LncRNA NEAT1 is upregulated in recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and has predictive values

Elevated serum fibrinogen levels in Chinese patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis: An observational study

Fibrinogen is a protein that reflects systemic inflammation and regulates the immune response to disease. However, there is a scarcity of data on fibrinogen in recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). We aimed to test the hypothesis that fibrinogen is involved in the aetiology of RAS. Between November 2016 and November 2018, we included 109 minor RAS patients and 29 age- and sex-matched controls in a single-center, observational study. Their clinical history and ulcer manifestations led to the diagnosis of minor RAS. The ulcer severity score (USS) was used to assess disease severity, and fibrinogen was also collected. We conducted three analyses: Analysis 1 (comparison of fibrinogen levels between patients and controls), Analysis 2 (comparison of fibrinogen levels between high and low USS patients) and Analysis 3 (comparison of fibrinogen levels between before and after anti-inflammatory treatment in patients). The fibrinogen levels in the 109 minor RAS patients were statistically higher than in the 29 controls (mean [SD], 2.6 [0.5] vs. 2.3 [0.3]; Student's t-test, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in fibrinogen levels among the 43 patients with high USS and the 39 patients with low USS (mean [SD], 2.7 [0.5] vs. 2.6 [0.4]; Student's t-test, p = 0.278). Furthermore, fibrinogen levels were significantly higher before anti-inflammatory treatment in comparison to those after anti-inflammatory treatment in the 35 paired patients (mean [SD], 2.6 [0.4] vs. 2.5 [0.4]; Student's t-test, p = 0.026). Interestingly, fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in the 35 paired patients after anti-inflammatory treatment compared to the 29 control subjects (mean [SD], 2.5 [0.4] vs. 2.3 [0.3]; Student's t-test, p = 0.026]. Fibrinogen may play a role in the aetiology of RAS and may be a drug target for RAS treatment. Clinicians should be alert that high serum fibrinogen levels might be associated with the risk of RAS.

Formulation and Evaluation of Prednisolone Sodium Metazoate-Loaded Mucoadhesive Quatsomal Gel for Local Treatment of Recurrent Aphthous Ulcers: Optimization, In Vitro, Ex Vivo, and In Vivo Studies

This study aims to formulate a buccal mucoadhesive gel containing prednisolone sodium metazoate-loaded quatsomes for efficient localized therapy of recurrent aphthous ulcers. Quatsomes were prepared using a varied concentration of quaternary ammonium surfactants (QAS) and cholesterol (CHO). A 2³ factorial design was conducted to address the impact of independent variables QAS type (X₁), QAS to CHO molar ratio (X₂), and sonication time (X₃). The dependent variables were particle size (PS; Y₁), polydispersity index (PDI; Y₂), zeta potential (ZP; Y₃), entrapment efficiency percent (EE%; Y₄) and percent of drug released after 6 h (Q6%: Y₅). Then, the selected quatsomes formula was incorporated into different gel bases to prepare an optimized mucoadhesive gel to be evaluated via in vivo study. The PS of the developed quatsomes ranged from 69.47 ± 0.41 to 113.28 ± 0.79 nm, the PDI from 0.207 ± 0.004 to 0.328 ± 0.004, ZP from 45.15 ± 0.19 to 68.1 ± 0.54 mV, EE% from 79.62 ± 1.44 to 98.60% ± 1.22 and Q6% from 58.39 ± 1.75 to 94.42% ± 2.15. The quatsomal mucoadhesive gel showed rapid recovery of ulcers, which was confirmed by the histological study and the evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers. These results assured the capability of the developed quatsomal mucoadhesive gel to be a promising formulation for treating buccal diseases.

Evaluation of cytokines as diagnostic and therapeutic indicators for recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A statistical study

Increasing evidence indicates that inflammatory cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). A wide range of over ten cytokines in peripheral blood of RAS patients have been investigated in different studies. Yet, which of the ones are the most prominent indicators contributed for the process of RAS are uncertain. Herein, a total of 16 eligible case-control studies including 1051 cases of RAS and 616 health controls were summarized. The bubble chart analysis showed that the most prominent cytokines for RAS were interleukin (IL)-6 (646 cases, 308 controls), TNF-α (498 cases, 298 controls), and IL-2 (371 cases, 264 controls). On the other hand, 9 studies on cytokines as therapeutic indicators of RAS were identified. The effect of levamisole and thalidomide on cytokines mainly were IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-8. Collectively, an optimum panel of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-2 maybe serve as the potential significant indicators for RAS investigations.

Association of long non-coding RNAs NEAT1, and MALAT1 expression and pathogenesis of Behçet's disease among Egyptian patients

Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Immunological defects have been shown to play a significant role in the progression of BD. The serum levels of two long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), NEAT1 and MALAT1, were examined in patients with BD to identify their role in the disease pathogenesis. Both lncRNAs were mentioned as essential regulators of innate immune responses and have a crucial role in inflammatory diseases. Fifty patients with BD and a similar number of control individuals were involved in our study. At enrollment, data was collected from patients and controls, and the disease severity in active cases was determined using the Behçet's Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF). Levels of the two studied biomarkers in the serum, NEAT1 and MALAT1, were investigated by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). NEAT1 levels were significantly turned down in BD patients (fold changes = 0.77, p = 0.0001) and correlated negatively with the BDCAF (r = −0.41; p = 0.003). On the other hand, the MALAT1 levels were significantly up-regulated in BD patients (fold changes = 2.65, p = 0.003). Serum levels of NEAT1 were significantly decreased in patients with active states than in stationary cases (0.387 versus 1.99, respectively; p = 0.01) and compared with controls (p = 0.001). Also, NEAT1 levels were significantly increased in patients with stationary states compared to controls (p = 0.03). There was a positive association between NEAT1 and MALAT1 levels among BD patients (r = 0.29, p = 0.04). Our findings demonstrate a possible role of NEAT1 and MALAT1 in the pathogenesis of BD.