Bisdemethoxycurcumin Attenuated Renal Injury via Activation of Keap1/Nrf2 Pathway in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

IFN-β Pretreatment Alleviates Allogeneic Renal Tubular Epithelial Cell-Induced NK Cell Responses via the IRF7/HLA-E/NKG2A Axis

Immune checkpoint molecules are promising targets for suppressing the immune response but have received little attention in immune tolerance induction in organ transplantation. In this study, we found that IFN-β could induce the expression of HLA-E as well as PD-L1 on human renal tubular epithelial cell line HK-2 and renal tissue of the C57BL/6 mouse. The JAK/STAT2 pathway was necessary for this process. Upregulation of both HLA-E and PD-L1 was fully abrogated by the JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib. Signaling pathway molecules, including STAT1, STAT2, mTOR, Tyk2, and p38 MAPK, were involved in HLA-E and PD-L1 upregulation. IRF7 is the key transcription factor responsible for the activation of HLA-E and PD-L1 promoters. Through screening an epigenetic regulation library, we found a natural compound, bisdemethoxycurcumin, enhanced IFN-β-induced HLA-E and PD-L1 expression in vitro and in vivo. In PBMC-derived CD56+ NK cells, we found that NKG2A but not PD1 was constitutively expressed, indicating HLA-E/NKG2A as a more potent target to induce tolerance to innate immune cells. Pretreating HK-2 cells by IFN-β significantly attenuated the degranulation of their coincubated NK cells and protected cells from NK-mediated lysis. In conclusion, IFN-β pretreatment could activate HLA-E and PD-L1 transcription through the JAK/STAT/IRF7 pathway and then could protect renal tubular epithelial cells from allogeneic immune attack mediated by NK cells.

The Development of Dyslipidemia in Chronic Kidney Disease and Associated Cardiovascular Damage, and the Protective Effects of Curcuminoids

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a health problem that is constantly growing. This disease presents a diverse symptomatology that implies complex therapeutic management. One of its characteristic symptoms is dyslipidemia, which becomes a risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases and increases the mortality of CKD patients. Various drugs, particularly those used for dyslipidemia, consumed in the course of CKD lead to side effects that delay the patient's recovery. Therefore, it is necessary to implement new therapies with natural compounds, such as curcuminoids (derived from the Curcuma longa plant), which can cushion the damage caused by the excessive use of medications. This manuscript aims to review the current evidence on the use of curcuminoids on dyslipidemia in CKD and CKD-induced cardiovascular disease (CVD). We first described oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, and metabolic reprogramming as factors that induce dyslipidemia in CKD and their association with CVD development. We proposed the potential use of curcuminoids in CKD and their utilization in clinics to treat CKD-dyslipidemia.

Mechanism of evodiamine blocking Nrf2/MAPK pathway to inhibit apoptosis of grass carp hepatocytes induced by DEHP

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is often used as a plasticizer for plastic products, and its excessive use can cause irreversible damage to aquatic animals and humans. Evodiamine (EVO) is an alkaloid component in the fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa, which has antioxidant and detoxification functions. To investigate the toxic mechanism of DEHP on grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) hepatocyte cell line (L8824) and the therapeutic effect of evodiamine, an experimental model of L8824 cells exposed to 800 μM DEHP and/or 10 μM EVO for 24 h was established. Flow cytometry, AO/EB fluorescence staining, real-time quantitative PCR, and western blot were used to detect the degree of cell injury, oxidative stress level, MAPK signaling pathway relative genes, and the expression of apoptosis-related molecules. The results showed that DEHP exposure could significantly increase the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibit the activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD, GSH-Px), and cause the accumulation of MDA. DEHP also activated MAPK signaling pathway-related molecules (JNK, ERK, P38 MAPK), and then up-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic factors Bcl-2-Associated X (Bax) and caspase 3, while inhibiting the anti-apoptotic factor B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). In addition, EVO can also promote the dissociation of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) into the nucleus, reduce the level of ROS and the occurrence of oxidative stress in grass carp hepatocytes, down-regulate the MAPK pathway, alleviate DEHP-induced apoptosis, and restore the expression of antioxidant genes. These results indicated that evodiamine could block Nrf2/MAPK pathway to inhibit DEHP-induced apoptosis of grass carp hepatocytes.

Andrade J. Effects of a spice-blended honey muffin on salivary inflammation markers in adults with obesity: a feasibility trial

BACKGROUND

Obesity is considered a low-grade chronically inflamed state that contributes to communicable chronic diseases. This inflammation may be modulated by consuming spices like turmeric daily. However, few studies have looked at the inclusion of spice within whole foods.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this feasibility pre/posttrial was to assess the influence of turmeric in a muffin on salivary IL-6 and CRP in adults who were obese.

METHODS

Participants consumed one, 60-gram muffin containing 3 g turmeric for 10 days. Participants provided a urinary sample at baseline, a 2-ml saliva sample, and a 30-day food frequency and spice consumption questionnaire at baseline and post-trial. A one-sample t-test was conducted using SAS v 9.4 with significance determined at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 14 participants, average BMI of 32.16 kg/m2 with 10 identifying as female, completed the trial after 5 dropped due to various reasons. The visit lengths and collection of data with participants adhering to the instructions were deemed a success. There was a significant decrease in salivary IL-6 (p = 0.03) but no statistical difference in salivary CRP (p = 0.46). Participants consumed fruits and vegetables at least once daily, chicken and eggs 5-6 times per week, and beef, pork, and fish at least once per week. Participants consumed chili pepper, garlic, cinnamon, cilantro, and ginger at least once per week. No changes were observed in dietary/spice habits during this trial.

CONCLUSION

The feasibility pre/post study revealed that consumption of a muffin with turmeric reduced at least salivary IL-6 in 10 days. Modifications to the study design such as lengthier trial time to assess the impact of this muffin on CRP is necessary prior to implementing larger-scale randomized control trials.