Recently,the roles of pyroptosis,a form of cell death induced by activated NODlike receptor protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasome,in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM)have been extensively investigated.However,mo...Recently,the roles of pyroptosis,a form of cell death induced by activated NODlike receptor protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasome,in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM)have been extensively investigated.However,most studies have focused mainly on whether diabetes increases the NLRP3 inflammasome and associated pyroptosis in the heart of type 1 or type 2 diabetic rodent models,and whether various medications and natural products prevent the development of DCM,associated with decreased levels of cardiac NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis.The direct link of NLRP3 inflammasome and associated pyroptosis to the pathogenesis of DCM remains unclear based on the limited evidence derived from the available studies,with the approaches of NLRP3 gene silencing or pharmaceutical application of NLRP3 specific inhibitors.We thus emphasize the requirement for more systematic studies that are designed to provide direct evidence to support the link,given that several studies have provided both direct and indirect evidence under specific conditions.This editorial emphasizes that the current investigation should be circumspect in its conclusion,i.e.,not overemphasizing its role in the pathogenesis of DCM with the fact of only significantly increased expression or activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis in the heart of diabetic rodent models.Only clear-cut evidence-based causative roles of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis in the pathogenesis of DCM can help to develop effective and safe medications for the clinical management of DCM,targeting these biomarkers.展开更多
Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a common inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has long been used in Asia as a treatment for UC and Puerariae Radix(PR)is a reliable anti-diarrhea...Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a common inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has long been used in Asia as a treatment for UC and Puerariae Radix(PR)is a reliable anti-diarrheal therapy.The aims of this study were to investigate the protective effect of PR using the dextran sulfate sodium salt(DSS)-induced UC model in mice and identify molecular mechanisms of PR action.The chemical constituents of PR via ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and identified potential PR and UC targets using a network pharmacology(NP)approach were obtained to guide mouse experiments.A total of 180 peaks were identified from PR including 48 flavonoids,46 organic acids,14 amino acids,8 phenols,8 carbohydrates,7 alkaloids,6 coumarins and 43 other constituents.NP results showed that caspase-1 was the most dysregulated of the core genes associated with UC.A PR dose of 0.136 mg/g administered to DSS treated mice reversed weight loss and decreased colon lengths found in UC mice.PR also alleviated intestinal mucosal shedding,inflammatory cell infiltration and mucin loss.PR treatment suppressed upregulation of NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3),cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteases-1(caspase-1),apoptosis-associated speck-like(ASC)and gasdermin D(GSDMD)at both the protein and m RNA expression levels.The addition of a small molecule dual-specificity phosphatase inhibitor NSC 95397 inhibited the positive effects of PR.These results indicated that PR exerts a protective effect on DSS-induced colitis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mice.展开更多
BACKGROUND The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome is a significant component of the innate immune system that plays a vital role in the development of various parasitic diseases.Howe...BACKGROUND The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome is a significant component of the innate immune system that plays a vital role in the development of various parasitic diseases.However,its role in hepatic alveolar echinococcosis(HAE)remains unclear.AIM To investigate the NLRP3 inflammasome and its mechanism of activation in HAE.METHODS We assessed the expression of NLRP3,caspase-1,interleukin(IL)-1β,and IL-18 in the marginal zone and corresponding normal liver of 60 patients with HAE.A rat model of HAE was employed to investigate the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the marginal zone of HAE.Transwell experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Echinococcus multilocularis(E.multilocularis)in stimulating Kupffer cells and hepatocytes.Furthermore,immunohistochemistry,Western blotting,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to evaluate NLRP3,caspase-1,IL-1β,and IL-18 expression;flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis and reactive oxygen species(ROS).RESULTS NLRP3 inflammasome activation was significantly associated with ROS.Inhibition of ROS production decreased NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βpathway activation and mitigated hepatocyte damage and inflammation.CONCLUSION E.multilocularis induces hepatocyte damage and inflammation by activating the ROS-mediated NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βpathway in Kupffer cells,indicating that ROS may serve as a potential target for the treatment of HAE.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the effect of different dietary fatty acids on hepatic inflammasome activation.METHODS: Wild-type C57BL/6 mice were fed either a high-fat diet or polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-enriched diet. Pr...AIM: To investigate the effect of different dietary fatty acids on hepatic inflammasome activation.METHODS: Wild-type C57BL/6 mice were fed either a high-fat diet or polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-enriched diet. Primary hepatocytes were treated with either saturated fatty acids (SFAs) or PUFAs as well as combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The expression of NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) was determined by real-time PCR and Western blot. The activity of Caspase-1 and interleukine-1β production were measured.RESULTS: High-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis was sufficient to induce and activate hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome. SFA palmitic acid (PA) directly activated NLRP3 inflammasome and increased sensitization to LPS-induced inflammasome activation in hepatocytes. In contrast, PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had the potential to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome expression in hepatocytes and partly abolished LPS-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Furthermore, a high-fat diet increased but PUFA-enriched diet decreased sensitization to LPS-induced hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vivo. Moreover, PA increased but DHA decreased phosphorylated NF-κB p65 protein expression in hepatocytes.CONCLUSION: Hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome activation played an important role in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Dietary SFAs and PUFAs oppositely regulated the activity of NLRP3 inflammasome through direct activation or inhibition of NF-κB.展开更多
Activated nucleotide binding to the oligonucleotide receptor protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease through oxidative stress and neurogenic inflammation. Low e...Activated nucleotide binding to the oligonucleotide receptor protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease through oxidative stress and neurogenic inflammation. Low expression of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) gene may promote the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases to some extent. To clarify the roles of the NLRP3 inflammasome and STAT3 expression in oxidative stress,(1) SHSY5 Y cells were incubated with 1 mM H2 O2 to induce oxidative stress injury, and the expression of human-cell-specific signal transduction, STAT3-shRNA silencing signal transduction and STAT3 were detected. Cells were pretreated with Ca2+ chelator BAPATA-AM(0.1 mM) for 30 minutes as a control.(2) Western blot assay was used to analyze the expression of caspase-1, NLRP3, signal transduction and STAT3. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze interleukin-1β levels. Flow cytometry was carried out to calculate the number of apoptotic cells. We found that H2 O2 treatment activated NLRP3 inflammasomes and decreased phosphorylation of signal transduction and STAT3 serine 727. BAPTA-AM pretreatment abolished the H2 O2-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes, caspase-1 expression, interleukin-1β expression and apoptosis in SHSY5 Y cells, and had no effect in cells with downregulated STAT3 expression by RNAi. The findings suggest that downregulation of signal transduction and STAT3 expression may enhance the oxidative stress mediated by NLRP3, which may not depend on the Ca2^+ signaling pathway.展开更多
文摘Recently,the roles of pyroptosis,a form of cell death induced by activated NODlike receptor protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasome,in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM)have been extensively investigated.However,most studies have focused mainly on whether diabetes increases the NLRP3 inflammasome and associated pyroptosis in the heart of type 1 or type 2 diabetic rodent models,and whether various medications and natural products prevent the development of DCM,associated with decreased levels of cardiac NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis.The direct link of NLRP3 inflammasome and associated pyroptosis to the pathogenesis of DCM remains unclear based on the limited evidence derived from the available studies,with the approaches of NLRP3 gene silencing or pharmaceutical application of NLRP3 specific inhibitors.We thus emphasize the requirement for more systematic studies that are designed to provide direct evidence to support the link,given that several studies have provided both direct and indirect evidence under specific conditions.This editorial emphasizes that the current investigation should be circumspect in its conclusion,i.e.,not overemphasizing its role in the pathogenesis of DCM with the fact of only significantly increased expression or activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis in the heart of diabetic rodent models.Only clear-cut evidence-based causative roles of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis in the pathogenesis of DCM can help to develop effective and safe medications for the clinical management of DCM,targeting these biomarkers.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32172897)Central Significant Changes in the Project at the Corresponding Level(Valuable Resources Capacity-Building for Sustainable Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine Program)(2060302)Chinese Herbal Medicine Industry Innovation Team of Shandong Province Agricultural Technology System(SDAIT-20-06)。
文摘Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a common inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has long been used in Asia as a treatment for UC and Puerariae Radix(PR)is a reliable anti-diarrheal therapy.The aims of this study were to investigate the protective effect of PR using the dextran sulfate sodium salt(DSS)-induced UC model in mice and identify molecular mechanisms of PR action.The chemical constituents of PR via ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and identified potential PR and UC targets using a network pharmacology(NP)approach were obtained to guide mouse experiments.A total of 180 peaks were identified from PR including 48 flavonoids,46 organic acids,14 amino acids,8 phenols,8 carbohydrates,7 alkaloids,6 coumarins and 43 other constituents.NP results showed that caspase-1 was the most dysregulated of the core genes associated with UC.A PR dose of 0.136 mg/g administered to DSS treated mice reversed weight loss and decreased colon lengths found in UC mice.PR also alleviated intestinal mucosal shedding,inflammatory cell infiltration and mucin loss.PR treatment suppressed upregulation of NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3),cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteases-1(caspase-1),apoptosis-associated speck-like(ASC)and gasdermin D(GSDMD)at both the protein and m RNA expression levels.The addition of a small molecule dual-specificity phosphatase inhibitor NSC 95397 inhibited the positive effects of PR.These results indicated that PR exerts a protective effect on DSS-induced colitis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mice.
基金Supported by the National Major Research and Development Project of“Precision Medicine Research”,No.2017YFC0909900Qinghai Province Science and Technology Department Programme,No.2019-SF-131the Qinghai Province Health and Family Planning Commission Programme,No.2016-wjzd-04.
文摘BACKGROUND The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome is a significant component of the innate immune system that plays a vital role in the development of various parasitic diseases.However,its role in hepatic alveolar echinococcosis(HAE)remains unclear.AIM To investigate the NLRP3 inflammasome and its mechanism of activation in HAE.METHODS We assessed the expression of NLRP3,caspase-1,interleukin(IL)-1β,and IL-18 in the marginal zone and corresponding normal liver of 60 patients with HAE.A rat model of HAE was employed to investigate the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the marginal zone of HAE.Transwell experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Echinococcus multilocularis(E.multilocularis)in stimulating Kupffer cells and hepatocytes.Furthermore,immunohistochemistry,Western blotting,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to evaluate NLRP3,caspase-1,IL-1β,and IL-18 expression;flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis and reactive oxygen species(ROS).RESULTS NLRP3 inflammasome activation was significantly associated with ROS.Inhibition of ROS production decreased NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βpathway activation and mitigated hepatocyte damage and inflammation.CONCLUSION E.multilocularis induces hepatocyte damage and inflammation by activating the ROS-mediated NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βpathway in Kupffer cells,indicating that ROS may serve as a potential target for the treatment of HAE.
基金Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNO.81170374 and NO.81470842 to Hua J
文摘AIM: To investigate the effect of different dietary fatty acids on hepatic inflammasome activation.METHODS: Wild-type C57BL/6 mice were fed either a high-fat diet or polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-enriched diet. Primary hepatocytes were treated with either saturated fatty acids (SFAs) or PUFAs as well as combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The expression of NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) was determined by real-time PCR and Western blot. The activity of Caspase-1 and interleukine-1β production were measured.RESULTS: High-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis was sufficient to induce and activate hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome. SFA palmitic acid (PA) directly activated NLRP3 inflammasome and increased sensitization to LPS-induced inflammasome activation in hepatocytes. In contrast, PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had the potential to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome expression in hepatocytes and partly abolished LPS-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Furthermore, a high-fat diet increased but PUFA-enriched diet decreased sensitization to LPS-induced hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vivo. Moreover, PA increased but DHA decreased phosphorylated NF-κB p65 protein expression in hepatocytes.CONCLUSION: Hepatic NLRP3 inflammasome activation played an important role in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Dietary SFAs and PUFAs oppositely regulated the activity of NLRP3 inflammasome through direct activation or inhibition of NF-κB.
基金supported by Department of Science and Technology in Guizhou Province of China,No.Basic [2016]1131(to QianKe-He to HB)+2 种基金Department of Health and Family Planning Commission in Guizhou Province of China,No.2015-326(to HB)Less Developed Regions of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81560482the Research Foundation for Creative Research Groups of Education Bureau of Guizhou Province of China,No.KY[2016]033(to QFZ)
文摘Activated nucleotide binding to the oligonucleotide receptor protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease through oxidative stress and neurogenic inflammation. Low expression of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) gene may promote the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases to some extent. To clarify the roles of the NLRP3 inflammasome and STAT3 expression in oxidative stress,(1) SHSY5 Y cells were incubated with 1 mM H2 O2 to induce oxidative stress injury, and the expression of human-cell-specific signal transduction, STAT3-shRNA silencing signal transduction and STAT3 were detected. Cells were pretreated with Ca2+ chelator BAPATA-AM(0.1 mM) for 30 minutes as a control.(2) Western blot assay was used to analyze the expression of caspase-1, NLRP3, signal transduction and STAT3. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze interleukin-1β levels. Flow cytometry was carried out to calculate the number of apoptotic cells. We found that H2 O2 treatment activated NLRP3 inflammasomes and decreased phosphorylation of signal transduction and STAT3 serine 727. BAPTA-AM pretreatment abolished the H2 O2-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes, caspase-1 expression, interleukin-1β expression and apoptosis in SHSY5 Y cells, and had no effect in cells with downregulated STAT3 expression by RNAi. The findings suggest that downregulation of signal transduction and STAT3 expression may enhance the oxidative stress mediated by NLRP3, which may not depend on the Ca2^+ signaling pathway.