The Crosstalk of Pathways Involved in Immune Response Maybe the Shared Molecular Basis of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Type 2 Diabetes

Transcriptome Analysis Identifies the Crosstalk between Dendritic and Natural Killer Cells in Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Skin ulcers of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are characterized by a localized inflammatory response mediated by innate and adaptive immune cells, including dendritic cells (DC) and natural killer (NK) cells. Bidirectional interactions between DCs and NK cells contribute to tailor leishmaniasis outcome. Despite advances in the Leishmania biology field in recent decades, the mechanisms involved in DC/NK-mediated control of Leishmania sp. pathogenesis as well as the cellular and molecular players involved in such interaction remain unclear. The present study sought to investigate canonical pathways associated with CL arising from Leishmania braziliensis infection. Initially, two publicly available microarray datasets of skin biopsies from active CL lesions were analyzed, and five pathways were identified using differentially expressed genes. The "Crosstalk between DCs and NK cells" pathway was notable due to a high number of modulated genes. The molecules significantly involved in this pathway were identified, and our findings were validated in newly obtained CL biopsies. We found increased expression of TLR4, TNFRSF1B, IL-15, IL-6, CD40, CCR7, TNF and IFNG, confirming the analysis of publicly available datasets. These findings reveal the "crosstalk between DCs and NK cells" as a potential pathway to be further explored in the pathogenesis of CL, especially the expression of CCR7, which is correlated with lesion development.

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Gene Expression Signature Among Women Who Improve or Worsen During Pregnancy: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether gene expression signatures associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before pregnancy differ between women who improve or worsen during pregnancy, and to determine whether these expression signatures are altered during pregnancy when RA improves or worsens.

METHODS

Clinical data and blood samples were collected before pregnancy (T0) and at the third trimester (T3) from 11 women with RA and 5 healthy women. RA disease activity was assessed using the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). At each timepoint, RA-associated gene expression signatures were identified using differential expression analysis of RNA sequencing profiles between women with RA and healthy women.

RESULTS

Of the women with RA, 6 improved by T3 (RA_improved), 3 worsened (RA_worsened),and 2 were excluded. At T0, mean CDAI scores were similar in both groups (RA_improved 11.2 ± 9.8; RA_worsened 13.8 ± 6.7; Wilcoxon rank-sum test: P = 0.6). In the RA_improved group, 89 genes were differentially expressed at T0 (q < 0.05 and fold change ≥ 2) compared to healthy women. When RA improved at T3, 65 of 89 (73%) of these genes no longer displayed RA-associated expression. In the RA_worsened group, a largely different RA gene expression signature (429 genes) was identified at T0. When RA disease activity worsened at T3, 207 of 429 (48%) genes lost their differential expression, while an additional 151 genes became newly differentially expressed.

CONCLUSION

In our pilot dataset, pre-pregnancy RA expression signatures differed between women who subsequently improved or worsened during pregnancy, suggesting that inherent genomic differences may influence how pregnancy affects disease activity. Further, these RA signatures were altered during pregnancy as disease activity changed.

Identification of Hub Genes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using Bioinformatics Analysis

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world with complicated pathogenesis. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and molecular pathways in T2DM using bioinformatics analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To explore potential therapeutic targets for T2DM, we analyzed three microarray datasets (GSE50397, GSE38642, and GSE44035) acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. DEGs between T2DM islet and normal islet were picked out by the GEO2R tool and Venn diagram software. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) to identify the pathways and functional annotation of DEGs. Then, protein-protein interaction (PPI) of these DEGs was visualized by Cytoscape with Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING).

RESULTS

In total, we identified 36 DEGs in the three datasets, including 32 up-regulated genes and four down-regulated genes. The improved functions and pathways of the DEGs enriched in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and Rheumatoid arthritis. Among them, ten hub genes with a high degree of connectivity were selected. Furthermore, via the re-analysis of DAVID, four genes (IL6, MMP3, MMP1, and IL11) were significantly enriched in the Rheumatoid arthritis pathway.

CONCLUSION

Our study, based on the GEO database, identified four significant up-regulated DEGs and provided novel targets for diagnosis and treatment of T2DM.

Hei-Gu-Teng Zhuifenghuoluo Granule Modulates IL-12 Signal Pathway to Inhibit the Inflammatory Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of chronic systemic inflammatory disease; it has a very complicated pathogenesis, and multiple pathological changes are implicated. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) like Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. or Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd et Wils. has been extensively used for centuries in the treatment of arthritic diseases and been reported effective for relieving the severity of RA. Hei-Gu-Teng Zhuifenghuoluo granule (HGT) which contains Periploca forrestii Schltr., Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd et Wils., and Lysimachia paridiformis Franch. var. stenophylla Franch. was a representative natural rattan herb formula for the treatment of RA in China, but the mechanism has not been elucidated. This study aimed at exploring the mechanism of HGT on RA using the bioinformatics analysis with in vivo and in vitro experiment validation. The potential action mechanism was first investigated by bioinformatics analysis via Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. After that, we use experimental validation such as collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice model in vivo and U937 cell model in vitro. The bioinformatics results suggested that HGT may have anti-inflammatory characteristic on RA and IL-12 signaling pathway could be the potential key trigger. In vivo experiments demonstrated that HGT ameliorated the symptoms in CIA mice and decreased the production of inflammatory cytokines in both mice ankle joints and serum. Furthermore, HGT effectively inhibited the activation of IL-12R and STAT4 on IL-12 signaling pathway. In vitro experiments showed that HGT inhibited the production of IL-12R and STAT4 induced by IL-12 in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated U937 cells. Moreover, IL-12R knockdown was able to interfere with the inhibition effects of HGT on the production of these cytokines. Our results confirmed the anti-inflammatory property of HGT, which was attributed to its inhibition on IL-12 signaling pathway.

Identification of Shared Molecular Signatures Indicate the Susceptibility of Endometriosis to Multiple Sclerosis

Women with endometriosis (EMS) appear to be at a higher risk of developing other autoimmune diseases predominantly multiple sclerosis (MS). Though EMS and MS are evidently diverse in their phenotype, they are linked by a common autoimmune condition or immunodeficiency which could play a role in the expansion of endometriosis and possibly increase the risk of developing MS in women with EMS. However, the common molecular links connecting EMS with MS are still unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of microarray experiments focused on EMS and MS with their respective controls. The GEO2R web application discovered a total of 711 and 1516 genes that are differentially expressed across the experimental conditions in EMS and MS, respectively with 129 shared DEGs between them. The functional enrichment analysis of DEGs predicts the shared gene expression signatures as well as the overlapping biological processes likely to infer the co-occurrence of EMS with MS. Network based meta-analysis unveiled six interaction networks/crosstalks through overlapping edges between commonly dysregulated pathways of EMS and MS. The PTPN1, ERBB3, and CDH1 were observed to be the highly ranked hub genes connected with disease-related genes of both EMS and MS. Androgen receptor (AR) and nuclear factor-kB p65 (RelA) were observed to be the most enriched transcription factor in the upstream of shared down-regulated and up-regulated genes, respectively. The two disease sample sets compared through crosstalk interactions between shared pathways revealed commonly up- and down-regulated expressions of 10 immunomodulatory proteins as probable linkers between EMS and MS. This study pinpoints the number of shared genes, pathways, protein kinases, and upstream regulators that may help in the development of biomarkers for diagnosis of MS and endometriosis at the same time through improved understanding of shared molecular signatures and crosstalk.

Yupingfeng San Inhibits NLRP3 Inflammasome to Attenuate the Inflammatory Response in Asthma Mice

Yupingfeng San (YPFS) is a representative Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula with accepted therapeutic effect on Asthma. However, its action mechanism is still obscure. In this study, we used network pharmacology to explore potential mechanism of YPFS on asthma. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor pathway was shown to be the top one shared signaling pathway associated with both YPFS and asthma. In addition, NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome was treated as target protein in the process of YPFS regulating asthma. Further, experimental validation was done by using LPS-stimulated U937 cells and ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized BALB/c mice model. In vitro experiments showed that YPFS significantly decreased the production of TNF-α and IL-6, as well as both mRNA and protein levels of IL-1β, NLRP3, Caspase-1 and ASC in LPS-stimulated U937 cells. In vivo experiment indicated that YPFS treatment not only attenuated the clinical symptoms, but also reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, mucus secretion and MUC5AC production in lung tissue of asthmatic mice. Moreover, YPFS treatment remarkably decreased the mRNA and protein levels of IL-1β, NLRP3, Caspase-1 and ASC in lung tissue of asthmatic mice. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that YPFS could inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome components to attenuate the inflammatory response in asthma.

Carnosic acid (CA) attenuates collagen-induced arthritis in db/db mice via inflammation suppression by regulating ROS-dependent p38 pathway

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease, characterized by inflammation of synovial joints. Carnosic acid (CA) is a phenolic diterpene isolated from Rosmarinus officinailis, playing a central role in cytoprotective responses to oxidative stress and inflammation response. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of CA on RA progression in diabetic animals. Carnosic acid (CA) was used to treat collagen-induced arthritis (CIA)-induced db/db mice. Blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT) were investigated to explore insulin resistance. CA significantly down-regulated fasting blood glucose, glucose level in OGTT and ITT, ameliorated CIA-induced bone loss, and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in db/db mice with arthritis induced by CIA. In vitro, CA suppressed Receptor Activator for Nuclear Factor-κ B Ligand (RANKL)- and Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF)-induced osteoclastogenesis. The osteoclastic specific markers were inhibited by CA. Signal transduction studies showed that CA significantly decreased the expression of molecules contributing to ROS and increased anti-oxidants. Additionally, CA inactivated the RANKL- and M-CSF-induced p38 mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), inhibited NF-κB phosphorylation, causing pro-inflammatory cytokines down-regulation. Together, CA ameliorated osteoclast formation and CIA-induced bone loss in db/db mice through inflammation suppression by regulating ROS-dependent p38 pathway.

Neuropilin-1 Associated Molecules in the Blood Distinguish Poor Prognosis Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

Circulating plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear (PBMCs) cells provide an informative snapshot of the systemic physiological state. Moreover, they provide a non-invasively accessible compartment to identify biomarkers for personalized medicine in advanced breast cancer. The role of Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) and its interacting molecules in breast tumor tissue was correlated with cancer progression; however, the clinical impact of their systemic levels was not extensively evaluated. In this cross-sectional study, we found that circulating and tumor tissue expression of NRP-1 and circulating placental growth factor (PlGF) increase in advanced nodal and metastatic breast cancer compared with locally advanced disease. Tumor tissue expression of NRP-1 and PlGF is also upregulated in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) compared to other subtypes. Conversely, in PBMCs, NRP-1 and its interacting molecules SEMA4A and SNAI1 are significantly downregulated in breast cancer patients compared to healthy controls, indicating a protective role. Moreover, we report differential PBMC expression profiles that correlate inversely with disease stage (SEMA4A, SNAI1, PLXNA1 and VEGFR3) and can differentiate between the TNBC and non-TNBC tumor subtypes (VEGFR3 and PLXNA1). This work supports the importance of NRP-1-associated molecules in circulation to characterize poor prognosis breast cancer and emphasizes on their role as favorable drug targets.

Wu-Tou Decoction in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Integrating Network Pharmacology and In Vivo Pharmacological Evaluation

Purpose: This study aimed to explore underlying action mechanism of Wu-Tou decoction (WTD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through network pharmacology prediction and experimental verification. Methods: Chemical compounds and human target proteins of WTD as well as RA-related human genes were obtained from TCM Database @ Taiwan, PubChem and GenBank, respectively. Subsequently, molecular networks and canonical pathways presumably involved in the treatment of WTD on RA were generated by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) software. Furthermore, experimental validation was carried out with MIP-1β-induced U937 cell model and collagen induced arthritis (CIA) rat model. Results: CCR5 signaling pathway in macrophages was shown to be the top one shared signaling pathway associated with both cell immune response and cytokine signaling. In addition, protein kinase C (PKC) δ and p38 in this pathway were treated as target proteins of WTD in RA. In vitro experiments indicated that WTD inhibited MIP-1β-induced production of TNF-α, MIP-1α, and RANTES as well as phosphorylation of CCR5, PKC δ, and p38 in U937 cells. WTD treatment maintained the inhibitory effects on production of TNF-α and RANTES in MIP-1β-induced U937 cells after CCR5 knockdown. In vivo experiments demonstrated that WTD ameliorated symptoms in CIA rats, decreased the levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, MIP-1α, MIP-2, RANTES, and IP-10 in serum of CIA rats, as well as mRNA levels of MIP-1α, MIP-2, RANTES, and IP-10 in ankle joints of CIA rats. Furthermore, WTD also lowered the phosphorylation levels of CCR5, PKC δ and p38 in both ankle joints and macrophages in ankle joints from CIA rats. Conclusion: It was demonstrated in this research that WTD played a role in inhibiting inflammatory response in RA which was closely connected with the modulation effect of WTD on CCR5 signaling pathway in macrophages.

3-bromopyruvate ameliorate autoimmune arthritis by modulating Th17/Treg cell differentiation and suppressing dendritic cell activation

Recent studies have shown that cellular metabolism plays an important role in regulating immune cell functions. In immune cell differentiation, both interleukin-17-producing T (Th17) cells and dendritic cells (DCs) exhibit increased glycolysis through the upregulation of glycolytic enzymes, such as hexokinase-2 (HK2). Blocking glycolysis with 2-deoxyglucose was recently shown to inhibit Th17 cell differentiation while promoting regulatory T (Treg) cell generation. However, 2-DG inhibits all isoforms of HK. Thus, it is unclear which isoform has a critical role in Th17 cell differentiation and in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis. Here we demonstrated that 3-bromopyruvate (BrPA), a specific HK2 inhibitor, significantly decreased the arthritis scores and the histological scores in SKG mice, with a significant increase in Treg cells, decrease in Th17 cells, and decrease in activated DCs in the spleen. In vitro, BrPA facilitated the differentiation of Treg cells, suppressed Th17 cells, and inhibited the activation of DCs. These results suggested that BrPA may be a therapeutic target of murine arthritis. Although the role of IL-17 is not clarified in the treatment of RA, targeting cell metabolism to alter the immune cell functions might lead to a new therapeutic strategy for RA.

Cytokine Imbalance as a Common Mechanism in Both Psoriasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Psoriasis (PS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Previous studies showed that these two diseases had a common pathogenesis, but the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was employed to explore both the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of 10 PS and 10 RA patients compared with those of 10 healthy volunteers and the shared DEGs between these two diseases. Bioinformatics network analysis was used to reveal the connections among the shared DEGs and the corresponding molecular mechanism. In total, 120 and 212 DEGs were identified in PS and RA, respectively, and 31 shared DEGs were identified. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the cytokine imbalance relevant to key molecules (such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), colony-stimulating factor 3 (CSF3), interleukin- (IL-) 6, and interferon gene (IFNG)) and canonical signaling pathways (such as the complement system, antigen presentation, macropinocytosis signaling, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling, and IL-17 signaling) was responsible for the common comprehensive mechanism of PS and RA. Our findings provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis of PS and RA, suggesting potential strategies for treating and preventing both diseases. This study may also provide a new paradigm for illuminating the common pathogenesis of different diseases.

Amelioration of cardiac dysfunction and ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction by danhong injection are critically contributed by anti-TGF-β-mediated fibrosis and angiogenesis mechanisms

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Danhong injection (DHI) is a standardized product extracted from Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae and Flos Carthami , which has been long applied mainly used to treat ischemic encephalopathy and cardiac diseases including myocardial infarction and angina in clinical practice.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Aim of this study was to investigate the salutary effects of DHI by slowing ventricular remodeling and improving cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI) in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to ligation on left anterior descending coronary artery to establish MI models and valsartan was selected as positive control. Cardiac function examination was conducted at the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th and the 28th days after LAD. Haematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were conducted to observe cardiac pathology and morphological changes levels of VEGF, TGF-β, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in the myocardial tissue were determined in gene and protein expressions.

RESULTS

After 3 days post-treatment and thereafter, EF and FS in DHI group were greater than that of model group (p<0.05). Compared with the MI group, ratio of infarct was markedly decreased in treated-DHI group(p<0.05). TGF-β1 protein and fibrosis-related proteins MMP-2 and MMP-9 were up-regulated after MI, and they were significantly suppressed by the administration of DHI(p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Moreover, DHI improved the mRNA expression of VEGF and increased the blood vessel density of myocardial infarct border zone. DHI decreased the expression of cell apoptosis protein of caspase-3 and increased the anti-apoptotic protein, bcl-2.

CONCLUSIONS

We provided direct evidences that DHI improves cardiac remodeling and preserves ventricular function post-MI in rats. DHI conferred cardio-protection in rats with MI via anti-myocardial apoptosis, angiogenesis, reduction of myocardial fibrosis and many other aspects of joint actions.