Thymosin β10 promotes tumor-associated macrophages M2 conversion and proliferation via the PI3K/Akt pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

Can thymosin beta 10 function both as a non-invasive biomarker and chemotherapeutic target in human colorectal cancer?

Thymosin beta 10 (TMSB10) overexpression is a general characteristic in human carcinogenesis. It is involved in the malignant process of generating multiple cancers. However, there are only a few reports about TMSB10 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and the mechanism of its carcinogenetic effect is still poorly understood. The present study intends to clarify the biological roles and carcinogenic mechanism of TMSB10 in CRC and to explore the possibility whether TMSB10 might be useful as a non-invasive serum tumor biomarker in detecting CRC. Immunohistochemical results showed that TMSB10 protein expression in CRC tissues was generally higher than that in adjacent tissues, and the TMSB10 contents in serum of CRC patients was significantly elevated compared to that of healthy controls. Knockdown-TMSB10 increased apoptosis and induced S-cell cycle arrest, and finally inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Transcriptome sequencing and western blotting analysis revealed that knockdown-TMSB10 increased phosphorylation of p38 and activated the p38 pathway that blocked cell cycle and promoted apoptosis. Taken together, our study indicated that TMSB10 could serve as a minimally invasive serum tumor marker in detecting CRC. At the same time it demonstrates an effective regulatory capacity of TMSB10 on cell proliferation of CRC, suggesting that TMSB10 and downstream effector molecules regulated by TMSB10 could further be applied as an appealing target in clinical post-surgery chemotherapy.

Research advances on signaling pathways regulating the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages in lung cancer microenvironment

Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most common cancer worldwide. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are important component of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and are closely related to the stages of tumor occurrence, development, and metastasis. Macrophages are plastic and can differentiate into different phenotypes and functions under the influence of different signaling pathways in TME. The classically activated (M1-like) and alternatively activated (M2-like) represent the two polarization states of macrophages. M1 macrophages exhibit anti-tumor functions, while M2 macrophages are considered to support tumor cell survival and metastasis. Macrophage polarization involves complex signaling pathways, and blocking or regulating these signaling pathways to enhance macrophages' anti-tumor effects has become a research hotspot in recent years. At the same time, there have been new discoveries regarding the modulation of TAMs towards an anti-tumor phenotype by synthetic and natural drug components. Nanotechnology can better achieve combination therapy and targeted delivery of drugs, maximizing the efficacy of the drugs while minimizing side effects. Up to now, nanomedicines targeting the delivery of various active substances for reprogramming TAMs have made significant progress. In this review, we primarily provided a comprehensive overview of the signaling crosstalk between TAMs and various cells in the LC microenvironment. Additionally, the latest advancements in novel drugs and nano-based drug delivery systems (NDDSs) that target macrophages were also reviewed. Finally, we discussed the prospects of macrophages as therapeutic targets and the barriers to clinical translation.

Proteome profile of Leishmania donovani Centrin1-/- parasite-infected human macrophage cell line and its implications in determining possible mechanisms of protective immunity

Our developed cell division-specific 'centrin' gene deleted Leishmania donovani (LdCen1-/-) the causative parasite of the fatal visceral-leishmaniasis (VL), exhibits a selective growth arrest at the intracellular stage and is anticipated as a live attenuated vaccine candidate against VL. LdCen1-/- immunization in animals has shown increased IFN-γ secreting CD4+ and CD8+ T cells along with protection conferred by a protective proinflammatory immune response. A label-free proteomics approach has been employed to understand the physiology of infection and predict disease interceptors during Leishmania-host interactions. Proteomic modulation after infection of human macrophage cell lines suggested elevated annexin A6, implying involvement in various biological processes such as membrane repair, transport, actin dynamics, cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, and inflammation, thereby potentiating its immunological protective capacity. Additionally, S100A8 and S100A9 proteins, known for maintaining homeostatic balance in regulating the inflammatory response, have been upregulated after infection. The inhibitory clade of serpins, known to inhibit cysteine proteases (CPs), was upregulated in host cells after 48 h of infection. This is reflected in the diminished expression of CPs in the parasites during infection. Such proteome analysis confirms LdCen1-/- efficacy as a vaccine candidate and predicts potential markers in future vaccine development strategies against infectious diseases.

A new prognostic model based on gamma-delta T cells for predicting the risk and aiding in the treatment of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

ccRCC is the prevailing form of RCC, accounting for the majority of cases. The formation of cancer and the body's ability to fight against tumors are strongly connected to Gamma delta (γδ) T cells.

METHODS

We examined and analyzed the gene expression patterns of 535 individuals diagnosed with ccRCC and 72 individuals serving as controls, all sourced from the TCGA-KIRC dataset, which were subsequently validated through molecular biology experiments.

RESULTS

In ccRCC, we discovered 304 module genes (DEGRGs) that were ex-pressed differentially and linked to γδ T cells. A risk model for ccRCC was constructed using 13 differentially DEGRGs identified through univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses, which were found to be associated with prognosis. The risk model exhibited outstanding performance in both the training and validation datasets. The comparison of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the tumor immune microenvironment between the high- and low-risk groups indicates that immunotherapy could lead to positive results for low-risk patients. Moreover, the inhibition of ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion was observed in cell culture upon knocking down TMSB10, a gene associated with different types of cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, we have created a precise predictive biomarker using a risk model centered on γδ T cells, which can anticipate clinical results and provide direction for the advancement of innovative targeted therapies.

Tumor-suppressive action of miR-30a-5p in lung adenocarcinoma correlates with ABL2 inhibition and PI3K/AKT pathway inactivation

INTRODUCTION

ABL2 contributes to the oncogenic potential of cancers, pointing to its inhibition as a possible strategy against malignant diseases. Bioinformatics prediction of upstream effector miR-30a-5p for ABL2 allowed us to hypothesize and then validate mechanistic actions of miR-30a-5p in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The ABL2 expression in LUAD was analyzed in the TCGA data, clinical samples, and cell lines. The shRNA-mediated silencing of ABL2 was introduced to illustrate its effect on malignant phenotypes of LUAD cells. The binding affinity between ABL2 and miR-30a-5p was verified by luciferase activity and RNA pull-down assay. Ectopic expression, knockdown methods, and PI3K inhibitor LY294002 were used to investigate their effects on in vitro biological characteristics and in vivo tumor growth of LUAD cells. Using nude mouse lung adenocarcinoma in situ and brain metastasis models to validate the inhibitory effect of miR-30a-5p on LUAD by regulating the ABL2/PI3K/AKT signaling axis.

RESULTS

High expression of ABL2 and poor expression of miR-30a-5p were noticed in LUAD tissues and cell lines. Importantly, miR-30a-5p was demonstrated to target and downregulate ABL2, subsequently inactivating the PI3K/AKT pathway. miR-30a-5p inhibited the malignant phenotypes of LUAD cells by inhibiting ABL2 expression and inactivating the PI3K/AKT pathway. For in vivo experiments, miR-30a-5p was substantiated to thwart tumor tumorigenesis by regulating the ABL2/PI3K/AKT axis. In addition, miR-30a-5p suppresses the occurrence and development of in situ lung cancer and brain metastasis via the ABL2/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

This study underscores the inhibitory role of miR-30a-5p in LUAD through the ABL2/PI3K/AKT axis, which may be a viable target for LUAD treatment.

CTRP6 promotes the macrophage inflammatory response, and its deficiency attenuates LPS-induced inflammation

Macrophages play critical roles in inflammation and tissue homeostasis, and their functions are regulated by various autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine factors. We have previously shown that CTRP6, a secreted protein of the C1q family, targets both adipocytes and macrophages to promote obesity-linked inflammation. However, the gene programs and signaling pathways directly regulated by CTRP6 in macrophages remain unknown. Here, we combine transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic analyses to show that CTRP6 activates inflammatory gene programs and signaling pathways in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Treatment of BMDMs with CTRP6 upregulated proinflammatory, and suppressed the antiinflammatory, gene expression. We also showed that CTRP6 activates p44/42-MAPK, p38-MAPK, and NF-κB signaling pathways to promote inflammatory cytokine secretion from BMDMs, and that pharmacologic inhibition of these signaling pathways markedly attenuated the effects of CTRP6. Pretreatment of BMDMs with CTRP6 also sensitized and potentiated the BMDMs response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory signaling and cytokine secretion. Consistent with the metabolic phenotype of proinflammatory macrophages, CTRP6 treatment induced a shift toward aerobic glycolysis and lactate production, reduced oxidative metabolism, and elevated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production in BMDMs. Importantly, in accordance with our in vitro findings, BMDMs from CTRP6-deficient mice were less inflammatory at baseline and showed a marked suppression of LPS-induced inflammatory gene expression and cytokine secretion. Finally, loss of CTRP6 in mice also dampened LPS-induced inflammation and hypothermia. Collectively, our findings suggest that CTRP6 regulates and primes the macrophage response to inflammatory stimuli and thus may have a role in modulating tissue inflammatory tone in different physiological and disease contexts.

Single-cell transcriptomics uncover hub genes and cell-cell crosstalk in patients with hypertensive nephropathy

Hypertensive nephropathy (HTN) is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease, yet the molecular mechanisms are still unknown. To explore novel mechanisms and gene targets for HTN, the gene expression profiles of renal biopsy samples obtained from 2 healthy living donor controls and 5 HTN patients were determined by single-cell RNA sequencing. Key hub genes expression were validated by the Nephroseq v5 platform. The HTN endothelium upregulated cellular adhesion genes (ICAM2 and CEACAM1), inflammatory genes (ETS2 and IFI6) and apoptosis related genes (CNN3). Proximal tubules in HTN highly expressed hub genes including BBOX1, TPM1, TMSB10, SDC4, and NUP58, which might be potential novel targets for proximal tubular injury. The upregulated genes in tubules of HTN were mainly participating in inflammatory signatures including IFN-γ signature, NF-κB signaling, IL-12 signaling and Wnt signaling pathway. Receptor-ligand interaction analysis indicated potential cell-cell crosstalk between endothelial cells or mesangial cells with other renal resident cells in HTN. Together, our data identify a distinct cell-specific gene expression profile, pathogenic inflammatory signaling and potential cell-cell communications between endothelial cells or mesangial cells with other renal resident cells in HTN. These findings may provide a promising novel landscape for mechanisms and treatment of human HTN.

Synergistic Inhibitory Effect of Berberine and Low-Temperature Plasma on Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells via PI3K-AKT-Driven Signaling Axis

Low-temperature plasma (LTP) is an emerging biomedical technique that has been proposed as a potential approach for cancer therapy. Meanwhile, berberine (BER), an active ingredient extracted from various medical herbs, such as Coptischinesis, has been proven antitumor effects in a broad spectrum of cancer cells. In this study, we seek to develop a novel dual cancer therapeutic method by integrating pre-administration of BER and LTP exposure and evaluating its comprehensive antitumor effect on the human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (A549 and H1299) in vitro. Cell viability, cell cycle, cell apoptosis, and intracellular and extracellular ROS were investigated. The results showed that cotreatment of BER and LTP significantly decreased the cell viability, arrested the cell cycle in the S phase, promoted cell apoptosis, and increased intracellular and extracellular ROS. Additionally, RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology was used to explore potential mechanisms. The differentially expressed genes among different treatment groups of NSCLC cells were analyzed and were mainly enriched in the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway. Moreover, cotreatment of BER and LTP notably depressed the total protein expression level of PI3K and AKT with immunoblotting. In conclusion, BER and LTP have a synergistic inhibitory effect on NSCLC cells via the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, which could provide a promising strategy for supplementary therapy in the anti-NSCLC battle.

Single cell transcriptomics shows that malaria promotes unique regulatory responses across multiple immune cell subsets

Plasmodium falciparum malaria drives immunoregulatory responses across multiple cell subsets, which protects from immunopathogenesis, but also hampers the development of effective anti-parasitic immunity. Understanding malaria induced tolerogenic responses in specific cell subsets may inform development of strategies to boost protective immunity during drug treatment and vaccination. Here, we analyse the immune landscape with single cell RNA sequencing during P. falciparum malaria. We identify cell type specific responses in sub-clustered major immune cell types. Malaria is associated with an increase in immunosuppressive monocytes, alongside NK and γδ T cells which up-regulate tolerogenic markers. IL-10-producing Tr1 CD4 T cells and IL-10-producing regulatory B cells are also induced. Type I interferon responses are identified across all cell types, suggesting Type I interferon signalling may be linked to induction of immunoregulatory networks during malaria. These findings provide insights into cell-specific and shared immunoregulatory changes during malaria and provide a data resource for further analysis.

High-dimensional deconstruction of pancreatic cancer identifies tumor microenvironmental and developmental stemness features that predict survival

Numerous cell states are known to comprise the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the developmental stemness and co-occurrence of these cell states remain poorly defined. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on a cohort of treatment-naive PDAC time-of-diagnosis endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) samples (n = 25). We then combined these samples with surgical resection (n = 6) and publicly available samples to increase statistical power (n = 80). Following annotation into 25 distinct cell states, cells were scored for developmental stemness, and a customized version of the Ecotyper tool was used to identify communities of co-occurring cell states in bulk RNA-seq samples (n = 268). We discovered a tumor microenvironmental community comprised of aggressive basal-like malignant cells, tumor-promoting SPP1+ macrophages, and myofibroblastic cancer-associated fibroblasts associated with especially poor prognosis. We also found a developmental stemness continuum with implications for survival that is present in both malignant cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). We further demonstrated that high-dimensional analyses predictive of survival are feasible using standard-of-care, time-of-diagnosis EUS-FNB specimens. In summary, we identified tumor microenvironmental and developmental stemness characteristics from a high-dimensional gene expression analysis of PDAC using human tissue specimens, including time-of-diagnosis EUS-FNB samples. These reveal new connections between tumor microenvironmental composition, CAF and malignant cell stemness, and patient survival that could lead to better upfront risk stratification and more personalized upfront clinical decision-making.

Thymus-derived hormonal and cellular control of cancer

The thymus gland is a central lymphoid organ in which developing T cell precursors, known as thymocytes, undergo differentiation into distinct type of mature T cells, ultimately migrating to the periphery where they exert specialized effector functions and orchestrate the immune responses against tumor cells, pathogens and self-antigens. The mechanisms supporting intrathymic T cell differentiation are pleiotropically regulated by thymic peptide hormones and cytokines produced by stromal cells in the thymic microenvironment and developing thymocytes. Interestingly, in the same way as T cells, thymic hormones (herein exemplified by thymosin, thymulin and thymopoietin), can circulate to impact immune cells and other cellular components in the periphery. Evidence on how thymic function influences tumor cell biology and response of patients with cancer to therapies remains unsatisfactory, although there has been some improvement in the knowledge provided by recent studies. Herein, we summarize research progression in the field of thymus-mediated immunoendocrine control of cancer, providing insights into how manipulation of the thymic microenvironment can influence treatment outcomes, including clinical responses and adverse effects of therapies. We review data obtained from clinical and preclinical cancer research to evidence the complexity of immunoendocrine interactions underpinning anti-tumor immunity.

Synergistic anti-cancer and attenuation effects of thymosin on chemotherapeutic drug vinorelbine in tumor-bearing zebrafish

Vinorelbine, the standard chemotherapy drug on advanced lung cancer, causes adverse events such as immunosuppression and bone marrow suppression. Thus, it is necessary to find drugs that could improve immune function and synergistically enhance the anti-tumor effect of vinorelbine. Thymosin is reported to inhibit tumor growth as an immunomodulator. Herein, to study the synergistic anti-cancer and attenuation effects of thymosin on vinorelbine, human lung cancer A549 cells that were labeled with CM-DiI were transplanted into zebrafish to establish the lung cancer xenotransplanted model. After treatment of vinorelbine and different concentrations of thymosin, the fluorescence intensity of CM-DiI-labeled A549 cells and the number of apoptotic muscle cells in the tumor-bearing zebrafish were detected. Besides, effects of thymosin on vinorelbine-reduced macrophages and T cells were identified in the transgenic zebrafish (Tg:zlyz-EGFP and Tg:rag2-DsRed). Then, the qRT-PCR was used to determine the alterations of the immune-related factors at the transcription level. Thymosin showed a marked synergistic anti-cancer effect with vinorelbine for the xenograft human lung cancer A549 cells, and the synergistic effect enhanced in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, thymosin alleviated vinorelbine-induced muscle cell apoptosis, macrophage reduction, and T cell suppression. Compared with the vinorelbine group, co-administration with thymosin raised the mRNA levels of TNF-α, TNF-β, INF-γ, and GM-CSF. Thus, thymosin possesses synergistic anti-cancer effect on vinorelbine, and has protective effect on vinorelbine-induced immunosuppression. Thymosin, as an adjuvant immunomodulatory therapy, has great potential in enhancing the clinical application of vinorelbine.

Pan-cancer analysis identifies the correlations of Thymosin Beta 10 with predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response

Introduction

The biological function and prognosis roles of thymosin β(TMSB) 10 are still unclear in pan-cancer.

Methods

We retrieved The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-tissue expression datasets to obtain the difference of TMSB10 expression between pan-cancer and normal tissues, and analyzed the biological function and prognosis role of TMSB10 in pan-cancer by using cBioPortal Webtool.

Results

The expression of TMSB10 in tumor tissues was significantly higher than normal tissues, and showed the potential ability to predict the prognosis of patients in Pan-cancer. It was found that TMSB10 was significantly correlated with tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration and immune regulatory factor expression. TMSB10 is involved in the regulation of cellular signal transduction pathways in a variety of tumors, thereby mediating the occurrence of tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Finally, TMSB10 can not only effectively predict the anti-PD-L1 treatment response of cancer patients, but also be used as an important indicator to evaluate the sensitivity of chemotherapy. In vitro, low expression of TMSB10 inhibited clonogenic formation ability, invasion, and migration in glioma cells. Furthermore, TMSB10 may involve glioma immune regulation progression by promoting PD-L1 expression levels via activating STAT3 signaling pathway.

Conclusions

Our results show that TMSB10 is abnormally expressed in tumor tissues, which may be related to the infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Clinically, TMSB10 is not only an effective prognostic factor for predicting the clinical treatment outcome of cancer patients, but also a promising biomarker for predicting the effect of tumor immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chemotherapy in some cancers.

An immune genes signature for predicting mortality in sepsis patients

A growing body of evidence indicates that the immune system plays a central role in sepsis. By analyzing immune genes, we sought to establish a robust gene signature and develop a nomogram that could predict mortality in patients with sepsis. Herein, data were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus and Biological Information Database of Sepsis (BIDOS) databases. We enrolled 479 participants with complete survival data using the GSE65682 dataset, and grouped them randomly into training (n = 240) and internal validation (n = 239) sets based on a 1:1 proportion. GSE95233 was set as the external validation dataset (n=51). We validated the expression and prognostic value of the immune genes using the BIDOS database. We established a prognostic immune genes signature (including ADRB2, CTSG, CX3CR1, CXCR6, IL4R, LTB, and TMSB10) via LASSO and Cox regression analyses in the training set. Based on the training and validation sets, the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves and Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the immune risk signature has good predictive power in predicting sepsis mortality risk. The external validation cases also showed that mortality rates in the high-risk group were higher than those in the low-risk group. Subsequently, a nomogram integrating the combined immune risk score and other clinical features was developed. Finally, a web-based calculator was built to facilitate a convenient clinical application of the nomogram. In summary, the signature based on the immune gene holds potential as a novel prognostic predictor for sepsis.

Pancancer landscape analysis of the thymosin family identified TMSB10 as a potential prognostic biomarker and immunotherapy target in glioma

Background

Thymosin family genes (TMSs), biologically important peptides with diverse intracellular and extracellular functions, have been shown to promote the progression of multiple cancers. However, multiomics characterization of TMSs and their role in human cancer prognosis has not been systematically performed.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive analysis of TMSs and thymosin β10 (TMSB10) using multiomics data from more than 10,000 tumor samples of 33 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We used single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and the gene set variation analysis (GSVA) algorithm to investigate the differences in tumor microenvironment (TME) cell infiltration and functional annotation for individual tumor samples, respectively. The role of TMSB10 in the malignant progression of glioma, the promotion of macrophage infiltration,and immunosuppressive polarization, and the combination drug efficacy were assessed via biological function assays.

Results

We comprehensively assessed genomic mutations, expression dysregulation, prognosis and immunotherapeutic response across 33 human cancer samples and showed that TMSB10 is specifically overexpressed in almost all types of cancer tissues. Further pan-cancer analysis showed that TMSB10 is closely related to the biological function, immune regulation and prognosis of glioma. Similar results were also found in several public glioma cohorts and our Qilu local cohort. Further integration with other biological experiments revealed the key roles of TMSB10 in the malignant progression of glioma, the promotion of macrophage infiltration and immunosuppressive polarization. We also identified multiple drugs targeting cells with high TMSB10 expression and validated that knockdown of TMSB10 improved the efficacy of selumetinib (a MEK1/2 inhibitor approved by the FDA for the treatment of neurofibromatosis-associated tumors) and anti-PD1 treatment in glioma.

Conclusion

These results indicate that TMSB10 holds promise as a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target, providing a theoretical basis for the development of more effective and targeted clinical treatment strategies for glioma patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-022-02698-5.

Identification of Auxiliary Biomarkers and Description of the Immune Microenvironmental Characteristics in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by Bioinformatical Analysis and Experiment

Background

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic muscle disorder characterized by progressive muscle wasting associated with persistent inflammation. In this study, we aimed to identify auxiliary biomarkers and further characterize the immune microenvironment in DMD.

Methods

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between DMD and normal muscle tissues based on Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Bioinformatical analysis was used to screen and identify potential diagnostic signatures of DMD which were further validated by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). We also performed single-sample gene-set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) to characterize the proportion of tissue-infiltrating immune cells to determine the inflammatory state of DMD.

Results

In total, 182 downregulated genes and 263 upregulated genes were identified in DMD. C3, SPP1, TMSB10, TYROBP were regarded as adjunct biomarkers and successfully validated by RT-qPCR. The infiltration of macrophages, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in DMD compared with normal muscle tissues, while the infiltration of activated B cells, CD56dim natural killer cells, and type 17 T helper (Th17) cells was lower. In addition, the four biomarkers (C3, SPP1, TMSB10, TYROBP) were strongly associated with immune cells and immune-related pathways in DMD muscle tissues.

Conclusion

Analyses demonstrated C3, SPP1, TMSB10, and TYROBP may serve as biomarkers and enhance our understanding of immune responses in DMD. The infiltration of immune cells into the muscle microenvironment might exert a critical impact on the development and occurrence of DMD.

Dimethyl itaconate inhibits neuroinflammation to alleviate chronic pain in mice

The metabolite itaconate has both anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, its influence on chronic pain is unclear. Here, we demonstrated that intraperitoneal injection of the itaconate derivative dimethyl itaconate (DI) alleviates chronic pain symptoms, such as allodynia and hyperalgesia, in spinal nerve ligation (SNL) and inflammatory pain models. Moreover, intraperitoneal DI reduced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (i.e., interleukin-1β, tumour necrosis factor-alpha) in dorsal root ganglion (DRG), spinal cord and hind paw tissues, suppressed the activation of macrophages in DRG and glial cells in the spinal dorsal horn and decreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in the DRG and spinal cord. DI boosted nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) levels in the DRG and spinal cord of SNL mice. Intraperitoneal administration of the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 abolished the analgesic effect of DI and decreased the expression of Nrf2 in the DRG and spinal cord. Similarly, administration of DI potently reversed the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory effect in microglia. Reduction of endogenous itaconate levels by pretreatment with immune-responsive gene 1 (IRG1) siRNA blocked Nrf2 expression, which impaired the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of DI in vitro. Therefore, our findings reveal for the first time that intraperitoneal DI elicits anti-inflammatory effect and sustained chronic pain relief, which may be regarded as a promising therapeutic agent for chronic pain treatment.

An Analysis Regarding the Prognostic Significance of MAVS and Its Underlying Biological Mechanism in Ovarian Cancer

The present study evaluates the value of mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) expression as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for ovarian cancer (OC) and analyses the underlying biological mechanism in this pathology. First, the association between MAVS expression determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) and clinical characteristics was systematically investigated. Overexpression of MAVS was associated with advanced clinical factors and poor survival of OC patients. Second, bioinformatics analyses, namely, gene expression, mutation analysis, gene set variation analysis (GSVA), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), were performed to evaluate the potential biological functions of MAVS in OC. The results showed that MAVS may play a critical role in immune cell infiltration. CIBERSORT was applied to assess the infiltration of immune cells in OC. CD8+ T cells, γδT cells, and eosinophils had significantly negative correlations with MAVS expression. Finally, sensitivity analysis found that patients with high MAVS expression were predicted to be significantly less responsive to cisplatin and paclitaxel. In conclusion, these findings suggested that MAVS influences biological behavior by regulating the immune response and that it can be used as a predictive marker for poor prognosis in OC.