Spiperone Stimulates Regeneration in Pulmonary Endothelium Damaged by Cigarette Smoke and Lipopolysaccharide

Clinical Significance of Long Non-Coding RNA SNHG5 in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is preventable and requires early screening. The study aimed to examine the clinical values of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG5 in COPD diagnosis and prognosis. Out of 160 COPD patients, 80 were in the stable stage and 80 were in the acute exacerbation of COPD stage (AECOPD). SNHG5 expression was detected via qRT-PCR. The survival analysis was conducted using Cox regression analysis and K-M curve. SNHG5 levels significantly reduced in both stable COPD and AECOPD groups compared with the control group, with AECOPD group recording the lowest values. SNHG5 levels were negatively correlated with GOLD stage. Serum SNHG5 can differentiate stable COPD patients from healthy individuals (AUC = 0.805), and can screen AECOPD from stable ones (AUC = 0.910). SNHG5 negatively influenced the release of inflammatory cytokines. For AECOPD patients, those with severe cough and wheezing dyspnea symptoms exhibited the lowest values of SNUG5. Among the 80 AECOPD patients, 16 cases died in the one-year follow-up, all of whom had low levels of SNHG5. SNHG5 levels independently influenced survival outcomes, patients with low SNHG5 levels had a poor prognosis. Thus, lncRNA SNHG5, which is downregulated in patients with COPD (especially AECOPD), can potentially protect against AECOPD and serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for AECOPD.

Age-related features of lung cancer treatment using reprogrammed CD8 positive T cells in mice subjected to injection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells

BACKGROUND

Awareness of age-related features of carcinogenesis and the importance of cellular immunity is crucial for developing effective antitumor therapies for specific patient groups.

METHODS

In this study, we examined different populations of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in "young" (8-10 weeks) and "aged" (80-82 weeks) C57BL/6 male mice. We used an orthotopic model of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) to evaluate the effectiveness of cell therapy targeting lung cancer through reprogrammed CD8-positive T cells (rCD8+ T cells) in mice from two different ages.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that tumor progression with age is primarily caused by impaired recruitment of T cells to the lungs. Additionally, a lower number of CTCs and CSCs were observed in younger mice compared to the older mice. The antitumor effect of rCD8+ T cells in aged mice was found to be inferior to that in young mice, which can be attributed to the reduced impact of therapy on specific CSCs populations.

CONCLUSIONS

These results offer new insights into the treatment of lung cancer using rCD8+ T cells. Considering the age-related characteristics influencing disease progression, this therapy has the potential to significantly enhance the effectiveness of treatment methods.

Anticancer Effects of Spiperone in C57BL/6 Mice with Emphysema and Lung Carcinoma

The antitumor and antimetastatic activity of dopamine D2 receptor antagonists spiperone was studied in C57BL/6 mice in a model of combined pathology (emphysema and lung cancer). Emphysema was induced by administration of LPS and cigarette smoke extract. Lung cancer was induced by injection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells into the lung. It has been shown that under conditions of combined lung pathology, spiperone prevents inflammatory infiltration and emphysematous expansion of the lungs and reduces the size of the primary tumor node, the number of metastases, and the area of the lungs affected by metastases. Spiperone reduces the number of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in the lungs and blood of mice with combined pathology. CSCs isolated from the lungs and blood of mice with combined pathology treated with spiperone had a significantly lower potential to form a tumorosphere in vitro than CSCs from untreated mice with emphysema and lung carcinoma. Thus, blockade of dopamine D2 receptors is a promising approach for correcting combined lung pathology and can be used in the development of a method for treating lung cancer in patients with emphysema.

Vascular Endothelial Damage in COPD: Where Are We Now, Where Will We Go?

BACKGROUND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has higher rates among the general population, so early identification and prevention is the goal. The mechanisms of COPD development have not been completely established, although it has been demonstrated that endothelial dysfunction plays an important role. However, to date, the measurement of endothelial dysfunction is still invasive or not fully established. Nailfold video capillaroscopy (NVC) is a safe, non-invasive diagnostic tool that can be used to easily evaluate the microcirculation and can show any possible endothelial dysfunctions early on. The aim of this review is to evaluate if nailfold microcirculation abnormalities can reflect altered pulmonary vasculature and can predict the risk of cardiovascular comorbidities in COPD patients.

METHODS

A systematic literature search concerning COPD was performed in electronic databases (PUBMED, UpToDate, Google Scholar, ResearchGate), supplemented with manual research. We searched in these databases for articles published until March 2024. The following search words were searched in the databases in all possible combinations: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), endothelial damage, vascular impairment, functional evaluation, capillaroscopy, video capillaroscopy, nailfold video capillaroscopy. Only manuscripts written in English were considered for this review. Papers were included only if they were able to define a relationship between COPD and endothelium dysfunction.

RESULTS

The search selected 10 articles, and among these, only three previous reviews were available. Retinal vessel imaging, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and skin autofluorescence (AF) are reported as the most valuable methods for assessing endothelial dysfunction in COPD patients.

CONCLUSIONS

It has been assumed that decreased nitric oxide (NO) levels leads to microvascular damage in COPD patients. This finding allows us to assume NVC's potential effectiveness in COPD patients. However, this potential link is based on assumption; further investigations are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Effects of reprogrammed splenic CD8+ T-cells in vitro and in mice with spontaneous metastatic Lewis lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Metastatic disease is a major and difficult-to-treat complication of lung cancer. Considering insufficient effectiveness of existing therapies and taking into account the current problem of lung cancer chemoresistance, it is necessary to continue the development of new treatments.

METHODS

Previously, we have demonstrated the antitumor effects of reprogrammed CD8+ T-cells (rCD8+ T-cells) from the spleen in mice with orthotopic lung carcinoma. Reprogramming was conducted by inhibiting the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway through MEKi and the immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1. Concurrently, CD8+ T-cells were trained in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells. We suggested that rCD8+ T-cells isolated from the spleen might impede the development of metastatic disease.

RESULTS

The present study has indicated that the reprogramming procedure enhances the survival and cytotoxicity of splenic CD8+ T-cells in LLC culture. In an LLC model of spontaneous metastasis, splenic rCD8 + T-cell therapy augmented the numbers of CD8+ T-cells and CD4+ T-cells in the lungs of mice. These changes can account for the partial reduction of tumors in the lungs and the mitigation of metastatic activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our proposed reprogramming method enhances the antitumor activity of CD8+ T-cells isolated from the spleen and could be valuable in formulating an approach to treating metastatic disease in patients with lung cancer.

Uncovering the role of transient receptor potential channels in pterygium: a machine learning approach

OBJECTIVES

We aimed at identifying the role of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in pterygium.

METHODS

Based on microarray data GSE83627 and GSE2513, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened and 20 hub genes were selected. After gene correlation analysis, 5 TRP-related genes were obtained and functional analyses of gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed. Multifactor regulatory network including mRNA, microRNAs (miRNAs) and transcription factors (TFs) was constructed. The 5 gene TRP signature for pterygium was validated by multiple machine learning (ML) programs including support vector classifiers (SVC), random forest (RF), and k-nearest neighbors (KNN). Additionally, we outlined the immune microenvironment and analyzed the candidate drugs. Finally, in vitro experiments were performed using human conjunctival epithelial cells (CjECs) to confirm the bioinformatics results.

RESULTS

Five TRP-related genes (MCOLN1, MCOLN3, TRPM3, TRPM6, and TRPM8) were validated by ML algorithms. Functional analyses revealed the participation of lysosome and TRP-regulated inflammatory pathways. A comprehensive immune infiltration landscape and TFs-miRNAs-mRNAs network was studied, which indicated several therapeutic targets (LEF1 and hsa-miR-455-3p). Through correlation analysis, MCOLN3 was proposed as the most promising immune-related biomarker. In vitro experiments further verified the reliability of our in silico results and demonstrated that the 5 TRP-related genes could influence the proliferation and proinflammatory signaling in conjunctival tissue contributing to the pathogenesis of pterygium.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that TRP channels played an essential role in the pathogenesis of pterygium. The identified pivotal biomarkers (especially MCOLN3) and pathways provide novel directions for future mechanistic and therapeutic studies for pterygium.

Cell Therapy with Human Reprogrammed CD8+ T-Cells Has Antimetastatic Effects on Lewis Lung Carcinoma in C57BL/6 Mice

Using a model of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) in vitro and in vivo, we previously demonstrated increased antitumor activity in CD8⁺ T-cells reprogrammed with an MEK inhibitor and PD-1 blocker. In this follow-up study, we carried out the reprogramming of human CD8⁺ T-cells (hrT-cell) using the MEK inhibitor and PD-1 blocker and targeted LLC cells. The effects of hrT-cell therapy were studied in a mouse model of spontaneous metastasis of a solid LLC tumor. We found antimetastatic activity of hrT-cells, a decrease in the number of cancer cells and cancer stem cells in the lungs, and an increase in the number of T-cells in the blood (including effector T-cells). Thus, reprogramming of human CD8⁺ T-cells with an MEK inhibitor and PD-1 blocker with targeted training by tumor target cells is a potential platform for developing a new approach to targeted lung cancer therapy.

Reprogrammed CD8+ T-Lymphocytes Isolated from Bone Marrow Have Anticancer Potential in Lung Cancer

CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes play a key role in antitumor immune response. Patients with lung cancer often suffer from T-lymphocyte dysfunction and low T-cell counts. The exhaustion of effector T-lymphocytes largely limits the effectiveness of therapy. In this study, reprogrammed T-lymphocytes used MEK inhibitors and PD-1 blockers to increase their antitumor activity. Antitumor effects of reprogrammed T-lymphocytes were shown in vitro and in vivo in the Lewis lung carcinoma model. The population of T- lymphocytes with persistent expression of CCR7 was formed as a result of reprogramming. Reprogrammed T-lymphocytes were resistant to apoptosis and characterized by high cytotoxicity against Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells in vitro. Administration of reprogrammed T-lymphocytes to C57BL/6 mice with LLC reduced the number of lung metastases. The antitumor effect resulted from the elimination of tumor cells and cancer stem cells, and the effect of therapy on cytotoxic T-lymphocyte counts. Thus, reprogramming of T-lymphocytes using MEK inhibitors is a promising approach for targeted therapy of lung cancer.