Pharmacologic inducers of the uric acid exporter ABCG2 as potential drugs for treatment of gouty arthritis

Uric acid is the end product of purine catabolism and its plasma levels are maintained below its maximum solubility in water(6–7 mg/dl).The plasma levels are tightly regulated as the balance between the rate of production and the rate of excretion,the latter occurring in urine(kidney),bile(liver)and feces(intestinal tract).Reabsorption in kidney is also an important component of this process.Both excretion and reabsorption are mediated by specific transporters.Disruption of the balance between production and excretion leads to hyperuricemia,which increases the risk of uric acid crystallization as monosodium urate with subsequent deposition of the crystals in joints causing gouty arthritis.Loss-of-function mutations in the transporters that mediate uric acid excretion are associated with gout.The ATP-Binding Cassette exporter ABCG2 is important in uric acid excretion at all three sites:kidney(urine),liver(bile),and intestine(feces).Mutations in this transporter cause gout and these mutations occur at significant prevalence in general population.However,mutations that are most prevalent result only in partial loss of transport function.Therefore,if the expression of these partially defective transporters could be induced,the increased number of the transporter molecules would compensate for the mutation-associated decrease in transport function and hence increase uric acid excretion.As such,pharmacologic agents with ability to induce the expression of ABCG2 represent potentially a novel class of drugs for treatment of gouty arthritis.

Natural heme oxygenase-1 inducers in hepatobiliary function

Many physiological effects of natural antioxidants, their extracts or their major active components, have been reported in recent decades. Most of these compounds are characterized by a phenolic structure, similar to that of o-tocopherol, and present antioxidant properties that have been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Polyphenors may increase the capacity of endogenous antioxidant defences and modulate the cellular redox state. Changes in the cellular redox state may have wide-ranging consequences for cellular growth and differentiation. The majority of in vitro and in vivo studies conducted so far have attributed the protective effect of bioactive polyphenols to their chemical reactivity toward free radicals and their capacity to prevent the oxidation of important intracellular components. However, in recent years a possible novel aspect inthe mode of action of these compounds has been suggested; that is, the ultimate stimulation of the heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） pathway is likely to account for the established and powerful antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties of these polyphenols. The products of the HO-catalyzed reaction, particularly carbon mon- oxide （CO） and biliverdin/bilirubin have been shown to exert protective effects in several organs against oxidative and other noxious stimuli. In this context, it is interesting to note that induction of HO-1 expression by means of natural compounds contributes to protection against liver damage in various experimental models. The focus of this review is on the significance of targeted induction of HO-1 as a potential therapeutic strategy to protect the liver against various stressors in several pathological conditions.

Screening of Epstein-Barr Virus Early Antigen Expression Inducers from Chinese Medicinal Herbs and Plants

Ether extrilcls of 1693 Chinesc medicinal herbs and plilnts from 268 families werestudied for the induction of Epstcin-Barr viral (EBV ) early antigcn (EA ) expression in theRaji cell line. Fifty-two from 18 families were found to have inducing activity. Twenty-fiveand seven of them were from Euphorbiaccae and Thymclaeaceae, respectively. Some ofthem, such as Croton tiglium, Euphorbia kansui, Daphnc genkwa, Wikstrocmia chamacdaphen, Wikstroemia indica, Prunus mandshurica Koehne and Achyranthes bidentata arecommonly used drugs. The significance of these herbs in the activation of EBV in vivo andtheir relation to the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were discussed.

Reliability Improvements to Centrifugal Pump Performance in Conjunction with Inducers, CFD Comparative Study

In this research, centrifugal pump unit was analysed to study the effects of using inducers on its performance. Hydraulic tests were done to obtain the optimum hydraulic performance before and after using inducer. Two types of inducers were used in this work （axial, helical）. For this purpose, a test rig was specially designed with a pump system to investigate the parameters under consideration. Plots （H-Q） curves, （B.P.-Q） curves and （q-Q） curves were used to show the effect of pump performance with and without inducers. The present study introduces a simulation of centrifugal pump performance in conjunction with inducers using CFD （Computational Fluid Dynamics）, to compare it with experimentally observed values. The model investigates the impact of using inducers on the head and flow of the pump. The results of the CFD model and experimental are correlated well. Furthermore, the results help the decision makers of the pumps for future developments in pump performance assuring safe and reliable running condition of the water pumps. Also it may be used for more applications of larger head and flow pumps.

Enhancement of Laccase Activity by Marine-derived Deuteromycete Pestalotiopsis sp. J63 with Agricultural Residues and Inducers

Pestalotiopsis sp. J63, producing a high activity of laccase, is a new marine-derived fungus isolated from the oceanic sediment of the East China Sea. Since the marine environment is oligotrophic nutrient, marine derived fungi may use small amount of nutrients to grow and produce laccases. Agricultural residues that are mainly composed of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose are difficult to be degraded and few microbes can take them as substrates, so they are considered as oligotrophic nutrient and have the potential to be used to produce value added products. In this study, the ability of Pestalotiopsis sp. J63 to use agricultural residues to produce laccases was tested in the submerged fermentation. The combination of 3 g·L 1maltose and 20 g·L 1rice straw was the best carbon sources and 8 g·L 1ammonium sulfate was the best nitrogen source under the condition without inducers. The effects of five inducers, the feeding time and concentration of inducer on laccase production were investigated.Adding 0.09 mmol·L 1phenol after 24 h of incubation led to high laccase activity(5089 U·L 1), while with 0.09mmol·L 1phenol in the medium and wheat bran as the nitrogen source, the laccase activity could reach 5791.7U·L 1. Native-PAGE results showed that two laccase isozymes were present in the cultures. One existed in both induced and non-induced culture filtrates, while the other was only found in the fermentation with the addition of phenol, guaiacol and veratryl alcohol.

Regulated Gene Expression with Promoters Responding to Inducers

Genetically engineered transgenic animals and plants have proven to be extremely useful for analyzing biochemical and developmental processes.Promoters responding to chemical inducers will be powerful tools for basic research in molecular biology and biotechnological applications.Various chemical inducible systems based on activation and inactivation of the target gene had been described.The transfer of regulatory elements from prokaryotes,insects,and mammals has opened new avenues to construct chemically inducible promoters that differ in their ability to regulate the temporal and spatial expression patterns,and this will dramatically increase the application of transgenic technology.This review provides an overview on regulation of gene expression,promoter activating systems,promoter inactivation systems,inducible gene over expression,and inducible anti suppression.

Study on Haploid Induction Rates in Different Maize Inducers

[Objective] The aim was to analyze the differences in haploid induction rates of different inducers. [Method] Six maize inducers with purple spot and purple color were selected as the male parents to pollinate six inbred lines. [Result] The mean haploid induction rates were significantly different among the inducers: KMS-3 >WY-1 >PR-2 >YP-13 >KMS-2 >KMS-1. The haploid induction rates of the different hybrid materials were significantly different: K410 >105A >103A >104A >107A >D271 >106A>L73>N21>KZ58. [Conclusion] The haploid inducer line PR-2, which had high haploid induction rate and low variation coefficient, was an elite haploid inducer.

Photobiomodulation:a novel approach to promote trans-differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells into neuronal-like cells

Photobiomodulation,originally used red and near-infrared lasers,can alter cellular metabolism.It has been demonstrated that the visible spectrum at 451-540 nm does not necessarily increase cell proliferation,near-infrared light promotes adipose stem cell proliferation and affects adipose stem cell migration,which is necessary for the cells homing to the site of injury.In this in vitro study,we explored the potential of adipose-derived stem cells to differentiate into neurons for future translational regenerative treatments in neurodegenerative disorders and brain injuries.We investigated the effects of various biological and chemical inducers on trans-differentiation and evaluated the impact of photobiomodulation using 825 nm near-infrared and 525 nm green laser light at 5 J/cm2.As adipose-derived stem cells can be used in autologous grafting and photobiomodulation has been shown to have biostimulatory effects.Our findings reveal that adipose-derived stem cells can indeed trans-differentiate into neuronal cells when exposed to inducers,with pre-induced cells exhibiting higher rates of proliferation and trans-differentiation compared with the control group.Interestingly,green laser light stimulation led to notable morphological changes indicative of enhanced trans-differentiation,while near-infrared photobiomodulation notably increased the expression of neuronal markers.Through biochemical analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays,we observed marked improvements in viability,proliferation,membrane permeability,and mitochondrial membrane potential,as well as increased protein levels of neuron-specific enolase and ciliary neurotrophic factor.Overall,our results demonstrate the efficacy of photobiomodulation in enhancing the trans-differentiation ability of adipose-derived stem cells,offering promising prospects for their use in regenerative medicine for neurodegenerative disorders and brain injuries.

Modulation of the Nogo signaling pathway to overcome amyloid-β-mediated neurite inhibition in human pluripotent stem cell-derived neurites

Neuronal cell death and the loss of connectivity are two of the primary pathological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease.The accumulation of amyloid-βpeptides,a key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease,is believed to induce neuritic abnormalities,including reduced growth,extension,and abnormal growth cone morphology,all of which contribute to decreased connectivity.However,the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms governing this response remain unknown.In this study,we used an innovative approach to demonstrate the effect of amyloid-βon neurite dynamics in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional cultu re systems,in order to provide more physiologically relevant culture geometry.We utilized various methodologies,including the addition of exogenous amyloid-βpeptides to the culture medium,growth substrate coating,and the utilization of human-induced pluripotent stem cell technology,to investigate the effect of endogenous amyloid-βsecretion on neurite outgrowth,thus paving the way for potential future applications in personalized medicine.Additionally,we also explore the involvement of the Nogo signaling cascade in amyloid-β-induced neurite inhibition.We demonstrate that inhibition of downstream ROCK and RhoA components of the Nogo signaling pathway,achieved through modulation with Y-27632(a ROCK inhibitor)and Ibuprofen(a Rho A inhibitor),respectively,can restore and even enhance neuronal connectivity in the presence of amyloid-β.In summary,this study not only presents a novel culture approach that offers insights into the biological process of neurite growth and inhibition,but also proposes a specific mechanism for reduced neural connectivity in the presence of amyloid-βpeptides,along with potential intervention points to restore neurite growth.Thereby,we aim to establish a culture system that has the potential to serve as an assay for measuring preclinical,predictive outcomes of drugs and their ability to promote neurite outgrowth,both generally and in a patient-specific manner.

A systematic review of progenitor survival and maturation in Parkinsonian models

Stem cell-based brain repair is a promising emergent therapy for Parkinson's disease based on years of foundational research using human fetal donors as a cell source.Unlike current therapeutic options for patients,this approach has the potential to provide longterm stem cell–derived reconstruction and restoration of the dopaminergic input to denervated regions of the brain allowing for restoration of certain functions to patients.The ultimate clinical success of stem cell–derived brain repair will depend on both the safety and efficacy of the approach and the latter is dependent on the ability of the transplanted cells to survive and differentiate into functional dopaminergic neurons in the Parkinsonian brain.Because the pre-clinical literature suggests that there is considerable variability in survival and differentiation between studies,the aim of this systematic review was to assess these parameters in human stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitor transplant studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease.A defined systematic search of the PubMed database was completed to identify relevant studies published up to March 2024.After screening,76 articles were included in the analysis from which 178 separate transplant studies were identified.From these,graft survival could be assessed in 52 studies and differentiation in 129 studies.Overall,we found that graft survival ranged from<1% to 500% of cells transplanted,with a median of 51%of transplanted cells surviving in the brain;while dopaminergic differentiation of the cells ranged from 0% to 46% of cells transplanted with a median of 3%.This systematic review suggests that there is considerable scope for improvement in the differentiation of stem cell-derived dopaminergic progenitors to maximize the therapeutic potential of this approach for patients.

Induced neural stem cells regulate microglial activation through Akt-mediated upregulation of CXCR4 and Crry in a mouse model of closed head injury

Microglial activation that occurs rapidly after closed head injury may play important and complex roles in neuroinflammation-associated neuronal damage and repair.We previously reported that induced neural stem cells can modulate the behavior of activated microglia via CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling,influencing their activation such that they can promote neurological recovery.However,the mechanism of CXCR4 upregulation in induced neural stem cells remains unclear.In this study,we found that nuclear factor-κB activation induced by closed head injury mouse serum in microglia promoted CXCL12 and tumor necrosis factor-αexpression but suppressed insulin-like growth factor-1 expression.However,recombinant complement receptor 2-conjugated Crry(CR2-Crry)reduced the effects of closed head injury mouse serum-induced nuclear factor-κB activation in microglia and the levels of activated microglia,CXCL12,and tumor necrosis factor-α.Additionally,we observed that,in response to stimulation(including stimulation by CXCL12 secreted by activated microglia),CXCR4 and Crry levels can be upregulated in induced neural stem cells via the interplay among CXCL12/CXCR4,Crry,and Akt signaling to modulate microglial activation.In agreement with these in vitro experimental results,we found that Akt activation enhanced the immunoregulatory effects of induced neural stem cell grafts on microglial activation,leading to the promotion of neurological recovery via insulin-like growth factor-1 secretion and the neuroprotective effects of induced neural stem cell grafts through CXCR4 and Crry upregulation in the injured cortices of closed head injury mice.Notably,these beneficial effects of Akt activation in induced neural stem cells were positively correlated with the therapeutic effects of induced neural stem cells on neuronal injury,cerebral edema,and neurological disorders post–closed head injury.In conclusion,our findings reveal that Akt activation may enhance the immunoregulatory effects of induced neural stem cells on microglial activation via upregulation of CXCR4 and Crry,thereby promoting induced neural stem cell–mediated improvement of neuronal injury,cerebral edema,and neurological disorders following closed head injury.

Effects of P301L-TAU on post-translational modifications of microtubules in human iPSC-derived cortical neurons and TAU transgenic mice

TAU is a microtubule-associated protein that promotes microtubule assembly and stability in the axon.TAU is missorted and aggregated in an array of diseases known as tauopathies.Microtubules are essential for neuronal function and regulated via a complex set of post-translational modifications,changes of which affect microtubule stability and dynamics,microtubule interaction with other proteins and cellular structures,and mediate recruitment of microtubule-severing enzymes.As impairment of microtubule dynamics causes neuronal dysfunction,we hypothesize cognitive impairment in human disease to be impacted by impairment of microtubule dynamics.We therefore aimed to study the effects of a disease-causing mutation of TAU(P301L)on the levels and localization of microtubule post-translational modifications indicative of microtubule stability and dynamics,to assess whether P301L-TAU causes stability-changing modifications to microtubules.To investigate TAU localization,phosphorylation,and effects on tubulin post-translational modifications,we expressed wild-type or P301L-TAU in human MAPT-KO induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons(i Neurons)and studied TAU in neurons in the hippocampus of mice transgenic for human P301L-TAU(p R5 mice).Human neurons expressing the longest TAU isoform(2N4R)with the P301L mutation showed increased TAU phosphorylation at the AT8,but not the p-Ser-262 epitope,and increased polyglutamylation and acetylation of microtubules compared with endogenous TAU-expressing neurons.P301L-TAU showed pronounced somatodendritic presence,but also successful axonal enrichment and a similar axodendritic distribution comparable to exogenously expressed 2N4R-wildtype-TAU.P301L-TAU-expressing hippocampal neurons in transgenic mice showed prominent missorting and tauopathy-typical AT8-phosphorylation of TAU and increased polyglutamylation,but reduced acetylation,of microtubules compared with non-transgenic littermates.In sum,P301L-TAU results in changes in microtubule PTMs,suggestive of impairment of microtubule stability.This is accompanied by missorting and aggregation of TAU in mice but not in i Neurons.Microtubule PTMs/impairment may be of key importance in tauopathies.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-related approaches to generate dopaminergic neurons for Parkinson's disease

The progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in affected patient brains is one of the pathological features of Parkinson's disease,the second most common human neurodegenerative disease.Although the detailed pathogenesis accounting for dopaminergic neuron degeneration in Parkinson's disease is still unclear,the advancement of stem cell approaches has shown promise for Parkinson's disease research and therapy.The induced pluripotent stem cells have been commonly used to generate dopaminergic neurons,which has provided valuable insights to improve our understanding of Parkinson's disease pathogenesis and contributed to anti-Parkinson's disease therapies.The current review discusses the practical approaches and potential applications of induced pluripotent stem cell techniques for generating and differentiating dopaminergic neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells.The benefits of induced pluripotent stem cell-based research are highlighted.Various dopaminergic neuron differentiation protocols from induced pluripotent stem cells are compared.The emerging three-dimension-based brain organoid models compared with conventional two-dimensional cell culture are evaluated.Finally,limitations,challenges,and future directions of induced pluripotent stem cell–based approaches are analyzed and proposed,which will be significant to the future application of induced pluripotent stem cell-related techniques for Parkinson's disease.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived therapies for regeneration after central nervous system injury

In recent years,the progression of stem cell therapies has shown great promise in advancing the nascent field of regenerative medicine.Considering the non-regenerative nature of the mature central nervous system,the concept that“blank”cells could be reprogrammed and functionally integrated into host neural networks remained intriguing.Previous work has also demonstrated the ability of such cells to stimulate intrinsic growth programs in post-mitotic cells,such as neurons.While embryonic stem cells demonstrated great potential in treating central nervous system pathologies,ethical and technical concerns remained.These barriers,along with the clear necessity for this type of treatment,ultimately prompted the advent of induced pluripotent stem cells.The advantage of pluripotent cells in central nervous system regeneration is multifaceted,permitting differentiation into neural stem cells,neural progenitor cells,glia,and various neuronal subpopulations.The precise spatiotemporal application of extrinsic growth factors in vitro,in addition to microenvironmental signaling in vivo,influences the efficiency of this directed differentiation.While the pluri-or multipotency of these cells is appealing,it also poses the risk of unregulated differentiation and teratoma formation.Cells of the neuroectodermal lineage,such as neuronal subpopulations and glia,have been explored with varying degrees of success.Although the risk of cancer or teratoma formation is greatly reduced,each subpopulation varies in effectiveness and is influenced by a myriad of factors,such as the timing of the transplant,pathology type,and the ratio of accompanying progenitor cells.Furthermore,successful transplantation requires innovative approaches to develop delivery vectors that can mitigate cell death and support integration.Lastly,host immune responses to allogeneic grafts must be thoroughly characterized and further developed to reduce the need for immunosuppression.Translation to a clinical setting will involve careful consideration when assessing both physiologic and functional outcomes.This review will highlight both successes and challenges faced when using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cell transplantation therapies to promote endogenous regeneration.

Effects and mechanisms of three kinds of chemical inducers on the expression of rat GST-P gene

The expression of rat Glutathione S-transferase P (GST-P) gene can be induced by many kinds of chemical inducers. We have studied the mechanisms of the expression of GST-P gene induced by 3 kinds of Chemical inducers using the induction of the gene expression by chemical inducers, transient transfection, reporter gene assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) and Northern blot analysis. The results indicate that the effects and mechanisms of chemical inducers on the expression of GS7'-Pgene are different. The interaction of AP-1 or other corresponding transcription factors activated by phorbol ester (TPA) or glycidyl methatylate (GMA) and GPEl enhancer element induces the expression of GST-P gene, while some unknown factors activated by H2O2 interact with GPEII enhancer element.

Engineering an enthesis-like graft for rotator cuff repair:An approach to fabricate highly biomimetic scaffold capable of zone-specifically releasing stem cell differentiation inducers

Rotator cuff(RC)attaches to humerus across a triphasic yet continuous tissue zones(bone-fibrocartilage-tendon),termed“enthesis”.Regrettably,rapid and functional enthesis regeneration is challenging after RC tear.The existing grafts bioengineered for RC repair are insufficient,as they were engineered by a scaffold that did not mimic normal enthesis in morphology,composition,and tensile property,meanwhile cannot simultaneously stimulate the formation of bone-fibrocartilage-tendon tissues.Herein,an optimized decellularization approach based on a vacuum aspiration device(VAD)was developed to fabricate a book-shaped decellularized enthesis matrix(O-BDEM).Then,three recombinant growth factors(CBP-GFs)capable of binding collagen were synthesized by fusing a collagen-binding peptide(CBP)into the N-terminal of BMP-2,TGF-β3,or GDF-7,and zone-specifically tethered to the collagen of O-BDEM to fabricate a novel scaffold(CBP-GFs/O-BDEM)satisfying the above-mentioned requirements.After ensuring the low immunogenicity of CBP-GFs/O-BDEM by a novel single-cell mass cytometry in a mouse model,we interleaved urine-derived stem cell-sheets into this CBP-GFs/O-BDEM to bioengineer an enthesis-like graft.Its high-performance on regenerating enthesis was determined in a canine model.These findings indicate this CBP-GFs/O-BDEM may be an excellent scaffold for constructing enthesis-like graft to patch large/massive RC tears,and provide breakthroughs in fabricating graded interfacial tissue.

Plant immunity inducers:from discovery to agricultural application

While conventional chemical fungicides directly eliminate pathogens,plant immunity inducers activate or prime plant immunity.In recent years,considerable progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms of immune regulation in plants.The development and application of plant immunity inducers based on the principles of plant immunity represent a new field in plant protection research.In this review,we describe the mechanisms of plant immunity inducers in terms of plant immune system activation,summarize the various classes of reported plant immunity inducers(proteins,oligosaccharides,chemicals,and lipids),and review methods for the identification or synthesis of plant immunity inducers.The current situation,new strategies,and future prospects in the development and application of plant immunity inducers are also discussed.

Failure Analysis and Design Changes of Oxygen Pump Inducers

The failure of an oxygen pump inducer during a test run was found to be the result of flow induced vibration. Oscillating fluid mechanics theory was used to determine the oscillating flow field around the inducer for various external oscillating perturbation frequencies. Enormous pressures can occur at some frequencies, which are sufficient to break the inducer. Some design changes were analyzed to improve the flow induced vibration characteristics.

Ferroptosis:Iron-mediated cell death linked to disease pathogenesis

Ferroptosis is a pattern of iron-mediated regulatory cell death characterized by oxidative damage.The molecular regulatory mechanisms are related to iron metabolism,lipid peroxidation,and glutathione metabolism.Additionally,some immunological signaling pathways,such as the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of the interferon gene axis,the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 axis,and the transforming growth factor beta 1-Smad3 axis,may also participate in the regulation of ferroptosis.Studies have shown that ferroptosis is significantly associated with many diseases such as cancer,neurodegenerative diseases,inflammatory diseases,and autoimmune diseases.Considering the pivotal role of ferroptosis-regulating signaling in the pathogenesis of diverse diseases,the development of ferroptosis inducers or inhibitors may have significant clinical potential for the treatment of aforementioned conditions.

Cell reprogramming therapy for Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is typically characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.Many studies have been performed based on the supplementation of lost dopaminergic neurons to treat Parkinson’s disease.The initial strategy for cell replacement therapy used human fetal ventral midbrain and human embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson’s disease,which could substantially alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in clinical practice.However,ethical issues and tumor formation were limitations of its clinical application.Induced pluripotent stem cells can be acquired without sacrificing human embryos,which eliminates the huge ethical barriers of human stem cell therapy.Another widely considered neuronal regeneration strategy is to directly reprogram fibroblasts and astrocytes into neurons,without the need for intermediate proliferation states,thus avoiding issues of immune rejection and tumor formation.Both induced pluripotent stem cells and direct reprogramming of lineage cells have shown promising results in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.However,there are also ethical concerns and the risk of tumor formation that need to be addressed.This review highlights the current application status of cell reprogramming in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,focusing on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells in cell replacement therapy,including preclinical animal models and progress in clinical research.The review also discusses the advancements in direct reprogramming of lineage cells in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,as well as the controversy surrounding in vivo reprogramming.These findings suggest that cell reprogramming may hold great promise as a potential strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease.