Engystol reduces onset of experimental respiratory syncytial virus-induced respiratory inflammation in mice by modulating macrophage phagocytic capacity

Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium levels in frequent respiratory tract infections

BACKGROUND

It was well documented that calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg) participate in many physiological processes. We aimed to study the changing trend of serum levels of Ca, P, and Mg in frequent respiratory tract infections (FRTI) in children.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed in our centre. A total of 213 FRTI cases and 33 controls were enrolled in our study. We analyzed the correlation between serum Ca/P/Mg levels and inflammatory indexes by using Spearman correlation analysis. Standard mean difference (SMD) was applied to test the differences of serum Ca/P/Mg levels between FRTI subgroups and controls. In terms of the findings of SMD between Ca/P/Mg status between FRTI subgroups and controls, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was further applied to test the association between serum Ca level and bronchitis, parainfluenza virus infection, influenza B virus infection and cytomegalovirus infection.

RESULTS

Serum Ca level was significantly associated with white blood cell (WBC), platelet (PLT) and procalcitonin (PCT) (p = 0.006; p < 10-4; p = 0.004). Serum P level was markedly associated with eryhtrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and PCT (p = 0.018; p < 10-4). Controls showed significantly lower serum Ca level than that among bronchitis (p = 0.001), parainfluenza virus infection (p = 0.027), influenza B virus infection (p = 0.017), cytomegalovirus infection (p = 0.029), and two pathogens infected (p = 0.020). ROC curve analysis showed that serum Ca level was significantly associated with bronchitis (p = 0.047) and influenza B virus infection (p = 0.049).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum levels of Ca and P may reflect the inflammatory status in children with FRTI. Alteration of serum Ca level may predict the risk of bronchitis and influenza B virus infection. Keeping the homeostasis of Ca, P, and Mg may be important for the prevention and treatment of FRTI.

Regulation of Inflammatory Reaction in Health and Disease

Inflammation is a key mechanism for the clearance of infective agents and other inflammatory triggers and is pivotal for the repairing processes of the affected tissues. Inflammation is a multistep process driven by a great number of mediators which regulate specific aspects of the inflammatory response, in agreement with a well-defined chronobiological program. A great number of inflammation-related diseases show a deeply altered immune chronobiology (e.g., COVID-19-related cytokines storm). This aspect highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the inflammatory phenomenon. It is fundamental to study inflammation as a multilevel phenomenon. Of particular interest is the low-grade chronic inflammation, which is an etiological factor of many chronic diseases. Nowadays, the therapeutic approach to low grade chronic inflammation is one of the great challenges of traditional pharmacology. Currently, no drugs specifically designed for the treatment of chronic inflammatory forms are available. Today, bioregulatory systems medicine (BrSM) and low dose medicine (LDM), two pharmacological paradigms grounded in systems medicine, potentially represent new tools for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases. Scientific research has assessed the effectiveness and safety of both these therapeutic approaches, in particular for the management of chronic inflammatory conditions and chronic immunological dysregulations.

Genotoxic properties of Betonica officinalis, Gratiola officinalis, Vincetoxicum luteum and Vincetoxicum hirundinaria extracts

Genotoxicity of B. officinalis, G. officinalis, V. luteum and V. hirundinaria extracts, which demonstrated strong antioxidant capacity, was tested using chromosome aberration, sister chromatid exchange (SCE), cytokinesis-block micronucleus and alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assays in human lymphocytes in vitro and Ames Salmonella/microsome test. All tested extracts were not mutagenic in S. typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100 with and without metabolic activation and did not induce chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes in vitro. Extract from G. officinalis was the only one, which induced significant increase in micronuclei, indicating possible aneugenic effect. All investigated plant extracts induced DNA damage evaluated by the comet assay, while B. officinalis and V. luteum extracts induced slight increase in SCE values. The determined variation in response might be due to the plant extract tested and donor susceptibility.