Combined Effects of Androgen and Growth Hormone on Osteoblast Marker Expression in Mouse C2C12 and MC3T3-E1 Cells Induced by Bone Morphogenetic Protein

The Efficacy & Molecular Mechanisms of a Terpenoid Compound Ganoderic Acid C1 on Corticosteroid-Resistant Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation: In vivo and in vitro Validation

Introduction

Neutrophil predominant airway inflammation is associated with severe and steroid-resistant asthma clusters. Previously, we reported efficacy of ASHMI, a three-herb TCM asthma formula in a steroid-resistant neutrophil-dominant murine asthma model and further identified Ganoderic Acid C1 (GAC1) as a key ASHMI active compound in vitro. The objective of this study is to investigate GAC1 effect on neutrophil-dominant, steroid-resistant asthma in a murine model.

Methods

In this study, Balb/c mice were systematically sensitized with ragweed (RW) and alum and intranasally challenged with ragweed. Unsensitized/PBS challenged mice served as normal controls. Post sensitization, mice were given 4 weeks of oral treatment with GAC1 or acute dexamethasone (Dex) treatment at 48 hours prior to challenge. Pulmonary cytokines were measured by ELISA, and lung sections were processed for histology by H&E staining. Furthermore, GAC1 effect on MUC5AC expression and on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in human lung epithelial cell line (NCI-H292) was determined by qRT-PCR and ROS assay kit, respectively. Computational analysis was applied to select potential targets of GAC1 in steroid-resistant neutrophil-dominant asthma. Molecular docking was performed to predict binding modes between GAC1 and Dex with TNF-α.

Results

The result of the study showed that chronic GAC1 treatment, significantly reduced pulmonary inflammation (P < 0.01-0.001 vs Sham) and airway neutrophilia (P < 0.01 vs Sham), inhibited TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-5 levels (P < 0.05-0.001 vs Sham). Acute Dex treatment reduced eosinophilic inflammation and IL-4, IL-5 levels, but had no effect on neutrophilia and TNF-α production. GAC1 treated H292 cells showed decreased MUC5AC gene expression and production of ROS (P < 0.001 vs stimulated/untreated cells). Molecular docking results showed binding energy of complex GAC1-TNF was -10.8 kcal/mol.

Discussion

GAC1 may be a promising anti-asthma botanical drug for treatment of steroid-resistant asthma.

Investigating the impact of Wnt pathway-related genes on biomarker and diagnostic model development for osteoporosis in postmenopausal females

The Wnt signaling pathway is essential for bone development and maintaining skeletal homeostasis, making it particularly relevant in osteoporosis patients. Our study aimed to identify distinct molecular clusters associated with the Wnt pathway and develop a diagnostic model for osteoporosis in postmenopausal Caucasian women. We downloaded three datasets (GSE56814, GSE56815 and GSE2208) related to osteoporosis from the GEO database. Our analysis identified a total of 371 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between low and high bone mineral density (BMD) groups, with 12 genes associated with the Wnt signaling pathway, referred to as osteoporosis-associated Wnt pathway-related genes. Employing four independent machine learning models, we established a diagnostic model using the 12 osteoporosis-associated Wnt pathway-related genes in the training set. The XGB model showed the most promising discriminative potential. We further validate the predictive capability of our diagnostic model by applying it to three external datasets specifically related to osteoporosis. Subsequently, we constructed a diagnostic nomogram based on the five crucial genes identified from the XGB model. In addition, through the utilization of DGIdb, we identified a total of 30 molecular compounds or medications that exhibit potential as promising therapeutic targets for osteoporosis. In summary, our comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the relationship between the osteoporosis and Wnt signaling pathway.

Fungal feelings in the irritable bowel syndrome: the intestinal mycobiome and abdominal pain

Although the gut microbiota consists of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, most publications addressing the microbiota-gut-brain axis in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have a sole focus on bacteria. This may relate to the relatively low presence of fungi and viruses as compared to bacteria. Yet, in the field of inflammatory bowel disease research, the publication of several papers addressing the role of the intestinal mycobiome now suggested that these low numbers do not necessarily translate to irrelevance. In this review, we discuss the available clinical and preclinical IBS mycobiome data, and speculate how these recent findings may relate to earlier observations in IBS. By surveying literature from the broader mycobiome research field, we identified questions open to future IBS-oriented investigations.

The next generation beneficial actions of novel probiotics as potential therapeutic targets and prediction tool for metabolic diseases

The prevalence of metabolic disease has rising and affected over 1,000 million populations globally. Since the metabolic disease and its related complication are board, it has become the major health hazard of modern world. However, Long term medication of metabolic disease may cause serious side effects and risk for adverse health problems. Recently, emerging studies focus on exploring the mechanistic details of metabolic state in disease development and progression. Gut bacteria ecosystem was considered to play a pivotal role in regulating energy homeostasis and great associated with the development of metabolic disease. Accumulated evidences indicated that Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Roseburia hominis improve the balance of the microecology in the intestine of the host and have positive effects on enhancing nutrients absorption. Hence, the novel probiotics as therapeutic target to modify gut microbiota generally focus on improving microbiota dysbiosis, and offers new prospects for treating metabolic disease. In the present review, we discuss the significant roles and regulatory properties of specific bacterium in the context of intestinal microbial balance, explores the kinds of harmful/beneficial bacteria that were likely to act as indicator for metabolic disease. Further proposed a stepwise procedure in the basis of sequencing technology with that of innovative option to reestablish the microbial equilibrium and prevent metabolic disease.

Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 1 Increases the Expression of Viral Oncogenes and Cellular Genes in the HeLa Cell Line

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) represents one of the most important viral carcinogens. EBV nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1) can induce the expression of different cellular and viral genes. In this study, we evaluated the EBNA1 effects on the expression patterns of human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV-18) E6 and E7 oncogenes and three cellular genes, including BIRC5, c-MYC, and STMN1, in a cervical adenocarcinoma cell line. HeLa cells were divided into three groups: one transfected with a plasmid containing the EBNA1 gene, one transfected with a control plasmid, and one without transfection. In all three groups, the expression levels of E6, E7, BIRC5, c-MYC, and STMN1 genes were checked using real-time PCR. Pathological staining was used to examine changes in cell morphology. Real-time PCR results showed that the expression level of HPV-18 E6 (P=0.02) and E7 (P=0.02) oncogenes significantly increased in HeLa cells transfected with the EBNA1 plasmid compared to cells transfected with control plasmid. Also, the presence of EBNA1 induced the expression of BIRC5 and c-MYC, which increased tenfold (P=0.03) and threefold (P=0.02), respectively. Regarding the STMN1 cellular gene, although the expression level in HeLa cells transfected with EBNA1 plasmid showed a twofold increase, this change was insignificant (P=0.11). Also, EBNA1 expression caused the creation of large HeLa cells with abundant cytoplasm and numerous nuclei. The EBV-EBNA1 could increase the expression levels of HPV-18 E6 and E7 viral oncogenes as well as c-MYC and BIRC5 cellular genes in the HeLa cell line. These findings indicate that the simultaneous infection of cervical cells with HPV-18 and EBV might accelerate the progression of cervical cancer.

Goat CMTM2: mRNA expression profiles of different alternative spliced variants and associations analyses with growth traits

CKLF like MARVEL transmembrane domain containing 2 (CMTM2) plays crucial roles in spermiogenesis, skeletogenous, growth, and development through PI3K/Akt and other pathways. The purpose of this study was to explore the expression profile and variation of different spliced CMTM2 gene in Shaanbei white cashmere goats, as well as to find the relationships between a CMTM2 promoter region 14 bp genetic variant and growth traits in 1366 Shaanbei white cashmere goats. In this study, we identified alternative CMTM2 splicing and detected the effects of the spliced variants on mRNA expression levels in tissues. Meanwhile, an unreported spliced variant of CMTM2 in goat was identified using in CDS cloning and RT-PCR, namely, CMTM2-AS2. Compared with the normal transcript (CMTM2-AS1), the novel variant had the higher expression level in muscle and liver tissues, indicating that it plays an effective role in growth traits. Furthermore, a 14 bp deletion was detected within CMTM2 promoter region, and the different genotypes were significantly associated with growth traits (e.g., body length, circumference of cannon bone) in the large group of 1366 individuals in Shaanbei white cashmere goats. We found that the body length of the individuals with II (n = 571) genotype had better phenotypes than those with DD (n = 118) and ID (n = 650) genotypes. These results have direct guiding significance for goat breeding in the future and provide a new idea for studying the characteristics and functions of CMTM2 gene in goats.

Dihydrotestosterone and 17-Estradiol Enhancement of in vitro Osteogenic Differentiation of Castrated Male Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (rBMMSCs)

Background: In vitro impact of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 17-estradiol (E2) in osteogenic differentiation of castrated rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMMSC) still need to be clarified. Materials and Methods: The viability, proliferation and density of cultured rBMMSC isolated from sham operated (Sham) and castrated (Cast) male rats were evaluated. rBMMSC were cultured with osteogenic differentiating medium (ODM) in the presence of DHT (5,10 nM) and E2 (10,100 nM). Osteogenesis was evaluated by alizarin red staining and measurement of calcium deposition and bone alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP) activity. Results: Population doubling (PD) of rBMMSC isolated from Cast rats was significantly lower (P<0.05) compared to that isolated from Sham rats. rBMMSC from Cast rats showed low scattered calcified nodule after culturing in ODM and did not cause a significant increase in calcium deposition and B-ALP activity compared to rBMMSCs from Sham rats. Exposure of rBMMSC isolated from Cast rats to DHT (5 nM) or E2 (10 nM) in ODM showed medium scattered calcified nodules with significantly higher (P<0.05) calcium deposition and B-ALP activity. Moreover, exposure of rBMMSC to DHT (10 nM) or E2 (100 nM) showed high scattered calcified nodules with higher (P<0.01) calcium deposition and B-ALP activity Conclusion: These results indicated that the presence of testes might participate in controlling the in vitro proliferation and osteogenic differentiation capacity of rBMMSCs. DHT and E2 can enhance the osteogenic capacity of rBMMSCs in a dose-dependent manner. Based on these observations, optimum usage of DHT and E2 can overcome the limitations of MSCs and advance the therapeutic bone regeneration potential in the future.

Bone Diseases in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Osteoporosis is a frequently observed complication in patients with chronic liver disease, particularly liver cirrhosis and cholestatic liver diseases. In addition, osteoporosis is critical in patients receiving a liver transplant. Nevertheless, few studies have evaluated bone diseases in patients with more frequently observed chronic liver disease, such as chronic viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease. Osteoporosis is a disease caused by an imbalance in the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Over the last few decades, many advances have improved our knowledge of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Importantly, activated immune cells affect the progression of osteoporosis, and chronic inflammation may exert an additional effect on the existing pathophysiology of osteoporosis. The microbiota of the intestinal tract may also affect the progression of bone loss in patients with chronic liver disease. Recently, studies regarding the effects of chronic inflammation on dysbiosis in bone diseases have been conducted. However, mechanisms underlying osteoporosis in patients with chronic liver disease are complex and precise mechanisms remain unknown. The following special considerations in patients with chronic liver disease are reviewed: bone diseases in patients who underwent a liver transplant, the association between chronic hepatitis B virus infection treatment and bone diseases, the association between sarcopenia and bone diseases in patients with chronic liver disease, and the association between chronic liver disease and avascular necrosis of the hip. Few guidelines are currently available for the management of low bone mineral density or bone diseases in patients with chronic liver disease. Due to increased life expectancy and therapeutic advances in chronic liver disease, the importance of managing osteoporosis and other bone diseases in patients with chronic liver disease is expected to increase. Consequently, specific guidelines need to be established in the near future.