Wenshen decoction suppresses inflammation in IL-33-induced asthma murine model via inhibiting ILC2 activation

Role of IL-33-ST2 pathway in regulating inflammation: current evidence and future perspectives

Interleukin (IL)-33 is an alarmin of the IL-1 superfamily localized to the nucleus of expressing cells, such as endothelial cells, epithelial cells, and fibroblasts. In response to cellular damage or stress, IL-33 is released and activates innate immune responses in some immune and structural cells via its receptor interleukin-1 receptor like-1 (IL-1RL1 or ST2). Recently, IL-33 has become a hot topic of research because of its role in pulmonary inflammation. The IL-33-ST2 signaling pathway plays a pro-inflammatory role by activating the type 2 inflammatory response, producing type 2 cytokines and chemokines. Elevated levels of IL-33 and ST2 have been observed in chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD). Notably, IL-33 is present in COPD induced by cigarette smoke or acute inflammations. The role of IL-33 in sepsis is becoming increasingly prominent, and understanding its significance in the treatment of sepsis associated with high mortality is critical. In addition to its pro-inflammatory effects, the IL-33-ST2 axis appears to play a role in bacterial clearance and tissue repair. In this review, we focused on the role of the IL-33-ST2 axis in sepsis, asthma, and COPD and summarized the therapeutic targets associated with this axis, providing a basis for future treatment.

Morinda officinalis extract exhibits protective effects against atopic dermatitis by regulating the MALAT1/miR-590-5p/CCR7 axis

BACKGROUND

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a genetic predisposition, and the traditional Chinese medicine Morinda officinalis and its roots are characterized with anti-inflammatory effects and have been used for the treatment of various disease. However, it is still largely unknown whether Morinda officinalis extract (MOE) can be used for the treatment of AD.

OBJECTIVES

In our study we aimed to determine whether MOE could ameliorate 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD and elucidate molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

We established an AD mouse model by using DNCB. Skin pathological analysis and ELISA assay were used to detect the effect of MOE on the inflammation of AD model mouse skin and the expression changes of inflammatory factors, and further functional verification was performed in TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells.

RESULTS

Our in vivo experiments confirmed that MOE remarkably reduced DNCB-induced AD lesions and symptoms, such as epidermal and dermal thickness and mast cell infiltration and inflammatory cytokines secretion in the mice models. In addition, the underlying mechanisms by which MOE ameliorated AD had been uncovered, and we verified that MOE inhibited MALAT1 expression in AD, resulting in attenuated expression of C-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CCR7) regulated by MALAT1-sponge miR-590-5p in a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms-dependent manner, thereby inhibiting TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced cellular proliferation and inflammation.

CAVO Inhibits Airway Inflammation and ILC2s in OVA-Induced Murine Asthma Mice

Cang-ai volatile oil (CAVO) is an aromatic Chinese medicine and is widely used to treat upper respiratory tract infections in children. However, the mechanism of CAVO in asthma treatment is unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of CAVO on airway inflammation and the mechanism of inhibiting Group-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) in asthmatic mice, which was induced with Ovalbumin (OVA). CAVO improved AHR and airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. CAVO reduced the production of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-9, IL-13, IL-25, IL-33, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), while increased the production of IL-10, significantly. CAVO also inhibited the suppressor of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) and IL-33 expressions in the lung tissue. Moreover, flow analyses demonstrated that CAVO inhibited ILC2s activation by reducing the sedimentation of its upstream cytokines, thus alleviating downstream cytokines. This could be because of the downregulated microRNA-155 and upregulated microRNA-146a. CAVO inhibits ILC2s activation, thus further attenuating airway inflammation and AHR in asthmatic mice. These effects may be related to the downregulation of microRNA-155 and upregulation of microRNA-146a.

Role of Chemokines and Inflammatory Cells in Respiratory Allergy

The idea of "one airway, one disease" has been gaining importance in the last decade. In the upper and lower airways, allergic mechanisms interact with each other. In the initial stage of respiratory allergic inflammation, allergens contact the respiratory epithelium, which produces chemokines and inflammatory factors, which cause allergic reactions by binding to the corresponding receptors and chemotactic various inflammatory cells to reach the epithelium and tissues. It also drives inflammatory cells to activate and produce more inflammatory factors, thus producing a cascade amplification effect. Inflammatory cell aggregation and activation are very complex and interact with each other in a lattice structure. By blocking the action of various chemokines, inflammatory cell aggregation is reduced, and ultimately the symptoms of respiratory allergy are alleviated. Chemokines can serve as cues for coordinated recruitment of immune cells into and out of tissues, as well as directing the spatial organization of immune cells within tissues and cellular interactions. Chemokines are critical in directing immune cell migration and thus have an important role in the direction of respiratory allergy: however, chemokines are also involved in the production and recruitment of immune cells that contribute to respiratory allergy. In this article, linking the upper and lower respiratory tracts. We review the role of the chemokine system in the respiratory immune response and discuss how respiratory disease modulates overall chemokines to shape the type and outcome of the immune response to the treatment of respiratory allergic disease so that we can further deepen our knowledge of chemokines in the direction of respiratory allergy. In the future, we can do drug research and development based on this network structure and explore new research directions.

Artemisia sieversiana pollen allergy and immunotherapy in mice

This study developed a murine model of asthma using Artemisia sieversiana pollen extract (ASE) and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) without an adjuvant. BALB/c mice were sensitized subcutaneously with 25 μg of ASE and challenged with 0.1% ASE aerosol. To investigate the efficacy of SCIT, mice were subcutaneously injected with 0.3 mg ASE without adjuvant once a week for 8 weeks, followed by challenge for 3 additional days. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine, pulmonary inflammatory cell infiltration, cytokine levels of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, histopathology of the lung, and serum allergen-specific serum IgE and IgG2a levels were assessed following the final challenge. Mice sensitized with ASE developed AHR and had significantly higher interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13 levels as well as lower IL-12 level than those of control mice. Moreover, mice sensitized with ASE showed increased plasma levels of allergen-specific IgE, and histologic analyses showed peribranchial infiltration of inflammatory cells and mucosal hyperplasia. After SCIT, allergic symptoms and immunological parameters were effectively improved, and the plasma level of allergen-specific IgG2a was significantly increased cmpared to that in the vehicle group. These findings described successful development of an A. sieversiana pollen-induced asthma model in BALB/c mice, with in vivo findings revealing that SCIT without adjuvant significantly improved the symptoms and pathophysiology of asthmatic mice.

Exploration of the potential mechanism of Banxia Xiexin Decoction for the effects on TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis rats with the assistance of network pharmacology analysis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD), an ancient TCM prescription originating from Treatise on Febrile Diseases (Shang Han Lun) of the Han Dynasty, has been widely used in modern clinical practice, especially for gastrointestinal diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the modern decoction method of BXD differs from that of the original method. Thus, an exploration of the influence of the different decoction methods on the pharmacological effects is interesting and significant.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to systematically compare the pharmacological effects of extracts of BXD on TNBS induce UC rats that were prepared by different methods, the ancient method and the modern method. The findings may provide important information for the further mechanical exploration of the classical prescription, contributing to the rational application and enhancing the understanding of BXD in modern applications or scientific research.

METHODS

Fifty-four SD rats were randomly divided into the following nine groups at n = 6/group: control group; model group; salicylazosulfapyridine group; BXD ancient extraction method's low-dose group (BXD-AED-L, 3.6 g BXD-AED/kg), medium-dose group (BXD-AED-M, 7.2 g BXD-AED/kg), and high-dose group (BXD-AED-H, 14.4 g BXD-AED/kg); and BXD modern extraction method's low-dose group (BXD-MED-L, 1 g BXD-MED/kg), medium-dose group (BXD-MED-M, 2 g BXD-MED/kg), and high-dose group (BXD-MED-H, 4 g BXD-MED/kg). All the groups, except the control group, were rectally injected with 70 mg/kg ethanol solution containing TNBS (2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid) to establish the UC models. The pharmacological evaluations including disease activity index, colon weight index, macroscopic and histological evaluation of colon damage, and inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-4, IL-10, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6)were measured. In the network pharmacology analysis, the "herbs-components-targets-disease" network was constructed and visually analyzed with which the targets with a strong correlation with UC were screened out.

RESULTS

The results showed that both BXD-AED and BXD-MED might alleviate the severity of UC with different degrees according to the majority of indices that were evaluated. At similar doses, the BXD-AED groups performed better compared with the BXD-MED groups. With the assistance of the network pharmacology analysis, some key active components (quercetin, baicalein, wogonin, and baicalin) related to the anti-UC/inflammation were screened out. The contents of the components in BXD-AED were higher than those in BXD-MED. The joint results of the study indicated that BXD, an ancient TCM compound prescription, is an effective drug candidate for the modern treatment of UC.

Serum levels of olfactomedin 4: a biomarker for asthma control state in asthmatics

Background

Neutrophils are a key component of inflammation in asthma. Olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4) is produced by neutrophils and has been reported to be associated with asthma inflammation. We hypothesized that serum OLFM4 may be increased in asthmatic individuals and can assist with predicting asthma control state.

Methods

A total of 79 individuals were enrolled from Shenzhen People’s Hospital, China and divided into 3 groups: uncontrolled asthmatics (n=35), controlled asthmatics (n=14), and healthy controls (n=30). The serum OLFM4 level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical characteristics (such as age, gender, allergy history, body mass index (BIM), and smoking history), clinical indicators (such as whole blood count, sputum neutrophil, sputum eosinophil, forced expiratory volume in one second as percentage of predicted volume (FEV1% pred), IgE level, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and fractional expiratory nitric oxide (FeNO) were measured and the three groups were compared. The correlation between OLFM4 and the clinical characteristics and indicators was then evaluated. Finally, stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the contribution of clinical characteristics and clinical indicators influencing serum OLFM4 level.

Results

Our results showed that the serum OLFM4 level was increased two-fold in the controlled asthma group (3,450.38±3,000.35 pg/mL) and three-fold in the uncontrolled asthma group (5,084.57±3,425.76 pg/mL), compared to the healthy control group (1,830.11±1,239.70 ng/mL) (P<0.001). We found a positive correlation between serum OLFM4 level and sputum neutrophils (P<0.001). OLFM4 was also found to be related to both hs-CRP level (P=0.007*) and blood neutrophil count (P<0.001). There were no significant associations identified between OLFM4 and age, gender, BMI, allergy, blood eosinophils, blood neutrophils, IgE, FeNO, or FEV1% pred.

Conclusions

Serum OLFM4 levels were increased in patients with asthma (the controlled asthma and uncontrolled asthma groups). There was a significant correlation between serum OLFM4 and levels of sputum neutrophil and hs-CRP, and OLFM4 was also related to both Hs-CRP level and blood neutrophil count. Serum OLFM4 level may serve as a useful biomarker for assessing asthma control state in asthmatic adults.