Pancreatic ductal deletion of S100A9 alleviates acute pancreatitis by targeting VNN1-mediated ROS release to inhibit NLRP3 activation

Inhibition of ABI2 ubiquitination-dependent degradation suppresses TNBC cell growth via down-regulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of cancer that lacks receptor expression and has complex molecular mechanisms. Recent evidence shows that the ubiquitin-protease system is closely related to TNBC. In this study, we obtain a key ubiquitination regulatory substrate-ABI2 protein by bioinformatics methods, which is also closely related to the survival and prognosis of TNBC. Further, through a series of experiments, we demonstrated that ABI2 expressed at a low level in TNBC tumors, and it has the ability to control cell cycle and inhibit TNBC cell migration, invasion and proliferation. Molecular mechanism studies proved E3 ligase CBLC could increase the ubiquitination degradation of ABI2 protein. Meanwhile, RNA-seq and IP experiments indicated that ABI2, acting as a crucial factor of tumor suppression, can significantly inhibit PI3K/Akt signaling pathway via the interaction with Rho GTPase RAC1. Finally, based on TNBC drug target ABI2, we screened and found that FDA-approved drug Colistimethate sodium(CS) has significant potential in suppressing the proliferation of TNBC cells and inducing cell apoptosis, making it a promising candidate for impeding the progression of TNBC.

Identification of Biomarkers Associated with Oxidative Stress and Immune Cells in Acute Pancreatitis

Purpose

Oxidative stress promotes disease progression by stimulating the humoral and cellular immune responses. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying oxidative stress and immune responses in acute pancreatitis (AP) have not been extensively studied.

Patients and Methods

We analyzed the GSE194331 dataset and oxidative stress-related genes (OSRGs). We identified differentially expressed immune cell-associated OSRGs (DE-ICA-OSRGs) by overlapping key module genes from weighted gene co-expression network analysis, OSRGs, and DEGs between AP and normal samples. Functional enrichment analysis was performed to investigate the functions of DE-ICA-OSRGs. We then filtered diagnostic genes using receiver operating characteristic curves and investigated their molecular mechanisms using single-gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). We also explored the correlation between diagnostic genes and differential immune cells. Finally, we constructed a transcription factor-microRNA-messenger RNA (TF-miRNA-mRNA) network of biomarkers.

Results

In this study, three DE-ICA-OSRGs (ARG1, NME8 and VNN1) were filtered by overlapping key module genes, OSRGs and DEGs. Functional enrichment results revealed that DE-ICA-OSRGs were involved in the cellular response to reactive oxygen species and arginine biosynthesis. Latterly, a total of two diagnostic genes (ARG1 and VNN1) were derived and their expression was higher in the AP group than in the normal group. The single-gene GSEA enrichment results revealed that diagnostic genes were mainly enriched in macroautophagy and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. Correlation analysis revealed that CD8 T cells, resting memory T CD4 cells, and resting NK cells were negatively correlated with ARG1, and neutrophils were positively correlated with ARG1, which was consistent with that of VNN1. The TF-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network included 11 miRNAs, 2 mRNAs, 10 transcription factors (TFs), and 26 pairs of regulatory relationships, like NFKB1-has-miR-2909-VNN1.

Conclusion

In this study, two immune cell oxidative stress-related AP diagnostic genes (ARG1 and VNN1) were screened to offer a new reference for the diagnosis of patients with AP.

Revealing Prdx4 as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for acute pancreatitis based on machine learning analysis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common systemic inflammatory disease resulting from the activation of trypsinogen by various incentives in ICU. The annual incidence rate is approximately 30 out of 100,000. Some patients may progress to severe acute pancreatitis, with a mortality rate of up to 40%. Therefore, the goal of this article is to explore the key genes for effective diagnosis and treatment of AP. The analysis data for this study were merged from two GEO datasets. 1357 DEGs were used for functional enrichment and cMAP analysis, aiming to reveal the pathogenic genes and potential mechanisms of AP, as well as potential drugs for treating AP. Importantly, the study used LASSO and SVM-RFE machine learning to screen the most likely AP occurrence biomarker for Prdx4 among numerous candidate genes. A receiver operating characteristic of Prdx4 was used to estimate the incidence of AP. The ssGSEA algorithm was employed to investigate immune cell infiltration in AP. The biomarker Prdx4 gene exhibited significant associations with a majority of immune cells and was identified as being expressed in NKT cells, macrophages, granulocytes, and B cells based on single-cell transcriptome data. Finally, we found an increase in Prdx4 expression in the pancreatic tissue of AP mice through immunohistochemistry. After treatment with recombinant Prdx4, the pathological damage to the pancreatic tissue of AP mice was relieved. In conclusion, our study identified Prdx4 as a potential AP hub gene, providing a new target for treatment.

Complement Cascade Proteins Correlate with Fibrosis and Inflammation in Early-Stage Type 1 Diabetic Kidney Disease in the Ins2Akita Mouse Model

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is characterized by histological changes including fibrosis and inflammation. Evidence supports that DKD is mediated by the innate immune system and more specifically by the complement system. Using Ins2Akita T1D diabetic mice, we studied the connection between the complement cascade, inflammation, and fibrosis in early DKD. Data were extracted from a previously published quantitative-mass-spectrometry-based proteomics analysis of kidney glomeruli of 2 (early DKD) and 4 months (moderately advanced DKD)-old Ins2Akita mice and their controls A Spearman rho correlation analysis of complement- versus inflammation- and fibrosis-related protein expression was performed. A cross-omics validation of the correlation analyses' results was performed using public-domain transcriptomics datasets (Nephroseq). Tissue sections from 43 patients with DKD were analyzed using immunofluorescence. Among the differentially expressed proteins, the complement cascade proteins C3, C4B, and IGHM were significantly increased in both early and later stages of DKD. Inflammation-related proteins were mainly upregulated in early DKD, and fibrotic proteins were induced in moderately advanced stages of DKD. The abundance of complement proteins with fibrosis- and inflammation-related proteins was mostly positively correlated in early stages of DKD. This was confirmed in seven additional human and mouse transcriptomics DKD datasets. Moreover, C3 and IGHM mRNA levels were found to be negatively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (range for C3 rs = -0.58 to -0.842 and range for IGHM rs = -0.6 to -0.74) in these datasets. Immunohistology of human kidney biopsies revealed that C3, C1q, and IGM proteins were induced in patients with DKD and were correlated with fibrosis and inflammation. Our study shows for the first time the potential activation of the complement cascade associated with inflammation-mediated kidney fibrosis in the Ins2Akita T1D mouse model. Our findings could provide new perspectives for the treatment of early DKD as well as support the use of Ins2Akita T1D in pre-clinical studies.

Vanin1 (VNN1) in chronic diseases: Future directions for targeted therapy

Vanin1 (VNN1) is an exogenous enzyme with pantetheinase activity that mainly exerts physiological functions through enzyme catalysis products, including pantothenic acid and cysteamine. In recent years, the crosstalk between VNN1 and metabolism and oxidative stress has attracted much attention. As a result of the ability of VNN1 to affect multiple metabolic pathways and oxidative stress to exacerbate or alleviate pathological processes, it has become a key component of disease progression. This review discusses the functions of VNN1 in glucolipid metabolism, cysteamine metabolism, and glutathione metabolism to provide perspectives on VNN1-targeted therapy for chronic diseases.

Microenvironment of pancreatic inflammation: calling for nanotechnology for diagnosis and treatment

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common and life-threatening digestive disorder. However, its diagnosis and treatment are still impeded by our limited understanding of its etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations, as well as by the available detection methods. Fortunately, the progress of microenvironment-targeted nanoplatforms has shown their remarkable potential to change the status quo. The pancreatic inflammatory microenvironment is typically characterized by low pH, abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enzymes, overproduction of inflammatory cells, and hypoxia, which exacerbate the pathological development of AP but also provide potential targeting sites for nanoagents to achieve early diagnosis and treatment. This review elaborates the various potential targets of the inflammatory microenvironment of AP and summarizes in detail the prospects for the development and application of functional nanomaterials for specific targets. Additionally, it presents the challenges and future trends to develop multifunctional targeted nanomaterials for the early diagnosis and effective treatment of AP, providing a valuable reference for future research.

Formononetin alleviates acute pancreatitis by reducing oxidative stress and modulating intestinal barrier

BACKGROUND

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a recurrent inflammatory disease. Studies have shown that intestinal homeostasis is essential for the treatment of AP. Formononetin is a plant-derived isoflavone with antioxidant properties that can effectively treat a variety of inflammatory diseases. This study aims to investigate the role of formononetin in protecting against AP and underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Caerulein was used to induce AP. The inflammatory cytokines were detected using Quantitative real-time PCR and commercial kits. Histological examination was applied with hematoxylin and eosin staining. Western blot was conducted to detect expression of intestinal barrier protein and signaling molecular. Molecular docking was performed to assess protein-ligand interaction.

RESULTS

In this study, we found formononetin administration significantly reduced pancreatic edema, the activities of serum amylase, lipase, myeloperoxidase, and serum endotoxin. The mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in pancreas were also significantly decreased by formononetin. The following data showed formononetin pretreatment up-regulated the expressions of tight junction proteins in the colon, and decreased Escherichia coli translocation in the pancreas. In addition, formononetin inhibited the activation of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing 3 in pancreatic and colonic tissues of AP mice. Moreover, formononetin activated Kelch Like ECH Associated Protein 1 (Keap1) / Nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Docking results showed that formononetin interact with Keap1 through hydrogen bond.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate that formononetin administration significantly mitigate AP through reducing oxidative stress and restoring intestinal homeostasis, and provide insights into the new treatment for AP.

RNA-sequencing approach for exploring the protective mechanisms of dexmedetomidine on pancreatic injury in severe acute pancreatitis

Background: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a severe form of acute pancreatitis with the potential to cause life-threatening complications. Patients with acute SAP require surgical intervention and are admitted to the intensive care unit for non-invasive ventilation. Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is currently used by intensive care clinicians and anaesthesiologists as an adjunctive sedative. Therefore, the clinical availability of Dex makes it easier to implement in SAP treatment than developing new drugs. Methods: Randomly dividing thirty rats into sham-operated (Sham), SAP, and Dex groups. The severity of pancreatic tissue injury in each rat was assessed by Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Serum amylase activity and inflammatory factor levels were measured using commercially available kits. The expressions of necroptosis-related proteins, myeloperoxidase (MPO), CD68, and 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) were detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining was utilized to identify pancreatic acinar cell apoptosis. The subcellular organelle structure of pancreatic acinar cells was observed using transmission electron microscopy. The regulatory effect of Dex on the gene expression profile of SAP rat pancreas tissue was investigated using RNA sequencing. We screened for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) measured critical DEG mRNA expression in rat pancreatic tissues. Results: Dex attenuated SAP-induced pancreatic injury, infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, and oxidative stress. Dex inhibited the expression of necroptosis-associated proteins RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL and alleviated apoptosis in acinar cells. Dex also mitigated the structural damage caused by SAP to mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. Dex inhibited SAP-induced 473 DEGs, as determined by RNA sequencing. Dex may regulate SAP-induced inflammatory response and tissue damage by inhibiting the toll-like receptor/nuclear factor κB (TLR/NF-κB) signaling pathway and neutrophil extracellular trap formation. Conclusion: This study elucidated the remarkable effect of Dex against SAP and investigated the potential mechanism of action, providing an experimental base for the future clinical application of Dex in the treatment of SAP.

Caspase 6/NR4A1/SOX9 signaling axis regulates hepatic inflammation and pyroptosis in ischemia-stressed fatty liver

The mechanism of nonalcoholic fatty liver susceptibility to ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury has not been fully clarified. Caspase 6 is a critical regulator in innate immunity and host defense. We aimed to characterize the specific role of Caspase 6 in IR-induced inflammatory responses in fatty livers. Human fatty liver samples were harvested from patients undergoing ischemia-related hepatectomy to evaluate Caspase 6 expression. in mice model, we generated Caspase 6-knockout (Caspase 6^KO) mice to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms of macrophage Caspase 6 in IR-stimulated fatty livers. In human liver biopsies, Caspase 6 expression was upregulated combined with enhanced serum ALT level and severe histopathological injury in ischemic fatty livers. Moreover, Caspase 6 was mainly accumulated in macrophages but not hepatocytes. Unlike in controls, the Caspase 6-deficiency attenuated liver damage and inflammation activation. Activation of macrophage NR4A1 or SOX9 in Caspase 6-deficient livers aggravated liver inflammation. Mechanistically, macrophage NR4A1 co-localized with SOX9 in the nuclear under inflammatory conditions. Specifically, SOX9 acts as a coactivator of NR4A1 to directly target S100A9 transcription. Furthermore, macrophage S100A9 ablation dampened NEK7/NLRP3-driven inflammatory response and pyroptosis in macrophages. In conclusion, our findings identify a novel role of Caspase 6 in regulating NR4A1/SOX9 interaction in response to IR-stimulated fatty liver inflammation, and provide potential therapeutic targets for the prevention of fatty liver IR injury.

Gut microbiota-derived nicotinamide mononucleotide alleviates acute pancreatitis by activating pancreatic SIRT3 signalling

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by acute pancreatitis (AP) exacerbates pancreatic injury and systemic inflammatory responses. The alleviation of gut microbiota dysbiosis through faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is considered a potential strategy to reduce tissue damage and inflammation in many clinical disorders. Here, we aim to investigate the effect of gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites on AP and further clarify the mechanisms associated with pancreatic damage and inflammation.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

AP rat and mouse models were established by administration of caerulein or sodium taurocholate in vivo. Pancreatic acinar cells were exposed to caerulein and lipopolysaccharide in vitro to simulate AP.

KEY RESULTS

Normobiotic FMT alleviated AP-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and ameliorated the severity of AP, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and inflammation. Normobiotic FMT induced higher levels of NAD⁺ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)-associated metabolites, particularly nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). NMN administration mitigated AP-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and inflammation by increasing pancreatic NAD⁺ levels. Similarly, overexpression of the NAD⁺ -dependent mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) alleviated the severity of AP. Furthermore, SIRT3 deacetylated peroxiredoxin 5 (PRDX5) and enhanced PRDX5 protein expression, thereby promoting its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in AP. Importantly, normobiotic FMT-mediated NMN metabolism induced SIRT3-PRDX5 pathway activation during AP.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Gut microbiota-derived NMN alleviates the severity of AP by activating the SIRT3-PRDX5 pathway. Normobiotic FMT could be served as a potential strategy for AP treatment.

Upregulated Vanins and their potential contribution to periodontitis

BACKGROUND

Although Vanins are closely related to neutrophil regulation and response to oxidative stress, and play essential roles in inflammatory diseases with clinical significance, their contribution to periodontitis remains to be determined. This research was designed to assess the expression of Vanins in human gingiva, and to define the relationship between Vanins and periodontitis.

METHODS

Forty-eight patients with periodontitis and forty-two periodontal healthy individuals were enrolled for gingival tissue sample collection. Expression levels of VNN1, VNN2 and VNN3 were evaluated by RT-qPCR and validated in datasets GSE10334 and GSE16134. Western blot and immunohistochemistry identified specific proteins within gingiva. The histopathological changes in gingival sections were investigated using HE staining. Correlations between Vanins and clinical parameters, PD and CAL; between Vanins and inflammation, IL1B; and between Vanins and MPO in periodontitis were investigated by Spearman's correlation analysis respectively. Associations between VNN2 and indicators of neutrophil adherence and migration were further validated in two datasets.

RESULTS

Vanins were at higher concentrations in diseased gingival tissues in both RT-qPCR and dataset analysis (p < 0.01). Assessment using western blot and immunohistochemistry presented significant upregulations of VNN1 and VNN2 in periodontitis (p < 0.05). The higher expression levels of Vanins, the larger the observed periodontal parameters PD and CAL (p < 0.05), and IL1B (p < 0.001). Moreover, positive correlations existed between VNN2 and MPO, and between VNN2 and neutrophil-related indicators.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated upregulation of Vanins in periodontitis and the potential contribution of VNN2 to periodontitis through neutrophils-related pathological processes.

Fighting Fire with Fire: Exosomes and Acute Pancreatitis-Associated Acute Lung Injury

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a prevalent clinical condition of the digestive system, with a growing frequency each year. Approximately 20% of patients suffer from severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) with local consequences and multi-organ failure, putting a significant strain on patients' health insurance. According to reports, the lungs are particularly susceptible to SAP. Acute respiratory distress syndrome, a severe type of acute lung injury (ALI), is the primary cause of mortality among AP patients. Controlling the mortality associated with SAP requires an understanding of the etiology of AP-associated ALI, the discovery of biomarkers for the early detection of ALI, and the identification of potentially effective drug treatments. Exosomes are a class of extracellular vesicles with a diameter of 30-150 nm that are actively released into tissue fluids to mediate biological functions. Exosomes are laden with bioactive cargo, such as lipids, proteins, DNA, and RNA. During the initial stages of AP, acinar cell-derived exosomes suppress forkhead box protein O1 expression, resulting in M1 macrophage polarization. Similarly, macrophage-derived exosomes activate inflammatory pathways within endothelium or epithelial cells, promoting an inflammatory cascade response. On the other hand, a part of exosome cargo performs tissue repair and anti-inflammatory actions and inhibits the cytokine storm during AP. Other reviews have detailed the function of exosomes in the development of AP, chronic pancreatitis, and autoimmune pancreatitis. The discoveries involving exosomes at the intersection of AP and acute lung injury (ALI) are reviewed here. Furthermore, we discuss the therapeutic potential of exosomes in AP and associated ALI. With the continuous improvement of technological tools, the research on exosomes has gradually shifted from basic to clinical applications. Several exosome-specific non-coding RNAs and proteins can be used as novel molecular markers to assist in the diagnosis and prognosis of AP and associated ALI.

Novel insight on marker genes and pathogenic peripheral neutrophil subtypes in acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a common critical and acute gastrointestinal disease worldwide, with an increasing percentage of morbidity. However, the gene expression pattern in peripheral blood has not been fully analyzed. In addition, the mechanism of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced acute pancreatitis has not been investigated. Here, after bioinformatic analysis with machine-learning methods of the expression data of peripheral blood cells and validation in local patients, two functional gene modules in peripheral blood cells of acute pancreatitis were identified, and S100A6, S100A9, and S100A12 were validated as predictors of severe pancreatitis. Additionally, through a combination analysis of bulk sequencing and single-cell sequencing data of COVID-19 patients, a pivotal subtype of neutrophils with strong activation of the interferon-related pathway was identified as a pivotal peripheral blood cell subtype for COVID-19-induced acute pancreatitis. These results could facilitate the prognostic prediction of acute pancreatitis and research on COVID-19-induced acute pancreatitis.

Emodin Alleviates Sodium Taurocholate-Induced Pancreatic Ductal Cell Damage by Inhibiting the S100A9/VNN1 Signaling Pathway

OBJECTIVES

Because the pathogenesis of the disease is unclear, the treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis, especially severe acute pancreatitis, is still a major challenge for clinicians. Emodin is an anthraquinone compound extracted from rhubarb that can alleviate the damage to pancreatic ductal epithelial cells induced by adenosine triphosphate, but whether it has a similar protective effect on sodium taurocholate (STC)-stimulated pancreatic ductal cells and the underlying mechanism has not yet been reported.

METHODS

A model of STC-induced HPDE6-C7 human pancreatic ductal epithelial cell injury was established, and then apoptosis and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, and inflammatory cytokines were assessed in the presence or absence of emodin pretreatment. S100 calcium binding protein A9 (S100A9) and Vanin1 (VNN1) protein expression was also measured.

RESULTS

Emodin significantly increased HPDE6-C7 cell viability, inhibited apoptosis and ROS release, and elevated glutathione levels and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity. Furthermore, emodin downregulated S100A9 and VNN1 protein expression and inhibited the production of inflammatory factors, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-18.

CONCLUSIONS

Emodin attenuates STC-induced pancreatic ductal cell injury possibly by inhibiting S100A9/VNN1-mediated ROS release. This finding provides evidence for the future development of emodin as a therapeutic agent.

Targeting S100A9 Reduces Neutrophil Recruitment, Inflammation and Lung Damage in Abdominal Sepsis

S100A9, a pro-inflammatory alarmin, is up-regulated in inflamed tissues. However, the role of S100A9 in regulating neutrophil activation, inflammation and lung damage in sepsis is not known. Herein, we hypothesized that blocking S100A9 function may attenuate neutrophil recruitment in septic lung injury. Male C57BL/6 mice were pretreated with the S100A9 inhibitor ABR-238901 (10 mg/kg), prior to cercal ligation and puncture (CLP). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were harvested for analysis of neutrophil infiltration as well as edema and CXC chemokine production. Blood was collected for analysis of membrane-activated complex-1 (Mac-1) expression on neutrophils as well as CXC chemokines and IL-6 in plasma. Induction of CLP markedly increased plasma levels of S100A9. ABR-238901 decreased CLP-induced neutrophil infiltration and edema formation in the lung. In addition, inhibition of S100A9 decreased the CLP-induced up-regulation of Mac-1 on neutrophils. Administration of ABR-238901 also inhibited the CLP-induced increase of CXCL-1, CXCL-2 and IL-6 in plasma and lungs. Our results suggest that S100A9 promotes neutrophil activation and pulmonary accumulation in sepsis. Targeting S100A9 function decreased formation of CXC chemokines in circulation and lungs and attenuated sepsis-induced lung damage. These novel findings suggest that S100A9 plays an important pro-inflammatory role in sepsis and could be a useful target to protect against the excessive inflammation and lung damage associated with the disease.

Emodin inhibits the progression of acute pancreatitis via regulation of lncRNA TUG1 and exosomal lncRNA TUG1

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal diseases and has no specific treatment. It has been shown that dysfunction of pancreatic acinar cells can lead to AP progression. Emodin is a natural product, which can alleviate the symptoms of AP. However, the mechanism by which emodin regulates the function of pancreatic acinar cells remains unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which emodin modulates the function of pancreatic acinar cells. To mimic AP in vitro, pancreatic acinar cells were cotreated with caerulein and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Exosomes were isolated using the ExoQuick precipitation kit. Western blot analysis, Nanosight Tracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy were performed to detect the efficiency of exosome separation. Gene expression was detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR. The levels of IL‑1β and TNF‑α were detected by ELISA. The data indicated that emodin significantly decreased the levels of IL‑1β and TNF‑α in the supernatant samples derived from AR42J cells cotreated with caerulein and LPS. In addition, emodin significantly promoted the proliferation of AR42J cells cotreated with caerulein and LPS, and inhibited apoptosis, while the effect of emodin was reversed by long non‑coding (lnc)RNA taurine upregulated 1 (TUG1) overexpression. The expression level of TUG1 in AR42J cells or exosomes derived from AR42J cells was significantly increased following treatment of the cells with LPS and caerulein, while this effect was notably reversed by emodin treatment. In addition, exosomes derived from caerulein and LPS cotreated AR42J cells inhibited the differentiation and anti‑inflammatory function of regulatory T cells, while treatment of the cells with emodin significantly decreased this effect. In conclusion, the data indicated that emodin inhibited the induction of inflammation in AR42J cells by regulating the expression of cellular and exosomal lncRNA. Therefore, emodin may be used as a potential agent for the treatment of AP.

S100 Proteins in Pancreatic Cancer: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly malignant tumor occurring in the digestive system. Currently, there is a lack of specific and effective interventions for PC; thus, further exploration regarding the pathogenesis of this malignancy is warranted. The S100 protein family, a collection of calcium-binding proteins expressed only in vertebrates, comprises 25 members with high sequence and structural similarity. Dysregulated expression of S100 proteins is a biomarker of cancer progression and prognosis. Functionally, these proteins are associated with the regulation of multiple cellular processes, including proliferation, apoptosis, growth, differentiation, enzyme activation, migration/invasion, Ca2+ homeostasis, and energy metabolism. This review highlights the significance of the S100 family in the diagnosis and prognosis of PC and its vital functions in tumor cell metastasis, invasion and proliferation. A further understanding of S100 proteins will provide potential therapeutic targets for preventing or treating PC.