The effect of glucose concentrations in the medium on expression of insulin receptors in human lymphocytes B and T: anin vitrostudy

Blockade of PGK1 and ALDOA enhances bilirubin control of Th17 cells in Crohn's disease

Unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) confers Th17-cells immunosuppressive features by activating aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor, a modulator of toxin and adaptive immune responses. In Crohn's disease, Th17-cells fail to acquire regulatory properties in response to UCB, remaining at an inflammatory/pathogenic state. Here we show that UCB modulates Th17-cell metabolism by limiting glycolysis and through downregulation of glycolysis-related genes, namely phosphoglycerate-kinase-1 (PGK1) and aldolase-A (ALDOA). Th17-cells of Crohn's disease patients display heightened PGK1 and ALDOA and defective response to UCB. Silencing of PGK1 or ALDOA restores Th17-cell response to UCB, as reflected by increase in immunoregulatory markers like FOXP3, IL-10 and CD39. In vivo, PGK1 and ALDOA silencing enhances UCB salutary effects in trinitro-benzene-sulfonic-acid-induced colitis in NOD/scid/gamma humanized mice where control over disease activity and enhanced immunoregulatory phenotypes are achieved. PGK1 and/or ALDOA blockade might have therapeutic effects in Crohn's disease by favoring acquisition of regulatory properties by Th17-cells along with control over their pathogenic potential.

Caspase 3 activation and PARP cleavage in lymphocytes from newborn babies of diabetic mothers with unbalanced glycaemic control

Several epidemiological studies showed that gestational diabetes mellitus is the most frequent metabolic disorder of pregnancy, the pathogenesis of which has yet to be completely clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and processing of caspase 3 (Casp3) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) in cord blood lymphocytes as markers of apoptosis in relation to glycaemic control during intrauterine life. Our results showed a specific positive correlation between the levels of active Casp3 (17-19 kDa) and the inactive form of PARP1 (89 kDa) in lymphocytes isolated from newborn babies of diabetic women with unbalanced glycaemic control, with a direct correlation between the activation of casp3 and the inactivation of PARP1, that makes lymphocytes unresponsive towards lipopolysaccharide stimulation, highlighting an altered functional response. Besides more studies are required to fully correlate the activation of the apoptotic process during the intrauterine life with the foetal health later in life, our study indicates that a cord blood lymphocyte, an easily accessible source, is informative about the activation of apoptotic stimuli in circulating cells of newborn babies in relation to the glycaemic control reached by the mother during pregnancy.