PI3K signalling in leptin receptor cells: Role in growth and reproduction

Unraveling molecular signatures in rare bone tumors and navigating the cancer pathway landscapes for targeted therapeutics

Rare cancers (RCs), which account for over 20% of cancer cases, face significant research and treatment challenges due to their limited prevalence. This results in suboptimal outcomes compared to more common malignancies. Rare bone tumors (RBTs) constitute 5-10% of rare cancer cases and pose unique diagnostic complexities. The therapeutic potential of anti-cancer drugs for RBTs remains largely unexplored. Identifying molecular alterations in cancer-related genes and their associated pathways is essential for precision medicine in RBTs. Small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies targeting specific RBT-associated proteins show promise. Ongoing clinical trials aim to define RBT biomarkers, subtypes, and optimal treatment contexts, including combination therapies and immunotherapeutic agents. This review addresses the challenges in diagnosing, treating, and studying RBTs, shedding light on the current state of RBT biomarkers, potential therapeutic targets, and promising inhibitors. Rare cancers demand attention and innovative solutions to improve clinical outcomes.

Breast feeding, obesity, and asthma association: clinical and molecular views

Asthma is a chronic condition that affects children worldwide. Accumulating number of studies reported that the prevalence of pediatric obesity and asthma might be altered through breastfeeding. It has been proposed that Leptin, which exists in human milk, is oppositely associated with weight increase in newborns. It may also influence peripheral immune system by promoting TH1 responses and suppressing TH2 cytokines. Leptin influences body weight and immune responses through complex signaling pathways at molecular level. Although previous studies provide explanations for the protective role of breastfeeding against both obesity and asthma, other factors such as duration of breastfeeding, parental, and prenatal factors may confound this relationship which requires further research.

Current knowledge of leptin in wound healing: A collaborative review

Efficacious wound healing is still a major concern for global healthcare due to the unsatisfactory outcomes under the current treatments. Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, mainly acts in the hypothalamus and plays crucial roles in various biological processes. Recently, an increasing number of researches have shown that leptin played an important role in the wound healing process. In this review, we presented a first attempt to capture the current knowledge on the association between leptin and wound healing. After a comprehensive review, the molecular mechanisms underlying leptin in wound healing were speculated to be correlated to the regulation of inflammation of the macrophage and lymphocytes, angiogenesis, re-epithelialization, proliferation, and differentiation of fibroblasts. The affected genes and the signal pathways were multiple. For example, leptin was reported to ameliorate wound healing by its anti-inflammatory action, which might be correlated to the activation STAT1 and STAT3 via p38 MAPK or JAK2. However, the understanding of the specific role in each process (e.g., inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phase) of wound repair is not entirely clear, and further studies are still warranted in both macrostructural and microscale factors. Therefore, identifying and validating the biological mechanisms of leptin in wound healing is of great significance to develop potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of wound healing in clinical practice.

Obesity-Mediated Immune Modulation: One Step Forward, (Th)2 Steps Back

Over the past decades, the relationship between the immune system and metabolism has become a major research focus. In this arena of immunometabolism the capacity of adipose tissue to secrete immunomodulatory molecules, including adipokines, within the underlying low-grade inflammation during obesity brought attention to the impact obesity has on the immune system. Adipokines, such as leptin and adiponectin, influence T cell differentiation into different T helper subsets and their activation during immune responses. Furthermore, within the cellular milieu of adipose tissue nutrient availability regulates differentiation and activation of T cells and changes in cellular metabolic pathways. Upon activation, T cells shift from oxidative phosphorylation to oxidative glycolysis, while the differential signaling of the kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the nuclear receptor PPARγ, amongst others, drive the subsequent T cell differentiation. While the mechanisms leading to a shift from the typical type 2-dominated milieu in lean people to a Th1-biased pro-inflammatory environment during obesity are the subject of extensive research, insights on its impact on peripheral Th2-dominated immune responses become more evident. In this review, we will summarize recent findings of how Th2 cells are metabolically regulated during obesity and malnutrition, and how these states affect local and systemic Th2-biased immune responses.

Development and validation of a multi-parameter nomogram for predicting prostate cancer: a retrospective analysis from Handan Central Hospital in China

Background

To explore the possible predicting factors related to prostate cancer and develop a validated nomogram for predicting the probability of patients with prostate cancer.

Method

Clinical data of 697 patients who underwent prostate biopsy in Handan Central Hospital from January 2014 to January 2020 were retrospectively collected. Cases were randomized into two groups: 80% (548 cases) as the development group, and 20% (149 cases) as the validation group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the independent risk factors for prostate cancer. The nomogram prediction model was generated using the finalized independent risk factors. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and the area under receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) of both development group and validation group were calculated and compared to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the nomogram prediction model. Clinical utility curve (CUC) helped to decide the desired cut-off value for the prediction model. The established nomogram with Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial Derived Cancer Risk Calculator (PCPT-CRC) and other domestic prediction models using the entire study population were compared.

Results

The independent risk factors determined through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were: age, tPSA, fPSA, PV, DRE, TRUS and BMI. Nomogram prediction model was developed with the cut-off value of 0.31. The AUC of development group and validation group were 0.856 and 0.797 respectively. DCA exhibits consistent observations with the findings. Through validating our prediction model as well as other three domestic prediction models based on the entire study population of 697 cases, our prediction model demonstrated significantly higher predictive value than all the other models.

Conclusion

The nomogram for predicting prostate cancer can facilitate more accurate evaluation of the probability of having prostate cancer, and provide better ground for prostate biopsy.

Emerging Applications of Metabolomics to Assess the Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicines for Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is a common and complex disease that can exacerbate the complications related to cardiovascular disease, and this is especially true for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In addition to the standard pharmacological therapies, T2DM has also been treated with nonconventional regimens such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), e.g., herbal medicines and TCM prescriptions, although the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic benefits remain unclear. In this regard, many studies have used metabolomics technology to elucidate the basis for the efficacy of TCM for T2DM. Metabolomics has recently attracted much attention with regard to drug discovery and pharmacologically relevant natural products. In this review, we summarize the application of metabolomics to the assessment of TCM efficacy for treating T2DM. Increasing evidence suggests that the metabolic profile of an individual patient may reflect a specific type of T2DM syndrome, which may provide a new perspective for disease diagnosis. In addition, TCM has proved effective for countering the metabolic disorders related to T2DM, and this may constitute the basis for TCM efficacy. Therefore, further determining how TCM contributes to the reversal of metabolic disorders, such as using network pharmacology or by assessing the contribution of host–gut microbiota interactions, will also provide researchers with new potential targets for pharmacologic-based therapies.

Multiple Leptin Signalling Pathways in the Control of Metabolism and Fertility: A Means to Different Ends?

The adipocyte-derived ‘satiety promoting’ hormone, leptin, has been identified as a key central regulator of body weight and fertility, such that its absence leads to obesity and infertility. Plasma leptin levels reflect body adiposity, and therefore act as an ‘adipostat’, whereby low leptin levels reflect a state of low body adiposity (under-nutrition/starvation) and elevated leptin levels reflect a state of high body adiposity (over-nutrition/obesity). While genetic leptin deficiency is rare, obesity-related leptin resistance is becoming increasingly common. In the absence of adequate leptin sensitivity, leptin is unable to exert its ‘anti-obesity’ effects, thereby exacerbating obesity. Furthermore, extreme leptin resistance and consequent low or absent leptin signalling resembles a state of starvation and can thus lead to infertility. However, leptin resistance occurs on a spectrum, and it is possible to be resistant to leptin’s metabolic effects while retaining leptin’s permissive effects on fertility. This may be because leptin exerts its modulatory effects on energy homeostasis and reproductive function through discrete intracellular signalling pathways, and these pathways are differentially affected by the molecules that promote leptin resistance. This review discusses the potential mechanisms that enable leptin to exert differential control over metabolic and reproductive function in the contexts of healthy leptin signalling and of diet-induced leptin resistance.

The Role of Leptin in Childhood Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP): An Anti-Inflammatory Agent?

To investigate the effect of leptin in childhood ITP, we measured plasma leptin in 39 children with acute ITP, after treatment and in remission, and in 33 healthy age/BMI-matched controls. We also cultured ITP and control peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with recombinant leptin to assess its direct effect on pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine gene expression. A significant increase in leptin was observed in children with active disease compared to controls. A significant inverse correlation of leptin with platelet count was also observed in children with acute ITP. Leptin remained high after treatment with IVIg, whereas steroid treatment lowered leptin below control levels. In remission, leptin was in the control range. Cytokine gene expression was significantly increased in children with acute ITP compared with controls, with highest expression for IFN-γ and IL-10. IVIg/steroid treatment significantly decreased IFN-γ and IL-10 expression. In remission, IFN-γ and IL-10 expression remained low. Addition of leptin to PBMCs isolated from patients in remission resulted in a significant increase in IL-10 gene expression compared to controls. Further experiments with purified T-cells and monocytes identified monocytes as the source of leptin-induced IL-10. We suggest that leptin acts as an active anti-inflammatory agent in childhood ITP by promoting IL-10 secretion by monocytes.

Roles of leptin on the key effector cells of rheumatoid arthritis

Leptin, an adipokine sharing structural characteristics of the long-chain helical cytokine family with the crucial role as a regulator in energy homeostasis, has been paid more and more attention to its immunoregulatory function. Emerging evidence has indicated the roles of leptin on autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis, implying that leptin may be involved in autoimmune disorders. It is very definite that there exists immunocyte dysfunction in RA patients. Growing data has manifested that leptin is increased in both serum and synovial fluid of RA patients compared to healthy controls, suggesting leptin probably takes part in the pathogenesis of RA. The aim of this review is to discuss about what we currently know with regard to the role of leptin in immune system and its effects on RA crucial cells. To clarify the role of leptin in the pathogenesis of RA is beneficial to both the treatment and medical study.

Polycomb represses a gene network controlling puberty via modulation of histone demethylase Kdm6b expression

Female puberty is subject to Polycomb Group (PcG)-dependent transcriptional repression. Kiss1, a puberty-activating gene, is a key target of this silencing mechanism. Using a gain-of-function approach and a systems biology strategy we now show that EED, an essential PcG component, acts in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus to alter the functional organization of a gene network involved in the stimulatory control of puberty. A central node of this network is Kdm6b, which encodes an enzyme that erases the PcG-dependent histone modification H3K27me3. Kiss1 is a first neighbor in the network; genes encoding glutamatergic receptors and potassium channels are second neighbors. By repressing Kdm6b expression, EED increases H3K27me3 abundance at these gene promoters, reducing gene expression throughout a gene network controlling puberty activation. These results indicate that Kdm6b repression is a basic mechanism used by PcG to modulate the biological output of puberty-activating gene networks.

Lin28 gene and mammalian puberty

Lin28a and Lin28b, homologs of the Caenorhabditis elegans Lin28 gene, play important roles in cell pluripotency, reprogramming, and tumorigenicity. Recently, genome-wide association and transgenic studies showed that Lin28a and/or Lin28b gene were involved in the onset of mammalian puberty, the stage representing the attainment of reproduction capacity; however, the detailed mechanism of these genes in mammalian puberty remains largely unknown. The present paper reviews the research progress on the roles of Lin28a/b genes in the onset of mammalian puberty by analyzing the results coming from gene expression patterns, mutations, and transgenic studies, and put forward possible pathways for further studies on their roles in animal reproduction.

Ginsenoside Rb1 as an Anti-Diabetic Agent and Its Underlying Mechanism Analysis

Panax ginseng and Panax notoginseng, two well-known medical plants with economic value, have a long history of use for managing various diseases in Asian countries. Accumulating clinical and experimental evidence suggests that notoginsenosides and ginsenosides, which are the major bioactive components of the plants, have a variety of beneficial effects on several types of disease, including metabolic, vascular, and central nervous system disease. Considerable attention has been focused on ginsenoside Rb1 derived from their common ownership as an anti-diabetic agent that can attenuate insulin resistance and various complications. Particularly, in vitro and in vivo models have suggested that ginsenoside Rb1 exerts various pharmacological effects on metabolic disorders, including attenuation of glycemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, which depend on the modulation of oxidative stress, inflammatory response, autophagy, and anti-apoptosis effects. Regulation of these pathophysiological mechanisms can improve blood glucose and insulin resistance and protect against macrovascular/microvascular related complications. This review summarizes the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of action of ginsenoside Rb1 in the management of diabetes or diabetic complications. Moreover, a multi-target effect and mechanism analysis of its antidiabetic actions were performed to provide a theoretical basis for further pharmacological studies and new drug development for clinical treatment of type 2 diabetes. In conclusion, ginsenoside Rb1 exerts significant anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-diabetic effects by regulating the effects of glycolipid metabolism and improving insulin and leptin sensitivities. All of these findings suggest ginsenoside Rb1 exerts protective effects on diabetes and diabetic complications by the regulation of mitochondrial energy metabolism, improving insulin resistance and alleviating the occurrence complications, which should be further explored. Hence, ginsenoside Rb1 may be developed as a potential anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-diabetic agent with multi-target effects.