S-allylmercaptocysteine reduces carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic oxidative stress and necroinflammation via nuclear factor kappa B-dependent pathways in mice.

Purpose To study the protective effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of SAMC on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute hepatotoxicity in the mouse model. Methods Mice were intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 (50 μl/kg; single dose) to induce acute hepatotoxicity with or without a 2-h pre-treatment of SAMC intraperitoneal injection (200 mg/kg; single dose). After 8 h, the blood serum and liver samples of mice were collected and subjected to measurements of histological and molecular parameters of hepatotoxicity. Results SAMC reduced CCl4-triggered cellular necrosis and inflammation in the liver under histological analysis. Since co-treatment of SAMC and CCl4 enhanced the expressions of antioxidant enzymes, reduced the nitric oxide (NO)-dependent oxidative stress, and inhibited lipid peroxidation induced by CCl4. SAMC played an essential antioxidative role during CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity. Administration of SAMC also ameliorated hepatic inflammation induced by CCl4 via inhibiting the activity of NF-κB subunits p50 and p65, thus reducing the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, mediators, and chemokines, as well as promoting pro-regenerative factors at both transcriptional and translational levels. Conclusions Our results indicate that SAMC mitigates cellular damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity mouse model through regulation of NF-κB. Garlic or garlic derivatives may therefore be a potential food supplement in the prevention of liver damage.

Targeting nuclear factor-kappa B to overcome resistance to chemotherapy

Intrinsic or acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic agents is a common phenomenon and a major challenge in the treatment of cancer patients. Chemoresistance is defined by a complex network of factors including multi-drug resistance proteins, reduced cellular uptake of the drug, enhanced DNA repair, intracellular drug inactivation, and evasion of apoptosis. Pre-clinical models have demonstrated that many chemotherapy drugs, such as platinum-based agents, antracyclines, and taxanes, promote the activation of the NF-κB pathway. NF-κB is a key transcription factor, playing a role in the development and progression of cancer and chemoresistance through the activation of a multitude of mediators including anti-apoptotic genes. Consequently, NF-κB has emerged as a promising anti-cancer target. Here, we describe the role of NF-κB in cancer and in the development of resistance, particularly cisplatin. Additionally, the potential benefits and disadvantages of targeting NF-κB signaling by pharmacological intervention will be addressed.

Different correlation of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate receptor 1 with receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand and regulatory T cells in rat periapical lesions

Introduction Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) is crucial for regulation of immunity and bone metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the expression of S1P1 in rat periapical lesions and its relationship with receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) and regulatory T (Treg) cells. Methods Periapical lesions were induced by pulp exposure in the first lower molars of 55 Wistar rats. Thirty rats were killed on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35, and their mandibles were harvested for x-ray imaging, micro–computed tomography scanning, histologic observation, immunohistochemistry, enzyme histochemistry, and double immunofluorescence analysis. The remaining 25 rats were killed on days 0, 14, 21, 28, and 35, and mandibles were harvested for flow cytometry. Results The volume and area of the periapical lesions increased from day 0 to day 21 and then remained comparably stable after day 28. S1P1-positive cells were observed in the inflammatory periapical regions; the number of S1P1-positive cells peaked at day 14 and then decreased from day 21 to day 35. The distribution of S1P1-positive cells was positively correlated with the dynamics of RANKL-positive cells but was negatively correlated with that of Treg cells. Conclusions S1P1 expression was differentially correlated with RANKL and Treg cell infiltration in the periapical lesions and is therefore a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of such lesions.

Influence of osteocytes in the in vitro and in vivo β-tricalcium phosphate-stimulated osteogenesis

Osteocytes, known to act as the main regulators of bone homeostasis, have become a major focus in the field of bone research. Bioactive ceramics have been widely used for bone regeneration. However, there are few studies about the interaction of osteocytes with bioceramics. The effects of osteocytes on the in vitro and in vivo osteogenesis of bioceramics are also unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of osteocytes on the b-tricalcium phosphate (b-TCP) stimulated osteogenesis. It was found that osteocytes responded to the b-TCP stimulation, leading to the release of Wnt (wingless-related MMTV integration site), which enhanced osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells via Wnt signaling pathway. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand, an osteoclast inducer, was also upregulated, indicating that osteocytes would also participated in activation of osteoclasts, which played a major role in the degradation process of b-TCP and new bone remodeling. In vivo studies further demonstrated that when the material was completely embedded by newly formed bone, the only cell contacting with the material was osteocyte. However, the material would eventually be degraded and replaced by the new bone, requiring the participation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, which were demonstrated by using immunostaining in this study. As the only cell contacting with the material, osteocytes probably acted in a regulatory role to regulate the surrounding osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteocytes were also found to participate in the maturation of osteoblasts and the mineralization process of biomaterials, by upregulating E11 (podoplanin) and dentin matrix protein 1 expression. These findings indicated that osteocytes involved in bone biomaterial-mediated osteogenesis and biomaterial degradation, providing valuable insights into the mechanism of material-stimulated osteogenesis, and a novel strategy to optimize the evaluating system for the biological properties of biomaterials.

Effect of high-frequency resistance exercise on adaptive responses in skeletal muscle

PURPOSE: Regulation of skeletal muscle mass is highly dependent on contractile loading. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in growth factor and inflammatory pathways following high-frequency resistance training. METHODS: Using a novel design in which male Sprague-Dawley rats undertook a "stacked" resistance training protocol designed to generate a summation of transient exercise-induced signaling responses (four bouts of three sets × 10 repetitions of squat exercise, separated by 3 h of recovery), we determined the effects of high training frequency on signaling pathways and transcriptional activity regulating muscle mass. RESULTS: The stacked training regimen resulted in acute suppression of insulin-like growth factor 1 mRNA abundance (P < 0.05) and Akt phosphorylation (P < 0.05), an effect that persisted 48 h after the final training bout. Conversely, stacked training elicited a coordinated increase in the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha, inhibitor kappa B kinase alpha/beta activity (P < 0.05), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation (P < 0.05) at 3 h after each training bout. In addition, the stacked series of resistance exercise bouts induced an increase in p70 S6 kinase phosphorylation 3 h after bouts ×3 and ×4, independent of the phosphorylation state of Akt. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that high resistance training frequency extends the transient activation of inflammatory signaling cascades, concomitant with persistent suppression of key mediators of anabolic responses. We provide novel insights into the effects of the timing of exercise-induced overload and recovery on signal transduction pathways and transcriptional activity regulating skeletal muscle mass in vivo.

Expression and prognostic significance of a panel of tissue hypoxia markers in head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomas

Purpose: To investigate the expression pattern of hypoxia-induced proteins identified as being involved in malignant progression of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to determine their relationship to tumor pO 2 and prognosis. Methods and Materials: We performed immunohistochemical staining of hypoxia-induced proteins (carbonic anhydrase IX [CA IX], BNIP3L, connective tissue growth factor, osteopontin, ephrin A1, hypoxia inducible gene-2, dihydrofolate reductase, galectin-1, IκB kinase β, and lysyl oxidase) on tumor tissue arrays of 101 HNSCC patients with pretreatment pO 2 measurements. Analysis of variance and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate the relationship between marker expression, tumor pO 2, and CA IX staining. Cox proportional hazard model and log-rank tests were used to determine the relationship between markers and prognosis. Results: Osteopontin expression correlated with tumor pO 2 (Eppendorf measurements) (p = 0.04). However, there was a strong correlation between lysyl oxidase, ephrin A1, and galectin-1 and CA IX staining. These markers also predicted for cancer-specific survival and overall survival on univariate analysis. A hypoxia score of 0-5 was assigned to each patient, on the basis of the presence of strong staining for these markers, whereby a higher score signifies increased marker expression. On multivariate analysis, increasing hypoxia score was an independent prognostic factor for cancer-specific survival (p = 0.015) and was borderline significant for overall survival (p = 0.057) when adjusted for other independent predictors of outcomes (hemoglobin and age). Conclusions: We identified a panel of hypoxia-related tissue markers that correlates with treatment outcomes in HNSCC. Validation of these markers will be needed to determine their utility in identifying patients for hypoxia-targeted therapy. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A new plasmid display technology for the in vitro selection of functional phenotype-genotype linked proteins

Background Display technologies which allow peptides or proteins to be physically associated with the encoding DNA are central to procedures which involve screening of protein libraries in vitro for new or altered function. Here we describe a new system designed specifically for the display of libraries of diverse, functional proteins which utilises the DNA binding protein nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p50 to establish a phenotype-genotype link between the displayed protein and the encoding gene. Results A range of model fusion proteins to either the amino- or carboxy-terminus of NF-κB p50 have been constructed and shown to retain the picomolar affinity and DNA specificity of wild-type NF-κB p50. Through use of an optimal combination of binding buffer and DNA target sequence, the half-life of p50-DNA complexes could be increased to over 47 h, enabling the competitive selection of a variety of protein-plasmid complexes with enrichment factors of up to 6000-fold per round. The p50-based plasmid display system was used to enrich a maltose binding protein complex to homogeneity in only three rounds from a binary mixture with a starting ratio of 1:108 and to enrich to near homogeneity a single functional protein from a phenotype-genotype linked Escherichia coli genomic library using in vitro functional selections. Conclusions A new display technology is described which addresses the challenge of functional protein display. The results demonstrate that plasmid display is sufficiently sensitive to select a functional protein from large libraries and that it therefore represents a useful addition to the repertoire of display technologies.

Anti-Inflammatory and antiosteoclastogenic activities of parthenolide on human periodontal ligament cellsIn vitro

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that causes osteolysis and tooth loss. It is known that the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signalling pathway plays a key role in the progression of inflammation and osteoclastogenesis in periodontitis. Parthenolide (PTL), a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from the shoots of Tanacetum parthenium, has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties in various diseases. In the study reported herein, we investigated the effects of PTL on the inflammatory and osteoclastogenic response of human periodontal ligament-derived cells (hPDLCs) and revealed the signalling pathways in this process. Our results showed that PTL decreased NF-κB activation, I-κB degradation, and ERK activation in hPDLCs. PTL significantly reduced the expression of inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and osteoclastogenic (RANKL, OPG, and M-CSF) genes in LPS-stimulated hPDLCs. In addition, PTL attenuated hPDLC-induced osteoclastogenic differentiation of macrophages (RAW264.7 cells), as well as reducing gene expression of osteoclast-related markers in RAW264.7 cells in an hPDLC-macrophage coculture model. Taken together, these results demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and antiosteoclastogenic activities of PTL in hPDLCs in vitro. These data offer fundamental evidence supporting the potential use of PTL in periodontitis treatment.

Genetic studies in osteoporosis: The end of the beginning

Osteoporosis and disorders of bone fragility are highly heritable, but despite much effort the identities of few of the genes involved has been established. Recent developments in genetics such as genome-wide association studies are revolutionizing research in this field, and it is likely that further contributions will be made through application of next-generation sequencing technologies, analysis of copy number variation polymorphisms, and high-throughput mouse mutagenesis programs. This article outlines what we know about osteoporosis genetics to date and the probable future directions of research in this field.

Genetics of ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis: Where are we at currently, and how do they compare?

Both ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are common, highly heritable conditions, the pathogenesis of which are incompletely understood. Gene-mapping studies in both conditions have over the last couple of years made major breakthroughs in identifying the mechanisms by which these diseases occur. Considering RA, there is an over-representation of genes involved in TNF signalling and the NFκB pathway that have been shown to influence the disease risk. There is also considerable sharing of susceptibility genes between RA and other autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease and celiac disease, with thus far little overlap with AS. In AS, genes involved in response to IL12/IL23, and in endoplasmic reticulum peptide presentation, have been identified, but a full genomewide association study has not yet been reported.

Genetic insights into common pathways and complex relationships among iImmune-mediated diseases

Shared aetiopathogenic factors among immune-mediated diseases have long been suggested by their co-familiality and co-occurrence, and molecular support has been provided by analysis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes and genome-wide association studies. The interrelationships can now be better appreciated following the genotyping of large immune disease sample sets on a shared SNP array: the 'Immunochip'. Here, we systematically analyse loci shared among major immune-mediated diseases. This reveals that several diseases share multiple susceptibility loci, but there are many nuances. The most associated variant at a given locus frequently differs and, even when shared, the same allele often has opposite associations. Interestingly, risk alleles conferring the largest effect sizes are usually disease-specific. These factors help to explain why early evidence of extensive 'sharing' is not always reflected in epidemiological overlap. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Osteoclast formation from circulating precursors in osteoporosis

Objective: An imbalance between bone formation and bone resorption is thought to underlie the pathogenesis of reduced bone mass in osteoporosis. Bone resorption is carried out by osteoclasts, which are formed from marrow-derived cells that circulate in the monocyte fraction. Ihe aim of this study was to determine the role of osteoclast formation in the pathogenesis of bone loss in osteoporosis. Methods: The proportion of circulating osteoclast precursors and their relative sensitivity to the osteoclastogenic effects of M-CSF, 1,25(OH)2D3 and RANKL were assessed in primary osteoporosis patients and normal controls. Results: Although there was no difference in the number of circulating osteoclast precursors in osteoporosis patients and normal controls, osteoclasts formed from osteoporosis patients exhibited substantially increased resorptive activity relative to normal controls. Although no increased sensitivity to the osteoclastogenic effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 or M-CSF was noted, increased bone resorption was found in osteoporosis peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures to which these factors were added. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that osteoclast functional activity rather than formation is increased in primary involutional osteoporosis and that dexamethasone acts to increase osteoclast formation.