PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone inhibits migration and invasion by downregulating Cyr61 in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes

Associations Between Thiazolidinediones Use and Incidence of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

Preclinical studies suggest that thiazolidinediones (TZDs) may have a protective effect on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but evidence from population-based studies is scarce. This study aimed to assess the association between use of TZDs and incidence of RA in a retrospective cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of patients with T2DM who were new users of TZDs or alpha glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) was assembled. We applied the inverse probability of treatment weighted Cox model to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of RA incidence associated with the use of TZDs compared with AGIs.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 56,796 new users of AGIs and 14,892 new users of TZDs. The incidence of RA was 187.4 and 135.2 per 100,000 person-years in AGI users and TZD users, respectively. Compared with use of AGIs, TZD use was associated with a reduction in RA incidence, with an HR of 0.72 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.59-0.89). HRs for cumulative use of TZDs for 0.51 to 4.0 years and more than 4 years with incidence of RA were 0.55 (95% CI 0.35-0.88) and 0.74 (95% CI 0.57-0.98), respectively. Various subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were consistent with the primary analysis.

CONCLUSION

Use of TZDs is associated with a decreased risk of incident RA in patients with T2DM.

α-Mangostin Inhibited M1 Polarization of Macrophages/Monocytes in Antigen-Induced Arthritis Mice by Up-Regulating Silent Information Regulator 1 and Peroxisome Proliferators-Activated Receptor γ Simultaneously

Background

α-Mangostin (MG) showed the potentials in alleviating experimental arthritis, inhibiting inflammatory polarization of macrophages/monocytes, and regulating peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) and silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) signals. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlations among the above-mentioned properties.

Methods

Antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) was established in mouse, which was treated with MG in combination with SIRT1/PPAR-γ inhibitors to clarify the role of the two signals in the anti-arthritic actions. Pathological changes were systematically investigated. Phenotypes of cells were investigated by flow cytometry. Expression and co-localization of SIRT1 and PPAR-γ proteins in joint tissues were observed by the immunofluorescence method. Finally, clinical implications from the synchronous up-regulation of SIRT1 and PPAR-γ were validated by experiments in vitro.

Results

SIRT1 and PPAR-γ inhibitors (nicotinamide and T0070097) reduced the therapeutic effects of MG on AIA mice, and abrogated MG-induced up-regulation of SIRT1/PPAR-γ and inhibition of M1 polarization in macrophages/monocytes. MG has a good binding affinity to PPAR-γ, and MG promoted the co-expression of SIRT1 and PPAR-γ in joints. Synchronously activating SIRT1 and PPAR-γ was revealed to be necessary by MG to repress inflammatory responses in THP-1 monocytes.

Conclusion

MG binds PPAR-γ and excites this signaling to initiate ligand-dependent anti-inflammatory activity. Due to certain unspecified signal transduction crosstalk mechanism, it then promoted SIRT1 expression and further limited inflammatory polarization of macrophages/monocytes in AIA mice.

An Integrative Network Approach to Identify Common Genes for the Therapeutics in Tuberculosis and Its Overlapping Non-Communicable Diseases

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. The estimated total global TB deaths in 2019 were 1.4 million. The decline in TB incidence rate is very slow, while the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is exponentially increasing in low- and middle-income countries, where the prevention and treatment of TB disease remains a great burden, and there is enough empirical evidence (scientific evidence) to justify a greater research emphasis on the syndemic interaction between TB and NCDs. The current study was proposed to build a disease-gene network based on overlapping TB with NCDs (overlapping means genes involved in TB and other/s NCDs), such as Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and lung cancer. We compared the TB-associated genes with genes of its overlapping NCDs to determine the gene-disease relationship. Next, we constructed the gene interaction network of disease-genes by integrating curated and experimentally validated interactions in humans and find the 13 highly clustered modules in the network, which contains a total of 86 hub genes that are commonly associated with TB and its overlapping NCDs, which are largely involved in the Inflammatory response, cellular response to cytokine stimulus, response to cytokine, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, defense response, response to stress and immune system process. Moreover, the identified hub genes and their respective drugs were exploited to build a bipartite network that assists in deciphering the drug-target interaction, highlighting the influential roles of these drugs on apparently unrelated targets and pathways. Targeting these hub proteins by using drugs combination or drug repurposing approaches will improve the clinical conditions in comorbidity, enhance the potency of a few drugs, and give a synergistic effect with better outcomes. Thus, understanding the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and associated NCDs is a high priority to contain its short and long-term effects on human health. Our network-based analysis opens a new horizon for more personalized treatment, drug-repurposing opportunities, investigates new targets, multidrug treatment, and can uncover several side effects of unrelated drugs for TB and its overlapping NCDs.

Qing-Luo-Yin Alleviated Monocytes/Macrophages-Mediated Inflammation in Rats with Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis by Disrupting Their Interaction with (Pre)-Adipocytes Through PPAR-γ Signaling

Background

The Chinese herbal formula Qing-Luo-Yin (QLY) has been successfully used in rheumatoid arthritis treatment for decades. It exhibits notable immune and metabolism regulatory properties. Thereby, we investigated its effects on the interplay between (pre)-adipocytes and monocytes/macrophages under adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) circumstances.

Methods

Fat reservoir and histological characteristics of white fat tissues (WAT) in AIA rats receiving QLY treatment were examined upon sacrifice. Metabolic parameters, clinical indicators, and oxidative stress levels were determined using corresponding kits, while mRNA/protein expression was investigated by PCR and immunoblotting methods. M1 macrophage distribution in WAT was assessed by flow cytometry. The effects of QLY on (pre)-adipocytes were further validated by experiments in vitro.

Results

Compared with normal healthy controls, body weight and circulating triglyceride were declined in AIA rats, but serological levels of free fatty acids and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were increased. mRNA IL-1β and iNOS expression in white blood cells and rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, MCP-1 and IL-1β production in serum/WAT were up-regulated. Obvious CD86⁺CD11b⁺ macrophages were enriched in WAT. Meanwhile, expression of PPAR-γ and SIRT1 and secretion of adiponectin and leptin in these AIA rats were impaired. QLY restored all these pathological changes. Of note, it significantly stimulated PPAR-γ expression in the treated AIA rats. Accordingly, QLY-containing serum promoted SCD-1, PPAR-γ, and SIRT1 expression in pre-adipocytes cultured in vitro. AIA rats-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells suppressed PPAR-γ and SCD-1 expression in co-cultured pre-adipocytes, but serum from AIA rats receiving QLY treatment did not exhibit this potential. The changes on PPAR-γ expression eventually resulted in varied adipocyte differentiation statuses. PPAR-γ selective inhibitor T0070907 abrogated QLY-induced MCP-1 production decline in LPS-primed pre-adipocytes and reduced adiponectin secretion.

Conclusion

QLY was potent in promoting PPAR-γ expression and consequently disrupted inflammatory feedback in WAT by altering monocytes/macrophages polarization and adipocytes differentiation.

CCN proteins in the musculoskeletal system: current understanding and challenges in physiology and pathology

The acronym for the CCN family was recently revised to represent “cellular communication network”. These six, small, cysteine-enriched and evolutionarily conserved proteins are secreted matricellular proteins, that convey and modulate intercellular communication by interacting with structural proteins, signalling factors and cell surface receptors. Their role in the development and physiology of musculoskeletal system, constituted by connective tissues where cells are interspersed in the cellular matrix, has been broadly studied. Previous research has highlighted a crucial balance of CCN proteins in mesenchymal stem cell commitment and a pivotal role for CCN1, CCN2 and their alter ego CCN3 in chondrogenesis and osteogenesis; CCN4 plays a minor role and the role of CCN5 and CCN6 is still unclear. CCN proteins also participate in osteoclastogenesis and myogenesis. In adult life, CCN proteins serve as mechanosensory proteins in the musculoskeletal system providing a steady response to environmental stimuli and participating in fracture healing. Substantial evidence also supports the involvement of CCN proteins in inflammatory pathologies, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in cancers affecting the musculoskeletal system and bone metastasis. These matricellular proteins indeed show involvement in inflammation and cancer, thus representing intriguing therapeutic targets. This review discusses the current understanding of CCN proteins in the musculoskeletal system as well as the controversies and challenges associated with their multiple and complex roles, and it aims to link the dispersed knowledge in an effort to stimulate and guide readers to an area that the writers consider to have significant impact and relevant potentialities.

Expression of Cyr61 is associated with clinical course in patients with Crohn's disease

Backgrounds

Cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61) is emerging as an important regulator of tissue homeostasis and wound repair. We aim to explore the colonic mucosal expression of Cyr61 and analyze the association between Cyr61 expression and clinical course in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD).

Methods

Endoscopic samples were identified from 83 CD patients with and 372 controls by searching pathological reports. Among them, age- and sex- matched 43 of each group by a propensity score were selected to compare Cyr61 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC scores for Cyr61 expression of CD patients were divided into tertiles to evaluate the association with clinical course. We also measured the level of mRNA for Cyr 61 and proinflammatory genes in inflamed and noninflamed colonic mucosal lesions from CD patients.

Results

The mean IHC scores for Cyr61 expression was higher in CD patients (86.5) than in controls (46.1, P < 0.001). In CD patients, the mean IHC scores for Cyr61 expression (68.3) was lower in patients with clinical recurrence than in patients without recurrence (92.2, P = 0.01). Cyr61 mRNA levels in inflamed mucosa were twofold higher than those in non-inflamed lesion (P > 0.05) and the mRNA levels of IL-6 and TLR-4 in inflamed mucosa were significantly higher than those in non-inflamed mucosa in CD patients (all P < 0.05). When CD patients were stratified into tertile groups according to IHC scores for Cyr61 expression, clinical recurrence rates tended to be lower in patients with high Cyr61 expression (P for trend = 0.02). Compared with tertile 1 of Cyr61 expression, tertile 3 of Cyr 61 expression was associated with reduced risk of clinical recurrence (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.20–0.92) after adjustment for age, sex and CD activity index at the time of colonoscopy in CD patients (P = 0.03).

Conclusions

Cyr61 mucosal expression in CD patients was inversely associated with clinical course. Future study need to be considered to evaluate whether Cyr 61 may play a role in activating inflammatory responses and contributing to wound healing and tissue repair in patients with CD.

Association between thiazolidinedione use and rheumatoid arthritis risk in patients with type II diabetes, a population-based, case-control study

AIM

A previous study revealed that PPARγ agonists have anti-inflammatory effects in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Furthermore, some studies have shown that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may elicit the development of RA. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the use of thiazolidinediones (TZDs) is associated with a lower risk of developing RA in patients with T2DM.

METHODS

Based on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we conducted a nationwide case-control study. The selected cases were patients with T2DM who were diagnosed with RA between 2000 and 2013. The controls were retrieved at a ratio of 1:4 by propensity score matching. Logistic regression was conducted to evaluate whether TZD use lowers the risk of RA in patients with T2DM. The dose-response effect was examined according to the total TZD dose, within 2 years before the index date (the first diagnosis date of RA), and TZD doses were divided into four groups by cumulative Defined Daily Dose (cDDD): <30, 31-90, 91-365, and >365 cDDDs.

RESULTS

A total of 3605 cases and 14 420 controls were included in this study. After adjusting for age, sex, baseline comorbidities, the results demonstrated that TZD use did not significantly reduce the risk of RA in patients with T2DM (adjusted OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.81-1.02). In the subgroup analysis by total TZD exposure dose within 2 years, 91-365 cDDDs of TZD had a lower risk of RA development, aOR = 0.87 (95% CI 0.71-1.06) and >365 cDDDs of TZD, aOR = 0.85 (95% CI 0.73-1.01). In the trend test, P was <.05.

CONCLUSIONS

TZD use might reduce the risk of RA in patients with T2DM, but it was non-statistically significant. Further research is necessary to assess this association.

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Identifies Yes-Associated Protein 1-Dependent Hepatic Mesothelial Progenitors in Fibrolamellar Carcinoma

Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is characterized by in-frame fusion of DnaJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member B1 (DNAJB1) with protein kinase cAMP-activated catalytic subunit α (PRKACA) and by dense desmoplasia. Surgery is the only effective treatment because mechanisms supporting tumor survival are unknown. We used single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize a patient-derived FLC xenograft model and identify therapeutic targets. Human FLC cells segregated into four discrete clusters that all expressed the oncogene Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1). The two communities most enriched with cells coexpressing FLC markers [CD68, A-kinase anchoring protein 12 (AKAP12), cytokeratin 7, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EPCAM), and carbamoyl palmitate synthase-1] also had the most cells expressing YAP1 and its proproliferative target genes (AREG and CCND1), suggesting these were proliferative FLC cell clusters. The other two clusters were enriched with cells expressing profibrotic YAP1 target genes, ACTA2, ELN, and COL1A1, indicating these were fibrogenic FLC cells. All clusters expressed the YAP1 target gene and mesothelial progenitor marker mesothelin, and many mesothelin-positive cells coexpressed albumin. Trajectory analysis predicted that the four FLC communities were derived from a single cell type transitioning among phenotypic states. After establishing a novel FLC cell line that harbored the DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion, YAP1 was inhibited, which significantly reduced expression of known YAP1 target genes as well as cell growth and migration. Thus, both FLC epithelial and stromal cells appear to arise from DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion in a YAP1-dependent liver mesothelial progenitor, identifying YAP1 as a target for FLC therapy.

β-Caryophyllene Mitigates Collagen Antibody Induced Arthritis (CAIA) in Mice Through a Cross-Talk between CB2 and PPAR-γ Receptors

β-caryophyllene (BCP) is a cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist that tempers inflammation. An interaction between the CB2 receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) has been suggested and PPAR-γ activation exerts anti-arthritic effects. The aim of this study was to characterize the therapeutic activity of BCP and to investigate PPAR-γ involvement in a collagen antibody induced arthritis (CAIA) experimental model. CAIA was induced through intraperitoneal injection of a monoclonal antibody cocktail and lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50 μg/100 μL/ip). CAIA animals were then randomized to orally receive either BCP (10 mg/kg/100 μL) or its vehicle (100 μL of corn oil). BCP significantly hampered the severity of the disease, reduced relevant pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-13. BCP also decreased joint expression of matrix metalloproteinases 3 and 9. Arthritic joints showed increased COX2 and NF-ĸB mRNA expression and reduced expression of the PPARγ coactivator-1 alpha, PGC-1α, and PPAR-γ. These conditions were reverted following BCP treatment. Finally, BCP reduced NF-ĸB activation and increased PGC-1α and PPAR-γ expression in human articular chondrocytes stimulated with LPS. These effects were reverted by AM630, a CB2 receptor antagonist. These results suggest that BCP ameliorates arthritis through a cross-talk between CB2 and PPAR-γ.

Advanced glycation end products promote VEGF expression and thus choroidal neovascularization via Cyr61-PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) causes severe vision loss among old patients, especially those with diabetes. Previously, Cyr61 has been found to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of both AMD and diabetes. In the present study, we found that increased CNV severity together with higher expression of Cyr61 and VEGF in diabetes mice compared with control mice. Moreover, knockdown of Cyr61 decreased CNV severity. In vitro mechanism study revealed that the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) significantly increased the expression of Cyr61 in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, mimicking the effects of diabetes. In turn, the increased Cyr61 enhanced VEGF expression through FAK and PI3K/Akt pathways. Chemically blocking the above pathway significantly inhibited CNV formation, providing a new strategy for clinical prevention and treatment of CNV in related diseases.