Aberrant miR-219-5p is correlated with TLR4 and serves as a novel biomarker in patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome caused by acute paraquat poisoning

Effect of Selenium nanoparticles on Paraquat-induced-neuroinflammation and oligodendocyte modulation: Implication of the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Paraquat (PQ), is an extensively used herbicide and is a well-established powerful neurotoxin. However, the mechanism underlying its neurotoxicity still needs further investigation.

AIM OF WORK

The study investigated the pathogenesis of PQ-induced neuroinflammation of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNPC) and cerebellum and evaluated the potential effect of selenium nanoparticles (SeN) against such neurotoxicity.

METHODS

Thirty-six mice were randomly divided into three groups; Control group, PQ group: mice received PQ 10 mg/kg (i.p), and PQ + SeN group; mice received PQ in addition to oral SeN 0.1 mg/kg. All regimens were administered for 14 days. The mice's brains were processed for biochemical, molecular, histological, and immune-histochemical assessment.

RESULTS

SeN increased the SNPC and cerebellum antioxidants (reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase 1) while decreasing malondialdehyde concentration. Also, SeN increased the anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10 and decreased the pro-inflammatory IL-1β and -6 along with improving the angiogenic nitric oxide and reducing caspase-1. Further, western blots of phosphorylated Janus kinase (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (STAT3) proteins showed a significant decline. Those improving effects of SeN on SNPC, and cerebellum were supported by the significantly preserved dopaminergic and Purkinje neurons, the enhanced myelin fibers on Luxol fast blue staining, and the marked increase in Olig-2, Platelet-derived growth factor-alpha, and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity.

CONCLUSION

SeN could mitigate PQ-induced neurotoxicity via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic properties.

Prognostic Value of the Average Lung CT Number in Patients with Acute Paraquat Poisoning

Objective

The chest computed tomography (CT) examination is an important clinical examination in the diagnosis and monitoring of paraquat- (PQ-) induced lung injury. The aim of this study was to explore the prognostic value of the average lung CT number acquired by quantitative CT techniques in patients with acute paraquat poisoning in the early stages of the disease.

Methods

46 patients who suffered from acute PQ poisoning in the emergency department of the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2015 to June 2020 were enrolled in the present study. The patients were divided into survival group (n = 21) and nonsurvival group (n = 25). Clinical data were collected from subjects who met the inclusion criteria, including general information, personal disease history, and laboratory test indicators. The average lung CT numbers of each patient were obtained by quantitative CT techniques. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the prognostic value of average lung CT number in patients with acute paraquat poisoning.

Results

The average CT numbers of the middle-lung, lower-lung, and whole lung fields in the nonsurvival group were significantly higher than those of the survival group (p < 0.0001). However, the upper-lung field was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.7765). The AUCs of different levels ranged from 0.554 to 0.977, among which the lower-lung field presented the largest AUC of 0.977 (95% CI: 0.943∼1; cut-off value: -702Hu; sensitivity 96%; specificity, 90.5%; YI: 0.865), followed by the whole lung field 0.914 (95% CI: 0.830∼0.999; cut-off value: -727Hu; sensitivity 76%; specificity, 95.2%; YI: 0.712) and the middle-lung field 0.87 (95% CI: 0.768∼0.971; cut-off value: -779Hu; sensitivity 80%; specificity, 85.7%; YI: 0.657).

Conclusion

The present study indicated that the average lung CT number could be used to evaluate the relationship between the severity of PQ-induced lung injury and prognosis, especially in the lower-lung field. However, further research is needed to draw a clear conclusion.

MicroRNA-200b-3p as a biomarker for diagnosis and survival prognosis of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome caused by acute paraquat poisoning

BACKGROUND

Acute paraquat poisoning-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) leads to the high mortality. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of microRNA-200b-3p (miR-200b-3p), an upstream inhibitor of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), in acute paraquat poisoning patients for the prediction of MODS and survival.

METHODS

This study enrolled 80 patients with MODS induced by paraquat and 94 healthy volunteers. The interaction between miR-200b-3p and HMGB1 was identified by luciferase reporter assay. miR-200b-3p levels were measured by quantitative real-time (QRT) PCR. High-mobility group box 1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of miR-200b-3p in screening MODS patients. The relationship between miR-200b-3p and the 28-day survival of MODS patients was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was used to assess the prognostic value of miR-200b-3p. Correlation between miR-200b-3p and HMGB1 was confirmed by Pearson's correlation analysis.

RESULTS

miR-200b-3p directly target HMGB1. miR-200b-3p, decreased in MODS patients, had high diagnostic value to screen MODS patients from healthy controls. Additionally, serum miR-200b-3p was decreased in non-survivors, and patients with low miR-200b-3p level had poor 28-day survival. Serum miR-200b-3p could independently predict the survival prognosis. Moreover, serum HMGB1 level was increased in MODS patients, and was negatively correlated with miR-200b-3p level.

CONCLUSION

Decreased miR-200b-3p may function as a biomarker for the diagnosis and survival prognosis of MODS patients, and miR-200b-3p may be involved in the progression of acute paraquat-induced MODS via regulating inflammatory responses by targeting HMGB1.

Cytokine changes in fatal cases of paraquat poisoning

Cytokine-mediated inflammation is involved in the pathophysiology of paraquat toxicity. Nevertheless, few human studies have examined fluctuations in circulating cytokine levels. Blood samples were obtained from 21 patients with paraquat poisoning and compared to those of 18 healthy controls. All paraquat patients received a standard detoxification protocol composed of hemoperfusion, pulse therapies of methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide, followed by dexamethasone therapy. Nonsurvivors not only had higher scores for the severity index of paraquat poisoning (P=0.004) but also presented with higher white blood cell counts (P=0.046) than survivors. Multiplex immunoassays revealed higher circulating levels of interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 9 (IL-9), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1β) in survivors than in healthy controls. Furthermore, the circulating levels of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-2, interleukin 5 (IL-5), interleukin 8 (IL-8), IL-9, IL-10, interleukin 12 (IL-12 p70), interleukin 17A (IL-17A), eotaxin, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and MIP-1β were higher in nonsurvivors than in healthy controls. Finally, the circulating levels of IL-1β and MCP-1 were higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors. Therefore, the observation of cytokine-mediated inflammation is in line with the detoxification protocol because glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide are potent anti-inflammatory agents. Additionally, circulating levels of IL-1β and MCP-1 could serve as promising prognostic markers for patients with paraquat poisoning.

Interaction between non-coding RNAs and Toll-like receptors

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a large group of pattern recognition receptors which are involved in the regulation of innate immune responses. Based on the interplay between TLRs and adapter molecules, two distinctive signaling cascades, namely the MyD88-dependent and TRIF-dependent pathways have been recognized. TLRs are involved in the development of a wide variety of diseases including cancer and autoimmune disorders. A large body of evidence has shown interaction between two classes of non-coding RNAs, namely microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). These interactions have prominent roles in the pathogenesis of several disorders including infectious disorders, autoimmune conditions and neoplastic disorders. This review aims at description of the interaction between these non-coding RNAs and TLRs.