthesise uric acid. Uric acid is harmful to mammals but plays crucial roles in insects, one of which is the immune responses. However, the function of Bombyx mori MoCoS in response to BmNPV remains unclear. In this study, BmMoCoS was found to be relatively highly expressed in embryonic development, gonads and the Malpighian tubules. In addition, the expression levels of BmMoCoS were significantly upregulated in three silkworm strains with different levels of resistance after virus infection, suggesting a close link between them. Furthermore, RNAi and overexpression studies showed that BmMoCoS was involved in resistance to BmNPV infection, and its antivirus effects were found to be related to the regulation of uric acid metabolism, which was uncovered by inosine- and febuxostat-coupled RNAi and overexpression. Finally, the BmMoCoS-mediated uric acid pathway was preliminarily confirmed to be a potential target to protect silkworms from BmNPV infection. Overall, this study provides new evidence for elucidating the molecular mechanism of silkworms in response to BmNPV infection and new strategies for the prevention of viral infections in sericulture.

Identification and Anti-Hyperuricemic Activity of Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitory Peptides from Pacific White Shrimp and Swimming Crab Based on Molecular Docking Screening

The xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory peptides from pacific white shrimp or swimming crab were identified by molecular docking, and the anti-hyperuricemic activity of the peptides was confirmed in hyperuricemic cells. In our study, 17 novel XO inhibitory peptides were purified from pacific white shrimp or swimming crab, and Ala-Glu-Ala-Gln-Met-Trp-Arg (AEAQMWR, 891.01 Da, IC₅₀ = 8.85 ± 0.05 mM) exhibited the greatest XO inhibitory activity in vitro. Molecular docking results indicated that attractive charge, salt bridge, and hydrogen bond showed a crucial effect on the interactions of XO inhibitory peptides with the pivotal residues of Arg880, Glu802, and Glu1261. In addition, XO inhibitory peptides alleviated hyperuricemia by inhibiting inflammation and preventing increased uric acid transporter expression levels in hyperuricemia cells. Overall, these results further confirmed that screening of XO inhibitory peptides rapidly via molecular docking was feasible.

Gut Metabolites and Breast Cancer: The Continuum of Dysbiosis, Breast Cancer Risk, and Potential Breast Cancer Therapy

The complex association between the gut microbiome and cancer development has been an emerging field of study in recent years. The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the overall maintenance of human health and interacts closely with the host immune system to prevent and fight infection. This review was designed to draw a comprehensive assessment and summary of recent research assessing the anticancer activity of the metabolites (produced by the gut microbiota) specifically against breast cancer. In this review, a total of 2701 articles were screened from different scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science) with 72 relevant articles included based on the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Metabolites produced by the gut microbial communities have been researched for their health benefits and potential anticancer activity. For instance, the short-chain fatty acid, butyrate, has been evaluated against multiple cancer types, including breast cancer, and has demonstrated anticancer potential via various molecular pathways. Similarly, nisin, a bacteriocin, has presented with a range of anticancer properties primarily against gastrointestinal cancers, with nominal evidence supporting its use against breast cancer. Comparatively, a natural purine nucleoside, inosine, though it has not been thoroughly investigated as a natural anticancer agent, has shown promise in recent studies. Additionally, recent studies demonstrated that gut microbial metabolites influence the efficacy of standard chemotherapeutics and potentially be implemented as a combination therapy. Despite the promising evidence supporting the anticancer action of gut metabolites on different cancer types, the molecular mechanisms of action of this activity are not well established, especially against breast cancer and warrant further investigation. As such, future research must prioritise determining the dose-response relationship, molecular mechanisms, and conducting animal and clinical studies to validate in vitro findings. This review also highlights the potential future directions of this field.