SELE Downregulation Suppresses Mast Cell Accumulation to Protect against Inflammatory Response in Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Jingfang Granules improve glucose metabolism disturbance and inflammation in mice with urticaria by up-regulating LKB1/AMPK/SIRT1 axis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Jingfang Granule (JFG) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine prescription to empirically treat skin disease such as urticaria in clinical practice. However, the potential mechanisms of JFG on urticaria are not fully defined.

AIM OF STUDY

The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of JFG in treating urticaria through an OVA/aluminum hydroxide induced urticaria mice model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

KM mice were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with OVA/aluminium hydroxide to establish the model with urticaria. After the mice were administered JFG, itching degree and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining were used to assess the protective effect of JFG on mice with urticaria. The regulatory networks were investigated by proteomics and central carbon metabolomics. Spleen T lymphocyte subsets were detected by flow cytometry. Peripheral blood cytokines were detected using ELISA kits or Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) kits. The protein expression of skin tissue was detected by western blot or immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

JFG significantly relived skin tissue lesions and skin pruritus in mice with urticaria. Meanwhile, JFG significantly decreased IgE, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-4, TNF-α and IL-17A levels and increased IFN-γ levels in the serum of urticaria mice by inhibiting the expression of inflammation associated proteins including TLR4 and p-NF-κB p65, p-ERK1/2, p-JNK and p-p38, NLRP3, ASC and cleaved caspase-1. The results of proteomics, central carbon metabolomics, western blot and immunohistochemical staining confirmed that JFG inhibited Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis and Pentose phosphate pathway in the skin tissue of urticaria mice by activating the LKB1/AMPK/SIRT1 axis and then downregulating the protein expressions of Glut1, TORC2, p-CREB, PEPCK, HNF4α and G6Pase.

CONCLUSION

The current study demonstrates that JFG is effective in treating OVA/aluminum hydroxide-induced skin lesions and inflammation in mice, and JFG exhibits the clinical benefits via modulating LKB1/AMPK/SIRT1 axis, which in turn inhibits Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis and Pentose phosphate pathway.

Identification of novel biomarkers to distinguish bradykinin-mediated angioedema from mast cell-/histamine-mediated angioedema

BACKGROUND

The pathophysiology of the underlying paroxysmal permeability disturbances in angioedema (AE) is not well understood.

METHODS

To identify clinical and laboratory parameters specific for a certain AE subtype, 40 AE patients were prospectively enrolled: 15 hereditary (HAE), 13 ACE-inhibitor induced (ACE-AE), and 12 mast cell-mediated without wheals in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU-AE). Ten healthy subjects served as controls. Serum levels of markers indicating activation of the ficolin-lectin pathway, of endothelial cells, or those indicating impairment of vascular integrity or inflammation were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

New routine clinical diagnostic criteria could not be identified, not even for distinguishing bradykinin-mediated (BK-) AE (ie, HAE and ACE-AE) from mast cell-/histamine-mediated CSU-AE. However, FAP-α and tPA were significantly increased in all AE compared to controls. In HAE, FAP- α, tPA, uPAR, pentraxin-3, Tie-2, sE-selectin, and VE-cadherin were significantly increased compared to controls. In HAE compared to CSU-AE and ACE-AE, sE-Selectin, Tie-2, and VE-Cadherin were significantly increased, whereas for Ang-2 the difference was significant compared to CSU-AE only. Tie-2 correlated strongly negatively with C4, C1-INH activity, and C1-INH function.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to compare HAE, ACE-AE, and CSU-AE. Although significance is limited by small sample size, Tie-2 was identified as a new promising biomarker candidate for HAE. FAP- α and tPA might serve as a marker for AE in general, whereas sE-selectin and Ang-2 were increased in BK-AE only. Our results add information to the role of endothelial dysfunction and serine proteases in different AE subtypes.